[angeal1131]

I think a speed limit is good. EU's implementation? not sure about that. What about driving by a slow driveR? you have to speed up above the limit to do that.

It's about safety, and no street legal car should be driven above 140-160km/h (87-100mph) on the highway; most people do not know how to handle a car above 80mph. It's really dangerous for both that car as well everybody around. IF you drive on your own land, race track etc. then yeah, that's where it should be allowed.

[BFLpL0QNek]

"most people do not know how to handle a car above 80mph"

It's 2019, most modern cars will do 80mph comfortably and safely, good breaks, good handling, modern electronic driver aids that are appearing and advancing, on a clear motorway 80mph is completely safe.

If driving a luxury saloon 100+mph can feel like you are doing 70mph, note i'm not saying 100mph is a responsible thing but it's completely legal on stretches of the German Autobahn where i was happily cruising along at 120-140mph on my motorcycle to have a Mercedes come up behind me with a little old woman peering over the steering wheel then flying by making me look slow.

If the numbers are correct at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Autobahn the Autobahn has the least fatality rate on German roads.

[zaarn]

>you have to speed up above the limit to do that.

Atleast in germany you may only overtake a driver if you can do so without going over the speed limit. I would assume that this is that case for most western countries too, driving over the speed limit is illegal, if you do it while overtaking I see on reason why you should get an exception.

And after all, it's a speed limit, not a speed average or speed minimum.

[angeal1131]

Issue in europe is that most roads isn't super wide. Only two-lane; at times only one.. So to overtake, you have to drive into the other lane that's driving against you... so that's when you are forced to speed up.... On highways, then yeah not a issue, but most roads isn't highways.

[arethuza]

If you have to speed up significantly to over the speed limit then presumably the vehicle you are overtaking was already close to the limit so why do you need to overtake?

[NB Reformed speeder here - I used to speed a lot, but then got a ticket and decided to stick carefully to the limit at all times, which actually means less stress, less fuel used and I haven't noticed arriving places really any later. Have almost got in fights a couple of times though!]

[zaarn]

It's perfectly possible to overtake on a one-lane road without breaking the speed limit, it's something that is expected of your during the driving test if you drive behind someone sufficiently slow.

Even if you go into the lane of the oncoming traffic, you are still not allowed to break the speed limit.

If you're not part of the police, firefighters or ambulance drivers, I do not believe there is a single valid reason to break the speed limit.

[benj111]

1. This is a speed warning, not a limiter, it will just tell you when you're speeding.

2. If you're following a slow driver. By definition they will be going below the speed limit. You yourself say people don't know how to handle a car at 80mph. Why then allow them to reach that speed to overtake?.

[dev_north_east]

> If you're following a slow driver. By definition they will be going below the speed limit

That doesn't mean it's safe. I had the terror of joining the motorway behind a car doing 30mph last night. It kept that speed once we miraculously made it onto the lane. It was an absolute menace.

[0db532a0]

I had a similar experience two nights ago where the car in front of me just slowed down for no reason before joining. I was checking my shoulder and only realised when it was too late.

It was either rear end him or join. My front wheel came off the ground in my frantic attempt to gain the speed of the car just behind me. Fun times.

Maybe autonomous driving really is a good idea.

[majewsky]

Autonomous driving is an amazing idea, we just don't have good-enough implementations yet.

[benj111]

Yes, but you can go at 70mph (in uk at least) so you don't need to speed to overtake. A speed limiter would make no difference in this situation.

[dev_north_east]

I'm in the UK. It wasn't a comment on the limiter as such, rather pointing out to the above poster that going under the speed limit can be very dangerous too.

[jobigoud]

Many places have a minimum speed as well for highways, so that would be illegal. It's probably less enforced than the above-limit infraction though.

[0db532a0]

There is no standard minimum speed limit on motorways in the UK unless indicated by a blue circular sign, which can apply to any road. These are rare. Motorbikes under a certain power limit, disabled vehicles, bicycles and horses are also not allowed on motorways.

There is however the offence of unnecessary obstruction of traffic, which any bellend doing 30mph on a motorway might find it quite possible to be found guilty of.

[poloniculmov]

In Romania, lots of people floor the accelerator when overtaking, because most of our roads only have one lane and they tend to overtake even if there's not enough space to do it safely.

[benj111]

"even if there's not enough space to do it safely"

Precisely.