In Germany they target tail gaters as they have found this to be the main reason for accidents not the speed. Really big fines at that as well.
Strewth even I can see the logic in that.
Hardcore Biker
In Germany they target tail gaters as they have found this to be the main reason for accidents not the speed. Really big fines at that as well.
Strewth even I can see the logic in that.
"I think men who have a pierced ear are better prepared for marriage.
They've experienced pain and brought jewelry." - Rita Rudner
A man is only as big as the dreams he dares to live
Forum whore
I have noticed that tail gating now seems to be the norm - espec on m/ways!Originally Posted by Holy Roller
Two sec rule - more like 0.2 sec rule! Do any of these drivers think they will be able to react, let alone stop, when they leave 2 car lengths at 120k. On Saturday morn. heading for the Autobahn, there were groups of T&T's all tailgating and passing at 125K! If a car driver paniced and hit the brakes (as they seem to do, sometimes?) these things would have run right over the top of them!
But then, I've come to the conclusion, that most drivers dont think!
“- He felt that his whole life was some kind of dream and he sometimes wondered whose it was and whether they were enjoying it.”
slightly adventurous
Yep, I completely agree with you. What I was trying to point out is that statistics which mean one thing are often used to support another arguement, which is what often annoys me about this whole speed issue. In many ways that latest advert that shows the different braking distances due to the 5km/hr speed difference is at least a lot more honest. It doesn't say that if you go 5km/hr faster you will crash, but that if you do crash it will be much nastier.
Forum whore
I wonder if tailgating is an attempt to avoid speed cameras? Hoping the front vehicle will get flashed, and the one behind missed 'cos it's so close
it's not a bad thing till you throw a KLR into the mix.
those cheap ass bitches can do anything with ductape.
(PostalDave on ADVrider)
Mobile Oil Stain
Yep tail gate spooks me big time.Here in Auckland they still do it even in the rain.Scary stuff!!!
It does seem that in NZ the early PhD gets the worm,,,,,,Or is that really the one that sings the right song??
Work? I want to go ride!
that was published in the herald?? wow! very progressive stance on a fairly blinkered subject.
bet that'll wind LTSA up (not that I'm holding my breath for a response of 'ya know- we hadn't thought of that, we'll look in to it eh?')
Man, you are too square.
...and as you probably all know already, on (some) German autobahns, there is no speed limit (also Australia's northern territory, if I'm not mistaken?). The difference is, most Euro motorways are 6-lanes (3 each way), each individual lane being wider than motorway lanes here in NZ, and the curves are usually very, very gentle. It's quite easy to cruise for hours at a time, traffic allowing, at 140-150 kmh or faster without having to touch the brakes once.
The difference here in NZ is that most highways with a 100 kmh limit can't be driven at that speed for extended lengths of time in the same way, they're twistier and require a much higher level of concentration, braking into corners and acceleraing out of them. Most of the time away from the main routes you can't sit on a constant speed, or any speed anywhere near 100kmh.
Also, sooner or later on the single lane roads, if you're doing a decent speed, you're going to run up someones arse, and have to slow down or overtake exposing yourself to increased risk. The only stretch of road I know of here that is comparable to most euro motorways is the long stretch of SH1 heading south of Auckland. And yes, 100kmh feels very bloody slow on that particular stretch.
As someone else has pointed out, cutting speed (and also having 'one size fits all' speed limits) is the cheapest alternative available, so thats what the polls and the police go for.
Man, you are too square.
A bloody good idea. I f**kin' hate tailgaters with a vengeance. Crush their cars and flog them at the side of the road. Rant over.
Immature and proud of it.
I wouldn't agree with that. 90% of SH1 could be travelled at faster than 100km/h, it's usually other traffic that keeps the average speed down. We averaged at least 100km/h on several long stretches in the South Island without going over peak speeds of 120 - 130.
Man, you are too square.
Ah yeah, there's the long flat stretch south of Chch down to Dunedin. Forgot about that. And a few other uncrowded 2-laners down there.
But even that stretch of SH1 is mostly 3-4 lanes wide both ways if I remember correctly, a lot of overtaking lanes, but not 2+ lanes each way as standard, with a central reservation to stop the possibility of drifting into oncoming traffic.
The main thrust of my point was that getting from A-B over any sort of long distance in Europe involves driving on a 6-lane motorway for hundreds and possibly thousands of Km. Doing a roughly equivalent journey say Auckland to Wellington (London to Newcastle?) would be a six-lane motorway nearly all the way in Europe, apart from the beginning and the end. Those sort of arterial roads exist in Europe because the volume of traffic demands them. Over here it doesn't. Once you leave SH1 or the few other big routes, you're on a two lane twisty most of the time, and you can't just sit with your thumb up your arse and your mind in neutral in the same way as you can cruising on a motorway. Overtaking a slow truck isn't a problem on the motorway because there's three lanes to play around in, you just change lanes and cruise past.
There's plenty of places even on SH1 (for example those hills between Auckland and Whangerei) where cornering and overtaking (where possible) demands a level of concentration and skill you don't need on a motorway, where you're travelling at a near constant speed in a mostly straight line at roughly the same speed as all the other traffic, without needing to worry about oncoming traffic when you pull out to overtake.
I have no problem with raw speed. I have a problem with 'excessive speed inappropriate for the prevailing conditions'. Unfortunately thats a bit harder for lawmakers to quantify and for plod to enforce.
So, 90% of SH1? Possibly.
The rest of NZ's roads? 130-140 cruising for 2-3 hours at a stretch? IMO No.
And to clarify, before anyone bites the wrong end of the stick and runs off with it, this isn't a pommie whinge, just a different POV of NZ's road system from a fresh pair of eyes. Lotsa people on here have ridden and driven both in Europe and here, far more than I have. I'm willing to listen to anyone's tuppence worth and change my mind.
Immature and proud of it.
I was referring to road design, leaving traffic out of the equation. You may not be able to cruise at high speeds for hours, but the roads do keep you awake.
Having your thumb up your arse and mind in neutral causes most of our accidents, motorways or not.
Lou
Hardcore Biker
Ahhh, professor. I would like to major in your class if I may
Man, you are too square.
True. Point taken.
Although bad road design, or even a road that was designed for the traffic of 40 years ago (volume and speed) doesn't so much keep you awake as feed into any small mistake you might make, and turn a drama into a crisis.
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