7 ms·

Going around 160km/h on highways in Europe is pretty common, also higher speeds for eg. in Germany

riffraff 7y ago
> Going around 160km/h on highways in Europe is pretty common is it? That is 20-50km/h above the limit in all european countries other than Germany. There are people going that speed, but in my experience across a few countries 99% of the traffic does not go that much above the limit. Sources: https://ec.europa.eu/transport/road_safety/specialist/knowledge/speed/speed_limits/current_speed_limit_policies_en#targetText=The%20general%20speed%20limit%20for,urban%20roads%2050%20km%2Fh https://ec.europa.eu/transport/road_safety/specialist/knowle.... https://autotraveler.ru/en/spravka/max-speed-limits-in-europe.html https://autotraveler.ru/en/spravka/max-speed-limits-in-europ...
- gambiting 7y ago
  Have you ever been to Poland? The legal speed limit on the motorway is 140km/h, but 160km/h is more common, especially since there is effectively no fine for going that quickly, police are mostly interested in people going 200km/h+, because the fine for doing 160km/h would be like 100PLN(~$30/£20). I've driven my Mercedes-AMG some time ago through Germany and then through Poland, and yes, on the Autobahn I was able to hit 250-260km/h for maybe 4-5 minutes at the time(legally, which is amazing and I would 10/10 recommend to anyone who likes driving, scary as all hell though), but overal I can guarantee that my average speed was higher in Poland, the traffic is just moving a lot quicker and there's less roadworks compared to the autobahn.
- mytailorisrich 7y ago
  From experience, in France there are stretches of motorway where you would simply fit in the fast lane traffic by going at 160km/h (and yes the speed limit is 130km/h and cars going that speed stay well on the right).
- cs02rm0 7y ago
  Last statistics I saw showed ~50% of all traffic (which includes vehicles with speed limiters) travel in excess of the 70mph motorway limit in the UK. Personally, I tend to cruise at an indicated 100mph because above that enforcement ratchets up. Which is about 160kph. I certainly think it's fair to describe that as not uncommon. I do similar speeds in France and Germany and am rarely the fastest vehicle around.
  - jfk13 7y ago
    > Personally, I tend to cruise at an indicated 100mph In the UK? OK, at least it's clear what you think of the law. Personally, I hope you get nailed for it. That sort of contempt for both the law and other road users ought to be penalised. (Maybe you only cruise on empty motorways at 3 AM, and so that makes it acceptable...?)
    - cs02rm0 7y ago
      When half of all traffic exceeds a limit I think it's in the wrong place. As far as getting nailed goes, it would be a fixed penalty ticket, if anything. I don't agree that it's contempt for other road users, any more than it is to do that speed (or significantly more) on an autobahn.
    - beatgammit 7y ago
      In the US, I often drive in roads with a posted limit of 80mph going ~100mph, and even then I get passed sometimes. It's not inconsiderate to other road users if I make sure to pass and yield appropriately, though it's certainly a violation of the law. And yeah, I think the law is stupid. I believe that we should eliminate speeding tickets and have police only enforce "reckless driving". Going the speed limit could be much more dangerous than exceeding it given traffic and road conditions. Going 2x the speed limit with no other cars in sight should be penalized much less than failing to signal when changing lanes while in traffic; the former only puts the driver and passengers at risk, while the latter risks all cars within a half mile or so if they cause a pileup. Police seem to enforce the former far more than the latter because it's easier, not because it has the biggest impact.
- LandR 7y ago
  I remember in my parents car a few years back, I was doing around an indicated 220km/h on a motorway in the UK. There was still things going faster than me. This was on a relatively quiet, well sighted motorway in good conditions. But there were other people clearly in a hurry!
ayodio 7y ago
No it is not 130 is the general limit. http://www.unecartedumonde.fr/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/carte-europe-vitesse-maximale-autoris%C3%A9e.png http://www.unecartedumonde.fr/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/car...
- fyfy18 7y ago
  The speed limit is typically 130km/h, but depending on the country it may be pretty much ignored.

> Going around 160km/h on highways in Europe is pretty common is it? That is 20-50km/h above the limit in all european countries other than Germany. There are people going that speed, but in my experience across a few countries 99% of the traffic does not go that much above the limit. Sources: https://ec.europa.eu/transport/road_safety/specialist/knowledge/speed/speed_limits/current_speed_limit_policies_en#targetText=The%20general%20speed%20limit%20for,urban%20roads%2050%20km%2Fh https://ec.europa.eu/transport/road_safety/specialist/knowle.... https://autotraveler.ru/en/spravka/max-speed-limits-in-europe.html https://autotraveler.ru/en/spravka/max-speed-limits-in-europ...

gambiting 7y ago
Have you ever been to Poland? The legal speed limit on the motorway is 140km/h, but 160km/h is more common, especially since there is effectively no fine for going that quickly, police are mostly interested in people going 200km/h+, because the fine for doing 160km/h would be like 100PLN(~$30/£20). I've driven my Mercedes-AMG some time ago through Germany and then through Poland, and yes, on the Autobahn I was able to hit 250-260km/h for maybe 4-5 minutes at the time(legally, which is amazing and I would 10/10 recommend to anyone who likes driving, scary as all hell though), but overal I can guarantee that my average speed was higher in Poland, the traffic is just moving a lot quicker and there's less roadworks compared to the autobahn.
mytailorisrich 7y ago
From experience, in France there are stretches of motorway where you would simply fit in the fast lane traffic by going at 160km/h (and yes the speed limit is 130km/h and cars going that speed stay well on the right).
cs02rm0 7y ago
Last statistics I saw showed ~50% of all traffic (which includes vehicles with speed limiters) travel in excess of the 70mph motorway limit in the UK. Personally, I tend to cruise at an indicated 100mph because above that enforcement ratchets up. Which is about 160kph. I certainly think it's fair to describe that as not uncommon. I do similar speeds in France and Germany and am rarely the fastest vehicle around.
- jfk13 7y ago
  > Personally, I tend to cruise at an indicated 100mph In the UK? OK, at least it's clear what you think of the law. Personally, I hope you get nailed for it. That sort of contempt for both the law and other road users ought to be penalised. (Maybe you only cruise on empty motorways at 3 AM, and so that makes it acceptable...?)
  - cs02rm0 7y ago
    When half of all traffic exceeds a limit I think it's in the wrong place. As far as getting nailed goes, it would be a fixed penalty ticket, if anything. I don't agree that it's contempt for other road users, any more than it is to do that speed (or significantly more) on an autobahn.
  - beatgammit 7y ago
    In the US, I often drive in roads with a posted limit of 80mph going ~100mph, and even then I get passed sometimes. It's not inconsiderate to other road users if I make sure to pass and yield appropriately, though it's certainly a violation of the law. And yeah, I think the law is stupid. I believe that we should eliminate speeding tickets and have police only enforce "reckless driving". Going the speed limit could be much more dangerous than exceeding it given traffic and road conditions. Going 2x the speed limit with no other cars in sight should be penalized much less than failing to signal when changing lanes while in traffic; the former only puts the driver and passengers at risk, while the latter risks all cars within a half mile or so if they cause a pileup. Police seem to enforce the former far more than the latter because it's easier, not because it has the biggest impact.
LandR 7y ago
I remember in my parents car a few years back, I was doing around an indicated 220km/h on a motorway in the UK. There was still things going faster than me. This was on a relatively quiet, well sighted motorway in good conditions. But there were other people clearly in a hurry!

ayodio 7y ago

No it is not 130 is the general limit. http://www.unecartedumonde.fr/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/carte-europe-vitesse-maximale-autoris%C3%A9e.png http://www.unecartedumonde.fr/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/car...

fyfy18 7y ago
The speed limit is typically 130km/h, but depending on the country it may be pretty much ignored.