“Have you ever noticed how anyone going slower than you is an idiot, and everyone going faster than you is a maniac?” George Carlin once, jokingly asked. However, this is not the case for drivers on the famous highway systems in Germany. When you drive in Germany you can be“idiot” in the government’s eyes if you go too slowly, drive in the wrong lane or impede the flow of traffic. This distinction is not unique in Germany but is applicable on their federal highway system, aptly named the Autobahn. Rules regarding how anyone driving on the autobahn state that a driver must go a certain speed, or that driver becomes a public safety hazard, much like that of speeders in America. Many foreigners only hear how the autobahn has no speed limit and that is not necessarily true. There are in fact many areas that are speed limited and strictly enforced by the polizei and speed cameras integrated into the guard rail or surroundings. German drivers receive up to two years of very expensive and intensive training before driving within the country. In my opinion, I believe there should be an Autobahn-like system in America because it teaches future generations not only maturity, but also discipline and responsibility.
A little history on the autobahn before we move forward, construction of the Autobahn first began in 1929 to establish a national network of highways to move people, goods and services faster around the country.
The mayor of Cologne, Konrad Adenauer, dedicated the first completed length of the system, stretching roughly 18 miles from Cologne to Bonn in 1932. When the Nazis took over, they built a further 2,400 miles to move military personnel and goods; with an additional 1,550 miles under construction before World War...
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...ve | Transportation History." America on the Move | Transportation History. Smithsonian Institute, n.d. Web. 13 Mar. 2014.
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Messke, Glenn. Personal interview. 25 March 2014.
Travelling across the country in an old Ford Model T would never be easy; but, traveling in a Model T on a bumpy dirt road with ruts and holes, almost unbearable. Thankfully, many advances in America’s roadway systems came about in the 1900s. Traveling from one city to another became not only quicker and easier, but also safer, thanks to the many innovations that roadways experienced over the last century. Many engineers put in a lot of time and effort to make these innovations and need to be accredited for their scientific achievements. However, getting to the roadway system that we take for granted today did not happen overnight. It took new technology and some brilliant minds to bring the pieces together to form the luxury of nice, smooth
The argument that Forestville should reverse a decision it made six months ago to raise its speed limit by 10MPH due to a 15% rise in accidents because accidents in Elmsford, a neighboring region, declined slightly, is inconclusive. A base line study of traffic pattern disruptions and speed variances in Forestville and Elmsford comparing demographic data, location, rate, and type of accidents for more than six months might determine significant risk factors. Federal studies suggest that accidents rise if speed limits are raised on highways by as much as 5% for each 4 MPH but on moderate speed limit roads, no such relationship exists. Other studies show accidents decrease with a rise in speed limit since artificially low limits also cause accidents.
The greatest shock to Americans is the speed at which Germans drive. The roads and freeways are quite narrow. Speed limits in cities are strictly enforced, but on much of the Autobahn there is no limit on how fast drivers can go. Although it is against the law, impatient Germans may also tailgate at high speeds and/or flash their headlights when they want to pass your vehicle. If you are driving for the first time in Germany, keep right. Left lanes are for passing only. Unlike when you are driving in America; Americans tend to travel in the lane that is meant for passing and the faster drivers. Americans tend to think “ I am going the speed limit, so I am going to stay in the left lane”, the Germany way of thinking is that if you are not passing anyone or if you are going too slow, your car needs to be in the right hand lane.
The Web. The Web. 21 Apr. 2014. The 'Standard' of the 'Standard'. Siegel, Jason.
* Levinson, H. (2004). Highways, People, and Places: Past, Present, and Future. Journal of Transportation Engineering, 130 (4), 406 – 412.
Speed limits have been around since the 1600s. In New York they had got a law issued in 1652 that stated any wagons,carts, and sleighs can't be rode or even be driven at a gallop. Any person that violate faced a penalty that started at 150$ less than today’s standard consequence of breaking the law. By the 1970s,The prices of fuel started to rise to where it cause many states to want to get a speed limit so they wouldn't have to waste a lot of money and get laws to save money and resources in the early 1970’s. In result, President Richard Nixon agreed to make a national national speed limit of 55 mph for all the states. After the law had passed it went into effect. Then America’s traffic death rate dropped from 4.28 per million miles traveled in 1972 to 2.73 in 1983.This shows that speeding leads to death.
With a 23-year time frame, The Central Artery/Tunnel (CA/T) project often referred as the Boston’s Big Dig is certainly one of the largest, most expensive, complex, urban infrastructure projects undertaken in the modern history. The “Big Dig” was conceived to improve the nightmarish traffic flow in downtown Boston. Big Dig’s high-stake players were Bechtel/Parsons Brinckerhoff (B/PB), Massachusetts General Court (the Legislature), Federal Highway Administration (FHWA—in the U.S. Department of Transportation), Massachusetts Turnpike Authority (MassPike), neighborhood organizations, business community, design & construction firms and the list goes on. Known for its schedule and cost delays, the project was driven by aggressive meeting schedule
...orting about highway performance on congestion, safety, road surface condition, and finance, project development, and public involvement.
Should there be limitations on speed limits? Should the people be allowed to choose their own speed limit? These questions have always been one of the important topics when it comes to the government and the nations people. The government have always regulated speed limits on many highways in the United States. Many people have come to a conclusion that it is safe to keep these regulations due to accidents being one of the major causes of fatal deaths in the nations highways and roads. Due to these deaths many people have lost loved ones and most of them choose to speak up when it comes to their safety on the highways.
Have you ever wanted to go as fast as you please on the highway without getting in trouble? Well you could if the U.S. adopted the Autobahn Highway system similar to Germany’s own. If the U.S. adopted this system there would be significantly less wrecks per year, the traffic laws and restrictions would increase driving precautions, and there would be safer cars and trucks. The Autobahn system may not sound safe but it is. The idea of having a minimal speed limit may be the best thing to ever happen as it already has in Germany.
Since the dawn of the era of the automobile in the late 1800’s the inability of individuals to get to their wanted destination can be directly attributed to the incompetence of those who do not drive the advertised speed limit. In addition to the inconvenience of not being able to reach one’s desired destination in a timely manner, the roadblock that is the slow driver also forces those who drive the projected speed limit to slow themselves down which is incredibly annoying and causes an unneeded amount of displeasure. But there are plenty of daily situations worse than being forced to seemingly coast behind a clueless motorist that is going fifteen miles per hour less than they should be going and leading to another late arrival to an important meeting. Thus a drastic change must occur.
In the decades preceding this study, Americans faced much the same problem with transportation in their cities. But the American plan for dealing with urban congestion in the automobile age was very different. In 1954, President Eisenhower suggested that "metropolitan area congestion" be "solved" by "a grand plan for a properly articulated highway system." In 1956, the House Committee on Public Works urged "drastic steps," warning that otherwise "traffic jams will soon stagnate our growing economy."2.
“Remarks at the Signing of the Nation Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act and the Highway Safety Act.” The American Presidency Project. 9 September 1966. Woolley, John. Web. 1 April 2014.
It is important to follow all traffic laws to keep everyone safe on road. The amount of traffic accidents and losses drops significantly when people are obeying the rules on the road. Sometimes we forget what a big responsibility it is to drive carefully. Traffic laws are designed to protect you and other drivers on the streets. If we don’t follow them we are not only putting ourselves in risk but also other innocent people. By knowing the rules of the road, practicing good driving skills, you help play a vital role in preventing a crash. You will also be making the safety policies more effective. Many components play a major role in road safety including speed limits that are posted and making sure safety equipment is properly installed and used.
Reducing speed will consequently reduce accident rate and severity (Kimber, 1990; Nilsson, 1982). Policy makers argue that the cost of speeding shall be handled by passing traffic safety regulation to correct deficiencies and improve the safety of drivers (Berry et al., 2011). Therefore, traffic regulation regarding speeding limit is expected to influence driver choices concerning the posted speed limits (Lave & Elias, 1994). To address these consequences, traffic policy makers are increasingly taking measures to reduce speeding. Most of these measures involve law-making interventions, such as increasing the cost of speeding and increasing the probability of a fine (Paris, & Van den Broucke, 2008). Thus, these intervention measures should be good when they are applied based on empirical