234 km/h

[Tweefo]

Motorist clocks 234km/h
Article By: Kathrine Child
Sat, 04 Dec 2010 7:02

A motorist was caught driving at 234km/h on the N4 highway on Friday morning.

Gauteng traffic police said the motorist was travelling from Pretoria towards Witbank when he was arrested. He told police that he was testing his Mercedes-Benz C65.

The traffic police's Zakhele Nkabinde said the man was released on bail.

"The motorist will be charged with reckless and negligent driving," he said.

"He was released on R1000 bail until his court appearance on Monday."

Should someone like this get bail? At that speed he is driving a murder weapon looking for a victim. Arrogant fool! Let him spend the weekend in jail and moreover, I think his sentence should not have the possibility of paying a fine. Money for this man is obviously not a problem, so doing time and losing his car and driving license would hurt him.
A while ago I was involved in a road rage incident. A few Km's before a petro port a car came past me at a very high speed. He must have stopped at the petro port because a while later, as I was going past a truck he came up from behind, flashing his headlights for me to move over. I took my time eventually moving over to the left. As he went past me I gave him the finger, he then, very aggressively pushed me off the road. 
Blows were exchanged but luckily another car stopped. This guy saw the whole thing and agreed with me. Later I went to lay charges against him but it was apparently a false number plate. So now I don't have much time for these assholes.

[Mefiante]

Moreover, international accident statistics demonstrate that limited access grade separated roads such as Autobahns and motorways have much greater Road traffic safety regardless of speed limit.

International evidence shows there is no correlation between maximum motorway speed limits and accident and casualty rates. Consequently, some stretches of the West German Autobahn network have an excellent traffic signalling system which supports a variable speed limit regime with no upper limit! This demonstrates that it is possible to have an inherently safe road without the equivalent of our 70mph (~112 km/h) maximum!

In SA and despite the Transport Ministry’s eye-wipe propaganda, speed law enforcement has much less to do with road safety than with making moola.  Speed restrictions were introduced in the early 1970s as a result of the oil crisis and the municipalities never rescinded them because they were very lucrative.  As they stand, the laws are fundamentally flawed because they do not take into account the type and capabilities of either the vehicle or the driver, or the conditions within which an alleged speed transgression occurred.  These factors could easily be addressed through appropriate testing and certification.

Personally, I’d rather see suitably qualified and experienced drivers in capable vehicles doing 200 km/h down an open highway than overloaded taxis doing 130 km/h on the same road, hogging the right-hand lane.  Guess which one’s more dangerous to life and limb?

The only identifiable source of traffic risks in connection with speeding have been high-powered light trucks that came up within the last 15 years and as they are used by courier services (e.g. Mercedes-Benz Sprinter and trucks alike). Over the years they were only capable of speeds comparable to heavy duty trucks, but since manufacturers began to build in significantly more powerful engines they attain speeds of up to 180 km/h. This led to a significant portion of fatal crashes being caused by such vehicles ^[12] due to the driver overestimating their or the car's abilities to cope with sudden and heavy braking, side-winds, etc.

'Luthon64

[Tweefo]

suitably qualified and experienced drivers

At 200 km/h you can not tell the difference. You do not expect a car to come up to you at that speed. That is why, in racing, they group the cars according to performance.

[Mefiante]

And yet, the German autobahn sits there in glaring counterpoint.

'Luthon64

[Tweefo]

On the Autobahn you are probably also driving fast and you can expect a fast car from behind. Not the case here.

[Mefiante]

The N4 and the autobahn are sectionally comparable, especially after the recent upgrades – and not just the Gauteng portion of it either.  On the N4 you can (and do) have very fast cars coming up behind you.  The rules of the road impose on you a duty to move to the left ASAP to make way for fast-moving traffic.

Look, I’m not excusing recklessness or dangerous/discourteous road manners – far from it, in fact.  What I’m contesting is the erroneous notion that speed limits on highways reduce accident statistics.  I have cited relevant and credible supporting materials.

'Luthon64

[SKEPRat]

Correct:

The N4 and the autobahn are sectionally comparable, especially after the recent upgrades – and not just the Gauteng portion of it either.  On the N4 you can (and do) have very fast cars coming up behind you.  The rules of the road impose on you a duty to move to the left ASAP to make way for fast-moving traffic.

Most South African freeways/highways are comparable to autobahns.

I have a German drivers licence (Furherschein) in addition to my SA licence. The difference is in the training and attitude of the drivers. On an autobahn you only move out of the slower lane to overtake after checking somethings not about to overtake you. Then straight back into the slower lane. You drive with one eye on your mirror. In Germany it costs at least R20 000 for the training to be able to be tested. No training no test. You will only ever ignore the Audi 5km behind you flashing his lights for you to move over once. The experience of seeing him nosediving in your mirror while braking hard behind you will keep you out of his friends way.

You will lose your licence for speeding in a residential area (Wohngebiet) where the speed limit is 30km/h. In urban areas the speed limit is 50km/h because that 5 star Euro NCAP rated car you're driving is only tested to collisions at 55km/h. So the effects of collisions at 60km/h are unknown. Think again before bragging about your cars rating.

You will lose your drivers licence if you are found riding a bicycle or jaywalking while drunk because you know the traffic law. If your wife or anyone commits too many offences using a vehicle registered to you, you lose the licence.

The problem in South Africa is illegally issued licences to incompetents and a lack of knowledge of the traffic law. In the old days the law was learned by rote to obtain a learners and drivers licence. Today only has the dumbed down K53 test that teaches people how to pass an exam, not how to drive.

Allow me to demonstrate; - If you are a K53 graduate, please answer the following questions, which those of us that learned the traffic law by rote in the olden days know the answers to:

When do you use park lights? (Specifics please). When parked is incorrect.

When is a vehicle deemed to be parked?

When is a vehicle deemed to be stopped?

How far from a corner is it legal to stop?

Which persons may legally wheelclamp a vehicle?

Is a supermarket parking garage under private ownership subject to the road traffic act?

I agree that the present system of speed trapping in South Africa has nothing to do with road safety, more with revenue gathering. T

This thread is one of my pet subjects and I look forward to asking many more questions to show the ignorance of South African drivers regarding the Road Traffic Act.

[Brian]

Australian traffic experts were called in by Metro police to analyse why our accident rates are so high...to sum up their report in a couple of words "SA has first world roads with third world drivers" ...period.

I've been told by mini-bus taxi drivers (broad generalisation I know), that traffic rules and white lines are "the white man's rules..." This view, if generally valid, would indicate an arrogance and disregard for the rule of law. But then again, I've seen many excellent mini-bus taxis drivers...pity that only a few (%?) sully the world.

[Tweefo]

The http://news.iafrica.com/sa/691988.html sort of thing you don't get in Germany. Meanwhile back home in the real world..

[Brian]

This cattle-in-the-road thing has had some sinister undercurrents...near Umgababa south coast this was a regular occurrence...drive cattle onto the road..traffic stops...hijackings and a couple of rape/murders happen ... especially at nite!

[BoogieMonster]

Money for this man is obviously not a problem, so doing time and losing his car and driving license would hurt him.

Doing time will probably kill him. I would rather not have that blood on my hands.

I have to agree with Mefiante a bit. A new car today is not comparable to a new car in the 70's. And yet here we sit with a highway speed limit that has nothing to do with the capability of modern cars...

And now I agree with Tweefo... In South Africa, cruising down the highway has a special set of risks including hitting a (probably drunk) pedastrian that is crossing the highway in pitch darkness. A hazard I've narrowly avoided a couple of times.

SHOULD they be there? No. Are they? Yes. Would travelling at 250kmph be OK if you were to come up on one... HELL NO! Is 120? No. But it is a LOT better than 250, braking distance is exponential, not linear.

The evening of South Africa's opening match in the world cup, just as the match had ended, I was cruising down the M1 south in Joburg and came around a corner doing 100kmph when I saw an offramp bridge, and next moment (nighttime) literally 100's of spectators that had presumably just exited one of the fan parks. They were running over the highway itself (not the bridge) and JUMPING the concrete barrier in the middle. I braked VERY VERY HARD, I hooted, I waved, and I got within centimetres of ploughing straight into this crowd.

... and I drive a BMW with all the ABS and stability/traction control and various other modern goodies....

I was a wreck when I got home but I'll assure you this: I never realised how fast (and hazardous) highway speeds are until coming up to something stationary slap-bang infront of you.

This is, unfortunately, NOT germany.

IIRC Even the gautrain was slowed down to compensate for people running over the tracks.

[Watookal]

In another accident this past weekend

2010-12-05 22:43

A truck which smashed into a bakkie and claimed seven lives had its road permit revoked two days before the crash, Ekurhuleni metro police say.

Now I know fortunetelling is frowned upon here, but I 'm going to predict both of these drivers will get away with a slap on the wrist. One because the white laws don't apply to him; and one because common(poor) people's laws don't apply to him.
To me, both incidents boil down to disregard for the law and other people's safety.

[Mefiante]

… braking distance is exponential, not linear.

A minor technical point:  It’s quadratic with speed, not exponential.

'Luthon64

[BoogieMonster]

If you include "reaction time/distance" in the formula, then yes. My bad for only thinking about the actual braking distance. Perhaps the proper nomenclature would be "stopping distance"

[SKEPRat]

Correct BoogieMonster, this is not Germany where you will not find 3rd world people on 1st world roads. I have driven along the N1 in Cape Town behind a Metro Police patrol car. He happily cruised along ignoring pedestrians and wrecks travelling on the road. This is where the problem lies in SA, inefficient policing.