Germany Continues Debate Ending Unlimited Speed on Autobahn After Bugatti Run | Hacker News Reader

Germany Continues Debate Ending Unlimited Speed on Autobahn After Bugatti Run

jalopnik.com

26 pointsourmandave15 comments

> In fact, only about 70 percent of it is truly derestricted, while the rest of the Autobahn has a speed limit of 100 kph (62 mph).

That's wrong, speed limits vary between 80, 100, 120 and 130 km/h on the restricted sections. 120 and 130 km/h being more common.

There may be no speed limit on some roads but there is still the law of reckless driving as stated in the article. Having a 500m stop distance is not considered reasonable and the Bugatti driver will face charges for reckless driving.

How are the fines calculated? Is it a percentage of his income or a fixed amount? If latter, it probably doesn't really bother the guy driving...

In Switzerland excessive speeding fines are based on income.

A French Mann doing 250 kmh in 2009 had to pay 70k.

A Sweede was also caught and the fine was estimated over a million but I don't know if it was ever paid.

https://www.blick.ch/schweiz/249-km-h-von-seat-bolzer-noch-l...

https://www.blick.ch/schweiz/bern/mit-290-km-h-auf-der-autob...

Not exactly an answer, but they risk losing the right to drive (not just in Germany - EUCARIS exists) and being forced to sell the vehicle Or Else, alongside whatever fines are permitted. For example: https://www.autoevolution.com/news/judge-orders-speeding-dri...

In Germany fines are fixed: https://www.bussgeldkatalog.org/german-driving-laws/. There’s a table on that page.

It’s pretty easy to get banned from driving.

People occasionally going significantly over the speed limit (motorcycles lane splitting, BMWs with no license plate, normal Southern California things) always feels more dangerous to me than all traffic moving at 90/100mph. You try to switch lanes assuming people are going roughly the same speed as you and one of them just flies towards your car… I can’t imagine driving 80mph and being passed at over 200mph

At 259 mph (417 Km/h), this car was doing 380 feet per sec (116 meters per sec).

Enough to have a quick look at rear view mirror, left side mirror, confirm all is clear and no incoming traffic is coming your way to overtake...turn the wheel to the left...and 2 seconds later be nuked into orbit.

Pretty much driving 200+mph is coming up on traffic at 100+ speed difference.

Many people have done these kinds of stunts in exotic cars over the years. If this guy behaved like pretty much everyone else who's done this kind of stunt he tried and tried and tried until one day he got lucky and there was a long enough stretch with no traffic to do it. The couple times car magazines have done this thing in exotic cars they've hired helicopters to spot them (because they can't just keep calling it quits until they get lucky like an individual can).

> feels more dangerous to me than all traffic moving at 90/100mph

Would be relevant if that's what was happening in Germany. Problem is, even in Germany not all traffic is moving at the same speed. Cars with trailers and trucks have a speed limit of 80km/h (~50 mph). The speed differentials are huge especially on 2 lane (per direction) highways. It's absolutely common to prepare to overtake a slower car, check your mirrors, start changing lanes and suddenly having someone be right behind you, flashing their lights, honking because they think you are too slow. It's awful but also dangerous.

> Per billion kilometres travelled on motorways, Germany’s fatality rate (1.6) is twice as high as that in the UK (0.8). [1]

I found a table comparing European countries last time I was interested in this, but I can't find it now.

[1] https://www.thelocal.de/20190201/are-germanys-autobahns-real...

Important to note, most Autobahn areas have a speed limit. Only some areas have no speed limit.

>always feels more dangerous to me than all traffic moving at 90/100mph.

That's because it is.

The high speed differential creates all sorts of opportunities for conflicts.

It is. I can't find the study now, but I believe it was the IIHS who found that speed differentials are the primary concern when it comes to highway accidents. The risk of an accident skyrockets when the speed difference between traffic goes over 15mph.

This country will probably remove the “no speed limit” soon but I don’t think it will be because of a guy in a Bugatti driving 400kph+ on a couple of occasions.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com