If we are not supposed to speed, why are cars built to reach stupid speeds?

Question

Speeding is dangerous and selfish.
You take the consequences of your actions.
http://uk.news.yahoo.com/pressass/20070824/tuk-motorist-admits-speeding-at-172mph-6323e80_1.html

To reach 172mph you would have to probably do this at night, because the roads are so ridiculously crammed you cannot move even on a bike!!!

Should cars have a max speed above our speed limits but a lot less than 200mph?

If cars only went to 70mph then the government would get no more revenue from it and it would be fun to watch Jeremy Clarkson on the topic.

Speeding should be kept to a circuit. Having a fast car is fun, but killing someone isn't?

If we cannot smoke in a pub because that hour or two might affect someone's life because they also chose to be there, then why haven't this government said we can only drive at 70?

If they are going to make decisions for us, why not in driving?

One thing to be able to be a bit irresponsible and go at 80mph down the motorway, but cars can go up to 200mph, If you were to own a car above a set speed say of 100mph you should be higher penalties for speeding over that and driving areas for those so inclined to experience high speeds safely under licence...

Answer 1

The young lady Louise (above) speaks the most sense so far. It is not the car but the person behind the wheel of it.

Your argument amount the fact that the cars can travel at those speeds is not the point. People should not get drunk and violent but yet they are allowed to buy more than two pints of beer, get lashed up and do all sorts of unpredictable things and remember that deaths of innocents through alcohol misuse is not insignificant. It is crazy that people become a drain on health resources by eating themselves into obese states but fast food restaurants still make fat saturated foods. We are not supposed to go to sea in unreliable water craft, yet the emergency services have to rescue tourists every year when they go floating off on their li-lo's.

Can you see where I am going with this? If not then my point is that it is not the inanimate object that is the problem but the people who use them. The only way to make this into a safe fluffy world is to remove the people.

It sounds like you think more legislation and control is a good thing. IT IS NOT. The issue is not that our lives need to be restricted by politicians looking for ways to justify their time. The issue is that of people taking responsibility for their own actions.

You should be very careful what you wish for as you may just get it and then one day once they have made all vehicles the way that you would advocate then they will turn their attention to something that you like doing but some bleeding heart says is too dangerous and that we all need protecting from ourselves.

Answer 2

OK I take your point and I don't condone speeding but I would also like to add something to the debate and that is that for some people driving at 70mph would be far too fast.

Accidents happen because of driver error. Some people can cope well with higher speeds and it doesn't affect their ability to control the vehicle, although obviously they will have less time to respond to emergencies.

However, some peoples reflexes are quicker than others so looking at the converse situation someone with very slow reflexes can cause death and destruction even at lower speeds.

It isn't really about the car or the speed limit it's about the limitations of the person behind the wheel.

Answer 3

There are so many problems associated with speeding.... one being that if you are driving like Mario Andretti in rush hour traffic on the interstate, most around you are not... and they tend to come out of nowhere and cause you to have to react... it can get messy !!! Many people don't have a clue as to how much tolerance their vehicle's actually have... they over accelerate into curves and spin out... I see it all the time... A car that's built to go 200mph is probably only built that way for going in a straight line, and not around corners at that speed... Speed limits are exactly that, LIMITS... and are usually tailored to that specific stretch of the road because of numerous factors like population, amount of travel, grading and curves ! Best advice is to stick to those limits or the law will have you paying the price !

Answer 4

Because on occasion you need the power that makes extreme speed possible to stay out of danger.

I had to rush my son to the hospital following a drug overdose a number of years ago. The emergency services were tied up with a major highway wreck and would not be available for over an hour. I made it to the hospital at over 125 MPH. The doc said that had we been 5 minutes later, our son would have died. That's reason enough for me to have something that will go that fast even though I'd rarely if ever drive it that fast.

Note to eg: Although there are no speed limits on SOME of the Autobahns in Germany, when there is a wreak it tends to be spectacular with massive loss of life. I lived in Europe for over 10 years, several of those in Germany. Germany has one of the highest highway death rates in Europe, mainly due to the wide disparity of speeds on the Autobahns. Trucks, for example, are limited to 48 MPH! Add in a few 155 MPH plus Mercedes S-Classes and a mix of Lambos, Porsches, and Ferraris and things get very dangerous VERY quickly!

Answer 5

It would be an interesting episode of Top Gear if cars could only go up to 70mph, but I do understand in what you are saying, why have cars that go upto 200mph when the maxium speed limit is 70mph.
Unless the government introdues autobarns on the motorway.

Answer 6

Well, for a start, the limit's only 70mph in THIS country.

Secondly, if a car can do, say, 150mph, at 70mph it's completely without drama. I can personally vouch for this - my car does 150, and at 70 it's a dream.

If cars could only do 70, then they'd be running at the extreme end of their performance most of the time - in other words, they'd be thrashed. Wouldn't last 5 minutes.

Answer 7

I agree. It is dangerous.. I see many reckless drivers and I drive all around the Los Angeles area. They have more liberty sometimes to just speed and it's horrible.. There are numerous crashes and it's upsetting.. The appeal for many people though is having that better car.. that sleaker car.. the newer car.. the most powerful car.. The company makes more money that way.. It's sad and unfortunate however. People don't realize the consequences to their actions till something happens to them..

Answer 8

The gearing of a vehicle to maintain fuel efficiency has to allow a vehicle to maintain say 65-70 mph at around 1500 RPM. while maximum HP is at 4000-5000 RPM. as you go up through the gears you use the power and then cruise at low rpm.

Answer 9

ENDUCEMENT TO BUY - SPEED. Most people use the auto to drive to work/store and do not drive further than 50 miles from their home. You do need the "zip" to merge into freeway traffic or to pass. It is a wild thing to travel I-95 around Daytona on race week. Everyone seems to think they are driving on the racetrack. What they don't seem to understand is they are not professional race car divers and do not have the skills or reaction times to justify excessive speed. I see it around every racetrack in the US as I drive across the country in my truck.

Answer 10

cars and bikes reach phenomenal speeds because they can. we as the riders and drivers are supposed to show some discipline and keep to the speed limit...

its known as DRIVING with due care and attention... and we dont do we? stereo cranked up, GPS bleeping, girls in short skirts... and no one seems to think about the actual stopping requirements.

a car, travelling at 100 will NOT stop on a sixpence.. its covering around 150 feet per second... or one cricket pitch per half second... average braking time is 3 seconds... or 450 feet, which is just under 1/10th of a mile...

and you smash into the immovable object with irresistable force....