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Volvo To Impose 112mph Speed Limit On All New Cars From 2020 (theguardian.com)
Volvo will limit the top speed to 112mph on all its new cars from 2020 in an attempt to reduce the number of accidents. "The cap will prevent drivers from accelerating to the top speeds of up to 155mph many Volvos can reach," reports The Guardian. From the report: Volvo is believed to be the first carmaker to install the cap across its entire range. Police vehicles will be exempt. Similar technology has been installed on several high-performance cars in Germany, but at a much higher speed limit. The general speed limit for motorways in EU member states is 75-80mph (120-130km/h). Germany does not have a general cap for motorways but recommends a speed of up to 80mph. Speeding remained one of the main contributors to road deaths, Volvo said, along with drug and drink intoxication and mobile phone use. Volvo is also exploring how geofencing -- a virtual geographic boundary defined by GPS technology -- can be used to automatically limit speeds around schools and hospitals. Hakan Samuelsson, Volvo's president and chief executive, said: "While a speed limitation is not a cure-all, it's worth doing if we can even save one life. We want to start a conversation about whether carmakers have the right or maybe even an obligation to install technology in cars that changes their driver's behavior."
"Volvo is also exploring how geofencing -- a virtual geographic boundary defined by GPS technology -- can be used to automatically limit speeds around schools and hospitals." - This part, this is a very very very bad idea.
Why would I buy something that comes with arbitrary limits? Maybe if I was a rental car company, business or government, but as an individual this would be a massive turn off. If I want to kill myself at 113 MPH, volvo shouldn't stop me.
Just replace the speedometer with one that only goes up to 110, problem solved.
Volvo can put cheaper tires on their cars from the factory to avoid liability. 112 mph = 180km/h. I suspect this will be quietly removable with the proper scan software, same as many GM cars are.
... please do not think German drivers only need to fulfil the same requirements, that people in the US need to before they are allowed on to drive on the roads.
In Germany we have extensive schooling, many hours of practical training, and strict driving test that you are expected to fail at the slightest misstep. And it's *expensive*. You usually pay a couple of *thousand* bucks for the whole thing.
On the streets, every driver *expects* you to drive properly. With far more rules. (Like not overtaking on the right lane.)
And you see this. Everything flows far more elegantly. People are skilled and proud of it.
Of course since alcohol is our national dish, you will still have morons driving drunk and messing up on weekend nights and the like. But they only need to be caught once, and their license is *gone*. (They have to take the "idiot test" to get it back. Which is not much better than starting from scratch, afaik.)
That is why we don't have speed limits for about 50% of the highway (= Autobahn). We can handle it!
(I recommend taking the additional lessons for avoiding crashes. You get to learn ice drifting and other cool maneuvers like a pro. Just in case.)
I wish the US also had a culture of not expecting everyone to be a moron until they are. It feels lime that attitude is the main breeding ground for morons in the first place.
Maybe they can save lives by not selling cars at all. Have they tried that? Using their logic, seems it would be worth it.
John Spartan, you have been fined one credit for a violation of the motor vehicle code...
The president was quoted " it's worth doing if we can even save one life." That's stupid.
Well, once the limit is 112 mph, they'll realize that 100 mph is safer still, so on the basis one the "just one life" argument they'll drop the speed again.
This logic cycle will repeat until the capped speed is one at which no life can possibly lost, including the life of drivers with severe health issues and frail pedestrians. They'll end up at a capped speed of under 10 mph. Better yet, let's not drive at all.
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Don't make assumptions about other countries. I also had to take extensive driver's ed classes, many hours of practical driving, and a strict driving test. And we have similar punishment for DUIs.
I've been to Germany and the driving there wasn't any different.
I am neither German nor American, I have visited both many many times and enjoy both, But you are fucking kidding yourself if you think the average American rules and driving skill level is similar. road deaths per capita or per car or per mile driven (or any other measure you care to name) is nearly double that of Germany even with the much lower limits in the US.
Seriously, how many people have even driven a car over 112mph, and if so, why? Unless you live in a very remote place with very low population, the chance of traffic being light enough to even exceed the normal speed limit is pretty low.