Should there be a U.s. Autobahn

[SmithSR]

The collision is what would kill. That can be avoided with lane restrictions and a tiered licensing system, as explained by Brock Yates in Car & Driver. He touches on the subject from time to time,(about once a year) going to great lengths explaining why it's such a good idea, and also completely impossible to implement.

[EZcheese15]

That is more along the lines of what I meant. *IF* it worked, it would be EXCELLENT. But it won't work....not with the current licensing infrustructure in the U.S.

[andrave]

you know what would keep a lot of the yahoos off the roads? a pay to drive system such as german attempted to implement before scrapping the entire system, at a huge cost to their country.there are a lot of great ideas but you need to look at what has been tried and why it failed in order to make it better.Another thing to consider is that the autobahn (and german roads in general) are considered to be some of the finest roads in the world. I read that engineers that construct the autobahn consider the curves and grades of the road and bank the road accordingly, for good drainage and for ease of handling at higher speeds.I look around in the US and see potholes that are hard to avoid at 70mph, would give you a flat if you hit them at 90 mph, and would probably kill you at 120 mph.

[Bubba1]

I agree with everything you wrote except the your first sentence. The special license plate idea doesn't work if you think about it for a moment. You assuming only special licensed drivers can drive special licensed cars. I may have multiple cars and my family may contain multiple drivers. I may be the only special licensed driver in the family. How are the police to know when my newly licensed 16 yr old son license is driving the car that is equipped with a special plate, yet he doesn't have a special license to speed. The more you think about it, the less practical the idea becomes...

[Bubba1]

oops, I was responding to the Cheezemeister. I guess I responded slowly

[EZcheese15]

Easy....if you get pulled over driving a car that has a "higher" tier license plate while driving in a "higher" tier lane, and you don't have a "higher" tier license....you get a ticket.

A special license would allow the person to drive in any lane. Therefore, if you have a regular license but are driving a car with a special plate....then stay out of the special lane to avoid getting a ticket.

If you have a special license but are driving a car with a regular plate, then you simply don't drive in the special lane with that car.

[Bubba1]

Yes, my point is how is a cop to know that a 16yr kid with a non-special license driving a car is equipped with the special plate without pulling him over? Also how is the cop to know that it's a special licensed driver that's driving 100 mph in a non-special licensed car without pulling him over?

It's too difficult to separate the special from the non-special for it to be workable because of the potential abuse by non-special licensed drivers. That's just one of the reasons why it has a zero chance of ever getting implemented.

[prigo]

No, we have too many idiot drivers.

What he said.

[Jesda]

Here's how you do it:

Make a high license fee for US autobahn-approved driving priveliges, $1000 or so. Have some mandatory high speed driving courses to get that license.Have second-tier vehicle inspections that verify that a vehicle is ready for 100-150mph speeds.Have registration reflect that vehicle/driver certification, and show it with special license plates or plate markings.

Man, I was born to legislate.

[Bubba1]

I think you are a very good legislator, but it still has zero chance of ever passing. Think about some of the reasons and how to address them,1. you still can;t stop an non-special licensed driver from driving a special license equipped car. Think about a 16 yr old boy driver that considers himself a skiiled driver because he mastered GT-3 and skids around parking lots with his buddies. Grabs dad'sLexus and drives like...well, a kid. How is the cop to know unless he pulls him over?? 2. Insurance rates would skyrocket as crashes would become more common and serious as the speed increases. Since we live in a very litigeous society, expect more lawsuits to drive up the cost of all cars and registrations too.3. What makes a race track an ideal environment for high speed is its lack of outside influences that might cause sudden steering corrections which more difficult to accomplish safely over 120mph. On a public road, you gotta think about distracted drivers (applying makeup, yakking on cell phones, eating, reading), drunk drivers, tailgaters, non-licensed drivers, idiots switching lanes, much slower drivers, too many other drivers, debris, animals, pedestrians, potholes, poorly maintained roads, fluid spills, multiple entry/exit ramps with enough room to blend, the list goes on and on and on

Like I said earlier it's a fun thought. Heck, I'm probably qualified already to have a license like that, but the more you think about it, the less realistic and more expensive an idea like that becomes. It has no chance.

[Toad[^_^]]

But where would we put all the bodies?

[Jesda]

To resolve the driver issue, have points of entry for the American autobahn. Verify the driver and check their license for proper certification.

[Onizuka]

I am totally for a revised licensing system. The amount of accidents highschoolers get into in my area is out of control. We need hardcore weed-out driving tests, the way it is set up now is rediculous.

[andrave]

why would accident rates increase?studies have suggested that there are not greater accident rates with greater speed limits. Independant studies anyway.the potential for greater damage in the event of an accident would exist, but the main cause of deaths and bad accidents is do to speed differential. if everyone was traveling at a higher rate of speed, it would be safer for everyone.

[Bubba1]

If everyone travelled at the same speed it would be safer. But that doesn't happen now with posted speed limits. You think it would be any safer if certain drivers were allowed to go much faster than the rest??? That creates the very speed differential that you described as a major cause of accidents. In reality, weather and alcohol are probably as big causes. Those independant studies probably don't discuss severity. There are few minor fenderbenders at 125 mph. Much higher percentage f accidents at those speeds result in fatalities. Unless the cars are equipped with roll cages/harnesses/crash helmets/etc, you'll likely see more deaths even if the number of crashes stays constant.

Jspec is right, the licensing system in this country is bad. And 16-17 yr old male drivers are the highest risk group. Though 16-17 yr old males will be very quick to tell you they're great drivers despite no signficant driving experience, and pay the highest insurance rates (well, imostly their parents pay it). Go figure. I foresee an increase in the minimum drivers age long before a special license would ever be approved.

Jesda, you're also talking building special roads. Where's the money gonna come from to buy the land/build/maintain/enforce them? Taxes? I'm sure everyone will want to have their taxes increased to build roads so a small minority of people can drive 150 mph.

[Jesda]

These 150mph roads would be subsidized by expensive annual license fees, expensive biannual regular certifications, and annual vehicle certifications.

Obviously, the rich will pay for what the rich want.

-Jesda

[Bubba1]

Do you have any idea what a 150 mph road project like that would cost? If you wanted to fund something like that with only registration/license fees, the fees would far exceed what the car owner paid for his frigging car. No one would register. It's a wondeful fantasy, but eventually you gotta wake up. You'll also find, when rich people want to drive 150mph, they tend take their cars to racetracks, like Watkins Glen or Laguna Sega, where there are no 16 yr old kids in oversized-winged-fart mufflered econocars to do something reckless in front of them.

[Jesda]

A wingfarteconobox or a 16 year old obviously would not be certified for such a road. Additionally, corporate sponsorship would help fund something of this nature. Imagine a section of road owned by lets say... Audi, with access discounts for Audi owners for the sections of highway that it owns/sponsors.

I'd pay a small per-mile fee to travel such a road. In fact, I'd pay per-mile to travel any privately owned road.

[SmithSR]

Chevron-Texaco or ExxonMobil would be sponsors, I'd imagine

Citgo too, among others.

Pennzoil, GM, etc.. all the big players

[SmithSR]

I once read how much it costs to pave a generic city street per square foot. Something like $10per.

Millions per year in tax breaks for earth moving and mining corporations(the BIG companies who could undertake such a massive project) and millions in tax breaks for the companies doing the actual paving.

The contracting would HAVE to be done through private corps, and most-- if not all-- funding would have to come from sponsors, not from the fed. It'd never be completed if the gov't had oversight.

Tax breaks for contractors, and corporate sponsorships are the way to go. Tax breaks and federal funding are separate! Ask Boeing.

[Bubba1]

You make a very good politician. It sounds wonderful, and I'm suremany would love to pay a small fee to drive on such a road, but you're in a total fantasy world if you think it could ever happen in real life. Depending on where you put the roadway, you're talking multiple BILLIONS of dollars to acquire the land, design/ build the roadway, maintain/administer it, provide security plus police services. (like the 16 yr olds in fartmufflered econoboxes who try to sneak on.) You're not talking about a 1 mile long private road near Podunk Nebraska. Congress will never appropriate that kinda scratch so that a small group of drivers can drive faster on a specific public road when there are so many others roads/bridges/tunnels that are in dire need of repair/maintenance. Add to that an annoying little 10 trillion dollar federal deficit that our current president and Congress are making even bigger. Ain't gonna happen in this lifetime, buddy.And no private corporation is going simply donate significant money for a public road either. Tough enough to get one to fund a small car club. Ask Hitman how many thousands of Dollars Nissan gives NICO monthly to operate the website. What makes you think Nissan would ever offer special driver license discounts to owners.Pure Fantasy. I like fantasy, but I live in the real world.

[SmithSR]

"dire need of repair"

A recent study read in the Seattle P-I says nearly all western WA roads are 25 years behind repair or maintenance regs.

In reality, the only thing that'll ever happen is upping the speed limits, and let Murphy's law/darwin/whomever do the rest.

[Onizuka]

No way it will happen, they are widening just 5 miles of US route 202 near me, and just 5 miles costs $250,000,000 for a modern 6 lane highway. Where are you going to build this road? How are you going to buy the land? Whos going to pay money to drive to the middle of nowhere to drive fast on a strait road?

[SmithSR]

Whos going to pay money to drive to the middle of nowhere to drive fast on a strait road?

You think Bill France was ever put to this question? :thinker

[Onizuka]

But this wont be a race, it will be driving. Nobody would pay for this, its too expensive.

$250,000,000/5mi = $50,000,000 per mile for very high grade roading100miles/hour * 1hour/60 minutes = 1.6 miles a minute or 37.5 seconds to cover a mile at 100mph

How long are you going to have to make this road to make it worthwhile driving to? Your talking about more than a billion dollars for one road.

People already have a place to go fast, its called the salt flats.

[SmithSR]

^^ +1

[JDMaster]

here a petition for ya'll to readhttp://www.petitiononline.com/autobahn/petition.html

[szh]

To resolve the driver issue, have points of entry for the American autobahn. Verify the driver and check their license for proper certification.

Yup! Just like the toll booths on Turnpikes in the East (like the Mass Turnpike). Have them be manned, and have them charge for the right to be on the road.

Z

[szh]

To resolve the driver issue, have points of entry for the American autobahn. Verify the driver and check their license for proper certification.

Yup! Just like the toll booths on Turnpikes in the East (like the Mass Turnpike). Have them be manned, and have them charge for the right to be on the road.

Z

[Bubba1]

Ah, so you're proposing waiting in line (while someone not only collects the money but verifies that both you and your car are properly certified) before you enter the road? Kinda defeats the time savings from the higher speed unless you're on the road for a long distance. You're also proposing a 24/7/365 toll collection/inspection staff at all entrance points in addition to the mega billions/staff that it it would take to create/maintain such a roadway. Think about how much staff that would require and step back think about the COST . If you pause and add up the numbers to establish something like this, you'll very quickly conclude it has zero chance of ever becoming reality. Too much money.