Originally Posted by SubaSteevo
No, actually my arguemement was that at 83mph faster than traffic you would still be able to see other cars on the road. At which point you would be fully capable of slowing down. If you chose not to slow down, at that point you would be driving recklessly.

You cannot make a ruling based on what could have happened. If that were the case, then I propose we arrest every individual who owns a gun. Because after all, they might actually pull the trigger.

Sorry but I have to disagree here as well. It isn't the speed itself that makes it reckless, but the speed difference makes it dangerous. Add a speed limit so that everyone drives with the assumption of limited speeds, and now you add reckless to an already dangerous situation.

Let's take out the theoretical and talk about something real. Many years ago, my Hubby was on the autobahn in his Audi, doing about 190 km/hr which is about 118 mph. He was on a two lane divided autobahn with unlimited speed limit, in the left passing lane. Dry road, daytime in the afternoon, good weather conditions, excellent visibility.

He spotted a truck up ahead in the right lane, with a small car behind it. The car seemed to be happy just following the truck at about 100km/hr (62mph), but he kept an eye on it anyway. At the last minute, just as Hubby was getting near, the car pulled out to pass the truck. Hubby hit the brakes but it was impossible to slow down enough. His Audi hit the small car and did a somersault or two, head over heels, not a sideways roll. I've seen pics of his demolished car. He survived with a few broken bones, crushed ankle and lost part of an ear. Was lucky as all Heck! The woman also survived with severe but not life threatening injuries.

It didn't matter that he could see the car. He couldn't anticipate that the other car would pull out like that, and there's no way he was "fully capable of slowing down" (your words).

Hubby was NOT speeding, since there was no speed limit. But the speed difference between the two cars, plus the unexpected last-minute lane change made it an impossible situation. These things happen all the time in unlimited zones, and are just part of the risk we accept every time we choose to drive fast in the left passing lane. Just another reason I like driving the SVX, because in a large car my chances of survival are much greater than in a little putt-putt.

I am extremely careful in the Justy when I pull out into the passing lane to get by a truck. I keep a close watch on what is approaching from behind, and even when a fast car is way back, I stick in the right lane until it is past and only then pull out when the left lane is clear for a long distance behind. In fact, I spend almost as much time checking traffic behind me as I do the traffic in front of me when I'm on the autobahn in the Justy. But most North American drivers aren't used to keeping so close an eye on traffic behind them. They assume that those coming from behind are responsible. This assumption has killed people unused to driving in our unlimited speed zones which require a totally different approach to driving.

Given North American driving habits, and I do mean HABIT ... where folks have gotten used to assuming that nobody will go faster than, say, 15 miles over the limit (pulled that number out of a hat), then the average North American driving style cannot cope with the sort of situation I have described above. Heck, even in Germany these things happen, where supposedly drivers should know better and be used to situations with large speed differences.

So although I stand by my statement that speed in and of itself isn't reckless, speeding - meaning going way over the posted speed limit, is extremely reckless when the differential becomes so great that slowing down in time becomes physically impossible. Hubby was going about 50 mph faster than the woman. If the difference had been only 15 or 20 miles, he would have slowed down in time, honked his horn maybe in irritation, and kept going. But instead they both ended up with demolished cars and severe injuries. That's the reality.

By the way, the official MINIMUM speed limit on the autobahn is only 60 km/hr, or slightly over 37mph. So I'm dealing with huge speed differences all the time when I'm toodling along at 200km/hr or 124mph. Dangerous as all heck, yet not reckless. But if I were to continue at my high speed in a limited speed zone, then definitely dangerous AND reckless.