Yes, you’re right. I meant that someone driving 140 km/h while focusing on the road is not necessarily more likely to cause an accident than someone going 80 km/h while looking at their phone
First, that’s scientifically wrong. When you drive faster, it is clear that your field of vision narrows and that you simply see less things, because of the speed.
Also, even if the risk for an accident happening would be the same, the consequences of an accident are larger, therefore the expected value of accident effects, which is risk times expected consequences, is larger.
And lastly, what you say with “people that are unable to drive” or “focusing on the road”, that is what all unsafe drivers tell themselves - that they are in control, that they drive better than average, that they know the risk, and so on. In reality, if they were safe drivers, they would drive slower, because speed is the factor number one in accident risk.
As I said, I tend to drive below speed limit and I hate drivers that think they’re the next Schumacher. Yes, assholes that think they are the best drivers and can get away with dangerous maneuvers are the most dangerous ones. I’m not defending them.
What I’m saying is that skilled drivers can drive faster safely. Because people in Germany do drive faster than in many other countries:
but have less accidents:
That doesn’t mean that you can remove speed limits everywhere and not have more accidents. Most probably some discipline and training is needed. But discipline and skills can compensate for the reduced field of vision at higher speeds. Obviously up to a limit. Even the greatest driver can’t drive safely at 200km/h on a highway.
Germany has better (and very, very costly) road infrastructure in parts with the motorways. On Landstrassen, die statistics are pretty bad even if the same people are driving there.
And, I don’t think it is not a convincing argument that “actually, that are not so many people that are dying, only about 3000 people per year die”.
Country roads have more accidents everywhere. But yeah, maybe it’s the better infrastructure that impacts number of accidents, not better educated drivers. I don’t think there are any statistics that can compare this fairly.
First, that’s scientifically wrong. When you drive faster, it is clear that your field of vision narrows and that you simply see less things, because of the speed.
Also, even if the risk for an accident happening would be the same, the consequences of an accident are larger, therefore the expected value of accident effects, which is risk times expected consequences, is larger.
And lastly, what you say with “people that are unable to drive” or “focusing on the road”, that is what all unsafe drivers tell themselves - that they are in control, that they drive better than average, that they know the risk, and so on. In reality, if they were safe drivers, they would drive slower, because speed is the factor number one in accident risk.
As I said, I tend to drive below speed limit and I hate drivers that think they’re the next Schumacher. Yes, assholes that think they are the best drivers and can get away with dangerous maneuvers are the most dangerous ones. I’m not defending them.
What I’m saying is that skilled drivers can drive faster safely. Because people in Germany do drive faster than in many other countries:
but have less accidents:
That doesn’t mean that you can remove speed limits everywhere and not have more accidents. Most probably some discipline and training is needed. But discipline and skills can compensate for the reduced field of vision at higher speeds. Obviously up to a limit. Even the greatest driver can’t drive safely at 200km/h on a highway.
Germany has better (and very, very costly) road infrastructure in parts with the motorways. On Landstrassen, die statistics are pretty bad even if the same people are driving there.
And, I don’t think it is not a convincing argument that “actually, that are not so many people that are dying, only about 3000 people per year die”.
What you also have to consider is that about 3.5 times more people die of bad air quality caused by traffic, than by traffic accidents.. So, adding to the 3000 deaths per year by traffic, we have 11,000 deaths by pollution caused by traffic. Yes, if you are speeding, you are killing other people, even if you don’t have an accident.
Country roads have more accidents everywhere. But yeah, maybe it’s the better infrastructure that impacts number of accidents, not better educated drivers. I don’t think there are any statistics that can compare this fairly.