I enjoy travelling in Europe and I recently returned from a vacation in Slovenia, a tiny country nested in the Alps. No matter which country I visit, I always have the impression that Europeans enjoy driving more than we Canadians do. Possibly their pleasure comes from navigating roads which are like roller coasters, as they snake around mountains with sheer drops and blind curves.
I'm equally taken with their highway system as drivers criss-cross countries with ease. The most common highway speed limit for continental Europe is 130 kph, which is reduced around towns and cities. Germany is infamous for having no speed limit at all on its Autobahn, which is not entirely accurate. They do apply restrictions to certain stretches of road as is the practice across all European highways, when road conditions or bad weather warrant a slow down.
Driving at higher speeds means that you must follow the flow of traffic around you. The very first time I drove in Europe many years ago was in a ridiculously small car, with my passenger urging me to "hit the gas." This little car shook like a badly loaded washing machine, as it and I frantically struggled to get out of the way of faster moving vehicles. Now, I keep up my speed, and as a consequence feel much safer and truly enjoy the driving experience.
Highways are built to move people with greater efficiency and vehicles are built for speed. This only works when driver etiquette is practiced. European drivers are aggressive, but they certainly adhere to the rules such as drive right, pass left, and to yield to faster moving traffic. It is rare for a slower vehicle to monopolise the left lane and force faster vehicles to pass on the right. Such manoeuvres result in severe penalties to both the slow moving and the passing drivers.
I've been reading articles about the pros and cons of increasing speed limits on Canada's highways. Supporters of slower speeds state that there will be increased injuries and they point to Europe's higher fatality rate. This comparison is flawed as it does not consider volume or vehicle occupancy. There are more drivers and passengers on a European highway at midnight, than on our Canadian highways during the day, with our lone drivers.
There is mounting evidence to support the notion that increasing speed limits will ease congestion and improve safety. With our highway system, there are many good reasons why our speed limit should be increased to 130 kph, with adjustments where warranted. Across the United States this is already happening. Over thirty states have increased their speed limits to 70 mph or higher and none of the claimed carnage has yet occurred.
I am not advocating speeding but an increase in the legal speed limit. There is an important distinction between safe speeds and an arbitrary speed limit. The current 100 - 110 kph is an arbitrary limit which most drivers exceed unlawfully in any event. I would prefer higher speed limits on our highways, which have been built to accommodate this, and have more police enforcement on secondary roads and in cities, where excessive speed is dangerous.
If higher speed limits are introduced in Canada, many drivers will have to eliminate bad habits such as passing on the right, which, while legal here, is also dangerous. Those who find the current speed limit to be too fast may decide to stay off the highways altogether. Perhaps in time they will return, after they have learned sufficient road etiquette to adjust their speed to the traffic around them, instead of forcing all other drivers to adjust to them.
Susan Saksida, CIP is an Insurance Consultant. Questions or comments can be emailed to insurancecompliancematters@rogers.com .
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