[cuski]

Do you have a link to this?

Also, When I was there 3 yrs ago, in the far left lane (fastest) you could go as fast as 170 without being ticketed. That was 20-30 km over the limit. If you went 171, then you would be ticketed.

Legal speed limit on most of the Italian highways is 130km/h.

I'd be all for raising the speed limit, but let's face it, most of the Canadian highways don't compare with European quality. We'd have to do something about that first.

 

[cuski]

Well the annual death toll the following years will prove/disprove the theory I guess. . .

The theory has already been proven in Germany - they have a lower mortality rate due to traffic accidents than USA, and of course, Canada. But then again, it is backed up by a successful driver education system.

 

[cuski]

Don't you mean to put on the left blinker? Also, wrt highbeaming, there are some European countries that have banned it and only allow the use of the left blinker to give signal that they want to pass you. Italy may even be one of them.

In Germany, flashing high beams is illegal. That doesn't mean people don't still do it, they're just careful when they do it.

the roads in germany on the autobahn for intsance in most places are 1 meter thick

That is actually true.

I think it's fine to say that going with the flow will reduce accidents, but increasing the limit I think will allow people to stretch the bar higher. So, now you'll still have 15% of people driving too slow, but "too slow" is now 10 mph faster than it was before. The people that were driving 10mph over the speed limit will continue to do so, and the wreckless drivers, will be wreckless at a higher speed too.

I recall reading a study which claimed that the likelihood of an accident happening - due to drivers not paying attention, at least - decreases as speed increases. Generally, the slower people go, the less attention they pay.

 

[cuski]

All very true cuski except one thing you did not know:

As of Spring 2006 IT IS legal to flash high beam and use the horn IF somebody blocks left lane and does not yeld fast enough.

Are you sure? I was there less than a month ago and that's not what I heard. To my surprise though, I found out that if you're moving in the right hand lane faster than traffic in the left hand lane, it's considered passing - hence, illegal.