Quote:
Originally Posted by Mee-n-Mac
I'd think you'd find a number of German drivers who would argue otherwise ... and have the data to back it up. That said, nobody would argue that a road running next to an unfenced schoolyard should be posted at 65 ... or even 45 (assuming school is in). And therein lies the rub. There is no 1 magic number/limit for all places on the lake and for all times. And the limits we do have presently don't have any firm backing from analysis or statistics. I think there is a limit to how fast a boat can go, even under favorable conditions, above which it becomes a danger to somene lying in it's path. But 45 isn't anywhere near close to it. Alas it doesn't seem that either side wanted to think to hard about the other guys viewpoint.
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Less than half of Germany's autobahn is unlimited and for the rest that is, congestion prevents people from truly speeding except during off hours. That's the reason for the decent safety numbers.
And having driven 120+ on the autobahn (in a Ford Fiesta if you can believe it), I can tell you it doesn't feel all that safe passing somebody doing 70 and certainly doesn't feel safe when passed by somebody doing 150.
As for the limit to how safe a boat can go, clearly there are some that can operate well above 45
ignoring all other factors. Going quicker decreases time to collision, increases turning radiuses and increases the amount of attention required to pilot while simultaneously increasing fatigue. These are just facts.
After stepping out of the sweet beige Fiesta at the end of my trip, I can tell you that I was mentally spent from the concentration required. Asking that of a boater bouncing around in the sun all day is a pretty tall order.