New speed limit :: Gulf News
Where much of the trouble comes in is that there can be a lot of truck traffic and the trucks in use are comparatively slower than trucks in, say, Europe. In addition, many automobile drivers who prefer a slow pace have no alternatives to taking the expressways.
Variance kills. The result is that there is substantial variance in speeds. It is well known that it is not so much speed that kills, but variance. The usual findings are that when speed limits are raised to the speed limits the road was built for variance declines, average speed increases, and fatalities decline. This is because the drivers obeying the posted limits increase their speed more than those who were speeding under the old limits.
But in the case of the U.A.E. I fear this will not happen, because there will be little or no change in the speed of the traffic which is already below the posted limit.
The new rule, according to an Abu Dhabi-based Arabic daily, was issued under the instructions of President His Highness Shaikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan in response to complaints by motorists about the increasing number of radars on main highways and suggestions to increase the maximum speed limit to match the emirate's wide and spacious roads.Many of the roads in the U.A.E. are world class.
Where much of the trouble comes in is that there can be a lot of truck traffic and the trucks in use are comparatively slower than trucks in, say, Europe. In addition, many automobile drivers who prefer a slow pace have no alternatives to taking the expressways.
Variance kills. The result is that there is substantial variance in speeds. It is well known that it is not so much speed that kills, but variance. The usual findings are that when speed limits are raised to the speed limits the road was built for variance declines, average speed increases, and fatalities decline. This is because the drivers obeying the posted limits increase their speed more than those who were speeding under the old limits.
But in the case of the U.A.E. I fear this will not happen, because there will be little or no change in the speed of the traffic which is already below the posted limit.
Labels: *, Best of EmEc 2005, Best of Emirates Economist
posted by John B. Chilton at 5/22/2005 04:12:00 PM
2 Comments:
I think it's a bit scary, my car really does not like going over 130 kph. But be advised, truck traffic in Abu Dhabi Emirate, where this scheme is proposed, is limited to the far-right lane (overtaking happens when seriously slow vehicles pull up on the hard shoulder for a rest). So that leaves one lane for the sensible people, and the fast lane for the nutters.
It should be more or less ok. Actually, it won't be much different from what happens now, except the speeders won't be speeding anymore.
keefie, you need to get a faster car. I bought a V-12 powered gas-guzzling behemoth that cruises comfortably at 200 km/h all day long. Like I could ever afford anything like this in the US or UK.
The Abu Dhabi-Dubai road is 4 lanes most of the way. All the trucks are in lane 1, the biggest problem is that the slow drivers drive in lane 3, not lane 2, so you sometimes have to pass them on the right. Not good.
I'm mostly worried about 4WD's blowing out tires when travelling at 160 km/h. Now, let's see if the "zero-tolerance" of >160 will actually exist.
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