have to agree that 70mph is /*way*/ too slow on the motorway; in the UK they're all superbly built and maintained, and then when it's empty at 10pm (it does happen occasionally on the M1!) you have to stick to 70.
okay, i'm biased. I live in Germany, and i tend to cruise at something over 85 in the a2; with a faster vehicle, e.g. BMW 5 series, then 120 (200kms) is no problem. but then you still get overtaken by the porsches...
problem remains that inappropriate speed limits encourage their disregard and therefore provoke disobedience.
Something else: the official line is "these are for safety, because there have been too many accidents". Falk, *huge* atlas producer, created a map with all the present stationary camera setups in Germany. massive outcry from the police union "you're encouraging speeding"; falk: "no we're not, we're warning about accident blackspots. or are the cameras not necessarily only at blackspots???" answer: resounding silence.
it's well known here that the local councils get the income from teh mobile speed cameras, so they put them on the major commuting routes to get the commuters. I have a simple answer: i've calibrated my speedo and i don't go above the limit (limit + 5km/h). It means i sometimes have a queue of traffic behind me, but _none_ of us have to pay a fine.
out of interest, what are the fines in the UK now? the last time i was caught, i was doing 16km too fast in a 30 km/h zone, and had to pay 17 quid.....
just my two penn'orth...
greetings from odenwald (that's 80km south of Frankfurt/Main)
where it's going to hit 25 again in the shade.....
2002, Petrol 1.4, 17", sports suspension, roof, leather / alcantara