By EWAN KENNEDY
9 October 2006

In a recent road test report written from Germany I described travelling at 160 to 180 km/h as being normal.

It comes as no surprise that several readers have questioned my statement that cars can be safe at that speed. Government campaigns in Australia, campaigns that almost verging on brainwashing at times, have persuaded too many people that ‘speed kills’ and that ‘every K over is a killer’.

I’m happy to reiterate what I said in my report on the VW Golf GT last week, " …we didn’t crash, it’s only in the imaginations of some so-called road safety experts in Australia that cars mysteriously spear out of control once they reach 111 km/h".

High speeds are indeed permitted on some inter-city sections of German motorways and the 160 to 180 km/h I mentioned is the usual cruising rate. I’m not talking about a ratbag element, but about ordinary people going about their everyday driving. The person at the wheel is just as likely to be a German grandmother on her way to baby sit as it is to be a businessman heading for their next appointment.

The secret to safe high-speed driving is paying attention to everything happening around you at all times. Two hands on the steering wheel, two eyes on the road and all of the mind on the very important task of piloting the car.

Looking ahead is vital, in the true sense of the word. The faster you go the more active the mind is and the better your anticipation is likely to be. The big difference between experienced drivers and novices is the experienced people’s apparent ability to see into the future.

They recognise important warning signs emanating from other road users, from the road itself, from the weather conditions. Why, some drivers even get clues from trees and grass beside the road.

(The trees can indicate the direction taken by the road beyond the next crest. Movement of grass is an excellent cue to strong crosswinds, which is especially useful for those driving a tall truck or a caravan.)

There is even discussion amongst some in the road-safety field that driving too slowly for the conditions may increase reaction times as the mind can be numbed by too-slow movement. So much so that the driver travelling at an unnaturally low speed may actually take a longer distance to stop than one moving at higher rate. There's a excellent article at www.safespeed.org.uk/ on just this subject.

Note that when I use the word ‘speed’ in this context I’m referring to the correct speed for the circumstances, which may or may not be the speed limit. There are times when travelling below the speed limit is dangerous because the speed is inappropriate, and occasions when travelling over the limit is safe. And, obviously, vice versa.

It goes without saying that the ‘secret’ to high-speed driving mentioned a few paragraphs back isn’t just related to those conditions. Every driver at any time their vehicle is moving should have two hands on the steering wheel, two eyes on the road.