Which way through Europe in typical Maranello speed??

I remember Jeremy Clarkson did this in a Veyron across France, just before the police walls came up.

 

A "friend" with a new four-seater Ferrari can confirm that his car was seized and auctionned.
Don't be stupid: don't speed.

Rgds

 

Friend with a FF thought the same: car seized and auctioned. Do this at your own risk. I never, ever exceed 130 km/h; not even 135: 130. If I want to exercise the cars, I cross the border to Germany. Agreed, the tarmac is worse, but there is no penalty for speeding on unrestricted portions.

Rgds

 

That's not true at all: Chirac did nothing in the matter.
Well, truth is he never did ANYTHING in any matter in fact, this is why some people say that he was the last of the "Lazy Kings" (A group of Kings in medieval France were called "the lazy Kings") but that's another debate...
And, by the way, whereas some say he was from the right of the spectrum, this could be discussed: true, his affilation was "gaullist", and this is a bit more complicated by nature than "right". But it was obvious even at the time that many of his actual preferences brought his actions towards the center-left (the old "rad'soc' for those in the know of the french politics)

The truth is that the campaign against speeding began in 1972 when the number of persons killed on the roads surged above 18.000 for the first time; the President was then Georges Pompidou, who was a car enthusiast by the way (owned a Porsche) and it has been implemented by every government since, as the following table will show:

From 18.000 persons killed in road accidents in 1972 to 3.900 in 2011
Les grandes dates de la sécurité routière / Qui sommes-nous ? - Sécurité routière | Tous responsables

Year on year, it went more severe. There never was any one who did more, or less, than its predecessor: the trend has been constant.
Even François Fillon when he was Prime Minister (2007-2012) maintained the momentum towards more restriction and more stringent control; he was seen driving race cars from time to time, and Luca Di Montezemolo lent him a Ferrari FF for his holidays; when that leaked to the press, it was a moment of great embarassement for him: France does not like fast cars any more, it is taboo.

Only one advice: don't speed. Don't even think about it.

Rgds

 

its a shame. the whole concept of a gt car is neutered.
the roads are empty and the trains are full. a true socialist dream !

 

That is interesting and I would never seek to disagree with you, Nerofer. However..Chirac did implement a severe campaign on drink driving which added police traps to the highways who also implemented speed limits. I remember writing an article on this, complete with interviews with the relevant interior ministry/outraged locals when posted to France at the time. Many French vineyard owners (who were affected by both parts of this policy) still complain about him - and have no memory of enforcement of either DD laws or speed limits before then.

I am not seeking to endorse DD (DUI), which is a dreadful and criminal offence, just making this point.

I don't remember France pre-Pompidou but he was a conservative/UDR/pre-RPR man through and through; and through Pompidou, Giscard, and Mitterrand we (Brits) sped through France as if speed limits didn't exist. I can attest to this personally, again, without endorsing my actions. From Chirac onwards this changed and I even remember the phrase we always used when I was writing:

"President Jacques Chirac has pledged to cut the number of road deaths as a top priority."

It sounds like the figures have not changed, though, despite the French now driving on autoroutes as if they all have their speed limiters set.

 

They should continue to update that Sécurité routiière link but a quick search brings up the below which contains [similar] data up to 2015 and shows that deaths on French roads dropped to 3,200 but have begun to trend up again slightly with some dubious reasons cited..

Sécurité routière : pourquoi tant de morts sur les routes ?

The target is 2,000 deaths by 2020 but with so many drivers looking down at in-car infotainment systems and their mobile phones, I cannot see them making that target anytime soon.

Modern cars are simply built so well built. Even our 20 yr old Maranellos are so much safer than the sort of cars people were dying-in, in the 1970s.

P.S. No prancing horses were hurt in the making of this film...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=en70xO8s4-4

 

Silly question - do the cameras trigger police to come after you on the road, or just send a ticket to your home?

We do not have them here in Vancouver.

 

Cell phones and their like have reversed the trend of less highway deaths in the US helped by shoulder belts, airbags, and ABS systems. From a peak of ~54,600 in 1969 (about the same as we lost in the entire Viet-Nam war, ~58,000) to a low of ~32,500 in 2011, we were back over 35,000 in 2015. Hard to avoid an accident when you are looking down.

To what do the French attribute the huge reduction in lives lost? Cannot read French, even with a dictionary.

 

In fact, Chirac did not implement limits for "Driving while blind" (I'm still playing the "Tejas" album of ZZ Top from time to time...) he only lowered the existing ones, and progressively implemented a "zero tolerance" policy. What has also changed is that foreigners usually benefitted from the difficulties between two legal systems, including our crass ignorance of foreign langages, but this is not the case anymore: foreigners are now under the same application of the rules than we are. Ask our Belgian neighbours...
Rgds

 

Well Ross, you know we have a very convenient network of High Speed Trains, and we love these...There were talks a few months ago to lower the speed limits even further, particularly on standard roads, going from 90 (the 55 miles per hour of the USA, thoughts for Sammy Haggard...) to 80, which would be "about 50".
Rgds

 

Officially to the speed limits, to more stringents limits on alcohol, etc...but the main factor is probably the "zero tolerance" policy, automatic radars, multiplication of controls, higher fines, "le permis à points" (driver's licence with 12 points: each infraction costs a number of points, but speeding at high speed might cost you the licence AND immediate seizure of the car by the police, and the judge might decide to have it auctionned...)
Rgds

 

yes i know them well, and thank you for confirming my statement.....europe has socialised nearly every aspect of life, and transportation is not exempt. the irony is incredible - the part of the world that gave us the continent crushing vehicles of legend, has become a strap hanger on public transport. i consider this very sad. tragic in fact.


btw, i have been living most of the time in the usa now for the last 18 months, and have done a few road trips - the best was houston to la, and can tell you that it is now easier to speed in the usa than anywhere else in the oecd. once you get west of san antonio, there are maybe 4 cops until you reach el paso, and that is a long ribbon of tarmac to vmax on. the speed limit there is 85mph in some points, and most people are nudging 100 if they dont have a radar detector, higher if they do.

 

Believe it or not, we know of a 308 GTB QV that was sold new in EAST germany in 1984, so well before they broke the wall...can you imagine that "rocket" among those Trabants and Ladas?
Rgds

 

Just went through that thread again.....

Still lovely with some nice comments regarding speeding in Central Europe. Most secure place imho is still Germany. In aereas without speed limit, it's a question of your own capabilities and that of your car...and....ähhh and the traffic.....!

Have seen during the last weeks several times 260 km/h on the display of my DD BMW during low traffic.... Quiet frustrating, that the speed limiter steps in, while still accelerating, like someone stands on your brakes....

Erik, love this part of the ligurian cost as well, spectacular views, nice drive even when you're not excepionally fast. Maranello territory ;-)....



Best,

Jürgen