4/27    I drive down 280 alot and everyone is going >> 65; with cops
        rarely seen stopping people. Is it still worth it to buy a
        radar detector if you stay under say 80 and drive sanely ?
        \_ 79 mph on 280, don't change lanes, you'll be fine. my buddy got
           a ticket last week going 85mph.
        \_ If you drive North, like I do everyday, be careful when you hit
           92, I see people get busted EVERYDAY around that section. Just
           a few days ago I saw 3 police cars/bikes spaced out around 2-3
           miles each. damn. I slow down when I approach 92...
        \_ i can't drive 85! do 100
        \_ A friend with a BMW 745i routinely takes it up to the maximum
           governered speed on 280 (roughly 145, I believe).  He's pretty
           stupid, but he hasn't been busted yet.
           \_ governed by... a microprocessor?
              \_ Yes, I realize that sentence is unclear.  Almost any street
                 legal car sold by the Germans that is capable of doing over
                 155mph has an electronic governor that prevents it from
                 going over that speed or some speed close to it.  I believe
                 it's sort of a "gentleman's agreement" between the German auto
                 companies.  Of course, the speed governors can be removed by
                 a knowledgeable auto mechanic, but I'm not sure what this does
                 to your warranty.  As an example, I believe a Mercedes E55
                 with the governor removed can do 170+.
                 \_ Mercedes E55 AMG, the fastest sedan in the world.
                    \_  Is this still true? I've done 162 in mine with no
                    \_  Is this still true? I've done 162 in my !E55 with no
                        problem, coincidentally on 280.
           \_ Are his tires rated for that speed? I think normal tires go to
              around 100 MPH safely?
                \_ on a 745i you'd hope he has Z rated tires.
                   \_ Actually, V rated, which is still safe, although you can
                      always suffer a blowout.
        \_ I don't like breaking the law... I just wish the speed limits
           would be raised where it makes sense. 280 can easily be limit 70
           at the least. But it isn't. What bullshit.
           \_ 65 MPH is just 5 MPH less than 70 MPH ... And everyone (including
              me) just goes 70 MPH anyhow.
              \- isnt 280 supposed to be pretty accident-prone? maybe because
                 of the curvature and/or banking?
                \_ My understanding is that 280 was designed by a guy who also
                   designed racetracks.  All the curves are banked so that you
                   can travel quite fast on them without fear of spinning out.
                   Assuming dry weather of course.
                \_ 280 is nothing compared to the Autobahn. At any rate, my
                   \- apples and oranges. although one thing that may explain
                      280 and autobahn is large speed differentials. i do enjoy
                      passing people on the right an glaring at them on 280.
                   European friends say that accidents rates are lower
                   there than in the US because cars cost more [relative to
                   how much you save]. So people who buy cars and drive
                   tend to be older, more cautious, and have much more
                   courtesy than in the US. People feel privileaged to
                   drive. In theUS cars+gas+repair+insurance are so cheap
                   that driving is a God given right. What say you
                   EuroMotders?
                   \_ You're looking too deeply into it--esp. in Germany it's
                      a "right" like in the US--driving tets are harder, and
                      a "right" like in the US--driving tests are harder, and
                      people just grow up being used to high speed goose-
                      stepping regimented traffic.  Oh and passing on the
                      right, hogging the fast lane and tailgating are fined
                      (fines tend to be higher.)  Additionally I have a theory
                      that, because more people drive stickshifts, you have
                      fewer brake lights as people decelerate, causing more
                      orderly traffic flow.  Just a thought.  -John
              \_ I think in Germany the cars and roads are better regulated.
                 A lot of junky or modified cars here, or cars with
                 maintenance issues like misaligned headlights etc. would
                 not be allowed on the road. I think they have like periodic
                 maintenance inspections you have to pass. Highway design is
                 another issue... like on 101 there are several exits
                 where there's no space at all for people to accelerate up
                 to the proper merging speed or to slow down to make a
                 sharp turnoff. They even constructed a new on-ramp from Moffet
                 in MV just recently and it has a sharp turn right as you're
                 trying to get up to speed. Or while you're accelerating,
                 on the same small strip of asphalt other people are braking
                 to exit. Also the Aryan race is better than you stupid
                 Americans.
                 \_ I saw this documentary on The History Channel (I think it's
                    called Road Engineering or something). Basically, after the
                    Allies went into Germany, they noticed that the Autobahn
                    was mainly straight with occassional big turns. The
                    Americans laughed at crappy German engineering. 10 years
                    later the Americans found out that curves help keep drivers
                    awake and alert esp. late at night, and renovated Route 66
                    (which at the time was mainly straight) to include nice
                    curves. That actually helped reduce accident rates by 1/2.
                    Yeah, crappy Aryan engineering.
                    \_ Denser population = more villages to have to build
                       curves around.  Although given who built them, I dunno
                       whether that was really a concern.  -John
        \_ i can't drive 85! do 100
        \_ This reminds me of the time when I was 5 years old and my dad
           got pulled over by a cop. The cop asked my dad if he knew how
           fast he was going, and he said 60 [miles]. Well as a kid I
           didn't know any better and shouted "No you weren't, you almost
           hit 100! [kilometers]" We had a very long talk after that.
        \_ Remember that 280 is now a part of the CHP's "focus routes",
           which means they are doing more patrols on that highway. So
           be careful. I think a radar detector wouldn't be a bad
           investment.
                \_ Any reccomendations on models and where to get a
                good price? And do cops still use radar these days?
                  \_ The best radar detector is still the V1.