[ambivalent_98]

Usually in my little experience of driving for the past maybe 16 years , I set the rules as below for myself.
1) Sunny weather , good visibility , good tarmac on highway 4 lane - 100 kph+
2) Sunny weather , good visibility , bad tarmac on highway 4 lane - 60-70 kph (bad is relative my speed declines with the "bad" factor).
3) Rainy weather , not so good visibility , wet tarmac on 4/6 lane higway - 80 kph to 100 kph. (the 100 kph is when it is not raining).
4) Night time , good visibility , 4 to 6 lane highway - 80-90 kph
5) Night + rainy ---> to be avoided at all costs , but if urgent to drive do so at 50 to 60 kph.
6) Single highway (old fashioned) except overtaking a decent 60-70 kph is good enough.

I have had my share of hair raising experiences but those were mostly when I was much younger and speed of need of the day. Not any more , reaching safely without stress is ruling at the moment. So these precautions have not caused anything scary in the last maybe 4-5 years. Just my 2 cents.

[a4anurag]

If the roads are good with low-medium traffic then I keep maintaining 100-110 kmph but on the regular 4 lane ones, I prefer to be cruising between 80-90 kmph.

On the conditions we keep facing daily on the highways the best possible speed for steady and fatigue-less driving is between 80-90 kmph.

Anurag.

[poised2drive]

One of the most important things that I look out when I want to touch 100+ on our roads is their condition, design and activity on the path !
If the oncoming road is visible to me for a minimum 0.75 km or so, it would tempt me to hit the throttle but having said that, I look out for the typical trouble makers for the vehicles who lurk on the shoulders of the Roads; i.e. Dogs, cattle or Cattle-like humans whose presence would directly threaten my life.
I presume 'a sense' [of fear/carefulness] should always be in the mind when one drives @100+ kmph speeds on Indian roads and should never take the road for granted even if everything appears normal because there is always something behind the scenes that can topple your life in split of a second.
I hit a speed of 160 Kmph [ for a couple of seconds]on Hyd-Vijayawada Rd [ NH-9] with ease on my Swift as the conditions to drive happened to be excellent. The ORR of Hyderabad also looks good for its driveable conditions , but anything exceeding 150 kmph is always a danger !

[autobahnjpr]

It is always a tricky affair to touch 100+ on Indian roads. First of all our speed limits is 90 kmph so touching 100+ is in effect breaking the speed limit. Even when the road is four lane or more with less traffic, you do not know from which direction someone will fly across your car - it could be a dog or cow suddenly jumping from the median in front of you or the jolly villager on his tracker who will suddenly appear from left and swerve in front of you on the highway. If everything else is fine, suddenly a big pothole or a speed breaker will give you a nasty surprise.
I only touch 100+ when there is daylight, ample visibility, road condition is good and i have driven on that road before. I completely avoid 100+ on those roads where i am driving for the first time even on 6 lane highways.

[binum]

I just completed a 1600 km journey from Bangalore to Kerala and back. Took the NH7 and 47, I would say 70% of the road was 4-lane. Even though we can drive in excess of 120km/hr , my opinion is that 100-110 is the best range on 4-lane roads. Now with lot of safety features added like ABS, Airbag and EBD these speeds are safe. Of course as other members pointed out , condition of roads , traffic and visibility plays an important role.
I have a 3rd Gen Honda city (2012) and I know speeds of 120-160 are easily possible, but on Indian roads this is inviting for big trouble.

[suresh_gs]

Originally Posted by binum

Now with lot of safety features added like ABS, Airbag and EBD these speeds are safe. Of course as other members pointed out , condition of roads , traffic and visibility plays an important role.

Safety features apart from one's driving speed, the other factors not in our control are mainly responsible for accidents like

1. Vehicles coming in the opposite direction
2. 2 Wheelers crossing over the median

[mayankk]

Originally Posted by binum

Even though we can drive in excess of 120km/hr , my opinion is that 100-110 is the best range on 4-lane roads. Now with lot of safety features added like ABS, Airbag and EBD these speeds are safe.

What makes you say that? There is no test data available for any car to show that this is so.
I see a lot of people assuming that having airbags and abs and EBD means that they can add another 20-30 kmph to what they would normally do.

[binum]

Originally Posted by mayankk

What makes you say that? There is no test data available for any car to show that this is so.
I see a lot of people assuming that having airbags and abs and EBD means that they can add another 20-30 kmph to what they would normally do.

Couple of points:
1.The stopping distance goes up exponentially as the speed increases, for a typical passenger car at 90 km/hr it is 103 meters, 100 km/hr it is 120 meters. At 120 km/hr it goes up to 180 meters.
2. I know there is no data which says driving at 100-110 is safe on Indian roads, I am saying this from my driving experience of last 23 years. I am able to control the car at this speed in terms of quick maneuvering and stopping.

If someone jumps out at you from a median, I don't think you can do anything be it 60 km/hr or 100 km/hr.

And as I mentioned in my earlier posts ABS, EBD and Airbags are MUST have while driving on highways at this speed. I need to add ESP too , though my Honda City does not have this feature.

[sgiitk]

Even on the YE I set the cruise control to 110 kph. Remember about 25% of the YE is prone to Neelgai - see the signs. The chap(s) who named this antelope a gai (or cow) must have been genius!!. A friend while driving on the Raibareli - Lucknow highway was hit on the side by a Bluebull (Neelgai) rushing in from fields. Damage to his City ZX about ₹1.3 lacs. Fortunately the occupants highly shaken but not hurt (stirred). He could drive to Kanpur!!

On normal roads (not E-ways but in reality dual carriageways) the risks of collision are too great. Even though the speed limit on highways is now 100, caution demands otherwise.

[nda992]

Every road has a design speed which is decided by factors like the width of the road, turning angle, super elevation, slope, carriageway etc.
It is not advisable to exceed this speed.

[sunishsamuel]

There is a stretch before Madurai on the Salem - Thirunelveli highway that allows you to drive at 100kmph legally. And this stretch is safe without medians, no surprises but it won't be longer than 15-20 mins. Its same old story afterwards.

Regardless, on every other Indian highway I'd not recommend going beyond 80kmph as of today. I think most of our newer Four lane highways have a design speed of 100kmph (e.g: Link) but until i see a guarantee that there are no medians, no humans jay walking as well as cattle, i'd not venture high speeds. This thread should have a disclaimer "use at your own risk"

[CR-V]

Depends on the situation

Here are some of the factors that I take into account -

Type of Car

Example D-E segment cars that has shorter stopping distance
(can have much better control over car at higher speeds)

Every day cruisers possibly without ABS in some case
(stick on the lower side of the limit)

Co-pilots

This is a big factor for me, if I have good drivers that I trust in the car specifically in the co-pilot seat - awareness from them can have a huge impact specifically looking out for animals running out on the road and you focus on the road.

Mood
How focused am I, if relaxing and talking with family or listening to radio than lower speeds. Full focus with zero music (personnel choice) and again with co-pilot fully aware as well.

Road Condition
Even highways with random bumpers in between (yes delhi-agra highway I am looking at you) or on highways have not driven before fall for lower speeds.
Highways I drive regularly on and very familiar with all turns and aware of no bumpers or exact locations a bit on the higher side.


So on an average the speed ranges from

worst case scenario
Driving with everyone sleeping and thinking about something else in my mind on road not familiar with on a every day cruiser 60-70.

best case scenario
driving on the road multiple times, everyone in the car fully aware, E segment car with empty roads with barricades on the side of the road, clear visibility and a need of urgency - 140 to 160
Note: very very rare had it once in the past 2years where was driving on pune expressway (which had driving twice every day for a couple of weeks) to catch a flight in a 5 series with everyone aware of the urgency and fully engaged by providing warnings at any sign of danger.

Average on most journeys - 90 to 110 (journey with family normally means one of the better cars in the garage rather than the daily drivers)

But at the end have to judge each situation independently to decide on the right speed and have to remember you are not a good driver because you follow rules and accidents are never your fault but you are aware of your surroundings and can anticipate actions of other road users to avoid accidents even when its not your fault.

[nkghai]

You can drive fast and not be rash, whereas you can be rash at slow speeds too. So faster is not reckless, but how fast depends on a lot of factors, some discussed above but IMO speed is also about your reflexes, which vary from person to person.
There was a time in 80s when my reflex were tops and my Yezdi classic would easily cruise above the 3 digits mark during my early morning drives from Dehradun to Chandigarh. Today even on a much better equipped Nanook, because of the traffic and my wee bit slower reflexes, i rarely touch the three figure mark on those roads.
I try higher figures when driving alone, but with family on board unless it is a very good highway, speed is between 80-100 on clear roads. When close to habitation it is around 60.
Yes, known routes one tends to go faster but that is not advisable as there lies the danger since you are relaxed and not on look out for surprises.

[Sawyer]

About the only place I know where I am able to do 110-120 in daylight with confidence is on the Maharashtra border to Belgaum road. Great 3+3 lane surface + median strip that is wide and can be seen through to the other side + wide open spaces on the side of the road allows one to see potential wandering hazards of all kinds from a long way away. It is the one stretch where sub 100 feels slow.

I am sure there are other such places on Indian roads, but these are very rare.

[nda992]

The road from Jaisalmer to Jodhpur via Pokhran is a driver's delight.
You can maintain a steady speed of 100 but must watch out for wildlife crossing the highway.