[suresh_gs]

Originally Posted by ecosport rules

Now that is some kind of dog study on the move. But frankly do you have that time when on highway speeds to look at the dog's tail and its position to determine what it'll do next?

Nice study and let me see if it works next time I'm out on the highway.

Very well said. On the highways, it is only a matter of fraction of second to decide whether you are destined to live or the dog is destined to live.

[deadguy25]

Speaking of Man's best friend - Dogs.

Last month a doggie hit my car - fluidic verna, when i was doing around 25 kmph I hit the brakes and stopped. The doggie's impact broke the fender and right side fog lamp.
The doggie saw me, then he went away.

Cost -> around 8,000 (inclusive of 3,500 apart from what the insurance guys paid me). Took the trident guys a week to get it fixed.

[SS-Traveller]

Originally Posted by venkyhere

for dogs...

What about cows? Buffaloes? Donkeys? Horses? Goats? Sheep? Elephants? Humans?

If you advocate a fixed type of behaviour for each animal, you haven't met enough of them on the highways.

[drsingh]

The only time I think it's worth hitting 100+ speeds is when I go visit the family farm about 225kms away. I always drive early mornings and can actually save some 25 mins over the entire trip.

100 kms or lesser trips yield 10 min savings or lesser depending on your actual average speed. Not worth it on our roads.

[aabidansari]

What an interesting thread and discussion.

I recently went to Vellore from Chennai - not very far, as the odo goes. The highway was fantastic barring a couple of short stretches. But the point to note is that I did this trip in my Nano. And if you don't own one, let me tell you that the Nano redlines at 100kmph. I maintained speeds upto 95kmph and was still able to retain good control.

That said, as a seasoned long distance traveller, I must say that no matter what speed you are at, whether cruising or flying by, always expect the unexpected!

In India, one has to accept the unpredictability of situations and also the dogged resolve of our people, cattle, animals and other living beings who find roads to be the most ideal place to do everything else but 'Drive'.

Be Alert, Always - my sincere advise to all petrolheads.
Cheers. Happy and Safe driving.

[SS-Traveller]

Originally Posted by drsingh

The only time I think it's worth hitting 100+ speeds is when I go visit the family farm about 225kms away.

And what about those of us who don't have a family farm?

Originally Posted by drsingh

100 kms or lesser trips yield 10 min savings or lesser depending on your actual average speed.

What is actual average speed? Actual speed, or average speed?

[ambivalent_98]

Originally Posted by anku94

Hi folks!

I'm a relatively new driver (just hit 20 years), and have a couple of inter-city travels under my belt.

In my short driving experience, I had two close shaves.

1. A highway going through a small town/city, I was doing about 80, suddenly a dog came up in my lane. I honked, and it sort-of froze in the middle of the lane. It was a two lane highway, and instead of swerving, I decided to brake hard, and hit him at about 20 km/h. (I was lucky that the car behind me braked just as hard). We felt he was not seriously injured and drove away.

2. Again, a two-lane highway on city outskirts, I was doing about 70 km/h, this time, it was about 11pm. I suddenly saw a man half-lying on the road (he could be drunk and passed out, or dead - I have no clue), with his back on the divider. This time, I decided to swerve and luckily, avoided him completely.

These incidents have shook me out of my naive belief that slow things had no business on highways - especially the fast lanes - and it was their responsibility to get out of my way. I drive at a maximum of 90-110 km/h on highways, but these incidents have made me very hesitant to cross the 80 km/h barrier.

Help out a young one here, what's your formula for deciding on the cruising speed?

Hey fellow BHPian , I have been driving since 1998 in various cars. When I learnt driving my instructor of the driving school I drove with said and I always bear this in mind - "If you can control your vehicle only then drive fast , if not do not speed..."...over the years I have come to believe this and follow this. Now it is more of a habit. In general city driving is tricky w.r.t people trying to outdo each other with the speed and size of the engines. This is dangerous to the driver and car but also other people on the road. So if you are driving in the city a light canter at 40-50 kph in a car is almost good. It helps you control your car much faster and avoid many many collisions or possible accidents. Always remember to allow free passage to those in need of showing off their speed and agility in the two or four wheelers.

When on the highway , this strategy must change. The highway is full of errant drivers but maybe a steady speed of 80-100 kph is OK. Also at this speed most cars give you and optimum fuel efficiency. I do not have any statistic but any speed beyond this your reflexes have to be lightning quick to react to errant drivers , pedestrians crossing our highways.
This speed limit in the rain is also quite OK provided the visibility is OK else its like the city canter. Safety first.
Since you are a newbie , please drive safe. Wear a safety belt and make sure that others in the car also wear those. A slow and peaceful drive is the best rather than a fast and risky one. Good luck....

[drsingh]

Originally Posted by SS-Traveller

And what about those of us who don't have a family farm?

What is actual average speed? Actual speed, or average speed?

It was a personal observation in my particular case. The point I wanted to put across was that I feel comfortable going fast over a long highway drive with little to no traffic conditions. It has nothing to do with farms. The conditions allow me to maintain a higher speed safely over a long stretch of the journey.


And by "average speed" I mean the average trip speed. In my case, I regularly do ludhiana to chandigarh drives. The highway is pretty smooth. It's about a 100 kms. But 40 kms out of those are what I would call "city driving" by metro standards. And the other 60 is frequently interrupted by small towns and four way crossings. There's not much time saved by going at 100 in the small stretches where is possible to maintain such speeds.

[Hayek]

Interesting question and thread. While evaluating what speeds are safe, it is useful to look at what other countries do.

Let's start with the US. In most states, speed limits on Interstates range between 60 and 65 mph or 96 and 104 kmph. Interstates are roads that are better designed, and in better condition than any roads in India (barring perhaps the Yamuna Expressway and Baroda Ahmedabad). In the UK, limits are 70 mph or 112 kmph on dual carriageways motorways (and drop dynamically to 50 mph if there are traffic jams anywhere within a few miles away). On most of these roads, you would be fined and be in serious trouble if you exceed the posted limit by more than 5 mph. In short, on some of the best roads in the world (and where you are NOT going to find trucks travelling at 30 kmph or tractors at 20 kmph), 100 - 110 kmph is considered as fast as you can do. BTW, even on German Autobahns (which are the best designed roads in the world, and where most other drivers are superlatively trained), there is a recommended Top Speed of 130 kmph - and if you have an accident driving faster than that, God help you.

So barring the small number of expressways in our country, there are no roads in India where 100 kmph is safe.

For single carriageways (or undivided roads), a safe speed is probably 60-80 kmph in true highway zones, where visibility is good - but if you enter a town or village, you need to drop down to 50 kmph or lower. At night, take 20% off these speeds.

Can you always follow posted limits in India and drive 5-10% faster ? Perhaps not. In fact, posted limits are highly unreliable as a guide for how fast you can go. For example, on the Worli Bandra sea link in Bombay, 80 kmph is probably safe even though it is posted at 50 kmph, and most of the traffic runs at that higher speed. On that road, following the limit may be risky.

But there are other roads like the Bombay Pune expressway with a posted limit of 80 kmph where that speed is to be taken seriously - and getting even to 100 involves material risk. So always watch out for the condition of the road - if you are overtaking most other cars, you are almost certainly going too fast.

[ecosport rules]

Originally Posted by Hayek

BTW, even on German Autobahns (which are the best designed roads in the world, and where most other drivers are superlatively trained), there is a recommended Top Speed of 130 kmph - and if you have an accident driving faster than that, God help you.

Isn't the Autobahn the only highway that do not have a set speed limit like the rest of the highways in the world? May be add you mentioned the could be a 'recommended' top speed - which depends on the driver whether to follow or not.

Originally Posted by Hayek

For example, on the Worli Bandra sea link in Bombay, 80 kmph is probably safe even though it is posted at 50 kmph, and most of the traffic runs at that higher speed. On that road, following the limit may be risky.

+1.
There are certain highways that demand a better top speed but the government fixes some vague number like 50 kmph or 60 kmph which is irritating. Don't know what goes on their mind when such limits are decided.

[Steeroid]

Quick and simple answer to the title of this thread:

If you have to wonder 'when', DONT.

[Auswechseln]

However, discretion is certainly the better part of valor.

+1 to this statement.

My two cents:

Speed is directly proportional to the concentration required, stress which in turn makes you lose your cool on the road.

However prudent you maybe there's always an element of uncertainty in Indian roads which means you need to anticipate everything.

I learnt this from my father at a very young age (he drilled this into my mind).

Some points that might be useful for Indian roads:

• Never drive on the right most lane (Avoid it if you can).
• Always expect people to change lanes randomly (especially two-wheelers).
• Have a 'chalta hai' attitude towards people who make mistakes. This will help you prevent road rages.

According to me the first point is the most important.

During my college days, one of my junior was hit by a car near Yelahanka Air force station while he suddenly jumped into the fast lane from the divider to board the college bus waiting on the other side. The driver couldn't see because of the hedges on the divider. He didn't survive.

The car had a family who was going to the airport and they were driving at 60kmph. They were harassed by the police for more than a year for no mistake of theirs (one of my close friend was a witness in the court).

This incident made me decide that in India the so called fast lanes are the most hazardous to drive let alone drive fast.

Indian roads most probably follow the Heisenberg Uncertainty principle.

So IMHO it is better to drive sedately so that you can keep stock of the situation and respond to it accordingly.

[aditya101]

My own approach to high speed driving on highway is to strike a balance between absolute speed figure and duration for which I can hold that speed. Depending on the road, I estimate the speed which I feel I can retain for 80% of the forseeable distance.

Typically I have observed that 80 - 90 Kmph is the highest sustainable speed on Indian highways. My car (i20) is a fast one on the highway coupled with excellent brakes and lamps. Yet, I have often observed that despite driving at 110+, slower cars eventually catch up with you in the sections where traffic is high. So whats the bloody point?

And not to forget, 90 Kmph is the speed limit on Indian roads. You may not respect the law, but it makes sense to fear the challan!

[a4anurag]

Originally Posted by aditya101

My own approach to high speed driving on highway is to strike a balance between absolute speed figure and duration for which I can hold that speed.

Typically I have observed that 80 - 90 Kmph is the highest sustainable speed on Indian highways.

+1. Such methods help the mind be relaxed and help concentrate more than to keep gunning the car. Such an approach is also good for the car as speeds will be maintained constant, better performance and FE with lesser load and wear.

Originally Posted by aditya101

And not to forget, 90 Kmph is the speed limit on Indian roads. You may not respect the law, but it makes sense to fear the challan!

Who is there on the highways generally to issue a challan? Here in Hyderabad and to what other states I have travelled, cars and buses maintain speeds between 100 - 120 kmph.

May be there could be a few highways in India that have staff to monitor speeds which account for a minute fraction when whole India is taken into picture.

Anurag.

[sgiitk]

Originally Posted by a4anurag

May be there could be a few highways in India that have staff to monitor speeds which account for a minute fraction when whole India is taken into picture.

The YE is monitored very fiercely with CCTV, Radar and the like. If you infarct you maye be warned at the next toll or even fined. Of course 110 kph or so will not attract censure. Globally 10-15 (or even 20) percent is tolerated.