What are the speed limits in your country

[echonatek]

What are the speed limits in your country.

i am from Denmark and our speed limits are:
city area: 50km/h (30 MPH)
some few roads in the city: 60km/h (35 MPH)
outside city area: 80km/h (50 MPH)
some areas outside city area 90km/h (55 MPH)
few areas on the freeway: 110km/h (70 MPH)
most areas on the freeway: 130km/h (80 MPH)

[DoC_DaR]

Speed limits here are about the same, usually 75mph on large highways. I've done allot of traveling and figured that speed limits are mostly set on safe traveling considering average car capabilities, average weather, and average traffic in mostly any given region.

[Badlands-4-2]

Divided Highways will be 75 MPH. Non divided highways will be 65. Secondary roads can be 55. I miss Montana's reasonable and prudent daytime speed limit. When that was in place, the nicer your car and the day, the faster you were allowed to go. I passed a highway patrolman at 100 mph and he/she did not even hit the brakes to turn around.

[lurw]

Inside Cities: 30 mph
Outside Cities: 50 mph
Highways: 75 mph (60 or even 50 around construction sites or on highways with heavy traffic).

You can normally go 15-20% faster without risking losing your permit (you will pay a heavy fine, though).

[Peepers]

Town: typically 25-30
State roads: typically 45
Highways: 55 or 65 depending on where it is.

I typically do 5-10 over posted.

[skiz]

"i am from Denmark and our speed limits are:"

As Im sure you realize, the USA is a pretty big place and we have a federation for a government which means theres alot of rule/law making done on the "state" level. . I understand the State level in Europe means the same thing as National level, but in the USA, the State level is one step BELOW the US Federal Government. . With 50 states in the USA, we have 50 different sets of laws. . The Feds will sometimes try to pressure the States to conform to something that they want by withholding money if the State doesnt abide by Federal guidelines

Im not allowed to post links here yet, but if you type in: www dot iihs dot org slash laws slash speedlimits dot aspx, you can read this:
"Speed limits have traditionally been the responsibility of the states. In the mid-1970s, however, Congress established a national maximum speed limit by withholding highway funds from states that maintained speed limits greater than 55 mph. The requirement was loosened for rural interstates in 1987 and completely repealed in 1995"

Here in Ohio the standard speed limits are:
70mph (112.65kph) on the Turnpike (toll) interstate highway (unless posted otherwise)
65mph (104.61kph) interstate highways (unless posted otherwise)
55mph (88.51kph) rural roads (unless posted otherwise)
35mph (56.33kph) city streets (unless posted otherwise)
25mph (40.23kph) neighborhood or commercial areas of city (when posted, 35 if not posted)
20mph (32.19kph) school zones (during posted restricted hours or when school sign lights flashing)

We also have quite a few interstate urban area sections that are posted 55 (88.51kph) or 60 (96.56kph)
And we get alot of roads that are somewhat rural and somewhat urban that get 40 (64.37kph), 45 (72.42kph), or 50 (80.47kph) limits posted

I always drive with my cruise control on and set it at 5mph (8.05kph) over the speed limit. . I never brake when I see a cop and have driven for more than 30 years without a speeding ticket (when Ive had my cruise on). . If youre so inclined and want to risk it, sometimes you can get past a cop doing 9mph (14.48kph) over the speed limit

Other than our freeway limits, it appears that Ohio is very similar to Danmark. . But as you go out farther west in the US, its much more common for interstate limits to be higher (since 1995). . Many of those States are very rural and/or very flat. . Ohio would be generally described as rolling in the east half of the state and flat in the west half. . Our interstates most often run in straight corridors, while in the next State to the east, Pennsylvania, the interstates have to continually curl back and forth and up and down around the hills/little mountains

PS
Could you satisfy my curiousity about something ? . Are you calling your country Denmark because youre writing in English ? . When you write in Danish, do you call it Danmark ?

[skiz]

Originally Posted by lurw

You can normally go 15-20% faster without risking losing your permit (you will pay a heavy fine, though).

I think most of the US is similar to Ohio in this regard. . You would get your drivers license suspended if:
youre 18 or older and hit 12 points
youre 16 or 17 and hit 6 points

I believe you drop off points when they hit 2 years old so its the point total over the previous 2 years that counts (I think theres also a max limit of how many points can drop off in one year)

Over the speed limit but less than 20mph (32.19kph) over is 2 points
Over the speed limit by 20 or more is 4 points
If youre really flying, the cop can also get you for reckless operation which is another 4 points. . So you can get as many as 8 points in one shot

[echonatek]

thanks to all that posted. that was fun to reed.

to skiz:
it's funny to see how many punishments points you can get in USA.
in Denmark we have something called a klip. we all have only 3 klips. unless you only have had your license less then 2 years, in that case you have 2.
nothing special for people under the age of 18 because you first can get a license at that age.

you can lose all 3 in 1 shot. you lose 1 klip when you are driving more then 30% above the speed limit (below that you can only get a ticked).
more then 100% faster (double the speed) you lose the license.
more then 70% you get 1 klip, a huge ticked and you need to take some special driving lessons that you pay yourself.
so for speeding alone you can only get 1 or 3 klips, not 2. if you are speeding and is doing something else stupid then you can get 2 klips.

if you lost 1 klip 1 year ago and 1 more just now, you will not get the first one back after a year, you need to wait for the recently klip to heal as well.
you always get all klips back at the same time.

[skiz]

Originally Posted by echonatek

nothing special for people under the age of 18 because you first can get a license at that age.

A few years back, Ohio dropped the driving age to 15 1/2

So for Ohio, this is what we have:
Permanent license: 18
Minors license: 16 + must first have learners permit for 50hrs of driving
Learners permit: 15 1/2, must have parent in car
Moped license: 14, max 50cc, capable of max 20mph (32.19kph)
Farm vehicle on road: No license required, By parents permission, Any age, slow moving vehicle triangle on back + max 25mph (40.23kph)

[lurw]

The minimum age for driving is incredibly low in the US!

Here one has to be 18 to even get a learners permit, and after the practical exam you have to drive 3 years without a heavy violation of traffic laws. During this time, you have an expiring license. After these 3 years (and 2 compulsory driving classes), you get your permanent license which does not have an expiration date.

For bikes, you have to do 12h of classes, a practical exam and then, unless you are 25 or over, you have to limit your bike to 25 kW for two years. Again, you are only allowed to open it up afterwards if you don't commit any major traffic law violation.

[skiz]

Originally Posted by lurw

The minimum age for driving is incredibly low in the US!

Since the ages that I posted above for Ohio are valid for either car or bike, I have to partially agree with you

I agree that 15 1/2 is too young to be on a motorcycle on the road. . I think the limit should be 18. . I disagree that 14 is too young for a moped license but I think it should be restricted to those kids that show enough maturity to hold down a part time job. . I think that is a great option for a kid that wants to get a job and show his responsibility at work and with his own transportation

I DISagree that 15 1/2 is too young for an auto license. . My kids are 19, 16 + 12 so Ive been thru this once, currently going thru it again, + have one more to go. . I like the fact that parents must sign consent. . I like the fact that 15 1/2 year olds are required to only drive with a licensed adult in the car. . I like the fact that 16 year olds can not get their minors license unless a parent signs consent + also signs as a witness that their child has driven 50hrs with a licensed adult in the car (including 10hrs at nite). . Once the kid turns 18 and becomes an adult, the parent loses all or most control. . I was able to restrict my oldest driving to what I thought she could handle until she turned 18. . She had years of supervised nite, rain, snow, + ice driving before she turned 18. . My 16 yr old is a very different person. . My restrictions on her are far less because I can see she can handle more at a younger age

Good or bad, US laws are driven by a slightly different mentality than the rest of the world. . In the US there is a different psychology. . The 2 biggest pressures on the government that push policy and law are:

**let me first make it clear that Im neither agreeing nor disagreeing with the USA approach, Im just explaining, Im not saying its better or worse**

1) Americans conviction that they have a God given right to freedom. . I know you guys like freedom also, but here, freedom is thought to trump everything else including safety. . You have a big burden on you to prove that the safety concern is critical or your proposal is shot down. . The only reason some states have motocycle helmet laws is that riders that get in wrecks affect the insurance rates of everybody else. . So even if something is safer, that doesnt mean our law will go in that direction (except laws that effect minors are very safety oriented)
2) Corporations have a huge amount of power in the US. . Its a commonly held belief that America sits on top as a superpower because of its military and its corporations. . So most things that big corporations want, they get. . As an example, they can put all kinds of toxins in our food and our gov FDA says its ok because Big Biz wants to have long shelf life, smooth texture, brighter bleached flour, and hydroginated ingredients not separating in the package. . If Big Biz wants to use a toxin to do that, as long as they can show it wont kill many people in the first 10 years of exposure, our government says ok

[Peepers]

Another odd thing to consider. In the US, you can drive at 16-18, but can't drink alcohol till your 21 (legally). In other countrys you can drink at 18 (or younger) but you can't drive till your 18 as well...

Also, unless you live in a big city, public transportation is nearly non-existant in the US, prompting people to get their licenses younger I suppose just to be able to get around.

[skiz]

Originally Posted by Peepers

Another odd thing to consider. In the US, you can drive at 16-18, but can't drink alcohol till your 21 (legally)

Well..... Yes and No

Yes, its true that a minor cant purchase alcohol or consume alcohol any place other than their parents home

No, its not true that a minor cant consume alcohol ever. . Its legal for the minors parent (or legal guardian) to give alcohol to their child while they are on their own property as long as the amount given will not intoxicate the child. . If the child becomes intoxicated, the parent has committed a crime. . If the parent gives alcohol to the child while not on the parents property, the parent has committed a crime. . If the parent gives alcohol to the childs friend (even on the parents property and even if given permission by the friends parent), the parent has committed a crime.

This is a state law (in Ohio) which means there are 49 possiblities of it being different in another state but I believe that minor alcohol consumption law is pretty much the same across the US

Altho it is a very narrowly defined exception, in practice, a child consuming alcohol can be common in some families. . As my father did with me decades ago, I have frequently allowed my own kids to drink small amounts from my glass (altho it is becoming less frequent for me to drink at all) and have done so legally

Just as with driving at 15 1/2, it allows me to more closely control the introduction of dangerous things into my kids lives while I still have authority. . When my kids continue to drive at 18, they have experience and its already part of life, so they wont treat it like an adrenaline rush that they might let get out of control. . When my kids continue to drink at 21, they have experience and its already part of life, so they wont treat it like an adrenaline rush that they might let get out of control

The real danger for my son is when he tries to keep up with me on my 2stroke YZ250 on his 2stroke YZ85. . Thankfully that bike has scared the $ht out of him a few times, so he respects its power and stays within his abilities

[echonatek]

it's funny that laws are so different.

i am against that 16 years old kids are driving around in heavy cars that can kill people, and that it is the parents that is teaching them how to drive.
you don't know if it is some kind of drunken dad that barley knows himself how to drive, and the kid got lucky to pass the driving exam.

in Denmark you need to go to a driving class with a professional teacher when you are 18. you can take the class 3 month before your 18 birthday, so you will have the license on your birthday.
you have to be 16 to ride scooters. i can agree in an age of 15 on scooters but not 14. sorry, i just can't. i have seen how the young ones are tuning there scooters and going 60-70 Km/h on the bike cycle area.

when talking about drinking:
in Denmark you are able to buy beer and other liquors with less then 17% alcohol at an age of 16 and you have to be 18 to buy liquors with more then 17% alcohol.
If we are looking back in time just 2 years, you where allowed to drink anything at an age of 16. but that have changed now.
it is most likely all gonna be 18 in a few years. which i understand, but 21.... no way man. at that age you have been adult for 3 years.

[skiz]

Originally Posted by echonatek

i am against that 16 years old kids are driving around in heavy cars that can kill people, and that it is the parents that is teaching them how to drive........in Denmark you need to go to a driving class with a professional teacher when you are 18

I didnt mention before that a classroom instruction and in-car instruction by a professional teacher is ALSO required for minors, in addition to driving 50hrs with a parent. . Ohio requires all of that

Originally Posted by echonatek

you don't know if it is some kind of drunken dad that barley knows himself how to drive

As Peepers said before, "Also, unless you live in a big city, public transportation is nearly non-existant in the US, prompting people to get their licenses younger I suppose just to be able to get around."

In the US public transportation (outside of cities like NewYork + Chicago) is a joke. . Everybody needs wheels to live a normal life. . Driving is near universal, even people that have no natural ability to drive. . And thats why Im a DIRTbike rider, youll never see me offering up my body as a sacrific to the morons driving around

Originally Posted by echonatek

you have to be 16 to ride scooters. i can agree in an age of 15 on scooters but not 14. sorry, i just can't. i have seen how the young ones are tuning there scooters and going 60-70 Km/h on the bike cycle area

A person (even a 14yr old kid) with only a Moped license is licensed to ride a specific version of motorized bike. . It must be max 50cc and capable of max 20mph (32.19kph). . If hes on anything else, hes illegal. . And if he rides illegal he needs to avoid the cops or he'll get arrested. . In Ohio you get arrested for driving/operating without a license, wrong license, expired license, suspended license

Im glad we let kids get experience on bikes that are limited to max 50cc and capable of max 20mph (32.19kph). . I think the real problem is 16 year olds on regular motorcycles. . Forget your 60-70kph example. . I watched a Youtube video yesterday where the kid was one of 4 bikes weaving thru traffic at speeds that go as high as 168mph (270.37kph). . It ends badly

Put this in a youtube search and you can watch it
Motorcycle Accident Lawyer CT - Connecticut : High Speed Motorcycle Crash Fatality

[z9nine]

Speed limits vary form state to state, When I lived in Caslifornia you basically had three speeds, stopped, 55, and 80+. It was a real eye opener when I mived back east and got two speeding tickets in 6 months both for 55 in a 35 both one dropped to defective equipment and the other lowerd from 20 over to 15 over.

[echonatek]

TO skiz:
makes a lot of sense. so you DO need to have instructions by a professional. good, i thought they were NOT properly trained.
thought it was all up to the parrents and then a driving exam and then done. that's good to hear.
do you still need a driving instructer at an age of 18?

i see your points. but i hope you can see it from my point of view, where i grow up things are different from your contry.
and public transport is easy and very accessible.
when you are a student you even get ½ price on public transport, on trains it is even sometimes 1/3 of the price.
i understand if public transport is a joke, then you need your own transportation.
but i still think 16 and driving a 1 - 1½ tons mashine with a lot of blind spots is a bit too early.
but having schootes to get around at an age of 14 seemes fine for me now.

[skiz]

Originally Posted by echonatek

do you still need a driving instructer at an age of 18?

The instructional course requirement is only for minors. . If you wait to age 18, then you only need to take an exam and you can drive. . Its not a good setup. . Many times kids, who cant pass their instructional classes (because they have horrible driving skills), wait until they turn 18 and just take the exam over and over until they squeak by. . We have far too high a percentage of bad drivers here

If there was an enclosed area, such as an island or gated community, that allowed motorcycles but not cars, that would be the only place you would ever find me on a motorcycle on the road

Originally Posted by echonatek

but i still think 16 and driving a 1 - 1½ tons mashine with a lot of blind spots is a bit too early.

It is so rare for me to find people like myself that add the 2" (50.8mm) round convex blind spot mirrors on top of a corner of the existing car exterior mirrors, on both sides. . I have NO blind spots on any of my cars. . When the front of another car is out my window next to me, its back is still in my mirror. . They have very little value in determining distance but they show whats next to you

I almost never see them on anybody elses car. . and the few times Ive driven other peoples cars, I find it disturbing to not be able to see whats next to me

I think our law should require them to be factory installed

[LWRider]

Driver Training has been in place in the US for many years. Even back in the age of dinosaurs, when I was a kid, we had it. I recall taking it myself, but in the middle of the course I developed strep throat and had to drop out. I ended up waiting until I was 18 and taking the test at the DMV. And forget driving a one or one and a half ton car; the first car I drove was a Checker. Still, a responsible kid can do OK; I have never been ticketed and never have had an accident (on road) in either a car or on a bike.

Cheers,

Mike

[tomleecee]

Speed limits in the UK are: built up areas: 30mph (or 20mph in a school zone), 'A' roads/dual carriageways: 60mph, Motorways 70mph. Obviously, there are roads that have 40, 50 and 60mph speed limits too, but there are signs dictating those.

[FNA]

"Montana's reasonable and prudent daytime speed limit."

Problem with this was the determination of what was reasonable and prudent was at discretion of police officer.

[LadyVTXRider]

I live in the western part of the US, seeing the part about public transportation outside of big cities being a joke, leads me to explain why.

There are great distances between cities here, and it would be cost prohibitive(at least that is what they tell us) to have public transportation.

For example: in Wyoming and Montana, as well as parts of North Dakota, South Dakota, Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska, New Mexico, Arizona, and Texas, it is not uncommon to have distances of 100 miles (160.9 km) or more between communities. Plus, a lot of communities are not close to any major highways, but on secondary roads in the middle of nowhere.

[bajakirch]

When I lived in Europe I found that many people there didn't have a real appreciation for how large and far-flung the US is (well, maybe the Russians...). Someone once partially explained it to me this way. If you looked in a lot of schoolbooks over there, you'd see a map of the home country on one page and, right across from it, a map of the US. Many people never paid attention to scale, and just got it into their heads that the US was about the same size as their home country. Which we know is, for the most part, not true -- it's much larger.

This was evident in many questions I would receive when people found out I was from the States. They wanted to know how many times I'd been to Los Angeles or NYC. They were surprised when I told them 'never', and even more shocked when I said it would take me a 2-day drive either way to get to them.

[goalie]

Originally Posted by bajakirch

When I lived in Europe I found that many people there didn't have a real appreciation for how large and far-flung the US is (well, maybe the Russians...). Someone once partially explained it to me this way. If you looked in a lot of schoolbooks over there, you'd see a map of the home country on one page and, right across from it, a map of the US. Many people never paid attention to scale, and just got it into their heads that the US was about the same size as their home country. Which we know is, for the most part, not true -- it's much larger.

This was evident in many questions I would receive when people found out I was from the States. They wanted to know how many times I'd been to Los Angeles or NYC. They were surprised when I told them 'never', and even more shocked when I said it would take me a 2-day drive either way to get to them.

When I was a teenager in Holland and someone would learn I was American, they'd invariably ask, "Oh, do you know so and so?" They did not understand the improbability of someone from Pennsylvania knowing someone in Texas or California.

[Biker Dash]

Here in Maine, it all depends on where I am at. The posted limit can vary from 65mph on the interstate (most sections) all the way down to 15mph in a school zone when there are kids around. Usually, flow of traffic is around 10+ over the posted limit.

[luckie8]

Inside Cities: 25 mph
Outside Cities: 55 mph
Highways: 65 mph

dirty Jerz

[atken91]

Over in UK were 30MPH is towns, sometimes 20/25MPH in build up / busy areas. Main roads are 60MPH, Dual Carragaways (2 lanes) 70MPH, Motorways is 80MPH.

[4Raven]

Apparently not fast enough....because they (cagers) feel the need to hang on the rear end of my bike or pass me doing 80-90 mph....

[ChipperJones]

Yea, all i could think after reading the header was not high enough. Most are 65 to 70 here in cali

[wwWRX]

Originally Posted by luckie8

Inside Cities: 25 mph
Outside Cities: 55 mph
Highways: 65 mph

dirty Jerz

Grew up there, still work there...

This is what the signs say but the unofficial state limit is 85.

Routinely drive 85 there and only got pulled over once and given a warning for a broken license plate light. Just don't drive like an ass and get out of the way quick when the state-y comes up behind you, they like to nail people who don't let them by.

Side streets do the limit, double lines = 10 over.

They will nail you for registration and that kinda thing all the time though.

[zmago]

130 km/hr on the motorway, but you had better keep out of the passing lane if you drive that slowly.

[jrmond]

speed limit is not the issue. Human ignorange is! In my country on the highway the limit is 75mi/130km

[IdRatherDrum]

Here in California the freeway I drive on is always 65. The streets are usually 25, and then 30-45. I never see higher than 45 on a street.

[polarisdescent]

here in wisconsin interstate is 65, highways 55, local roads 25 to 35