You held up the "unrestricted" German road network as a safety example.
This fails (a) because it is not unrestricted and (b) because it is less
safe :-)

GErman Autobahns seem to throw that out of the window. Sure you
can't design a road for "no speed whatsoever", but theres no need
for a limit on many roads. At least that's what the most populous
country in Euroep seems to think.

Have you checked the comparitive fatality figures? Last time I
looked the Autobahn was substantially more dangerous per mile
travelled than our motorways.

Much lower then the states, but a quick gogole doesnt reveal
anything.

The speed weenies in the states like to compare with the Autobahns because
they want a no-limits regime, but the Autobahn has a higher fatality rate
than is seen on the speed-limited motorways of some other countries, notably
Britain, which is nearly twice as safe as Germany. For some reason the
American speed weenies don't point this out :-)

As we have one of the lowest fatality rates in the world it
wouldn't surprise me if Germany was higher. What if you compare
Germany accident rates to Italy or France though

France is improving very rapidly at present, due, they say, to a recent
increase in enforcement. But that's not the point; the comparison being
made is between "unlimited" (actually they are limited, but not in the same
way) Autobahns and the British motorways. The British motorways are safer.
Much safer.

Oh, and last time I checked they also had limits on the Autobahn.

Only in certain areas (which makes perfect sense to me, 100mph on the
M5 as it joins in M6 is probably not a great idea, 100mph on the M5
from Exeter up to Bristol is generally fine)

url:http://www.german-way.com/german/autobahn.html

There are more limits than you might think :-) There is, I understand, a
blanket recommended 130kph limit anyway, above which you will be in Big
Trouble should you crash. And I believe they have some spectacular crashes
on the A-bahn; I recall reading about a helicopter ambulance service set up
to deal with them.

Oh, and last time I checked, their other roads do have speed limits.

Yes they do. Of course they have a decent autobahn system which means
people only travel in towns and on small roads when they are near
their destination. This of course reduces traffic in and arround
towns, and therfore accident rates.

That is more to do with geography. Germany's population density is much
lower - as with France. British motorways are often giant bypasses as much
as long-distance roads.

Guy
--
May contain traces of irony. Contents liable to settle after posting.
http://www.chapmancentral.co.uk