The serious bit is the dent in his wallet.

It is all rather OTT in my mind - all the more so given a few kilometres down the road all hell gets let loose every Friday when all the frustrated testosterone accumulated by the small male appendage society of Zurich gets let loose at WELL over 200km/h. Why this should be perfectly acceptable in Germanland but a criminal offence in otherwise very similar (ruleswise) Switzerland is a bit rich.

I guess the answer lies in the German state taking 19% VAT whilst the Swiss find other ways to tax the citizenry. Much worse than 159km/h here safety wise is the dismal regularity with which drivers drive aggressively close with no notion whatsoever of reaction times (especially when engaging with their Iphones) and braking distances - until its too late of course - but then the insurance companies just cough up the damage don't they? Unfortunately that kind of moronic neanderthal behaviour is tolerated whilst speeders are less socially acceptable than a Wikileaking banker.

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I keep on arguing with Swiss friends that it is not speed that kills, but distance - technically the lack of it... so 300 on a salt plain doesn't hurt anyone while driving with 30 into a brick wall might very well do so.

As a German, I love "my" Autobahn. But to be honest: I far too often see people there doing the exact same "slip-sliding" thing... with the only difference that they do so at 200 kmh. I think the problem is purely psychologically: It seems to be programmed deep in our ape- brains that we have to win and that been overtaken means losing. Let alone if this happens with a similar or let alone inferior car! Every Corsa can do 120 in Switzerland, but try driving here with a non-luxury car: People will change lane purely to block you for no other apparent reason. Do the same in a luxury sports car and suddenly they make space even where it is uneccessary to do so. I guess that driving attitude must be the ideal research topic for social and behavioural anthropology...

In my opinion greybeard, driving at 20 over the limit in a town or city is criminal behaviour because its likely to be a pedestrian, child or both that bounces off your bonnet. 40 over on a motorway is practically risk free if the way is clear, with todays technology in braking and safety in cars. The only risk is points on your licence.

I beg your pardon Captain Greybeard .

Unlike most other countries, there are no points in Switzerland - that's exactly why the fines are so steep.

I partially agree - but the problem is not you or the braking capabilities of modern cars (even a simple car like a Ford focus has twice the braking power/half the distance of the Ford Anglia that was used to set the speed limit in the UK...), but the other drivers - even on a nearly empty road. The speed limit is 120 and everyone is used to it. So cars expect you to not drive much more. Even driving just 130 I sometimes had to slam on the brakes as people do not look back changing lanes when they drive at th speed limit - they are simply not used to do so. Not once or twice, but basically daily on my commute on the highway. If you drive 160 here, you will have somebody crashing into you sooner or later. Of course you can blame it on all the other drivers who in fact behave dangerously and all learned to look over the shoulde before changing lanes - but it doesn't change the situation at least in Zurich. Whenever I have seen somebody doing the same on a German Autobahn, the car had either Swiss or Dutch plates... so: I believe that driving far above the speed limit is dangerous here, no matter if you are on race-grade ceramic brakes or not.

Completely agree.

I have those race grade ceramic brakes and I concur the Dutch seem to be the worst at pulling out while not looking in this part of the world.

They're just not that used to someone coming at them that quickly. 2yrs living in NL tells me they have no idea. Belgians are worse though. German's are generally in my opinion very aware in the main of what's going on around them.

I also agree with it depends on the car you drive as to how quick people move, I had a battered Pug for years and last year I upgraded to a S Type R, people tend to get out of the way quicker. I never tailgate unless someone pulls out on me. I always try to allow space and time for people to make their overtake.

In Germany I had a reasonably close scrape braking from 150mph + to 90mph as this Dutch idiot swerved out into the outside lane. The average speed was prob 100+. He got a taste of my horn, lights and my fingers for that, and I stopped and praised the ceramic brakes.

However I would never push those speeds in CH unless the road was empty, you just cant achieve it safely. Italy maybe on some Autostrada (Thinking Rome to Naples).. The DE autobahns are a lot straighter, too many bends in CH.

All about driving to the road conditions not to the speed limit.

If it's snowing and a blizzard is in progress, 60-100kmh on a Autobahn suits me. I love watching the idiots speed past me at 120+, I usually see them wrapped round a crash barrier 2km down the road.

Still sounds like the Canadian's a moron.

I agree and that's politicans and road safety compainers faults.

120 = Safe remember

So if i'm eating a sandwich, downing a beer and organising a meeting on my blackberry I'm cool at 120 and F everyone else.

Selfish driving, no awareness of others, no regard for others safety and seem to believe their meeting arrangements are more important than MY safety.

Phones hand free or not should be banned it's been suggested this is more dangerous than drink driving, next time you get in the car look how many people are on the phone, it's a shocking number.

Another observation is even is the road is dead straight for kilometres and there is no traffic, at about 240-250kmh my brain reaches it's limit of processing information.

Which means the distance your head has to consider with possible traffic and braking distances. Faster you go the larger the distance you have to consider in front, the more important it is for you to consider the slightest movement in any traffic and your time to respond.

Additionally I find it difficult to be able to adjust my sight far enough in distance to drive safely above that speed. It's interesting why the Germans have the gentlemans agreement about that speed.

I don't know if others have similar observations, but there you go. I know every person is different.