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hedoeswhathewants t1_ja577sm wrote

Reply to comment by mmmmmmBacon12345 in ELI5: Why does farming equipment require such low horsepower compared to your average car? by thetravelingsong

Your last paragraph also explains why cars can go 120+ when speed limits generally max out around 70. They have that power so they can accelerate quickly when they need to. The top speed is just a byproduct.

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KarmaticIrony t1_ja5i1fu wrote

It's also (in fact mostly) because having the engine only use a portion of its maximum potential, so going around sixty when it could do over a hundred, is good for long-term reliability.

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koalasarentferfuckin t1_ja61w95 wrote

I'm just sayin' that it's fuckin' dangerous to have a race car in the fuckin' red. That's all. I could blow.

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akodo1 t1_ja8lfno wrote

Not nearly as dangerous as a farm tractor in the red. If/when it fails, all the chains, cables, equipment it's pulling against is going to go flying

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delebojr t1_ja60tq3 wrote

That and you don't want to be sitting at 8,000 rpm on the highway

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SerenadeNox t1_ja6jjw0 wrote

Wankel enters the chat

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Dysan27 t1_ja6r3y7 wrote

Have you seen the custom 4 rotor Rob Dahm is building? Well built, currently tuning it.

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rtfcandlearntherules t1_ja751db wrote

That's not the whole truth though, a lot of cars also need the speed, e.g. police and emergency vehicles.

The maximum speed limit is also higher than in the US in basically every country.

In Most European countries it's around 80 mph (130 km/h) and then there's Germany of course. For me as a German it is pure hell to go only 130 km/h on a straight road with no obstacles and low traffic. Feels super dangerous because you will get bored and "fall asleep" very fast. I guess that's how Americans manage to produce so many accidents on their highways despite the low speed.

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it_might_be_a_tuba t1_ja79aty wrote

Australia has speed limits of 110km/h on the highways and far fewer deaths per capita than the USA. But we don't drive as many American cars and we're less drunk on the road.

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LeftToaster t1_ja7merq wrote

>and we're less drunk on the road.

You sure about that?

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Osiris_Dervan t1_ja8r30y wrote

They all drive drunk, so while there's more drunks driving the average amount of drunk is less.

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it_might_be_a_tuba t1_ja9bpm5 wrote

Blood alcohol limits are .05 in Aus, .08 in most of the USA.

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rvgoingtohavefun t1_ja9gs2j wrote

You could set it at 0.02 or 0.20 and it's the same don't-give-a-shit group of idiots that are going to drive drunk. Generally you aren't taking a breathalyzer before you get behind the wheel, and 0.05 is still plenty dangerous.

Something like 1/3 are repeat offenders and it's full of motherfuckers driving really fucking drunk, like 0.2 or higher.

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rtfcandlearntherules t1_ja7f9qm wrote

Sleeping in the driver's seat also seems to be spreading around the US lately

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Dont____Panic t1_ja9aso2 wrote

Is that the one video of the Tesla driver? I’m pretty sure that was in Toronto.

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rtfcandlearntherules t1_ja9ply8 wrote

there are like 10 different cases that i can think of out of my head. Most are in the US but not all, i believe one even was in Germany.

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balukabalu t1_ja7wshg wrote

I used to drive at 150 km/h because in my country the tolerance is 23 km/h at 130. But with the increasing fuel prices now I travel at 110 (13L/100km vs 8) and I like it, it has a very chill vibe

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beyondusername t1_ja7gcz1 wrote

Emergency vehicles have the budget to do regular maintenance. Pushing the engines harder is less of an issue when you get regular check ups and maintenance to ensure reliable operation.

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gobblox38 t1_ja8rlup wrote

The requirements for getting a license in the US are a joke. It's much more strict in Germany. One of the reasons why there are so many traffic collisions in the US is because there are so many terrible drivers on the road. Add to this that there isn't an alternative way of getting around in most of the US. This even includes sidewalks in some places. If there were interconnected and well funded mass transit systems in the US and walkable infrastructure, the driving standards could be higher.

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Snoo-76025 t1_ja75k5r wrote

speed limits generally max out around 70 screaming in German

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