Roughly half of the 7,000-mile german autobahn system has no speed limit. It is perfectly legal, for example, to pass a police car at 130mph as long as you signal and use the left lane. In fact, says Mark Rask, author of American Autobahn (Vanguard, 1999), the average speed for cars is 80mph; at any given moment, 15% are traveling 96mph or faster. Yet, surprisingly, the Autobahn is safer than U.S. highways. In 2001 the death rate was 6 per billion passenger-vehicle miles, versus 8 for U.S. interstates. (The number of passengers per vehicle is not appreciably different.) Why? Drivers in Germany must be at least 18 years old. They have to fork over more than a thousand dollars to undergo 24 hours of rigorous private instruction, including training on the Autobahn, and pass a comprehensive written test. Only then can they obtain a license. Compare that with the U.S. system, where no formal training is required―all you have to do is pass an often-cursory driver's test―and the minimum driving age in many states is just 16.
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