Forum Discussion
- So .... laws should be based on "the majority rules"? This can sometimes be deadly baloney.
What about the LOP (Laws of Physics) and/or the statistics of complex systems failure rates? When I see those 75, 80, 85 MPH law breakers pass our RV (or daily driver), this is what goes through my head regarding those speed demons:
1. What if a brake assembly should freeze for whatever reason?
2. What if a tire should blow for whatever reason?
3. What if a tie rod connection should separate for whatever reason?
4. What if a drive shaft universal joint should fall apart for whatever reason?
5. What if a small oil slick on the road surface should suddenly make itself known?
6. What if an AWD component should fail for whatever reason and suddenly lock up both front wheels?
7. What if a piston rod should suddenly fly through the engine block for whatever reason?
8. What if a toad hitch should suddenly separate for whatever reason?
9. .... and so on and so on?
Would you rather have another vehicle beside or ahead of you experience 1. through 9. traveling at the law's speed limit or their driver's own frantic speed limit?
What one has been getting away for years is no proof that they're going to continue getting away with it ... and when statistical fringe LOP reality someday catches up to them would it be better that they be traveling faster or slower ... especially when they might take others around them with them on that fateful day?
My vote is for slower. colliehauler wrote:
(Yes, some roads require a little enforcement to bring the top speeders back into line)
And that's exactly what the highway patrol does. It goes after those driving faster then the flow of traffic and those impeding the flow of traffic.
Exactly, police action should be limited to outliers (high or low).
If 90% of traffic is exceeding the speed limit, the problem isn't the people, it's the limit. If you set it at the 85%, you have 85% of traffic automatically following and the vast majority of the remaining 15% are within 5-7mph of the limit.pnichols wrote:
Why is it that if "speed differential is the problem" ... the conversation ALWAYS winds up going somewhere like "the at or under the speed limit drivers should for safety speed up to match those going over the speed limit?
How about the other way around .... the gas pedal can be lifted as well as depressed.
Where do the Over-The-Limiters think speed limits come from? I guess they think that highway engineers know nothing and are wasting tax payers' dollars ... might as well fire them all. Yeah .... let's move onward and upward to vehicle speed anarchy where drivers can do as they please speed-wise all the time, everywhere.
Turn the nervous system jitters down a notch, relax, listen to some music, and start respecting a bit more what highway engineers do.
The best thing to do is set the speed limit appropriately. When you post an artificially low speed limit a small percentage will try to follow it. Others will become frustrated and try to make up by aggressive driving.
If you set it correctly, the differential in speeds tends to be lowest.Lynnmor wrote:
valhalla360 wrote:
Enforcement doesn't work. Drivers (as a group) are very good at determining an appropriate speed and short of permanent ongoing enforcement, you won't have any impact on the long term average speed. It will go down while heavy enforcement is in place but as soon as you stop, it will go right back up.
Worse, those familiar with the heavy enforcement may slow down but those not familiar will try to continue at reasonable speeds.
The old slogan "speed kills" is flat out wrong. It's "differential speed kills". Heavy enforcement tends to increase differential speeds.
What planet are you referring to? Here on Earth the opposite is true.
You are confusing your intuitive feelings with actual data driven decisions. I do it for a living and I've ran the crash statistics and set speed limits.colliehauler wrote:
Grit dog wrote:
Heck what toilet paper creates a argument here. Anytime you have people who consider their opinion more important then factual information you will have controversy.
Never thought this thread would invoke any conversation or ire! Lol
...and there's no shortage of the aforementioned individuals here... ;-)Grit dog wrote:
Heck what toilet paper creates a argument here. Anytime you have people who consider their opinion more important then factual information you will have controversy.
Never thought this thread would invoke any conversation or ire! Lol- Never thought this thread would invoke any conversation or ire! Lol
wnjj wrote:
Speed limits come from all kinds of places, some without proper engineering. The small town near me turned a major road into a 20mph school zone for over 9 blocks. The school’s completely fenced ball field touches 1/2 of a block of road frontage. When I wrote the city, I was told they didn’t have money for the engineering study (that I showed them was suggested by the state that they do) and that I could pay for one myself if I wanted.
That's one of the types of thinking where anarchy comes from .... "We don't like the restriction and/or where it came from .... so to heck with us complying with it."
As for us in our RV on trips - I love at least this aspect of California: It's 55 MPH truck speed limit and 55 MPH towing speed limit allow us to RV travel in behind on of those who are obeying these limits and not get the finger when all the tensed up drivers speed pass us and the vehicle we're following. Our fuel mileage and relaxed nervous system are the beneficiaries.- A couple of months ago, I was going north with the motorhome and toad on a section I-88 where the right lane is really a bad washboard. I was running the 65 MPH speed limit in the much smoother left lane with no traffic around when I noticed a state trooper coming along at a much faster speed in the left lane, but still well back from me. As he got closer, I moved over into the shaky right lane to let him go by. He slowed down as pulled even with my drivers side window and stuck his left arm in the air with a "thumbs up", and then gave me a "move left" wave as he sped up and pulled away. That section of road has been bad for years, and I know I'm not the first one to ride the left lane as much as possible through it. OTR truckers do it regularly in that section despite the "Keep right except to pass." signs along the highway. In their defense, the NYDOT has been working pretty steadily on I-88 repaving for the last few years, but I do hope they get to that section soon!
- (Yes, some roads require a little enforcement to bring the top speeders back into line)
And that's exactly what the highway patrol does. It goes after those driving faster then the flow of traffic and those impeding the flow of traffic.
