Speed limits

valhalla360 wrote:

bgum wrote:
If you don't believe speed kills just look at the pileups with 40-50 cars. Those who are driving the limit are not the problem the speeder is the problem.

Typically, that is poor visibility. They are rarely doing the speed limit. It's more often someone nervous who is traveling substantially below the average of nearby traffic (high differential speed).

Of course, until we have wide spread adaptive speed limits, the limits posted for normal conditions will be too much for icy white out conditions.

Well what I see as the cause for most of those crashes is one or two drivers driving too fast for conditions causing a crash, then the rest is those following too close to allow time to react!

I have seen drivers doing 60 to 70 in pea soup fog, that they can't see much more than three car lengths in front of them.

I have no problems with a cop doing 10 over without his lights on. There are a lot of times where they need to get somewhere in a hurry, but it does not constitute the use of emergency lights. Many people just assume that they only do it because they can, when in fact there are many instances where it is needed.

A friend of mine who was a Sheriff assigned to graveyard shift DUI had to this all the time. It is a lot harder to see if someone is swerving and drunk looking from the side of the road so he had to catch people while he was driving. He would come up to a batch of cars and check their driving. If they were not swerving or acting erratically then he would speed up(many times over the speed limit to catch up) and go to the next batch of cars. He got many drunk drivers off the road doing this versus those who waited on the side of the road just checking radar.

He also did this when he caught a DUI suspect and they resisted a breathalyzer. Case in point was one accident wear a drunk driver killed four members of a family of five. Only the young daughter remained alive and in critical condition. The drunk driver refused a breathalyzer so my friend had to get a warrant for his blood to be drawn at the nearest hospital. Every second counts and the longer you wait the lower his blood alcohol level gets. It is imperative that he got there fast as possible so the @$$hole does not get off from killing a family, but it does not constitute emergency lights.

Then there is my dad who was a police officer for over 30 years before he retired several years ago. When he was a sergeant, he had to stay readily available to his officers when they needed him which were anywhere between 3-9 officers on a shift. When he got a call where one of his deputies needed his assistance, then he had to rush over there so they can get their problem solved and move on to the next task. Many times he got multiple calls from different deputies. He would use his lights when it was a true emergency, but many times the call did not warrant emergency lights yet he still needed to get their ASAP. Being short handed as he was, the longer the deputies were on a call, the less deputies he had available if an emergency did pop up.

So no, I don't care if they go over the speed limit without their lights because I know there are many instances that warrant it. These are just a few off the top of my head.

I think if they put the speed limit at 50 mph on every highway and limited the top end of every vehicle to 55 mph there would be next to zero traffic fatalities. I also think the speed limit on divided highways and many lightly travelled 2 lane highways could be 80 mph; almost all other highways could be 65 mph and the number of traffic fatalities wouldn’t change much from where we are at. I’d be ok with the latter.

Edit: not sure how fast semis and RV should travel.

marpel wrote:


And, there are a whole boatload of people out there who think they are a better driver than they really are, that they can travel faster than they should, can read their text messages.... and they usually find out the truth when, again, something they did not foresee, occurs.

Lake Woebegone was supposed to be a small town, but a large percentage of the population think they grew up there. LOL
After a couple million miles of "knowing" I was a excellent driver, (and sometime asked to prove it) I started telling people "I'm not very good, but I'll try" when asked to put truck someplace had much less stress. (This is more maneuvering the truck in tight places, but the attitude works on the highway too.)

While I personally think some limits in some sections are too low, I also realize they are set with the lowest common denominator in mind, those who should not be driving faster, due to age, experience and all those other contributors.

But the person that drives thru once in a while can't really know why the limit is set.

spoon059 wrote:

JRscooby wrote:
IMHO, you have that bass ackward. If a cop is seen in traffic running over the limit, he better explain what is more important he is doing or head for unemployment line.

So you want to fire a cop for speeding?

No! I want the cop fired for not enforcing the law, any law, when he sees a violation. WHAT THE DUCK WE PAYING HIM FOR?

Lynnmor wrote:

If one cannot obey or enforce the laws he needs to go.

fj12ryder wrote:

Unless he's responding to an emergency, he's no different than everyone else out there.

Thanks, both of you understand my point.

marpel wrote:
And a quick observation on the "speeding cop" comments.

Although I am human like everyone else and occasionally, even while on duty, would find myself travelling a couple kmh over the posted limit - almost impossible to keep under or at the limit all the time. However, I endeavoured to follow the limit, especially while in a marked pc. And would often find myself travelling down the street/highway, with a whole line of pissed off motorists following me, and a whole big empty road ahead.

Follow the rules, people are angry at you, speed a bit to alleviate the traffic jam and people are pissed at you.

And I should add, often a member is dispatched to a call that is not considered an emergency (so no authorized emergency equipment and higher rate of speed), but serious enough for the member to "step it up" a little. To some, he looks like he is just ignoring the speed laws, however....sometimes it's just easier to criticize.

And don't get me wrong, I don't condone any officer breaking the law, just thought I would add a bit of context to the discussion.

Marv

As to the cop driving the speed limit, with the line of cars behind. Who is blocking traffic, the cop or the person blocking the left lane because afraid to pass him? (BTW, I think it should be a violation to ride in left lane unless passing. Stop that first car blocking, discuss that with him.
The non-emergency call is a reason not to be stopping the speeders around him. But if it is dangers for the average motorist to drive over the limit because he has a pressing issue, what makes it safe for the cop?

philh wrote:

bgum wrote:
If you don't believe speed kills just look at the pileups with 40-50 cars. Those who are driving the limit are not the problem the speeder is the problem.

Study after study after study has shown speed differential is the greatest cause of highway accidents. Those huge pileups are generally due to atmospheric conditions when people are driving way too fast for the conditions, irrespective of speed limit. When the feds dropped their silly 55 mph mandate, the number of highway accidents plummeted.

Actually, studies showed during the 55mph mandate, average speeds on freeways didn't change.

bgum wrote:
If you don't believe speed kills just look at the pileups with 40-50 cars. Those who are driving the limit are not the problem the speeder is the problem.

Typically, that is poor visibility. They are rarely doing the speed limit. It's more often someone nervous who is traveling substantially below the average of nearby traffic (high differential speed).

Of course, until we have wide spread adaptive speed limits, the limits posted for normal conditions will be too much for icy white out conditions.

What is really amazing is how some are so vehemently opinionated on something like a speed limit….

noteven wrote:
I always like the media release that says, “Speed was a factor...”

I sez to the guy, I sez, “Well, yes accidents where the vehicle is standing still are generally less severe...”

Awesome!

And a quick observation on the "speeding cop" comments.

Although I am human like everyone else and occasionally, even while on duty, would find myself travelling a couple kmh over the posted limit - almost impossible to keep under or at the limit all the time. However, I endeavoured to follow the limit, especially while in a marked pc. And would often find myself travelling down the street/highway, with a whole line of pissed off motorists following me, and a whole big empty road ahead.

Follow the rules, people are angry at you, speed a bit to alleviate the traffic jam and people are pissed at you.

And I should add, often a member is dispatched to a call that is not considered an emergency (so no authorized emergency equipment and higher rate of speed), but serious enough for the member to "step it up" a little. To some, he looks like he is just ignoring the speed laws, however....sometimes it's just easier to criticize.

And don't get me wrong, I don't condone any officer breaking the law, just thought I would add a bit of context to the discussion.

Marv

I always like the media release that says, “Speed was a factor...”

I sez to the guy, I sez, “Well, yes accidents where the vehicle is standing still are generally less severe...”