Is every speed limit too low

Hopefully this doesnt get sent to the ring
I stumbled across this interesting article on speed limits and it got me to thinking. Maybe the speed limits are too low. I know I am one of the half of the population drives above the speed limit.
priceonomics.com/is-every-speed-limit-too-low/

Don't buy it. Hope you get lots of tickets to go along with your speed.

When I was young some western states had no set speed limit other than what you could drive safely given road conditions.

Bob makes a good point - every driver should know what they are capable of and compensate for their equipment and conditions. When you're driving do that - drive, don't fiddle with the radio, cell phone, or other distractions.

Personally I would like to see most of our Interstates set up more like the Autobahns in Germany. If you're in the innermost lane you'd better be passing other cars on your right hand side otherwise get back over until you encounter a slower vehicle ahead and always give way to faster traffic.

On the other hand there are roads that I think everyone needs to slow down on such at two lane roads going through towns, residential streets, and other roads where terrain demands that drivers slow down due to blind and/or sharp corners and sharing the roads with bicycles, pedestrians, and equestrian traffic.

[sarcasm]Fortunately for all of us living here in the good old US of A we have an abundance of sheriffs, city police, and state patrol officers assigned to keep an eye on us as we blatantly violate the laws and rules of the roads.[/sarcasm] Morrison's finest come to mind for some odd reason...

To me it seems that instead of setting limits for mediocre drivers we should set the limits higher and get better drivers on the road. If we had tougher requirements to get a license we just might have less crashes on the roadways. I don't think I need to bring up the Morrison PD as an example

Science chick, I don't have anything against the ring per se but I do look forward to civil discussions

Ashley wrote: Don't buy it. Hope you get lots of tickets to go along with your speed.

I haven't had a ticket in the last 20 years of driving. I'm not advocating wreckless speeding but raising the limits on some roads that have to low of a speed limit. Take US 285 from Hwy to Santa Fe. The limit has been raised from 55 to 65 from Kipling to Knox ct and from Knox ct to Santa Fe the limit went from 45 -55 there has been no increase on the amount of accidents even though the limit has been raised.

otisptoadwater wrote: Bob makes a good point - every driver should know what they are capable of and compensate for their equipment and conditions..

Thank you but it is not my point. I am just recalling a time when the country was not a nanny state.

gmule wrote: To me it seems that instead of setting limits for mediocre drivers we should set the limits higher and get better drivers on the road. If we had tougher requirements to get a license we just might have less crashes on the roadways. I don't think I need to bring up the Morrison PD as an example

I brought up the Morrison PD because it is clear to me that Morrison is using traffic enforcement (speed traps for example) as a revenue generator instead of enforcing traffic laws to ensure public safety.

If we were living in an urban center where walking and public transportation are practical options I would otherwise agree with you. The economics of owning a car in downtown Boston, New York, London, or Tokyo dictate that the majority don't drive, they don't need to and they can't afford to in most cases.

Here in a more rural setting the reality is that little Johny and/or Jane will start training to drive at 15 and at 16 they will be on the road along with the rest of us who may choose to eat, yammer on the cell phone, or engage in any other number of distracting activities while driving. Don't forget that people are living longer and mobility is a big part of our quality of life but as we age we lose our reaction time and our senses begin to be diminished as well. The median mark for drivers on our roads may be lower than many of us would like or expect.

Even in the Autobahn model where the standards are high for drivers and most are religious about following the rules, when they have accidents they usually involve multiple fatalities. When the speed limit is literally the maximum speed at which you can safely operate your vehicle how much of a distraction is too much? Imagine cresting a hill at 120 MPH to discover a car in the fast lane moving at half your speed. Flashing your lights and laying on the horn and jamming the brakes might help but the distance between your vehicle and the one in front of you will close fast. Is there room to pass on the right? What happens when the other driver finally notices you rapidly closing on them and changes lanes back to the right as you attempt to pass? Is there room to pass on the left? What else is in the left shoulder? Can you safely decelerate and maintain your lane without rear ending the slower car (BTW, if you hit another car from behind on the Autobahn you are almost automatically going to be the guilty party with very few exceptions)?

Of course all of the above is strictly my opinion based on my own observations. I think it would be practical to raise speed limits in some areas of I-70, 285, C/E-470, I-76, I-25, and I-225. I also think the bigger challenge for the greater metro Denver area is the limited numbers of roads and highways and the volume of vehicles on the roads at peak periods of traffic. Sure the speed limit on I-25 is 65 MPH through most of Denver but good luck if you are on that stretch of highway between 3:00 and 6:00 PM on any given weekday.

I think distracted drivers are much more dangerous than speeding drivers. I drive about 5-10 miles above the speed limit even with police nearby. I figure they don't want to write a 5MPH ticket. Haven't been busted for speeding in decades.