Speed Limits

[guywithashovel]

Just wondering what people's overall views on speed limits are. How should they be set? Should semi trucks, buses, etc. have lower speed limits than smaller vehicles? Or are speed limits something that we could easily do without?

I live in the state of Ohio, and apparently people in other states like to refer to us as Slohio because our speed limits are usually slower than in most other states. The speed limits on most of our interstate highways is 65mph. In many other states, they let you do 70mph. Recently, my aunt drove cross country to her new home in Washington state, and she said that the highway speed limit in one of the states she went through was 75mph.

[gremcint]

I'd say we need them. Without them there'd be idiots going 200 kph in a school zone.

[Talon]

I haven't researched this, but I've heard in countries that don't have speed limits, speeding actually went down, and accident rates decreased.

If that's true, I'm all for abolishing speed limits. Except in school zones.

[Boozy]

If that's true, I'm all for abolishing speed limits. Except in school zones.

If it's true that abolishing speed limits lowers people's speed, why would you be against abolishing them in school zones?

That doesn't sound like something that would be true, however. Perhaps in very specific instances on very specific roads.

[Greenday]

I haven't researched this, but I've heard in countries that don't have speed limits, speeding actually went down, and accident rates decreased.

Somehow, I just don't buy that without some solid proof.

Speed limits are very necessary. It keeps most drivers on the road doing about the same speed so you can't be cruising and come up to someone moving at a snail's pace. Though I wouldn't mind seeing slightly higher speed limits on certain highways of lesser use, I think for the most part speed limits are doing their job.

[BroomJockey]

I haven't researched this, but I've heard in countries that don't have speed limits, speeding actually went down, and accident rates decreased.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Speed_limits_by_country

I count 3 countries with current practices of situationally not having speed limits. For Germany, I know it's the Autobahn, which is basically their equivalent of an Interstate, so you're on it for a long time, without much turning.

One's the Isle of Man. It's an island. And only "outside built-up areas."

The last is Peru, and only on expressways, like the Autobahn or Interstates.

That doesn't sound like a great cross-section for speed limit revocation.

[RecoveringKinkoid]

I have seen where trucks must go slower than smaller traffic and that makes no sense to me.

I understand that it's harder to stop a truck, but making them go slower than other traffic will create an unsafe bottleneck situation. If it's unsafe speed for a truck, then slow everyone down at the same rate.

[lordlundar]

Interestingly enough, on a season of Canada's Worst Driver, one of the people on the show was on there to prove that driving at excessive speed was safer than driving at the legal limit.

The show seeks to improve drivers capabilities by having them in situations that are more intense, but inline with what you find ordinarily on the road. Not only did he fail to prove his case, he found himself having to admit he was wrong.

[HYHYBT]

Definitely there should *not* be separate limits for different kinds of vehicles traveling the same road! What's safest is for everyone to be moving at the same speed as nearly as possible; having trucks go slower makes them an obstacle either to be hit or to cause otherwise-unnecessary lane changes, and botched lane changes are a major source of accidents.

[Nyoibo]

One's the Isle of Man. It's an island. And only "outside built-up areas."

One girl I know from the Isle of Mann has written off 2 cars and one of her boyfriends had totaled 3.

The NT has no speed limits, they have a lower road toll than other states but they also have a smaller population.

[Rapscallion]

One's the Isle of Man. It's an island. And only "outside built-up areas."

Last time I was over, I was certain they had speed limits in the not-built-up areas. Besides, going overly fast over there is to invite becoming a pancake on a wall. Some viciously tortuous roads over that area.

It's not big, but it's windy.

Rapscallion

[Nyoibo]

I figure it's just Manx luck that keeps them alive.

[smileyeagle1021]

That doesn't sound like a great cross-section for speed limit revocation.

when one of those has one of the lowest driver fatality rates (as measured as deaths per 100,000 miles traveled) I'd say it's a decent cross section.

I will agree that there are areas where speed limits are needed... school zones, construction zones, city streets where dangers (such as cross traffic and pedestrians) exist that may not be obvious if one is unfamiliar with the area. Otherwise, my attitude is that if you are on an open road where all dangers are obvious (ie, freeways, particularly in rural areas) and you can't figure out what a safe speed is on your own, then you probably shouldn't be driving. When I drive across Nevada I typically will go around 84-86 miles per hour... my car could easily maintain a little over 90... but I don't go that fast because I know that 86 is about the fastest I can safely go... then there are areas where the speed limit is 75 and I won't go over 72 because I know that is what I can safely handle. As of yet I've never had any accidents (OK, so I had one, but that was partially mechanical failure... my breaks locked up when they shouldn't have causing me to skid... and that was after I had my license for 6 months... it wouldn't matter how fast I was going, I wasn't getting out of that one... I'd also like to point out... I was going 10 under the speed limit at that time).

[Boozy]

when one of those has one of the lowest driver fatality rates (as measured as deaths per 100,000 miles traveled) I'd say it's a decent cross section.

A cross section (in statistics) is defined as a sample meant to be representative of a whole population. How do you figure that two highways and an island comprise a representative sample of all driving conditions?

[Arcade Man D]

A cross section (in statistics) is defined as a sample meant to be representative of a whole population. How do you figure that two highways and an island comprise a representative sample of all driving conditions?

This.

Saying that because one of those has the lowest number of traffic deaths/mile makes no-limit driving safest means about as much as if I talked to 5 random men at a nursing home, one of whom was gay, and the gay one was in the best health of all 5. It's an interesting anecdote, but if I tried to say "this proves that gay men are healthiest in old age", I'd be a laughingstock.