Speed Limits: Do they make you feel safe?

[downzero]

I feel the same way about Motorcycle helmets. I think you're an idiot if you dont wear one (seatbelt or helmet), but that's your choice. you're not hurting me or anyone else other than taking up an extra bed in the hospital.

I suggest that you do some research on motorcycle helmets. They're not like seatbelts. I always wear my seatbelt. I refuse to wear a motorcycle helmet.

 

[ATOMonkey]

I suggest that you do some research on motorcycle helmets. They're not like seatbelts. I always wear my seatbelt. I refuse to wear a motorcycle helmet.

Wut???

 

[jeremy]

Speed Limits...

 

[Blackhawk2001]

Wut???

Think of it as evolution in action.

 

[dross]

Do speed limits make me feel safe? No, they make me feel taxed.

 

[Jubbie]

I'm liking the Min/Max idea. Can use the signs/speeds we have now. Just have an over-under of 5. So in a 35 mph zone you have to travel between 30 and 40 mph to be legal. Having everyone go however fast they want would have lots of people driving 80 rear-ending people driving 35. People would pay a lot more attention when they drive, at least for a little while.

 

[dross]

Here's a solution:

Take a test and pay a fee to drive over 70mph, no upper limit. This applies only to the far left lane on four lane highways. If someone comes up behind you in the left lane, you must move over, regardless of how fast you're going. Fines for failure to move over should be very high. If you don't have the fee and sticker, you may only use the left lane to pass.

 

[Blackhawk2001]

Until I got my latest vehicle, I tended to drive on the fast side. I'll be honest, the price of fuel has me doing 50-55 on the highway nowadays. I stay in the far right lane, when possible, so smile and wave as you flash by me on the left. Someone said he'd like to see the country road speed limit raised from 45 to 55. That would be fine until both sides of the road are obscured by cornfields and you get to a crossroads at the same time as the _other_ guy who is doing 55 and didn't see the stop sign in time to get stopped before he met you at the intersection.

I agree that many people haven't been taught to drive safely, but that is changing in some places. In the much-despised PRIllinois, a student driver has to accumlate something like 60 hours of supervised driving under assorted conditions to get his driver's license. Here in Indiana we've raised, slightly, the age at which a driver can get a license, so perhaps we're on the road to improving that side of the equation.

As far as "revenue generation", around Indianapolis Metro, and on the highways I frequently drive in-state, I seldom see "speed traps"; in my opinion, there are plenty of people driving well over the posted speed limit at all times of the day and night to keep any amount of cops busy writing tickets, if that was what speed limits were meant for. That we don't have ISP and county sheriffs deputies lining our highways to collect "tolls" from passing motorists in these times of budget-shortfalls, tells me that the "revenue generator" part of the original premise is faulty.

 

[femurphy77]

Revenue generator, when they issue citations for 1 or 2 mph over the speed limit it isn't for deterence sake. To be fair, this was in a military town in Oklahoma. The speed limits don't "seem" to be as big an issue with the cops around here as the dangerous drivers and this is how it should be! My oldest daughters always gripes about being the only one being pulled over for doing 65-70 on 465 when everyone else is driving just as fast. I told her it might be the foot hanging out of the window, the unsignaled abrupt lane changes, the aggressive driving tendencies she exhibts or the fact that her car (as a result of her driving habits) has the appearance of having lost the last demolition derby.

Speed on the streets and highways don't bother me, it's the unsafe for condtions factors that get people injured/killed.

 

[Benny]

Wut???

Don't bother.

Think of it as evolution in action.

Reps when I get a chance.

 

[pillsbury1983]

I think that speed limits are good, but I don't agree with some agencies/officers strict enforcement. Most decent officers give some elbow room up to 15mph over on highways and up to 10mph over on other roadways. My wife was stopped on I465 by some little rookie trooper for 60 in a 55. A little ridiculous.

 

[SavageEagle]

The only speed limits that I like don't even have signs usually(neighborhoods). If you go more than 15-20 in a neighborhood/anywhere little kids could be present, you'll get a loud "SLOW THE **** DOWN" from me if I'm outside and see it. You can also feel free to pull over and dispute it with me; I welcome that.

This ^^^. I do the same thing. If you can't have the sense to go slow in a residential neighborhood, especially mine, I just might step out in front of you or my football throw to my daughter may get a little... wild....

I voted No, but I'm thinking of interstates. I believe there should be no speed limits on interstates; obviously reckless driving, unsafe driving and a whole slew of others are still in effect. I'm ok with interstate speed limits when going through a major city (downtown Indy should be ~60 or 65mph)
Speed limits inside the city are fine. No quarrells with those.

And this ^^^^

There's no reason for interstate or any 4 lane highway to have speed limits. And all four lane highways should have merging lanes for drivers coming into traffic. Of course it would help if people knew how to merge as well....

But yes, places like 465, 70, and 65 (except in the downtown split) should be 55 for the right lane, 65/70 for the left lane. And if you do under that in the left lane, you should get a reckless driving ticket.

You should also get a reckless driving ticket for pulling out in front of someone going WAY faster than you are. By God, they'll give me a ticket for 65/55 on 465, but they won't pull over the guy cutting people off and causing near accidents...

 

[jeremy]

This ^^^. I do the same thing. If you can't have the sense to go slow in a residential neighborhood, especially mine, I just might step out in front of you or my football throw to my daughter may get a little... wild....

That's OK I been looking at getting a new paint job on my truck...
Thanks for offering to pay for it!

 

[Duncan]

Oh where to start ... The interstate was designed for 70 maybe 80 MPH in the 50's .
With the technological advance of autos that is easily doable if not faster in some situations . But we do have .. as dad use to say " so much traffic now " as compared to the 50's . So that creates a situation that requires slower speed ,... IE in town .. interstate slits like 70 / I65 - I465 .
After living in the west I see now how retarded the midwest and Indiana are on speeds .
In town Phoenix and Vegas ... interstate 65 to 70 save the split areas .
A whole lot more traffic not that many wrecks .
The surface street he in Indiana are what crawl ... most are 45 in the west .. here 30 maybe 40 in a much less percentage .
That is where I think the speed should be bumped up .
School zone work zone ... In AZ if you are 1 mph over in a school zone you WILL get a ticket ... most SZ are 15 MPH because many kids walk to school .. good weather .
The tickets are not cheap .
I agree with what they do .
I speed ... 5 over most places Interstate and surface streets .
EXCEPT .. work and School zones .. there on the limit NO MORE .
People are waking around ... you need to slow down .
It amazes me to see the State Bulls to not set up and ticket at the SZ WZ arears more than they do .
A guy running 90 on 65 to Chi town .. light traffic ..ahh ok .
A house wife doing 50 in a WZ on the west side .. your getting a ticket if I were a Bull .

Thanks

 

[Sweetums]

It's not driving fast that will kill people. It's everybody driving at DIFFERENT SPEEDS that will kill people. We have to have speed limits to prevent that...

We also have speed limits that create different speeds! It's not as extreme here, but on Michigan Interstates:

Cars have a speed limit at 70 MPH.

Commercial vehicles have a speed limit at 55 MPH.

It sucks having to deal with a 15-20 MPH difference in speed between vehicles on 2 lane interstates...

 

[Lucas156]

Heres an idea change the consequences of speeding so it is not a tax on us. Community service maybe? I dunno but I guarantee if you did this there would be less tickets handed out if it didn't get them revenue.

However they wouldnt change the consequences though because they like making the money. Proves the point that it is a tax

 

[SavageEagle]

That's OK I been looking at getting a new paint job on my truck...
Thanks for offering to pay for it!

No Problem! But come speeding down my road while my kids are out and you'll have to swerve anyway to miss the rubber parking bumper I use to chalk my tires with or the orange cones I sit out. I don't leave much room to swerve either because I leave just enough room on either side and if you mess up, you're either going to hit my truck or our mailbox. I don't know why anyone would come down our road anyway. Google map my Lat/Lon and you'll see what I mean.

Oh, I learned something the other day too. If you're in a subdivision and the stop signs don't have the State's approval sticker, you don't have to stop at them. They don't hold legal weight because they were put in by the developer and not the State. I was reading about it and decided to look for myself. Our subdivision doesn't have stickers on the signs, but the ones in town and out of town do. However, all other driving laws do apply and the stop signs are to be treated as yield signs. Just a little piece of info I thought I would share.

 

[Yeah]

A report after Montana removed the daytime speed limit for rural highways shows an insignificant increase in overall speeds compared with the previous year, and a small and likely unrelated increase in accidents. People don't just go bananas and lost their sense of self preservation any time they get the chance.

This is along the lines of thinking we have to plant signs all over the place to control the flow of traffic, when that isn't necessarily the case.

 

[rambone]

I'm proud that the vast majority realize how silly the laws are. They are just more excuses to confiscate our money & employ more enforcers.

 

[96firephoenix]

speed control laws only apply to law abiding citizens. there should not be any speed limits so that we can protect ourselves from... wait a minute...

honestly, I think that speed limits are necessary, and I do feel safer when everyone around me is following them. its kinda annoying at times.