Speed Limits: Do they make you feel safe?

[beararms1776]

Me behind the wheel makes me feel safe.

 

[Benny]

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....

Language warning.

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4QoUz8zvIn0]YouTube - CKY - Football to Cars[/ame]

 

[j706]

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.

I don't think speed limit laws are silly. I think the way MANY people drive is silly. I would hate to think what it would be like with out speed limits. It is a rare shift that I don't get idiots running 30 to 40 over and I am talking interstate speeds. That is silly.

I do think some areas have unrealistically low speed limits. I try to take that in consideration by watching traffic in a given area. I average the most common speeds. I make stops for speeds over that average. Example-One place I monitor often is a urban residential 30 MPH zone. The average speed is about 42 MPH. Much over that due to the area is unsafe. Most people drive showing some common sense. But then you always have those few that act just plain stupid.

I would really hate to see interstate speed limits increased any. A very common interstate speed is 80-81 mph for many drivers even though posted at 70. If the limit was 8o they would be running 90+ Most anyone can drive a car on a interstate at 80. But when you factor in things going wrong like blowouts,deer running across the roadway ect. that is where you start seeing the serious injury's and fatality's. Way to many drivers can't properly handle a vehicle at high speeds when stuff happens. They end up jerking the wheel,going into a slide and cross the medians into opposing traffic.

Speed does kill. And it kills a lot of people.

I feel confident in saying the majority of people would be opposed to not having speed limits. And for what it is worth PD's don't make money off of traffic enforcement. Traffic enforcement cost PD's money.

 

[Blackhawk2001]

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.

Not necessarily disagreeing with your premise, but how much traffic is there on Montana roads compared to, say, I-65, I-70, or I-465 on a daily basis?

 

[ATOMonkey]

Since everyone just treats a "speed limit" like a suggestion rather than a law, that's what it should be. It's just ridiculous to fine someone for what is an arbitrary number to begin with.

Do speed limits stop people from driving dangerously? Obviously no.

The only way to make speed limits work is to automatically enforce them with cameras and radar.

Until you do that, no one is going to treat them seriously, and I don't blame them.

 

[Blackhawk2001]

I think many of us drive too fast on residential streets because we do so much highway driving. I used to regularly drive down W 30th Street in Indy. It's a two-lane with cars pretty much parked bumper-to-bumper in the area. The speed limit is 30mph (I think), but people routinely blasted through there at over 40. All I could think of was some child darting between two parked cars and me having nowhere to go to avoid him. Even at 30mph, it would be cold comfort to be absolved of injuring a child because it wasn't my fault.

When I was flying helicopters, we had a saying: "Fly only as fast as you can see". The same applies to driving. People seem to think the posted limit means you have to drive that fast, when actually the maximum speed limit is designed for optimal conditions (granted those optimal conditions were for older technology). It still surprises me how many people will blast by me going the "speed limit" during limited visibility or periods of reduced traction on the road.

 

[rambone]

The only way to make speed limits work is to automatically enforce them with cameras and radar.

Until you do that, no one is going to treat them seriously, and I don't blame them.

Please no...

That would be even worse. We are trying to eliminate arbitrary taxes.

Arizona recently tried photo enforcement for a few years and then abandoned the system. The cameras were exceedingly unpopular. People learned to cover their faces in order for tickets to get thrown out in court. Plus, people vandalize those things like nobody's business. Getting rid of the cameras was one more issue that Arizona got it right on.

Lets not promote a surveillance society. Instead of the British 'big brother' method, let's go with the Montana model.

 

[christman]

I feel the same way as whomever above said that its not the amount of speed driven, but its the different speeds driven by different motorists at the same time. That creates the problem. So if the suggestion of a limit on a sign even keeps some of the people going the same pace, I'm all for it. Then again, I have seen my share of dead motorists in various settings over the years that skews my views.

 

[Duncan]

Photo-Radar Van Driver Shot to Death

Please no...

That would be even worse. We are trying to eliminate arbitrary taxes.

Arizona recently tried photo enforcement for a few years and then abandoned the system. The cameras were exceedingly unpopular. People learned to cover their faces in order for tickets to get thrown out in court. Plus, people vandalize those things like nobody's business. Getting rid of the cameras was one more issue that Arizona got it right on.

Lets not promote a surveillance society. Instead of the British 'big brother' method, let's go with the Montana model.

Yeah we got friends out there . A bunch of folks did not like the photo radar .

Photo-Radar Van Driver Shot to Death

Photo-Radar Van Driver Shot to Death

 

[Duncan]

Man arrested for vandalizing photo enforcement camera site with pick axe

Please no...

That would be even worse. We are trying to eliminate arbitrary taxes.

Arizona recently tried photo enforcement for a few years and then abandoned the system. The cameras were exceedingly unpopular. People learned to cover their faces in order for tickets to get thrown out in court. Plus, people vandalize those things like nobody's business. Getting rid of the cameras was one more issue that Arizona got it right on.

Lets not promote a surveillance society. Instead of the British 'big brother' method, let's go with the Montana model.

Man arrested for vandalizing photo enforcement camera site with pick axe : Maricopa360.com

 

[dross]

I would really hate to see interstate speed limits increased any. A very common interstate speed is 80-81 mph for many drivers even though posted at 70. If the limit was 8o they would be running 90+ Most anyone can drive a car on a interstate at 80. But when you factor in things going wrong like blowouts,deer running across the roadway ect. that is where you start seeing the serious injury's and fatality's. Way to many drivers can't properly handle a vehicle at high speeds when stuff happens. They end up jerking the wheel,going into a slide and cross the medians into opposing traffic..

Your theory doesn't hold up to real life. Where speed limits have been increased or revoked, people tend to drive about the same speeds they did before the limits were changed. If everyone tends to go 80, it's more of an indication that the speeds are too low.

Speed does kill. And it kills a lot of people.

.

Actually, it's people going different speeds in close proximity that causes fatal accidents.

If cops would enforce the "stay right except to pass" rule, we'd have less accidents, less road rage, and smoother flowing highways.

 

[rambone]

Duncan, murderers and vandals are not my ideological brethren.

However, for the vandals in particular, destroying cameras became somewhat of a sport in Arizona. What resulted was a bunch of fancy gizmos that were hated by the public, that were broken every week and had to be replaced by the taxpayers.

I saw a website a while back that was specifically dedicated to pictures of broken cameras. There were dozens, if not hundreds. I don't remember.

Please don't make us pay for this mess. Don't tax me bro.

 

[Duncan]

vandals and sunsets

ambone;1170685]Duncan, murderers and vandals are not my ideological brethren.

Well in general they are not mine either.
In the case of the pickax vandal ... I might be inclined to let him go if I were on the jury .. the people had enough of it and Butch Napolitano had done some what of an end run on the camera deal .

Remember .. the Sam Adams tea party bunch were vandals too ...
If by chance you saw just how many cameras there are out there , I have ,.. it just got ridiculous
Thanks
Duncan

 

[langb29]

Since everyone just treats a "speed limit" like a suggestion rather than a law, that's what it should be. It's just ridiculous to fine someone for what is an arbitrary number to begin with.

Do speed limits stop people from driving dangerously? Obviously no.

The only way to make speed limits work is to automatically enforce them with cameras and radar.

Until you do that, no one is going to treat them seriously, and I don't blame them.

I agree 100%, current enforcement is a joke, I feel sorry for LEOs who have to waste their time and training (and my tax $) on fishing for speeders. Start nailing everyone going over, and all of the sudden, everyone is driving the same speed. Couple arguments on the vandalism and hiding faces to get out of the ticket. You still have to show up in court to fight it, so you're probably not going to speed every day. And vandalism occurs when the idiots mounting the cameras put them 6 ft. off the ground next to a bustop. Someone with a brain has to mount them in a discrete location up in the air!
I'd prefer their were no speed limits, but if we're going to enforce it, don't do the hit-or-miss method with LEOs.

- SE or anyone got a reference to the law about subdivision stop signs not approved being unenforceable?

 

[j706]

Your theory doesn't hold up to real life. Where speed limits have been increased or revoked, people tend to drive about the same speeds they did before the limits were changed. If everyone tends to go 80, it's more of an indication that the speeds are too low.



Actually, it's people going different speeds in close proximity that causes fatal accidents.

If cops would enforce the "stay right except to pass" rule, we'd have less accidents, less road rage, and smoother flowing highways.

The "stay right except to pass" is good common sense. Only problem being is there is no law to enforce.

 

[jsharmon7]

I think the key is a common sense approach to enforcement of the speed limits, much like j706. If we got rid of speed limits we'd have a certain small percentage of drivers who would be driving in such a way that would endanger the rest of us and there would be no recourse against it. I normally drive between 5 and 10 over the speed limit and have never been pulled over, and I've passed MANY officers running radar.

 

[DetroitTackleberry]

I voted No there just a tax. As most the civil regulations are Laws implemented strickly to steal are hard earned money.

 

[Duncan]

I agree 100%, current enforcement is a joke, I feel sorry for LEOs who have to waste their time and training (and my tax $) on fishing for speeders. Start nailing everyone going over, and all of the sudden, everyone is driving the same speed. Couple arguments on the vandalism and hiding faces to get out of the ticket. You still have to show up in court to fight it, so you're probably not going to speed every day. And vandalism occurs when the idiots mounting the cameras put them 6 ft. off the ground next to a bustop. Someone with a brain has to mount them in a discrete location up in the air!
I'd prefer their were no speed limits, but if we're going to enforce it, don't do the hit-or-miss method with LEOs.

- SE or anyone got a reference to the law about subdivision stop signs not approved being unenforceable?

Sorry that is wrong ... in AZ on photo radar the ticket is mailed and under LAW if you don't respond ... the ticket is void ... now if they really want you they will on a rare occasion send a the cops for you or a process server

Dawn Teo: AZ GOP Director: No Apology, Claims His Arrest "Political," Has "No Memory" Of Incident

The mailed ticket for out of state'rs is the same ... I don't speed in Phoenix ..but I could ... they mail it and I throw it away ... nothing happens ... they are thinking about changing the exclusion on the void if unanswered .
Thanks

 

[dross]

The "stay right except to pass" is good common sense. Only problem being is there is no law to enforce.

I live in Colorado, and here, there is a law to that effect. I've heard of it being enforced, but only rarely.

Two kinds of people who cruise in the left lane with cars stacking up behind them: vigilantes and morons.

 

[j706]

I live in Colorado, and here, there is a law to that effect. I've heard of it being enforced, but only rarely.

Two kinds of people who cruise in the left lane with cars stacking up behind them: vigilantes and morons.

Ah..I missed the fact that you lived in CO. I do wish we had the law here as I would enforce it. Left lane drivers are the source of many problems. And it is just rude IMO.