Agreed... since in reality *everyone* ISN'T speeding, there must be no problem with the speed limit.
"Too fast for conditions" is subjective as well... until there's a crash. Limits are not arbritary. The 85th percentile is too fast for most drivers already operating at that velocity, probably all of the elderly and student and new drivers. The limit has to be set to limit the differential in speeds between the best and worst drivers, or the slowest and fastest drivers if you prefer. (That's why 20 over in VA is considered reckless. If that speed were "perfectly safe"... there would be no traffic rests at that speed. That isn't the case, is it?) It's not even driving skill that's solely involved, it's large, slow vehicles as well.
A New Category of Sloth 3334gpsman huh? Literally everone IS speeding around here, at least outside of rush hour. I actually tried driving the speed limit to work a couple days after one...
I think we'd agree that most drivers don't drive very well, for whatever reason. Hell, there's people with one eye and monocular vision, bad or less than good vision, the deaf, the stupid, the semi-retarded, amputees and paraplegics and new drivers with zero days of experience that all need to drive. The roads need to be safe enough for them to travel too!
The speed limit does make sense. Just not to you because you haven't taken into consideration all the factors.
So... these pee-poor drivers should be permitted to drive faster? I think not.
Are you referring to the "following too close-flashing lights and turn signal driver" when you mention "inconsiderate and unsafe driving"? Or the guy who was minding his own f***ing business rolling along at 5 over? The latter has the right-of-way and, according to your description, was the driver operating more safely in my estimation. If he wasn't KRETP then he's breaking the law, sure. That doesn't allow the driver to the rear the right to also break the law and jeapordize the other driver's safety in order to violate the speed limit to a further degree. And... these are the driver's you'd like to share the road with... except at a higher velocity?
You've cited examples of bad driving. Do you feel that if speed limits were set to the 85th percentile people would drive differently?! You'd see the same butthole behavior, only at higher speeds. But... you don't anticipate that as a problem?
A New Category of Sloth 3337Spoken like a man who has never seen a 45mph speed limit on an interstate that was not under construction or a 25mph speed limit sign on a major arterial where there...
Perchance that you are thinking of hopping on the old horse that says that people drive that way because they're frustrated because speed limits are set too low... I feel people unable or unwilling to control their frustrated emotions at the present limits should not be allowed to drive faster.
Opinions differ... -----
- gpsman
