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F*** no. They need that money though. I wonder what cities would do without the revenue. It's a brilliant idea and whoever thought of speed limits as a method of revenue generation was a clever boy. I'll still spit on their grave but they were clever.
Last edited by Yellow Jacket; 10-24-2013 at 09:53 PM..
Some more food for thought to stir the pot. Let's look at life before the oil crisis of the early 70s.
On Dwight D. Eisenhower's National System of Interstate and Defense Highways (pre-oil crisis), speed limits averaged 75mph. Rural highways in some western and midwestern states enjoyed no speed restrictions. Very important that you keep in mind that this is the 50/60s. Why? Engineering. Roadways and cars 60 years ago were deemed safe to travel at 75mph.
Fast forward to the present. Cars, trucks, motorcycles, steering wheels, axles, tires, bicycles, helmets, skateboards, roller blades, air bags, roads, signs, etc. etc. are over-engineered for safety. Obviously engineering and design has advanced beyond our wildest dreams in the last 60 years. My vehicles will do 150mph, and comfortably. Roadways will permit that type of speed. They will permit that type of speed safely.
I will throw out a question and hypothetical situation. If America ended speed restrictions on it's interstates, what do you wager will happen?
I'd say not much. Crashes might increase for a period of time until driver training and skill increases. Travel times will drop. But, for the most part, things would probably go unchanged. Like stated all over the place, people travel at speeds they are comfortable with. Couple that with the fact that most urban traffic does not permit speeds much faster than 85-90mph anyway.
I can think of plenty of roads in the country that could probably safely lift their speed restrictions. i5 in California through the central valley for sure, definitely Highway 66 in Arizona too. I also fail to see why Texas placed a speed restriction on 130.
To say that speed restrictions don't exist for revenue is naive. Just like saying speeding is dangerous is also naive. It's just been pounded into our heads by politicians to justify speed traps and low speed restrictions. Most people haven't bothered to challenge it.
No, to expect intelligent people to swallow this self-justifying pablum is naive - and insulting at the same time. YOU may need to believe it in order to justify doing whatever the heck you want to do no matter the consequences to others, but that doesn't make it so.
Some more food for thought to stir the pot. Let's look at life before the oil crisis of the early 70s.
On Dwight D. Eisenhower's National System of Interstate and Defense Highways (pre-oil crisis), speed limits averaged 75mph. Rural highways in some western and midwestern states enjoyed no speed restrictions. Very important that you keep in mind that this is the 50/60s. Why? Engineering. Roadways and cars 60 years ago were deemed safe to travel at 75mph.
Fast forward to the present. Cars, trucks, motorcycles, steering wheels, axles, tires, bicycles, helmets, skateboards, roller blades, air bags, roads, signs, etc. etc. are over-engineered for safety. Obviously engineering and design has advanced beyond our wildest dreams in the last 60 years. My vehicles will do 150mph, and comfortably. Roadways will permit that type of speed. They will permit that type of speed safely.
I will throw out a question and hypothetical situation. If America ended speed restrictions on it's interstates, what do you wager will happen?
I'd say not much. Crashes might increase for a period of time until driver training and skill increases. Travel times will drop. But, for the most part, things would probably go unchanged. Like stated all over the place, people travel at speeds they are comfortable with. Couple that with the fact that most urban traffic does not permit speeds much faster than 85-90mph anyway.
I can think of plenty of roads in the country that could probably safely lift their speed restrictions. i5 in California through the central valley for sure, definitely Highway 66 in Arizona too. I also fail to see why Texas placed a speed restriction on 130.
To say that speed restrictions don't exist for revenue is naive. Just like saying speeding is dangerous is also naive. It's just been pounded into our heads by politicians to justify speed traps and low speed restrictions. Most people haven't bothered to challenge it.
No, a lot will happen. Excessive speeding will become the norm and accident rates will stay high. People will continue to have the attitude, "It will not happen to me", until it inevitably does. You're absolutely crazy to even ponder the reality of no speed limits ACROSS American interstates. First off, your idea does not take into account all of the vehicles that have to share the road and you assume driver skill will just magically increase. Plus, most roadways are not safe enough to have cars going 90 mph on them regularly.
Yes, I respect them, but, you might say that I fear them more than I respect them. So that's why I like to drive by them really fast, so I don't have to see them for very long.
You become more dangerous for others when you deviate from average speeds too much (either faster or slower). Generally, it's safer to drive with the flow than to try to drive at the designated speed or too fast.
The most I will go over the speed limit is about 5 mph. A few years back I had a cop stop me in Wyoming and said I was speeding way to fast. The ticket was written for 84 in a 75. It really pisses me off that certain people posted and I've talked to others in life that can speed 10+ mph over the limit and get away with it. I have been hassled by police officers and accused of being a criminal. WTF? One time I was riding with my mom in her car and she was going 10 mph over the and flew past a cop. She said oh **** I am speeding and just passed a cop. I expected her to get pulled over, but hell no. She got away with it. WTF?
It would also work if people didn't rationalize that because they want to drive faster that the speed limit ISN'T set that way and actually, you know, drove pretty close to the speed limit.
Saying you don't like what the speed limit is doesn't justify ignoring it. It really doesn't.
I have tried driving the speed limit. It's not safe for me so I do not bother. I will ignore it if avoid having vehicles lined up behind me and having others attempting to take out my front bumper to get in front of me.
Speed Limits do not guarantee my safety. They are not set by engineers but people who are not familiar with the road. I feel much safer driving at similar speed of most drivers than to be the only person following the speed limit like a drone.
The most I will go over the speed limit is about 5 mph. A few years back I had a cop stop me in Wyoming and said I was speeding way to fast. The ticket was written for 84 in a 75. It really pisses me off that certain people posted and I've talked to others in life that can speed 10+ mph over the limit and get away with it. I have been hassled by police officers and accused of being a criminal. WTF? One time I was riding with my mom in her car and she was going 10 mph over the and flew past a cop. She said oh **** I am speeding and just passed a cop. I expected her to get pulled over, but hell no. She got away with it. WTF?
10 mph over the speed limit on the highway is nothing. Cops around here will usually only pull people over for 15+ mph over.
Yes, I respect them, but, you might say that I fear them more than I respect them. So that's why I like to drive by them really fast, so I don't have to see them for very long.
F*** no. They need that money though. I wonder what cities would do without the revenue. It's a brilliant idea and whoever thought of speed limits as a method of revenue generation was a clever boy. I'll still spit on their grave but they were clever.
Do you get a lot of tickets?
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