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with speed limit at 65 most people drive 75-80 steadily
if limit was 80 most people will start to do 85-90+
There have been studies done that prove that people don't drive with the intention of going X amount of miles over the speed limit, but rather at a speed that they feel is safe and reasonable. So no, it's not true that people will automatically go 10-15 MPH over whatever the sign says. When people go 10-15 MPH over the speed limit, it's because they feel precisely that the number on the sign is 10-15 MPH below what it should be. They aren't doing it to spite the law.
I guarantee you that if they were to increase all 55 MPH zones to 70 MPH and all 65 MPH zones to 80 MPH tomorrow, the number of speeders on highways/freeways would dramatically decrease. It would only be a very small minority of drivers breaking the new speed limits, the types of drivers who already go 90 - 100+ MPH in 65 MPH zones. Those drivers, the 15% of truly reckless drivers, will speed excessively no matter what. The other 85% of drivers would be driving at or below the new realistic speed limits.
The 15% of reckless drivers would be kept in check by the fact that the new speed limits would be strictly enforced, meaning that even going 1 -2 MPH over the new speed limits would likely result in receiving a speeding ticket. The fines/penalties for exceeding the new speed limits could be increased as well.
I personally dont drive more than 80 on freeway because after 80 chances of being pulled over increases.
if limit was 80 id feel very comfortable driving 90
In west Texas the posted limit on the interstate is 80.
In California if you are towing it is 55.
The safest condition is when everybody is going at the same speed.
Yes, that is exactly why it is so critical that speed limits are set according to the 85th percentile. When speed limits are instead set artificially low below the 85th percentile (e.g., 65 MPH instead of 80 MPH on a divided multi-lane freeway), there is always an inevitable division created among drivers: 1) the drivers who want to travel at a reasonable speed (75 - 80 MPH), and 2) the drivers who strictly follow the letter of the law (65 MPH), even if they don't necessarily agree with the law. And in California, this problem is compounded even furthermore by the fact that the speed limit is 55 MPH for trucks. So forgetting about the truly reckless drivers (those going more than 80 MPH), speeds vary from 55 MPH to 80 MPH on multi-lane freeways. This is why there is so much unsafe passing, tailgating, and road rage in California. And I would argue that it is primarily tailgating, not "speeding", that causes the majority of accidents on California freeways. Imagine how much more relaxing and safe the freeways would be in California if everyone was traveling at 80 MPH (70 MPH for trucks/trailers) in unison without any fear of receiving a speeding ticket?
I personally dont drive more than 80 on freeway because after 80 chances of being pulled over increases.
if limit was 80 id feel very comfortable driving 90
But you would get pulled over and cited for doing 90, and learn very quickly that there is no "cushion" for the new 80 MPH speed limit.
And if you would really go 90 MPH just because of the fact that speed limit has been increased to 80 MPH, then that means you are part of the 15% of drivers that will exceed the speed limit no matter what it is.
There have been studies done that prove that people don't drive with the intention of going X amount of miles over the speed limit, but rather at a speed that they feel is safe and reasonable. So no, it's not true that people will automatically go 10-15 MPH over whatever the sign says. When people go 10-15 MPH over the speed limit, it's because they feel precisely that the number on the sign is 10-15 MPH below what it should be. They aren't doing it to spite the law.
I guarantee you that if they were to increase all 55 MPH zones to 70 MPH and all 65 MPH zones to 80 MPH tomorrow, the number of speeders on highways/freeways would dramatically decrease. It would only be a very small minority of drivers breaking the new speed limits, the types of drivers who already go 90 - 100+ MPH in 65 MPH zones. Those drivers, the 15% of truly reckless drivers, will speed excessively no matter what. The other 85% of drivers would be driving at or below the new realistic speed limits.
The 15% of reckless drivers would be kept in check by the fact that the new speed limits would be strictly enforced, meaning that even going 1 -2 MPH over the new speed limits would likely result in receiving a speeding ticket. The fines/penalties for exceeding the new speed limits could be increased as well.
Maybe where you are from, but not around here. Safety has nothing to do with it.
I live on the Wyoming, Montana border. When I ask Wyoming folks how fast they go on the interstate (75 mph around here, 80 in other areas) there or reply is, 80 mph. When I ask them why, they say, because the Highway Patrol allows 5 over before they'll pull you over for speeding. When I ask folks from Montana (75 mph), their reply is 85 mph. When I ask them why 85, they said, because the Highway Patrol usually allow 10 over before they'll pull you over for speeding.
So yeah, it might be safety, safe from getting a ticket, but it doesnt have a thing to do with safety of conditions.
Wyoming recently raised some areas to 80. By your reasoning, people would be happy with 80, because that's what they uses to run Nope, not happening. Now they are running 85 in those areas because, remember the Wyoming Highway Patrol usually allow 5 over.
In Port Au Prince, Honduras, the posted speed limits are only recommended, not required. Got some tourists to jokingly ask about living there. I hear Montana has no speed limit either, stating "drive at a speed that manage safely" or something like that.
Last factoid... there's a stretch of road in Florida that's the only place east of the Mississippi that you're legally allowed to drive 80 mph.
Maybe where you are from, but not around here. Safety has nothing to do with it.
I live on the Wyoming, Montana border. When I ask Wyoming folks how fast they go on the interstate (75 mph around here, 80 in other areas) there or reply is, 80 mph. When I ask them why, they say, because the Highway Patrol allows 5 over before they'll pull you over for speeding. When I ask folks from Montana (75 mph), their reply is 85 mph. When I ask them why 85, they said, because the Highway Patrol usually allow 10 over before they'll pull you over for speeding.
So yeah, it might be safety, safe from getting a ticket, but it doesnt have a thing to do with safety of conditions.
Wyoming recently raised some areas to 80. By your reasoning, people would be happy with 80, because that's what they uses to run Nope, not happening. Now they are running 85 in those areas because, remember the Wyoming Highway Patrol usually allow 5 over.
Well, we have to keep in mind that the 85th percentile -- the speed at which 85% of drivers will drive at or below (but not above) -- can certainly vary from state to state. Maybe people in Wyoming and Montana simply like to drive faster than people in California do. Maybe the 85th percentile in Wyoming and Montana is 85 MPH. When I threw out 80 MPH, I was really throwing out that number because that is the lowest speed limit that you could set for multi-lane freeways here in California that would result in 85% or more of drivers driving at or below the speed limit. Anything less then that and you will definitely have more than 15% of drivers exceeding the speed limit. I've been regularly commuting on highways/freeways here for about ten years, and I can certainly tell you that most drivers do not exceed 80 MPH on multi-lane freeways.
One thing I will point out is that some freeway sections are 70 MPH rather than 65 MPH (this is rare though unless we are talking about interstate freeways). While it's very common to see motorists traveling at 80 MPH in a 65 MPH zone, it's much rarer to see motorists traveling 85 MPH in the 70 MPH zones. Just as in the 65 MPH zones, most motorists do not exceed 80 MPH in the 70 MPH zones. This just further supports the notion that most motorists that drive 80 MPH do so because they consider it to be a safe and reasonable speed for a multi-lane (usually divided) freeway, not because they think they can get away with going 15 MPH over the speed limit.
I forget which part of the world this was in, but I recall watching a video where there didn't seem to be any traffic control devices, and cars seemed to be going all over the place...
No one is saying that total anarchy is the solution. But ALL speed limits need to be set according to the 85th percentile. Drivers need to be able to effectively determine the speed limit by "voting with their feet", and speed enforcement should be reserved for the 15% of drivers that are truly being reckless and unsafe. The problem in this country is that there is a HUGE disconnect between the terms "speed limit" and "safe driving". Often the two terms have absolutely nothing at all to do with each other.
The whole system is just broken, especially in places like California. In California, the problem is that the state has simply mandated that one-lane highways have a maximum speed limit of 55 MPH, and multi-lane freeways have a speed limit of 65 MPH (except in zones where it is posted at 70 MPH). Unlike city streets, there are no traffic surveys performed to determine the proper speed limits on highways/freeways. This is why so-called "speeding" is so much more prevalent on highways/freeways than it is on city streets.
In fact, the highway/freeway speed limits are disregarded so much here that most (but sadly, not all) police officers give a 10 MPH cushion (some even give a 15 MPH cushion), meaning that you can always effectively add 10 MPH to whatever the speed limit sign says to determine the "true" speed limit for the road. It is a regular, daily occurrence to see large packs of cars going 10 MPH over the speed limit right in front of CHP officers, and they don't even bat an eye. Sometimes, packs of cars even go 15 MPH over the limit in front of CHP officers, and that still doesn't beckon attention from CHP. Clearly, if even a large majority of CHP officers are unwilling to pull motorists over for going 1 - 10 MPH over the speed limit (and some CHP officer's don't pull you over unless you are going 16+ MPH over the speed limit), then they must agree with the motoring public that the speed limit is unreasonable, or else they would strictly enforce it.
But that's not to say that the "unspoken rule” of adding 10 MPH to the speed limit to determine the true speed limit is a good system. After all, there is always going to be that one police officer that is determined to enforce the letter of the law, no matter how unreasonable it may be. This is why speed limits on ALL roads need to be properly set (using the 85th percentile), and then strictly enforced with no need for any sort of "cushion".
I see very few people happy with rules and regulations of the road, usually its endless complaining that the speed limits are too low or stop lights and signs are nothing more than just money grabs, so injecting a bit of sarcasm i thought for those people i`d suggest road anarchy might be the best option,no rules no regulations.
Personally i got no problems with speed limits or stop lights and signs.,
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