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There was a time when speed limits were set by the 85th percentile, meaning that the speed limit was set such that 85% of drivers would drive at or below the speed limit, and only 15% of drivers would exceed it. I know this was effectively undone by the national 55 MPH speed limit on freeways that we had for several years here in America, but why hasn't it be reinstated after all of this time? Why wasn't it brought back immediately after the reversing of the 55 MPH national speed limit?
In California, for example, we have incredibly low speed limits. Its 55 MPH on one-lane highways, and typically 65 MPH on multi-lane freeways (although some freeways and interstates have a 70 MPH speed limit). But these speed limits are no where near the 85th percentile; not even close. You would have to increase highway/freeway speed limits by at least 15 MPH (55 MPH zones to 70 MPH, 65 MPH zones to 80 MPH) in order for the speed limit to actually reflect the 85th percentile.
"Speeding" is the only crime in which most people are regular or at least occasional offenders. Why hasn't there been more of a demand by the people of this country to bring the 85th percentile back? Any time a law makes the majority of citizens offenders, it should be obvious that the law needs to be reconsidered, or done away with entirely. Speed enforcement should only be for the 15% of drivers that are truly driving at high speeds that are too fast and unsafe.
I dont believe there was any logic or research ever applied to speed limits. Before the 55 limit freeways were 70MPH maybe 75 in some states, and other roads were 60. Towns and cities would often set the limits to create speed traps.
Lets get rid of all speed limits and let people have the freedom to drive as fast or slow as they like. and while we are on the subject of freedom,stop lights and stop signs dont really equate to freedom,lets get rid of those as well.I wonder what the state of our roads and highways would be if anarchy were to be the order of the day..
Lets get rid of all speed limits and let people have the freedom to drive as fast or slow as they like. and while we are on the subject of freedom,stop lights and stop signs dont really equate to freedom,lets get rid of those as well.I wonder what the state of our roads and highways would be if anarchy were to be the order of the day..
The guy in the biggest truck would have the de facto right-of-way.
Lets get rid of all speed limits and let people have the freedom to drive as fast or slow as they like. and while we are on the subject of freedom,stop lights and stop signs dont really equate to freedom,lets get rid of those as well.I wonder what the state of our roads and highways would be if anarchy were to be the order of the day..
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...
I usually find it that the driver swerving in and out of traffic is more dangerous than the one cruising down a road over the speed limit but keeps a safe distance from other cars on the road.
But it's usually the driver going 5 miles over speed limit gets the ticket.
Lets get rid of all speed limits and let people have the freedom to drive as fast or slow as they like. and while we are on the subject of freedom,stop lights and stop signs dont really equate to freedom,lets get rid of those as well.I wonder what the state of our roads and highways would be if anarchy were to be the order of the day..
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".
with speed limit at 65 most people drive 75-80 steadily
if limit was 80 most people will start to do 85-90+
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