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Not really. When the 55 mph NMSL (see OP for definitions) was established the rationale was, properly, energy conservation. Much of the U.S. was plagued by gas lines. The NMSL was scheduled to expire in 1975 or 1976. It was extended basically because localities were hooked on the revenues.
The NMSL was scheduled to end in 1974.[/quote]I thought its sunset was a year after the effective date, March 1, 1974.
Finally some common sense rather than hysteria. Cell phones are a significant enhancement to productivity and well-being. Texting admittedly is a tough operation to do successfully while driving. But other uses of the cell? On balance, good for society, especially to get work done and things accomplished during "dead time."
This person is referring to TEXTING while driving - so no, common sense does not apply to their statements.
The environmental movement, unofficially kicked off with Earth Day in April 1970 marked a certain guilt that many had with our affluence. There were gains, so to speak but did we deserve them and/or were they worth the cost?
What followed was the National Maximum Speed Limit ("NMSL") of 55 mph (first 50 as imposed by Nixon). The initial impetus for that was the "energy crisis," also self-inflicted but the topic for another thread. Parenthetically Nixon had urged a low speed limit for some time before his "excuse" arrived in the form of the Arab Oil Embargo. The NMSL was supposed to be temporary but didn't end until December 1995. I suspect the real motive was a "hair-shirt" mentality; that self-abnegation may feel good for the soul and for the conscience if not for the economy.
Someone who thinks alike, posting today:
Quote:
Originally Posted by BLS2753
A bad feeling that something given to us had been taken away. The Interstate system had, for the most part, been completed in the late 1960's. It revolutionized long distance car travel. Suddenly, 5 years or so later, we're dragging around these beautiful new highways at 55 mph. With, in most cases, strict enforcement. This combined with the under powered, unreliable cars of the mid 1970's, made this a low point as far as personal transportation goes.
Do some trip planning on our modern day devices, at 55 and 70 mph, and the differences on trips of 200 miles or more are astounding. We didn't have those planners available back then. Probably a good thing. We would have been more pissed than we already were.
Speed and cell phone laws actually guarantee that roads and driving are more dangerous.
Drivers should drive at speeds they are comfortable with and that road conditions dictate. The safest speed is to go with the natural flow of traffic where everyone moves along at a fast pace, seperation distance is maintained and where travel is expedited. In good weather going with the flow of traffic can be 20MPH over the arbitrary government speed limit. So if someone actually stays under the speed limit, guess what, they are obstructing the free flow of traffic and are making the roads and highways unsafe. Instead of people focusing on safe driving and paying attention to the road they are focused on spotting cop cars and slowing down abruptly to avoid a ticket.
When a cop pulls someone over for going over the speed “limit” the cop will speed up, cause alarm, fear and distraction to the driver, obstruct the road, and present a 5-10 minute distraction for motorists who will peer over to see what is going on. This causes more accidents and makes the roads more unsafe than any arbitrary “speeding” can do. And it is the same with cops pulling up alongside vehicles so their partner can look through windows, cause alarm and distraction because someone may or may not be using a cell phone.
Even worse is cops pulling people over for not wearing a seat belt which is a completely voluntary and consensual decision one makes for him or herself.
Traffic stops are about revenue generations and expanding the police state. Very often they are used as a pretext to violate even more rights of the public and many situations have been instigated because cops pulled people over when they committed no real crime and had not violated any rights of others.
Do blame cops for pulling people over, not just the politicians, prosecutors, jurors, jailers and judges. Cops choose to pull people over. They can decide not to cause fear and alarm to fellow motorists and not violate the rights of safe and unhindered travel. If their superiors ask why they didn’t issue any tickets they can say they didn’t see anyone commit a crime or violation. If the superiors give them quotas those superiors should be reported to the DOJ, reported to the media and be arrested by the officer.
So what about all the 1000s of people who text and drive or talk and drive everyday and do not have an accident or do not loose control of the car? They are just lucky?
Those people are not thought about by the nags who say "you could kill someone." In their minds we are all senescent 90 year olds who don't belong behind the wheel, or 16 year olds who don't have driving instincts yet.
Speed and cell phone laws actually guarantee that roads and driving are more dangerous.
Drivers should drive at speeds they are comfortable with and that road conditions dictate. The safest speed is to go with the natural flow of traffic where everyone moves along at a fast pace, seperation distance is maintained and where travel is expedited. In good weather going with the flow of traffic can be 20MPH over the arbitrary government speed limit. So if someone actually stays under the speed limit, guess what, they are obstructing the free flow of traffic and are making the roads and highways unsafe. Instead of people focusing on safe driving and paying attention to the road they are focused on spotting cop cars and slowing down abruptly to avoid a ticket.
When a cop pulls someone over for going over the speed “limit” the cop will speed up, cause alarm, fear and distraction to the driver, obstruct the road, and present a 5-10 minute distraction for motorists who will peer over to see what is going on. This causes more accidents and makes the roads more unsafe than any arbitrary “speeding” can do. And it is the same with cops pulling up alongside vehicles so their partner can look through windows, cause alarm and distraction because someone may or may not be using a cell phone.
*************
Traffic stops are about revenue generations and expanding the police state. Very often they are used as a pretext to violate even more rights of the public and many situations have been instigated because cops pulled people over when they committed no real crime and had not violated any rights of others.
Do blame cops for pulling people over, not just the politicians, prosecutors, jurors, jailers and judges. Cops choose to pull people over. They can decide not to cause fear and alarm to fellow motorists and not violate the rights of safe and unhindered travel. If their superiors ask why they didn’t issue any tickets they can say they didn’t see anyone commit a crime or violation. If the superiors give them quotas those superiors should be reported to the DOJ, reported to the media and be arrested by the officer.
Great post so far, with one minor quibble:
Quote:
Originally Posted by john620
Even worse is cops pulling people over for not wearing a seat belt which is a completely voluntary and consensual decision one makes for him or herself.
That's about mitigation of injuries and health care costs. In those cases its my insurance dollars at work. We part company in this minor respect.
Those people are not thought about by the nags who say "you could kill someone." In their minds we are all senescent 90 year olds who don't belong behind the wheel, or 16 year olds who don't have driving instincts yet.
They want to avoid implying that this can be done if the driver uses common sense, like waiting for a red light or time when no other drivers are around, to pick up the phone.
So what about all the 1000s of people who text and drive or talk and drive everyday and do not have an accident or do not loose control of the car? They are just lucky?
Those people are not thought about by the nags who say "you could kill someone." In their minds we are all senescent 90 year olds who don't belong behind the wheel, or 16 year olds who don't have driving instincts yet.
They want to avoid implying that this can be done if the driver uses common sense, like waiting for a red light or time when no other drivers are around, to pick up the phone.
These people give no role whatsoever for common sense. The role of common sense in life could be a Great Debate topic. Any kind of system with liberty implies a great deal of self-regulation and self-restraint. People with a more authoritarian or, let's call it paternalistic view don't want to give any credence to self-restraint. Democracy, in other words, was not built for cowards or frightful people.
The 55 mph speed limit was a boon to the electronics industry. They sold CB radios and radar detectors by the thousands. Anyone who traveled for a living hated it.
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