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We have far to many rules in the USA, I prefer no speed limit. Montana had the right idea, reasonable and prudent. If there's ice on the road, it's prudent to go slow and if it's clear and little traffic, open it up. I hate our legalistic Gestapo way of enforcing speed limits and other traffic violations...too much infringement on liberty.
Quote:
Originally Posted by PDD
The NYC metropolitan area is the most highly congested area of the country and Montana rules simply would not work there.
Somebody has to institute common sense rules to protect the chronically stupid from injuring themselves or somebody else.
There are hundreds of videos of people driving too fast for the conditions and injuring themselves and other people.
We cannot stop the stupid and if they want to kill themselves. I don't care, just don't include me in your death wish. That's why we need "Gestopo" rules.
If you ever want a glimpse of how driving is like in Montana, watch The Horse Whisperer.
Specifically with the scene....
Spoiler
You have a man who's a resident of MT (Montana). There's a teenage girl who's visiting from the suburbs.
They get into a pickup truck, whereas the man instructs her how to drive the car (gas, brake, steering, gears, etc.). The girl is nervous, saying she doesn't know if she can do this. The man says "sure you can. It's just a matter of whether or not you want to". So she puts the car into drive, and moves the vehicle. The man leans back in his seat, puts his hat on his face, and dozes off.
The camera zooms out. The pickup truck is in the middle of WIDE, OPEN, PLAINS. There is LITERALLY nothing to crash into! Not even a tree! The only way she could cause an accident is if she found a way to tip the truck over.
This is a HUGE contrast to driving in the suburbs, or metropolitan areas like NYC
One of the main reasons for lower speed limits in more rural/local roads are for $$$$. Every drove on that highway that's 4 lanes flat and straight but for some odd reason has a speed limit of 45mph? I can bet that the local police or in some cases highway patrol will be out there everyday pulling over people.
You have a man who's a resident of MT (Montana). There's a teenage girl who's visiting from the suburbs.
They get into a pickup truck, whereas the man instructs her how to drive the car (gas, brake, steering, gears, etc.). The girl is nervous, saying she doesn't know if she can do this. The man says "sure you can. It's just a matter of whether or not you want to". So she puts the car into drive, and moves the vehicle. The man leans back in his seat, puts his hat on his face, and dozes off.
The camera zooms out. The pickup truck is in the middle of WIDE, OPEN, PLAINS. There is LITERALLY nothing to crash into! Not even a tree! The only way she could cause an accident is if she found a way to tip the truck over.
This is a HUGE contrast to driving in the suburbs, or metropolitan areas like NYC
Those wide, open plains, with nothing to crash into, is where there should be no speed limits at all.
Since 9/11/01 400,000 Americans have died in auto accidents. You all really think we need less law enforcement for speeding and erratic driving?
i've noticed that people who drive UNDER the speed limit are dangerous. also, speeding and erratic are two different things, give me the skilled speeder any day over the idiot ---driver who drives like he or she is the only person on the road and is totally 'in the way'.
i've noticed that people who drive UNDER the speed limit are dangerous. also, speeding and erratic are two different things, give me the skilled speeder any day over the idiot ---driver who drives like he or she is the only person on the road and is totally 'in the way'.
^^^ This! THIS!!
Virtually all of the "close calls" and "near misses" I've had on the road involved a slow driver (typically much older or elderly) who wasn't paying attention or was doing something stupid, or both. In addition to driving SLOW some of them (the younger non-elderly variety) are too busy fiddling with their stupid smartphones and putting others at risk
As strange as it sounds I've NEVER really felt "threatened" by fast or "aggressive" drivers, as they tend to pay attention (they have to at their higher speeds) and as an added bonus they quickly get out of your way and disappear.... allowing you to carry on without delay.
I'll take the "reckless" car full of greasy teenagers doing 55 in a 40 over the snails-pace older man doing 20 in a 40 *any* day of the week. The first car will be out of my sight in no time.... the second car will add minutes to my commute, lower my vehicle's gas mileage, give me stress, and put me in a sour/frustrated mood.
I'm a pretty chill guy and don't get angry much but I tell ya it just INFURIATES me to no end when I end up "stuck" behind one of these "slow-poke" drivers (especially in one lane roads) doing 20 in a 30, 30 in a 40, 40 in a 50, etc..... just annoys the hell out of me, go the damn speed limit or higher!! Some of us need to be somewhere!! Have some freakin consideration for others instead of selfishly "taking your time"
You have to have some consideration for other people's time, it amazes me how INCONSIDERATE the slow-pokes are. If someone is "speeding" up behind me I usually just switch over to the next lane and get out of the way (i respect that person's time, and I expect the same in return, aka common-courtesy).
Too many rules, too many rules, too many "laws".....
I don't see us going back to a time of TRUE freedom on the roads..... just too many special interests/politically correct/soccer mom types constantly pushing for "more safety" at every turn.
As "safety" and "security" go up it seems freedom diminishes and goes down, you really can't have both.
Last edited by CuriousMiscer; 07-11-2016 at 12:04 AM..
Since 9/11/01 400,000 Americans have died in auto accidents. You all really think we need less law enforcement for speeding and erratic driving?
I think bad drivers are a much, MUCH bigger issue than people who speed on the highways as long as they do it safely. Speeding on city roads is a different story because of pedestrians, cyclists, traffic lights etc., but on the highway where other than other vehicles there's not much else, I don't see why the speed limit couldn't be raised from 60mph to easily 70-80mph or even 90mph.
Unless you're weaving in and out of traffic, cruising at even 90mph in good conditions isn't that difficult or dangerous as long as you know what you're doing. I think it'd be reasonable to at the very least make the left most lane be 90mph and other lanes at least 70mph so that those who don't want to go fast have an option and those that do want to go faster can.
Right now I regularly do 70-80mph on highways and it doesn't feel much different than going 60mph. I'd go even faster if I were allowed to, but up here in Toronto and the entire province of Ontario if you get caught going over 30mph over the posted speed limit you could get a 'stunt driving' ticket which is a pretty serious offense.
Quote:
Originally Posted by eddie1278
It's not the speed limit holding people up it's the overpopulation in cities and suburban areas. Packing so many people in small areas was never a good idea. And every day thousands of new drivers get their licenses and hit the road for the first time.
While more cars on the road is definitely a big problem, bad drivers doing stupid things is also a big factor as to why traffic in many cities is so bad. I'm pretty sure that if all cars were robotically controlled so that every car was driven perfectly that you could fit alot more cars on the roads and still have traffic moving along pretty smoothly. Its the fact that so many people can't drive properly, patiently and without being distracted etc. is the reason why traffic is much worse than it should be.
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Not even a tree! The only way she could cause an accident is if she found a way to tip the truck over.
Some of us need to be somewhere!! Have some freakin consideration for others instead of selfishly "taking your time" 
