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And I'm not only talking about on the major highways. Where I live, the New York City area, major secondary roads have close to uniform limits of 30 mph. New York City now has a 25 mph limit.Low limits allow politicians to take credit for taking "action" on highway safety, yet are at best ineffective or at worst harmful. In Westchester, someone got killed doing 100 mph on King Street, a local road. The speed limit was reduced from 40 to 35, either shortly before or after that tragedy. Does someone taking a two-lane (one each way) road really take the speed limit into account. Same with DiBlasio's reduction of the NYC limit from 30 to 25, in response to high-speed accidents. Motivated by stupidity? Or his thinking voters are stupid? I'm not sure. Limits should be between 40 and 50 on secondary roads, and 25 or 30 on true neighborhood streets where tricycles mix with cars.
The situation is equally absurd on highways. Back in the day, the LIE had a 60 mph limit in Nassau and 65 in Suffolk. The limits were never raised to prior limits after the "energy crisis" despite safer cars and better tires. Many roads had 60 mph limits, such as I-287 in Westchester, the Connecticut Turnpike, and similar semi-urban freeways, such as the parts of the NJ Turnpike and Garden State Parkway not at 65. Those are still stuck at 55. Back in 1995 New York, lagging almost all other states, returned to a 65 mph limit. The new limit was applied only to a few roads. After 684 went back to 65 in 2004 the progress stopped.
Limits should be increased because we've invested huge amounts in safer (and more expensive) cars, and better highways. The low limits are a waste.
I think they tend to be too low on county roads in many areas to the point where people just ignore the speed limits and go 45-50 when the limit is 35. It's not a localized thing though, it seems to happen all over the place. Sometimes it's done by residents who don't like the noise. Well you bought a home near a busy artery what do you expect...
Also sometimes state highways that pass through smaller towns have a hard time getting people to down despite the fact there's never been an accident and there's not even residential areas nearby.
Safety police are a bit too cautious I agree. When I visit eastern Wisconsin the speed limits on county roads are always low and everyone ignores them and goes 15 over. Common sense prevails over silliness.
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.
Around here, I think most of them are pretty reasonable. We have 70 and 75 on the Interstate, but it may lower to 60 or 65 in more congested areas. Rural, two-lane roads with wide shoulders are posted at 55; residential areas at 25; shopping districts, 25 to 35; and rural roads with no shoulders are usually 45 to 50.
I too live in NYC where we are currently undergoing this program called "Zero Vision" in order to enforce safe driving. Now while there are those who speed and drive like animals in this city (especially yellow cab drivers), what the city needs to do in addition to cracking down on speeding motorists is also enforce pedestrian laws. The majority of accidents involving motorists and pedestrians are due to the pedestrian either not paying attention while crossing the street and/or jaywalking. I see it everyday. Someone crossing the street with their head buried in their smartphone or with music blasting in their ears.
Despite that, I do agree with 25mph being too low of a speed limit here in the city. In and around school zones, yes! That I can understand. Not on main roads though.
A safer car doesn't mean raise speeds to 90 mph. There are plenty of idiots on the road. Driving faster won't make them better drivers or reduce accidents at this time. I would be more inclined to go along with faster speeds if
1.We had better driver training and driver testing
2.We had better roads which we don't.
Sounds like you simply like driving faster and feel restricted by the speed limits imposed on you.
We have reasonable limits.
10mph in residential or mall lots
25 in school area
35-45 streets
65-70 freeways.
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.
A safer car doesn't mean raise speeds to 90 mph. There are plenty of idiots on the road. Driving faster won't make them better drivers or reduce accidents at this time. I would be more inclined to go along with faster speeds if
1.We had better driver training and driver testing
2.We had better roads which we don't.
Sounds like you simply like driving faster and feel restricted by the speed limits imposed on you.
We have reasonable limits.
10mph in residential or mall lots
25 in school area
35-45 streets
65-70 freeways.
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.
These two posts pretty much say it.
Most people obey the speed limit or within a mile or two of it (five on major highways). There are some for whom any speed limit is always going to be "too low"; those are the ones who are STILL speeding when the speed limit is raised. Those are the ones who the rest of us need to be protected from by liits that will cause consequences for them and hopefully teach them the error of their ways BEFORE they take out an innocent with them.
It's a fact that fatal accidents rise when speed increases. An accident that might have been just property damage or at worst injury turns deadly when high rate of speed is added to the mix. Since we can't legislate stupid (and can only legislate incompetent to the extent that they can't pass the driver's test), speed limit is one that we can use to try to mitigate the damage caused by those two combined with a motor vehicle.
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.
I sort of agree with this... but that liberty (or privilege, as that what it really is) needs to be earned. It's scary amazing how easy it is to get a license. I think that is the biggest issue - licenses are too easy to get. And you have to actually try and lose it. It shouldn't be this way.
I know it's almost "un-American" as the ability to drive a car IS considered more a right. But there are folks out there that have no business being behind the wheel.
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