I've noticed that many parts of the United States, including Nevada, have speed limits that are almost universally posted well below the average speed of free flowing traffic. After my most recent speeding ticket, I joined an advocacy group for people who would like to see speed limit reform, along with some other changes to traffic law. Some excerpts from the latest newsletter:
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One only has to drive daily on Maui's four-lane highways to see that 85 percent of the drivers travel at 60 mph although the speed limit is posted at 45 mph. This "85th percentile" is the standard used by traffic engineers all over the planet to establish speed limits.
Michigan traffic engineer Martin Parker states: "The likelihood of a crash occurring is significantly greater for motorists travelling at a speed slower, and faster, than the mean speed of traffic."
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So why are speed limits so artificially low?
Jim Walker, executive director of National Motorists Association Foundation, states: "They are arbitrarily set, usually too low, for one or both of these reasons. 1. The venue wishes to create lucrative speed traps for revenue with under-posted limits. 2. The venue responds inappropriately to requests from well-meaning but uninformed residents to lower the speed limits below the safest levels because the residents sincerely but falsely believe it will increase safety."
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Unreasonably low limits do not slow down faster traffic but do cause several types of dysfunction which make the roads more dangerous, including:
Increased road rage. This is brought on by the points noted below.
Increased speed variance. Slower traffic tends to flow at the posted limit thus increasing speed variance between the fastest and slowest traffic — a leading cause of road rage when drivers do not keep right and yield to faster traffic.
Distracted/impaired drivers. Dumbed-down limits encourage distracting activities like texting and contribute to road rage when drivers are too busy to notice someone wants to pass.
Increased congestion. Heavy traffic can only move as fast as the slowest car. Lower limits increase gridlock.
Punitive speeding penalties. Illinois instituted "super-speeder laws" recently. Under this law a person can go to jail for driving 85 mph in the Chicago area (30 mph over the limit). If enforced our prisons would soon be full.
Loss of respect for all traffic laws. When limits are set at 55 on expressways, some will learn to disregard limits on roadways where 55 is an appropriate speed — including construction zones.
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Full newsletter available here:
NMA Alert & E-Newsletter Archive
What do you think? Should limits be raised? Should they be eliminated?
I'd like to see most freeway and rural roads unrestricted, with reasonable limits set in populated areas, or those with lots of pedestrians, cyclists, cross-traffic, etc.
08-07-2013, 01:46 AM
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