Lots of factors here. You can't make a perfectly safe system. I'm a great driver and typically drive no more than 5-10 over. The people that cause the most issues in my experience are the drivers that are indecisive causing confusion.
Raising Speed Limits Cost Lives
- Thread starter barometriclow
- Start date
Yeah but if everyone drives faster we will arrive earlier = get off the road sooner = less drivers= less accidents.
That is probably the argument I hear most but most
And with the increase to 60, people will now drive 65-70! The horizontal and vertical alignments for these rural roads were not designed with a 65 mph design speed (typically 5 mph higher than posted).
Sounds like we need to increase the speed of farm machinery to 60mph. Problem solved. If a Suburban at 60mph is safer than a Camry at 60mph, then surely a combine at 60mph is the safest vehicle on the road.
Speed limit increases are tied to 37,000 deaths over 25 years
Rising speed limits over the past 25 years have cost nearly 37,000 lives, including more than 1,900 in 2017 alone, a new IIHS study shows.www.iihs.org
Not to mention the increase in fuel costs.
If you are worried about fuel costs or other things then don't drive the increased speed limit.
The rest of us who don't worry about gas prices and can handle the increased speed welcome it.
I am originally from South Dakota and was living there when they increased the highway speed from 55 to 65 and the interstate speed from 65 to 80. Yes there were people against it, but the majority of the people were in favor of it. No matter what the speed limit is, people are going to drive over the limit, that is something that will be unavoidable. I make frequent trips back to South Dakota as the majority of my family lives there and the drivers on the interstate stay in that 80-85 range. Sure you have some that are a little slower but you will have that anywhere. There isn't a bunch of wanna be Nascar drivers on the interstate.
The cameras don't get blocked every time it snows. The latest cameras have heaters built in, along with water clearing tech (in heavy trucks, they are using compressed air to blow the water off the lens). And LIDAR/RADAR help mitigate the cameras' limitations. I am not all-in on autonomous vehicles yet, but it's really hard to deny the progress they've made.
Both the people who drive 5mph or more under the limit and 10mph or more over the limit are a problem.
The biggest problems though, IMO, are 1) people who follow too closely and 2) people who don't let others merge. And I think they're related.
The biggest problems though, IMO, are 1) people who follow too closely and 2) people who don't let others merge. And I think they're related.
Without reading the full report... I'd bet a significant sum that cell phones and distracted driving is FAR worse than drivers going 60-65 instead of 55.
However, I do recognize the basic facts that at higher speeds, you travel more distance during the time it takes to see a hazard and react. Also, crash energy does not increase linearly; it increases by the square of the speed (If I remember high school physics from many moons ago).
All that said, I wish cell phone usage in the car was treated the same as DUI's and hands free calling was the only way to use the cell phone while the vehicle is in motion (semis already do this)
However, I do recognize the basic facts that at higher speeds, you travel more distance during the time it takes to see a hazard and react. Also, crash energy does not increase linearly; it increases by the square of the speed (If I remember high school physics from many moons ago).
All that said, I wish cell phone usage in the car was treated the same as DUI's and hands free calling was the only way to use the cell phone while the vehicle is in motion (semis already do this)
If you drive west of Iowa it's not uncommon for 2 lane highways to be 65 MPH and interstates 75 or 80. The difference between a state like Iowa vs Wyoming is that most law enforcement in Iowa won't bother ticketing or even pulling you over unless you are at least 10 MPH over where Wyoming and Montana they usually will pull you over at 5mph over so they enforce the higher speed limits much stricter so they don't have people going 10+ over.
Had this happen to me years ago driving back from Wyoming. Was passing through Casper or Cheyenne and got pulled over for 6 mph over. Fortunately did not get a speeding ticket and just received a verbal warning, but my mind was blown how in Iowa they probably would not even flinched at 6 over on the interstate. My brother has lived in WY for a while now and he always warns friends and family that drive out to visit not to go over 5 mph over posted speed limits as the law enforcement will enforce it with very little leeway for going over.
Had this happen to me years ago driving back from Wyoming. Was passing through Casper or Cheyenne and got pulled over for 6 mph over. Fortunately did not get a speeding ticket and just received a verbal warning, but my mind was blown how in Iowa they probably would not even flinched at 6 over on the interstate. My brother has lived in WY for a while now and he always warns friends and family that drive out to visit not to go over 5 mph over posted speed limits as the law enforcement will enforce it with very little leeway for going over.
why stop at 45? Just ban cars and we would save so many lives. If it saves just one life it's worth it right?
This is false. I have a condo in the ozarks. Speed limits the whole way used to be 55 MPH growing up. They are at 70. At 15 MPH you do that math on that. Takes a full hour off the trip. Then add that I usually go 5 over the speed limit
Economically speaking my vehicle (Lexus) runs at a lower RPM at 80 then it does at 70. I assume that makes 80 a better option for the environment as I’m burning less fuel.
My company car is GPS tracked and I can be disciplined for speeding. It is scary driving the speed limit while being passed left and right.
Ok but my RPM is under 2000 at 80 and around 2200 at 70. Not seeing how “air drag “ is affecting my mileage. Even if you’re right 80 puts less stress on my motor.
