Live data from Hacker News

Controversial California bill would physically stop new cars from speeding

sfgate.com

11–20 of 51 posts

Re: Controversial California bill would physically stop new cars from speeding

#11

> The technology would use GPS and a database of roadway speeds to prevent cars from going 10 miles per hour over the speed limit wherever they are. Sometimes my GPS thinks I'm on an adjacent road, especially when I'm on the freeway. Seems like that kind of error would be catastrophic in combination with a system like this. Also, what's the rationale for letting people go 10 over the limit? That's effectively admitti…

Measurement error of tools used to catch you speeding?

Re: Controversial California bill would physically stop new cars from speeding

#12

> The technology would use GPS and a database of roadway speeds to prevent cars from going 10 miles per hour over the speed limit wherever they are. Sometimes my GPS thinks I'm on an adjacent road, especially when I'm on the freeway. Seems like that kind of error would be catastrophic in combination with a system like this. Also, what's the rationale for letting people go 10 over the limit? That's effectively admitti…

> what's the rationale for letting people go 10 over the limit One reason among many: for passing, especially semis, without spending forever in their blind-spot

Are blind spot mirrors not mandatory there?

Re: Controversial California bill would physically stop new cars from speeding

#13
post #11

> The technology would use GPS and a database of roadway speeds to prevent cars from going 10 miles per hour over the speed limit wherever they are. Sometimes my GPS thinks I'm on an adjacent road, especially when I'm on the freeway. Seems like that kind of error would be catastrophic in combination with a system like this. Also, what's the rationale for letting people go 10 over the limit? That's effectively admitti…

Measurement error of tools used to catch you speeding?

I understand why cops would have give leeway, but here the measurement tool would be your speedometer. Although I’ve heard some manufacturers make theirs a little on the slow side, I’d think they’d be pretty accurate in general.

Re: Controversial California bill would physically stop new cars from speeding

#14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> what's the rationale for letting people go 10 over the limit One reason among many: for passing, especially semis, without spending forever in their blind-spot

Are blind spot mirrors not mandatory there?

Mirrors or not, hanging out in the blind spot is a dangerous place to be. You don't want to be there for any length of time longer than absolutely necessary.

Re: Controversial California bill would physically stop new cars from speeding

#15
post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Measurement error of tools used to catch you speeding?

I understand why cops would have give leeway, but here the measurement tool would be your speedometer. Although I’ve heard some manufacturers make theirs a little on the slow side, I’d think they’d be pretty accurate in general.

Changes in tire size will impair speedometer accuracy.

Re: Controversial California bill would physically stop new cars from speeding

#16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> what's the rationale for letting people go 10 over the limit One reason among many: for passing, especially semis, without spending forever in their blind-spot

Is it technically legal to exceed the speed limit when passing? Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying no one ever speeds. I’m just wondering what the reasoning would be in this case. Seems to reify speeding, if anything.

No, it's definitely illegal, at least by the letter of the law.

But as long as you're only going a few miles over the speed limit for a few moments, nobody's going to write you a ticket for it.

One of many situations where the law in theory and practical application differ, since officers are given discretion (read: ability to apply common sense) in their duties.

It's not a perfect system, but it's what we've got.

Re: Controversial California bill would physically stop new cars from speeding

#17

> The technology would use GPS and a database of roadway speeds to prevent cars from going 10 miles per hour over the speed limit wherever they are. Sometimes my GPS thinks I'm on an adjacent road, especially when I'm on the freeway. Seems like that kind of error would be catastrophic in combination with a system like this. Also, what's the rationale for letting people go 10 over the limit? That's effectively admitti…

> what's the rationale for letting people go 10 over the limit One reason among many: for passing, especially semis, without spending forever in their blind-spot

Also, safety. Being able to floor it during an emergency can sometimes get you out of an impending crash - if the situation is right, and your reaction time is quick enough.

Re: Controversial California bill would physically stop new cars from speeding

#18
post #4

What if someone has to go to hospital or run from the police?

I don't think many people will argue that running from the police is something we want to legitimize. It is also is never going to end well. The police have orders of magnitude more resources and will eventually catch you. (And meanwhile, you've probably put hundreds of innocent lives at risk while speeding through traffic.) The correct venue there is to argue your case in court.

As for the hospital... that's a nuanced one. There's certainly an argument for that, especially in rural areas where ambulances are not readily available. There's also the argument that without lights and sirens, you're putting everyone else around you at risk. There's a reason the law doesn't carve out an exception for private individuals speeding in medical emergencies.

Re: Controversial California bill would physically stop new cars from speeding

#19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> what's the rationale for letting people go 10 over the limit One reason among many: for passing, especially semis, without spending forever in their blind-spot

Is it technically legal to exceed the speed limit when passing? Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying no one ever speeds. I’m just wondering what the reasoning would be in this case. Seems to reify speeding, if anything.

Not in my state. And probably few, if any others. But it is a safety thing. The longer you spend in the oncoming lane completing a pass, the higher the risk of a collision (cars pulling out of driveways into the lane, people misjudging distances, etc.).

There's also what I've observed (not sure if there's an official name for it), that if you pass someone slowly, they will "lock tractor beams" onto you and start to match your speed. So you want to have a noticeable speed difference between your vehicles to prevent this.

Re: Controversial California bill would physically stop new cars from speeding

#20

> The technology would use GPS and a database of roadway speeds to prevent cars from going 10 miles per hour over the speed limit wherever they are. Sometimes my GPS thinks I'm on an adjacent road, especially when I'm on the freeway. Seems like that kind of error would be catastrophic in combination with a system like this. Also, what's the rationale for letting people go 10 over the limit? That's effectively admitti…

Re 10 over: As-written and as-lived are quite different. You'd see the governor turned out in the next election if he signed that bill. Michael Dukakis lost his home state of Massachusetts in the presidential race after he sicced the state police on drivers for exactly this during his campaign. The law says to stay stopped at a stop sign for 3 seconds, and signal turns 800 feet in advance on the highway too, 600 feet…

Those distances vary per state in case you didn't know
Post reply on HN