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Virginia passes law to enforce maximum vehicle speeds for repeat speeders

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421–430 of 954 posts

Re: Virginia passes law to enforce maximum vehicle speeds for repeat speeders

#421

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Gun utility: small For you.

Assuming you have high utility for guns, what do you use it for? Hunting? I'm no hunter and have never felt like I need a gun.

I'm guessing you've never lived in a rural area?

* Protection against aggressive wild animals.

* Protection against aggresive humans. This often applies elsewhere, but becomes less and less optional the further away law enforcement is.

* Arguably more humane way of killing pests than poison or most types of lethal trap.

Re: Virginia passes law to enforce maximum vehicle speeds for repeat speeders

#422
post #205

There are cars that can go way over 100 mph, and they almost all speed controlled by software. High performance cars are often speed limited by software to about 150 mph. How is this legal? Cars with speed limits that high belong to the track, not public roads, with a possible exception for emergency vehicles. There are some rare (emergency) situations where "superspeeding" might help, but I can think of many others…

The primary reason is political: people don't like the idea of the government living inside our cars 24x7, telling us how fast we're allowed to go. Even though most of us don't speed. Other examples of this phenomenon include:

* A government mandated alcohol, cigarette, and BMI limit to prevent major health issues.

* Government surveillance of our emails, messages, phone calls, bank accounts and internet activity.

* Abolishing cash so all our transactions are electronically monitored to prevent fraud, money laundering, crime, and tax evasion.

* Limits on free speech.

There are many examples of ways in which authoritarian policies could, in theory, make society safer. Some of us are more comfortable with authoritarianism than others.

Re: Virginia passes law to enforce maximum vehicle speeds for repeat speeders

#423

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Gun utility: small For you.

Considering the whole world, gun utility for the civilian population is clearly much smaller than car utility. You will also find even in US a higher number of individuals that have at least one car VS number of individuals that have at least one gun. Sure the reverse might be true for a minority, but the majority scenario is out there with plenty of statistical and empirical evidence. I'm neither pro nor anti-gun, j…

I am not comparing the relative utility of cars and guns, but questioning the claim that the utility of gun ownership is small.

Re: Virginia passes law to enforce maximum vehicle speeds for repeat speeders

#425
post #413

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I dislike how you think. When I drive, 99% of the time it's to get someplace, not go for a Sunday cruise. The better alternative is ongoing driver training beyond initial study.

Driving 10 mph above the speed limit on a highway at every opportunity will only lead to a very limited reduction in travel time, because you spend a lot of time breaking (i.e. to avoid crashing into law-abiding drivers, reacting to speed controls, etc.). At the same time it drastically increases both the risk of accidents, as well as the severity of accidents when they happen. You also endanger not only yourself but…

> breaking

Braking

Re: Virginia passes law to enforce maximum vehicle speeds for repeat speeders

#426
post #205

There are cars that can go way over 100 mph, and they almost all speed controlled by software. High performance cars are often speed limited by software to about 150 mph. How is this legal? Cars with speed limits that high belong to the track, not public roads, with a possible exception for emergency vehicles. There are some rare (emergency) situations where "superspeeding" might help, but I can think of many others…

California tried to do this, the bill got watered down in committee [1]. It's probably true that purely GPS-based speed-limiting is not good enough. Imagine being on a 75mph highway with a 25mph service road right next to it and the GPS not knowing the difference.

Still, interesting idea that could have legs when the technology got better.

[1]: https://www.npr.org/2024/09/05/nx-s1-5099205/california-tech...

Re: Virginia passes law to enforce maximum vehicle speeds for repeat speeders

#427
post #419

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Just as mutually assured destruction brought lasting peace on the international scale, widespread civilian ownership of military weapons has also been a remarkably effective deterrent and safeguard against would-be tyrants across history. If both Karl Marx and the US founding fathers agreed that a well-armed public is important for a lasting civil peace, it's probably a good idea to listen.

[citation needed] Would-be tyrants get power (and stay in power) by gaining the support of people capable of projecting force and power onto the populace. From the perspective of tyranny, it is irrelevant if their supporters are i.e. the military or a bunch of militia guys who have acquired their guns privately. Source: Many, many civil wars across history. Trying to guard against tyranny by increasing private gun ow…

All democracies before the current era began as revolutions. Roman plebeians were well armed enough that the state could never become too abusive towards them. English democracy, and the entire modern idea of constitutional democracy itself, came about because the British public happened to be well armed enough with longbows, originally intended for times of war, that they could resist the tyrannical acts of the state and the professional military that it commanded. Some of the most peaceful and healthiest democracies in the world are also the most heavily armed: look at Switzerland for an example. The entire point of widespread civilian ownership of military weapons is that they can serve as a deterrent so that no tyrants, whether in the government or another private faction, can ever wield unassailable power over the masses, and that the weapons themselves never have to be used. Civil institutions can be captured over time by corrupt interests, but it's quite difficult to capture an empowered public.

Re: Virginia passes law to enforce maximum vehicle speeds for repeat speeders

#428

Good. Karen in her shitty Chevy Tahoe ZR1 F-Series Canyonero needs to learn that the speed limit signs say 55, not 75-85. Cops won’t do their bare minimum job we pay them to do, so it’s time for technology to close the gap.

This is a technological solution to a social problem, and will create more problems, instead of solving it.

There was a quote about this, but failed to find it now. Hmprhrf.

Re: Virginia passes law to enforce maximum vehicle speeds for repeat speeders

#429
post #350
post #205

There are cars that can go way over 100 mph, and they almost all speed controlled by software. High performance cars are often speed limited by software to about 150 mph. How is this legal? Cars with speed limits that high belong to the track, not public roads, with a possible exception for emergency vehicles. There are some rare (emergency) situations where "superspeeding" might help, but I can think of many others…

> People love their fast cars, especially the rich and powerful Too much correlation, not enough causation here. Only "rich people" can afford pricey cars, while there are with much certainty "non rich people" that enjoy fast cars. And there are a ton of affordable cars that can go 200kph+, or that can be riced into being able to do so.

Exactly. Otoh even the most patetic and slow cars can speed in urban zone with 30kph limit without problems.

Re: Virginia passes law to enforce maximum vehicle speeds for repeat speeders

#430

I don’t get that. Repeat offender => temporary removal of driving license. Done. You can make it progressive, remove it for a week, next time 3, etc. I guarantee this will calm people down.

The problem is, at least in Virginia, every single speed limit is set low, and cops randomly pull over cars that are just traveling the same speed as the cars around them, all above the speed limit.

So license removal is not really fair. Not that this is any better, but if you at least get to keep driving legally, its generally slightly less worse.

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