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Virginia passes law to enforce maximum vehicle speeds for repeat speeders

fastcompany.com

511–520 of 954 posts

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

#511
> The safety argument against speeding is ironclad. Blazing-fast vehicles take longer to brake and exert more force in a crash, thereby endangering everyone else on the roadway.

This is not so iron clad if you do some basic reading or thinking. Research has shown that setting speed limits blow the 85th percentile increases crashes from vehicles having less uniformity of speed. Rather than work against something that is natural, they would be better off getting the people who actually listen to the speed limits to drive faster so that they stop endangering others.

Another way of looking at things is that higher speeds mean cars spend less time on the road. Fewer cars on the road implies that the distances between them are greater. Crashes only occur when distances between cars reach 0. Lower speeds as are being advocated by that article mean that the distances between cars will decrease, making things potentially more accident prone. All of those arguments about what happens in a collision do not matter when the cars never collide. For example, the German autobahn has far higher speeds than US roads and their collision rate is lower, which illustrates the benefits of having more space between cars from having them drive faster to get them off the road sooner.

Finally, it is unfortunate that attempts at safety are trying to make motorists drive slower, which will cause more car accidents, causing people to push even harder for more measures to prevent them, that are likely to be just as backward.

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

#512

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Or you have some emergency situation where a higher travel speed is a matter of life and death? Can you provide such a scenario? Or, more importantly... can you provide a reason why this hypothetical, extremely unusual edge case should take precedence over the 12,000 speeding deaths per year in our calculation? For example, I'm willing to wager more people get hurt speeding TO the hospital while their wife is in la…

> Or, more importantly... can you provide a reason why this hypothetical, extremely unusual edge case should take precedence over the 12,000 speeding deaths per year in our calculation? That one's easy. Because the 12,000 "speeding deaths" are caused by 300+ million people, so the probability that one is caused by any given person is extremely low. And even 12,000 is an overestimate because those statistics count eve…

> What happens if you've been drinking not expecting to go anywhere before you learn you need to evacuate immediately because of a wildfire?

A drunk person on the road while a lot of people are panicked and trying to get out of town as quickly as possible sounds like a terrible idea. The winning strategy here is you get help from somebody sober who is able to help you escape. And this is a remarkably rare situation in comparison to harm caused by drunk drivers.

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

#513

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.

I drive through Virginia a lot, and have never seen speed limits set any differently than any other east coast state. Never had a problem obeying the speed limit, knowing the risks of speeding there.

If everyone is disobeying the law, they should all be cited but that is difficult for an individual cop. I don’t see why, as long as the officer isn’t racially profiling, selecting one violator at random is unfair. Can you explain why?

As for license removal being unfair - did the person cited not commit the offense?

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

#514

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Just because everybody else is doing it doesn't mean you have to as well.

Except that driving at a speed significantly different from the surrounding traffic increases the risk of a crash.

So does speeding.

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

#515

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The problem is people who as matter of course travel above the speed limit regardless of if any other motorists are around them, as they are “playing by different rules”, making them more unpredictable and stressful for those around them. Just two days ago I did a long distance trip and in general I could engage cruise control at the speed limit allowing me to focus more on other potential hazards around me. Occasion…

The question is, if everyone is speeding, would it not make sense to raise the speed limit?

It does make sense. See the 85th percentile speed:

https://duckduckgo.com/?q=85th+percentile+speed

Setting the limit at the 85th percentile and having most drivers drive at it creates uniformity of speed, which is known to increase safety.

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

#516

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Road conditions change. Sometimes it’s the middle of the night and nobody is on the county road, so you can run your brights. Sometimes a particular section of road has high visibility that makes a higher speed safer, while other sections are best taken under the limit. Some vehicles have better headlights than others, different stopping distances. Your logic only says “lower is safer,” it provides no means by which…

You’re trying to apply the “I am a good driver and my judgment is better than other people’s” argument - but the majority of people believe they’re an above average driver. That’s a dangerous fallacy. Now, you might truly be, but your argument paves the way for everyone else to say the same. After all, nothing happened so far. And that other driver might be the one that misjudges and crashes into you. On country road…

But I’m a good driver, I can defy the laws of physics!

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

#517

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The question is, if everyone is speeding, would it not make sense to raise the speed limit?

Nope, because people are overestimating themselves. I know a couple of people who can do 2x the speed limit relatively safely , but this is because they were race drivers in a previous life. However, not everyone (incl. me) has that reflexes and situational awareness all the time. Recently I got into an accident. A car changed into my lane completely unannounced, and I was blinded by a car in my front diagonal. The c…

Explain how the German autobahn has fewer collisions than US high ways with lower than 85th percentile speed limits if the lower speed limits are such an advantage. Actual data does not support the idea of low speed limits. They are only in place as an attempt to reduce fleet fuel consumption, and hurt safety by causing big differences in vehicle speeds.

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

#518
post #162
post #133

Earlier quoted context omitted.

TFA says 75% of people with suspended licenses drive anyways.

Sounds like 75% of people with a suspended license need to spend some time out in jail where they can ponder their life choices.

Providing a vehicle or fuel to someone with a suspended license should be an offense.

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

#519
post #162

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Sounds like 75% of people with a suspended license need to spend some time out in jail where they can ponder their life choices.

Someone who's jailed for driving on a suspended license because it's the only way they can get to their job probably isn't going to discontinue that behavior upon their release. I don't want my tax dollars being spent on a punishment that's just going to exacerbate the problem, especially when the crime isn't particularly odious in the first place (whatever they did to get their license suspended probably was, but on…

Lose your license? You get a ride, ride a bike, take the bus, get compassionate permission to only drive to work, etc. there are many ways to move yourself around. Then don’t mess up again once the suspension is over.

What about a child molester that works in a school? It makes sense to prevent them from being in contact with children. I think preventing people from driving saves the public from similar potentially dangerous harm.

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

#520
post #341

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Okay let's lower the number from 75 to 74 to accomodate situations like you're describing.

No, let's reconsider the entire idea of what you're proposing. Let's redefine driving as a right and punish antisocial behavior.

No, let’s reconsider the entire idea that a car is the default mode of transport.
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