- Absolute speed isn't as important as relative speed; if the "speed limit" on a highway is 60 but everyone habitually goes 80, the one person insisting on obeying the speed limit is creating a dangerous situation
- Nothing but physical limitations will deter the types of offenders mentioned in the article. They'll repeatedly drive drunk, they'll drive with their licence and insurance revoked, they'll drive drunk again after serving a prison term.
- Focusing on speeding is ineffectual; there are many more ways in which drivers are dangerous - the main being distraction and aggression. Speeding is just a symptom.
- In the past few years, drivers seem to have become increasingly callous, selfish and borderline sociopathic. It's not a good trend for persons piloting lethal weapons. Drivers feel far, far too safe and act like they're above consequences.
So, solutions?
- Physical infrastructure -- nothing controls the flow of vehicles better than physical conditions
- Remove 80% of stop signs, replace with yield signs. People act more carefully when there's uncertainty
- Build more roundabouts, replacing intersections where traffic volume allows. Roundabouts reduce the number and severity of collisions and resulting injuries.
- At problematic light-controlled intersections, install physical barriers. Bollards that go up when the lights turn red, or equivalent sturdy, ruthless barriers that will turn a speeding red-light runner into soup and destroy their vehicle. There's no arguing with physics.
- Use primarily one-way streets in residential settings.
- Narrowing of lanes near intersections in residential neighbourhoods: a road can have two lanes of parking and two lanes of travel, but at an intersection it narrows to a choke point, forcing traffic to slow. The choke point is formed out of pedestrian islands, which create extra room for pedestrians and make them more visible
- Raised crosswalks: akin to a speed bump but longer and flat-topped, raise the road surface instead of lowering the sidewalk where pedestrians cross the roadway. Vulnerable road users are the priority, express that in concrete terms