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American Drivers Think Speeding Is Okay Because Everyone Else Is Doing It (www.jalopnik.com)
submitted 2 months ago by to c/fuckcars@lemmy.world
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What's a little extra 5 or 10 mph on the clock?

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[–] 17 points 2 months ago (4 children)

In my US state of Texas, speed studies set the speed limit based on a 85th percentile rule. They assume that people will basically ignore the speed limit and drive the speed they feel is safe. That's why we have highways with 85 mph speed limits.

https://www.txdot.gov/safety/driving-laws/speed-limits/speed-zone-studies.html

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  • [–] 16 points 2 months ago (3 children)

    That's not a bad strategy. Driving slowly on slow roads or in adverse conditions and fast on highways seems rational to me. What is the point of making a road that is specifically designed for high speed and then putting a limit on it? The speed limit is an incredibly blunt instrument for deterring bad driving, as if driving below the limit is always going to be the safest option. It also motivates law enforcement abuse. The vehicle-environment-driver complex is much more nuanced than a single variable threshold.

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  • [–] 9 points 2 months ago (1 child)

    That's always been my thoughts on the matter. Don't enforce speed. Enforce proper lane usage and following distance.

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  • [–] 5 points 2 months ago

    That and modify the road, don't expect all the drivers to change their subconscious behaviors

    It can be as simple as paint - people will go the speed they feel is appropriate, threat of punishment won't effectively change their behavior. If the road looks smaller than it is or seems to narrow around intersections, people just drive slower

    Cheap, easy, science based.

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  • [–] 1 point 2 months ago

    What is the point of making a road that is specifically designed for high speed and then putting a limit on it?

    Because once you get within an hour and a half of a major city, you've got hundreds of suburbs feeding into it with everyday commuters trying to drive along side people out there driving like it's GTA.

    The only places where it's actually 85 are places where the air lift won't make it to the hospital in time.

    I've got my problems with Texas' infrastructure but removing speed limits wouldn't help.

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