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Why are we so weird about speed limits (US)? (sh.itjust.works)
submitted 3 weeks ago by to c/asklemmy@lemmy.world
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  1. Why does everyone drive 10-15 miles above the speed limit?

  2. Why don't we raise the speed limit if that's how fast everyone wants to go?

  3. Why is traffic enforcement given to very expensive and ineffective police instead of cheaper and more automated traffic cameras?

  4. Why do we refuse to ever use ANY traffic calming measures? Yes, than you flashing digital sign for telling me I'm going 10 miles above the limit on this incredibly wide and straight and flat road with high curbs and perfect visibility.

It's a serious confusion I have about how society is supposed to operate because it seems like a complete and total breakdown of logic and sense.

And, yes, I know there's some thing people did long ago to set the speed limit at some percentile of what people were already traveling at, but that's obviously a stupid way to do it and we did it anyway. So why?

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[–] 7 points 3 weeks ago (1 child)

85th Percentile Rule (where applicable): In many states, a common engineering principle is to set the speed limit near the speed at which the majority of drivers travel under free-flow conditions. Some states adapt or supplement this approach with safety-oriented judgments.

https://thelegalguide.org/who-decides-speed-limits-federal-state-local-roads/

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  • [–] 2 points 3 weeks ago

    Yeah, I'm a believer in this. Inversely, I call it the 20% rule: You can go 20% above the posted speed limit safely. It works pretty much anywhere, although I tend to stick to 25 or below in residential areas, mainly because I don't like people buzzing by me when I'm walking or running on the sidewalk, so I won't do it back to them. But in a 35, 42 is reasonable. 78 in a 65? Not a problem.

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