I gotta learn to get up earlier in the morning.
Posted on 01/12/2005 2:57:26 PM PST by swilhelm73
WASHINGTON -- On any given road, at any given time, the posted speed limit might be wildly dangerous -- or completely absurd. So how fast (or slowly) should we drive?
An interstate highway with a posted maximum of 65 mph might be perfectly safe to travel at 75 or 80 mph on a clear summer -- but treacherous at 45 mph in January, after a heavy snow. Common sense tells us the posted limit of 65 mph is too low in the first instance -- and a recipe for a wreck in the second. Most of us therefore continually adjust our speed to match conditions -- without having to be told and no matter what some sign by the side of the road happens to say. We notch it down when it's necessary -- and ignore the posted maximum when it's obviously safe to do so.
But whether we get a ticket or not typically depends solely on a number pulled out of a hat -- not whether the speed we happened to be driving at that moment was safe given the conditions.
This is the single biggest flaw with speed enforcement in our country. It is random and arbitrary; it's definitely (and obviously) not based on promoting safe driving. If it were, otherwise safe and sane drivers wouldn't be in constant jeopardy of receiving expensive "speeding" tickets and insurance surcharges. Instead, it's based on a cynical dragnet-style approach that leaves judgment by the wayside, with a fixation on enforcing what amount to "technical fouls" rather than genuinely dangerous driving. The system as it exists also creates an entirely unnecessary adversarial relationship between the motoring public and law enforcement -- which has come to be viewed by great swaths of the public as little better than armed tax collectors whose object is to "harass and collect."
CLEARLY, THERE IS SOMETHING wrong with the way speed limits are enforced when almost all of us -- from soccer moms to businessman Bobs -- are routinely in violation of them. Either that or a majority of us are simply reckless daredevils with a cavalier attitude toward death and a sociopathic indifference toward the safety of our fellow man. That is both insulting and palpably untrue. In other walks of life, most of us have no trouble obeying the law and behaving in a safe, responsible manner toward others. Why? Because the laws are reasonable, and we understand the difference between right and wrong. Can it be possible that we ditch our judgment and sense of right and wrong when we get into our cars? Is it possible to be rational, considerate, and respectful in other areas of life -- but transformed into reckless, irresponsible loons by our motor vehicles? Or are the laws themselves simply unreasonable, lacking common sense and arbitrary -- and therefore unworthy of our respect?
All evidence points to the latter. The mere act of traveling faster than a posted limit, as such, has absolutely no correlation with a higher risk of being involved in an accident. If that were not the case, then we should have seen a substantial uptick in motor vehicle fatalities after 1995, when Congress finally abandoned the Nixon-era 55-mph National Maximum Speed Limit and gave states the authority to set higher maximums -- which most of them did. Today, most highways have speed limits set at 60, 65, 70 or even 75 mph -- with no corresponding increase in highway deaths.
The old saw, "speed kills" should be re-stated: It is inappropriate speed that kills -- and that is quite a different thing.
If, for instance, a driver has the bad judgment to barrel along at 50 or 60 mph in a heavy snow on a highway with a 65-mph maximum, he might be charged with reckless driving, he might even get someone killed -- but he can't be charged with "speeding." And yet on the very same road in summer, on a bright July day with excellent visibility, another driver can and likely will get nailed for "speeding" if he rolls past a lurking cop doing 70 -- even though he's not driving dangerously and isn't likely to be the cause of an accident.
When he does get pulled over, he feels abused -- and rightly so.
Most of us have developed a sense of contempt for traffic enforcement precisely because of this sort of thing: Handing out tickets to people who are just going with the (perfectly reasonable) flow of traffic; setting up "radar traps" to nab the unwary by dropping the posted maximum to silly-low levels (25 or 30-mph on broad, two-lane secondary roads where the flow of traffic is naturally at 40-45) and so on. This may fatten the coffers of state and local government, but it does little to enhance the safety of our roads. And it undermines public respect for police, a dangerous and counterproductive thing.
What's needed is less focus on arbitrary maximums -- and enforcing "technical fouls" -- and more emphasis on teaching (and expecting) motorists to use common sense and drive at speeds appropriate (and therefore safe) for conditions. That might entail more work than sitting by the side of the road with a radar gun waiting for it to beep while drinking a cup of coffee and chowing down a Crispy Creme -- but it would make the driving environment a lot safer, and restore the natural balance of mutual respect between police and ordinary citizens.
I've long considered removing the idea of a formal speed limit on highways and instead have police solely pull over drivers if they are driving recklessly - which could be 55 MPH in the snow or 85 MPH in Nebraska, but with the caveat that any fines go to the state/local Department of Transportation/Public Works.
When a liberal is in front of your car.
IT is only safe to drive at the speed of prevailing traffic...assuming fair to clear conditions. In some places that experience heavy fog, it is wise to pull over and let faster vehicles pass you by.
No matter where you are, get out of the way of any vehicle any vehicle overtaking you by more than you by more than 15 mph (you have to eyeball it, granted) if there's a shoulder or another clear lane to avoid that vehicle.
IF you are forced 15 mph below the prevailing speed or the posted speed limit for any reason, such as by traffic in front of you, put your flashers on.
I know a guy who was speeding on the way to bring his infant son to the hospital with a very serious case of whooping cough, and a cop actually stopped him and gave him a ticket! I thought that was outrageous- there should be some leniency given for speeding.
I am favor of giving anybody in the left lane going less than 80 MPH a ticket on the Houston Highways. If they want to go the speed limit, let them get in the slow lane.
Although people drive badly here in Houston, not many tickets are given out for speeding.
Reminds me of a real late day of work for me in a town of around 50,000. The office was on the "main" street.
At 2:40 a.m. I made a U-turn to head the thirty miles home. The stree was as barren as the dark side of the moon; until the flashing red light started blinking in my rear view mirror...
He pointed out that Americans are not Germans, culturally. In Germany they follow the rules, whatever they are, no matter what.
As an example he reminded his audience of the Autobahn and the fact that there was no speed limit on it. He pointed out that if German lawmakers passed a 55 MPH speed limit that Germans would all drive precisely 55 MPH, but at the next election would vote for the "no speed limit party" and change it back.
Americans, on the other hand, view speed limits as a benchmark of opportunity. As proof he asked everyone who had exceeded the speed limit on their way to this speech to raise their hands. Almost everyone did.
That phrase has always stuck with me.
benchmark of opportunity
In some ways that idea of rules being a jumping off point defines our country, for good or ill.
I find it amazing that the speed limit on the same road is about 10 miles faster west of the Mississippi.
Did my driving skills increase when I crossed over the river? I think not.
On another point. I think 80 to 85 is as fast as I want to go under good conditions. Above that, my reactions aren't fast enough.
As far as enforcement goes (based on a lot of experience), it is the luck of the draw. With one exception, I think out of state license plates are stopped in certain conditions.
The posted speed limit is only useful as a guideline. Enforcing it is a joke and only a tool for "revenue generation." I totally agree that citations should only be issued for dangerous driving. For example, tailgating, cutting off other drivers, swerving, failing to stay in marked lanes, etc. An unmarked police car crusing our highway can identify these bozos in no time at all.
But no! Instead they hide in the trees on median strips and around curves in order to trap the law-abiding citizens for "technical" violations of that silly speed limits even though they are driving perfectly safely. In fact, they would rather pull over people like this because they are generally law-abiding folk who aren't going to put up any resistance and give any lip. Makes for a stress-free day at the office. I know this because I know police officers who tell me as much.
On a bright, clear day with normal traffic, it is downright dangerous to drive at the posted speed limit. Just try doing 55 or 65 on our nations highways and see how quickly you see high beams flashing at you. Or an 18-wheeler on your bumper leaning on his air horn or some punk kids whipping around you and giving you the finger as they pass by.
Yet when you speed up to put yourself in the traffic flow, you risk being selectively nabbed by the donut-eating cop by the side of the road who just finished his coffee and needs to get back to work.
"When Is Speeding Appropriate?"
When you're fully dilated, the baby is crowning and you're still miles away from the hospital! ;)
Americans tend to believe that rules are meant to be broken. Set the speed limit at 35 in a school zone, and people will go 50. Set it at 25, and you might be able to keep traffic down to 40. Americans, too, are especially recalcitrant when it comes to driving. We like big cars, and we like to drive them fast, and close. The risk to other people's lives and the inconvenience of tickets are simply the cost of doing business. It's all part of the national character.
When the cops are chasing you?
,,, interestingly, Germans have an operational advantage in the way their laws are written... they're so clear that anyone can read and understand them. There's not a lot of need for lawyers there as in the US, where anything can be challenged, often at great expense - and turned over by a judge who could feel good, or not, on the particular day a decision comes out of a Court room.
Maybe they've come to collectively accept this [what I perceive to be an] advantage. They're a pretty rigid society anyhow.
For just about my entire life I have said that traffic tickets were designed to fill the gov't's coffers and not for public safety.
The city of Houston proved it for me as I shall explain:
Back in the late 70s - early 80s when Kathy Whitmire was the mayor of Houston there was some disagreement between the city and the police department. It wasn't about money. It was about an adminstrative or procedural thing. ( It could have been that she was stripping bare the police department and raping it but I don't remember preciesly. )
The city would not "compromise."
The police warned the city that all policemen would stop writing traffic tickets. The city said, "Go ahead, make my day!"
Sure enough, the police stopped writing traffic tickets.
That lasted about 3 days as I recall.
Suddenly, the city gave in to all of the police department's demands.
That tells you how the city feels about the loss of income rather than the "protection of life."
I like small, fast cars. Hope you're not in the left lane in front of me and refusing to get out of the way.
I gotta learn to get up earlier in the morning.
When my Valentine One says "all clear, 360 degrees" at a range of up to three miles, line of sight.
This valuable piece of a road warrior's kit is also known as my REDS (Revenue Enhancement Defense System).
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