Speed Limits

[RonJohn]

Well … yes and no. Both seat belts and the 55 MPH speed limit were put into the federal law first. For seat belts, the feds simply required car manufacturers to put them in cars and let nature take its course. I remember the debate on this in Georgia. Culver Kidd, the "Silver Fox", had gone out to Colorado - a state that required seat belt use - to see his daughter. While there the family got in a three car wreck and all of them walked away. Kidd made a requirement for seat belt use his main legislative initiative. Once he told the story and put his position behind it, the General Assembly rolled over like a puppy dog. Later, the feds required three point hanesses, just to make the point. By then the states had decided that "personal freedom" shouldn't mean carnage on the highways and came around.

On the 55 MPH rule, the feds gave the states a choice: change your laws or don't get the federal highway funds. Louisiana held out for two years, but everybody else immediately changed the speed limit. It's been nationally regulated on federal highways ever since.

The first is now called a "nudge"; the second is a straight regulation. Both work.

From: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/ar...ess,urban interstates and noninterstate roads.

In 1974, the federal government passed the National Maximum Speed Law, which restricted the maximum permissible vehicle speed limit to 55 miles per hour (mph) on all interstate roads in the United States.

On November 28, 1995, Congress passed the National Highway Designation Act, which officially removed all federal speed limit controls. Since 1995, all US states have raised their posted speed limits on rural interstates; many have also raised the posted speed limits on urban interstates and noninterstate roads.

Speed limits have not been a federal requirement since 1995. Montana actually changed their regulations on 1995 to "no greater than is reasonable and prudent", which was touted in the media as no speed limit. There were court challenges to the regulations vagueness, and Montana now has a maximum speed limit of 80.

Are speed limits strictly enforced where you live? Most of the time you have to be going at least 10 mph over the speed limit before even being concerned about getting a ticket. On 285, the average speed is probably at least 10mph over the speed limit unless traffic is bad. I haven't driven on 400 lately, but it used to be that the average speed was at least 15 mph over the speed limit. It is a legal regulation, but almost everyone ignores it. People who do obey the speed limit on the interstate around Atlanta stick out like a sore thumb. I wouldn't use speed limit laws as an example of how to get universal mask usage.

 

[GCdaJuiceMan]

From: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2724439/#:~:text=On November 28, 1995, Congress,urban interstates and noninterstate roads.



Speed limits have not been a federal requirement since 1995. Montana actually changed their regulations on 1995 to "no greater than is reasonable and prudent", which was touted in the media as no speed limit. There were court challenges to the regulations vagueness, and Montana now has a maximum speed limit of 80.

Are speed limits strictly enforced where you live? Most of the time you have to be going at least 10 mph over the speed limit before even being concerned about getting a ticket. On 285, the average speed is probably at least 10mph over the speed limit unless traffic is bad. I haven't driven on 400 lately, but it used to be that the average speed was at least 15 mph over the speed limit. It is a legal regulation, but almost everyone ignores it. People who do obey the speed limit on the interstate around Atlanta stick out like a sore thumb. I wouldn't use speed limit laws as an example of how to get universal mask usage.

This is still the case. Between 85 and Alpharetta, you cross about 4 different jurisdiction's with minimal access points so it is also difficult to patrol such a limited space. I am not sure I ever recall GSP on 400 unless up past Cumming.

 

[mts315]

I drive I-75 commute between Warner Robins and Cordele everyday. Posted speed limit is 70 mph, I set the cruise control at 83. I routinely get passed by other cars. State Patrol are only pulling over people doing in excess of 85 mph, local "revenue officers" are getting people over 80 occasionally but rarely.

Seat belt laws are BS. If I or you want to take the risk then we should be allowed to not wear a seat belt.

 

[takethepoints]

From: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2724439/#:~:text=On November 28, 1995, Congress,urban interstates and noninterstate roads.



Speed limits have not been a federal requirement since 1995. Montana actually changed their regulations on 1995 to "no greater than is reasonable and prudent", which was touted in the media as no speed limit. There were court challenges to the regulations vagueness, and Montana now has a maximum speed limit of 80.

Are speed limits strictly enforced where you live? Most of the time you have to be going at least 10 mph over the speed limit before even being concerned about getting a ticket. On 285, the average speed is probably at least 10mph over the speed limit unless traffic is bad. I haven't driven on 400 lately, but it used to be that the average speed was at least 15 mph over the speed limit. It is a legal regulation, but almost everyone ignores it. People who do obey the speed limit on the interstate around Atlanta stick out like a sore thumb. I wouldn't use speed limit laws as an example of how to get universal mask usage.

Hold it there, big fella! I never said people obeyed the speed limit. They are there to lower average speed, not to set an actual limit. And for that they work. As the study you linked shows. I stand corrected on federal regulation of limits, however, and now wish Congress had never stopped regulating them. The saving in time isn't worth the increased carnage.

Btw, it' nice to see a study that uses Poisson regression correctly.

 

[takethepoints]

Seat belt laws are BS. If I or you want to take the risk then we should be allowed to not wear a seat belt.

Or, to put it another way, I should pay higher insurance rates so you can drive around without a seat belt. Thanks; I believe I'll pass on that.

 

[Deleted member 2897]

Or, to put it another way, I should pay higher insurance rates so you can drive around without a seat belt. Thanks; I believe I'll pass on that.

Just like it is for health insurance. Divided by 15.

 

[RonJohn]

Hold it there, big fella! I never said people obeyed the speed limit. They are there to lower average speed, not to set an actual limit. And for that they work. As the study you linked shows. I stand corrected on federal regulation of limits, however, and now wish Congress had never stopped regulating them. The saving in time isn't worth the increased carnage.

Btw, it' nice to see a study that uses Poisson regression correctly.

The original reason to set a federal speed limit wasn't due to wrecks, it was the oil shortage in the 70s.

I don't believe that the generally accepted speed is actually set by what the law says and what is put on speed limit signs. Even when the speed limit was 55 on the interstate, people were regularly driving over 70. I think there is general consensus that between 70 and 80 is safe and reasonable on the interstate. That is what most people drive. There are people who drive 90 and people who drive 50, but both of those sets stick out and annoy the majority.

That is what I have been saying about masks, or at least attempting to say. We need a consensus that masks are necessary. Passing a law will not build a consensus. In fact, passing a law is more likely to insert wedges than build consensus. If you have a town in which most people believe masks are necessary, passing a law wouldn't be a huge deal. If you pass a law(or dictate regulations) statewide, like in Michigan, then you get harsh reactions. Those harsh reactions cause people to dig in to not wearing masks, and actually prevent consensus. Politicians who ridiculed mask usage are partly to blame for the lack of consensus. However, politicians who have pushed extremely hard to force mask usage are also partly to blame. Somebody, anybody, should be trying to convince people that wearing masks is the right thing to do.

 

[jacketup]

Speed limits: The most arbitrary of all laws. The speed limit may be 60 on a particular road. It's still 60 at night. If it's raining. If it's snowing. If it's a sunny day with no traffic. If you are driving a Ferrari or a junker with bad brakes and worn out suspension. If you have been in 5 at fault accidents in the last year or none in the last 5 years.

Does speeding cause accidents? No. Does failure to yield right of way? Yes. But which one is enforced the most?