I am familiar with the problems that come with companies who put up traffic light cameras, fudging the parameters to make it catch much more than the blatant running of lights. We had them in our area and they were later removed for that very reason. We don’t have cameras for speeding though, so I’m not aware of problems if they’re set for speeders that are well over the limit (so you don’t trigger a ticket for 66 in a 65).
That only works if you shift the entire populations perception of speed limits. If too small of a percentage adopt this mentality, they become obstacles. People will drive the speed they FEEL safe at, regardless of actual safety. Speed limits do nothing to change that. Better options are making roads that don’t feel safe at higher speeds.
That would be fine and dandy if most speed limits (in the US at least) were assigned intelligently and not just according to the 85th percentile, which just measures how fast people actually drive down the road, and assumes anything in the top 15% is unsafe and should therefore be illegal
Completely agreed, now we have to get the entire population on board. I don’t want to be trying to swerve around drivers going slower than the traffic around, and I don’t want people swerving around me all bloody day. Both of those are vastly more dangerous than simple speed. Drive the road conditions, which includes the speed of traffic around you.
Ok cool. You addressed half of my concern. Now I’ve become the obstacle. How do I keep people from dangerously swerving around me?
In fact, this has INCREASED the likelihood that I, personally, will be in an accident because now, more people around me are swerving trying to get past.
Both of those are horribly ineffective options. Let’s call cops who won’t get here before a crash happens, and let’s throw tire spikes that will force a crash to happen.
The proper response is to create distance from the situation. In this particular scenario, by merging into another lane as soon as it’s safe, and accelerating back to the speed of traffic.
None of this changes the fact that the slower driver, while within the letter of the law, is the root cause of all of this danger. Speed is determined by more than an arbitrary number on the side of the road. It’s determined by myriad road factors, from congestion and moisture to the current traveling speed of traffic.
If you want to reduce the speed safely, you have to reduce the speed people naturally want to travel at. Anything else will result in speed disparities, which are always more dangerous than just raw speed.
That’s how it works here in Victoria State, with a greater fine for (I think) going 10kph over. TBH though even city streets with rows of shops tend to be 60kph, which is still pretty fast for a populated area.
I am familiar with the problems that come with companies who put up traffic light cameras, fudging the parameters to make it catch much more than the blatant running of lights. We had them in our area and they were later removed for that very reason. We don’t have cameras for speeding though, so I’m not aware of problems if they’re set for speeders that are well over the limit (so you don’t trigger a ticket for 66 in a 65).
idk, I wish more people understood that the speed limit is a limit, not a target speed.
Going one kph over the limit is illegal and should receive a ticket.
If you have a lead foot, just set your cruise control 10 clicks below the speed limit, or more.
That only works if you shift the entire populations perception of speed limits. If too small of a percentage adopt this mentality, they become obstacles. People will drive the speed they FEEL safe at, regardless of actual safety. Speed limits do nothing to change that. Better options are making roads that don’t feel safe at higher speeds.
That would be fine and dandy if most speed limits (in the US at least) were assigned intelligently and not just according to the 85th percentile, which just measures how fast people actually drive down the road, and assumes anything in the top 15% is unsafe and should therefore be illegal
Its still find and dandy for us all to slow down to below the 85th percentile. Especially cars.
Completely agreed, now we have to get the entire population on board. I don’t want to be trying to swerve around drivers going slower than the traffic around, and I don’t want people swerving around me all bloody day. Both of those are vastly more dangerous than simple speed. Drive the road conditions, which includes the speed of traffic around you.
Don’t swerve. Slow down.
Ok cool. You addressed half of my concern. Now I’ve become the obstacle. How do I keep people from dangerously swerving around me?
In fact, this has INCREASED the likelihood that I, personally, will be in an accident because now, more people around me are swerving trying to get past.
Call the police? Tire spikes?
How do you normally respond to crazy people who operate weapons dangerously in public?
Both of those are horribly ineffective options. Let’s call cops who won’t get here before a crash happens, and let’s throw tire spikes that will force a crash to happen.
The proper response is to create distance from the situation. In this particular scenario, by merging into another lane as soon as it’s safe, and accelerating back to the speed of traffic.
None of this changes the fact that the slower driver, while within the letter of the law, is the root cause of all of this danger. Speed is determined by more than an arbitrary number on the side of the road. It’s determined by myriad road factors, from congestion and moisture to the current traveling speed of traffic.
If you want to reduce the speed safely, you have to reduce the speed people naturally want to travel at. Anything else will result in speed disparities, which are always more dangerous than just raw speed.
That’s how it works here in Victoria State, with a greater fine for (I think) going 10kph over. TBH though even city streets with rows of shops tend to be 60kph, which is still pretty fast for a populated area.