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?

  • thebestaquaman@lemmy.world
    2·
    2 hours ago

    Because speed limits are designed for the largest, clunkiest vehicles on the road (semi trucks, specifically). If they can’t handle the road at a certain speed, then the speed limit is dropped to a level that can be comfortably driven by them.

    Don’t you guys have any generic laws about driving “carefully and considerately”? It’s completely common in my country for the speed limit to be higher than what many vehicles can safely handle. That just means those drivers have to judge for themselves how fast they can safely drive while remaining “careful and considerate”.

    • cobysev@lemmy.worldEnglish
      11·
      2 hours ago

      Americans are too literal, irresponsible, and frankly narcissistic to follow something like that. We see a posted speed limit, that’s the speed we’re going to drive. Or we’ll go faster if we think we can handle it (and get away with it). We try to use the literal law to prove our position in court, so “careful and considerate” is too generic of a phrase to uphold legally.

      I lived in Germany for a couple years and I was surprised at how responsible drivers were there. Everyone stuck to the slow lane unless they wanted to drive super fast. The autobahns had no posted speed limit, but it was understood that if you got into an accident over 130 KPH, you were 100% responsible and insurance wouldn’t cover anything. So people just… drove more responsibility! Americans are too self-centered to behave that way.

      I especially liked how Germans would flash their brights if they were going much faster in the fast lane and everyone would just automatically pull over to the slow lane. No fuss, no drama. I do that in America and it just causes road rage. Americans don’t like brights being flashed at them. As a matter of fact, in my home state of Minnesota, it’s illegal to flash your brights at another car for any reason.