Guys, after reading the aftermarket exhaust ban thread for Illinois, I started thinking.

I continue to hear how our liberties are being torn away from us one by one and how this country is taking on the mindset of a police state.

Ban this, take away that, limit those things, abolish that too. Last I checked, this was supposed to be a free country!

Lately, after receiving some recent driving citations, I have focused on a subject that I am sure we all thought about many times...........

The United States National Speed Limit.

It used to be 55 mph in New Jersey and was raised to 65 mph in the last ten years I believe.

Consider the following...........

The original 55 mph highway speed limit was derived many, many years ago, in the days of the American boats. These cars that didn't handle, didn't stop and didn't offer much in the way of passenger safety. As a matter of fact, they weren't good at much more than driving fast in a straight line with their big Detroit iron powerplants.

Nowadays, we have cars with superior performance and safety in all areas. I am not simply talking about sports cars. Today's vehicles arguably stop better, handle better, offer more safety to their occupants than the vehicles of the time the 55 mph speed limit was established.

Couple that with the fact that highway grades, vertical and horizontal curves (transportation engineering of which I have some knowledge) are designed for much higher speeds than the posted limits.

Another point of comparison is european driving, wherein I believe, faster speeds are utilized without an increased fatality rate. There is a caveat with this, however. As I understand it, european drivers are typically more focused, more courteous and more apt to exhibit good driving techniques. These techniques include:

• Staying right except to pass.
• Using directional signals.
• Keeping consistent speeds at inclines.
• Etc.

Some pundits of the anti-speed camp may use the argument that speed kills and that if the limit is raised, people will only drive faster. I do not agree with these mindsets.

I believe in a statistical principle called the 85th percentile. It basically describes the majority of drivers. In a nutshell. ....
If drivers are left to their own devices on a highway, they will drive at a speed that they feel safe, comfortable and prudent. If speed measurements were taken of all of the drivers under these circumstances, we could statistically determine at what speed 85% of these people drive.

In my opinion, THAT should be the United States National Speed Limit!!

Statistically, 15% of the people will travel faster and tend to push the limits. It is our human nature. I would accept that citations would be written to those people if necessary. Moreover, I would really love to see the decision to issue a ticket to a 15%er be left to the discretion of the officer. If the officer observes some nut weaving in and out, not using his signals, go for it, issue that ticket. If he observes a guy driving steadily, staying right, passing only on the left, using his signals, a slap on the wrist may be in order.

Of course I realize that keeping the 55 mph speed limit allows the various municipalities to produce income through ticketing, but isn't there another way? I for one would be more than willing to fork over a road tax in exchange for a higher speed limit. The road tax would be appropriately weighted and distributed to the towns and cities.

I also realize that drivers would need to be better certified so that we don't have chaos. At the same time, much stiffer penalties should be issued for failure to keep right and failure to use your signals.

In my opinion, after observing what I conclude to be the ad-hoc 85% percentile in my travels over the years, I think we should start a petition for the United States National Speed Limit to be raised to 80 mph. It seems that is the speed we all travel on all of the interstates.

Does anyone remember, "We the People..."?
We ARE the people yet we let the highway speed limit laws be dictated to us. Why?????? We should have the power to change them.

Or, should I just move to Europe?

 

i agree... when i am travelling down rt. 95 i tend to pass people going 80mph- seems that everyone is going 80 nowadays. but at least they arent getting pulled over, it's the suckers going 85+ that do. or the ones that cant outrun the copper!

 

The is no national speed limit as the Federal Goverment cannot pass any law that infringes on state rights as long as the laws of the state are constitutional.

The way the Federal Government is able to dictate what the states do is because of the Federal Income tax. Because these taxes all go to Washington, Congress simply tells the states to do whatever they want them to do if they want to see any of the money back. If you want highway funds, then this will be your maximum speed limit. If you want funds for school, then this is what you will teach and how you will teach it. Etc. Etc.

It is the Federal Income Tax that has eroded State's Rights. The taxing system should be the opposite of what it is. Collected by the States who will determine how much to be distributed for Federal Programs.

 

man i did notice that in europe the slower cars were on the slower lane and they would only move to chaneg lanes.. they drove at their own pace..


shoot it was the same int he escalators...

the faster moving people running/in a hurry were on the left side , while people evryone else was ont he right side...

 

KPV for President!!!

 

2nd

 

In many countries (if not most) the law is that it is illegal to pass on the right in Europe. You can and will get a ticket for driving too slowly in the fast lane or for holding up traffic.

The 55MPH speed limit was enacted during the first oil embargo as a fuel conservation program. Cars burn less fuel at lower speeds (generally). The safety crowd lobbied to retain it after the need to radically conserve diminished. As I recall the data was mixed to non-conclusive as to whether or not there were more or less highway injuries.

A few beliefs I have:
!. There should also be a no passing on the right law rigidly enforced here. It would stop a lot of the accidents caused by self appointed racers dodging through traffic, and keep slow traffic out of the way.
2. There should be a tiered driving license system. The top tier with fewer accidents/tickets has a higher allowable top speed and unlimited access to the fast lane.
3. Commercial traffic should be limited just like the Romans did in Rome; that is between the hours of Midnight and 6:00AM to keep roads clearer for the daily mass migration.
4. The allowable blood alcohol limit is much too low. A tiny percentage of drunks cause a huge proportion of accident problems. Thier cars should be retro-fitted with a breathalyser to disable the ignition when they are over a LOWER limit than those who have never had an alcohol related traffic incident.

Gee, is that more than $.02 worth of opinion? Sorry!

 

I saw somethign about a steering wheel that test the BAC through your skin- i would def. agree with that because a few of my family members (cousins) have been in alcohol related accidents and when i told them about it they were all for it...
stop the problem before it starts

 

I agree with everything except for the point above
I never drive if I'm hung-over or if I've been drinking more than 2-3 beers the night before. If I take a zip of wine or beer, I won't drive any more that day. I know I could easily drive, but why?
It will affect your driving, either you're tired after a long night or partying or you lost that last bit of concentration you normally have. That last teensy weensy bit might save my or another person's life one day. That's why I have a zero tolerance policy. Off course, this can't be implemented into the society, but I for one question the judgment of people who drive when they know they might be over the limit.

Just my 2 cents

 

I'd say it should be required that all drivers are trained significantly, pay accordingly, and are graduated up to higher tiers after qualifying through additional training in combination with required performance history. Just like in many forms of racing. If you aren't schooled and can't demonstrate competence at the higher level, no amount of luck in avoiding mishaps beforehand matter. Eliminate some variables, so it's a more controlled system with well-trained drivers.

I know, I know...then some *** would come up with some freaking taxpayer-subsidized welfare system that supports drivers who can't afford the certification training... Aaaaaaaahhhhhhh!!!!!!

 

All good points guys, but what about the speed limit.......that is the point of the thread.

 

Ken, what about a separate lane with divider for hotshoes, totally separate from the regular Joe's? That could be our own autobahn, we'd have to pay an add'l fee to use it via electronic sensor entry, and we could then do whatever speed we wanted! Yeah, baby!!!

 

That would be a certain lib in NY that frequents this board....

 

Geez Gary, who ever could that be?

 

amen~
higher speed limits commiserate with most of the driving done in the country today on the highways.

toll roads with no speed limit, privately owned,

higher training and better qualification to drive faster. identified by big stickers!

where do i vote?