Quote:
Originally Posted by fielderLS3
That's right, we are adults. Which means that the speed we choose based on the present driving situation we find ourselves in is likely to be a better one than a one-size fits all arbitrary number that was in many cases set in the 1950s.
I'm not saying we should be driving 150 through city centers during rush hour, and I guarantee no one actually would anyway. What we are saying is that doing stupid **it like driving in the wrong lane, swerving, making sudden, unexpected moves for no reason, tailgating, or doing any number of things that aren't driving while driving are what really cause problems and accidents on the roads. Germany can have the autobahn because they have strict, but common sense rules about lane discipline, passing, etc...
Speed is not the problem. It is irresponsible and/or poor driving that is the problem. We would be much safer going 90-100 and paying attention than going 65 while taking on cell phones or eating.
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Ho ho...did I say
speed was the
problem? Are you thinking maybe I mean "speed kills"? If speed killed, the landscape would be littered with dead F-18 pilots. Judgement is the problem.
Your standpoint is that since we are adults, we are all responsible when driving, or even we are good drivers, or even that there are drivers that care that you or I are responsible. It's just not so. And how can you exclude the dumbass things we all see when driving from the equation? Germany is not the USA, and even the autobahns are all not unlimited speed zones. So now you want to modify the premise, and we suddenly have the same rules and regulations as Germany, to fit your standpoint? Uh-uh, no I can't accept that twist. I don't get to change reality to back myself up, do I? We have the laws, situations and standpoints we have. No 'what-ifs'. If we get 'what-ifs' then I get to start telling you how drivers have become less skilled overall due to the lax regs we have now and it will just get worse.
I'm glad you brought up the arbitrary nature of the speed limits. Those limits are for all vehicles and all drivers. So that rent-a-truck driver with an overloaded vehicle sets out on his "I'm good for my chosen situation" way has no speed limit either. Just like the kid with a new budget, bland four cylinder car that goes faster than his skill and experience. Just like for a drunk, and just like for an 80 year old that drives poorly and doesn't know it.
My opinion here is that anyone that doesn't agree with the idea of 'no speed limits' is now seen as defending
dumb speed limits. I'm not going to stand proxy for that.
Where I live, we have strange road elevation changes, bizarre reverse grade turns, and sudden lane drops
on highways. Plus they are in poor repair and constantly under construction. It's just like laws in other countries. The argument that says "well in X country, they don't have many armed robberies compared to the USA, why can't we just do what they do?" is myopic. We can't do what they do because
we are not them. There's no magic wand that takes their equation and fits it to the USA.
Just the fact that we are addicted to texting makes me think that unlimited speed limits here are idiotic,
let alone the poor road design, the unanticipated traffic the roads cannot accept at
any speed, the lack of skill on the average driver, and the state of the roads overall. It's a pipedream that needs a lot of dominoes to fall into place first and they ain't falling too quick.