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Automotive News & Views Should the US government bring back the 55 mph max speed limit again?
1418 messages, Last post on Dec 16, 2008 at 11:21 AM
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drivers ignore the speed limit regardless of what it says. People will drive the speed that is reasonable, safe, and comfortable to them no matter what a sign with numbers on it says. The study was done on a 2 lane road where the speed limit was adjusted from an archaic 35 MPH to 45 MPH. The average speed of cars with the previous speed limit was about 46 MPH and 95% broke the "law." After the speed limit was adjusted the average speed of vehicles became 44 MPH and a majority of drivers were within the "law's" parameters. Therefore, increasing speed limits does not automatically mean the speed of traffic will increase.
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Replying to: andres3 (Nov 13, 2008 10:20 am) |
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Replying to: cdn_tch (Nov 13, 2008 9:38 am) You're kidding right? Please post a link - like Consumer reports stating vehicles are having hazardous lift at 80mph. It's about 1,000,000 times more likely that someone will have a problem controlling their car on ice or snow then just driving down the road at 80mph. If you were going to put ay effort into improving people's driving skills, it would be on snow and ice. or realize that should a deer or other wildlife come up on the roadway how to best avoid a serious accident. I've known somebody that had a deer run into the side of the car, and my boss who hit one at 45mph and had no time to react. Deer are unpredictable, stupid and fast, which makes driving skills rather irrelevant. The stability control and ABS of vehicles allow drivers to maintain control in those cases where some avoidance maneuver is possible. Those systems act faster and better than any human can, and no great skill is needed; but the deer might move the same way you go. Airline pilots are trained in many worst case scenarios so they have the ability to get out of trouble. Are you inferring that many years of driving experience counts for nothing? Airplanes are also certified for speed, and cars should be as well, Airplanes and cars are designed and tested in much the same way. Most auto manufacturers have testing facilities, and cars designed for high speeds are tested for high speeds. Sports cars carry larger, more powerful brakes, and many cars now are equipped with certified H, V, or Z tires. I have no qualms that my Mazda couldn't run safely at full speed if on an appropriate Autobahn or track. |
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Replying to: kernick (Nov 13, 2008 11:21 am) It's about 1,000,000 times more likely that someone will have a problem controlling their car on ice or snow then just driving down the road at 80mph. If you were going to put ay effort into improving people's driving skills, it would be on snow and ice. Aerodynamic forces change with speed, and I've experienced it. It is not that the car starts flipping over backwards (a la Le Mans), but rather that you can feel the car getting very light in the front. The deer was just an example, not a statement of the only unexpected thing that can happen on the road. Many things can happen, and most people will panic when confronted with an emergency and no amount of technology can make up for that. Are you inferring that many years of driving experience counts for nothing? Nope, I'll state it without reservation. As a friend said in an unrelated conversation, "you have 2 people in the same job for 30 years, one has 30 years experience, but the other has 1 years experience 30 times". This holds for drivers as well. Most auto manufacturers have testing facilities, and cars designed for high speeds are tested for high speeds. Sports cars carry larger, more powerful brakes, and many cars now are equipped with certified H, V, or Z tires. The manufacturers test their vehicles, yes, the tires have maximum speed ratings, yes, but the cars are not certified to run at any given speed. There are many cars that if you hold down the gas pedal far enough for long enough, they will go 80 or 90 mph, but at that speed they are running close to flat out. Do you believe a car like that should spend 6+ hours on the interstate/autobahn at that speed? |
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Replying to: cdn_tch (Nov 13, 2008 12:26 pm) Do you live in Khazakstan near Borat's village?  Many? Let's look at the cars made since 2000. What cars barely (subjective so let's say 92mph) can make 90mph? Name 1 car besides maybe the Smart that can't go 80mph? Just 1. Do you believe a car like that should spend 6+ hours on the interstate/autobahn at that speed? A SL is a maximum, not a "recommended". On a multi-lane interstate I don't care if you drive 55mph in the right lane to get your maximum fuel economy and feel safe. Or 60mph if you're rushing to the hospital. I'd also suggest that all garbage-trucks, moving vans, Student drivers, and those above 90 years old stay right. The left-lane or middle lane if there, is for the higher speed traffic. And if you don't like to drive 55mph with faster traffic on the left, there still are secondary highways where 55mph is the SL and going to the same destination.
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Replying to: cdn_tch (Nov 13, 2008 12:26 pm) Yes, that is exactly what manufacturers are doing when they put in electronic speed limiters onto their vehicles (most modern, if not all modern cars have this electronic nanny). Therefore, I'd argue the certified speed is the speed limiters maximum allowed speed by the manufacturer. |
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Replying to: cdn_tch (Nov 13, 2008 12:26 pm) Did you write this 30 years ago and forget to update it? |
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Replying to: euphonium (Nov 13, 2008 9:26 am) It's not rude to keep right - it's the law. |
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Replying to: fintail (Nov 13, 2008 9:56 am) One should not confuse the silent generation with the greatest generation who knows a lot more about being young than the young know about being older. The youth are not born with wisdom, it is accumulated with experience and age. There are old drivers and bold drivers, but no old bold ones. Choice is yours.
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Replying to: fintail (Nov 13, 2008 9:56 am) one can't expect much progress from the irrelevant unwashed old crony capitalist pseudo-intellectuals of Clark county, the silent generation that has betrayed the world. I find it sad to see such blind faith manifesting itself into name calling, stereotyping, ridiculing, marginalizing, and all that bluster which essentially is another way of showing that what anyone else has to offer on the subject is worthless...for no other reason than it doesn't support someone's chosen position.
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