Confidence in high speed
Pop quiz: how much slack do police officers give you for speeding? 5 mph over the speed limit? 10 mph on freeways? Maybe 15?
The mere fact that we have to ask ourselves that question on our daily drives demonstrates how pointless speed limits actually are.
And now my former home state is mulling raising the speed limit in certain areas to 80 mph, according to numerous sources. Officials for TDOT (Texas slang for Texas Department of Transportation) justify the proposal by pointing out that drivers are already driving 80 miles an hour through the targeted areas.
Right problem, wrong solution. Drivers in west Texas are cruising at 80 in a 70, so officials suggest raising the speed limit to 80 to reflect reality? It doesn't take a genius to figure out what happens next: drivers will be going 90 in an 80.
The inherent trouble with speed limits is that they even exist, not that they are too low. At best, they serve merely as guidelines. At worst, they are restrictions that prevent people from driving to their full ability. Ulimately, they are unenforceable laws that most drivers circumvent regularly.
I claim that most drivers in their right minds know how fast they can safely drive on a given road. So, suggestion #1: don't give driver's licenses to people who aren't in their right mind.
I further claim that a driver who is confident behind the wheel driving at 80 mph is safer than an unconfident driver going 65. So, suggestion #2: don't give driver's licenses to people who aren't confident driving a car. (Unfortunate but obvious counterpoint, of course, is that the only way to get confidence in ones driving abilities is to have a license and get out there and drive - possible solution is extend the period for having a learner's permit and make the transition to license more rigorous.)
Finally, I would like to point out that Montana has no speed limits, and they have very few driving deaths each year. Of course, you could point out that's because Montana has about 5 residents, and is such a huge state that they probably never see each other anyway. You could also point out that I have no source on that information, and am just guessing. But if you did, I would simply mutter for you to shut up, because you're undermining my argument with your so-called "facts".
Not that arguments against speed limits do much difference. Speeding tickets exist primarily to fund police departments, so they probably aren't going anywhere.
And lastly, for those who didn't get the reference in the post title...
Song lyric of the day:
"We've been living life inside a bubble
Confidence in you
Is confidence in me
Is confidence in high speed"
-Coldplay, High Speed
The mere fact that we have to ask ourselves that question on our daily drives demonstrates how pointless speed limits actually are.
And now my former home state is mulling raising the speed limit in certain areas to 80 mph, according to numerous sources. Officials for TDOT (Texas slang for Texas Department of Transportation) justify the proposal by pointing out that drivers are already driving 80 miles an hour through the targeted areas.
Right problem, wrong solution. Drivers in west Texas are cruising at 80 in a 70, so officials suggest raising the speed limit to 80 to reflect reality? It doesn't take a genius to figure out what happens next: drivers will be going 90 in an 80.
The inherent trouble with speed limits is that they even exist, not that they are too low. At best, they serve merely as guidelines. At worst, they are restrictions that prevent people from driving to their full ability. Ulimately, they are unenforceable laws that most drivers circumvent regularly.
I claim that most drivers in their right minds know how fast they can safely drive on a given road. So, suggestion #1: don't give driver's licenses to people who aren't in their right mind.
I further claim that a driver who is confident behind the wheel driving at 80 mph is safer than an unconfident driver going 65. So, suggestion #2: don't give driver's licenses to people who aren't confident driving a car. (Unfortunate but obvious counterpoint, of course, is that the only way to get confidence in ones driving abilities is to have a license and get out there and drive - possible solution is extend the period for having a learner's permit and make the transition to license more rigorous.)
Finally, I would like to point out that Montana has no speed limits, and they have very few driving deaths each year. Of course, you could point out that's because Montana has about 5 residents, and is such a huge state that they probably never see each other anyway. You could also point out that I have no source on that information, and am just guessing. But if you did, I would simply mutter for you to shut up, because you're undermining my argument with your so-called "facts".
Not that arguments against speed limits do much difference. Speeding tickets exist primarily to fund police departments, so they probably aren't going anywhere.
And lastly, for those who didn't get the reference in the post title...
Song lyric of the day:
"We've been living life inside a bubble
Confidence in you
Is confidence in me
Is confidence in high speed"
-Coldplay, High Speed
8 Comments:
um, pretty sure Montana did away with that a few years back. You may want to check that fact again.
If they raise the speed limit up to 80 then they should start nailing people for 1 over the limit. If everyone starts going over 80 then they'll just put up speed limit cameras. You get enough 50-100 dollar tickets and you'll slow down.
One thing though, speed limits aren't pointless. If everyone decided to start killing everyone as they please and the police force couldn't keep up with the numerous amounts, would murder be a pointless law? You get what you can get. Besides, if you set the speed limit at 65mph as it is here on 95 in NoVA everyone averages 75(though you get a few most stay under 80). Well what if they thought that instead of raising the speed limit to 75-80 and risking people going 85-95 why not keep it at 65 and let them do 75 with police enforcing anything higher. Lets people think they're going faster then they should but they're getting there quicker but still keeps them at a safer easier to handle speed. Its one thing trying to correct yourself at 65 then at 85 with a minivan, besides try coming to a stop from 85 with the brakes on a SUV. Not gonna happen.
Lets people think they're going faster then they should but they're getting there quicker but still keeps them at a safer easier to handle speed.....
Hmm, maybe I should proof read better, BUT BUT BUT BUT BUT(sounds like I'm a QB on Tecmo Super Bowl). LOL I'm sure you get the idea though :-)
tough shit on that one. Just because you make a lot of money doesn't mean you should get hit harder for the same crime. If they worked hard and made money and a speeding ticket won't burn the bank then good for them. Getting enough points and losing your right to drive does work for most. Besides these wealthy do drive higher end cars, meaning more insurance. Get a few tickets and that goes up. All but what 1% of the population don't make enough a year not to worry about money. Even if you make 200k a year you still have house payment, car(s) payments, etc. All those cost more(most likely) then the someones payments who makes 50k and after everything is payed they don't have THAT much more left over. 500 bucks total each time(ticket, court cost, time loss, insurance, etc) adds up for anyone. If you want to go that way, then milk should cost less for the non wealthy. Oh and strippers should lower their price for a lap dance for someone from a trailer park.
Generally, I gotta agree with OWM on this one. At least his first comment.
Never thought about the regressivity of it before. But....I dunno. I have no problem with the obviously regressive lottery because it is entered into by choice. I have a huge problem with the obviously regressive sales tax because it is not entered into buy choice. A family's gotta eat. As for the regressivity of speeding tickets...well, they seem to fall somewhere in between, but closer to the lottery. Speeding is a choice. Sure everybody does it and knowing that fact gives police great power in deciding who to pull over (which is frightening). But theoretically at least, people have the option to drive the speed limit.
"Knowing that fact gives police great power in deciding who to pull over." Oh you mean like the guy I talked to this past weekend who got pulled over for doing 82 in a 75 -- while being passed no less? And yeah, did I mention he also happens to be black? I'm sure that didn't play into the officer's decision at all.
Frightening indeed.
OWM, is the stripper thing just wishful thinking on your part? And also, comparing the idea of everyone speeding versus everyone murdering other people is an apples-and-oranges argument, ergo it falls pretty flat.
oh give me a break. I could have said stealing or spray painting shit on walls. I just used something that was against the law. Excuse me for picking murder. I'm just saying that you try to justify breaking a law by saying "everyone does it". So I picked something more serious and wanted to know if it was wrong if everyone does it. Where do you draw the line? Did this guy get pulled over at night or day? I find it funny when a black guy gets pulled over and says the cop picked him out cause he's black when its night out. Kinda hard to see the person at night. Maybe an argument during the day but comeon. Besides, I've been pulled over when others were speeding too. Why did I get picked? Maybe because I was the first car the cop caught up to?
"Maybe because I was the first car the cop caught up to?" Which would mean you were going slower than the others. Which would mean you were less of a danger than the others. Which would prove my point that speed limits exist more to fund police departments than to protect citizens.
And for the record, he didn't say a word about being pulled over because he was black, even if he was thinking it, and he certainly didn't raise any complaint directly to me. But we both knew the unspoken truth.
And, oh by the way, I have not yet in this post attempted to justify exceeding speed limits because "everyone else does it".
you're right you didn't say that. I kinda pieced a few things you wrote and it came up in memory that way. Didn't read it again before I wrote. My bad.
So someone was driving 3mph faster then me. Doesn't make their crime/whatever really any worse then mine. Speeding is speeding(unless its extreme like 105 in a 25) Grab the first guy you can instead of trying to catch up to the others and possibly lose them and the others you skipped. It takes time to pull out/turn around and catch up to others. I doubt the other people that were driving faster then your friend were going that much faster. It never fails though, whenever anyone I talk to gets pulled over they ALWAYS say "well I don't know why he pulled me over, there were others going faster then me". Doesn't matter who it is. Friends, family, coworkers, etc.
Also, what is the big *$*&*#(# deal about "speed limits exist more to fund police departments than to protect citizens". For starters you do know that speedlimits on roads are set for different reasons. How fast can the average car handle speeds on that road? How much water will collect in heavy rain? How much traffic, people, etc are likely to use said road? How much stopping time would be needed to brake for someone pulling out into road(meaning how visible are side streets). Is there a place to pull off for broken down vehicles? Thats a lot of info for people to handle on their own, even more so for someone thats never driven that road before. They just don't go "well 35 here will give us more money". To get back to the money issue, if the money they get from people breaking the law goes to them(who by the way put their lives on the line, even in simple traffic stops) and it saves us some money on taxes then who gives a shit. They are already extremely under paid and underfunded. More power to them. Screw the people that don't obey the rules. I've had to pay a few tickets due to my wife for that. Didn't bother me one bit. She broke the rules, we payed. Simple as that. Don't speed, don't pay. EASY EASY EASY.
Post a Comment
<< Home