Speed Limit Absurdity
This post doesn’t really have anything to do with the stated theme of this blog, but I just have to get something off my chest. I got a speeding ticket this past weekend – my first in Tennessee so far. I was traveling on I-40 west of Knoxville. The stretch of I-40 that I was traveling is straight and relatively flat for about 15 miles. Can anyone explain to me why the posted speed limit is 55 mph? I will tell you why, and this is the only reason: it’s within the city limits of Knoxville. There is no other reason than that. In fact, coming from the west, the speed limit is 70 mph until you get into Knox County, where it drops to 65, then to 55 once you enter Knoxville. That speed limit is absurd. Is the road all of the sudden that much less safe when you cross an invisible line that is the city limits of Knoxville? Don’t tell me this has anything to do with safety. Speed limits and safety are completely unrelated. I can almost guarantee you that if you did a speed survey of that stretch of the interstate, you would find that at least 80% of the drivers drive faster than the posted limit of 55 mph. Why is it that such a high percentage of people disregard the speed limit? Because everybody knows it’s unreasonably low. But you have police officers stopping people and harassing them for going 70 or 75 mph when it’s perfectly safe to do so. Speed limits are set arbitrarily and are based on political and monetary considerations, which, of course, any municipality will deny. There is actually a proper procedure for setting speed limits, but it is not followed, because it will reduce the revenue potential of the speeding ticket business. What is that proper way, you ask? Perform a speed survey on the road for a period of approximately 1 month. You will obtain data showing the range of speeds that people are driving on the road. Plot these speeds on a bell curve and read off the 85th percentile speed – the speed at which or under which 85% of the drivers are driving. THAT should be your speed limit, not some arbitrary number that makes no consideration for the design of the roadway, the weather conditions, the traffic conditions, the ability of the driver, or any other sensible consideration. Merely increasing the speed limit is not going to cause people to automatically drive faster. Sure, there are some drivers who will drive fast, but the vast majority of them will drive the speed at which they feel comfortable and safe driving. People aren’t going to drive like maniacs just because they can.
There…I feel better.
