jjm@hou5e.UUCP (06/13/83)
There are some excellent roads in this country, namely the interstate highway system. They were designed to be limited access, as straight as possible, and safe for the average car to drive on at 70 MPH. The national speed limit has dropped this by 15 MPH to 55 MPH, and it was claimed that this was to a) save gas, and b) make the roads safer. Is there anyone who has experience with organizing a petition who would help us drum up support for the issue of removing this federal speed limit from the interstate roadway system? I hate to admit it, but I don't know enough about our political system to write a cogent petition, let alone know who it should be directed to. I would also appreciate help in obtaining data to disprove either item above (gas saving or safety). European insurance statistics would be helpful. Thanks! Jim McParland ABI - HO hou5e!jjm
berry@zinfandel.UUCP (06/16/83)
#R:hou5e:-55600:zinfandel:3200029:004:742 zinfandel!berry Jun 14 09:35:00 1983 The current issue of Car and Driver has an article on the 55 MPH speed limit. It is anti, of course, but well worth reading whatever your personal view. It includes a petition you can cut out, sign and send to President Reagan if you like. Why has no one mentioned that freeways are actually safer than surface streets? Note that everyone goes the same direction at about the same speed, and there is no cross traffic. This makes head-on and "T-bone" collisions much rarer on freeways. It seems to me that I have seen statistics to support this somewhere. Berry Kercheval Zehntel Inc. (decvax!sytek!zehntel!zinfandel!berry) (415)932-6900 (But note Disraeli: "There are three types of falsehoods: lies, damn lies and statistics.")
laura@utcsstat.UUCP (06/26/83)
The most glaring problem of setting the speed limit to 55 to keep 95% of drivers below 70mph is that you are penalising the law-abiding driver who is less likely to be the one you are worried about at 70mph. Meanwhile, the totally irresponsible driver (who may be into other things like drugs and driving, or drinking and driving) is whizzing along at 85mph. Seems to me that you are penalising those who do not believe in "civil disobedience" which is rather unfair. laura creighton utzoo!utcsstat!laura
zhahai@nbires.UUCP (06/27/83)
Ok, suppose that the 55 limit is raised tommorrow. New speed limits are 65-75
so we all stop speeding (throw away those radar detectors since the big
emotional justification is gone, right?) and now have respect for law and order.
Naw, then instead of going 65-75 people still use their radar detectors, and
still talk about autobahns, and go 70-90mph. Remember, speeding wasn't just
invented with the 55 limit. Some people assert that interstates and freeways
are safe for reasonable dirvers at 70mph - well there are a lot of not so hot
drivers and the only way to keep 95+% of the cars below 70 is to make the limit
55. I drive 55-62 most of the time with an empty road, and 65 if I'm in a
hurry or out in the boonies - and I don't worry a lot because the cops mostly
set their radar at 65 and up (the alarm). Anyone doing 90 really stands out.
I don't have a detector, and i've never had a speeding ticket or accident.
Lets have YAP (yet another poll): how fast are you happy with allowing every
nut with a license to drive legally? No, not yourself, the others who aren't
as good a driver? Now, take that and subtract, say, 5mph for the nominal speed
limit. No fair expecting us all to become Germans or any such - if you want
better training, fine but don't hedge your number with that - assume the
current drivers for this poll. Some will be drunk, but thats another story.
My vote: I want them to stay under ____ 60-65 real (ie: limit 55-60). (Of
course I'm a pretty fair driver, and I can handle much more, and so on...)
Zhahai Stewart {allegra, ucbvax} nbires!zhahai