Comments on: Most States Let Drivers Exceed Speed Limit

By: david

david — Sat, 02 Jul 2005 00:29:25 +0000

Being someone that routinely drives 65 to 90 on Interstates , I never speed in my city driving . Low limits on city streets & in school zones make sense so I obey them .

By: Whispers in the airstreams » AP: Speed Limits Enforcement

Whispers in the airstreams » AP: Speed Limits Enforcement — Thu, 16 Jun 2005 16:43:25 +0000

[...] cement
Filed under: politics Media — leipper @ 8:42 am

James Joyner (Most States Let Drivers Exceed Speed Limit) summarized the importance of this AP story concisely. [...]

By: Miscellany

Miscellany — Tue, 14 Jun 2005 10:19:46 +0000

Speed limit mulligans

By way of Outside the Beltway, I find out about a report by the Governors Highway Safety Commission that reportedly finds that "authorities patrolling U.S. highways tend to give motorists a cushion of up to 10 miles per hour above...

By: DC Loser

DC Loser — Mon, 13 Jun 2005 21:22:37 +0000

I come through my son's school zone everyday around time school gets out. It never ceases to amaze me how some people do not slow down in the school zone when the 25 mph light is flashing, especially women driving minivans! I also had an unmarked law enforcement vehicle going past me in the zone doing at least 40. The problem is these people don't think the laws are going to be enforced or that they don't apply to them. I generally go about 70 on the highways, but I ALWAYS obey school speed limits and the flashing red lights on school buses. I wish the cops will put up more traps at these places to catch these people.

By: McGehee

McGehee — Mon, 13 Jun 2005 20:39:10 +0000

I suspect they set the limits where they do precisely because most people are going to exceed them by only so much. Those who would do 90 mph on an Iowa interstate wouldn't be likely to observe the school zone speed limit either.

By: StrangeThingsAfoot.com » The Laws of Speeding

StrangeThingsAfoot.com » The Laws of Speeding — Mon, 13 Jun 2005 16:42:39 +0000

[...] Mon 13 Jun 2005 The Laws of Speeding Posted by cbstinso under General James Joyner hits on a topic I have been ranting about for a long time. Of course, it would he [...]

By: Cole

Cole — Mon, 13 Jun 2005 16:39:29 +0000

I could not agree more with the Germany comparison. Why does the government pretend that speed limits keep us so safe? Speed limits in most places are absurdâ¦ take, for example the states I have driven in most â Tennessee and Iowa. In Tennessee, the interstate (or freeway, whatever), is 70 mph. That is fairly realistic in a state where even the interstate is curvy and hilly. Iowa, on the other hand has a speed limit of 65 mph, even though you can almost always see for miles, where 65 mph seems like tractor speed. I mean, what sense does that make?

By: McGehee

McGehee — Mon, 13 Jun 2005 15:29:01 +0000

Another factor is that the resources tied up in a speeding stop often amounts to more than the value, law-enforcement-wise, of punishing the offense. States do announce speed crackdowns during which the cushion approaches zero in the high-intensity enforcement areas (they can't be everywhere), but by announcing the crackdowns they do more to deter speeding than to punish it, which from a resource standpoint might make it worthwhile -- except that to stage the crackdown credibly they have to divert so much manpower to it that other priorities get short shrift. The fact is, speed alone isn't the safety nightmare it's been made out to be, and traffic enforcement people know it. That's why you can do 70-plus on the 55-posted I-285 freeway in Atlanta without risking a ticket; the other drivers staying closer to the legal limit are also changing lanes at random (not always on purpose), tailgating, and failing to secure the ladders on their truck racks. Thus devoting manpower to getting the overall speeds back down to 55 just doesn't make sense even if 55 were a sensible speed limit.

By: Just Me

Just Me — Mon, 13 Jun 2005 13:47:23 +0000

I agree, there are a lot of posted speed limits that are too low.

Also, generally what seems to cause the biggest traffic problems isn't speeding (within 10 miles or so of the posted limit) but with a huge descrepancies between the slowest and fasted cars.

I think most interstate highways can easily post a 70 mph limit, and most other state highways 60 mph, it is the more residential areas that the really low limits make sense, but there is a two lane highway where a part of it is posted at 40 mph, and other parts are 50-there isn't any difference in the 40 and 50 mph portions-it makes no sense.

By: JackLewis.net

JackLewis.net — Mon, 13 Jun 2005 13:01:13 +0000

Around the Blogosphere

Reparations Scam Michelle Malkin, Right Wing News Natalee Holloway Michelle Malkin, Scared Monkeys Kerry's continuing 180 scam Volokh Most states...

By: James Joyner

James Joyner — Mon, 13 Jun 2005 11:59:29 +0000

DCL: I won't argue with you there. I'm not necessarily advocating autobahn-type speeds. Still, there are plenty of speed trap 25 or 35 mph limits in places that don't warrant them or 55 mph limits in places where 65 would be more appropriate.

By: DC Loser

DC Loser — Mon, 13 Jun 2005 11:51:19 +0000

In Germany and much of Europe, the upper speed limit is dependent on the type of vehicle and the equipment used. Tire rating will determine what your upper speed limit is. Also they don't allow unsafe vehicles to be on the road (rusting, bad brakes, bald tires, etc.). Trying to use that criteria on some of the cars and trucks on our highways will be welcomed.