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Re: Why it's set at 55 m.p.h...
In article <3lq2ph$hnk@clarknet.clark.net>,
Jonathan Hazzard <thonhazz@clark.net> wrote:
> I've been following the thread about speeders FYI and I think everyone
>who posted a followup is missing a very important point. The fact that
>the speed limit is 55 is not to _increase_ revenue.
Unfortunately, it IS, but not for who you think.
> There
>are two reasons why fines are collected:
> 1) as a deterrent to excessively exceeding the speed limit
> 2) to create a source of income to offset the costs of maintaining,
>patrolling, and providing emergency services on highways.
I believe Matt has already pointed out that ticket revenues go into the
general fund, and aren't earmarked for SHA or even MSP use.
>... What
>they DO expect is that most drivers will stay within several miles per
>hour of the limit. The Dept. of Transpotation does ongoing tests on
>highway speed, constantly reevaluating the average speed and safety of
>various roads.
However, these studies are routinely ignored. Most of our interstate
highway system was designed in the 60s for general use at speeds up to
75 or so. The 55 limit wasn't chosen by highway engineers...it was set
by Congress. In retaliation, California passed a law prohibiting the
use of police radar on their highways where the limit was set by
legislation and not by highway engineers. A separate law prohibited the
use of VASCAR-type speed traps. Until 65 was passed, highway speed limits
were primarily enforced by pacing from modified aircraft (yes, PACING) and
patrol cars because almost no stretches of interstate existed that were
designed for a 55 limit.
Moreover, the group dynamics of driving shows that whatever the speed
limit, drivers tend to produce an average speed well within the safe
design limits of a given highway. The rule of thumb among highway
engineers used to be to set the speed limit at the 85th percentile;
effective speed enforcement only requires disciplining the fastest 15%
or so.
Try driving 55 on interstates in Maryland and see how many cars you pass...
basically none, except derelicts. Is this because all drivers drive
unreasonably quickly? No. Who gets the tickets? Anybody. When your
"deterrent" is randomly applied to everyone, it loses any credibility.
> For example, let's assume the average highway driver will exceed the
>posted speed limit by 10 m.p.h. If we want traffic to flow at 60, we'll
>set the speed limit for 50. If we want people to do 40, we set it at
>30.
The statistics show otherwise. When 65 became available in the '80s, the
average speed rose only two or three mph in states which adopted 65. The
fact is that most drivers already drive at their level of comfort, limits
be damned. Moreover, modern cars are safer, more crashworthy, better
handling, and vastly better braking than almost anything built when 55
became law. To reinforce this point, the highway fatality rate remained
about the same in those states, even before seatbelt laws, airbags, and
cheap ABS.
> When someone is travelling at a far greater speed, we'll ticket
>them, with a higher fine and point total with higher excesses. Have you
>noticed that 9 m.p.h. over the speed limit nets you one point and 10 nets
>you 2? Have you noticed that 25 over nets you 5? (I think)
>... However, not even politicians are cynical enough to sit back and
>say, "Hahaha, we'll make the speed limit 25 so we can make a lot of
>money!"
What do the words "campaign contributions" mean to you?
The modern emphasis on safety is a bunch of hogwash from the insurance
industry, which wants you to collect tickets so they can profit from the
points. A decade ago, each "point" assessed was worth about $600 to your
insurance company in premium surcharges. They don't care where the points
come from. Once the correlation has been established between points and
payout risk, it's in their best interest to pad the point sources as much
as possible.
Will they fight to protect their pork barrel? Hell yes! 20-24mph is only
worth about $100 to the Comptroller of the State of Maryland. It's worth
two to three thousand to your insurance company. Think about it! Wouldn't
you like to be able to randomly stop anyone you see breathing air and hit
them for a couple thousand bucks on the grounds that a few people cancer
victims had high radon levels in their basements?
-dave
--
Dave Hsu <hsu@glue.umd.edu>
"The only way to deal with bureaucrats is with stealth and sudden violence."
- UN Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali
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