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Re: Repeal of the National Speed Limit Law
mcollett (mcollett@vt.edu) wrote:
: >>
: >I disagree with you. Trucks weigh a lot more than cars, that means
: >that the faster that they travel, the greater the force will be at
: Well I must disagree with you and agree with the traffic engineer.
: He/She (I've forgotten who's who) has been studying the numbers and the
: statistics much longer and in more detail than both of us, I'm sure.
: In my opinion however, things on the interstate are much more dangerous
: at the relative level. As in a bike flying up behind a truck at a 50 mph
I too will trust traffic and transportation engineers over the big mouths
in government and insurance companies. My guess, however, would be that
the practical speed limits for trucks would be lower than for cars, not
because of weight, but because of vehicle stability. A small low vehicle
with four wheels at each corner has to be more stable than an eighteen
wheeled vehicle with a high center of gravity towing one or more trailers.
Rather than slowing the automobile down to match the truck, some speed
differential may be desirable. I am sure the engineers could calculate
the optimum speeds for both sets of vehicles, minimizing both speed
differential concerns, and stability concerns, while maximizing average
speeds for each. Those optimum speeds, I am sure would be nothing remotely
close to those chosen by our government which sets speeds arbitrarily.
Michael Adams
--
msadams@netcom.com
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