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Re: 65 means 65



kennystar@megaweb.com (KENNY MORSE) wrote:


>In article <3vtp7p$9ob@condor.philabs.philips.com> John P. Curcio wrote:
>>In article <3vtl63$p50@cville-srv.wam.umd.edu>,
>>Scott Richard Rosenfeld <ham@wam.umd.edu> wrote:
>>
>>...about 65mph limit....
>>
>>>So basically, nothing has really changed, except that I can now 
>>>make my long trips at 67 instead of 62, and not worry about getting
>>>a ticket.  There are, undoubtedly, pockets where enforcement is 
>>>lax at best.  But don't expect the same policies to exist as when 
>>>the law was 55.
>>
>and John writes:
>>You are the type of person the gloom-and-doom insurance companies and
>>safety nazis say don't exist.  You are proof that drivers will respect
>>a reasonable limit (although I belive 65 might be 5-10 mph too low)
>>and not hold speed limits in contempt, as happened before.

>WHAT???? He's the type of person that the insurance company uses
>to solidify their beliefs!  His willingness to speed even when the limit
>is raised to 65!!!!!  He is EXACTLY why those of us who wish the
>speed limits could be 75 won't get our wish.  Because the government
>KNOWS that if they raise to 75....he  (and many others) will take that
>as a sign to do 85!
>>>

>Kenny Morse
>"Mr. Traffic" on
>Los Angeles Radio & TV  responding to
>>-JPC
>>
>>-- 
>>=================================================================
>============
>>John P. Curcio  jpc@philabs.philips.com  Philips Labs  Briarcliff Manor, NY
>>                "FOSTERS:  Australian for Bud, mate!!"
>>   "No goats, no boats, no motorcars, not a single 'yes-siree!'"  -BH
>>


I don't think there is any real basis for that.  Drivers drive, when left
alone, at reasonable speeds for known conditions.  That's why the old 85th
percent rule works so well for so many years - the speed limit was set at the
speed that 85% of the drivers drove at or below.  There was an intereseting
little "study" done some years back by one of the car mags.  They turned a
small group of drivers loose in an assortment of vehicles with the
speedometers blacked out but with a recording device connected.  What they
found was that everyone drove at perfectly reasonable speeds and that the
vehicle that averaged the highest speed was not the "sports car" (I forget
which one it was) but was some Van (something like a Ford Econoline).  People
aren't fools, for the most part, and will drive at a reasonable speed.  Of
course there will always be the exception who thinks it's Ok to do 110 thru
traffic but whatever the speed limit is it won't matter to those people
anyway.



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