Quote:
Originally Posted by pete c
As for the definition of "limit", lets be honest, it is generally a speed well below what a typical driver would consider a safe speed anyway. So, while it is officially a maximum speed, it should also be viewed as a minimum speed, by those that give even the slightest damn, about those they share the road with.
This is not about forcing anyone to drive a minimum speed, it is about imposing your own maximum on others. Doing so pisses people off and increases the chance of someone doing something stupid such as making a dangerous pass because they got tired of someone else imposing a lower than posted speed limit on them.
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A "typical driver" does not set the law, and they most definitely don't decide the laws of physics, and therefor what is safe. Traffic engineers, who get degrees in relevant fields of study, set particular speed limits for a reason. Going above the speed limit, even by 0.5mph, is a crime. Speeding is the single largest factor in traffic fatalities, so it definitely is not safe, regardless if the typical driver "feels" that it is.
It is a maximum speed, not a minimum speed, and that is not really up for any legitimate debate. States that have a minimum speed usually set it 15-20 mph below the maximum. Many states have a maximum speed for semi-trucks 10-20mph below the max for cars. Some highway legal vehicles are physically incapable of going the max speed in some states. So drivers need to be expecting to come across vehicles going less than the speed limit.
It doesn't matter if the lead car was doing 15 under the (MAX) limit, the car rear-ending them is at fault. If they did not have time to see and react to coming up on another car, they were driving too fast for conditions - regardless of the posted limit, that is illegal and dangerous.
The vast majority of roads either have low limits (<45), multiple lanes, or regular passing zones / turn outs, so there is really no reason a person should ever have to speed up or drive in the shoulder for the person behind them. The person behind a slower car can go around when its safe and legal to do so.