News: Utah Considers Joining 80 MPH Speed Limit Club

[MetroMPG]

Utah Considers Joining 80 MPH Speed Limit Club

Texas may lose the distinction of being the state with the highest legal speed limit in the US.

...

"The engineering studies that we conduct would determine what the appropriate speed would be," a UDOT Government Affairs Director Linda Hull explained on Wednesday. "Looking at it from the outside we think it might be eighty miles per hour." The test would consider the 85th percentile speed -- the actual speed at which the majority of traffic is moving in safety

Apparently engineers don't consider increased fuel consumption & higher emissions in their studies.

[Lazarus]

I'm trying to figure out why every state keeps raising the speed limits even when our political heros say we need to cut our dependence on oil. Is this a way to crush the hybrids and electric cars before they make it to the market or is it that much of a time is money thing?

History repeats it self. The death rates were sure higher when the speed limit departed from 55 mph. *Shrug*

[bestmapman]

The problem is most people don't obey the lower speed limits anyway. This is probably a bad thing because as I go 55 in the slow lane now people will think they can go even faster with the higher limits.

[tjts1]

Originally Posted by MetroMPG

Utah Considers Joining 80 MPH Speed Limit Club

Good! I hope this trend keeps up.

Originally Posted by Lazarus

I'm trying to figure out why every state keeps raising the speed limits even when our political heros say we need to cut our dependence on oil. Is this a way to crush the hybrids and electric cars before they make it to the market or is it that much of a time is money thing?

Maybe because they realize that speed limit on the highway are unenforceable and at best simply serve to line the pockets of local authorities.

Originally Posted by Lazarus

History repeats it self. The death rates were sure higher when the speed limit departed from 55 mph. *Shrug*

Theres a lot of evidence out there showing that "Drive 55" cost a lot of innocent lives.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/articl...02/MN65128.DTL

http://www.roadsideamerica.com/tnews...ip_AttrId=5056

Originally Posted by bestmapman

The problem is most people don't obey the lower speed limits anyway. This is probably a bad thing because as I go 55 in the slow lane now people will think they can go even faster with the higher limits.

As long as you stick to the slow lane, it shouldn't be a problem.


If politicians really wanted to reduce our dependence on oil, we would have a la law limiting vehicles of more than 4000lb to the right lane. Don't enforce a different speed limit on SUVs and trucks, just nab them when they get into the fast lane. Call it a safety issue

[trebuchet03]

Originally Posted by bestmapman

The problem is most people don't obey the lower speed limits anyway. This is probably a bad thing because as I go 55 in the slow lane now people will think they can go even faster with the higher limits.

We could legalize murder too - plenty of people do that despite laws against it o.0 But ya, I stick to the slow lane - even higher differential speeds doesn't make me happy - but perhaps a little aero assist?

Maybe because they realize that speed limit on the highway are unenforceable...

? My father got two speeding tickets in Texas about 6 months ago... Hardly unenforceable Funny part is, they were within 20 minutes of each other... After that, he stuck to the posted limit...

[tjts1]

Originally Posted by trebuchet03

? My father got two speeding tickets in Texas about 6 months ago... Hardly unenforceable Funny part is, they were within 20 minutes of each other... After that, he stuck to the posted limit...

Ok great. So they got one guy. Everybody else still speeds. Most people might get a ticket or a warning every few years, slow down for a while and then forget about again. Thats hardly an effective deterrent. I've been pulled over for speeding about 3 or 4 times in my life and I was always able to talk my way out of it. Cops realize the 65 and 70mph speed limit around here is rediculous. They use it as an excuse to check on drivers but they'll rarely hand out tickets unless you were doing something really egregious like passing on the right, blocking traffic, weaving between cars or going over 90mph.
Austria has an extremely effective enforcement system. Every 2 km theres a speed camera. The speed limit is 110km. 10km over and you get a ticket in the mail. Anything more and they pull you over next time a cop car sees you. I doubt Utah or any other state wants to waste tax payer money for such a draconian system. But it works. Everybody drives 110.

[Gone4]

We had a speed limit enforcement day on I95 in NH during some holiday weekend (July 4th?) and it slowed down traffic considerably. They pulled over anyone doing 80+ (in a 65 MPH zone) and ticketed them. I believe it was about eight cars involved all day being fed the people to watch for from what appeared to be a disabled van they passed earlier. The state made thousands off of the Massachusetts drivers that couldn't respect our roads, everyone slowed down and saved gas, reduced emissions, and was safer. We all won

Anyways, we really do need to keep the speed limits low for the environments sake. If you don't like it, then I hope my state gets to collect from you so our road taxes remain cheap.

[trebuchet03]

Originally Posted by tjts1

Ok great. So they got one guy. Everybody else still speeds.

The all or nothing attitude results in the latter

UK has a similar speed camera system (GATSO IIRC - but I think they're upgrading).

[igo]

80mph is fast. Some small cars get a bit shaky at those speeds.

I have never had a speeding ticket since I started caring about mpg.

[SVOboy]

If the point is that people are always going to speed, isn't it then the case that people will just go 90 when the limit is 80 instead of 80 when it is 70? Saying that everyone will speed anyway seems like a good reason to have a lower speed limit so even the speeders aren't going 100 mph.