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Faster is not always better: why the case for higher speed limits is fatally flawed.
(theconversation.com)
this post was submitted on 18 Sep 2024
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I disagree. But not necessarily for the reasons you might think.
I’d be on the side of doing Autobahn-style limits that are adjusted to traffic and road conditions. I’ve done over 100 on the Autobahn and it’s fine.
Why do I disagree? Because we as Americans on the roadway are fucking idiots. People don’t maintain their cars. People put stupid mods on, like lifted trucks, super-wide off-road tires, stanced cars, people staring at cellphones or watching videos. Mods that significantly change handling, rollover risk, and stopping distances. There’s always some asshole who has to drive like the road is a personal racetrack. There’s always people completely disregarding the “keep right except to pass” rules.
Why do high- or no-speed limits work on the Autobahn? Because of rigid rules that enforce compliance with vehicle safety and behavior on the roadway.
Americans have too much of a fuck-you attitude about rules, especially about their cars. They literally couldn’t handle the freedom of a no-speed-limit road, there’d be daily catastrophes.
They have the same attitude about speed limits.
I didn’t want to be pedantic and list every possible variance. There is no perfect system. Yes, of course, there are going to be people on the Autobahn driving stupid, using phones, and in less-than-stellar cars. However, implementing autobahn-style speeds and the rules needed to make it work would never fly in the US.
Having watched drivers in a traffic backup on the Autobahn neatly organize themselves to leave a lane empty for emergency vehicles even though there were no emergency vehicles in the vicinity, my conclusion is that there's no fucking way that American drivers have the discipline or sense of social responsibility necessary to handle Autobhan-style driving.