We need to consider those drivers who are lacking skills, and have poor vehicles. I think there should be different classes of speed limits that you can qualify for at the DMV. But that’s a perfect world…

I have lived in 3 states. Ohio, Michian, and Tennessee. The limit in MI and TN is 70, Ohio as we all know is 65. Michigan/Tennessee police will allow for 75, where in Ohio if you’re hitting 70 you’re going to get a state trooper’s attention.
The case where the kid got off with doing 100+mph overseas because conditions were safe, they should apply to the US.

If I’m doing 80mph in a 65 zone, its not raining or snowing, or any signs of fog, on an empty highway, I don’t see the need to ticket.

a speed limit is a maximum. should the maximum not be set higher instead of lower? the reason that it is 70 on the motorway is because that was a high speed back then. cars have evolved since then. higher saftey features and better brakes and handling mean that people can feel comfortable at even 100. look at germany. no speed limit on some sections and you don’t hear of people dying in huge numbers in massive pile ups. i think the government should stop thinking with its wallet and it should start thinking with the peoples best interests in mind.

The worst thing about ohio is the 55 in the cities, although I guess that is true of most places. I’m not bitter about my ticket inside Cincinnati city limits the other night or anything.

Logically, the government would consider raising the speed limit and enforcing it to the number. But as we all know, logic is something that is hard to find in the government.

I agree with this article, that if the speed limits are raised, drivers are less likely to speed. My driving style is drive how I please, as long as its safe (and avoiding police attention). If I’m flying down the highway at 85, its because I’m moving with traffic, or theres very little traffic to begin with, and driving conditions are perfect (no rain, snow, etc). It would be nice if all highways were like the Autobahn.

It seems that the 80/20 rule still applies. Basically:

80% of the people will be driving the mean average SAFE SPEED for the road conditions at any one given time. No matter what the posted speed is.

CharlesJR

Makes a lot of sense.

also it would be interesting to see seasonal speed limits, for example drop the speed limit when its winter, or there’s freezing going on. Also maybe implement digital speed limit signs, which could drop when it rains? Just dreaming…

I have often thought that the current limits were out of touch. maybe the limits should be set based on the abilities of most modern cars. ABS, Traction Control, all-Wheel-Drive and better headlights are all features on all cars sold in North America.

That is a fine idea. I always drive as fast as I safely can, which is almost always well above the posted limit. Unless I’m in the minivan. Performance-oriented cars I drive, such as the Acura TSX and Porsche 944, have capabilities to drive faster safely.

Having lived in both Germany and the US, I agree that higher speed limits in the US should be implemented. But until the quality of roads and drivers increase here in the US, we should wait. I currently live where the limit is 70 mph on the interstate and people still pass and weave at 80-90 mph and drive 50 mph in the passing lane. US (not all, but most) drivers are not ready or responsible enough for increased limits.

I must agree w/Aaron that most American drivers are not ready/responsible enough for increased limits as every highway trip I’ve taken gets worse and worse these days with more and more morons driving slowly in the Passing Lane(unaware that it is a “PASSING” lane). Its a joke and incredible frustrating when the people who actually know and observe the “rules of the road” are the MINORITY.

These days, drivers of big fat SUVs apparently believe they truly own the road and their vehicles are exempt from any such rules – they start the long-range drive in the fast/passing lane and NEVER EVER move over, literally, regardless of their speed or other cars! I and other cars have NEVER had to pass more on the right than we do today, which is so dangerous that finally Colorado is passing a law that makes it Illegal to pass on the right. What SHOULD be illiegal is driving in the passing lane without actually making a pass/moving back over!

As president I would:

Maintain speed limits in local areas for reasons such as pedestrians.
On Highways speed would limited based on the average traffic and time of day. A 55 zone at midnight should not still be 55. Duh.

On interstates, except for where they meet urban “rush hour” areas there would be no speed limit. “Rush hour” areas would be signed with warnings and a speed limit for certain times, like highways.

All State troopers would be dilligently enforcing the following:

1) Left lane sitters: If you are in the left lane and not passing anyone you get a fat ass ticket.

2) Left lane blockers, same as Left Lane sitters, but these MOFO’s get extra penalties for not moving over for higher speed upcoming traffic.

3) Lane weavers: Given the penalties for blocking passing lanes, passing lanes should be freely available, therefore if you are caught doing the “lane dance” you get a fat ticket too.

4) Right Lane Passers: given the above, there should be no one passing in the right lane. This lane is for highway entry and exist and persons should not have to worry about being rear ended doing either. Violators are treated like Left lane blockers.

Number one they should implament passing laws. Such as if you are not passing someone you must be in a left hand lane. This would clear up the right hand lane for passing purposes, and allow slower drivers the ability to feel safe. After a year or so with this system actally being enforced (unlike 90% of driving laws) they can change the maximum speed limit.

The best would be to make driver tests harder, and expand public transpertation. Something like this would actually increase the amount of money going to the government, and actually help improve road conditions.

I agree with the comment about road conditions in the U.S. On the Kennedy Expressway here in Chicago, there are many a patch of road not safe for current speed limits.

It’s funny to read this article in light of the ’speeding’ article that was posted the other day. As Asher said, passing laws should be obeyed. There are passing laws currently, they simply are not enforced. The biggest reason behind vehicular accidents is the difference in speed. Not t-boning or aggressive driving, but when one vehicle comes upon a much slower vehicle.

What many forget, is that a 70mph speed limit was not uncommon prior to the 70’s. What changed this was the gas crunch where everyone feared a shortage of oil. (Deja Vu??) So to conserve oil, speed limits were lowered by federal mandate. So now we know there is plenty of oil and it’s simply a matter of corruption out there. The new question is, how much are we really saving with these extremely slow speed limits? Considering the accidents on highways and how much insurance premiums cost us every year, I would say slow speed limits are costing us. Advance vehicle technology 30+ years now and I find little to no reason not to raise the limits.

I agree with Aaron. He and I live in the same state where the law Utah Annoted law 41-6-55 (http://publicsafety.utah.gov/publications/traffic.htm) states that a driver cannot impede the traffic in that lane and if being overtaken must move to the right. Most drivers I encounter on Utah, Nevada, Wyoming, California and New Jersey roads not only seem totally oblivious to the laws of the road but to other drivers as well. I think that our country needs to reevaluate how an individual EARNS the privilege to drive instead of just handing out these cards as another form of identification. Suggestion: follow Germany’s example. Because until this happens, the USA won’t be ready for a more civilized and advanced driving lifestyle.

Totally agree… Current speed limits are worthless.
The only thing going for them is the amount of money the govt. can make using them

I live in LA. Most speed limits are non-sense here as in the entire US. I heat heave traffic every day driving to work and back home. I keep observing my rout and get frustrated. More than 80% of motorists have nothing to do with driving. Holding a steering wheel does not mean to drive. Before increasing speed limits, public’s driving skills must be improved, since everyone wants a car. Let’s don’t forget, for that 80%, the car is just a moving appliance. They have no traffic ethics and don’t know simple things like changing lanes. An idiot may be doing 50mph on fast lane thinking he is driving safe. I think in many places a minimum speed limit has to be set and licensing requirements must be 3-5 times tougher than they have now.

One day a road like Nurnbergring or autobahn where I can enjoy my MCS. That’s my dream for now

I agree with #19

I loved to drive the german autobahn, but with all these east europe trucks and construction sites, I usually never made the 70 mph, and I drove a V 12 bimmer!. A flexible system is the right answer, so you can adjust the speed limit to traffic and weather conditions.

It seems to me that everyone is in agreement. Why don’t we get with our local Congressmen to push through a bill. We need to do the following:
Re-evaluate the way we license people to drive. I personally find it absolutely annoying when people weave though traffic, cross solid lines, and drive like idiots,and they are just rude.
I don’t think speed kills: it is when we drive like idiots that we create the dangerous setting for an accident.
The issue is not speed, the issue is that we are having increasing percentage of drivers that are absolute morons.
Do we need to better educate drivers to make them better drivers- the answer is yes.
Will the government consider investing in the DPS to improve the quality of services- we as a people need to make that point across.
The government needs to do better to serve the people, and that means constantly thinking of ways to improve the quality of life of it’s people.

I am an advocate of higher maximum speed limits. I would definitely like to see certain stretches of freeway with limits of 100 mi/h.

However, I don’t think that many of the US roads are designed to handle high speed driving well. At least in the San Francisco bay area, the freeways are pot-holed and uneven, making them hazardous for driving at elevated speeds.

Even the German autobahns have speed limits in certain areas. One thing that separates the autobahn from many US freeways is how they are constructed. They generally run in straight lines, have full center dividers and perhaps most importantly, are in much better condition that US roads.

So, until the government is willing to funding the quality of freeways that are suitable for higher-speed driving, I don’t see that we will move much further beyond the 55, 65, and 70 mi limits we currently have.

FYI David Ramsey. First, I have to agree with you that around-town driving is definitely inconceivable for high-speed driving, especially with potholes. Respectfully, I have to disagree with you about your comparison between the Autobahn and American freeways. You got it backwards– not about the quality of construction– but the layout. When the Germans designed the Autobahn in the 1930’s, they first considered building them in straight lines (since thats the fastest way from point A to point B) but discovered that it was extremely tiring, boring and kept the driver from staying fully alert. So, the engineers implemented sweeping curves (not dangerous ones)that kept the driver alert. I drive from SLC, Utah to California both along I-80 (through Tahoe) and I-15 (through Las Vegas) frequently enough that I can tell you the freeway through Utah, Nevada and southern parts of Cali are very straight. The speed limit is 75 mph along most of the Utah and Nevada parts (its all desert) and it is a frequent observance to see vehicles of all shapes and sizes driving at speeds between 90 and 100 mph. In response to everyones ideas about increased speed limits, keep in mind that the cost of fueling your car dramatically increases– $ per mile– as your speed goes over 60 mph. Example: My Corolla S gets 37-41 miles per gallon on the freeway going about 60-65 mph. When I drive sustained speeds around 95 mph, I get 25-27 miles per gallon. Environmentalists will definitely have a valid arguement along with those who lobby for more stringent drivers education. Nevertheless, you have a valid point suggesting that areas– like remote Nevada desert for instance– should allow for the long-ago retired Montana “drive at safe speed” signs instead of the speed limit signs.

Fast driving oh yeah

Speeding Skills! It’s a fact! If you want to teach a kid to walk, you can’t just explain all abour it and slap the poor kid onto his legs.

To learn how to drive you must drive! And it’s not by looking at the speedo that you will learn!

People need to drive and test the road conditions so they can always make sure they’ll stop within visible distance!

It’s nice to see some of the truth coming out! Speeding Skills! Contrary to the “speed kills” propaganda.

=Texas is probably one of the most logical states. They are ABSOLUTLY correct. Most of the interstates in the US were desgined for above 75mph and above. I also agree with the data. When I am driving on a rural road poasted at 50mph I usually drive within a few miles of the speed limit. But on raods that are posted 30mph or 35 but you can clearly go 50mph I will do the 50mph. However one KEY that would help significantly on the interstates. More signage needs to REMIND people that the laft lane is for PASSING and NOT for crusing at 50mph. If you want to drive slower stay RIGHT. ALso I think that a little more enforcing of this would do some good. If we can get drivers to understand that it is RUDE, and dangerious to be going 50mph in the left lane. What ever happened to Flash to pass. I would say 50% of the drivers get anoyyed when someone flashes them. They need to MOVE over to let others pass them.