[Prev][Next][Index][Thread]
Re: Solve speeding by limiting cars!
In article, marks@ludes.com (Mark Spencer) wrote:
> Cars are already being sold with speed limiters to keep from
> exceeding the limits of the tires and suspension. Why aren't cars sold with
> speed limiters at 65 mph to keep from exceeding the limits of the law? The
> majority of all accidents are due to speed. Thosands of lives would be saved
> every year if cars were unable to exceed a safe speed.
>
> What is wrong with our government that they would ignore such a
> simple way to enforce a law and save lives?
You should pick up a copy of Leonard Evans' book "Traffic Safety and the
Driver" (1991, Van Nostrand Reinhold, NY, ISBN 0-442-00163-0) and get a
little more perspective on the issue of traffic safety. It is not so cut
and dry as you would suggest.
Evans even comments on studies that showed:
1) A decrease in traffic fatalities in areas not affected by the 55 mph
speed limit when it was put into effect.
2) An increase in traffic fatalities in areas kept at 55 mph when other
sections of the same interstate were raised to 65 mph.
The only thing that can be said conclusively is that an impact at a
higher speed will do more damage than at a lower speed IF YOU DON'T
CHANGE ANYTHING ELSE. It is real hard to pinpoint exact effects
when you are simultaneously providing better crash protection and
increasing the speed of impact.
Besides, I think if we are supposedly going to get serious about
reducing traffic fatalities the most obvious thing to do is to
train better drivers, remove bad drivers from the road, and really
put a clamp on alcohol and driving. This would save far more than
the few thousand lives predicted for such nebulous restrictions
like speed governors.
Speed governors as another one of those PC solutions that could
not possibly insult someone who is either an irresponsible or
lousy driver.
Mark