Guest pod Posted January 6 Report Share Posted January 6 I had an interesting thought the other night. A friend of mine is a very good driver, at relatively high rates of speed...we got to where we needed to go and back in half the normal time. I checked up via Google, and there's a bit of a grassroots movement to increase the current speed limits into the high 80s - low 90s in most states. Montana experimented with an autobahn-style system in the late 90s, but special interest groups took care of that one in short order. The one interesting concept I came upon was turning the speed limits into speed advisories. The concept would go as follows. You're free to drive as fast as you want, but the highways would have posted advisories recommending how fast you should go. Say on I-95 for example...on a sunny day, the advised speed is 90...you're free to go 90+ of course, but it's advised to go 90 to keep witht the flow of traffic...on a rainy day, the advised speed goes to 60 maybe. You can still haul ass at 90 though. Here's the trick, if you get into an accident, or cause an accident going faster than the advised limit, it's your own damn fault, and insurance will not cover any damages or deaths or lawsuits resulting from your recklessness.Face it, the speed limits as they are now are not for safety reasons....55 and 65 are ridiculously slow speeds, and only serve as revenue generators for the state/county/city...people do 75-85 on average, and only get snagged when the cop is feeling itchy, or you're guilty of Driving While (insert minority group here).Yeah, I know, I don't even own a vehicle, but when I did, what irritated me the most were these damning limits, especially at 3 AM when there's a huge highway all to myself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MyIbiza Posted January 6 Report Share Posted January 6 Here's the trick, if you get into an accident, or cause an accident going faster than the advised limit, it's your own damn fault, and insurance will not cover any damages or deaths or lawsuits resulting from your recklessness. ;D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ryan2772 Posted January 6 Report Share Posted January 6 It's funny, but there are strong correlations to the drug laws in America. Personal responsibility should always prevail, but that's just not the American way! The main point for both topics, is your point about revenue generators. That's all it's about. Except with driving, there's a whole lot more of a chance that you driving really fast is going to hurt/maim/kill more than just yourself. Now that's a problem. And if someone kills your brother/mother/great aunt, etc., you'll think differently. A lot of people are killed because of speeding. It would be nice if most people were good drivers, but as us Miami folk know very well, most people can't drive for sh*t. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest bcnjunkie Posted January 6 Report Share Posted January 6 I agree. If people proved to be better drivers, than maybe something like that would work, however, with the psychos in Miami, NO WAY Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest demo909 Posted January 8 Report Share Posted January 8 I agree.  If people proved to be better drivers, than maybe something like that would work, however, with the psychos in Miami, NO WAYI agree. It's a joke how easy it is to get a driving liscence in the US as compared to Europe and Canada. If we could limit the amount of unsafe drivers then maybe we could in crease the speed limits Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest pod Posted January 8 Report Share Posted January 8 Especially down here. Apparently a knowledge of the local language is not a requirement. I've seen folk fresh off the boat from the Third World, get a license 2 weeks later. I'd like to think I'm a good driver...I'm impatient, yeah, but who wants to plod along at half the car's power on an open highway? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest bcnjunkie Posted January 9 Report Share Posted January 9 pod: doesn't CJ provide you with a driver anyways ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest pod Posted January 9 Report Share Posted January 9 Yeah, but I like to drive fast ;D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest bcnjunkie Posted January 16 Report Share Posted January 16 Yeah, but I like to drive fast  ;Doh I see get the driver in trouble !! you know, you're so inconsiderate sometimes !  and again, you wonder why the Norah, broken bottle, washington avenue incidents happen ;D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest LeVeL Posted January 31 Report Share Posted January 31 What Speed Limit!!!LOL.......I personally never dirve at the Speed limit required.only when I'm in a school zone.It would be nice if there weren't any speed limits....but there are a lot of haitians and another Island in the Caribbean that I wont mention that dont know how to drive.....so that ould ruin everything.I personally am I fast driver....who will cut you if your driving too slow......or beep at you if your eating shit with your cellphone......but you know whats funny just 3 days ago I got a Speeding ticket for driving 60 in a 35 mile zone......So if you see a 2000 Pontiac Gran Prix GTP in black coming your way....please get out of my way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest demo909 Posted February 3 Report Share Posted February 3 What Speed Limit!!!LOL.......I personally never dirve at the Speed limit required.only when I'm in a school zone.It would be nice if there weren't any speed limits....but there are a lot of haitians and another Island in the Caribbean that I wont mention that dont know how to drive.....so that ould ruin everything.I personally am I fast driver....who will cut you if your driving too slow......or beep at you if your eating shit with your cellphone......but you know whats funny just 3 days ago I got a Speeding ticket for driving 60 in a 35 mile zone......So if you see a 2000 Pontiac Gran Prix GTP in black coming your way....please get out of my way.LOL ;D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest endymion Posted February 3 Report Share Posted February 3 The concept would go as follows. You're free to drive as fast as you want, but the highways would have posted advisories recommending how fast you should go.As a firefighter/EMT I can tell you that this is a Very Bad Idea. People look very unattractive when they get ripped to shreds by glass and metal during vehicular accidents at highway speeds. They make the most horrifying noises as they die, you don't even want me to start describing the details. Your opinion on the whole speed limit thing really changes a lot once your soul has been scarred once or twice by witnessing the aftermath of a really truly serious highway accident. Meaningless death is an enormous buzzkill. Assholes driving too fast and killing innocent bystanders is enough of a problem already.This sounds pretty authoritarian, but the public in general is just not ready to handle the responsibility. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest pod Posted February 3 Report Share Posted February 3 I've never traveled much beyond the borders of the US, would you say it's the American drivers who aren't ready for that sort of thing, or just drivers in general? Germans have had autobahns for years, and their accident rate is lower than ours. Semi-on topic, in the next ten years, automated highway systems will be coming on line in various metro areas. The basic concept is that sensors on the car and on the roadway will manage the driving on highways, and keep the traffic in closely-grouped "platoons" going around 85-90 MPH. The logic being, that a highway system is a network, and what better network manager than a computer system? The computer can manage whole hordes of vehicles at a higher average speed than human drivers...The demo video I saw had the cars quite close together at 65 MPH. Check out an article here...http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/escape/piocar.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest endymion Posted February 3 Report Share Posted February 3 People don't respect the consequences, that's universal. Any human from any country who has not seen it personally is incapable of understanding the full magnitude of how horrible it is to have a steering column shoved through your chest and out your back, but not quite kill you right away. Or to have your legs ripped off as you are ejected from your Corvette in mid-flip. Or to watch somebody's little sister beg the strangers around her to tell her why it's all happening to her, when you know that it's because the jerk in the other car cut off her mom because he was late for a class. The jerk who isn't even hurt who's making pathetic excuses to the cops.Sorry to be so graphic kids, but that's the reality of the situation. Driving fast is fun, but scenes like that are a direct result. Same simple truth in every country. I'm guilty of stupid driving sometimes just like everybody else but I don't see any benefit to encouraging it by changing any laws. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CrzyC1414779017 Posted February 3 Report Share Posted February 3 Wow! I couldnt handle your job. :'( Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest pod Posted February 3 Report Share Posted February 3 True enough...reckless driving is a bad thing all around. I still think the limits are too low for my own taste, but I do realize that most people in general cannot drive worth a damn, and that is why they are low. I imagine it will take a AHS-style system to increase traffic efficiency...too bad it will cost billions though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest endymion Posted February 3 Report Share Posted February 3 CrzyC, I couldn't handle it. Not many people can. I play with computers now. They don't bleed or poop or vomit on you and they don't scar your soul when they die.One of the reasons why I moved to South Beach, very seriously, is because I cut my driving down to about once a week. I seriously believe that I extended my life expectancy by decades. I have had a bad car accident that almost killed me and I have witnessed many other bad accidents that did kill other people, and there is no way that I'm going out that way. It's just pointless.Pod, I do like the idea of computers making sure that people can't drive stupidly. Check out the ULTra pod, Pod. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest pod Posted February 3 Report Share Posted February 3 That article said pod a million times ;D That system reminds me of the Minority Report style of transport.but a computer system (provided it ran a mission-critical OS like QNX), is a better driver, obviously. The trick is convincing people of such...showing them that even if the unit does crap out, there's fail safes...or like the NOVA article said, even if the driver craps out, the car will just pull over and put out a distress signal. Since moving to the Beach, I've only needed to use a car about once a week myself...and even then it's something where I can just run to the store on foot, or use a bike or scooter, and Downtown is accessible too, with little effort...nevermind the side benefit if the driving is up to someone else, I don't have to be too concerned about booze intake. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ryan2772 Posted February 4 Report Share Posted February 4 Pod, I do like the idea of computers making sure that people can't drive stupidly.  Check out the ULTra pod, Pod.Where do you find this shit, man??? Funny as f*ck, you are! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest bcnjunkie Posted February 4 Report Share Posted February 4 cryzctrust me it's not cool when a family member leaves for an errand and never comes back again because of a speeding truck !, I'm no angel, but allowing speeding to become commonplace just doesn't make sense Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CrzyC1414779017 Posted February 4 Report Share Posted February 4 cryzctrust me it's not cool when a family member leaves for an errand and never comes back again because of a speeding truck !, I'm no angel, but allowing speeding to become commonplace just doesn't make senseBCN- Enough, please. I lost a BF to a drunk driver once and almost lost a cousin because he WAS a drunk driver. Now my cousin will never be the same mentally...I have seen the consequences too and dont want to come any closer again. :'( Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest bcnjunkie Posted February 4 Report Share Posted February 4 BCN- Enough, please. I lost a BF to a drunk driver once and almost lost a cousin because he WAS a drunk driver. Now my cousin will never be the same mentally...I have seen the consequences too and dont want to come any closer again. :'(I know, it's a sad topic but the reality of the danger of speeding is eminent, the guy that hit my dad wasn't even drunk, he was just speeding ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest zacashus Posted February 7 Report Share Posted February 7 i have had way too many speeding tickets in my youth as well as a DUI.... if for no other reason than a selfish one.... don't speed or drink and drive based soley on the consequences involved if you get caught. thank the lord i never hurt or caused pain to anyone around me in that stupidity!...... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest web_norah Posted February 17 Report Share Posted February 17 speed limit.....makes me think of the German Autobahn. now thats speeding ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest pod Posted February 18 Report Share Posted February 18 http://www.dw-world.de/english/0,3367,1432_A_1117658_1_A,00.htmlSpeeding may become a thing of the past on the autobahns though... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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