Study: Higher speed limits create dangers

USA Today | 24 Nov 03 | AP

[dansangel]

That's one of the things I love about this town.

That's one of the things that I vehemently hate. I do 85mph on I-85 and I-285 and still keep out of your way. You and your buddies are speeding past me and around me doing in excess of 90-100. It always pleases me to see you pulled over getting your due when a cop is in the mood.

I have lived many places and have never seen worse drivers than I have seen in Atlanta. I hate the I have to pay through the nose for insurance even though my record is squeaky clean because I have the misfortune of living here. In fact, there's not a whole lot I love about living here, period. I keep waiting for an employment opportunity to come up elsewhere so I can get out of here before I'm killed by some speeding idiot.

[Constitution Day]

BUMP!!

(BTW - I have that very issue of National Review somewhere. I don't think they're huge Liddy Dole fans to say the least)

[Vigilantcitizen]

"I think in Georgia they can arrest you for going 15 over the limit, so drivers are forced to choose between a potential arrest and driving safely."

They have the right to arrest you at 20 over. They will lock you up for 30 over.

Yours truly,

Leadfooted Georgian

[Vigilantcitizen]

"I have lived many places and have never seen worse drivers than I have seen in Atlanta."

I agree.

It didn't used to be that way.

[Sabertooth]

How many fatalities are caused by oivercrowded roads as a result of bureaucrats choking highway funding in favor of public transportation swindles?

[FreedomPoster]

<*ding*><*ding*><*ding*> We have a winner!

And how many die a slow death commuting every day because of undercapacity, choked roads.

[T.Smith]

I do 85mph on I-85 and I-285

I do about 80 mph, self-righteous jackass. I hope you leave my town soon.

[wita]

You and the previous 27 posters have just about nailed this stupidity. What incentive is there in improving the safety, power, agility, capacity, and economy of vehicles, if those efforts and success are to be corraled like so many cows on roads also improved, by having speed limits reduced rather than raised another 25 miles an hour.

[xrp]

It didn't used to be that way.

It was fine before the Yankees started their 2nd invasion!

[dansangel]

I do about 80 mph, self-righteous jackass. I hope you leave my town soon.

Thank you. Your prayers would be greatly appreciated.

[dansangel]

From T.Smith to me:

I do about 80 mph, self-righteous jackass. I hope you leave my town soon.

Sheesh - some folks can't take a little criticism. It's because of people like him that I can't wait to get my self-righteous a$$ out of here.

[T.Smith]

I regretted it after I posted it. I didn't appreciate the criticism because you criticised something I don't do - namely driving 90-100 mph. You painted with too broad a brush and I was annoyed. Sometimes I fire without carefully looking down range.

At any rate, I do hope you are able to leave soon.

[dansangel]

Understood - that's why I *usually* (though not all the time, I confess) count to ten before I hit the post button.

At any rate, what I was trying to get at is that I have to break the speed laws just to stay "safe" which is ludricous. Otherwise, I have people so close to my rear end that I can't see their headlights, or they are swerving dangerously in and out of traffic to get by me. (Note to FreedomPoster - I am NOT a left lane road hog). :-)

Yes, I *assumed* (hate that word) that since you loved being able to speed as a resident here, that you were probably one of those that go 90-100. My apologies for including you in my tirade.

[FreedomPoster]

Y'all are a good example of another reason why FR is such a good forum. <*golf clap*> to both of you.

I do about 75-80 in town, would prefer to be able to do 90-100 on inter-city Interstates, but that's not possible (without a big ticket budget), so I'm the same out of town.

[dansangel]

Y'all are a good example of another reason why FR is such a good forum. <*golf clap*> to both of you.

Thank you - but I could work a bit on my temper. *And* I need to be grateful that I have a job and a roof, no matter *where* it is.

I do about 75-80 in town, would prefer to be able to do 90-100 on inter-city Interstates, but that's not possible (without a big ticket budget), so I'm the same out of town.

Shame on you! :-)

[Snuffington]

I think we should all get out and just push our cars - and NO running allowed either! Think of the lives we'd save.

... This message brought to you by your surrogate mommy - like it or not - the Nanny state.

[FreedomPoster]

And it would help solve that societal obesity problem, too. No need for the safety Nazis to have to ban McDonalds!

Speaking of which, I grabbed a burger there last week. First time I'd done that in many, many months. I was reminded why I rarely patronize their business. Yuck.

[T.Smith]

Y'all are a good example of another reason why FR is such a good forum. <*golf clap*> to both of you.

Thank you. If only I could control myself better I know I could be a model FReeper and a good netizen. I'm supposed to be living by the Golden Rule, ya' know? :)

I do about 75-80 in town, would prefer to be able to do 90-100 on inter-city Interstates, but that's not possible (without a big ticket budget), so I'm the same out of town.

Living in Northern Gwinnett, and working in Southern Gwinnett, means that I rarely get to see the needle touch the space above 80 (unless I am angrily passing a <70mph "left lane loafer", which I am wont to do at around 95 mph, oops). But, when I'm going to LaGrange, I'd love to be able to drive above 85 mph south of the airport.

[crv16]

The report didn't examine the effects of other trends, such as the increasing number of sport utility vehicles on the road then.

If you're travelling 80mph in a SUV, emergency maneuvers are far more risky than in a sedan. Braking distances are typically longer as well. Not to mention the "invincibility" factor people feel when driving SUV's.

I drive over 40,000 miles per year, often in crappy weather. More times than not, when you see vehicles off the road as the result of an accident, they are SUVs. Especially when the roads are snowy/icy.

I'd guess that the majority of the increases in death rates is due to the switch to SUV's.

SUV drivers think they are safer, but statistics disprove that. In 2002, there were 59 driver deaths per million miles for SUVs where a single vehicle was involved. Compare that to 37 for cars. When the accident type was a single vehicle rollover, it's 47 to 18, when comparing SUVs to cars. When multiple cars are involved in an accident, it's more advantageous to be in a SUV (duh). There, the SUV occupant dies at a rate of 31/ddmm compared to 46/ddmm for cars. When you average it all out, all crash types, cars are statistically safer. 83/ddmm compared to 88/ddmm for SUVs.

http://www.hwysafety.org/safety_facts/fatality_facts/passveh.htm