I would think it calls into question what actually is dangerous behavior. Is it more dangerous for one to be traveling at 55 when the rest of traffic is going 80? Plus it is revenue generation under the guise of "safety"... Remember the TSA is there for "safety" too.
Think for yourself. Question authority.
I violently AGREE!Originally Posted by cclaxton
Let's avoid personal attacks, thanks.
You forgot one "Speed trap potential."
More than once I've heard about a municipality annexing a section of a highway just to run speed traps. With exception of interstate highways, many states give municipalities broad leeway on managing speed limits within their municipal boundaries. So a number will even go as far as to lower the speed limit. There are some speed trap towns where the entire police force and even some of the municipal budget is paid with just speed trap revenue.
As an example my local police got a federal grant, the requirements for keeping the grant were to increase the number of speed tickets given by 10%. What does the city do? Run very very heavy traffic enforcement, they lowered speed limits in sections there they had a good hiding place. Apparently word got around because they didn't increase their tickets enough to keep the grant. Officers went back to normal patrols, and the speed limits were raised back to their previous levels.
Segways are legal to "drive" on public roads...not interstates, though.
On Blake Lane near where I live I once came upon an guy in a motorized wheelchair with flashers and a blue police light mounted on a pole driving his wheelchair down the right lane at night....true story...unfortunately the "nanny laws" were used to suppress his freedom to drive his motorized wheel chair down the road with a blue police light....damn Nannies.
Just checking out Virginia Highway Safety Laws.
http://www.ghsa.org/html/stateinfo/bystate/va.html
That a well-regulated militia, composed of the body of the people, trained to arms, is the proper, natural, and safe defense of a free state;
That sounds like Haymarket VA. It's a town that's about 350 acres in size, but they have a small portion of I-66 to patrol with the VSP.
Check out this box, the dashed red lines, it's about 4000' x 3000':
https://www.google.com/maps/place/Ha...98225f4997dc7c
You know how some ranges don't allow rapid fire? You have to show down to 1.00s splits, I hate that. Except when they give you a quick test, and if you can show reasonable accuracy at speed, you're allowed to go faster than the other people. Why couldn't we have a different class of license where the speed limit is automatically bumped up by 50% if you can pass a "fast driving" test? Administer the program like a cdl, it can't be all that infeasible. Attach some serious safe driving skills to the test and you might actually reduce accidents at any speed...
The answer, it seems to me, is wrath. The mind cannot foresee its own advance. --FA Hayek Specialization is for insects.
This assumes that it is about safety, which it is not.
Think for yourself. Question authority.
It took so long for reducto ad somali to arrive in this thread. Safety in a vehicle is neither guaranteed, nor protected by law or natural rights. Just as safety while walking down the street, taking a shower in a slippery bathtub, or swimming in a pool is guaranteed nor should it be the subject of laws. Full stop.
The reason speed limits exist, is because we created an artificially low barrier of entry to driving in the first place, and then use that as an excuse in the name of "safety". We have far too many undereducated or completely uneducated drivers in this country. It is a privilege that should be earned not granted by law when you turn 16. If you can be forced by law to take a series of safety and competency courses to own a firearm, a constitutionally protected right, then you should absolutely be mandated to take a series of multi-year advanced training courses to get a driver's license.
Finland has a national philosophy on driver's ed that sets out a minimal standard, in my opinion - 18 hours of driving instruction, including panic stops and slippery surface training, and 19 theory-based lessons. Followed by a two-year probationary period with a maximum of two traffic incidents or your license is revoked and you must retake the initial training. During the two-year period the driver continues to take course work, learn advanced driving techniques on a closed course, and take advanced theory-work, before graduating and earning a permanent license.
If we did that in this country, instead of giving Junior the 16 year old kid the keys to a 500 horsepower Mustang, or Sloppy Bob the 400 pound dad the keys to an F350 we'd probably be in better shape in terms of safety and have lower collision and insurance rates. But instead of doing the smart thing and training ourselves and our children to learn about the dangers and responsible handling of a multi-ton high-powered vehicle we give them a cursory, "Who goes first a four-way stop sign?" test and then say, "Don't forget to follow the speed limit for safety!" Completely ignoring the total realities of that statement.
Speed limits are and will remain nannyism at best and at worst are artificially lowered to serve as revenue generators. We will continue to have inane traffic laws and moronic traffic offenses until we accept responsibility for being better drivers. Given the proliferation of cellphone using, Big Mac munching, make-up applying, idiots with driver's licenses I hold out little hope for a reality check anytime soon...
The main reason we can't do this is simple: The people who don't have these licenses are on the roads too, and they don't have the skills, so they can't react with the same level of skill.
Also, speed limits are set to allow for the balance of traffic patterns for a given stretch of road. For instance, speed limits go down when you approach an area where a large venue exists, such as a sports arena. While 80% of the time the venue is empty, the speed limit is lower for the 20% when it is very congested.
Electronic Speed Limit Signs that allow traffic to go faster when traffic is light and go down when traffic is heavy or needs regulation, is a great idea....it just costs money. In fact, some roads have strobes that encourage people to speed up to help to improve overall traffic speeds and prevent bottlenecks and backups. Using technology to better manage speed and traffic flow is the best way to enable higher speeds when it is safe enough to do so.
Cody
That a well-regulated militia, composed of the body of the people, trained to arms, is the proper, natural, and safe defense of a free state;
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