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North Carolina to begin enforcing posted Speed Limits

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These kinds of things are always motivated by a need to make some extra money. We're supposed to follow laws, though. And speed limits are really easy to follow since they're posted everywhere. It's kinda hard to argue with this one despite the fact that we all know they only care because of money.
All of this.
 

Tigress

Member
I wonder in the long run if doing something like this isn't a good thing. I mean if they really do get strict on the speed limit maybe people will realize how ridiculous the limit is when enforced and push for actual reasonable limits.

Atlanta one time had a group of college students who decided to show how slow the limits really were by driving the limit and making sure they were taking up all lanes doing so. They had kids from bridged film the traffic backup that happened when they forced people to go the limit.
 

Ralemont

not me
Cool, I'm sure Carolinians are looking forward to an increase in traffic and accidents as more drivers concern themselves with looking at their dash and strictly enforcing the law than driving safely, like photo-enforced red lights.
 
For safety, I think this is probably a bad idea. Highway & traffic engineers consider the "85th percentile" to be the 'safe speed' for setting a speed limit.

It's amazing how many people value obeying the letter of the law over actual safety.

I would have no problem with strictly enforced speed limits if they were based on the safe speed instead of more or less arbitrarily.
 
Cool, I'm sure Carolinians are looking forward to an increase in traffic and accidents as more drivers concern themselves with looking at their dash and strictly enforcing the law than driving safely, like photo-enforced red lights.
Do you have stats on this? Because there are many stats on higher speeds leading to more deaths, but this seems pulled out of your ass to support how you already want things to be.
 

Ralemont

not me
Do you have stats on this? Because there are many stats on higher speeds leading to more deaths, but this seems pulled out of your ass to support how you already want things to be.

Your argument is about higher speeds. Mine is about strictly enforcing limits leading to bigger problems, which is documented in the case of photo-enforced traffic lights.

If this is actually about preventing casualties instead of revenue, keep the buffer and lower the limits. A buffer is inherently useful for driving. Pulling people over for going 1 over is not.
 
I drive North on I85 from the other side of Durham about 40 miles each way everyday and I haven't seen a trooper on that stretch in the last 3 years. That was until two weeks ago. Now I see at least two everyday. Doesn't effect me,but when I have to drive to Gastonia for work sometimes, the speeding is amazing.

Oh 85 between Durham and pretty much Concord is straight comedy.

You'll have people going 100 like it's nothing mixed in with people trying to drive 5 mph under the speed limit
 

rjc571

Banned
Do you have stats on this? Because there are many stats on higher speeds leading to more deaths, but this seems pulled out of your ass to support how you already want things to be.

https://www.motorists.org/press/montana-no-speed-limit-safety-paradox/

Not so fast says a follow up study just completed by National Motorists Association. The study shows the safest period on Montana’s Interstate highways was when there were no daytime speed limits or enforceable speed laws.

The doubling of fatal accidents occurred after Montana implemented its new safety program; complete with federal funding, artificially low speed limits and full enforcement.

Here is what the Montana data shows. (chart below) After all the politically correct safety programs were in place and fully operational, complete with federal safety funds, more laws and citations being issued. Here are the results.

1. After the new Speed Limits were established, interstates fatal accidents went up 111%. From a modern low of 27 with no daytime limits, to a new high of 56 fatal accidents with speed limits.

2. On interstates and federal primary highways combined, Montana went from a modern low of 101 with no daytime limits, to a new high of 143 fatal accidents with speed limits.

3. After a 6 year downward trend in the percentage of multiple vehicle accidents on its 2 lane primary highways, multiple vehicle accident rates increased again.

4. With the expectation of higher speed when there was no daytime limit, Montana’s seat belt usage was well above the national average on its highways without a primary law, lane and road courtesy increased, speeds remained relatively stable and fatal accidents dropped to a modern low. After the new limits, fatal accidents climbed to a modern high on these classifications of highway, road courtesy decreased and flow conflict accidents rose again.

This begs the question, do people change the way they drive when there is no speed limit? The evidence suggests the answer is yes. The measured vehicle speeds only changed a few miles per hour as predicted – comparable to data collected from other western states. What changed? The two most obvious changes were improved lane courtesy and increased seat belt use. Did other driving habits and patterns change as well?

The lower–than–US fatality rates on the German Autobahn (where flow management is the primary safety strategy), and now Montana’s experience, would indicate that using speed limits and speed enforcement as the cornerstone of US highway safety policy is a major mistake. It is time to accept the fact that increases in traffic speeds are the natural by product of advancing technology. People do, in fact, act in a reasonable and responsible manner without constant government intervention.

The Montana experience solidifies the long held traffic engineering axioms:

people don’t automatically drive faster when the speed limit is raised;
speed limit signs will not automatically decrease accident rates nor increase safety;
highways with posted speed limits are not necessarily safer than highways without posted limits

The study on the effects of no daytime speed limits in Montana is clear. Traffic safety, if anything, actually improved without posted limits or massive enforcement efforts. Highway safety wasn’t compromised nor can the lowest fatality rates recorded in modern times be ignored. Something happened, it was positive, and it needs further research to analyze what worked and why.

Try not to get too dizzy spinning this one.
 

Briarios

Member
These kinds of things are always motivated by a need to make some extra money. We're supposed to follow laws, though. And speed limits are really easy to follow since they're posted everywhere. It's kinda hard to argue with this one despite the fact that we all know they only care because of money.

Yeah, that's not true at all. There are many areas that see a sudden change in the speed limit where it would be unsafe to suddenly slow down, but according to this you'll be ticketed for that. It's a money trap, that's all.
 

Malvolio

Member
Something tells me many of the people in favor of this also like to camp in the left lane to keep us all safe from those who would dare travel over 55.
 
And when was it established that the traffic on that particular stretch of interstate was moving at its average speed at that particular date and time? That's a horrible leap of logic which has no place in a courtroom. The judge who said that deserves to be disbarred.

It was traffic court in Atlanta, the judge was there mostly to collect money and make people feel bad about what they had done.
 
NC update here: This whole event was compete waste of time. It's back to normal. People speed and cops don't give a damn until you start going 8 over as usual. It's not about man power, it's about common sense. You need automated tech and robo police to enforce whatever bullshit the governor was implying.
 
NC update here: This whole event was compete waste of time. It's back to normal. People speed and cops don't give a damn until you start going 8 over as usual. It's not about man power, it's about common sense. You need automated tech and robo police to enforce whatever bullshit the governor was implying.
When you say it's back to normal, they axed the idea or people are just saying fuck it?
 
When you say it's back to normal, they axed the idea or people are just saying fuck it?

People are back to their old habits, or slightly reduced their speeding.

Be it for $$$, posing a risk to society, or other, the police don't have a reason to pull you over for going 40 in a 35, or 70 in a 65. It's business as usual, the same old rules apply.
 

TCRS

Banned
america land of the free

83Fepkh.jpg


going to be thinking of you while thundering down the autobahn later
 
The DOT can't enforce this.
It's bullshit and will only be enforced by a department that chooses to enforce it. It was done last year as well.

NC is feeling the pain from the new HB2 bill they passes that allows for full descrimination against lgbt community. Many businesses are pulling out of the state because of it. Causing nc to lose out on billions of cash flow. PayPal just backed out as an example. It also includes a section that allows any employer to fire you or discriminate against you if you are gay. And you are not allowed to take the employer to court, onky federal court.
 

DominoKid

Member
NC update here: This whole event was compete waste of time. It's back to normal. People speed and cops don't give a damn until you start going 8 over as usual. It's not about man power, it's about common sense. You need automated tech and robo police to enforce whatever bullshit the governor was implying.

Thank god. People actually driving the speed limit was about to give me road rage. Didnt see a cop all week so I guess they made up whatever quota shortage they were having.
 

Downhome

Member
My wife lived in NC, and we are trying to move up there, so we visit often and were up there last weekend. Nothing has changed, no one is going any slower. I tried my best since my wife is in insurance and I don't want to risk anything, but t certainly didn't change the folks in general. I didn't see a single person anywhere pulled over.

I suspect this was done only for when the state all of a sudden needs a lot of extra money. If you take a bunch of cops and set them loose in NC they could consistently pull folks over all day long if they actually wanted to. So stupid.
 
When you say it's back to normal, they axed the idea or people are just saying fuck it?

The campaign officially ended on April 5th, so over over. It is a temporary stunt that they pull every year.

Anecdotally, my friend and my mom both got tickets (bro in Durham, mom in the middle of bumfuck nowhere) but the cops never even pretended to give a fuck here in Charlotte.
 
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