Speed limits are sensible and necessary -- but only if realistic. Unrealistically slow speed limits are a significant urban problem.
WHAT REALISTIC SPEED LIMITS DO
Realistic speed limits:
- invite public compliance by conforming to the behaviour of the majority.
- give a clear reminder of reasonable and prudent speeds to non-conforming violators.
- offer an effective enforcement tool to the police.
- tend to minimise the public antagonism toward police enforcement which results from obviously unreasonable regulations.

WHAT UNREALISTIC SPEED LIMITS DO
Unrealistic speed limits:
- do not invite voluntary compliance, since they do not reflect the behaviour of the majority.
- make the behaviour of the majority unlawful.
- maximise public antagonism toward the police, since the police are enforcing a "speed trap" (a road where the posted speed is lower than the safe speed for driving).
- impede the flow of traffic.
1 comment:
Then there is the inattention. low speeds have been well documented as a cause of inattention. A survey by the California Highways Agency discovered that most crashes occurred at low speeds due to inattention caused by the tedium of the low speed.
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