Before you start reading keep in mind I'm not a 'fuck da police fuck speed limits' person, I am thinking about the actual practicality of having no speed limits.
What would happen if we removed all speed limits? The initial reaction is that there would be a massive spike in Highway deaths, but think about it for a moment. Human beings aren't stupid. They're not going to see a no speed limit sign and decide 'HMM I guess that means I should gas this shit to 150!' People won't drive faster than they feel safe, it's simply your nature, makes you want to avoid danger. Not to say that anyone on a highway would be free to do whatever the hell they want. People would still be pulled over for reckless driving, but they wouldn't be pulled over for stupid things like going fast on a straight road when you have complete control of your car and you're not putting anyone around you in danger. Now, you'd also argue that some people wouldn't be as adept with driving as others which would cause accidents, which you could counter by keeping the current left >> right system where the left lanes go faster than the right ones. If you're a super pro badass driver you go in the left lane, if you're unsure of your ability to control a car at high speeds, you go into the right lanes. Pretty straightforward.
Currently, people who speed are a high risk to everyone around them. I'll admit, whenever I speed, I spend a significant amount of time glancing at the right side of the highway scanning for cops, time which could be spent being more aware of my immediate surroundings. If there were no speed limits there would be no need to be constantly on the watch for cops, making speeders significantly safer.
Of course there could be an initial spike in crashes, which is expected. As an example, the first time the rear window brake light was introduced (You know the one in your rear window instead of at the sides of the car) rear end collisions went way down. This was because it was new, people noticed it more. After a few years, collisions went back up because people got used to it and didn't notice it as much. The same logic exists for speed limits, just reversed. In the beginning (Stupid) people might be excited about it and gas it above their limits, but overall it will settle out as people get used to it. This would only apply on highways, as going 70 on a residential would be dangerous to pedestrians.
Take this all with a grain of salt, don't think of me as some anarchist that wants to go as fast as he can on the highway, I'm simply saying that human beings are smart enough to manage themselves, and I believe were smart enough to drive safely without speed limits telling us how to. The positive effects of this wouldn't just be getting places faster. It would remove a lot of wasted manpower, like police hiding in bushes trying to catch speeders, speed cameras, etc.
Feel free to change my mind, I'm curious to see what facepunch has to say on this topic and if anyone has any scientific evidence proving otherwise.
By the way
[quote]A 2005 study by the German Federal Interior Ministry ([I]Bundesministerium des Innern[/I]) indicated that Autobahn sections with unrestricted speed have the same crash record as sections with speed limits.[/quote]
fuk da police
[quote]Human beings aren't stupid.[/quote]
i beg to differ.
I'd rather have speed limits, i believe it would be a lot safer overall.
uhm EVERYONE will choose to accelerate
I see plenty of young kids jumping in their dad's car and slamming a tree at 250k...
It's what I'd do if there were no speed limits.
[QUOTE=FunnyBunny;24232017]I'm curious to see what facepunch has to say on this topic and if anyone has any scientific evidence proving otherwise.[/QUOTE]
You typed a giant assumption without evidence, ofc you're going to be proven wrong here in a few min (not that you're ALREADY WRONG)
[QUOTE=Craptasket;24232112]uhm EVERYONE will choose to accelerate[/QUOTE]
And 5 seconds later realize 'oh shit I don't want to lose control of my car and risk losing it/my life' I better slow the fuck down.
Nah you're right humans are 1 dimensional characters we just want to go fast vroom vroom
The infrastructure would need to be modified to support it, as well as the driver education. If everywhere had the discipline as say, Germany, where they stay in the right lane unless passing, it would make for a safer, more efficient transportation system.
[QUOTE=Mokkan13;24232124]I see plenty of young kids jumping in their dad's car and slamming a tree at 250k...
It's what I'd do if there were no speed limits.[/QUOTE]
So you just admitted that you have no self control?
Basically zero.
[QUOTE=Mokkan13;24232215]Basically zero.[/QUOTE]
Ugh I really don't want to pull the Natural Selection card....
I think speed limits keep accidents to minimal damage. Accidents don't happen on purpose, and it really doesn't necessarily have to do with whether you are a smart driver or not, or how safe you feel. Shit happens. If for some reason one of your tires blow out, you and the drivers around you would have more time to react at lower speeds. Or if someone suddenly ran into the road you'd have more time to avoid them.
Also, people WILL drive faster once they realize there's no speed limit. And if people around you are driving fast, you'd feel the need to go fast too.
[QUOTE=FunnyBunny;24232192]And 5 seconds later realize 'oh shit I don't want to lose control of my car and risk losing it/my life' I better slow the fuck down.[/QUOTE]
Do you honestly believe a good percentage of people will think that in a no speed limit world
[QUOTE=Craptasket;24232238]Do you honestly believe a good percentage of people will think that in a no speed limit world[/QUOTE]
Yeah, I honestly do. People aren't idiots they're not going to go fast if they don't feel safe doing it.
[QUOTE=FunnyBunny;24232192]And 5 seconds later realize 'oh shit I don't want to lose control of my car and risk losing it/my life' I better slow the fuck down.
Nah you're right humans are 1 dimensional characters we just want to go fast vroom vroom[/QUOTE]
Not everyone is a smart as us, I know of many people who would kill themselves in their modified 1 litre Citroens.
[QUOTE=Larcus Mywood;24232275]Not everyone is a smart as us, I know of many people who would kill themselves in their modified 1 litre Citroens.[/QUOTE]
Natural Selection
There I said it you happy
ever herd of the autobhan?
[QUOTE=nemmises5;24232328]ever herd of the autobhan?[/QUOTE]
Yeah I heard
What about it
They make too much money off of tickets
[QUOTE=FunnyBunny;24232241]Yeah, I honestly do. People aren't idiots they're not going to go fast if they don't feel safe doing it.[/QUOTE]
ugh
Think about this
No speed limits? ok
-Slow drivers will choose to be ~ same or slower speed
-Responsible drivers will drive at the speed most comfortable (THERES NO SPEED LIMIT SO WHOOOPS THAT'S 30-80mph)
-Fast Drivers ~ same or FASTER
That's why we have speed limits and that's why we have the right to go < or > than the speed limit by 10 (or depending on the law of your land, plus left lane being the fast lane) it focuses that fluctuation
speed = unlimited
If there's that many fast drivers they must be pretty good at it otherwise they wouldn't be alive.
Autobahn is the German word for highway. There's a few of them that have no speed limits, but they're gradually speed limited.
[QUOTE=pikzen;24232380]Autobahn is the German word for highway. There's a few of them that have no speed limits, but they're gradually speed limited.[/QUOTE]
What about it? Are you trying to make a point, because if you are, you're going to have to rephrase it.
I didn't make a thread about speed limits not knowing what the autobahn is.
Quit questioning how things are done.
The US freeway/highway system sucks dick because eisenhower saw the autobahn, and he was a moron.
He made the freeway system VERY easy to succumb to road daze. Dotted line after dotted line, along a straight path, with VERY light turns that you can easily take at 180MPH.
Speedlimits are important are for people who have to make threads on WHY they are there, and WHAT would happen if we took them away.
I personally love going from my home base (my home) to a site thats 800miles away in under 3½hrs. Morons who cant drive, it makes it longer.
Yeah, I think that advocating travelling at excessive speeds in automobiles will result in safer overall conditions on the road. Good job OP.
[QUOTE=Craptasket;24232360]ugh
Think about this
No speed limits? ok
-Slow drivers will choose to be ~ same or slower speed
-Responsible drivers will drive at the speed most comfortable (THERES NO SPEED LIMIT SO WHOOOPS THAT'S 30-80mph)
-Fast Drivers ~ same or FASTER
That's why we have speed limits and that's why we have the right to go < or > than the speed limit by 10 (or depending on the law of your land, plus left lane being the fast lane) it focuses that fluctuation[/QUOTE]
God damn, I can't understand a word you say.
[QUOTE=Ali Legend;24232439]
God damn, I can't understand a word you say.[/QUOTE]
Then god help you
Parts of the autobhan have no speed limit and from what i've herd its one of the safest highway systems on the planet. If germans were able to adjust to it in the 60+ years they've had it I think Americans can do the same with a similar system
Let's also remove the laws against rape.
Smart people won't rape anybody.
Stupid people will go on raping sprees.
I'm pretty sure the rapes will stop eventually.
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