Speed Limits Debate

Turns out speed limits exist for a reason.

How does setting a speed limit "too low" make a road more dangerous?

In my experience, most people drive roughly 5 miles per hour over the speed limit. That suggests to me that the speed limit does in fact have a mitigating effect.

There is a valid safety concern. On certain roads, people regularly speed 70 to 80 mph in a 55mph zone. It is honestly safer to be ~70mph than it is to be going the proper speed limit in these circumstances.

You're not paying for a 'premium speed limit' that's higher than everyone else's - it's _supposed_ to inconvenience you so you stop doing it.

Yeah, it's almost as if the speed limits are unreasonably low, or something. Someone should look into that.

Speed limits are a ceiling not a floor.

The major danger on highways is difference in speed between cars ("variable traffic"), it's much safer to go with the flow of traffic. Absolute speed has little to do with it.Additionally, speed limits are set for the benefit of police (increasing ticket costs) and for the benefit of politicians who can now say they are "making roads safer".Case in point: the Autobahn http://autos.aol.com/article/driving-the-autob

Speed limits are generally too low.. this is the problem.

GPS-based speed limiting is dangerous, you are on the highway but it thinks you are on the exit ramp and your car brakes hard out of nowhere