Comment by phlillip | Hacker News Reader

Comment by phlillip | Hacker News Reader

No. Cars today are so much faster and more powerful than they were only 20 years ago. Here in the UK the speed limit on motorways is 70mph. I learned to drive in 2000 in a Rover Montego that would cruise fairly well at that speed, but later my family purchased the very popular VW Golf Mk4 TDi and all of a sudden we could cruise at 100mph and barely notice it, the level of comfort and noise insulation was that good. This is a car from 2002. But we are not better drivers than people from 20 years ago; yet we all drive around in these vastly overpowered machines. Brakes are better, tyres are better, sure, but that can bring with it false confidence. Our reaction times are exactly the same - if not worse thanks to all the modern distractions of technology - yet there are vastly more vehicles on the road for us to deal with. I drive to the speed limit everywhere I go, and I constantly have a queue of cars behind me. If you're in a rush, get up 5 minutes earlier. Plan better. If you like to drive fast, spend 30 minutes at a local go-kart track.

Cars are like bullets in our hands and should be handled with the utmost of care.

OTOH, a limit of 70mph might be too high for my granny. And 100mph is a joke for somebody with racing experience. Who do you design for? You are very responsible and everybody should behave like you; but what if you get diminishing safety returns when driving lower than 90mph because your reflexes are good enough? Should you get fined for driving 90 then, and my granny (who can barely handle city traffic) is not fined for driving 70 while endangering other people?

Edit: Forgot to add my favorite solution: Add a very high, hard speed limit (130mph?) on all streets, and let traffic signs serve as recommendations. Obviously, also limit to walking speed in neighborhoods where kids play in the streets, or city centers.

I hear a lot of people claim they are such good drivers they should be allowed to drive faster.

I don't trust their self-evaluation of their own skills.

If your granny can't handle driving the speed limit, maybe she should hand in her driver's license.

> And 100mph is a joke for somebody with racing experience.

Racing is dangerous and the people who do it know that they're taking a risk. It's not appropriate to take that risk when driving on a road.

Cars today are also far, far safer than 20 (ok, 40) years ago. But speed limits have increased, and fatalities per mile driven have decreased.

The point of the article was that speed limits should be set to keep the most amount of people at the same speed. Otherwise by reducing them too much, you create environments where there are greater differences in speed between cars. That is what is dangerous, not the actual number itself.

Higher speed is absolutely more dangerous than slower. Yes speed differences are dangerous as well, but hitting a wall at 40 mph is a lot better than at 80. Higher speeds are also much more dangerous for pedestrians and cyclists, someone posted the numbers in another comment.

"If you like to drive fast, spend 30 minutes at a local go-kart track."

Or come over to Germany sometime and enjoy some Autobahn driving with literally no speed limit whatsoever (on certain sections). Early Sunday morning (when trucks are banned) in a good car; that should be on those "N things you do before you die" - bucket lists.

If you want to drive fast, drive in Wales. One lane each way and everyone is driving 80 mph. Honestly, quite a crazy experience.

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