Hacker News new | ask | show | jobs
by the_hangman 3900 days ago
Care to go into a little more detail for those of us who are curious what it is that makes speed limit laws so complex?
2 comments

Really? Have you looked at any 'new driver' manuals? I'm reminded of the time I came out of school to see two motorcycle cops hiding behind my jeep, using it as a blind to catch speeders.

"Hey, is it a school day?"

"No, we take a couple days off before exams."

"Oh. It's a good thing then that we haven't ticketed anyone."

"But doesn't the law say 'normal school day'? It is a friday."

"Ya, but your school ain't normal."

In California, a School Zone is in effect when children are around, whether you can see them or not.
I don't think it's the traffic law that is complex, but the liability involved. If my car picks its own speed and gets the speed limit wrong, who is responsible?

You could say that the ultimate responsiblity lies with the driver, but taking this position effectively means that all self-driving features are pointless (since this implies that the driver should be concentrating on the driving at all times).

If the responsibility lies (partially, at least) with the car manufacturer, they are going to get a lot of lawsuits thrown at them when it gets the speed limit wrong. Every speeding ticket, every accident where the car was going too fast, etc.