[dgzl]

> ticket you every time you break the speed limit.

Generally I'm against government spying and tracking, but I really don't think cities could afford the traffic situation of every driver obeying the speed limit. Think about how many commuters exceed the speed limit every single day, and imagine if every person were forced to actually drive the limit at all times. I would expect at least a 10% increase in on-road-traffic at a given time, and that's being conservative. Some places might not be able to support the additional stress on traffic.

Is it time to rethink our speed laws?

[sornaensis]

Perhaps if the speed limits were enforced with nearly 100% efficiency, they might be changed. Until then speeding fines are pretty much state sponsored highway robbery.

[dgzl]

Agreed. I'm convinced that some laws are kept only so they can be used as leverage for police officers to legally interfere with your life/collect revenue. Artificially low speed limits are one I would consider.

[amanaplanacanal]

I believe slower speeds increase the carrying capacity of any stretch of road. But I could be wrong.

[tertius]

"Imagine" isn't data. I wouldn't be so sure.

Rubber necking causes a lot more traffic...

Side note: Stop speeding please. You're endangering other people.

[dgzl]

It's not difficult to work the logic out.

If ##% of commuters exceed the limit to get to work, and they are forced to cease, then the time and highway space they save speeding would instead be added to the overall stress of traffic. That would have ripple effects against people who drive the limit, and would cause everyone to need more commute time. The question comes whether the added stress would be debilitating for other commuters.

Edit: I'm a _very_ conscious and aware driver, and agree that driving fast is dangerous for many people. It's an unfortunate situation we're in, where the busted family wagon must defend against the drunk loony in the sports car. Sometimes however, the drunk loony in the sports car has to defend against the family that's fighting inside the wagon.

[tertius]

I follow the logic, but it's not supported by data.

> and agree that driving fast is dangerous for many people

For all.