[thrwy_ywrht]

>anything which normalises surveillance by citizens on citizens is a death spiral for society

FWIW, speeding causes actual deaths of members of society

But I don't think this is the solution. The solution is better road design (road diets, narrower lanes, etc)

[iancmceachern]

Speeding isn't the cause, reckless driving is. Just because someone was speeding at the time of the accident doesn't mean it was the cause. Reckless out of control driving is the cause, speeding is the symptom.

[zionic]

Bingo. "Reckless driving" is a much better term, but it's more contextual than a lot of authoritarians and administration-types like. 25MPH can be reckless in specific scenarios. 120MPH can also be safe in specific scenarios. You need context to decide.

[zionic]

>speeding causes actual deaths of members of society

Ok? Heart disease kills more, from which obesity is a factor. How about I make an app that encourages users to snap pictures of people in public (totally legal) who are eating a big mac?

If we save even one life, it's worth it right?

On the other hand, maybe deploying technology at scale to encourage random people to police others is bad.

[thrwy_ywrht]

>How about I make an app that encourages users to snap pictures of people in public (totally legal) who are eating a big mac?

You eating a big mac isn't a threat to me, my family or my friends.

This attempt to portray all speeding as some kind of victimless morality crime is truly bizarre. Speeding is more akin to firing a gun into the air and then crying "Why are you persecuting me? I'm not harming anyone"

[potatochup]

This is not a charitable response. Vehicles accidents often harm the innocent in a random fashion (the only way to avoid being impacted by dangerous drivers would be to never go near a road) but the victim of heart disease is also the perpetrator in your case.

[zionic]

The perpetrator might be the primary victim, but what about dependents? Collectively as a society we’re all harmed by the sky high heart disease death toll. It makes COVID look like a picnic, but we do so little about it.

[vba616]

I agree with your last sentence, but of course we can't instantly redesign any road at any time, and so there is a standard, orthodox method of setting speed limits which is the 85th percentile of the speeds people actually drive at.

From a random document summarizing the process:

"With the definition of 85th percentile speed, it would seem that the signed (posted) speed limit of a street would be highly influential in determining the 85th percentile speed, however the exact opposite is the case. A deeper dive into 85th percentile speed helps to reveal why it is a major consideration in determining a street’s posted speed limit. As described above, the 85th percentile speed defines the speed that 85 percent of drivers will drive at or below under free-flowing conditions. Most people don’t drive according to the posted speed limit, but account for the visual aspects of the street and a ‘feel’ for the street. The visual factors that influence speeds can include:

• Lane and shoulder configurations, widths, and presence of curbs

• Presence of vertical and horizontal curves

• Sight distance and obstructions

• Presence of surrounding developments to the street

• Access management characteristics and medians/turn lane configurations"

"This uniformity of vehicle speeds increases safety and reduces the risks for vehicle collisions. When vehicles deviate from a standard speed, either faster or slower, the potential for crashes increase, whether caused by a slow car in a rear end collision or a fast car completing lane changes to maneuver through slower traffic. By setting the speed limit to the 85th percentile speed this uniformity is achieved and safety is increased."

https://www.lincoln.ne.gov/files/sharedassets/public/ltu/tra...

[trevcanhuman]

> FWIW, speeding causes actual deaths of members of society

It's more the culture and actions that go around it. Speeding's bad when you're not paying attention. Even driving slowly is bad if you're in the overtake lanes. I think it's much more about paying attention to one's sorroundings. I'm not saying this should apply near residential homes, but I do speed on highways because I can go fast and I only overtake through the left-most lane; I use blinkers, I light cars to let them know. I don't overtake in curves. I don't put people in danger. I don't go through yellow/reds. But to be honest, my situation is probably far more different that in the US, I live in Mexico. Most people here do speed and there's barely any authority to stop vehicles from speeding.