I’ve seen studies that show a positive correlation between increasing speed limits and accident rates. So I get that. On the flipside, the German autobahn is safer than US highways, and many parts of that network have no speed limits.
What’s the difference? Driver training and vehicle maintenance. Getting a license is expensive there, so far fewer people get a license vs in the US, where it’s practically mandatory.
Looking at the stats, most of the accidents seem to be explained by weather conditions, inexperience (age), or alcohol consumption, and it makes complete sense for those to be exacerbated by higher speed, especially when vehicle maintenance isn’t happening consistently.
I think the ideal solution is a mix of reducing enforcement of speed, increasing enforcement of other laws (reckless driving, passing on the right, impaired driving, etc), mandatory safety checks, and regular retests of driving ability. I think there’s a good chance that mixture could reduce overall traffic accidents.
I’ve seen studies that show a positive correlation between increasing speed limits and accident rates. So I get that. On the flipside, the German autobahn is safer than US highways, and many parts of that network have no speed limits.
What’s the difference? Driver training and vehicle maintenance. Getting a license is expensive there, so far fewer people get a license vs in the US, where it’s practically mandatory.
Looking at the stats, most of the accidents seem to be explained by weather conditions, inexperience (age), or alcohol consumption, and it makes complete sense for those to be exacerbated by higher speed, especially when vehicle maintenance isn’t happening consistently.
I think the ideal solution is a mix of reducing enforcement of speed, increasing enforcement of other laws (reckless driving, passing on the right, impaired driving, etc), mandatory safety checks, and regular retests of driving ability. I think there’s a good chance that mixture could reduce overall traffic accidents.