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Comment by wolrah | Hacker News Reader

Bingo.

This is why we have things like the 85th percentile rule. There is no such thing as a road with a speeding problem, just a road that is designed for and thus encourages higher speeds than the posted limit.

When that happens, you have to change one of those two things. Either fix the road to match the desired speed, or raise the posted limit to be appropriate for the road as it exists.

Anyone who simply advocates for stricter enforcement of the limits as they stand without changing anything does not understand the problem.

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I'm not convinced. I'm from a rural area with very wide roads, virtually no pedestrians, great visibility. Basically everyone went the speed limit or under. At most 5 over. Where I am now the roads are much narrower, less visibility, overall just not as good for going fast. Despite this, the speed limits seem to be higher and more people speed. Almost everyone does. Go to most small towns in the US and people drive slower (despite the fact there's less traffic). This makes me think speeding is a culture thing, and with the right enforcement the culture could be changed.

I am also from a rural area, I've spent the better part of the last two decades driving through farmland on roads with no posted limit to get to anywhere. The legal speed limit on such roads is 45 MPH but for the most part on the flat, straight segments traffic goes 55ish. County Sheriff doesn't care until somewhere in the 60s unless they're looking to pull you over.

If you're on a road that goes through a town just barely large enough to have a police department, you can guarantee that the road suddenly gains a posted limit of 35 MPH without changing in any significant way and that there will be strict enforcement which may or may not be biased towards those with non-local tags.

The exception is the state of Indiana. I don't know what they put in the water there, but no one in Indiana seems to have noticed that interstate highways are no longer stuck with the double nickel. Of course they also have the most bare minimum 2+2 interstate where one dawdler refusing to pass a semi can tie up traffic for miles on end.

I’ve only lived in Mid sized or larger cities so I have no experience with small towns, but I think it’s fair to say they may work differently than urban regions for cultural reasons or otherwise

Regardless, “the right enforcement” thing is clearly true, but the right enforcement isn’t necessarily practical. Some of the worst offenders I’ve seen wrt speed limit aren’t (imo) highways where people go 15 over, but really wide locals in suburban residential areas where people come off the highway and keep driving 40+, putting bicyclists or pedestrians in danger. These roads are rarely enforced by traffic cops probably due to how little traffic they see in the first place

Anecdotally, speed limit enforcement is much more vigilant in small towns.

True. Anecdotal but I was pulled over 10x as much in a small town versus a city with 1M pop.

Smalltown cops are bored.

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