Road safety activists and some states are pushing to depart from a longstanding rule that sets speed limits in the United States based largely on how fast drivers actually travel.
I think if you want slower drivers, you have to narrow the roadways and/or add perceived obstacles. People tend to drive the speed at which they feel safest, regardless of what’s on the sign. So, if you make them feel less safe at speed, they’ll slow down without even complaining about how slow they’re “being forced” to go.
That’s pretty well established. Narrower streets slow people down, and a side benefit is you can plant trees on either side of a narrowed roadway to reduce the heat island effect.
Doesn’t seem like that would be effective on something like the interstate highways. I’d imagine actually fining people would work.
An area close to where I live turned on speeding cameras for a work zone that’s been notorious for speeders. They clocked 38,000+ tickets in the first week.
One of them was for 106 in a 60 mph zone. I haven’t kept up with it since they turned it on but it was desperately needed.
Disclosure: I’m not any expert on road safety or driver psychology. Just someone that used to drive 50k+ miles a year and saw a lot of what I thought were trends.
I lived in a town that had a road with 2 full lanes of travel both ways a center turn lane and full parking lanes on both sides. Speed limit 25. It was actually difficult to drive that speed because you naturally just tended to go faster. That’s not even considering the other drivers going 40 or 50 at times. That entire road needed some hefty rework to make it better. But that costs money and there’s some old farts that are happy driving 25 in an actual 50 zone that would cry bloody murder if the speed limit was increased.
The problem with any automated cameras is making sure they are valid. Speeding cameras might be simpler, but we’ve all heard about many places where traffic light cameras are run by a third party and are time fudged to increase tickets. That being the case, any law is only as good as the enforcement of it, and that’s why we have so many speeders, aggressive, and just bad driving. If everyone knows that their speed is being monitored and going X over the limit may result in a fine, they will slow down. Far better than relying on a few cops in random spots to nap a few here and there. Speed traps should go away and those officers should be on the road looking for things the camera can’t catch, or maybe even helping the occasional car that has hazards on the side of the road (I’ve seen patrol cars go by those, one only hopes they called it in to someone else).
So yes, there is a danger in trying to automate everything, and definitely if someone will profit for more fines. But there are SO many cars on the road, most just keeping pace with the rest, and the only way to slow the whole crowd down is with some psychology. Ever notice how everyone goes around the speed limit when a cop car is in the group? So just post a sign that speeds are being monitored. Hell, don’t even have to put a camera up, just see what a sign alone does.
Also, I like the other suggestion on putting surrounding perceptions to make the speed more apparent to the driver. Won’t slow everyone, but it just has to affect the crowd mentality and then the real speeders stand out more.
For long stretches of roads /highways you could put strings of lights that light up in a manner that sets the speed. If you’re traveling at the speed limit the lights would appear to be stationary. If you travel faster or slower the lights would appear to speed up or slow down.
This would also help traffic jams by allowing the light chase speed to be adjusted before the jam to reduce speeds.
This would probably have an effect on fuel consumption for people that pulse the throttle by giving them a chase light to match speed too.
While that sounds like a wonderful idea in terms of getting people to the speed you want them, it also sounds way more expensive than anyone would think is ever worth it.
One less used alternative is making roads that are squiggly instead of straight. Like every part of the road is a bend this way or that way, which makes people drive slower because there is never a straightaway.
Having driven on a few of them, they definitely do work. But theyre almost more annoying than speed bumps or dips
Yes, but they’re much more intensive to install and maintain, and they also don’t work well against things like trucks with wide wheel bases and high undercarriages.
I think if you want slower drivers, you have to narrow the roadways and/or add perceived obstacles. People tend to drive the speed at which they feel safest, regardless of what’s on the sign. So, if you make them feel less safe at speed, they’ll slow down without even complaining about how slow they’re “being forced” to go.
Put a big spike in the middle of the steering wheel of every Dodge Ram and Altima.
Ha like they’d notice anything on the other side of their phone.
That’s pretty well established. Narrower streets slow people down, and a side benefit is you can plant trees on either side of a narrowed roadway to reduce the heat island effect.
Doesn’t seem like that would be effective on something like the interstate highways. I’d imagine actually fining people would work.
An area close to where I live turned on speeding cameras for a work zone that’s been notorious for speeders. They clocked 38,000+ tickets in the first week.
One of them was for 106 in a 60 mph zone. I haven’t kept up with it since they turned it on but it was desperately needed.
Disclosure: I’m not any expert on road safety or driver psychology. Just someone that used to drive 50k+ miles a year and saw a lot of what I thought were trends.
I lived in a town that had a road with 2 full lanes of travel both ways a center turn lane and full parking lanes on both sides. Speed limit 25. It was actually difficult to drive that speed because you naturally just tended to go faster. That’s not even considering the other drivers going 40 or 50 at times. That entire road needed some hefty rework to make it better. But that costs money and there’s some old farts that are happy driving 25 in an actual 50 zone that would cry bloody murder if the speed limit was increased.
The problem with any automated cameras is making sure they are valid. Speeding cameras might be simpler, but we’ve all heard about many places where traffic light cameras are run by a third party and are time fudged to increase tickets. That being the case, any law is only as good as the enforcement of it, and that’s why we have so many speeders, aggressive, and just bad driving. If everyone knows that their speed is being monitored and going X over the limit may result in a fine, they will slow down. Far better than relying on a few cops in random spots to nap a few here and there. Speed traps should go away and those officers should be on the road looking for things the camera can’t catch, or maybe even helping the occasional car that has hazards on the side of the road (I’ve seen patrol cars go by those, one only hopes they called it in to someone else).
So yes, there is a danger in trying to automate everything, and definitely if someone will profit for more fines. But there are SO many cars on the road, most just keeping pace with the rest, and the only way to slow the whole crowd down is with some psychology. Ever notice how everyone goes around the speed limit when a cop car is in the group? So just post a sign that speeds are being monitored. Hell, don’t even have to put a camera up, just see what a sign alone does.
Also, I like the other suggestion on putting surrounding perceptions to make the speed more apparent to the driver. Won’t slow everyone, but it just has to affect the crowd mentality and then the real speeders stand out more.
For long stretches of roads /highways you could put strings of lights that light up in a manner that sets the speed. If you’re traveling at the speed limit the lights would appear to be stationary. If you travel faster or slower the lights would appear to speed up or slow down.
This would also help traffic jams by allowing the light chase speed to be adjusted before the jam to reduce speeds.
This would probably have an effect on fuel consumption for people that pulse the throttle by giving them a chase light to match speed too.
While that sounds like a wonderful idea in terms of getting people to the speed you want them, it also sounds way more expensive than anyone would think is ever worth it.
Just string some Christmas lights down the median divider.
Hundreds of miles of them? Forget cost, the wiring wouldn’t hold up under all the power that would need to flow through it.
You probably decline lots of ideas because you need a fully technical working product on the idea board.
That’s a cool idea
Isn’t this what china does? Or something like this?
Speed bumps are underutilized. I believe there’s a more modern design that doesn’t slow down emergency vehicles too
Please no, i drive a smart car not a tank with wheels. Even under speed those are jarring i fuckin hate the roads that are lined with them.
One less used alternative is making roads that are squiggly instead of straight. Like every part of the road is a bend this way or that way, which makes people drive slower because there is never a straightaway.
Having driven on a few of them, they definitely do work. But theyre almost more annoying than speed bumps or dips
Those I don’t mind. Smartcar has a wheelbase shorter than i am tall it takes corners like they don’t exist lol
The solution you’re looking for are called potholes.
Yes, but they’re much more intensive to install and maintain, and they also don’t work well against things like trucks with wide wheel bases and high undercarriages.