Quote:
Originally Posted by zulutango
Just like increasing the speed limits because people choose to speed. Limit goes up, speeds go up.
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Sure the speeds went up, the speed limit went up. But crashes don't necessarily go up:
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Review and Analysis of Posted Speed Limits and
Speed Limit Setting Practices
Perhaps raising the speed limits so that more people are in compliance with the limit will result in fewer speed differentials between vehicles.
Everyone wants to praise photo radar for reducing collisions through speed reduction, but let's not forget that it also improves consistency of speed between vehicles. When more vehicles travel at or near the same speed as eachother, there are fewer opportunities for interaction as well as an improved ability for drivers to see other problematic drivers.
Setting speed limits to more accurately reflect actual travel speeds will also allow drivers who feel the need to putter along at the posted limit to drive at a speed more consistent with the vehicles around them.
Let's look at Blanshard St in Victoria - 6 lanes of traffic with a 50kph posted limit. In my experience, most of the time drivers find the safe travel speed to be in the 60-65kph range. Even in light traffic where one could easily travel at 80kph the majority of drivers choose to travel at 60-65kph.
Why do drivers pick that speed? They find it to be a safe speed given the design of the road, visibility, etc.. I would be willing to bet that if you raised the speed limit to 60kph you wouldn't see too many drivers exceeding the speeds they currently find to be safe. Why? Because even when they can, they generally don't.
Let's take 3 lanes of traffic moving at 65kph and stick some daft twit in the right lane who insists on doing the posted 50kph. You can't tell me he feels more comfortable at 50kph while being constantly tailgated and passed. He's doing 50kph simply because that's the law, not because it is safe or comfortable for him to do so.
Now that same twit decides he needs to make two lane changes so he can prepare for a left turn up ahead. How is he able to safely keep pace with open space to the left of his vehicle as he prepares to make that lane change? Furthermore, how is he able to keep an eye on cars in the far left lane as he moves into the center lane?
It's much easier to remain aware of the location of various cars around you when you keep up with the flow of traffic.
Now Zulutango, I know in YD the importance of maintaining safe space margins around your vehicle is taught to students. This is to make it safer to make lane changes or to swerve around a pedestrian who has stepped into your path. How can you safely maintain adequate space to the side of your vehicle when you're travelling 10kph slower than everyone else?