From: jallred@spdg.com (John Allred)
Subject: Re: Why CAN'T people drive 55?!
Summary: Politically-derived magic numbers have no bearing on safety
Organization: Stratos Product Development Group (Seattle)
Date: Wed, 30 Dec 1992 19:32:30 GMT

In article <3040@uswnvg.uswnvg.com> hcorbin@uswnvg.com (Harold Corbin) writes:
>Why is it that people are always giving me dirty looks when they pass
>me on the highway and I'm driving 60 in a 55 MPH zone?  I get
>irritated and angry EVERY TIME some jerk tailgates me and flashes 
>his/her brights fo rme to move over just because I don't have a 
>TOTAL DISRESPECT for the LAW and I don't want to drive 75 just to get
>the hell out of their way!

You weren't getting the dirty looks for doing 60 in a 55; rather, it
sounds like you were doing 60 in the left hand lane, which is the
passing lane.  You impeded the progress of other drivers.

There's another law that says "Slower Traffic Keep Right".  So, if you
were doing 60 in the right hand lane, you wouldn't have had any problems.

>The scariest thing is.... NOBODY cares!  Sure, it's a piddly
>thing.... who cares about the speed limit, there are more important
>things to focus energy on.  

I prefer to focus on safety.  IMHO, a "speed limit" (the gov't stamp
of "safety") for all drivers in all vehicles in all conditions is
absolutely ludicrous.  The safe speed at any time depends on the
conditions at that time, and not on what some politician said it
should be.

<sarcasm on>  It warms the cockles of my heart that the State Patrol
has all this time to look for "evil" speeders -- I guess this means
all the murderers, rapists, and drunk drivers have all been caught and
put away.  <sarcasm off>

>Question:  Are we ALL experts in determining the safe speed
>limitations required on the roads we drive?  Does passing the Drivers
>Ed class and getting a license guarantee instant expertise on road
>conditions and speed/velocity/gravity equations?  I think NOT!  The
>speed limits are LIMITS for a reason!

So, you trust the judgement of some congresscritter, beholden to
special interests, instead of your own?  Ok, whatever works for you.
I intend to take a much more active role in my own well-being.
17 years of no at-fault accidents in cars, and 10+ years of no
accidents in various kinds of aircraft tells me that my judgement is up
to the task.  

>Maybe the speeders of the world all think it's OK to help themselves to a few 
>free penny candies at 7-Eleven whenever they want?  After all, what's the BIG
>DEAL???  Unless you get caught, nobody really cares.  

Oh please.   Are you really equating speeding (which may or may not be
dangerous, given the circumstances) and theft?

>What does this trend towards disrespect mean for the future?  If we don't obey
>the law, what will our children think?  Are the rules really rules,
>or are they subject to your own discretion?  What kind of message is
>this to the future youth of America?

I think the real message is that unpopular laws don't work, especially
speeding, which IMHO is a back door way for governments and insurance
companies to raise revenue.

>The fabric of our society is dwindling.  It is commonly accepted to break the
>law.  What's next?

Speed today, and Freedom falls?  Right...

John Allred 
jallred@spdg.com

"If God had meant us to vote, He would have given us Candidates." --
Michael Harris
--