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A comment on Self-driving Waymos secure final clearance for expansion beyond S.F. Parent comment

Re:Self-driving Waymos secure final clearance for expansion ... by marssaxman on Saturday June 22, 2024 @01:58PM (#40760840)
It has always seemed strange to me that restrictive speed limits persist in a supposedly democratic nation despite the functionally unanimous opinion of the citizenry, expressed through actual driving behavior, that the legally prescribed safety margins are excessive. I doubt you could find any other issue on which Americans of varying political persuasions would demonstrate such a high level of practical agreement.

In comment threads like these, one invariably views vigorous venting of virtuous vitriol versus the vice of velocity, but simply getting out on the road and having a look around - pretty much anywhere in the country - will show that such opinions must either be hypocritical or held by a small minority.

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Re:Self-driving Waymos secure final clearance for expansion ... by omgwtfbyobbq on Saturday June 22, 2024 @03:54PM (#40761661)
One possibility is that speed limits are set so drivers are safe/efficient at the maximum observed traffic density.

If the maximum traffic density doesn't happen often, then people can understandably be annoyed when they can safely drive faster most of the time.

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Re:Self-driving Waymos secure final clearance for expansion ... by UncleMeat on Monday June 24, 2024 @09:15AM (#40775652)
People are bad at risk management. I see oodles of people making wild decisions in their cars (sweeping across 4 lanes at once, backing up on the highway shoulder to return to a missed exit). The norm for trailing the car in front of you is also way way too short based on real physical limitations of braking.

Speed limits can also exist for reasons beyond the safety of drivers. There are roads around me that are wide, straight, and empty enough to comfortably drive 40mph but are right next to a school. The school-zone limit exists to provide extra safety for children who might foolishly step into the road very suddenly.

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