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Re:Toyota brand Scion is back and it's going to sell a kei t... by hatthew on Tuesday November 10, 2026 @05:35PM (#50447275)
> the data clearly shows the speed limit should probably be adjusted

The problem is a cultural one. Most people interpret a speed limit of N as "I should go N+10" (or something like that). If we remove speed limits, the majority of people would end up driving at unsafe speeds. People will always break speed limits unless they are set at that unsafe level.

Re:Toyota brand Scion is back and it's going to sell a kei t... by dmitrygr on Tuesday November 10, 2026 @05:42PM (#50447343)
> If we remove speed limits, the majority of people would end up driving at unsafe speeds.

[[citation needed]]

Re:Toyota brand Scion is back and it's going to sell a kei t... by bombcar on Tuesday November 10, 2026 @05:43PM (#50447352)
I mean, isn’t that the idea? That people will be bad unless you give them citations?
Re:Toyota brand Scion is back and it's going to sell a kei t... by dmitrygr on Tuesday November 10, 2026 @05:56PM (#50447470)
My neighbors could steal my packages. They do not. Not all people will be bad if not micromanaged, some people are just nice.
Re:Toyota brand Scion is back and it's going to sell a kei t... by anigbrowl on Tuesday November 10, 2026 @06:07PM (#50447602)
[delayed]
Re:Toyota brand Scion is back and it's going to sell a kei t... by TylerE on Tuesday November 10, 2026 @06:39PM (#50447883)
Problem is ma t of those limits were set for cars with horrible bias-ply tires and drum brakes. In modern cars that can easily traverse those roads at 20 or 30mph over they feel assinine.
Re:Toyota brand Scion is back and it's going to sell a kei t... by hatthew on Tuesday November 10, 2026 @07:16PM (#50448180)
https://safetrec.berkeley.edu/tools/california-safe-speeds-t...

(particularly section 2 "Limitations of the 85th Percentile Rule for Setting Speed Limits")

I'll admit that "the majority" could be an overstatement, perhaps I should have said "enough people to be dangerous"

Re:Toyota brand Scion is back and it's going to sell a kei t... by bombcar on Tuesday November 10, 2026 @05:42PM (#50447347)
Not true people drive what they feel the safe limit of the road to be. You can easily devise a road that has 55 mile an hour speed limit and no one will go over 35.
Re:Toyota brand Scion is back and it's going to sell a kei t... by cowgoesmoo on Tuesday November 10, 2026 @05:45PM (#50447366)
I don't think that's true. When I was in Montana, where the limit is 80mph on freeways, there were very few people going faster than the limit.
Re:Toyota brand Scion is back and it's going to sell a kei t... by hatthew on Tuesday November 10, 2026 @07:04PM (#50448067)
[delayed]
Re:Toyota brand Scion is back and it's going to sell a kei t... by linksnapzz on Tuesday November 10, 2026 @07:30PM (#50448291)
On I-90 in the middle of eastern MT? 110 is a perfectly reasonable (albeit illegal) speed.
Re:Toyota brand Scion is back and it's going to sell a kei t... by Sohcahtoa82 on Wednesday November 11, 2026 @01:55PM (#50457058)
When people talk about what speeds are "safe", everyone bakes in some assumptions, but everyone is using different assumptions.

I come from the position that on a dry, well-maintained, and straight road, with no traffic, I think even 100 mph is a safe speed. I assume people like you that even consider 80 mph to be unsafe are assuming there's significant traffic on curved roads that might not have the best maintenance. I also assume you're driving a large truck or SUV which has abysmal handling, whereas I'm used to the tighter handling of my Subaru BRZ.

Generally, I don't think speed causes crashes, it just makes crashes worse. So if I'm coming from assumptions above, then crashes basically won't happen.

Add some traffic? Then the safe speed depends on their discipline. Are drivers keeping right except when passing? Or is some asshole playing "traffic cop" and camping the left lane at the speed limit, or even below it?

Re:Toyota brand Scion is back and it's going to sell a kei t... by nkrisc on Tuesday November 10, 2026 @05:55PM (#50447469)
And the solution is to build the roads such that going over the speed limit feels dangerous.

Make roads narrower. Add more bends and lateral shifts. Plant trees along the road to obstruct sight lines. Build roads so that only speeds below the speed limit are safe on them and people will travel below the speed limit.

Re:Toyota brand Scion is back and it's going to sell a kei t... by foobarian on Tuesday November 10, 2026 @06:15PM (#50447670)
The speed limits are a useful safety signal. If I suddenly see a 30mph limit in a 50mph zone, usually it's because of upcoming curves and it likely not safe to continue at 65mph.
Re:Toyota brand Scion is back and it's going to sell a kei t... by conductr on Tuesday November 10, 2026 @06:59PM (#50448034)
Unless it’s a blind curve then it takes no time to adjust to the conditions on your own And it comes naturally. I say this as someone that just drives as fast as I want and don’t usually attempt to adhere to any posted sign. In cases there is a sharp/blind curve that’s when I see they usually just use the curve arrow sign to warn me and so I know to pay a bit more attention and make sure I am ready and able to adjust my speed if actually needed. I almost never adjust just because I see a sign.
Re:Toyota brand Scion is back and it's going to sell a kei t... by Marsymars on Tuesday November 10, 2026 @08:43PM (#50448830)
It tends to be more economical to adjust in advance so that you don't have to use non-regen brakes. (Or any brakes, in a pure ICE.)
Re:Toyota brand Scion is back and it's going to sell a kei t... by conductr on Tuesday November 10, 2026 @09:13PM (#50449028)
It’s not always required. I rarely brake at all on an open road, except for stops and if something else is physically in my way.

If if the conditions actually require it, that’s when I brake. Not because a sign told me too when I may not actually need to. I feel that’s probably the most economical option.

Re:Toyota brand Scion is back and it's going to sell a kei t... by conductr on Tuesday November 10, 2026 @06:54PM (#50448003)
Most people drive at a comfortable speed for the road and conditions with little regard for the posted limits. Most studies I’ve read, sorry not going to look them up to cite, say speed limit should match the human level. Not some imaginary forced number that the DOT came up with on a spreadsheet.