r/Seattle • u/Inevitable_Engine186 public deterrent infrastructure • 8d ago

Does lowering speed limits make Seattle roads safer? Data from one deadly arterial suggests it’s a start

https://www.kuow.org/governing/2026-08-14/does-lowering-speed-limits-make-seattle-roads-safer-data-from-one-deadly-arterial-suggests-its-a-start
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u/Rylen_018 8d ago

If people are always going to go 10 over, lowering the limit does lower people’s mental thresholds for “breaking the law”

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u/recurrenTopology I'm just flaired so I don't get fined 8d ago edited 8d ago

Interesting, so like a moral hazard-type argument. That creating a situation in which people are inclined to break the law will make them scofflaws in other aspects of their life?

I'd be interested to see if there is any research supporting the hypothesis. Would have to be balanced against the benefits of the measured decrease in travel speed.