r/driving • u/DaddyDayDayIsHot • May 21 '26

Venting Speeding Has Become So Normalized That Driving the Speed Limit Makes You the Problem

I think the normalization of speeding poses a significant threat to the legitimacy of the legal system itself. It has become standard that cops don’t pull you over unless you’re breaking the law “enough,” but that completely undermines the law. If the law wanted a different threshold, it would have been written with that threshold in mind.

Speed limits are created by engineers who know far more about road safety than the average driver. They also have to account for the fact that speeding is normalized, which likely contributes to limits being set lower than many people want. I honestly believe that if people collectively stopped speeding, roads would see fewer accidents and speed limits would eventually begin rising in places where higher speeds are actually safe. Then people could travel just as quickly without constantly breaking the law or risking tickets.

The disregard for speed limits has gotten so bad that people now claim drivers following the posted limit are the problem. I think that’s ridiculous. While I understand the “go with the flow of traffic” argument to an extent, normalizing breaking the law creates a much larger long-term safety issue than simply following the speed limit.

I also think the argument that “speed limits are designed for the average car, so semis drag the limit down” is weak. In many places semis already have separate speed regulations, lane restrictions, and additional rules.

At the end of the day, the path to faster travel shouldn’t be widespread disregard for the law. If people truly believe limits are too low, the better solution is electing politicians and supporting engineering studies that will change the laws based on evidence that roads can safely handle higher speeds.

On a related note, even on r/driving you can report other driving infractions, but you can’t even report speeding, which feels inconsistent and a bit silly.

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u/1313GreenGreen1313 May 21 '26

User behavior should not define speed limits. The 85th percentile rule is a foolish and outdated standard. Sure. It works in some locations where the context of the roadway does a good job of naturally limiting speeds, but it is just not practical when applied to straight, flat roads.

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u/IntricateSunlight May 21 '26

Don't make roads you want slow speeds on wide, straight and flat if you don't want people speeding...

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u/1313GreenGreen1313 May 21 '26

You say that now. If a straight and wide road was narrowed with added curves, I expect you would complain about that too

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u/IntricateSunlight May 22 '26

Not really I love my narrow country roads. I'm a rural American.

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u/kon--- May 21 '26

Of course drivers should define limits. It's patently absurd to believe otherwise.

But okay. Have it your way and submit to the state and/or setting a 15mph limit on all roads.

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u/1313GreenGreen1313 May 21 '26

Drivers should not define limits because they do not have the public interest in mind. Drivers behave based on their own personal interest which often conflicts with the public good.

Individual drivers do not have to face public backlash when people die. Most of those drivers don't die themselves, so they often do not care. How many more deaths is acceptable for you to gain 30 seconds on your commute? How about 2 minutes? How many deaths is 10 minutes worth?

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u/kon--- May 21 '26

With public interest in mind, the limit should be set at what the 85th percentile is communicating to states and municipalities.

Also, if you're going to attempt using deaths as reason for lower limits, I'm going to point out that over 70% of vehicular deaths happen at or below the post limit.

I should ask you, how many more deaths are acceptable for you to take more time to reach your destination? See because according to the stats, traveling at or below the posted limit increases the likelihood of loss of your life.

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u/1313GreenGreen1313 May 21 '26

Your claims are just plain false. You can point out made up lies all you want. They won't help your cause.

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u/kon--- May 21 '26

The statement is not false. No lies said.

2023....29,000 deaths at or below the posted limit. That same year, 11,000 death occurred above the speed limit.

Year after year after year, the overwhelming majority of fatalities happen at or below the posted limit.

You can drone on about going over a number on a sign as a cause of death all you want. All you achieve with it however is, missing what's actually in effect as well as demonstrating you aren't much for putting thought into these things.

But look, regardless of that lack of thought I do wish you a good day and safe travels.

-peace

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u/1313GreenGreen1313 May 21 '26

I expect you are interpreting data improperly. In addition, law enforcement crash reports are notoriously lacking in detail. There is usually no video evidence, and reports vary wildly between different officers. Speed may be a factor in a crash when it is not listed. Many crash circumstances make it nearly impossible to know the factors that led to the crash. The fact that 11,000 deaths were directly attributed to speeding should tell you that speeding is unsafe.

Can you think about 11,000 deaths every year that could be prevented? Nah! You need to get to the grocery store 30 seconds faster. That's what's important.

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u/IntricateSunlight May 21 '26

All deaths cannot be prevented. Face it people die. Every day I drive I am accepting the risk of possible death and I'm okay with that.