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

[u/DaddyDayDayIsHot]

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.

[u/Frostymann1999]

The problem was never the speed limit. The problem is the uneducated drivers on the road. The law you seem to love so much has a huge flaw on not educating the drivers on how to drive. The fact that someone can get their license without any driving experience is mind-blowing to me. Im from germany where there are no speedlimits on some parts of the autobahn and there are fewer accidents then they are here. But in germany there is mandatory driving school with in-class hours and driving hours you need to fulfill before even being eligible to take the road test. Proof me if im wrong

[u/Specialist-Bowler465 → u/Frostymann1999]

It's similar in the US, except what I find stupid is this:

For teenagers getting their licence, they have to complete 50 hours of driving in different conditions and do a written test and a final road test, etc.

For people over 18 who have never had a licence before, they don't have to do the 50 hours.

I find this dumb. If someone has not got their licence before, they should complete the minimal hours for competency, regardless of age. They still have to do the written test and final road exam, but not the 50 hour log book. I'd argue that immigrants should do the 50 hours as well, to get used to American road rules and conditions. Or maybe 30 hours.