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From: guy@rlgvax.UUCP (Guy Harris)
Newsgroups: net.auto
Subject: Re: Learn to live with 55 MPH
Message-ID: <2077@rlgvax.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 5-Jul-84 17:24:50 EDT
Article-I.D.: rlgvax.2077
Posted: Thu Jul  5 17:24:50 1984
Date-Received: Sat, 7-Jul-84 07:11:12 EDT
References: <716@abnjh.UUCP> <550@drutx.UUCP>
Organization: CCI Office Systems Group, Reston, VA
Lines: 23

> How 'bout this one, All cars built with a little device that won't
> allow the car to go > 55? Or better yet, have speed limit signs
> that put out a signal that your car reads and won't allow you to go
> any faster than.

Well, I think trucks in Europe (at least in some countries) have to be
equipped with a "tachograph", which records the vehicle speed at all times,
and the record from the tachograph can be used to retroactively prove
speeding.  Trouble is, what if your speedometer is off (speedometers have
to read values >= the correct value, by law, at least in new cars)?  What
if you have to pass somebody noodling along at 50 on a 55MPH highway, and
you want to get past them reasonably quickly?  Cars in Japan have to have
chimes that sound when the car goes above some speed (I think 62MPH - 100KPH -
which is, I believe, the national speed limit), and a fuel cut-off device
that goes off at 100MPH or so.  I think that a cutoff flat at 55 would
be a major nuisance even for drivers who go 55 - and does nothing about
roads with lower speed limits.  The speed limit signs with transmitters
would be rather expensive and a major pain when they break down.  And
given the complaints about the 55MPH limit now, just imagine what'd happen
if something like this were *proposed*, much less *implemented*!

	Guy Harris
	{seismo,ihnp4,allegra}!rlgvax!guy