Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!bellcore!decvax!genrad!panda!talcott!harvard!seismo!lll-crg!qantel!ptsfa!ptsfb!che From: che@ptsfb.UUCP (Mitch Che) Newsgroups: net.auto Subject: Re: 65 MPH? Message-ID: <315@ptsfb.UUCP> Date: Sat, 15-Feb-86 18:00:21 EST Article-I.D.: ptsfb.315 Posted: Sat Feb 15 18:00:21 1986 Date-Received: Tue, 18-Feb-86 03:27:48 EST References: <152@ttidcc.UUCP> <567@mhuxl.UUCP> Reply-To: che@ptsfb.UUCP (Mitch Che) Organization: Pacific Bell, San Francisco Lines: 57 Summary: Recommendation by CHP/Caltrans In article <567@mhuxl.UUCP> smh@mhuxl.UUCP (henning) writes: >> The California Highway Patrol and Caltrans (California Department of >> Transportation) recommended ... that the speed limit be boosted to 65 >> mph on the state freeway system outside metropolitan areas. >> ...only 47% of the drivers like the speed limit as it stands... > >Thus only 53% want it lower or higher. > >Also if you want people to drive 65 you make the limit 56 not 65. I am >old enought to have driven when speed limits were up to 70 in places and >people drove 75 to 80 with great frequency, but there were still people >who drove 50 like some people do today. The CHP and Caltrans are not arbitrarily recommending this increase. The Highway Patrol is recommending a higher speed limit in certain areas where the average speed is closer to 65 than 55 mph and the speed distribution looks like this: Speed Distribution on Rural Highways (e.g. I5) | ** | * * % | * * | * * | ** * | * * * + //-------------------------- 55 65 75 85 mph--> below | exceeding ^ | Maximum Posted Limit The speed that drivers tend to drive on an open stretch of highway generally has nothing to do with the speed limit in the absence of a patrol car. It's what the driver feels comfortable with. If you are comfortable at 55 mph on Interstate 5 (for those unfamiliar, I5 from San Francisco to Los Angeles sometimes seems like a straight line from horizon to horizon), that's fine. There is nothing to keep you from driving that speed, however most people WILL be driving above 55 mph. NOW... everyone put on your Highway Patrol cap and think real hard. (This is a test.) If you, Mr. or Ms. Patrolman, are chartered to a) enforce the law with a finite number of resources, and b) have statistics to prove that rural highways such as I5 are very safe at 65 mph, compared to urban highways at 55 mph, then QUESTION 1: What is wrong with the above graph? and QUESTION 2: Why is this bad for you as a patrolman under the above circumstances? If you can answer these questions from the CHP point of view, you'll quickly understand what is going on. If you can't, well ..., er, hmm... (I am now waving my hand in front of your face... :-) -- Mitch Che Pacific Bell --------------------------------------- disclaimer, disclaimer, disclaimer, too (415) 823-2438 uucp: {ihnp4,dual}!ptsfa!ptsfb!che