[benabbott]

I generally drive at or below the speed limit. This is to reduce fuel and improve safety. On a multiple lane road, I'm nearly always on the right (slow) lane.

Unfortunately, this safety measure is usually torpedoed by other drivers. People (usually driving a 'light truck' (an SUV or pickup)) will drive at a single car length behind me. Even on multi-lane roads. If I had to slam on my brakes, I'd be at risk in my sedan.

I absolutely would support wide proliferation of speed cameras. It would be easy, profitable, promote safety, and we could do it today. It would take zero extra policing (in fact, it'd probably reduce workload on police).

I acknowledge that you can fight this kicking and screaming with speed enforcement measures—but I think there's two things that are causing people to drive faster: Wide, straight, flat roads that allow no speed reference, and large sealed vehicles that reduces perceived speed. Change these, and I think that will be a great step to reducing "pedestrian fatalities" (or to call it like it is: people getting murdered due to carelessness and impatience).

[sokoloff]

Assuming no weather, your driving below the speed limit on an expressway is almost surely working against your stated goal of improving road safety.

[nine_k]

Depends on how much below; 2 mph below the limit must be OK, 20 mph, more problematic.

[watwut]

Quite a few people drive somewhat below speed limit. There is nothing unsafe about it, except wishful thinking to rationalize fast driving. Fast driving is fun, quite a few people equate "fast and nimble" with "good driver", but safety is not the thing they are achieving.

[bluGill]

The autobahn proves consistently that speed variation is not itself a problem.

[DangitBobby]

Highly location dependent. Some roads will average right around the speed limit or just above.

[YZF]

I think this is great as long as the speed limits are set correctly. What I worry would happen is that the speed limits would intentionally be set low to maximize revenue from the speed enforcement system.

On my way to work there is a long stretch of road with great visibility, two lanes in each direction, physical separation between directions, very wide shoulders with virtually zero pedestrian traffic, but the speed limit is 50km/hr. Nobody drives 50 on that road. The traffic generally flows at 70. Similarly there are many semi-industrial areas with wide roads, no traffic, few pedestrians with a 50km/hr limit. We also have highways with 80km/hr limits where traffic generally flows (safely) at 90-100.

Guess what, all those places are where police hangs out looking for speeders.

Contrast that with small streets in dense urban or suburban areas where despite the limit being 50 most people drive closer to 40. Or when it's foggy or raining heavily and you want to drive slower on the highway than the speed limit.

That said there is a question of balancing the somewhat improved safety of lower speeds to the improved efficiency of driving a bit faster. I'm not sure how you balance that. There are other options like moving people to mass transit or closing some city streets to car traffic completely.

[nradov]

People who drive below the posted speed limit (road boulders) are a menace. They increase the risk to everyone else as other drivers try to get around them.

[like_any_other]

Is everyone in the US expected to drive at least the speed limit on motorways? Here in Europe, there are always vehicles going slower - buses, trucks, vans, or just older cars or drivers not in a hurry. If the limit is 130 km/h, you routinely encounter vehicles going 90-110.

The menace are drivers not adjusting to the realities of the road.

[javcasas]

Everyone that drives slower than me is a slowpoke, everyone that drives faster than me is a maniac.

Nah dude, your intolerance is the menace here.

[AStonesThrow]

In my city I sometimes hire a scooter-share. These electric scooters can go up to 17mph.

It is perfectly legal for me to drive in a traffic lane. It may be OK to drive on the sidewalk, with significant restrictions. But it is usually not.

I typically opt to drive in traffic: the limit is going to be around 35mph. You can perhaps predict the sort of reactions I endure from motorists when I’m hogging their precious lanes at ½ their speed. Would you believe spitting in my face?

Nevertheless, I persist carefully, because I’m right, and I drive with scrupulous safety, and I hope and pray that others follow my lead, because electric scooters at 17mph on the sidewalk is fucking dangerous to pedestrian me at all other times.

[andyjohnson0]

> People who drive below the posted speed limit are a menace

Its the speed limit. Its not the speed that everyone has to drive at in all circumstances and conditions.

[benabbott]

Might I direct you to the text on the sign, Speed "Limit"?

The ones causing danger are the drivers attempting to pass dangerously, not the person driving slowly. Do cyclists cause danger by using roadways? Or is it the people driving multiple-ton vehicles?

[renewiltord]

Not in the right lane. On expressways that lane (at least here in California) is most likely to have semi-trailer trucks going their max speed of 55 mph. A 55 mph driver will be right at home in that lane.

[paddy_m]

What does require in person enforcement is making sure license plates aren't obscured, defaced, or removed. The left in this country needs to reconcile that enforcement of laws is a good thing. Matthew Yglessias talks about this a lot.

This requires the most enforcement in front of NYC precincts. I truly don't know how such a corrupt organization could be reformed.

https://x.com/hashtag/CriminalMischief

https://x.com/GershKuntzman