Seems like your objection would be solved by the proposal.
Towns would no longer have this bullshit revenue source, and might actually set the limits to a reasonable level instead of one intended to make you screw up.
> Seems like your objection would be solved by the proposal.
No, it wouldn't. In fact the proposal would make things worse, because it would give an even greater level of control to governments than they have now. Right now, all they can do is give me a ticket if I'm speeding. Under this proposal, they would be able to remove control of my car from me altogether based on some arbitrary limit. That is thousands of disasters waiting to happen.
> Towns would no longer have this bullshit revenue source, and might actually set the limits to a reasonable level instead of one intended to make you screw up.
You have much more faith than I do in the ability of the government to know better what is reasonable and prudent under a given set of conditions than the person actually driving the car in those conditions. Not to mention their ability to ensure a safe implementation of the actual mechanics of the proposal.
I have a lot more faith in road engineers than individual drivers on determining safe limits. Untrained individuals are pretty crap at this, especially in areas they're unfamiliar with - an out-of-town visitor can hardly know that there's a low-visibility hairpin turn coming up.
Removing the perverse revenue incentives of artificially low limits seems like a good step.
> I have a lot more faith in road engineers than individual drivers on determining safe limits.
The road engineers aren't there. The driver is. Also, the road engineers suffer no consequences if the limits are wrong.
> Untrained individuals are pretty crap at this
Perhaps. If so, I think it's because individuals have no voice in determining the limits, and they know the limits are bogus anyway, so they don't view exceeding them as an error, they just view it as a game they're playing vs. the police. In other words, since there is no reward for exercising better individual judgment, and the penalties are unrelated to the quality of an individual's judgment, there is no incentive for individuals to develop better judgment.
> an out-of-town visitor can hardly know that there's a low-visibility hairpin turn coming up.
That's what warning signs are for. There's no need for it to be a speed limit; just a "caution, hairpin turn" sign is enough.
> Removing the perverse revenue incentives of artificially low limits seems like a good step.
The way to remove those incentives is to stop allowing governments to penalize people who have caused no harm. Sure, put up a sign that says that, according to our best qualified road engineers, the maximum safe speed for this road is x. (For bonus points, make the sign programmable so the posted limit can vary with weather conditions, day vs. night, etc.) But don't allow the government to give me a ticket and make me pay a fine just because I exceed speed x. If I cause an accident and it's found that I exceeded speed x, then the government can penalize me--but penalize me because I caused harm (and, if you like, tack on an extra penalty because I ignored the advisory sign and my error of judgment contributed to the harm).
They were there when the road was designed and built, and they did various calculations based on actual physics, road width, medians, upcoming intersections, etc. to determine a limit. "Eh, this feels like a 75" from an untrained driver with three big accidents on their record shouldn't be of equal value.
> Also, the road engineers suffer no consequences if the limits are wrong.
Real engineers have liability and licensing implications for fucking up.
> If so, I think it's because individuals have no voice in determining the limits...
Nor should they, really, as they're supposed to be based on empirical data about the nature of the road. Your attitude reminds me of this New Yorker comic: https://www.newyorker.com/cartoon/a20630
> That's what warning signs are for. There's no need for it to be a speed limit; just a "caution, hairpin turn" sign is enough.
There are several tight turns near my house. One's a 25 mph one, another is a 15 mph one. Even as a local, I find the numbers a handy reminder; there's absolutely no way a non-local would be able to figure out which turn should be taken at which speed.
> "Eh, this feels like a 75" from an untrained driver with three big accidents on their record shouldn't be of equal value.
Any such driver should have already suffered enough consequences from three big accidents to have changed their behavior. And if they haven't changed their behavior, how is a speeding ticket (which costs a lot less than three big accidents) supposed to?
> Real engineers have liability and licensing implications for fucking up.
For things like bridges and buildings, yes. And for consequences that are easily seen, yes. But what consequences do road engineers suffer if they set the speed limit on a road too low, forcing people to take more time and burn more gas?
> There are several tight turns near my house. One's a 25 mph one, another is a 15 mph one.
Yes, turn warning signs with a safe speed recommendation included. No problem there. But can you get a ticket if you go around the turn at a higher speed than posted, but don't cause any harm? (As I understand it, you can't; the speeds on those yellow warning signs, unlike the ones on the white speed limit signs, are advisory only and you can't be ticketed just for exceeding them. Which is exactly the kind of thing I'm advocating, just for all limits.)
It's hard to tell from a posted limit sign if an engineer was involved. Or, if the engineer was directed to a target limit rather than allowed to find the appropriate limit based only on the road design and such.
Towns would no longer have this bullshit revenue source, and might actually set the limits to a reasonable level instead of one intended to make you screw up.