Re: Faster driving saves lives

Michael S. Lorrey (retroman@together.net)
Fri, 15 Jan 1999 11:26:20 -0500

Samael wrote:

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Alexander 'Sasha' Chislenko <sasha1@netcom.com>
>
> >As driving is a stressful activity, time saved from it will likely
> >reduce mortality from other reasons.
> >
> >Add to this the unaccounted factors mentioned in the beginning of this
> >message, and also considerations that reliance upon police instead of
> >common sense is not good for personal development, that it takes more
> >human life time to pay police expenses for enforcing speed limits,
> >that people who save time are usually more careful and more productive
> >than people who speed unreasonably (and don't have to suffer for their
> >stupidity) - and you will see that *higher speed limits save lives*.
>
> One problem with your argument. when you are speeding, you don't
> necessaitly hit another speeding person.
>
> If I'm doing 50 and you're doing 90 and you hit me, it wasn't my fault and
> I'm dead too.
>

Here's a question: Does the study examine differences in the range of speeds used on the same roads at the same time? I would imagine that if everyone were going 80 mph they would be driving much more safely than if people on a highway were driving a range of speeds from 50-80. I'm sure that if everyone were driving 80 they'd have a higher risk during the time they were driving than if everyone were driving 50, but they would also be on the road at least 40% less time than those driving 50, so their overall cumulative risk may be lower even though their minute by minute risk may be higher, as you calculated.

Mike Lorrey