Quote Originally Posted by East Hill View Post
I don't know if it makes any difference to anyone, but the speed at which roads are travelled can be influenced by a couple of factors. The first of course, is the spped for which it was engineered to be travelled.

But scarily, in certain states (California for one), if the average speed on a road creeps up over time, the state (or county, I forget which), will adjust the speed upward when approximately 85% of the motorists are exceeding the speed limit.

So, if you started off with a road that was posted at 30 mph, but 85% of the motorists drive at 45 mph, the posted limit will be revised to reflect a higher posted limit (if the engineering of the road permits). I would imagine it can set off a vicious cycle, only stopping when the engineered conditions no longer allow for a higher limit.

That probably doesn't help get anyone over their fear of travelling on the road because drivers already go too fast, eh?

East Hill
East Hill, I see what you're saying...but what about Europe? I've driven the autobahn at 2-3X the speed as US roads and felt much safer than doing 55 on a US Interstate. I think this supports speeds approaching the engineering limits, not the arbitrary speed limits.

Of course, the standards to get a license in Europe are much stricter and the traffic laws are meticulously obeyed (at least in Germany where I've driven)