3 ms·

> the speed limits are set low, at 30 kmh, or 18.6 mph. Pet peeve: 30km/h = 20mph. 30.0km/h = 18.6mph. 50km/h = 30mph, not 31mph. It's so annoying when people

> the speed limits are set low, at 30 kmh, or 18.6 mph. Pet peeve: 30km/h = 20mph. 30.0km/h = 18.6mph. 50km/h = 30mph, not 31mph. It's so annoying when people don't do significant digits correctly when converting between metric and imperial, it completely breaks the flow.

karthikb 10y ago
30 kph is a speed limit and thus an exact number, not an approximation to 1 SF. Thus, 18.6 mph is more correct than 20 mph.
- masklinn 10y ago
  > 30 kph is a speed limit and thus an exact number, not an approximation to 1 SF. Thus, 18.6 mph is more correct than 20 mph. No, because the imperial speed limit corresponding to 30km/h is 20mph, and imperial drivers would have encountered that and thus would have a clear and absolutely trivial frame of reference. Likewise 50km/h and 30mph. 18.6mph and 31mph is not correct, it's worthless pedantry completely missing the point to the disservice of the reader.
  - karthikb 10y ago
    I was responding to parent who was making the argument based on significant figures. Speed limits are exact (though enforcement may not be!). But I completely agree that from a practical perspective, 30 kph = 20 mph, 100 kph = 65 mph, and so on.
    - henrikschroder 10y ago
      > Speed limits are exact And this is exactly the kind of worthless pedantry that masklinn called out.
tomjen3 10y ago
My pet peeve is that it is way too slow. Sorry but I don't want to spend an extra day a month in traffic so retarded teens can send sms back and forth without ending in a collision.
- mjevans 10y ago
  Agreed, this is a 'cheep out' engineering control. Under-clock the system to try to make it operate safely. The real solution is separation of routing layers.
- WWLink 10y ago
  18mph is amusingly slow. You'd have to continuously just barely tap the gas to maintain that speed.
- henrikschroder 10y ago
  It's exactly that mindset that kills people by statistical inevitability. Each society is of course free to make the choice, and as a result the US has four times as many fatal accidents per capita as Sweden. Also, 30km/h is used in the same places that would be 25mph zones in the US, i.e. residential areas and school zones on thoroughfares. The default speed on larger roads in cities is 50km/h, which is just below 35mph, a very common city throughfare speed limit in the US. And on the flipside, many Swedish freeways have a speed limit of 120km/h, i.e. 75mph, which you're hard pressed to find in the US at all, and certainly not in California. It's only in the last decade they've changed the speed limit to 120km/h, but it's because freeways have been made safer, and cars have been made safer, so it makes sense to raise the limit. Try getting the speed limit raised in California. I'm not gonna hold my breath waiting for that.
rocky1138 10y ago
It's petty but I also find it annoying when people write it as kph when it's actually km/h.
- brute 10y ago
  I'd like to add "kmh" to that list as well. (occurs in the article)

karthikb 10y ago

30 kph is a speed limit and thus an exact number, not an approximation to 1 SF. Thus, 18.6 mph is more correct than 20 mph.

masklinn 10y ago
> 30 kph is a speed limit and thus an exact number, not an approximation to 1 SF. Thus, 18.6 mph is more correct than 20 mph. No, because the imperial speed limit corresponding to 30km/h is 20mph, and imperial drivers would have encountered that and thus would have a clear and absolutely trivial frame of reference. Likewise 50km/h and 30mph. 18.6mph and 31mph is not correct, it's worthless pedantry completely missing the point to the disservice of the reader.
- karthikb 10y ago
  I was responding to parent who was making the argument based on significant figures. Speed limits are exact (though enforcement may not be!). But I completely agree that from a practical perspective, 30 kph = 20 mph, 100 kph = 65 mph, and so on.
  - henrikschroder 10y ago
    > Speed limits are exact And this is exactly the kind of worthless pedantry that masklinn called out.

tomjen3 10y ago

My pet peeve is that it is way too slow. Sorry but I don't want to spend an extra day a month in traffic so retarded teens can send sms back and forth without ending in a collision.

mjevans 10y ago
Agreed, this is a 'cheep out' engineering control. Under-clock the system to try to make it operate safely. The real solution is separation of routing layers.
WWLink 10y ago
18mph is amusingly slow. You'd have to continuously just barely tap the gas to maintain that speed.
henrikschroder 10y ago
It's exactly that mindset that kills people by statistical inevitability. Each society is of course free to make the choice, and as a result the US has four times as many fatal accidents per capita as Sweden. Also, 30km/h is used in the same places that would be 25mph zones in the US, i.e. residential areas and school zones on thoroughfares. The default speed on larger roads in cities is 50km/h, which is just below 35mph, a very common city throughfare speed limit in the US. And on the flipside, many Swedish freeways have a speed limit of 120km/h, i.e. 75mph, which you're hard pressed to find in the US at all, and certainly not in California. It's only in the last decade they've changed the speed limit to 120km/h, but it's because freeways have been made safer, and cars have been made safer, so it makes sense to raise the limit. Try getting the speed limit raised in California. I'm not gonna hold my breath waiting for that.

rocky1138 10y ago

It's petty but I also find it annoying when people write it as kph when it's actually km/h.

brute 10y ago
I'd like to add "kmh" to that list as well. (occurs in the article)