4 ms·

People often don't think that 5 mph is significant, but it absolutely is. https://one.nhtsa.gov/people/injury/research/pub/HS809012.html https://one.nhtsa.gov/

People often don't think that 5 mph is significant, but it absolutely is. https://one.nhtsa.gov/people/injury/research/pub/HS809012.html https://one.nhtsa.gov/people/injury/research/pub/HS809012.ht... Table 2 in that link shows fatalities approximately doubling for each 5 mph increment of speed added. That doesn't even take into account the increased likelihood of hitting someone (increased speed means decreased ability to react and stop). And yes, most (U.S.) roads are designed in such a way that practically begs motorists to speed. And thus speeding is the norm. Man if I had a dollar for every HN thread where someone bragged about getting out of a speeding ticket...

btrettel 9y ago
Most drivers do not appreciate how dangerous speeding is, definitely. As a libertarian friend of mine will say, "people automatically drive at safe speeds". (He has a very libertarian thinking style.) This view seems to be believed by the public at large if not stated explicitly, though it is false. To be fair, one needs to consider both absolute and relative speeds. Risk increases monotonically with absolute speed, but if you are going around the average speed of other vehicles on the road, that is safer than going slower. Many drivers I've spoken with will point that out as if it says speeding is safer. But the reality is that slower speeds for everyone and relatively little spread are what's actually safer. Learning patience and driving slower is a more productive use of one's time than fighting a speeding ticket. I am confident there's something about cars that actively erodes away patience in a way you don't see in bikes for example.
- peatmoss 9y ago
  > Risk increases monotonically with absolute speed, but if you are going around the average speed of other vehicles on the road, that is safer than going slower. This advice is good on highways to avoid colliding with other vehicles at high speeds. On local streets, it's better to be the neighborhood pace car and slow down :-)
  - btrettel 9y ago
    Excellent point. I'll keep the phrase "neighborhood pace car" in mind for the future.
- icc97 9y ago
  Also keeping distance from the car in front is very important.

btrettel 9y ago

Most drivers do not appreciate how dangerous speeding is, definitely. As a libertarian friend of mine will say, "people automatically drive at safe speeds". (He has a very libertarian thinking style.) This view seems to be believed by the public at large if not stated explicitly, though it is false. To be fair, one needs to consider both absolute and relative speeds. Risk increases monotonically with absolute speed, but if you are going around the average speed of other vehicles on the road, that is safer than going slower. Many drivers I've spoken with will point that out as if it says speeding is safer. But the reality is that slower speeds for everyone and relatively little spread are what's actually safer. Learning patience and driving slower is a more productive use of one's time than fighting a speeding ticket. I am confident there's something about cars that actively erodes away patience in a way you don't see in bikes for example.

peatmoss 9y ago
> Risk increases monotonically with absolute speed, but if you are going around the average speed of other vehicles on the road, that is safer than going slower. This advice is good on highways to avoid colliding with other vehicles at high speeds. On local streets, it's better to be the neighborhood pace car and slow down :-)
- btrettel 9y ago
  Excellent point. I'll keep the phrase "neighborhood pace car" in mind for the future.
icc97 9y ago
Also keeping distance from the car in front is very important.