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Have you been to other countries? American speeding seemed pretty sedate. I recall driving a bit too fast around some country roads in CA and people would pull
by jemmyw 3y ago
Have you been to other countries? American speeding seemed pretty sedate. I recall driving a bit too fast around some country roads in CA and people would pull over and let me past. That would never happen here, and I'd also be the slowest on the road going just a bit over the limit.
Not that this is a good thing, I'm not a fan of the dangerous driving I see a lot where I live. I lived in CA for awhile and I drove across the US. Drivers there are, on average, more courteous than drivers here (new zealand).
That difference doesn't seem to translate to a difference in crashes and fatalities though. I know from the stats here that 25% of people who die in car crashes were not wearing a seatbelt. I think that is interesting because it reveals that a significant number of accidents are being caused by people who are either impaired or taking risks in other ways than the average driver. So, while speeding is a factor, I'm not convinced that more cracking down on speeding is the thing that would make the most difference.
Edit: I grew up and learnt to drive in the UK which has fewer than half the number of accidents per mile driven. Speeding in the UK was far more common. Police enforcement of speeding on motorways was much lower. I'm not saying speeding is good, but driving culture, population density and road engineering all play their part in these numbers too.
- woodruffw 3y agoI have been to a lot of countries, yes. I'd say the only countries where I've consistently seen more unsafe driving have been in SE Asia. Specifically, Indonesia and the Philippines. But I haven't been to NZ, so I can't speak to your driving culture. From a quick look, NZ generally posts limits of 50km/h in cities. It's not uncommon to see 45mph (72km/h) limits in similar cities in the US. Factor the "10 over" rule in, and there are a lot of Americans who are used to going ~89km/h on urban roads. P.S. to your edit: I agree! I think American road culture is more than just speeding, and that the things you've identified play a substantial role. That's why I said "neglect" rather than focusing on just speeding.
- jemmyw 3y agoOur speed limits are actually similar for similar designed roads in urban areas, 50km, 70km, 80km and 100km. A lot of the road network is 100km national speed limit, and you wouldn't typically drive that fast on US roads of a similar design (single lane each way and quite often just a single lane for both directions!). But this is because NZ has a low population and pop density. While the US has some places with a low density, it can still afford to road up those areas "better" than NZ can.