Unfortunately I wasn't able to post this on the message board where a Professor responded to the incident. He listed laws that the students violated. In actuallity, the students didn't break any of those laws but yet set up a special circumstance. In actuallity, the problem ultamately came from those who followed behind them. There are laws that indicate that you must leave a specified amount of distance for each MPH. In some states, the distance must increase over travel distance. Which means, the other drivers should have dropped speed below 55 to allow significant room. After all, it says Speed 55 Limit, not speed 55 minimum (though some highways like that do have a minimum speed limit...but those are ussually for 65 speed limits and higher).

My two cents.

I agree with Brian. Speed limit signs can be romoved. However, the Yellow Speed limit signs for sharp curves and such should remain in place.

My brother's best friend was driving down the freeway, doing about 70 or so according to the police report. Speed limit on that freeway was 60. He was driving North. In the South bound direction, a woman was driving when someone shot past her doing over 90, cut her off and clipped her. She lost control, swerved across the freeway and hit my brother's friend head on, and judging by the impact he didn't even see her coming. Dead on impact, while the lady who hit him wasn't even scratched. The guy who clipped her never even slowed down. The saddest part was he was supposed to be getting married about a month later.

A few months after the accident, the city put up huge concrete walls seperating this particular area. Previously there was just a fence, nothing else. No grass, no extra lanes (save for the freeway shoulders on both sides of the freeway, so about 2 "lanes") that were sperates by a fence. Now in that particular area there is concrete wall.

So anyone who thinks the speed limit signs should be removed should just walk out into the freeway and get hit at 100 mph and see how it feels.

Accidents aren't caused by drivers who don't follow the speed limits, they're caused by drivers who don't stay with the flow of traffic. That's an important difference, and one that the kids who pulled this stunt apparently failed to grasp.

Except the flow of traffic, theoretically, should be under the speed limit. Their point wasn't that people drive too fast; it was that the speed limits are too low.

All the people tailgating them weren't staying with the flow of traffic, because the flow of traffic was (*gasp*) going the speed limit that particular day. :p

you do realise that your reacton time stays the same, even at high speeds.

If something unexpected happens in front of you, you will not only have more time to react as you will not have traveled so far in the time it takes to react to said event, but you will also have a smaller stopping distance.

In Australia, you are expected to leave a two second gap between the person in front of you, and your car. this is to compensate for reaction time. And, the person who hits a car in front of them is the one who is in the wrong unless there are many witness statements reporting that the car in front showed incredible negligence and did something illegal.

im confoozled

Yeah, I try to go by 2 second rule, but you can only hold on to that for so long on the Interstate.

[QUOTE=Michael MacFarlane]Accidents aren't caused by drivers who don't follow the speed limits, they're caused by drivers who don't stay with the flow of traffic. That's an important difference, and one that the kids who pulled this stunt apparently failed to grasp.[/QUOTE]

Oh WOW! I NEVER KNEW THAT! Hey everyone! Every single accident that has ever happened, EVERY single one, was NOT caused by someone speeding. Not once did an accident occur due to speeding. Wow. Next time a cop pulls me over cause Im doing 50 through a school zone, I can say "Oh officer, accidents happen cause people don't follow the flow of traffic. Not because of speeding."

Poor people aren't economically disadvantaged, they're just LAZY!

This is a prime example of the difference between theory and practice. States post speed limits, but realize that people will generally drive five to ten miles per hour above the posted speed limit. That's the whole reason they have laws against impeding traffic, and these kids were breaking those laws.



Cute. I think the only possible response to a post like this is "So long, and thanks for all the strawmen."

[QUOTE=Michael MacFarlane]This is a prime example of the difference between theory and practice. States post speed limits, but realize that people will generally drive five to ten miles per hour above the posted speed limit. That's the whole reason they have laws against impeding traffic, and these kids were breaking those laws.



Cute. I think the only possible response to a post like this is "So long, and thanks for all the strawmen."[/QUOTE]

He has a point, as does...

Someone. The point was not that accidents are caused by speeding, it's that the speed limit is too slow!

[QUOTE=Michael MacFarlane]Accidents aren't caused by drivers who don't follow the speed limits, they're caused by drivers who don't stay with the flow of traffic. That's an important difference, and one that the kids who pulled this stunt apparently failed to grasp.[/QUOTE]

Or set out to prove...

The speed limit is the speed LIMIT, meaning maximum. When you get on a freeway thats 60 mph, the moment you hit 61 mph, no matter which lane, you are speeding. Most cops let you go about 10 mph over if not alot of traffic, that's cause they know sooner or later (mostl ikely sooner) that someone will pass them doing 80 in a 60, thus a higher ticket, etc.

Im not saying going 70 in a 60 is stupid, I do it too sometimes (But lately I don't speed cause I need to get new tires and don't wanna wear them down faster right now), but if someone is doing 70 in the far left lane, I'm not gonna get so pissed that I drive past them at 80 and clip them and causing someone to get killed.

You are technically correct - the limit is the limit.

The minimum speed here is 45mph and the limit is 65mph. Typical traffic speed is 75-80mph..anyone doing 45 is a traffic hazard, imho.

It's not exactly legal...but I was driving my MR2 and tagging along with a Mustang and a BMW on the interstate somewhere - we were doing 90+, and never hit anyone..

I believe that speed rarely causes accidents. It can certainly be a contributing factor, but the actual cause is typically something else - something that could have happened if the driver was doing the speed limit. The excessive speed just compounds mistakes. Then again, that's just my opinion..and I have to get ready for work, so I can't be bothered to look it up and see if I'm right. :p

$0.02