Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Path: utzoo!linus!genrad!decvax!harpo!seismo!rochester!sher From: sher@rochester.UUCP Newsgroups: net.flame Subject: Re: 55 saves lives Message-ID: <1983@rocheste.UUCP> Date: Sat, 18-Jun-83 00:47:55 EDT Article-I.D.: rocheste.1983 Posted: Sat Jun 18 00:47:55 1983 Date-Received: Sun, 19-Jun-83 11:09:12 EDT Lines: 30 While following my favorite hobby (studying the human race) I noticed an interesting fact about discussions of speeding. They seem to break up along geographic lines. People east of the appalacians (how do you spell that rediculous name?) are not bothered by the 55 speed limit. There are no roads that I have seen in NY or Connecticut or NJ that it is sane to drive faster than 65 on anyway (it is a noted fact that whatever the speed limit is people drive 10 mph faster). We lack those nhundred miles of straight line highways that you westerners dearly love. I probably wouldn't be a very safe driver under those conditions regardless because I have never driven on a long straight road. I have heard that given that you have an accident the likelyhood that the accident will be a fatalaty goes up dramatically with speed. (Remember that kinetic energy increases with the square of the speed) However time on the highway goes down inversely proportionally to the speed. This means that the danger of being on the highway goes up the faster you drive. (This may be incorrect due to any correction factor for your driving ability and how it degrades due to time on highway and other factors however it is correct if you assume that the other guy is the causative factor in accidents especially if you blame driving while incapacited). I also hate people who ride 15+ mph below traffic speed in the middle lanes of highways. I hate them almost as much as I hate left exits which force me to behave in that manner. (I save my real flames for net.religion) -David Sher (ofttimes AI project) soon to be -David Sher the blasphemer or even seismo!rochester!sher or maybe sher@rochester