Are Speed Limits the Cause of Accidents on the Road?
Speed limits are the cause of the increase in deaths because...
The Autobahn is a federal controlled-access highway system in Germany that spans a distance of 8,192 miles. The Government of Germany recommends a speed limit of 81 mph. However, this is not a rule. A driver can drive at the speed he desires. The speed limit is just a safety precaution. On the contrary, are all speed limits a precaution?
In 2018, 409 people died on the Autobahn. Mind you, these were the people who were following the recommended speed limit by the government.
The autobahn fatality rate of 1.6 deaths per billion travel-kilometres compared favourably with the 4.6 rate on urban streets and 6.5 rate on rural roads. Why is the fatality rate higher in the urban areas than on the Autobahn? This is because the speed limit in the urban areas of Germany is 31mph. Speed limits increase traffic. Traffic causes delay. And delay increases stress, thereby causing accidents that could turn fatal.
India, a country known for having some of the world's most dangerous stretch of roads, has speed limits. This is necessary due to the lack of repairs on potholes, be it on the highway or the urban streets.
However, in the developed countries of Europe and America, where the roads are painted with tarmac, speed limits are the ONLY DANGER one can ever be aware of!
Another example one can think of is the casualties in the United Kingdom. In 2019, 153,158 casualties were reported due to accidents in cities and towns of the UK. Whereas, during the same year, 1,752 people were killed on the highways. There can be only one reason for such a sharp decrease in fatalities, and that is SPEED LIMITS!
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Comments (4)
Fangio has a famous quote that I can't remember exactly but I'll paraphrase, it goes something like, "I feel like I'm in the most danger when I'm on the road and see someone breaking the speed limit. This is because this driver thinks he is Fangio, and I know he isn't." The reason speed limits exist is to prevent people who's ability isn't quite as good as they think it is.
In the words of Jeremy Clarkson: "Speed has never killed anyone. Suddenly becoming stationary, that's what gets you."
And the cause is speed limits
Speed limits cause traffic
and traffic is responsible for you being stationary.
More accidents happen in cities because there is more tight manoeuvres and more cars and more accidents happen in the countryside because the roads are twisty, nothing to do with the fact there are speed limits.