Survey Finds Drivers Take Speed Limits as Suggestions

A survey conducted by Purdue University has found that the vast majority of drivers are totally cool with driving over the posted speed limit — no matter what that number is.

Five miles per hour over the posted limit? No problem, 21% said. Ten mph over? More power to you, 43% said. Twenty mph over? Why not? asked 36%.

The study's author, Fred Mannering, hypothesizes that moves to tangle other concerns up with speed limit policies (such as fuel efficiency and neighborhood safety and noise concerns) has led to people disassociating speed limits with safety. This is why officials everywhere artificially lower the maximum posted speed because they expect drivers to go five to 10 mph over no matter what.

The greatest danger is not necessarily speeding, but big discrepancies in how fast some cars are traveling compared to others. If half the drivers on the road are following the speed limit and half are going 20 mph over, then you have a problem.

Mannering says the best way to make people obey posted speed limits is to artificially raise gas prices, citing that people will begin to drive more efficiently (i.e. slower) when they pay more for gas.

How often do you ignore speed limits? What would it take to get you to obey the posted limit? Let us know in the comments.

Study Shows Drivers Feel Free to Ignore Speed Limits (Autopia)

Comments

High gas prices will NOT make people drive slower. In Germany, gas is ~$9/gal, and they still drive 150kph on the Autobahn.

Many townships are just ridiculous. If couple idiots living on some road complain, the township can post a lower speed limit. This is how we got 25mph where 10 year ago used to be 40. And this is considering that the pavement and safety of the road was improved. It was widened and rails were installed. And this is just one of many.
Some people have to drive miles under 25mph speed limit before getting to the main road. This is stupid. This is why I never blame others for "speeding" on those local passages.

Raising gas prices might cause people to drive faster because the traffic density would decrease as people drive less.

No artificial measure will succeed in changing people's driving habits. It's all about using your head first of all. If you're going to drive slow, use the right lane; if you drive fast, use the left one; simple as that. Be considerate and drive accordingly.

I would actually increase speed limits by an average of 10-15mph and instruct police to have zero tolerance for speeding, even 5mph over. I would also remove any speed limits from non-urban highways while enforcing minimum limits depending on the lane you're on.

Sorry Tony, but 10 years ago that road went through a corn field. Now it's in a subdivision, and while the road is wider and has curbs and sidewalks and other major improvements in the last 10 years, it doesn't change the fact that the city bylaws require a reduction in speed with or without complaints, due to the population currently living on the road.

Ten years ago that road was in the unincorporated portion of the county. Now it's part of the city/town/village and the speed limit automatically changes to match the towns local bylaws, once again with or without complaints from citizens.

It's called urban sprawl.

i agree with the speed difference idea -- safe driving in part is about doing things that other drivers can anticipate or expect you to do. that's why you signal and change lanes in a steady manner.

i've noticed some roads will have a new speed posting, and people continue to drive the speed they are used to driving.

i've also noticed that, when gas prices were looking like they want to go above $5, people slowed down a good bit for a little while. then they got used to the price. i don't think raising the price will make a big permanent change. but at least with less people on the road, you might have fewer accidents

Contrary to what is implied in this post, in the linked article Mannering doesn't conclude that raising gas prices is the best way to make drivers obey speed limits.

In Australia we have speed cameras hidden everywhere that will take your picture and send it to you along with a nice little bill if you are even 2km/h over the speed limit. The system works and no one over there speeds. In fact, most people stay 5km/h under the speed limit just in case their speedometers are off.

I live in the States now and it is engrained in my mind not to go over the speed limit. I have often said that speed limits in the States are just a suggestion, as I'm often almost run off the road for following the law.

I don't necessarily enjoy the speed cameras, but they work to control traffic. It prevents some of the erratic driving that I see over here.

Roo,
Tom-Tom provides good way around speed camera issue!

valero,
you're partially right.
But I was talking about the road where no housing construction was done in 20 years. And I am not talking about city. Suburbans. Deep suburbans. Real local road. You need to know laws. Many laws basically work in the way that a few can drive system for all. Basically, sometimes few people can demand some resolution from township and then all people will have to live with it.

I speed, but not because I'm in a rush. I speed to get away from everyone! The road I travel is 65mph. If you do under 70, everyone blows by you. If you do between 70 and 75 everyone gets all bunched up and you have to deal with the idiots that can't keep a steady speed. So I do 78 to stay away from them. I still get passed but I make sure I move to the right when another car comes up. I do 78 because 20mph over the posted limit or anything over 80 in Virginia is reckless driving and I don't want to pay the higher fine.

"This is why officials everywhere artificially lower the maximum posted speed because they expect drivers to go five to 10 mph over no matter what."

That may be a small part of the reason, and the reason you'll believe if you're gullible. A bigger reason is increased revenue from speeding tickets.

Where are the police with regard to speeding and giving speeding tickets? Used to be most roads were speed enforced. Now I see the police ignoring red-light runners, drivers ignoring lane change signaling, and of course speeders. People will continue to speed if they can get away with it. Meanwhile everyone's life is at risk because of the ignorant speeders

kj,
good question...
Where I live there is a busy intersection and the police department right on the corner. Well. If you look at the light when it turns red, and then count cars that still go through you'll have at least one every time. My best count was 4!! With police that could see it out of the window. good question.

But on the other note, recently police did good on two ocasions when I was somewhat a participant. One time I was driving in the rainy night and suddenly somebody was "shaving" my bumper from behind. I don't like when people are too close behind, especially, coming at me @90mph in the bad weather. I slowed down even more. The person didn't get the messege. In about 10 secs lights behind indicated that the follower was taken.
On the second ocasion, while in Boston, I was following my brother's car. Suddenly some idiot made a move in between us and I almost got him. Then driver came out of formation and went like a rocket down the city street. 300 yards later the driver saw a police officer waving him to the side of the road. Apperantly they got a trap in the right place and time for the idiot.

kj said, "Now I see the police ignoring red-light runners, drivers ignoring lane change signaling, and of course speeders. People will continue to speed if they can get away with it. Meanwhile everyone's life is at risk because of the ignorant speeders"

Maybe it's because they don't care like the rest of society? I see the police regularly flaunting the traffic laws. They feel like they can do whatever they want and it's pretty obvious that this is ingrained in all of society, not just certain segments.

The police should be doing what they're supposed to do. Investigate and solve real problems and issues, not handing out speeding tickets. The crackheads down the street or the pedo's on the other block are far more important then speeders. It's not the taxpayers fault that police departments can't budget properly and have to resort to issuing petty fines. I support this "speeding" but people who flaunt pertinent traffic laws (no turn signal, skipping across all lanes of traffic, tail-gating, etc) are the ones who need to be ticketed. Red-light runners are just plain stupid, there's no excuse of justification for doing that. If you want to go fast, pay for the increased wear and decreased efficiency, and your car is capable, then why not? Change the speed limits to what they are in Germany; speed but if you cause an accident, prepare to pay through the nose. A better idea is an advanced drivers license.

But then there's the problem with most of us not getting enough sleep and then what? We get in our car to go home, to work or the store because we have a crappy mass-transit system. Drowsiness and inattentiveness probably cause more accidents then speeding.

I agree with the bad weather concern and people following too close. At high speeds, the weather plays such a tremendous factor and is really dangerous.

I had an incident a couple years ago where I was following a bit too close in the rain and a car "brake-checked" me, causing me to spin out of control on the highway to avoid him, in the meantime nearly caused a huge accident.

This article hits the nail on the head when it talks about how dangerous it can be when half the drivers are going over the speed limit and the other half are doing the speed limit. I'm not sure where, but I read an article not too long ago that police pull people over on the highway for about 80mph more so than any other speed, including 90 and above. This is just a testament to drivers who generally observe the "5-10 above speed limit".

I do agree that most speeding tickets, especially in BFE places like Kansas I-70, is just a revenue generator for the local bumpkin police force. I also disagree of the use of traffic cameras. There's just something unConstitutional about it. So what, you have a picture of someone who looks very similar to me driving my car, did you verify that was me driving it? It could've been my brother, best friend, etc, who looks very much like me. Essentially all you have is a picture of my car speeding.

I also have driven in Germany and completely agree that the typical American driver is ignorant of the road. Anyone driving a three ton SUV at 75 mph (120 kph) in the rain should not be tailgating or talking on their phone or drinking a 64ounce Big Gulp. It constantly amazes me in the winter to watch these behemoths slide past the red lights in the snow because the driver cannot figure out when to properly apply the brakes for adverse weather conditions.

What we really need is a more prudent driver's licensing education system instead of the send in five boxtops and $5 system we have now. I agree with speed limits in residential or highly commericial areas, especially anywhere children are at play. I do not agree that a toll road such as I-425 in Denver or I-70 Topeka/KC should be regulated. These roads do not travel through neighborhoods, have minimal shops, and are well maintained. The way I see it, you could charge a higher toll for the priviledge of speed.

I say we should just have guns mounted on every street, and anyone doing 20mph+ over the speed limit gets shot, no one would ever do it again!

The county in Indiana where I live the police are extra viligent in giving speeding tickets. When you get hit with almost $200 ticket (court cost automatically added in) you watch your speed. They even go sub-dvision hunting.

I would gladly obey all speed limits. I try... I just notice that they are all artificially lowered and I get the finger and a honk if I try... I feel its safer to drive about 5 over and thats what the law seems to expect of me because everyone wants to be a rebel.