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Faster is not always better: why the case for higher speed limits is fatally flawed.
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this post was submitted on 18 Sep 2024
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It's also worth noting the current speed limits were set in 1985. I know this is the wrong place to point it out, and I do hate cars, but acknowledge they have value for some use cases. That said...
Since 1985, car safety evolution has introduced: -Traction Control -Anti-lock Brakes -Airbags -Electronic Stability Control -Crumple Zones -Adaptive Cruise Control -Blind spot detection -Pedestrian detection
...just to name a few. Cars are safer now than they've ever been, for both drivers and pedestrians (the Cybertruck not withstanding), so it's equally strange to suggest that the same speed limit that was set in the mid-80s is the best balance of convenience and safety. If it's simply a matter of reduction in absolute terms, why not LOWER the speed limit?
Not saying the article's premise is wrong, but it's kneejerk. In fact, smartly using speed limits can help to push traffic into out of the way areas where it will be less problematic to pedestrians. For example, lowering the speed limits in pedestrian areas in cities and increasing them less dense, outer areas can both improve traffic flow and make dense spaces more pedestrian friendly by diverting traffic into roads with fewer people. And intercity traffic through areas with little to no pedestrian traffic is a no-brainer.
I understand that trucks and SUVs are more dangerous to pedestrians due to increases in hood height and reduction in curvature (along with reduced visibility). Is this not correct?
It is - both things can be true. There are certainly some types of vehicles and conditions that are less safe than others, often for unjustifiable and stupid reasons, but the general trend of the average vehicle over time is towards being much safer than in the past. You'd still rather be hit by an SUV with a crumple zone than a sedan with an all steel body, all else being equal.
I'm not sure that's true for pedestrians? Going over the hood on a sedan might be better...
If you get the opportunity. It's just as likely the impact of the all-steel frame with no crumple actually bisects your body right in half, or crushes your internal organs to paste.
Rolling over a hood is "better" because it consumes energy. Everything about mitigating a crash impact is about putting as much of the energy of the impact as possible somewhere other than a human body. You don't get the opportunity to do that at all if the initial impact is rigid. It's putting all that collision energy directly into you.
I don't think the average human has enough mass to meaniningfully use a crumplezone. The trend of higher bumper heights causes more head an chest injuries than lower bumper heights. Higher bumper heights also increase the chances of being run over.
The average car is also much heavier these days and simple math means that car will have more force on impact at the same speed compared to a lighter car.
You are absolutely right that cars are heavier now, which means they are putting more energy into a collision, but cars are also better at dissipating that energy. I don't actually know enough to know what wins in that face-off. You could very well be right. I'd defer to someone with more expertise in collisions.