[funsec] RE: [privacy] Gas prices and car driving

[Brian Loe]

On 8/4/06, Richard M. Smith <rms at bsf-llc.com> wrote:
> In addition, Montana adopted a maximum speed limit of 75 MPH for interstate
> highways in 1999:
>
>     http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Speed_limits_in_the_United_States#Montana
>
> The zoning out problem should exist in many states between the Mississippi
> River and the Rockies.  However, there is a 2 to 1 spread in death rates for
> similar states in this region.
>
> Regardless, Montana is poor example to hold up for not having speed limits
> on highways.

This is hilarious - why back off Montana? Both of your sources show
that the speed limit has either a negative effect or no effect at all
on highway deaths. The last item on your first source has the number
of deaths by year. Referencing your second source it seems the
important years are 95-99:
Deaths total:
1995  	215
1996 	200
1997 	265
1998 	237
1999 	220

Since the new law passed (which started halfway through 99 I believe):
2000  	237
2001 	230
2002 	269
2003 	262

This hardly proves your case.

And enough with the physics "lessons" - they don't help you either. If
I drive and 120mph its not a problem until I hit a wall (doing 0mph)
or another vehicle going slower. If the vehicle I hit is doing 110,
and depending on the cars, it might be possible to recover from the
*bump* and it certainly has no bearing on my being a fatality.

You can catch physics in action on the speed channel every day of the
week. I'm not much on NASCAR but it seems to fit this discussion in
that they hit each other all day at a high rate of speed and no one
dies; they hit the wall and, well, goodbye number 3.