The CDC is planning to get rid of their COVID-positive isolation guidelines because no one is following them. Next, the CDC director will drive on a highway and realize we should also get rid of all the speed limits https://skepchick.org/2024/02/the-cdc-gives-up-on-covid-19/
@rebeccawatson The death toll of no speed limit on the german Autobahn is about 100 per year.
They figured out this number by removing speed limits because "accidents have decreased to an extent that a speed limit is not justifiable any more".
So: Accurate comparison.
@publixpace @rebeccawatson This is factually untrue and wouldn't mean much anyway. Some of the lowest road accident rates are found in countries which not only have conservative speeding limits but also harsh penalties for speeding - in Norway going 30 km/h over the speed limit can cost you the equivalent of $1500.
@publixpace @rebeccawatson Well, it might be factually true, sorry.
@pies As for Germany, it is true. Speed limits on the Autobahn have to (!) be lifted when accident rates go down.
www.rbb24.de/panorama/beitrag/2023/09/brandenburg-autobahn-a24-berlin-hamburg-unfallserie-tempolimit-forderung.htm
When they switch from speed limit to no speed limit and back, it's on the basis of someone counting the accidents. Which makes for a good database.
@publixpace @rebeccawatson That's clever, but doesn't mean speed limits are useless, otherwise they'd never switch.
@pies It actually proves that speed limits work very well.
German law just forbids their preventive use.
Sounds dumb, right?
@publixpace @rebeccawatson Sounds perfectly sensible if you can guarantee the incentives will align. Otherwise the local tourism board might decide that having no reported accidents makes for a better holiday destination, or something of that nature. Sounds like the Germans are giving it a good go.
@pies @publixpace @rebeccawatson
here's a list of European countries and road safety stats (recent ones, and even UK is still contributing to the EU organisation collating these in spite of no longer being in EU). NO, SE and UK tend to be quite strict about enforcing speed limits..
https://www.driving.org/the-safest-and-most-dangerous-countries-to-drive-in-for-european-travellers/
@vfrmedia @pies @publixpace @rebeccawatson I regret to inform you that the UK is sufficiently lax on enforcement of speed limits that 85% of drivers routinely and deliberately exceed them.
Kudos to British drivers! that's a novel interpretation of the "85% rule".
@CelloMomOnCars @krans @vfrmedia @publixpace @rebeccawatson It's as if public safety issues are complex and data on it is easy to misinterpret.
