The Frustration of Speed Limits on Highways: Does it Make Sense?

Not everyone can drive fast, especially on toll roads. Speed limits are there to keep everyone safe. The main issue is that many people think driving fast is easy. Okay, in some ways it is, but not everyone has quick reflexes. If an accident happens, it can set off a chain reaction, and that’s dangerous.

Just look at some accidents on the highway. For example, if someone is driving over 100mph and suddenly (for whatever reason) stops, it can catch the people behind them off guard, causing panic. The car could swerve and hit others. That wouldn't happen if everyone stuck to the speed limit.

The problem is that not everyone has the reflexes of a race car driver. They can drive fast and react quickly because it's instinctive for them, and training for that isn’t easy. Regular drivers like us probably wouldn't handle such a situation well; we’d end up in an accident because our reflexes are different. That’s why the government sets a speed limit for everyone to follow.

On the flip side, driving fast isn’t necessarily a problem, but suddenly stopping can harm a lot of people, especially on busy roads. I think that’s the cause of many accidents—people stopping too suddenly.

As far as I know, speed limits are based on the width of the road and the lanes. The wider the road, the faster you can go, just like on public roads. I think the reason for this is the response time and the distance between drivers. The closer the distance, the lower the speed limit.

That's why you see higher speed limits on toll roads—they’re designed for fast driving. They’re usually wide, well-maintained, and built for that kind of speed. On the other hand, public roads or city streets don’t allow it because there are too many people, cars, and random stuff going on. Basically, if you try to drive fast there, you're just asking for trouble. So, the government sets lower speed limits on those roads since they’re not really made for speeding. Toll roads, though, are more suitable and safer for it because they’re bigger and built with fast driving in mind.

Highways are similar. Engineers or other experts usually already know the road's capabilities, so they understand that at a certain speed, if there’s a sudden slowdown or braking, the driver won’t run into problems or accidents. These rules are made with a lot of thought behind them because, after all, not everyone can drive fast, and that can be dangerous. As the saying goes, it's not speed that kills, but the stopping.

But I think the key to speed limits on highways is the type of environment and location. Not all roads are safe for high speeds, and driving fast requires skill. The safest approach is to create speed regulations that are hard to ignore or bypass. This way, at least the risk is understood by the relevant authorities, so they know what could go wrong in case of an incident.

For example, if you're driving on a flat highway and then suddenly hit an uneven road, it's not a good idea to keep going fast. You could easily lose control and cause an accident. On the other hand, there’s a chance the government might not build perfectly smooth, straight roads because driving at high speeds on them would still be risky. It's essentially a safety mechanism to make sure we follow the rules and avoid accidents. Speeding often leads to self-inflicted harm.

In short, it's a precaution. Highways aren't racetracks, and we need to stick to the speed limits. Exceeding them could lead to dangerous situations.