Reply to DC issued nearly one million tickets to drivers over six month period in DC

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]All these things can be true:
-Drivers need to drive safer and slower. 
-Many DC cameras are set up to maximize revenue and have little to do with safety
-That said, cameras can and do effectively change driver habits when deployed with safety in mind.
-If safety is the primary goal, big honking signs saying MANY SPEED CAMERAS AHEAD would be deployed. (Note: They are not.)
-Many DC speed limits are set artificially low in order to make the 10-over ticket-trigger lower. For instance, a speed limit of 25 mph on Conn. Ave in DC is a joke. 30 used to be the limit. But now, 35 will get you a ticket, not 40, so that's why it is set at 25.
-MD and VA drivers should pay their tickets. I paid my MD ticket (only one so far in 10 years!). Was last year in Rockville, and it was $40. Which brings me to my final point...
-DC's $100 fine is set too high and is obviously predatory. If deterrence --not revenue-- is the goal, make it $50. People will get the message!
[/quote]

I'm going to take issue with the speed limits being "artificially low." Many people seem to think speed limits are basically mathematical constants, when they really are just the political outcome of a hundred competing interests.

A lot has changed since CT was posted at 30. One of the most obvious things is that you now have people driving 5,000 pound SUVs instead of 2,500 pound sedans. That's a heck of a lot more kinetic energy and its in a form that is far more dangerous to other road users. High ground clearance and large wheels let them hop curbs and flip over more easily. High bumpers make them more dangerous to pedestrians. 
Driver behavior is also different now. Drivers are far more aggressive in weaving through traffic and running red lights. Add in all the electronic distractions... The safety margin that once was there at 30 is gone now, so lowering the limit is one way to get that margin back.[/quote]

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