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Originally Posted by JARblue
That was the fight 40 years ago when they managed to get rid of the nationally set 55 mph highway speed.
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And I cannot understand why our loop is still 55 mph. You would practically be run off the road for going 55 mph, even in the rightmost lane. If you are in the left lane and not doing at least 70, people become fairly hostile.
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Traffic engineers understand this stuff. Virtually no one else does. I have a very minor understanding of some of the principles because my father practiced traffic engineering for many years when I was a child. They still don't make a whole lot of sense to me lol
But I know what you mean. Lowering the speed limit 5-10 mph below what the study finds to be the safest speed is not significantly altering the overall safety of the roadway. The problem I have is letting them get away with it at all. It's the principle. Municipalities shouldn't be taking advantage of their power to increase revenue at the expense of the public they are supposedly serving.
It's not about a maximum speed. The studies are designed to determine the safest speed for the traffic and conditions on that particular road. As has been mentioned, people are generally going to drive the speed they are comfortable driving given the conditions. Regardless of the posted speed limit. So the study is really about finding that sweet spot where the range of speed across the grandmas, normal drivers, and speed demons is the narrowest. That's what the speed limit should be set at. Some jackoff at the city council who thinks it's too fast should not be able to change it; nor should the police dept or other AHJ be able to influence a municipality to change it.
And for my final point ... you're a trolltard! 
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Based on this explanation and dP3NGU1N's I see what you guys are saying.
If the road is comfortable doing 75 - 80 mph (which, our 4 - 6 lane loop sure is, though it's posted 55 mph) then you have some people going 80 mph, and some people going 55 mph, and that's worse than if they just let everyone go 80 mph.
Also on the topic of cell phones and driving as it was brought up - I do not drive distracted, as much as humanly possible. While it may not be illegal to eat and drive or put on makeup and drive, you are still just as much of an ******* as the guy weaving around because he's text messaging and driving or camping in the left lane yakking away on the phone while obliviously pacing the car in the center lane while traffic piles up behind you.