The idea of self-driving cars is appealing to many of my friends as they dislike driving. It’s not relaxing for them. It’s not exciting. It’s a necessity that is often expensive and sometimes dangerous. But even for those people, the idea of a mandatory speed limiter isn’t necessarily appealing.
Today’s Morning Dump is all about the interaction between government, industry, and consumers. In Europe (and Northern Ireland), speed limiters are mandated on all new cars as of this weekend. If you can’t drive 88.5 and live on the continent this is your new reality, though there are a couple of ways around it.
Stateside, the existence of restrictions on foreign materials in batteries is leading many companies to scramble to figure out where to source the chemicals they need. So you say you want a hydrogen revolution? No, you didn’t? That’s just an OEM thing? Well, California is also a little less sure it wants to change the world in that specific way.
And, finally, GM is going to fork up about $145.8 million after excessive emissions were found in a bunch of its vehicles that weren’t quite at the emissions levels that were promised.
Mandatory Speed Limiters Are Happening
Speed limits are real, but they’re not generally hard limits. It’s a feature of the social contract that there are laws we expect to be strictly enforced and ones that no one expects to be rigorously applied. I drink beers with my buddies in the parking lot after our ultimate games and, technically, that’s not legal but no cop would deign to bother us for doing it.
Put another way: You can drive one mile over the speed limit and expect to get away with it, but you rob one bank, and all of a sudden there’s a manhunt.
In most places, it’s generally understood that there’s a roughly 4-6 mph grace period above the speed limit where the effort required by the law enforcement officer to pull you over and write you up isn’t worth it to them. There are exceptions, of course. Speed limits in school zones tend to be hard limits, and for good reason. Of course, if a cop wants to pull you over for some reason, they can pop you for doing 55 in a 54 as a pretext for a deeper search.
If you wish to go faster than the speed limit it’s up to you whether or not you want to risk a ticket, points on your license, or possible jail time if you reach felony speeds.
Lately, automakers have been applying new technologies to limit exceeding the speed limit. Most new cars will let you know what the car thinks the speed limit is and warn you, one way or another if you are exceeding that limit. Some cars beep. Most cars flash some sort of symbol on the dash. Some new cars can even be set to stop the driver from going any faster, but that’s a choice the driver makes.
If you’re in Europe, it’s now a choice that the government makes. As of July 7th, all new cars sold on the continent or in Northern Ireland have to have a mandatory speed limiter installed. The system is generally known as Intelligent Speed Assistance (ISA) and it’s probably going to show up on a lot of vehicles in the United Kingdom as well because the country basically shares a car market with the rest of its neighbors.
Here’s Highway News with some reaction from Britain’s Royal Automobile Club:
Steve Gooding of the RAC Foundation explained that although the ISA tech can be stopped temporarily by drivers, it resets itself every time the car is turned off.
He said: “For now, UK drivers will have the option of disabling ISA where it is installed but I think many motorists will tire of switching it off and they will just learn to live with it.”
He added: “Arguably ISA will mark the beginning of the end of a world in which people choose their cars on the basis of its top speed and the time it takes to accelerate from 0 to 60mph.
“It’s a sign of things to come,” he continued. “Increasingly, the car is going to decide what you can and can’t do.”
The system is defeatable, though that comes with its own potential issues as The Guardian implies:
With the precise readings of computers replacing wobbly speedometer needles, however, and a new generation of speed cameras upping the ante on the enforcement side, it may be ever harder to disown responsibility. Lawyers say those who switch off the speed limiter at the start of their journey may have a difficult time if they end up in court.
There’s an obvious solution to this, which is that you can just buy an older car. No one is talking about banning old cars and, therefore, old cars are going to become inherently more valuable to people who want more control.
New cars are mostly not designed for enthusiasts, they’re designed for regular people. Reducing speeds is better for the environment, it’s better for pedestrians/cyclists, and it’s generally safer. It’s hard to argue that other people should be able to go 120 mph in their GMC Acadia because I don’t trust other people. I think many people want this and some people should have it.
But I don’t want it. Increasingly, carmakers are trying to take the role of driving away from the driver. This view sees the driver as an unfortunate necessity, a stand-in for a computer until a computer can do the job. That view is winning. It’s winning in California and it’s winning in other places.
Whether this would work in America is a matter of debate as we’ve already experimented with a national speed limit and it didn’t last long. The great paradox of the American road is that the speed limits in denser urban and suburban areas are clearly too high, while speed limits on America’s higher-quality interstates are arguably too low.
Should Car Companies Become Battery Companies?
The battery requirements in the Inflation Reduction Act are impacting most domestic manufacturers, but even without it OEMs were already trying to figure out the best way to control their own supply chain.
With a few exceptions, the powertrains in most new cars are made by that automaker. On the other hand, no automaker makes its own gas. Because batteries are such a huge part of the value/cost of a vehicle it behooves automakers to not necessarily outsource all of it.
The analysts at S&P Global Mobility have a breakdown of the different approaches to this problem, though the bottom line is that outsourcing is increasingly going out of vogue.
S&P Global Mobility forecasts that sourcing under value chain integration, where the cell, module and pack are manufactured in-house, will increase from 16.7% in 2022 to nearly 21% in 2030. During the same period, outsourcing is expected to fall from about 21% to less than 11%.
OEMs are increasingly looking to balance the risk against the investment required to have a highly vertically integrated battery supply chain. That is the reason behind a lot of partnerships between OEMs and suppliers. This trend will gain more momentum through the end of this decade. Sourcing through partnerships is expected to increase from 7% in 2022 to 26% in 2030.
If you were curious, BYD is the automaker that uses the least outsourcing (it uses zero) because BYD is a battery company that makes cars and not the other way around like everyone else.
Will California Kill The Hydrogen Truck?
I still am highly skeptical of passenger hydrogen vehicles. Unlike electricity, hydrogen is a much less flexible fuel and requires either onsite production or more infrastructure than I think we’re ok with building everywhere. But big trucks? Big trucks follow set routes and already carry huge amounts of fuel.
I don’t hate the idea of a hydrogen semi, whether it’s an internal combustion engine turned into something that can burn hydrogen or a hydrogen fuel cell where the hydrogen creates energy for electric motors. A hydrogen semi would emit less than a typical diesel-powered truck and might otherwise be more efficient.
The less there is the key piece as Automotive News reports:
While emitting only trace amounts of carbon dioxide from the lubricants used in the engine, they still produce smog-forming nitrogen oxides and other pollutants.
California’s Advanced Clean Fleets regulation governs the operation of trucks. It defines zero-emission vehicles as those that produce zero exhaust emissions of any of six commonly found air pollutants identified by the EPA, precursor substances that react chemically to form pollutants or greenhouse gases under any possible operational modes or conditions.
“Under this definition, a hydrogen combustion engine does not meet the definition of a ZEV,” said Kate Lamb, a California Air Resources Board spokesperson.
Given that many other states follow California regulations this is a bit of a roadblock for the non-fuel cell trucks.
GM Agrees To Pay Big Emissions Bill
Here’s another fun thing about the social contract and the legal system in the United States. You can essentially say ‘I don’t think I did anything wrong, or at least I don’t want to admit to it, but going through the legal motions is such a chore I’ll just agree to pay a fine or whatever and get this off my plate.’
That’s what’s happened with General Motors, which agreed to pay $145.8 million and give up the 50 million metric tons of carbon allowances it claimed for vehicles built between 2012 and 2018. Basically, automakers estimate what their emissions are and tell the government.
If the government doesn’t think that’s the case it can investigate and, in this case, it did and found that GM was a little too favorable to itself.
From Reuters via the Detroit Free Press:
In a statement, GM said it “has at all times complied with and adhered to all applicable laws and regulations in the certification and in-use testing of the vehicles in-question” but added it believes “this is the best course of action to swiftly resolve outstanding issues with the federal government regarding this matter.”
GM also paid $128.2 million last year for a similar issue. Both of these were the first time the company had to pay one of these fines in the 40 years or so since the rules were put in place. Is that, too, an enforcement issue?
What I’m Listening To While Writing TMD
It’s a bad girl summer, with Charli XCX, Chappell Roan, and Sabrina Carpenter dominating. Here’s another one to get stuck in your head, this time featuring actor Barry Keoghan as the bad boy in Sabrina Carpenter’s “Please, Please, Please.” I’m less interested in the lovebirds (though they have some great chemistry here) and more interested in that 1978 Dodge Magnum XE. Holy hell, that’s some great car casting.
The Big Question
Speed limiters, should everyone else have them? Do you want them?
Create a new law, create a new criminal. You cannot legislate your way to an ideal society.
The bears indicate otherwise:
https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/21534416/free-state-project-new-hampshire-libertarians-matthew-hongoltz-hetling
I live in California but am in Germany about a month out of every year.
I. Hate. Driving. There.
Sure, if you happen to be on the Autobahn at 2 in the morning and the speed isn’t restricted you can have a ball, but that is just not typical. There are speed cameras everywhere, and I mean everywhere! To make it worse, the speed limit changes constantly on the same stretch of road. 30km to 80km wait now it’s 45km wow it’s up to 100km…fucking hell. Driving is a stressful necessity there. I take the train everywhere I can but sometimes you just need to drive. Having a car that guarantees I’ll always be going the right speed under those kind of conditions is a godsend.
But if you try this in California I’ll fucking stab you.
“But if you try this in California I’ll fucking stab you.”
Actually…
https://www.roadandtrack.com/news/a60871999/california-passive-speed-limiters-bill/
I know. I’m looking for the dullest, rustiest knife I own..
Well you’ll have to stab me too as I, for one, welcome our new electronic overlords
I hope your tetanus shot is current.
I have very thick skin.
Touche.
I predict that the average age of cars on the road will just continue to increase almost exponentially. I know I’m probably topped out at like 2016 for the latest model car I’d actually consider buying. And given how the past 2 months I’ve almost exclusively driven the old ’97 family Honda Odyssey, you really realize how much you don’t need most new car stuff
“Mandatory Speed Limiters Are Happening”
And overall that’s probably a good thing. But the only issue are the places that have stupidly low speed limits.
“Should Car Companies Become Battery Companies?”
That’s pretty much like asking if a car company should become a “coachbuilder” or an “engine company” or a “transmission company”
And the answer is “It depends”
If it’s a company that produces vehicles in high volumes, then yes, they should be battery companies in the sense that they should at least be partnered with companies like LG, Panasonic, Samsung SDI, etc and have their own plant cranking out cells.
And if they’re really big like Toyota or BEVs are the whole business like Tesla, then they should also be involved in battery cell R&D.
For small companies, they won’t have the capital or the volume to justify an investment like that. The best bet for small companies is to just get supply where they can or partner with a larger car maker.
“Will California Kill The Hydrogen Truck?”
If they don’t, they should.
“Speed limiters, should everyone else have them? Do you want them?”
I don’t think they’re a bad idea. Now having said that, if I’m giving up my ability to go beyond a certain speed my vehicle is capable of, I want some kind of benefit in return… like a discount on my car insurance.
This makes the base engines in most cars the best choice. That 6 ltr. Turbo eight is no longer worth the extra bucks. Get the six
Personally I would much rather see a lot more enforcement cameras that target dangerous areas and areas where there are a lot of pedestrian deaths due to automobiles along with higher speed limits on interstate freeways and some rural highways. We also really need to start enforcing distracted and impaired driving a lot more. Nobody wants to see somebody driving 60 mph hour through a neighborhood where the limit is 30. Nobody wants to see anyone watching a video on their cell phone while driving (yup, I’ve seen it more than once). Nobody is real upset when someone drives 75 in a 65 zone in good weather on a straight interstate highway. The problem is that there are far too many people that don’t recognize how their actions behind the wheel of a 4000 pound car can literally kill other people with ease and there does not seem to be many consequences for unsafe drivers.
The thing that drives me nuts is when someone loafs along at 5 under on the highway and then blasts through town at 15 over. It’s so wrong on every level.
“Nobody is real upset when someone drives 75 in a 65 zone in good weather on a straight interstate highway.”
Depends. Is that person
A) Doing 75 on a long, lonely stretch far, far away from anyone else and the unlikely worst case scenario is a jackrabbit gets hit?
Or
B) Is that that person blasting through a cluster of speed limit adherents?
If “B” those speed limit adherents might rightly get upset.
My vote for speed limiters in the US would be:
-No necessary limiter for “passenger cars”
-90 mph limiter for “light trucks”
-80 mph limiter for class 2a trucks
-68 mph limiter for class 2b-8 trucks, and make this retroactive to existing vehicles
If you want to drive fast, get a low car that is actually designed for the speed. If you want to drive something that is tall, goes offroad, and/or weighs several thousand pounds, then get used to poking along.
I agree in general, but there’s no way an F150 or an Escalade should be doing 90mph on the highway, even though I see that almost every day.
For all speed limiters, there should be an emergency override button on the floorboard, where the headlight dimmer switch used to be.
And that emergency override button should also notify 911 to ask the nearest LEO to assist (or arrest).
“Of course, if a cop wants to pull you over for some reason, they can pop you for doing 55 in a 54 as a pretext for a deeper search.”
Man, I do hate those 54mph speed limit zones.
My friend lived in a little development in Southern California, and when I went to visit him the speed limit sign was… 17! I asked his dad how the hell the speed limit could be 17, and he said that he was on the board of the HOA when they were building out the neighborhood, put it out there jokingly but it turned out he actually could do it, so he went for it
I know some campgrounds do the same thing, and the explanation I heard was that people are more likely to take note of a 13 mph speed limit than 10 or 15.
Lots of oddball limits on private streets around here… so many that I… no longer notice them.
99 Problems – Jay-Z
There are a handful of situations where I would be hesitant to have a hard speed limiter and would like one that’s easily turned off.
A couple of examples:
Overtaking (safely, obviously) on a two-lane highway, for instance. I don’t dilly-dally in the oncoming lane. Yes, I exceed the speed limit, but the danger of slowly oozing past someone while I’m in the oncoming lane is far more dangerous than breaking the speed limit. The accelerator pedal is usually pretty firmly on the floor as I drive low-powered cars. That’s a bad time to discover the speed limiter.
Overtaking on a four-lane freeway. The line of cars that forms behind two speed-limited tractor trailers crawling by the other at 1-2 mph speed differential is irritating enough, the idea of two cars pacing each other trying to pass the other because they don’t know where the ‘Speed limiter off’ button is seems nightmarish in a land where lane discipline is but a vague notion.
What are the odds the turns slow turtle you’re trying to pass speeds up to the limiter when you are in the oncoming lane? Around here it’s in the high 90s.
“Overtaking (safely, obviously) on a two-lane highway, for instance. I don’t dilly-dally in the oncoming lane. Yes, I exceed the speed limit”
That doesn’t sound safe at all.
Whether it sounds safe or not, it’s perfectly legal in some states. From Idaho 49-654:
Overtaking on two-lane sections of highways is perfectly safe if executed in a manner that does not endanger other traffic (i.e. good visibility/no oncoming traffic). The striped line/dashed lines in the middle of the road are indications that highway engineers have considered where passing is acceptable or unacceptable.
Given that I have frequently travelled on very rural two-lane highways that don’t have a passing lane for 100+ miles, being stuck behind someone poking along at 47mph on a posted 55mph makes for a long, tedious drive.
The more quickly I execute my pass and move back into the proper lane, the safer everyone is. However, if I discover a hard speed limiter is limiting my vehicle to 55mph during the overtake, I end up spending a lot more time in the oncoming lane.
Unless, of course, one just wants to ban overtaking on two-lane highways. That’s a different debate. I just don’t want to find a hard speed limiter under current circumstances of legal passing maneuvers.
My bet is ignition interlock devices for impaired driving will be mandated here in NA first. But then again, not so sure if they can get an effective solution for drug impairment. Maybe have some sort of puzzle you have to solve or password you need to remember before the car will start. Bury it five menus deep in the touchscreen.
I love the idea of trying to pass a reflexes and reasoning test while your wife is in labor. Then again, I did just describe impaired driving, just not by externally created chemicals.
Well if you can’t pass a reflexes and reasoning test while your wife is in labor you probably shouldn’t be driving at all.
I like the idea of an overall speed limiter that can be turned off for track use. I know some cars already do this but lowering the max speed to something like 140km/h should be more than enough (legally the highways around here are 110km/h max). I read a story about a guy doing over 200km/h in a stolen car and killing a young father in the following crash… he might have lived if it was at 140km/h instead
Has any car company been found to have not lied about emissions?
Presumably Tesla?
for the cars themselves, but I think they’ve gone foul for emissions/pollution at their factories.
That was my reasoning. The cars are clean, but I’m sure the factory emissions aren’t. Quick Google says they had to settle fines for violating the Clean Air Act.
Off the top of my head… Tesla, Rivian, Fisker, Sebring-Vanguard (maker of the Citicar), Commuter Vehicles Inc (maker of the Commutacar), ElectraMeccanica, Aptera (can’t get nailed for falsifying emissions if you don’t sell any cars in the first place), Twike, Coda, Baker Electric, Detroit Electric, TH!NK, AC Propulsion, Canoo, Corbin, Myers, Vinfast and ZAP.
I like the idea of a speed limiter you can turn off. Like the little “sport, sport plus, individual, whatever ‘u’ stands for” in a Porsche. Make it so that it can be switched to “track” mode or whatever, that gives you the full performance envelope. Then have a little light on each corner that illuminates blue, green, or whatever light-saber color that identifies to the outside world that you’re in Track Mode.
I’ve also experienced the bogus sign-reading behavior of the systems that exist today. I think something that is a little coarser-grained would be appropriate. Like “within the boundaries of this entirely residential neighborhood or this urban core, 35mph,” or “within 100m of this geofenced highway, 100mph.” Next step would be being able to send out a global signal in the event of low-traction weather reducing these. That might be a step too far, though, in terms of being reliably and safely applied.
Speed limiters sound like a fantastic idea.
Let’s test it first in police vehicles and then we can evaluate and plan a broader roll out.
There are many problems with speed limiters but I’ll just say that Google Maps thinks my quiet residential street has an 80km/h speed limit.
Regardless of my feelings on speed limiters (I haven’t really considered it thoroughly), I really think that legislators need to step back and look at what’s technically feasible before implementing new laws. As several have pointed out, all of the existing systems are unreliable, and not in an infrequent or insubstantial manner. The same is true for emergency braking systems. Maybe the goals are fine, but implementing the requirements based on the state of current technology is a mistake, and nothing should be implemented based on someone’s idea of future technology.
I find it hard to get worked up over them, especially if they’re defeatable. If they become commonplace and most people just stick with the speed limit, speeding enforcement might actually relax. I’d rather see them in residential and commercial areas, but I can understand that going for the blanket setup.
I’d hope that speed limiters would also encourage reassessment of speed limits. I wouldn’t hold my breath for that, but it would be nice. If all the interstates had speed limits of 85 or 90 in the long open stretches, it would be an improvement.
Incredible acceleration and horsepower are very accessible now. We’re calling cars with 8 second 0-60 slow. And our driving instruction and testing are terrible. It’s clear we’re not willing to set strict requirements for driving privileges (for good reason–it’s hard to participate in society without driving in much of the US).
I’d prefer stricter testing for licensing and stronger instruction. Also, a willingness to suspend licenses when people demonstrate they shouldn’t have them. Failing that, we’re going to see cars with more and more nanny features because we’re not going to require people to drive responsibly.
As to making them work better, I do agree that they need to work consistently. Perhaps these initial pushes will motivate companies to increase their efforts on that front.
Lol yeah sure. Since when has writing speeding tickets had anything to do with cops actually giving a shit if you were being dangerous
That’s actually why I would hope speeding enforcement would relax. If most people are limited to the posted speed limit, they’ll have to figure out other reasons to hassle people. Sure, they could still post cops to catch the people who don’t have the tech or who turn it off, but it’s going to be a lot easier to hassle people for whatever other crap they can come up with (and they can come up with crap for sure).
It is more likely that they will get stricter instead. If nobody can go over a certain amount, they will start pulling people over for anything between that and the posted speed limit.
I think that the idea is limiting people to exactly the speed limit. I just think it wouldn’t be the moneymaker to post people looking for speeders when there won’t be as many. Instead, they’ll find other reasons to hassle folks, of course, but they may not sit there with a radar gun to do it.
I would be more willing to accept speed limiters if our speed limits were not entirely arbitrary.
I believe there is kind of democratic process for setting speed limits in Canada where they have to do a traffic study and then set the limit to the XX percentile speed. In the US some whiny city council member can change all the speed limits to 25 because a motorcycle once scared her dog.
Did you mean to say Europe and the Republic of Ireland?
Northern Ireland is part of the UK, and is no longer part of the EU post-Brexit.
Yeah I saw that too. The rules do affect Northern Ireland though- and the Republic of Ireland is part of the EU proper, even as it’s not on “the continent”
Source for rules in NI: https://www.theguardian.com/technology/article/2024/jul/05/hard-to-argue-against-mandatory-speed-limiters-come-to-the-eu-and-ni
Thanks. I saw the continent part and assumed the Republic was the additional non-continent place.
No, it does include Northern Ireland. The Good Friday agreement and other treaties between the UK and Ireland mean that NI has to behave as a sort of pseudo-EU when it comes to certain rules and regulations, and I’ve seen several headlines here in the UK that mention NI in relation to these limiters.
Post-Brexit UK just gets weirder and weirder.
The Republic of Ireland is actually in the EU, so if you are correct, then this will apply to both.
Cars with automatic speed limiters? What will the Emporia, VA PD do with all their spare time?
As someone who regularly drives from NC to VT, I understand this reference.
Bootlegging cigarettes?
Haha I wish it was that interesting. Just visiting family.
That would be my cover too.
Speed limiters are tricky. On one hand, especially living in the DC area where traffic laws aren’t really enforced and Maryland drivers routinely drive at 100+ with no consequences, I do think they’d make things a lot safer. That being said, I hate punishing everyone for the misdeeds of a few. Many people successfully own cars without succumbing to the urge to drive them antisocially.
I’d be fine with using limiters on people who have track records of being ding dongs behind the wheel. You got a reckless for doing 110 in a 70? Boom. You can’t go over 70. You got a DUI? Well well well your car can’t go over 50 until you finish court mandated treatment. Etc.
Oh and I’d be perfectly fine with Nissan implementing limiters across the board. That’ll do away with probably half the reckless driving out there in one swing…
And there is also the fact that I have seen pretty bad driving standards even within the speed limit. And that, I’m afraid is not going to change…
” I hate punishing everyone for the misdeeds of a few.”
How are limiters going to be a punishment for everyone who stick to the speed limit?
Speed limiters:
Awesome. One less thing I have to pay attention to so I can focus on my incoming Insta likes. At least until I rear end that car at the stoplight ahead. Good thing those auto-braking systems work so well. Oh, wait…
Speed limiters: I’ll just wait until a hack is leaked from all the first responder vehicles.
The hack will be “don’t install them in a first responder vehicle”
Will speed limit be based off camera vision of road signs or map data? Will enforcement be based off speedometer or GPS?
Someone could put up fake speed limit signs, higher or lower, to screw with traffic if it’s based off cameras.
Map data could implement faster or slower limits if GPS isn’t accurate enough and thinks car is on neighbouring street or overpass.
Speedometer could be off it driver fits larger or smaller diameter tires.
All future cars fitted with this technology will be connected cars, so who’s to say the government will only put a soft limiter that can’t be turned off? Maybe it will be a hard limiter, or the car will automatically issue a fine if you exceed the limit.
My car has the speed limit recognition software. If my experience with it is anything to go by, these systems will need to be better before they’re mandated to limit top speed. There are times that the camera catches… something, and suggests the speed limit is 5 mph. There are times that the built-in nav unit must override, but that means I’m suggested 45 mph on a road that has been updated to 50, or 55 suggested for a road that is now 45. All of these instances have happened to me within the last month. I dig the car, and don’t mind this system, but if Mazda is going to limit me to 5 mph on an interstate, that’s going to cause issues.
Also, there is a value to speed differential on multi-lane roads (within reason, of course). You get on the freeway and end up right next to me, we’re both capped at 65 mph. A mile down the road, your lane becomes the exit-only lane I need and you don’t. Who is backing down? I don’t want to, but I eventually will. Perhaps the readers of this site are a bit better than I am, and slow down first, allowing me to get over. What about all the people we can’t convince zipper merging is the right thing to do because no way am I going to let that guy get in front of me when I’ve been waiting here all this time! (Guilty, as charged, your honor. Though I do try and do better these days!)
It’s a slow march to autonomy being the defacto state of driving. We’re not even close to that being a reality! I’ve said on here before that BEVs are the right thing to do, but it’s going to take a lot! of work; not that it can’t be done, but it’s more than just making a better EV. Autonomous driving will be the same. While I have my opinions on whether we should or not, the fact is that we can’t just make the car do all of the work; it’s going to take investment in infrastructure at the same time, among other things. This baby-stepping our way to it by trying to make the car do it all is going to be a bad way to make it all happen!
Speed limit enforcement will not mean higher driving standards unfortunately.
Also it is a bit unnerving driving in a swarm of cars all broadly at the same speed. Although I guess you could always slow down…
Slow down?! No sir, this is ‘MURICA!, we don’t back down to anyone for any reason!
On a serious note, it took me quite a while to mellow out on the roads, and even now I still get, let’s say “annoyed” more than I should at times. But I’m now way more likely to slow down to get out of a scrum than in years gone by.
The irony about aging: better jobs mean higher wages and more powerful cars. That you drive slower because with age comes wisdom, and the lack of need to demonstrate anything to anyone.