Is 85MPH The Safest Speed Limit?

[anthonyk]

Originally Posted by smileyman

Lets take a recent I 540 example...PU headed Northbound at 65 changes lanes and clips a vehicle, sending the P.U across the median and head on into a Hyundai traveling South at 65.

Both people in V1 and V2 dead on impact, probably a 100-115 mph head on.

If they were meeting at 170 would it make a diff? Maybe in how many other cars would be involved?

Or Last week, older Ford PU leaves the road and strikes a tree 45 mph impact. Driver ejected and killed. So he hits it at 80...All that changes is the length of the debris field?

Bad examples. How about some examples where everyone survived 100-115 closing speed head-on collision. Would they have survived meeting at 170? Much different question (and a lot harder to answer).

I've got no doubt that the posted speed limit has little bearing on the "safest" speed for a particular stretch of road. Yeah Avatard, you've thoroughly argued that your small part of the motoring world would be better off with a higher speed limit. Fine, but I haven't been on too many stretches of Texas roads that I think would actually be SAFER with a higher speed limit. And wasn't this about roads in this part of the country in the first place?