>The speed limit is simply irrelevant from a safety perspective.
That depends on the type of road. On an interstate or highway your argument holds, but in urban and suburban areas, where there are side-streets, stop-signs, traffic lights, crosswalks, bicyclist, pedestrians that is not the case.
The faster a driver is going the less time they have to respond to new information, this is clear. Also I argue that with most cars going fast, and most cars are not giving the car in front of them enough space, that a car is less likely to slow down when they should (like when passing a bicyclist or making a turn across a crosswalk before they look who is in it or approaching it). I also argue, as does the commenter below me, that anomalous speeding vehicles can be dangerous to anyone that is using/crossing a road using a decision making processes that relies on cars going a certain speed.
My experience as a bicyclist on some roads, where there are 4 narrow lanes (2 in each direction), with a 30 mph speed limit but where the cars drive 40-45 mph, is that I can have two cars both pass me at the same time on my left, passing very close, because the car farthest on the right does not slow down and get into the left lane.
My experience as a walker has cars turning into my crosswalk at high speeds all the time. Left-hand turns are particularly bad.
I would also argue that higher speed limits are more stressful for everyone involved. Not nice for bicyclists, pedestrians, exercisers, scooter riders, people going for a stroll, or sitting outside, or even living next to such a road. Not even nice for other drivers who just want to go the speed limit and not get ran off the road by impatient drivers. For this reason as well, quality of life in urban and suburban areas, do I argue that speed limits matter.
That depends on the type of road. On an interstate or highway your argument holds, but in urban and suburban areas, where there are side-streets, stop-signs, traffic lights, crosswalks, bicyclist, pedestrians that is not the case.
The faster a driver is going the less time they have to respond to new information, this is clear. Also I argue that with most cars going fast, and most cars are not giving the car in front of them enough space, that a car is less likely to slow down when they should (like when passing a bicyclist or making a turn across a crosswalk before they look who is in it or approaching it). I also argue, as does the commenter below me, that anomalous speeding vehicles can be dangerous to anyone that is using/crossing a road using a decision making processes that relies on cars going a certain speed.
My experience as a bicyclist on some roads, where there are 4 narrow lanes (2 in each direction), with a 30 mph speed limit but where the cars drive 40-45 mph, is that I can have two cars both pass me at the same time on my left, passing very close, because the car farthest on the right does not slow down and get into the left lane.
My experience as a walker has cars turning into my crosswalk at high speeds all the time. Left-hand turns are particularly bad.
I would also argue that higher speed limits are more stressful for everyone involved. Not nice for bicyclists, pedestrians, exercisers, scooter riders, people going for a stroll, or sitting outside, or even living next to such a road. Not even nice for other drivers who just want to go the speed limit and not get ran off the road by impatient drivers. For this reason as well, quality of life in urban and suburban areas, do I argue that speed limits matter.