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Hi All,
Right up front I will out myself as someone who doesn't have a lot of sympathy for the view that people ought to be able to drive as fast as they please. But that doesn't mean I'm closed minded to good arguments.
I think one problem that advocates of unlimited speeds have is that no matter how sensible these individuals are, they will be supporting the desires of people who have no sense at all. Also, arguments adduced from the experiences of far countries will always have to be qualified by the obvious fact that all things are not equal. (Why do we always hear about the Germans and not the Italians? I remember hearing someone argue against immunisations because Burma, which has no immunisation program, has lower rates of ADHD than Thailand, which does! As though Burma even counts its cases of ADHD!)
And basically, if someone needs to be driving fast, then almost ipso facto they shouldn't be, since who will deny that the mere act of hurrying makes mistakes more likely? (I wouldn't want my surgeon rushing through my appendectomy just because she had to pick up the kids from school.) How are we going to legislate that calm, unhurried drivers should be free to speed, while those who are pressured to get somewhere urgently should be forced to slow down?
No point getting too stressed by all this, though, since the law is never going to change...
Cheers,
Brian.
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