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Originally Posted by Island Lover
I really can't believe you people can't see what my comments were.
For about a year now every time we mention an accident we are told it doesn't have anything to do with speed. A recent FATAL accident at a speed greater than the proposed limit doesn't count because alcohol was involved.
And it was NOT a joke! I don't see anything funny about the life and death situation on the lake, summer AND winter.
SPEED KILLS! Every law enforcement agency in the country (except the NH MP) used that as their slogan!
SPEED KILLS in snowmobiles and in boats.
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Let me see if I can try to explain this. Somebody who supports a speed limit brings up an accident above the
proposed limit and with a drunk operator. They then try to say that this proves speeds above the
proposed limit are unsafe. I say it proves nothing of the sort. I say this because, absent some other data, how can I determine if the accident was due to excess speed or excess drink ? We all know, or should, that people when drunk don't drive (boats, cars, whatever) as well as sober people. They will get into accidents at speeds which are safe when sober. So when excess alcohol is involved in a accident you can't prove that speed, and not alcohol, was the primary cause. Bringing up these accidents proves nothing other than BUI isn't a good idea, as if we all didn't already know that. Here's a hypothetical situation to think about. A drunk drives off the Rt 93 and into a tree at 65 mph. Does this prove the 65 mph speed limit is too high for us sober people ? If someone intent on restoring the 55 mph limit claimed this was proof that a 55 mph limit was needed would you agree ?
As to "Speed Kills" ... again it makes a nice sound bite but is so vague and thus meaningless. Exactly what speed kills ? If over 25 mph kills at night then why doesn't it kill during the day ? Aaaah betcha I know ... because speed too fast for the conditions (excess speed) "kills". Conditions at night are different from those at day. Conditions when crowded are different from when not crowded. Excess depends on the prevailing conditions. So what speeds are excessive ... >25/45 ... when ... why ... because you say so ? Sorry I need just a bit more reasoning than that. Remember when the safety authorities claimed that thousands more would be killed each year if the 55 mph speed limit was raised ? Well it was and they didn't occur. I'm not taking the word of self proclaimed safety authorites as gospel when it doesn't make sense to me. Paraphrasing Congressman Vandiver from Missouri, "Frothy eloquence neither convinces nor satisfies me. You've got to show me." I've seen nothing showing 25*/45 are proper limits.
*FWIW - 45 more wrong than 25. I think 25 should be more like 30 or 35. When you do the math what do you come up with ?