On Speed Limit Surveys

Editor,

I find interesting the assessment by CHP Lieutenant Commander Jose Alatorre that, “a speed sign does not change a driver’s speed” and that others found “speed limits do little to alter driver behavior.” Are you serious? Surely there is a group of us that adheres to speed limit signs- at least a good percentage of the time. Even more laughable is that the strong arm of the government dictating road policies apparently has little power to employ common sense and is unable to “consider factors like pedestrian traffic when setting speed limits.” Again, seriously?

In researching exactly how much Caltrans actually cares about safety there seems to be a ton of “Safety First” touting, which they give themselves big pats on the backs for all the programs they have created or are participating in (Safety System Approach, Four Pillars of Traffic Safety, Strategic Highway Safety Plan, Vision Zero, Road Safety Action Plan…) all in attempts to have “..zero fatalities and serious injuries on state highways by 2050.”

Sounds noble.

But in reality, the proposed traffic increases in Sierra City by Caltrans should leave certain department heads overwhelmed with a heavy bout of cognitive dissonance, and I further reflect on the past safety commentary in an article on their website (although a few years ago), Feb 24, 2022, Caltrans Director’s Policy Commits to Safe System Approach to Eliminate Deaths and Serious Injuries on California Roadways - boasting a big safety message: “Caltrans is fully committing to a fundamental shift in road safety and is laying the framework for significant reductions in roadway deaths and injuries. We play an important role in the building and maintaining of the state’s highways. With the numbers of serious injuries and deaths trending the wrong way, now is the time to focus even more on what we can do to save lives and work collaboratively with other stakeholders who play a role in roadway safety.” Toks Omishakin, Caltrans Director

Uh-huh.

I’ll share an excerpt of the article with their first three bullet points. You can read the rest online.

“The Safe System approach is based on the following principles:

Eliminate death and serious injury: While no crashes are desirable, the Safe System approach prioritizes addressing crashes that result in death and serious injuries.

Humans make mistakes: People on the road will inevitably make mistakes that can lead to crashes. The transportation system is designed and operated to accommodate human mistakes and injury tolerances, and avoid deaths and serious injuries.

Humans are vulnerable: Crash forces contribute to deaths and serious injuries. Minimizing speeds and impact angles reduces the risk of death and serious injuries….

Caltrans’ adoption of the Safe System approach builds on its ongoing work to improve safety on the state’s transportation system.”

Sure thing Caltrans. As long as you believe it.

Angela Shannon

Downieville