Playing Mind Games
Speed limit rules can vary depending on road design and time of day, such as during school hours. That makes it important, especially for travelers, to keep an eye on road signs and posted speed limits to avoid tickets that can be costly and time-consuming to deal with. Those visiting Wisconsin may need to take a second look after Outagamie County Recycling and Solid Waste posted a speed limit with a decimal point: 17.3 mph, to be exact.
Rounding it to a whole number might have been simpler and easier to read, but grabbing drivers' attention appears to be the point. In a Facebook post, Outagamie County Recycling and Solid Waste said a decimal-point speed limit “makes you pause. It makes you look twice.” It’s also intended to keep drivers on their toes and break them out of the “autopilot” mindset that can set in on familiar routes.
A Solution for a Specific Problem
The waste management facility also explained that the area is regularly used by haulers, contractors, and residents, which is why a speed limit, particularly an eye-catching one, has been posted. The decimal point clearly separates 17 and 3, reducing the chance that drivers might mistake it for 173 mph, though that reading would be absurdly high at more than twice the typical highway speed limit.
The Outagamie County Recycling and Solid Waste road is not a typical public roadway, but a road within a county-operated recycling facility where the site can post its own rules, including this decimal-point limit. As such, it’s unlikely to be adopted on a wider scale, especially on busy public highways.
Safety Is the Point
Busier public highways, however, do not need gimmicks like this for enforcement because they are more heavily monitored and regulated. In Colorado, for instance, a speed camera system calculates a driver’s average speed over a particular stretch of road, meaning slowing down at one specific point may not be enough to avoid a ticket. Illinois is also considering a proposal that would require certain repeat speeders to install speed limiters in their vehicles, presenting another unusual way to enforce speed limits.
But whatever these traffic-safety measures look like, the common denominator is the same: keeping everyone safe. As Outagamie County Recycling and Solid Waste put it, “We want every single person to have a safe visit and make it home at the end of the day.”
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