"YOUR SPEED" installations less frequently giving speeder's speeds

[briantroutman]

In many locations across a few states, I've noticed new "YOUR SPEED" installations that do not display speeds in excess of the posted limit, as has otherwise been the norm. For example, I have encountered several work zone and neighborhood speed signs that display numbers up to the speed limit and then the words "SLOW DOWN" in place of the digits over the limit. Just recently, driving across I-80 in Pennsylvania, I noticed that all of the VMSes not otherwise in use now display "SPEED LIMIT 65 - YOUR SPEED..." and if over 65, it says ">65 - SLOW DOWN"

Has anyone else noticed this? Is this a trend? Any ideas on why?

I once heard some conjecture that a portable "YOUR SPEED" sign was taken out of a work zone because some people treated it like the high score screen on an arcade game–trying to rack up the biggest number. I don't know if that's just an urban legend, though.

[hotdogPi]

Once I saw, with a speed limit 30:

0-34: Normal.
35-39: Number flashing.
40-44: "SLOW" in red.
45-49: Blue lights alternating as if they were police car lights.

I assume that 44/45 was the cutoff for the blue lights, but I'm not sure.

[Brian556]

Just recently saw one of these that said "slow down" in North Texas. Believe it was on I-35E. It doesn't make sense to use these on high-volume 3 lane freeways, because there are so many vehicles passing by it at once.

[Brandon]

I once heard some conjecture that a portable "YOUR SPEED" sign was taken out of a work zone because some people treated it like the high score screen on an arcade game–trying to rack up the biggest number. I don't know if that's just an urban legend, though.

You mean it's not a game to see how fast you can get it to go, or if you can make it flash?  They have them in Illinois (at an underposted 45 mph as usual), and I like to make them flash for the heck of it.

Once I saw, with a speed limit 30:

0-34: Normal.
35-39: Number flashing.
40-44: "SLOW" in red.
45-49: Blue lights alternating as if they were police car lights.

I assume that 44/45 was the cutoff for the blue lights, but I'm not sure.

I'm surprised that's even legal.  If it is impersonating a police vehicle, usually it is not allowed under most laws.

[agentsteel53]

If it is impersonating a police vehicle, usually it is not allowed under most laws.

would the YOUR SPEED portable sign count as a police vehicle itself?

if so, it is a shit loophole, but a loophole indeed.

[DaBigE]

There are some around here that flash so many different things (strobe-like light, four corners, 'Slow'...etc.) and at such a rapid rate, I'm surprised no one's had a seizure yet.

...45-49: Blue lights alternating as if they were police car lights.

I saw a similar one in Madison just the other week, except it's tolerance was much lower and started the red & blue much closer to the posted speed. It kinda freaked me out at first, until I realized a) it was only a trailer and b) the red & blue were reversed from their statutory positions.

In many locations across a few states, I've noticed new "YOUR SPEED" installations that do not display speeds in excess of the posted limit, as has otherwise been the norm. For example, I have encountered several work zone and neighborhood speed signs that display numbers up to the speed limit and then the words "SLOW DOWN" in place of the digits over the limit. Just recently, driving across I-80 in Pennsylvania, I noticed that all of the VMSes not otherwise in use now display "SPEED LIMIT 65 - YOUR SPEED..." and if over 65, it says ">65 - SLOW DOWN"

Has anyone else noticed this? Is this a trend? Any ideas on why?

I once heard some conjecture that a portable "YOUR SPEED" sign was taken out of a work zone because some people treated it like the high score screen on an arcade game—trying to rack up the biggest number. I don't know if that's just an urban legend, though.

Don't know if it's a trend per se, rather than just a technological advancement. Capabilities have changed quite a bit in the last few years.

My town has a policy of placing their PD's speed trailer in a spot for two weeks. The first week the display is turned off and it just records the speeds of the passing vehicles as part of a speed survey. The second week the display is then turned on as well usually with a squad or two sitting just a bit further down the street.

[Alps]

I think the answer to the original question is present in one of the responses - a lot of people like to see what speed they can hit. Some people try to hit the exact limit, others try to do as fast as they can, or exactly 42, 69 (teehee), etc. I'm guilty of that. By taking away numbers above the speed limit, that reduces the number of people speeding just for its own sake.

[1995hoo]

I think the answer to the original question is present in one of the responses - a lot of people like to see what speed they can hit. Some people try to hit the exact limit, others try to do as fast as they can, or exactly 42, 69 (teehee), etc. I'm guilty of that. By taking away numbers above the speed limit, that reduces the number of people speeding just for its own sake.

I won't admit to ever having hit 70+ in a 25 zone when I was in my teens and I saw one of those things....

One of those was posted in my neighborhood last month (rightly so....people regularly hit 45+ in the 25 zone while straddling the double yellow line to cut the curves). It flashed a big red "SLOW DOWN" for anything above 30 mph. I usually set my cruise control at 30 regardless of whether that thing is here and it infuriates some of the speeders (which is why I use the cruise control, so I don't speed up!).

[realjd]

Ours around here are all trailers. They flash your speed with amber LEDs unless you are speeding which results in your speed flashing red.

There is one permanent installation here that is a blank sign if you're going the speed limit or less bit flashes "Speed Limit 45" if you're going over.

[roadman]

You mean it's not a game to see how fast you can get it to go, or if you can make it flash?  They have them in Illinois (at an underposted 45 mph as usual), and I like to make them flash for the heck of it.

In the 1970s, NHDOT installed a couple of these signs on Interstate 93.  One was mounted over the road on I-93 northbound just north of Exit 2 in Salem/Pelham and was a 4 section amber wig-wag with a static sign that read (IIRC) "YOU ARE SPEEDING WHEN FLASHING".  The other sign was mounted over the road on I-93 northbound just south of Exit 19 in Tilton, and was a more tradtional "YOUR SPEED IS" sign, but with a three digit display instead of the standard more normal two digit one.

The story goes that NH State Police ordered the Tilton sign removed after about a year because of the number of drivers who would intentionally speed up to see if they could get the sign to register 100 or better on the display.  The Salem/Pelham sign fared much better, as it wasn't removed until just after the repeal of NMSL on "rural" interstates.

[PHLBOS]

Along I-95 in Maine there used to be structure-mounted signs that would light up SPEED OVER 55 TOO FAST during the 55-mph maximum speed limit era.

As far as the portable YOUR SPEED signs are concerned, one time there was one posted on a through-sidestreet and a few of us were tossing a football on the street when there was no traffic.  A few times the sign would register the speed of the football.  The speed limit for the road in question was 25 mph.  There were several throws that were clocked above the posted 25 limit LOL.

Blue lights alternating as if they were police car lights.

I, for one, have never seen that at all.

In many instances, I just see my speed flashing fast with no change in color.

One has to wonder whether or not those fast flashing numbers can potentially cause seizures (and end up in a car crash).  That could be one reason why those signs may have been turned off.  One lawsuit is all it takes.

[agentsteel53]

The story goes that NH State Police ordered the Tilton sign removed after about a year because of the number of drivers who would intentionally speed up to see if they could get the sign to register 100 or better on the display.  The Salem/Pelham sign fared much better, as it wasn't removed until just after the repeal of NMSL on "rural" interstates.

I punched up an "06" once on US-101 in California.

[PHLBOS]

There are some 3-digit YOUR SPEED signs out there:

[theline]

How did you get such a clear picture while going 167? 

Judging from the angle, this was snapped just before you reduced it to scrap metal.

[agentsteel53]

I've always wondered what the origin of that 167 sign was.  my guess is a malfunction, and a member of the press went out and shot a photo.  there may not have even been a moving car anywhere near the detector. 

I once saw a temperature display outside of a bank read 152... these sorts of things happen.

[Scott5114]

That is a vane display, so I'm guessing for whatever reason it didn't reset to blank or zero. Vane displays will keep displaying whatever the last thing they had up when their power is cut, so that may well be what happened.

[agentsteel53]

if the power surged before it cut, then it may have scrambled the insides, and we may be lucky that it displayed 167, as opposed to something completely implausible like 835.

[roadman]

if the power surged before it cut, then it may have scrambled the insides, and we may be lucky that it displayed 167, as opposed to something completely implausible like 835.

Which was also a common fault with the first "flip disc" VMS boards of the 1980s.  When the power failed, either the "last set" message or complete jibberish would often be displayed instead of the sign going mostly blank (I say 'mostly blank" because I've never seen a "flip disk" VMS that went totally blank when "off" - there were always one or two elements that got hung up).

[1995hoo]

I've always wondered what the origin of that 167 sign was.  my guess is a malfunction, and a member of the press went out and shot a photo.  there may not have even been a moving car anywhere near the detector. 

I once saw a temperature display outside of a bank read 152... these sorts of things happen.

The Belgians can confirm "these sorts of things happen."

[TCN7JM]

I've always wondered what the origin of that 167 sign was.  my guess is a malfunction, and a member of the press went out and shot a photo.  there may not have even been a moving car anywhere near the detector. 

I once saw a temperature display outside of a bank read 152... these sorts of things happen.

A bit off topic, but the local/state weather channel in my area can get hilarious with this sometimes. Oftentimes, for some reason for Mobridge way more than other places, it will read something unrealistic like 326 inches of rain, and sometimes you'll have one town on a 70 degree day that reads 0 (or even -0).

[briantroutman]

By taking away numbers above the speed limit, that reduces the number of people speeding just for its own sake.

I understand the logic, but my problem with that approach is that (and I'm broadly generalizing here) everyone speeds–the question is just how much. If a YOUR SPEED sign in a 40 MPH zone gives the same flashing "SLOW DOWN" to Grandma going 41 as it does to the otherwise sane driver who doesn't realize he's crept up to 60, the effectiveness of the installation is totally lost.

It would be similar if there was a "REDUCE CALORIES - YOU ARE OVERWEIGHT" sign at a Sizzler buffet. It would be flashing non-stop–and everyone would ignore it.

[kurumi]

I guess I could see the utility of those, but every car I've ever owned has included a built-in speedometer.

[NE2]

They provide hours of fun on a bike.

[vdeane]

I guess I could see the utility of those, but every car I've ever owned has included a built-in speedometer.

Even so, they allow you to check how close your speedometer is to the actual speed.  Most analog ones read 3-5 mph faster than one is actually going, while digital, in my experience, is spot on.

[deathtopumpkins]

I guess I could see the utility of those, but every car I've ever owned has included a built-in speedometer.

Even so, they allow you to check how close your speedometer is to the actual speed.

I wouldn't consider any of these signs accurate enough to check my speedometer against.