Why Wisconsin Has Speed Limit Signs With Decimal Points
Speed limit signs are often interpreted as mere suggestions by many drivers on U.S. roads, and more alarmingly, some folks don't even care what the posted speed limit is. Some speed limit signs actually are suggestions, but they are exclusively posted on yellow signs, like the ones suggesting slower speeds for upcoming turns on off-ramps or twisty roads, but the traditional black-on-white rectangular speed limit signs are legally enforceable.
Whether you happen to pay attention to the posted speed limit or not, a recycling and solid waste facility in Appleton, Wisconsin, about 107 miles north of Milwaukee, believes it has a trick to get the attention of even habitual speeders: a posted 17.3 mph speed limit. Outagamie County Recycling and Solid Waste posted this abnormal speed limit sign on the facility's property late last month in an attempt to catch the eyes of passing vehicles and force awareness of the low, oddly specific speed limit. In a Facebook post, Outagamie County Recycling and Solid Waste said, "Why 17.3? Because it makes you pause. It makes you look twice. And most importantly, it breaks that 'autopilot' feeling we can all fall into when driving familiar routes."
There are more effective ways to combat speeding, but this is certainly novel
After posting the unusual speed limit sign, Kraig Van Groll, the superintendent of solid waste at the recycling facility, told Supercar Blondie that all vehicles coming through the facility's parking lot "have started moving through the facility differently." This unorthodox method of attempting to deter speeding is not limited to the Outagamie County Recycling and Solid Waste parking lot. A few years ago, a parking lot in Colorado Springs, Colorado, posted an even-lower speed limit of just 8.2 mph. The sign in the parking lot didn't look nearly as official, but it got similar attention from passing motorists.
Even though people seem to notice these wacky signs, a study from the Colorado Department of Transportation found that changing speed limits, initially, doesn't slow people down. Fox 8 News Wisconsin reports that changing signage is not the most effective way to combat speeding, saying "changes in road design, like speed bumps, roundabouts, or curb bulb-outs, are usually more effective than changing signage."
The point of the strange speed limit sign is to catch drivers off-guard and shake them out of their autopilot mode, which may work the first time or two passing by the sign, but like everything in life, its novelty and thus effectiveness is likely to wear off with repeat visitors. What do you think, would seeing a 17.3 mph speed limit sign cause you to think twice about speeding?