Wisconsin drivers are doing a double-take after spotting a 17.3 mph speed limit sign. Officials say the oddly specific number is designed to break “autopilot” driving habits. Similar decimal-point speed limits, such as 8.2 mph, have appeared elsewhere. Habituation is what we humans experience when we fail to notice something because our brain believes the information is somewhat unimportant. We roll by a 25 mph (40 km/h) speed limit sign and don’t think too hard about whether we’re actually going below that limit. Wisconsin has a government facility that’s trying to buck that trend with a simple decimal point. Rather than a limit of 15 or 20 mph, drivers have to stay below 17.3 mph (27.8 km/h). And that double-take is exactly the point. Read: Speed Limits Are Outdated, And We All Know It According to officials at the Outagamie County Recycling and Solid Waste facility, the oddly precise number was chosen for one simple reason. It forces people to stop and actually look at the sign. In a social media post, they explained that the unusual figure helps break up the “autopilot” mindset drivers can slip into on familiar routes. That matters because the site sees a steady flow of contractors, heavy haulers, and local residents every day, all sharing the same roads. The goal is simple. Slow everyone down and make sure they stay alert. “We want every single person to have a safe visit and make it home at the end of the day,” officials said. It’s unclear if there’s been a string of speed-related safety incidents at the location that caused the shift in speed limit. Photos Outagamie County Recycling and Solid Waste, Google Maps As a report from KRQE points out, “changes in road design, like speed bumps, roundabouts, or curb bulb-outs, are usually more effective than changing signage”. That said, Wisconsin isn’t the first place to try decimal-point speed limits. Drivers in Colorado Springs have had to be mindful of the 8.2 mph (13.2 km/h) limit in one particular shopping center for nearly a decade at this point. Again, there’s little data to support or detract from the practice. If anything, it’s likely to get drivers to at least think a little harder about how fast they’re going. Speed Limit is 8.2 MPH. by u/Leading95 in mildlyinteresting
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