Gating licensing based on acceleration speed doesn’t really make much sense. It should be based on vehicle mass, stopping distance or driver visibility. Being able to quickly accelerate makes it safer for highway driving and it’s the driver’s responsibility not to treat the suburbs as their personal drag strip.
We don’t have to pick just one criteria, I’d also have a “large vehicle” stamp to cover anything longer than a stationwagon or taller than ~6 feet. The relevant highway acceleration is more the 40-75mph range, but there’s definitely a relationship between quickness and safety. Crucially, I think that relationship only exists for competent and practiced drivers. Faster acceleration in the hands of a teenager is not safer on the highway. And “driver’s responsibility” is clearly not working.
Gating licensing based on acceleration speed doesn’t really make much sense. It should be based on vehicle mass, stopping distance or driver visibility. Being able to quickly accelerate makes it safer for highway driving and it’s the driver’s responsibility not to treat the suburbs as their personal drag strip.
We don’t have to pick just one criteria, I’d also have a “large vehicle” stamp to cover anything longer than a stationwagon or taller than ~6 feet. The relevant highway acceleration is more the 40-75mph range, but there’s definitely a relationship between quickness and safety. Crucially, I think that relationship only exists for competent and practiced drivers. Faster acceleration in the hands of a teenager is not safer on the highway. And “driver’s responsibility” is clearly not working.