One Wisconsin county has set one area’s speed limit to 17.3 mph in an eye-catching move aimed at jolting drivers into staying alert in a high-traffic work zone.
Officials in Outagamie County rolled out the unusual speed limit at the county’s Recycling and Solid Waste center, where a constant flow of trucks, contractors and residents creates a busy and sometimes hazardous environment.
County leaders say the oddly specific number is intentional — and psychological.
“Why 17.3? Because it makes you pause. It makes you look twice,” officials said in a social media post announcing the change. The goal, they say, is to snap drivers out of “autopilot” and force them to pay closer attention to speed and safety while behind the wheel.
The site sees steady traffic from large hauling vehicles and smaller passenger cars, often moving in tight quarters.
The county believes the unconventional speed limit is a small change that will get drivers to slow down, stay alert and watch out for others.
Whether it catches on elsewhere remains to be seen, but for now, 17.3 mph is turning heads in Wisconsin.
Officials in Outagamie County, Wisconsin debuted a 17.3 mph speed limit sign. Outagamie County Recycling and Solid Waste “Worked last weekend when I was there. Made us laugh,” one user replied to the post.
“Sounds like something outagamie would do,” another user wrote. “Plus you’ll get speeding for 17.4 and impeding traffic at 17.2, everyone gonna be paying up.”
