Visitors pulling into a recycling facility in Wisconsin are encountering a speed limit that stands out for its precision. At the Outagamie County Recycling and Solid Waste site in Appleton, signs now instruct drivers to travel at exactly 17.3 miles per hour, according to WFRV. County officials explained in a social media update that the unusual number is intentional, meant to snap drivers out of routine and encourage them to actually notice and follow the posted limit instead of driving on habit.
This approach is not entirely new. A shopping center in Colorado Springs has used a similarly unconventional limit of 8.2 miles per hour for years, as reported by The Hill. It is still unclear how effective these oddly specific numbers will be. Experts in transportation note that making physical adjustments to roads, such as adding speed bumps, generally has a stronger impact on slowing drivers than simply changing the numbers on a sign.