eli5: Can anyone explain why all your checked baggage isn’t weighed collectively and instead weighed individually?

Question

I was recently traveling and decided to check two bags in. Together, they weighed under the limit collectively, but individually one was overweight. Wouldn’t the total weight be all that matter though?

In: Other

Answer 1

Because people will always push boundaries. If you don’t set a limit what’s to stop someone from packing a huge suitcase that weighs 80 pounds and then a much smaller suitcase that weighs 20. You are still at your 50lb average but one is absurdly heavy and in some cases dangerous.