Is it possible to check the current speed of the fan on a 2016-2017 MacBook Pro? Is "resetting the SMC of your Mac" at least a safe thing to try?

Solution 1:

I’d recommend macs fan control (https://crystalidea.com/macs-fan-control) for seeing fan speed right in menu bar. You can also create a rule that cools more aggressively to prevent the problem and, as a byproduct, reduce thermal throttling.

As for resetting the SMC, it won’t harm anything. It’s one of the steps you do, along with Nvram reset, when an issue comes up that you can’t explain. It may not work but it won’t do any damage.

Edit: here is an image of the menubar display of macs fan control:

This is customizable in the Menubar Display segment of the Macs Fan Control preferences