Driving the speed limit

Off-topic
1

Some time ago, I began regularly engaging in EXTREMELY dangerous driving practices. This puts me at risk every time I drive. Everywhere I go. I am at odds with almost every driver on the road.

Want to know what I do that’s so dangerous? I drive the speed limit. Not one mile per hour over. This is incredibly disruptive to the “normal” flow of the highway. It pisses people off. It frustrates people. And a LOT of people “have to” make lane changes to get around me.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration*, if you travel ten miles per hour above or below the prevailing speed, you are at nearly six times the risk of being involved in a collision. The prevailing speed of highways in my area is at least ten miles per hour above the speed limit. I’ve repeatedly tested and observed this phenomenon.

So, because the overwhelming majority of people speed – perhaps 99% or more** – I, as a law abiding driver, am put at risk.

Why do people speed? Because they can get away with it. Meaning, the police do not enforce the law. I believe that where there is rigorous and consistent enforcement, there is compliance. For example, how many people, even when safe to do, go straight through a red light? (after stopping to look left and right, of course) I never see people do it. Because they KNOW that if a cop sees them, they will get a ticket. In other words, enforcement breeds compliance.

So, why does everyone treat the speed limit as a joke? Why is there near ZERO compliance with the speed limit? Because there is no real enforcement of that law. Who enforces the law? The police.

Therefore, the police, because of their negligence in doing their job, create UNSAFE roadways. The police regularly put me (a law-abiding driver) in danger. Either they are impotent and CANNOT get people to comply with the law (which I find hard to believe). Or they CHOOSE not to enforce the law. Why? Real enforcement and public education could slowly change the “hurry up, go faster… or else” attitude which is so pervasive.

I refuse to let other people drive my car… when I am the one sitting behind the wheel. It’s my car, I’m the driver, and I decide how fast it goes. I will not be bullied into speeding, even though it would be safer for me to keep up with traffic. I have chosen to obey the law. Why is that causing me so much grief and risk? I am regularly harassed and threatened and put in real danger by tailgaters, sometimes violently angry tailgaters (to name just one of the risks).

I am very much looking forward to discussing this issue with the good people of this forum. And the larger issue of the reckless driving that is clearly ubiquitous – speeding, tailgating, passing on the right, failing to signal – and the attitudes that go along with that behaviour.

I would like people to analyze my thought process and tell me if it’s valid. I would like someone to tell me why the police don’t truly enforce the law (they are not consistent and they don’t do it enough to cause widespread compliance). What’s the inside story? What’s going on? And most of all, I want someone to tell me what to do. Tell me how to drive.

Do the parents here admonish their kids NOT to speed? Is this wise? Is this safe? If you “keep up with traffic”, you will be in the habit of speeding. Yes, it’s a habit (a habit you can break). If you do the “safe” thing (speed), you will eventually get a speeding ticket (there is a token and random enforcement of the law – it’s like the lottery). If you do the “right” thing (obey the law), you may get killed or seriously injured.

Maybe this is too much all at once (sorry, there’s a LOT to talk about, so take your pick and let’s get started), but I’d also like to touch upon the behaviour of the police. They should be model citizens. Role models. Their behaviour should be exemplary and as neat as their uniform. But what we have instead is apalling and quite sad. They break ALL the laws they are supposed to enforce. They seem to have the attitude that they are above the law (and they flaunt it). And that they are beyond scrutiny (don’t you dare question a cop about the traffic laws they’ve just broken!).

Lastly, I dare anyone to drive the speed limit for one week. No matter how much of a rush you are in. No matter what chaos erupts around you (because you will at times need to move out of the right lane – and that’s when the real fun begins – expect to get passed on both sides and trapped in that lane while being tailgated by an angry driver). See what it’s like. But make sure there’s lots of “fun” highway driving.

Thank you for reading my quite lengthy thoughts. This is a huge issue in my life right now. I look forward to discussion.

    • I’m still looking for the source of this reference. I lost the link.

** - definitely my own estimate. My considered opinion. I do a LOT of highway driving. I set the cruise control at the speed limit. ANYONE passing me is speeding. And EVERYONE passes me. Very rarely do I encounter anyone going slower than me who hasn’t just pulled onto the highway (except maybe a big truck struggling up a hill).

2

Why don’t you speed? Seems safer.

3

I used to keep up with traffic. Five or ten over. But I got a couple of speeding tickets over the years. I actually got a ticket for going 62 in a 50 MPH zone, which was an open, straight stretch of highway lined with mostly trees and the occasional store. I thought the speed limit was 55. I wasn’t going 7 over, I was going 12 over. Oops.

Push the limit of what you can get away with and eventually you will get unlucky.

I got tired of scanning for police. I would actually look for fresh tire marks in a particular grassy area on one highway near home (a frequent speed trap). Now, when I see a cop, I don’t hit the brakes and have that moment of panic – did he catch me? It’s nice. I can just drive. They won. I’m obeying the law now. But now they’ve abandoned me. They made me, but now they are not protecting me. They are actually on the other side – they break the law themselves.

Wait, are you asking why I don’t speed (which is how I answered) or are you suggesting that I do speed?

4

You’re just getting old. :stuck_out_tongue:

Seriously though, I do it too, almost always. The exception is when I drive a long ways (> a couple hours of driving) on freeways. Then I usually drive about 10 mph faster than the limit–fast enough to save time, slow enough that there are still others faster for the cops to pull over. :wink:

Not having to watch out for cops can be relaxing, but tailgaters can be quite scary. The tailgaters that really bother me are those who tailgate on scenic routes when other faster routes are available. I can be pretty annoying. Sometimes I’ll even slow down just to really piss them off. I mean, if they’re that close and an animal runs out in front of me, I need to go slower so that they have time to stop, right?

5

So you’re saying getting a ticket every couple years is worse than putting yourself and those around you at risk by disrupting traffic and taking longer to get everywhere/making it take longer for other people to get places?

6

For me, it’s not as much about avoiding tickets as being free to take my time. I don’t drive a high performance car, so why should I test its limits when I drive? Why should I care if it takes me 15 minutes instead of 14 minutes to get somewhere? Just cause everyone else doesn’t take time to slow down and smell the roses, why shouldn’t I?

7

Have you checked your speedometer at highway speeds against a GPS? GPS units tend to be quite accurate for speed on the highway. Car speedometers can be off by a few mph or more. By setting your cruise control at the speed limit you may be setting your actual speed at a few mph below (or above) the speed limit. If your actual speed is below the speed limit then it’s no wonder that other cars are passing you.

How many semi-trucks with trailers pass you?

8

I’m with you to a point. If you’re going 10 over it’s too fast and you deserve a citation. I like speeders, they find the police for me before I get to the speed trap.

On side streets I drive the speed limit. On highways and some arterials I regularly drive between 2-4 mph over but I do my best to not exceed 5 over. I have not had a speeding ticket since 1987, and the one before that in 1976.

Stay out of the left lane, unless passing! Don’t pace the car next to you!

It may surprise you how far off your speedometer is off. I take my GPS with me a lot. Both of my vehicles are pretty close but my sedan reads 1-2mph faster than you are really going so the person behind you thinks you are going way below the speed limit.

I rented a new Impala the other day that was 3-4 mph off at highway speeds.

There is too much variation in speedometers for the police to have a zero tolerance policy.

9

None, usually. Who needs GPS? I have a clock and an odometer. :stuck_out_tongue:

10

Why is it so absurd that I’ve chosen to obey the law?

I’m doing everything right. If other people want to engage in high-risk driving, they can go kill each other. Maybe more needless death on the roads would change things. The problem is that the bastards put ME at risk. I don’t put ANYONE at risk. I don’t mash my foot down on their gas pedal. I don’t yank their steering wheel as they transition from tailgating me to swerving around me. I’m not doing it.

Why should I care how long it takes other people to get places? I’m supposed to HELP them break the law? The fact that they want to speed is not my concern. It’s not my problem. But the problem is that they MAKE it my problem by tailgating. They should act like civilized human beings and BACK OFF. Why does everyone become so violently angry? Where’s the decency in the world? Is it gone? You are going to threaten my LIFE because you think I’m slowing you down a few seconds? It’s sick.

11

Whenever there is a roadside sign which displays your speed, it always matches my speedometer.

And forgive me if my speed dips two miles per hour below the MAXIMUM. (what an absurd thing to even say) It does not give someone the right to threaten my life. Try to have some perspective.

And regarding the left lane, try driving on congested Route 23 in New Jersey. The road is lined with stores and riddled with traffic lights. Why should I be forced to sit at a traffic light in the middle or right lane behind a long line of trucks that take forever to accelerate? As I approach the red light, it is perfectly legitimate for me to get in the left lane. Heck, I’m even passing people. But then I often get trapped in that lane by the speeders. Oh, well. “Sorry, Mr. Tailgater – I’d sure love to get over, but your fellow speeders are preventing me. Why don’t you harass them instead of me?”

Why is everyone so angry? I don’t flip out when the speeders slow ME down.

Can’t have zero tolerance? Well, you don’t red-line your car and you don’t max out your credit cards and you don’t get your heart-rate at its flat-out max. Don’t drive at the maximum. Because you might go down a hill and accidentally speed up. Or your speedometer may be off. The maximum should be the maximum. If people obeyed it, they could raise it.

12

Obeying the law itself is not absurd, but choosing to put the law before the safety of yourself and those around you is absurd. Especially since you are the only one.

You being the only one driving slowly means you are the one putting people at risk. I’m not saying you should go 10+ over the limit but you should at least go as fast as the people in the rightmost lane.

13

WOW, Uni57, do u realise u wrote almost 1000 words in the first post… thats like a whole essay…
yey i start driving in half a year!!!

14

I’m refering to freeways. From a WSP FAQ:

Just like the speed limit, it is the law.

15

I just got this riddle and though of this thread:

You are driving in a car at a constant speed. On your left side is a ‘drop off’, (The ground is 18-20 inches below the level you are traveling on), and on your right side is a fire engine traveling at the same speed as you. In front of you is a galloping horse, which is the same size as your car and you cannot overtake it. Behind you is a galloping zebra. Both the horse and zebra are also traveling at the same speed as you. What must you do to safely get out of this highly dangerous situation?

For the answer, click and drag your mouse from star to star.

  • Get your drunk-ass off the merry-go-round. *
16

I generally agree with you, Uni57 - my average speed is probably 3-4 miles per hour over the limit; much more law-abiding than most people I share the roadways with. If I get a tailgater (which happens 2-3 times every time I drive) I will generally speed up a few miles per hour and then slow down again, and he understands what I’m trying to do and either changes lanes or slows down himself (less likely).

While I agree with your obeying the law thing, driving is a case where the law should bend a bit to offer more protection. After all, the only point of laws are to protect the citizens that they govern. If following the law puts more people in danger, then sometimes the rules should be bent. Going the speed limit can also create a good deal of road rage, and inciting anger in others only makes the roads that much more dangerous.

In regard to your shpiel about police, well, all I can really say is that they’re only human. The power they’ve been given goes to their heads - after all, power corrupts. There’s not really a definitive, foolproof aproach to the issue of ensuring the police are “model citizens” until we can make all of them robots that do their job 100% of the time because that’s what’s in their programming.

17

Really? What is the law?

Somewhat similar to MN statutes, which say, “No person shall drive a vehicle on a highway at a speed greater than is reasonable and prudent under the conditions,” and later says, “any speeds in excess of such limits shall be prima facie evidence that the speed is not reasonable or prudent and that it is unlawful.”

Both States use the term prima facie, which means: at first sight. It’s evidence that can be used to build a case, but is not in itself unlawful. There is a reason for that and it has to do with what the fundamentals of law are. The law is intended to protect the rights of everyone: life, liberty, and property. One basic right is the right to travel, and therefore the law cannot impede that right. In regards to speed, it’s only unlawful to drive in a manor that is a threat to someones life, liberty or property. So, is driving over the posted speed limit a threat to anyone else verses otherwise normal driving? It all depends on the conditions at that time.

Posted speed limits on highways are recommended by engineers to be set at the 85th percentile, but due to politics, it gets set considerably lower in many cases. The 85th percentile is the speed that 85 percent of the drivers drive in free-flowing traffic, under normal conditions, and is what studies have shown is the safest speed limit to be set when allowing a 5 mph tolerance. This would allow law enforcement to target the faster drivers, fastest 2 to 5 percent, who are at higher risk than average.

Speed limits are a joke, but it’s politics as usual. When set lower than the 85th, they are causing less safe conditions, as you have pointed out in your case, and especially since we are mislead into thinking they are absolute limits. Going 10 miles over the average speed of everyone else is safer than going 10 miles under the average. Driving 10 miles below average puts you at several times the risk of being involved in an accident. Federal studies have shown that raising the speed limit doesn’t affect the average speed anyways. Having a lower speed limit than the 85th increases the variance in speed, resulting in increased risk, less uniform traffic flow, and increased gas usage.

As usual with government organizations, the law enforcement departments get increased revenue for the government’s failures, with ticketing for exceeding the speed limit as a big revenue source for them. When they ticket you, they make it really easy for you to admit guilt and send in a fine, but to dispute their claim that you were driving unsafely, it is a long legal process.

18

I drive daily 25 miles to and from work on a rural highway. Half of the drive is a two lane road with shoulders. Aside from the posted speed limit (for which I drive) it is unlawful to drive on the shoulders. My drive in the morning is dark most of the year. At least once a week I have a speedy driver attempt to pass me on the shoulder because I will not drive faster or move over to the shoulder for him to pass. Being a rural road, there are hills and lots of wildlife. Does the speedy driver expect me to put myself at risk by driving on the shoulder in the dark, where I cannot see over a hill and who knows what may be ahead of me? Yes, the speedy driver has only one concern. That is to drive in excess of the posted speed limit.

I had an on going problem last year with 18 wheel gravel trucks that wanted to drive ten miles over the limit. I was nearly run off the road on several occations because I refuse to yield what the figured was their right of way.

These big trucks would decide to pass me, reach a hill or oncoming traffic, then realize they are not going to make it. They just move over forcing me to slam on my brakes.

The county says they don’t have the resources to put a deputy on this stretch of road on a constant basis.

19

I agree with you.

I wish someone would take law enforcement officials to court for not enforcing the speed limit laws. Arkansas has a law that says you can be ticketed for impeding traffic in the left lane of interstate highways even if you are driving the speed limit. I know a lawyer who would enjoy taking this one to court.

Taxes are way too high. If they would raise speeding penalties to make them really meaningful AND enforce the laws maybe they would not have to keep raising taxes.

20

I have been driving the speed limit for a few years now. I generally use my cruise control…

I know that my speedometer might not be exact… but its close…

I know that in my state they have a 5 mph speedometer accuracy clause… so if you are going 29 in a 25, they can’t/won’t/don’t pull you over…

I live on a road that is 35mph… people often go 50 or higher. I have no problem forcing people to go slower… My son was once hit by a car on this road. Screw their need to sleep 5 extra minutes and make it up on the drive to work.

Speeding is just an example of the relative crap everyone believes is true now. People think nothing is absolutely right or wrong, that we only have to worry about norms. If its normal for everyone to drive 10 mph over the posted speed limit… it must be right. But it isn’t… its against the law… And uni57 is correct, law abiding citizens should not be endangered or penalized by those who break the law.

Anyway… I have been on the soap box too long…

Thanks!

Keld