What is this 6-7 car lengths you speak of?

Around here if you leave even one car length in front of you somebody is jumping in, and if you dare only the speed limit or 10 miles over, you will get run off the road.

quote:

Originally posted by YooperSigs:
I-10 in NOLA will keep your focus, too.

Yes it will. Were there last week and even though much of the Mardi Gras activities were suspended, the racetrack was definitely open.

Well, it can be entertaining sometimes.

Where we are there is snow and ice. I find it highly entertaining to watch the people (particularly driving 2WD “fast” cars) go blasting PAST the snow plows on really bad weather occasions. It’s pretty much guaranteed what happens afterwards.
Just stay far enough back or ahead so that they don’t 360 into you-

Some of what I've learned so far some LE hate certain brand vehicles, and will pull them over regardless. That only a few folks actually drive at or close to the limit. And That people everywhere drive poorly and dangerously. What else did I miss? Should we just tear out all signs and let the pieces fall where they may? This speaks dramatically as to why we have many of the problems we have right now in society.

quote:

Some of what I've learned so far some LE hate certain brand vehicles

You noticed that too?

Yeah, around here, if you leave 6-7 car lengths between you and the next car, you will never get to where you want to go. Everyone will pull in that gap and then go 10 under the limit.

I used to have a pretty heavy foot. If I got pulled over, I kept my drivers license behind a whole mess of contact cards from USSS, local and state police, US Marshals, FBI. Even had one from the Diplomatic Security Service (look that up). I got them through the years as I dealt with various agencies contacting SSA for information or whatever. The officer would talk to me and inevitably let me go with a warning, especially if I knew the name of someone in their department. One day I got pulled over. The officer was having none of it. Gave me the ticket and I was on my way.

After that happened, I came to a realization that I was being an ass hole. Who the hell am I to think that I didn't need to follow the rules. As I grow older, being a better person has become important to me. So after that, I stopped speeding. Always stay at the speed limit even if it pisses off other drivers. I'm glad the officer gave me the ticket. Only ticket I ever got.

Hah! Fed161 is a faster learner than I was. He learned with one ticket, what took me maybe a dozen or so to learn.

The last time I knowingly exceeded the speed limit, even by 1 mph, was 36 years ago, 1985, when I got nailed for well over 100 mph on my R100RS. Fortunately, I was polite and cooperative with the cop and he wrote me for 9 over the limit, but that was my wake-up call. I now use cruise control set to the speed limit and stay in the rightmost lane when practical so that the 99% who are in a hurry will have no trouble passing me.

I try to stay within 5-7 over the limit on interstates, and it does piss me off to no end how people will filter into a gap in front no matter the size. But let me ask this, if the posted limit was 10mph higher, let's say 80 vs. 70, would people still go 90 or is the cruising speed being set by people's perceived comfort level in modern cars? Think about how much technology has progressed since the days of 55 mph speed limits. Cars today are smoother, quieter, handle better, stop better, etc. than anything on the road 40 years ago. It's still true that speed kills, but I do think the threshold is higher.

Big wagon, while some of that is true, look at the amount of the cars on the road. Look at how many distracted drivers you see on the road now. You really want all those folks driving, texting, going 85 mph? Most times you see accidents now they involve multiple vehicles. Bumper to bumper isn't safe at any speed.

quote:

Originally posted by sig sailor:
It seems that everyone thinks that their state/home has the worst drivers. I know that people drive crazy in Michigan.
Rod

we Virginian's always recognize folks from Florida or Maryland as beening much worse drivers

quote:

Originally posted by BurtonRW:

Do you think that's a difference in culture, or could it possibly be... as I believe studies have shown... that traffic, left to its own devices, will settle into an appropriate speed for a given condition somewhat organically?

Serious question, but in my observation, the latter is true.

-Rob

I believe that. It's far safer to drive 70mph today than it was to drive 55mph 30 years ago given the same conditions. People not paying attention to the task at hand is a much bigger danger than speed.