Since we no longer appear to be a nation of laws, how much over the speed limit am I allowed to go? When I drive the speed limit, it would appear I'm impending traffic. I get tailgated, flipped off, lights flashed, you name it. I don't get over in the left lane and block traffic, I take the middle lane so I don't have to constantly slow down for those using the far right lane to get onto the road. On two tracks, I generally just go the limit. But sure as hell, someone will come zooming up on me 20 or more over the limit and then tailgate me. I'd gladly pull to the side for these important folks, but their often isn't enough room to do it safely. I also try to leave 6-7 cars lengths between me and the preceding car, ya know, in case a tire blows, or some other issue causes a mass sea of brake lights.

So my educated forum pals, what is allowed? Why do we even have signs? Couldn't we just save the money and remove them all? No one seems to care. Just drive however you feel, and we'll clean it all up later at the end of the day. You can drive on I-25 in northern Commirado through construction zones doing the posted limit, and almost every car on the road will pass you going 10-20mph faster. I guess I'm just getting old. I have seen first hand how excess speed kills, but hey, that only happens to everyone else, right?

For those of you that are chronologically challenged, and can't seem to get up a little earlier so as to have enough time to try driving the limit, tell me why you are entitled to drive like this. Do you have special training? Are you entitled to tailgate me and drive unsafe because you are younger? Smarter? Better looking? Are you a cat? Do you have 9 lives? Did you buy a special I'm privileged license? Where can I get mine?

By the way, I do go fast sometimes, but I'm generally using a runway and taking off or landing, involving speeds of 120mph plus...

Rant off....

Preach it. I used to drive fast. Very fast. It's not worth it, for me.

I have not knowingly exceeded the posted speed limit for twenty or thirty years, maybe longer.

Cruise control set to the speed limit, right-hand lane. In a hurry? You're welcome to pass, just don't tailgate me, 'cause that's not going to change the speed limit.

On our one major highway here, the speed limit is 55. I stay in the right lane at 60-64. And everyone goes by me like I'm standing still.

On the local multi lane roads, it's often the same. I wonder why everyone is in such a hurry to get to the next red light?

Never been much of a speeder. Couldn't afford the tickets or insurance increases, and my cars have always been, well.. not things you wanted to speed in. I can certainly see how it happens, when I drive some newer stuff at work I'm always thrown by the total lack of sensation of how fast you're going. Trying to go that fast in my cars you feel like Chuck Yeager trying to break the sound barrier.

You may drive just as fast as you wish, anywhere you go, but when you pass through the "toll station" a nice uniformed tax collector will detain you for a few minutes to administer your fine. Collect enough coupons and the powers-that-be will take away your license to drive for a while, making you eligible for even better prizes in the "stupid contest" if you continue driving.

Drive like hell and you'll get there a lot quicker than everyone else.

Would give 10 mph over but would write ticket for 11 mph or higher. The average speedometer could be 3 to 5 mph off calibration. If owner had replaced the tires with anything oversized from orginal size could add another 3 to 5 mph over calibration. And if driver is not paying attention to speed could be adding several mph"s more. But now it seems like so many people are in a hurry to beat everybody else to the next traffic light or the next highway exit which makes the others around them to exceed the limit to keep or get run over. Some people think/believe their Smart cars with the accident avoidance systems will activate and avoid accidents and some people think they are such great drivers that they can outdrive anyone on the road. When the wallet starts shrinking from the speeding fine cost and the insurance rates continue to rise because of the tickets they Might slow down but if they do but it will not be for long. But since so many speeders out there it seems that some officers do not want to be bothered and only the most egressious ones are the ones that get the ticket........................ drill sgt.

Everyone is at least 10-15 over here in Florida. We just did 300 miles on I-10 and I-12. Everyone was at about 80. The speed limit is generally 70. Back home in Montana, the interstates are 80 and that’s what people drive. Hmmm.

Pandemic driving. I see it every day. People are doing 90 mph consistently that don’t have the skills to match. Swerving, very unclean passing maneuvers. Then in the slow lane people are going 15-20 mph under the speed limit. It’s dangerous as hell. Then add in all the people driving on the highway while viewing their smartphone. It’s an asylum.

quote:

Originally posted by mcrimm:
Everyone is at least 10-15 over here in Florida. We just did 300 miles on I-10 and I-12. Everyone was at about 80. The speed limit is generally 70. Back home in Montana, the interstates are 80 and that’s what people drive. Hmmm.

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

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

This is my belief as well. Having lived in very populated urban areas, semi-urban areas, and very rural areas (NE Wyoming) I can say that each has its own driving culture/habits. However, it seems that for the most part traffic finds its natural flow and speed without the need for signs.

I am one of those guys that only does 5 over the speed limit, BUT I always stay in the slow lane to make sure the nuts go by if they want. The texting makes it extremely more dangerous as most of the times someone will race up behind me while actively manipulating their phone. It will only get worse.

I drive I-81 and I-40 quite a bit. The speed limit (70 on both, 65 approaching and through Knoxville) is more of a "minimum" speed.

I don't like to go more than +10 over the speed limit. This is fast enough so the other cars don't blow by me quite as fast, but slow enough to avoid being "ticket bait."

The actual speed at which people drive is far less important than whether the majority are driving at the same speed plus or minus a small deviation.

What causes most problems are the handful of outliers who are traveling dramatically faster or slower than the average speed. Disparity of speed kills, not the actual speed itself.

Normally, I'll drive 60 in a 55, or about 79 in a 70 or 75mph zone. Most traffic settles into that speed range around me, making it the safest speed at which to travel.

quote:

Originally posted by egregore:

I don't like to go more than +10 over the speed limit . . . slow enough to avoid being "ticket bait."

I used to think the same way, until the night that my wife and I were on our way home after a meeting that ran very late.

This was about forty years ago, when the speed limit was 55 mph. It was around 11 o'clock at night, we were headed southwest out of Chicago on the Stevenson Expressway (I-55). Three lanes in each direction, most traffic was moving around 70 to 75 mph. It had been a long day for me and I realized that I was too tired, not sharp enough, to drive at those speeds, so I was in the rightmost lane, driving significantly slower than the prevailing traffic.

A cop, whose car had been hidden in the dark shadows under an overpass, pulled onto the highway and lit me up. He proceeded to write a ticket for 61 (my speedometer was reading 60, but not going to argue over 1 mph).

I pointed to all the 18-wheelers that were doing at least 70 mph and asked, "You're writing me for 60 and ignoring those trucks?"

Cop just stared at me, and said, "What trucks?"

I went to court, sought out the prosecutor before court actually started. She asked if I had been doing more than 6 mph over the speed limit, and whether I was driving dangerously, or had been drinking. I answered "no" to those questions. She looked at the ticket, saw the cop's name, and asked if I had been driving a Cadillac.

I told her no, it was a Mercedes (my non-turbo, 62 hp four cylinder diesel, the car could barely get out of its own way, you could eat a sandwich during its zero to sixty time).

"A Mercedes?" she asked. "He hates those, too." Evidently this cop had a reputation for selective enforcement, but unfortunately, that did not change the fact that I was driving faster than the speed limit.

I realized then, that even 5 mph over the limit was not safe from tickets and decided that from that point on, I would observe the speed limit.

For a significant portion of 2020 it appeared there was minimal traffic enforcement.

I have noticed a significant uptick in both local and highway traffic enforcement over the past 2 months. Hopefully this will help reduce some of the lunacy we have all witnessed out there on the road over the past year.

Another FL member here.

On I95 just south of Jacksonville it is like driving the auto-bond, 15-20mph over the speed limit of 70 is common.

On the side roads it seems more sane. YMMV.

I guess I am getting old too, because I too set the cruise at 9MPH over and stay in the middle lane.

Not being the philosophical sort, I just match my speed with the prevailing traffic.

in this part of VA 75 seems to be the magic number on the major highways,

as in you can usually blow by or thru a Trooper with radar and they don't flinch,

speed limits range from 65-70 ,


the thing that drives me nuts is if I am running 75+ in the fast lane, passing folks and Mr or Mrs in a bigger hurry tailgates me,
then , when I get over in the right lane to let them pass (when there is a break in the folks I am passing) the pull up beside me and pace me, vs getting on down the road,,


pricks

We need German requirements to get a license. People think it's a right.

If you guys think it's bad where you are, try living in a border town across from Mexico where you have all sorts of shit coming over. Doubt they have insurance. They hit you, they just run back across the border and you're shit out of luck.

quote:

Originally posted by Prefontaine:
Pandemic driving. I see it every day. People are doing 90 mph consistently that don’t have the skills to match.

Not just their lack of driving skill but their cars aren't equipped for it, either. The number of shitty cars on the road is amazing: balding tires, cracked windshields, bumpers flopping in the wind, brake lights not working, no headlights, etc...

quote:

Originally posted by BurtonRW:
... 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.

We drive in separate universes, then.

In mine, humans are prone to defining 'appropriate' in self-serving ways, and "Dunning-Kruger" and "Darwin" arm-wrestle for which law has the greater influence. I think yours would be a better place, though....

It seems that everyone thinks that their state/home has the worst drivers. I know that people drive crazy in Michigan.
Rod