Around here a 45mph limit seems to allow 5-7 over. A 55-70mph speed limit usually tolerates ten over. I can't say for sure above 70, because I rarely exceed 71 or 72. Things happen very fast above 70.

In my home state, Michigan, I drive five over in 60 MPH or lower zones, ten over in 65 MPH or over zones. Exception: A stretch of I-75 I have noted, that passes through the corner of a county known to observe strict enforcement. There I drive the limit and no faster.

In the zones in which I drive ten over, I'm regularly passed by people I estimate to be doing as much as fifteen MPH faster than I.

Out-of-state I keep up with the traffic flow.

Interstates are designed for 85 mph. I drive "safe & reasonable" based on road conditions and traffic. Draw whatever conclusion you want from that. My last speeding ticket was 10 years ago.

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

I have driving in 44 States, all over Canada and Mexico. I have found the worst drivers are the ones out about the time the bars close. Other than that, most places are about the same.

quote:

the worst drivers are the ones out about the time the bars close.

Funny (true) story here. The first time I visited New Orleans was winter, some time around 1970.

Chicago area was bitter cold, I had a bunch of vacation time accrued, so a couple of friends piled into the airplane with me, I pointed it south, landed at New Orleans Lakefront in the wee hours, maybe around 2:00 am.

Long flight, we were thirsty, so when the woman at the service desk at the airport FBO asked if we needed anything in addition to the airplane tiedown and the rental car, I asked what time the bars close.

"This must be your first visit, honey," she replied. "The bars here do not close!"

I'm a motor jock at my agency and my jurisdiction covers lots of highway miles. Prevailing speed limit is 70mph, and I put pen to paper at 85mph.

Unless it also includes egregious or unsafe lane changes all over the place and then I'll write for say 11 over and add in an unsafe lane change usually with a following too closely in there as well. Not because I'm trying to be a jerk, but I'll happily single out the one asshole driver who is upsetting the natural flow on the highway.

On city streets I usually give about 13 over unless it's a school zone where its the old "9 you're fine, 10 you're mine".

Due to COVID, most cops have pretty much quit making traffic stops unless they are hunting dope so as to mitigate the risk of illness. Since I'm assigned to traffic duties, I still make stops, but I've also noticed the crap ton of drivers going 90mph plus due to less traffic volume with COVID closures and so many people working from home. I'm also a DOT officer, so I don't mind hammering 18-wheelers who are either going too fast, too slow, hogging the left lane and so forth.

Welcome to central Florida.
On inter State 4 when there are no traffic back ups "and that is rare" it is as fast as you can go. FHP does set up in certain locations to run radar however everyone knows where they are at.
I tend to do about 5 miles over just to try not to get run over. I tend to stay in the middle lane and drive like everyone is trying to kill me.
In the past, To be able to drive Fire Apparatus in my department we had to take driving courses. One was Defensive Driving and the other was Emergency Vehicle Operations.
Those courses have come in handy more than once while driving my personal car. Last Saturday I was partially run off the road by a person going across 3 lanes of traffic while speeding.
Apparently the did not know the laws of Physics that two pieces of mater can not occupies the same space. As they raced over they forced me off the road.
From that point forward once I was back on the road they kept a very far distance behind me.

Here in central Florida lets talk about Watch Out For Motorcycles. I am all for the ones that obey the law but for the most part we don't have this on the roads around me. Constantly cutting lanes in stopped traffic "this is not legal in Florida",racing on the roads cutting off cars while swerving in and out of traffic. Most of the time my guess is they are doing in excess of 90 to 100 miles an hour so remember I have to Watch Out For Motor Cycles so they don,t kill ME.
Once again I am all for the ones that obey the laws however we have more that don't then do.

5mph over has never gotten me any attention from the constabulary. Still get tailgated sometimes, but since I'm already "in a hurry" they can just suck it until they can pass.

I just add it to whatever is posted and that's my limit.

+5

quote:

Originally posted by Edmond:
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...

That's always been a thing here. People are all "You mean I have to do more than pay my car/lease payment?" I see busted windshields and bald tires all the time. You should see it when it flood rains here. Whatever the conditions are, the idiots drive like it's two steps worse. Light rain with dry pavement, they act like it's a hard rain. Hard rain they drive like it's flooding. Flood rain, they act like it's snowing. Snowing but not sticking (relatively dry pavement) they act like ice. And if it's ice, well a nuclear warhead is inbound. They cannot drive worth a fuck. No common sense. I've driven in flood rain conditions and they are still surfing on the phone. It's crazy. The new thing is to get into the fast lane, go 5-10 mph under the speed limit, set cruise, and surf. It's not texting anymore. Watching videos, fakebook, etc.

I'd also support the German driving licensing. I'd have it tiered too. bigger and heavier (or faster) the vehicle, the harder the licensing requirements. And phone surfing while driving, instant arrest. Fill the jails. Phones, pandemic, lack of maintenance on vehicles, these bird sized brain people just have me not driving at all. It's killed riding my motorcycles as well. I'm gaming when to go get groceries, etc. And insurance is so bad now I have to run an "app" that monitors driving, location 24/7, and phone use just to get a discount.

Edit: Case in point, this AM here.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?...G0M&feature=youtu.be

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Prefontaine,

When I worked, I gave these "tolerances":
Interstate or limited access divided highway: 15 MPH over.
Main streets: 15 over.
Residential streets: 10 over.
School zones: Zero tolerance.
Red light violations: Zero tolerance.
Stop signs: At least make some effort to stop.
Crashes involving damage to other peoples property or cause injury, you get cited. You might skate if you just screwed up your own car, provided you were licensed and insured.
My main enforcement targets were drunks, repeat violators and uninsured or under driver suspension.
As long as you drove like you had some sense, I had no interest in you. I did not target people driving older beaters because most people driving them were trying to get by, same as everyone else.
And even with the "tolerances", it was a target rich environment.

Oh, I got pitch a bitch here. Yesterday, 2 freakin inches of snow falls in southwest Ohio. In the left lane (3rd lane of an interstate) doing 42 mph (65 limit) behind some fat woman in a Kia Sorrento passing people driving 40mph in both lanes beside her. Clear spot comes up. Does she move over, no. Pass her at 60 mph in the middle lane. She disappears from sight “camped” in the left lane....sigh.

It’s just a little snow, not freakin white death. Get a grip people. And if your not equipped....get out of the way.

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

If you're talking freeways, CA is the worst and I can vouch for it. I've driven outside of CA a lot and I do like to drive fast on straight roads. Outside of California, people dutifully move over to the right. Last time I experienced that was on a cross country trip to Maine and back. Soon as I cross into CA, it's a rare occurence that people do.

quote:

Originally posted by sig sailor:

It seems that everyone thinks that their state/home has the worst drivers.

Many years ago I lived / worked in Puerto Rico.

I can't remember which insurance company, but it was one of the big ones -- they were looking at opening offices there to write auto insurance. One of the executives was looking at possible office space in a high rise building on a main thoroughfare in SanTurce, the more modern area adjacent to the old city of San Juan.

The insurance exec looked down at the street, observed the traffic and insane drivers for a while, and said, "Let's wrap it up and get home. We're not going to write auto insurance here. We'd be crazier than they are (indicating the drivers on the street below)."

It’s bad here.

20 over on the interstate is average.

10+ on the rest.

Makes it damn near impossible to drive anywhere in a police car. Yesterday morning at 4:30 some asshole passed me going 95 in a 60. Court dates are 6+ months out, most get dropped.

Hell, they aren’t even prosecuting people busted selling heroin and coke here anymore. Official, published stance of the DA. Why should anybody worry about a little speeding?

Nuts.

I think it depends a lot on the state you’re driving in.
Here in VA a state trooper told me 11 over and you’ll get a ticket so I usually set my cruise control at 9 over if traffic allows.

In NC and FL people routinely drive 15 to 20 over, particularly near the larger cities in NC.

Don't ask me, I was stopped for 135 in a 40.

quote:

Originally posted by LimaCharlie:
Don't ask me, I was stopped for 135 in a 40.

For no particular reason, I was zipping along at 145 at 7:30 AM one Sunday last year. Felt good. I was on sigmonkey's lonely neck of US 90.

Posted speed limit on I-10 in most of Arizona is 75MPH, but that's just a suggestion. Drive at 75MPH and you'll get run over.

Worse driving experience for me: El Paso Texas, I-10, Friday afternoon at 5.

I-10 in NOLA will keep your focus, too.