As Much As I Love My Car, I'm Starting To Hate It!!

Speed limits in Michigan are absolute speed limits. It's never legal to exceed the posted limit unless you are driving an emergency vehicle such as a police car or ambulance, and then only with lights. Under adverse conditions you can be ticketed for driving the speed limit, but it is never acceptable to exceed the speed limit even in good weather.

We have a second set of speed signs that are advisory in nature. These are on yellow signs showing curves and wiggles in the road. They warn you that an upcoming section of road may require a slower speed for safety, but you can legally exceed this suggested speed as long as you do so safely.

As for getting ticketed for driving 5 mph over the limit, try driving in Ohio with an out of state license plate.

Tom

 

Interesting. Can I assume there are no speed limits in Australia? There are legal speed limits here but I don't think most drivers grasp that concept. lane:

 

As much as I love My Car, I still love it!!

 

been there, done that, didn't like it

i've never made it through Ohio unmolested, ever

 

Wow. I truly hope you can learn some civility and patience some day. Perhaps while you're "stuck" behind someone doing the speed limit.

Because running someone off the road or beating someone up is truly the proper response to someone travelling the speed limit.

 

Speak for your own region. You don't speak for mine.

Proof positive that you haven't driven enough of this country.

You should get some help before you run into one of the Road Rage emphasis patrols in my region.

 

Yes there are speed limits in Australia. They are UPPER limits not advisory signs (we have those too). If you exceed the speed limit it is against the law, do so by 8km/h (5mph) and you will almost certainly get a ticket and a demerit point on your licence.

You might be able to barter with a traffic cop but not with a fixed or mobile speed camera.

Before someone mentions it, I am aware of the minimum speed limits on some sections of highway or freeway in the USA, I saw this when travelling between Michigan and Detroit January last.

 

I know that I've reached the Georgia State line when all of the traffic speeds up. Going home to Alabama, the traffic slows down. It is a question of enforcement.

Bob Wilson

 

In answer to your question about US speed limits:

Speeding in the US is a misdemeanor. And in case you don't know the US system, you are not a criminal if you commit a misdemeanor - so it is not a crime. You can do it as long as you can pay the fine and you are within limits. There is a limit for reckless speeding - generally 20 mph above the speed limit. There is a limit on how many tickets you get a year - a point system in the US. You get too many violations, you license is revoked.

It is not a felony to speed a little if you can afford to pay the fine and you are within your limits (i.e., not 20 mph over limit, not accumulating too many tickets in one year). So it is an absolute limit like a library book due date is absolute. As long as you are willing to pay the fine, you can do it. It is not a moral crime so the police start an investigation if your neighbor reported that you speed. That is why people are not sent to jail when they speed a little. It is not a moral crime, the minor speeder is not a felon, it is not OK to take the law into your own hand if someone goes 3 mph above the limit.

It is the same as saying illegal crossing by pedestrians is absolutely wrong. Yes it is absolutely illegal. But when I see someone crossing the street illegally on foot, I slow down or stop so as to avoid getting into an accident. I don't try to zoom by because it is my right and they are in the wrong. I certainly do not put my car right in front of their way to prevent them from crossing to teach them a lesson about right or wrong. So if you can show that much courtesy to an illegal crossing pedestrian, why not do the same to the speeding person. Let them rush to their own ticket or destruction or whatever.

Also, it is hard to determine if someone is really speeding unless you have training and professional calibrated equipment. Did you get your speedometer calibrated? If you are driving the limit, and someone is 3 mph faster than you, how do you know they are speeding? Maybe you are slow? The speedometers are not that accurate. 5% accuracy is common - somebody driving a 10 year old car have not recalibrated their instruments for 10 years. The thermostat, the AC, the thermometer in a car, the oxygen sensor etc are all like that - these are not research grade instruments. Just changing tires to new one and over inflating it can cause you to go faster while your speedometer reads the same speed. So I don't see the reasoning in preventing someone from going 3 mph faster than you if you "think" you are driving the limit - maybe there is a difference between your speedometer and theirs. They may be absolutely law abiding citizens too. So let them go their merry way 3 mph faster than you - you car can be miscalibrated.

And the police, they speed all the time. Some of them, when they are driving their civilian cars and you try to pull them over as a police officer, they just flash their badge out their window without slowing down and step on the gas and zoom away. So I disagree that the speed limit is absolute and only people with police cars and flashers can exceed it. I think it is a common consensus that the police exceed the speed limit all the time regardless of whether there is an emergency - like the majority of the population.

I am speaking as a civilian, not as an expert in the law or anything - you should always drive within the speed limit and obey all traffic laws and avoid all crimes and misdemeanors at all times. Keep those speedometers calibrated.

 

I many European countries if you have a certain number of vehicles behind you, for instance in Belgium I seem to remember it was 5, you had to pull over at the next opportunity to allow them to pass.

What annoys me on UK roads is the popular misconception that the national speed limit on single carriageway roads is 50mph. You end up with a queue of cars trying to get past the slower moving vehicle so they can go at the 60mph limit (where safe of course!). I see this every single day.

 

I don't know what part of earth you live in, but in WV on secondary roads they do give tickets for driving 5 mph over the limit. At about $150 each and insurance rates going up, I will drive over the limit when I want and will not do it simply because the person behind me wants tio drive faster than the limit. Cops around here sit at the places where the limits change and pull people over all day.

 

Careful where you do that too. In WV we carry guns.

 

First off, it's important to highlight that each state is different. There is no national standard for traffic regulations or legal structure. The information below is therefore general in nature.

Speeding and other traffic/parking violations are generally not misdemeanors. They are administrative penalties or infractions (with the exception of DUI, reckless driving, leaving the scene, etc.).

Misdemeanors ARE crimes. They are just lesser crimes. You can still get jail time for a misdemeanor (<1 yr), and a jury trial is generally required, and you would likely have to list it on a job application. Infractions are not crimes, though in some jurisdictions you can also get jail time for infractions (<1 wk).

 

For many job applications they say list all records except for minor traffic offense. Of course, you and I may have different experiences because I am looking at low level jobs and you are applying for very high level jobs.

You are correct. I stand corrected. Misdemeanors are crimes. Parking without paying the meter, or jaywalking makes one a criminal - after you are convicted by a competent court. Some laws, while on the books (laws on profanity), are not prosecuted - so it is debatable whether they are still crimes. I don't expect anybody would want you to list, on a job application, "I use profanity on a Sunday."

Still, whether someone is speeding is up to a judge and jury to decide based on evidence presented at trial. So someone who is merely faster than you on a road is presumed to be innocent, until proven guilty by presentation of evidence and decision by judge and jury.

So one cannot be judge and jury when driving. Just because others are faster than you, it does not mean that they are guilty. In fact, they are presumed innocent. They may think the slow driver is committing a crime too - of blocking traffic. But since there is no trial, both parties are innocent in the eyes of the law.

So all of us innocent people have to learn to get along and get out of each others way.

 

For those of us that use to drive high powered/big vehicles (as I did - on a daily basis - for years), driving a Prius has required a complete attitude re-adjustment. I no longer am concerned about keeping up, or being out ahead of the 'pack". I no longer am concerned about accelerating to the next light, or jumping out ahead of someone when merging from an on-ramp. I could care less if someone, who's not happy with my speeed, accelerates around me. Could care less. I've become content to remain out of the passing lane and only do 5-10 mph over the speed limit (when traffic is flowing), and enjoy the time listening to XM radio when things are congested and moving slowly. In short, I've learned to RELAX and go with the flow.

I'm confident enough in my "man-hood" that I no longer need to be first to the next traffic light, or blow by slower/less powerful vehicles. These are the actions of insecure people.

My attitude now is one of amusement when I see the the beemer owner, the big SUV owner, or the soccer mom in her mini-van constantly swerving from lane to lane in bumper to bumper traffic...simply to get 2-3 cars further ahead. It's all rather comical to me. Enjoy the ride and relax. The money I save on gas (compared to what I use to spend), in just one year, will pay for my new HDTV. I have reached a higher state of Zen.

,,,oh, I forgot to mention...I also have a 911S that's used on weekends only. When the old me surfaces and I have the urge/need to kick sand on "lesser cars", I am more than capable of doing so at that time. But learning to moderate one's driving immaturity is a good thing. Rarely, if ever, do I see another fellow 911 owner flaunting his stuff...even though, it would be simple to do so. Most owners that i know who own quasi-racing machines, get their fix for speed at the track, or through events (rally's) sponsored by their auto-club. Cheers.

 

Same/similar laws apply in the US, too.

 

One is not entitled to a jury trial for infractions. But that doesn't really change your point, which I agree with.

 

I will also say that just because someone is slow, it does not mean that they are wrong. The slow guy should let the fast guy pass. The fast guy should not tailgate. Tailgating is also a misdemeanor. And there is a chance the slow guy has the correct speedometer and the fast guy has the wrong speedometer.

 

Originally Posted by Croft
I many European countries if you have a certain number of vehicles behind you, for instance in Belgium I seem to remember it was 5, you had to pull over at the next opportunity to allow them to pass.

Californina may have a law like that???

But I know of no where in the US that if you're driving the speed limit and you have 5 cars behind you wanting to go fast that you are required or even expected to pull over. By definition in the code, the LIMIT is just that; the maximum you are allowed to drive under ideal conditions. The expectation by code, and you can be ticketed for it, is if conditions are not ideal (fog, snow, rain, etc) you are not even allowed to drive the limit.

 

Now this discussion is getting a little silly. There are very few absolutes in the world. Absolute zero and the speed of light are the only two that come to mind at the moment. Certainly anyone can speed if they wish to and are willing to face the possible consequences. Likewise people walk into buildings and shoot people at random. You can do that if you want, although the consequences of getting caught are somewhat higher than speeding.

Stop lights don't make people stop. Stop lights tell drivers that they should stop. It's up to the driver to do the right thing. Can you run through a red light late at night on a deserted road? Certainly. Should you? I don't think so. It's a dangerous habit to acquire.

Tom