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

I believe in the more Rural states like Ga. where I live for instance there is indeed a law that states you should pull over and let traffic pass. It's meant for Agricultural vehicles like tractors pulling farm wagons etc. It is not meant for anyone that is even close to the speed LIMIT. I put it in caps, because apparently some are confused by it's meaning?

 

Michigan has a law like that. It falls under obstructing traffic. Obviously, though, it doesn't apply to traffic driving the speed limit.

Tom

 

In congested traffic, which is the only kind there is on Long Island, it makes no difference at all whether a car has 90 horsepower or 300 horsepower. In this kind of driving, a powerful car is a waste of money. In fact, the Prius is by far the fastest car on the road because you can use the HOV lane. I pass Porches and BMWs all the time. Also, the Prius has more than enough power to cruise at 85, which I do whenever possible.

 

we have a problem spot that i'm sure drives everyone crazy... it's a hilly road just off a highway exit. the speed limit is 40, but changes to 50 about 200 yards past the exit. If the roadway were flat, you could would have both speed limit signs in sight upon exiting the highway.

So here's the rub: everyone knows if you're leaving the highway, the speed limit changes within about 10-12 seconds of doing so. So everyone just speeds right up. I've done this and gotten pulled over for it. Thankfully, I was let off the hook for speeding, illegal tint and all. Now I don't even chance it. I start up at 40, and change to 50 when it's time, but in the space that it takes to do that, i have counted about 20 cars stacked up behind me on this one-lane road.

In my Civic Si, everyone assumes there's cops watching, that I'm just obeying the law, and they stay happily behind me. In the Prius, everyone assumes "Prius" and then I have (P/U trucks mostly) blowing by me at 20-30 over in the opposing lane just to get around.

It's definitely an interesting dynamic interacting with traffic in this type of car. There are those who are just always going to be in a dead run to get wherever they're going. Then there are those who will be "stuck" behind you for awhile and realize that you are hitting every single green light without so much as having to tap your brakes, all while blowing the doors off of the former who are idling at the red light the whole time. That's not so bad now, is it?

 

I don't drive too fast. However, I take no pleasure in slowing people down. I don't take pleasure in teaching speeders a lesson. If someone has to drive a little fast to make it to work on time, to support their family, so they can see their kids a few minutes more, whatever, I don't see a need to personally punish them by driving slow and refusing to pull to the right. I give them a break.

Yes, there are all these arguments on how aggressive driving saves only a minute out of an hour of driving or something like that. I don't impose my value on other people. If some guy wants to risk his life, drive fast, wear out his car etc to get home 30 seconds earlier, go ahead. I let him/her. That's the whole basis of democracy.

I don't drive a motorcycle. If someone wants to ride without a helmet, go ahead, go kill yourself. I don't swim. If someone wants to swim in the ocean without a life preserver and there may be riptides, go ahead. Someone wants to drive a hummer, fine with me, its their money. Other people play golf which is just as bad for the environment (golf course, clear cutting, runoffs). Other people use makeup tested on animals. So why pick on the hummer when the golf guy and the makeup person are just as bad?

I suspect it is jealousy. I am driving the speed limit so everybody should stay in line. I was here first. No cutting in line. Nobody can go home ahead of me.

If I were driving 55, and the car on the right is driving 54 and I have a tailgater, just pull over to the right, drive 54, and let the guy pass. What's the big deal since I am not in a hurry anyway.

I see this all the time. The guy on the left drives 55 trying to pass a guy on the right driving 54 mph and taking 10 minutes to do so because of traffic etc.

The slow guy refuses to be delayed 30 seconds to let the fast guy pass. The fast guy refuses to delay 30 seconds for the slow guy to pull over and tailgates. They are both equally guilty.

 

California has a "Slower traffic keep right" law on multi-lane roads. (CVC 21654)

California has a law that states that vehicles travelling slower than the speed limit and have 5+ cars waiting behind, they must pull over. (CVC 21656). That said, it's recommended common courtesy to pull over and let faster vehicles pass when safe - I do this even if going over the speed limit and there are very limited safe/legal passing zones.

In California at least, speed limits are not the same as maximum speed laws (See basic speed law). In theory, it is legal to exceed the speed limit if conditions allow it. In fact, it is expected that ~15% of vehicles will do so on clear roads in good conditions. In practice, it is difficult to defend yourself.

 

You're right... it's just when some guy is risking MY life in the process, or my wife's, or soon enough my child's life that I get a little put off...

I agree about the courtesy though. I'm going to go as fast as I'm going to go, and I'm going to do it in the right lane. If there's traffic behind, I'll speed up. If i lose a couple mpg doing it, well... that's the cost of driving with other people.

The key to being safe is predictability. If you are driving 20 under, well, that's about as unexpected as someone who is driving 20 over. The only difference is the amount of time you have to react to changing conditions at 75 mph vs. 35 mph. As it were, 55-65 is more than adequate under ideal conditions to get where you're going in a reasonable time, and still leave you enough room to maneuver should you encounter any sort of disruption.

To be fair, I'll admit right here that when I drove a faster car, I drove like a total a$$hat sometimes. There's a certain thrill to speed that's hard to control sometimes. Now that I've slowed down by the virtues of my chosen transportation, there is this zen-like bliss that i've found in just cruising and going with the flow. I think most of people's traffic stress comes from having to slow suddenly for traffic ahead. If you are travelling at or below the median speed, then that's not as likely to need to happen!

End of ramble.

 

It also says you may never legally drive faster than the posted speed limit, even if you think it's safe to do so. All the "basic speed law" means is you could be cited for driving at or below the posted speed limit if it's not safe to do so (e.g. in severe weather).

 

So this line has no meaning then?

V.C. Section 22356 - Increase of Freeway Speed Limit to 70 Miles Per Hour

Or this: -

V.C. Section 22349 - Maximum Speed Limit

Or this: -

V.C. Section 22348 - Excessive Speed and Designated Lane Use

And for this: -

V.C. Section 22351 - Speed Law Violations

Applies to school crossings, seniors crossings, rail crossings etc.

 

No, it does not state that. The stated speed limit is only the presumed reasonable or prudent speed.

All apply to freeways where the limits are maximum speed limits (which I specifically noted), where my statement was specifically in regards to speed limits on surface roads where the basic speed law applies and posted limits are presumed safe/prudent limits.

Special road conditions. Which I previously mentioned as well.

Does no-one read any more before arguing?

 

You're saying the California DMV handbook is wrong?

California has a “Basic Speed Law.†This law means you may never drive faster than is safe for current conditions. For example, if you are driving 45 mph in a 55 mph speed zone during a dense fog, you could be cited for driving “too fast for conditions.†You may never legally drive faster than the posted speed limit, even if you think it is safe to do so.

Regardless of the posted speed limit, your speed should depend on:

- The number and speed of other vehicles on the road.
- Whether the road surface is smooth, rough, graveled, wet, dry, wide, or narrow.
- Bicyclists or pedestrians walking on the road’s edge.
- Whether it is raining, foggy, snowing, windy, or dusty.

California Driver Handbook - Speed Limits

 

It's difficult to intrepret the code looking at single paragraphs.

WV also used the "national" standard for the design (design, not enforcement) on speed limits stating that they are set at the 85 percentile. That is not the same as stating the you can exceed the limit. It also states that the 15% of people that exceed that set limit are subjust to prosecution. It's all BS anyway because the limits are set, at the various limits based on terrain and population , etc. I've never seen a limit changed just because they went out and surveyed and found that 85% of the people were driving faster.

In fact several years ago when the energy crisis was looming the Fed's mandated that the states ensure that at leas 85% of the people were driving lower than the limits and that the states were enforcing them OR they would lose Federal matching funds for highway construction

You can't take the 85% issue out of context because in other areas of the manual it specifically states that you have to drive within the limits

 

There are some drivers that are JUST RUDE, there is NO EXCUSE- the same ones that think they are above the speed limit- are the same ones that talk on their phones and text message while they are driving 65 mph.
And just because you have the priviledge of driving in the HOV lane doesn't mean you don't follow the speed limit. On Long Island- it's 65 which we do go above slightly but some people go 85-90, that is just ridiculous.

Stay away from the crazys....