Does Anyone Drive the Speed Limit Anymore??

Yes and no. 40 mile comute one way on a 4 lane divided (two each way) highway. 55 Mph limit, and traffic flows around 70. I wouldn't think of 55. I do it if there's no traffic, but around here you have to make up time early, because when you get within 5 miles of my building, it backs up to a dead craw usually.

A lot of times, there are police in the line of traffic going with the flow too. For them to start enforcing the 55 limit there would make for a huge traffic tieup.

Welcom to Northern VA!

On the weekends when I have to go in, I'll set the cruise at 55. General driving around, always do the speedlimit.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(hill @ Jun 3 2007, 02:01 AM) [snapback]454280[/snapback]</div>

Here is a source:

Charles A. Lave. "Speeding, Coordination, and the 55 MPH Limit." The American Economic Review, 75.5 (1985 December), pp. 1159, 1161:

"I find that there is no statistically discernible relationship between the fatality rate and average speed, though there is a strong relationship to speed variance.... Variance kills, not speed."

"Simple physics indicates that the consequence of a collision is a function of crash speed; and simple logic indicates that the probability of collision is a function of the dispersion of speeds on a given highway - more passing means more chances to collide."

 

I do most of the time, unless I am slowing down traffic.

 

I spend 10 hours a week on the LA freeways. There are two speeds: stopped (zero) and 80 mph. There is no inbetween. Just go with the flow. Luckily, the Prius performs well at either extreme.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Swanny1172 @ Jun 3 2007, 04:49 PM) [snapback]454608[/snapback]</div>

Hey it's only 22 years old maybe it's out of date.. remember when the speed limit was 75 mph then it dropped to 55 now back to 70 well it did make a difference when the first drop of speed happened now everyone thinks 70 to ??? mph is the norm, WRONG

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(douglas001001 @ Jun 1 2007, 04:25 PM) [snapback]453543[/snapback]</div>

One person's dream is another person's nightmare.

How about an in-car NAV system that dictates which way you must go to get to your destination (and subtracts money directly from your bank account if you go a different way?) Or we could just time everyone from one place to another and then fine them if they get there too quickly...(?!?)

Combine this with a fingerprint reader (to make sure it's you at the wheel) and motorists are, indeed, revinue sources.

Oh...BTW, Soylent Green is PEOPLE!!!
[laughing]

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One one of Ford's 'The Way Forward' websites, they list ten fuel saving tips. Tip #1: Drive 55 instead of 65mph!! Next: The 85mph speedometer.

Maybe they can make the lines on the road shorter, and paint them more closely together...? That would make it SEEM like we're going faster...right...?

 

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?...MNG3NFAOF11.DTL

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Swanny1172 @ Jun 3 2007, 06:49 PM) [snapback]454608[/snapback]</div>

How funny is this: You quoted an economics Prof, who lives and works just a few miles from our house here in So. Cal. !! Our Law School uses the Bren Event Center on the UCI campus, and I ran into the guy there, where he teaches!
Yes, he's done a studies few studies related strictlly to SPEED Limits being raised and lowered (not driving slow, or doing the speed limit) which is unrelated to being an economist of sorts ... and true, studies DO show SOME conflicting data relating to amount of accidents when speed limits are raised and lowered.

Our other home, in MT is the land of HIGH speed driving. Just a couple years ago, they had NO speed limit out on the open roads for autos. So . . . there you had trucks (especially) and autos doing maybe doing 65 ... but often only 35 on a grade ... while some drivers are doing 99+ and yet when they dropped the speed limit back into the 70's .... there was little corelation of accidents between accidents of HIGH speed limit drivers tangling w/ slow speed drivers, and the 70mph drivers, tangling with slow speed drivers.

That's why here in CA, the CHP say that there is a "preception" that driving slow will cause accidents. You see the maniacs zoom around you and you naturally feel unsafe. One of the CHP neighbors here (though I never looked it up in the vehicle code) says (not that anyone in their right mind ought to ever do this) that if the freeway speed limit is (for example) 65mph ... it IS legal to get in the fast lane and only do 65 ... even if folks around you are doing 85 !!!

Anyone here feel like exercizing their rights ? ?

 

I do live in a rather rural area, so doing the speed limit does not create a pileup of cars behind me waiting for a chance to pass.

When I am in a larger urban/metro area, I am careful to travel with the flow of traffic, generally in the right or second-to-right lane (depends on traffic, and how many on/off ramps there are), and I match the speed of that slower lane I'm in. I also keep a good distance between me and the car ahead.

However, when I have my druthers, I just do the speed limit.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(priussoris @ Jun 4 2007, 01:07 PM) [snapback]455128[/snapback]</div>

That's really funny, because I actually sold my 2001 Malibu (same car as they used for their research) to buy the Prius! I would average 33 mpg on my normal commute, if I was driving by myself. It dropped to 28 mpg when I gained a carpool buddy.

The Prius, with the carpool buddy, but otherwise the exact same commute, is getting about 49 mpg.

 

I'd like to believe that most of us are 'self limiting.' That is, our sensibilities are reasonable and we'll only drive as fast as we feel safe.

Not all of us, of course, but most of us.

How to slow everybody down: make less competent cars! Everytime I drive the Pinto on the freeway, I find myself disbelieving that it used to be my only car and we covered over 240,000 miles together (and just about all of it below 70mph!)...and it actually seemed okay and 'normal' at the time.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Pinto Girl @ Jun 4 2007, 01:20 PM) [snapback]455142[/snapback]</div>

Seriously, I think the way to slow people down is to give all cars MFDs!
It's amazing to watch the MPG drop and rise in response to the gas pedal.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(priussoris @ Jun 4 2007, 03:50 PM) [snapback]455116[/snapback]</div>

Well, the Bible is 2,000 years old and people quote it all the time. :blink:

The point made, however, remains the same regardless of the date of publication. Differences in speed are the problem -- not speed itself. It's when you start having cars traveling at different speeds that accidents start to happen with a greater frequency. The greater the disparity between the top speed and the bottom speed, the greater the chance for accidents. That is why most speed limits should be defined by the 85th percentile of the speed of the flow of traffic.

 

When I had my BMW I couldn't drive the speed limit even when I tried, and it shows on my driving record. I got 3 speeding tickets in 2 years.

Now that I have my Prius I drive the speed limit but I make sure to stay to the right.

When I had my BMW the only people that upset me where those that were blocking the passing lane from me continuing my speed.

If I was stuck behind somebody in the right lane going the speed limit it never bothered me. I knew that I was wrong speeding in the first place.

Sure I have people speed past me on the left but in the last couple of months I have not had 1 person appear to be that upset with me at least nobody has flipped me off.

 

I don't like driving the speed limit, because that bunches me in with everyone else. The more people you have all near each other, the easier it is to get into an accident caused by something. swerving into your lane not paying attention, braking for a hazard, etc.

I go over the speed limit almost all the time, but if I am in the open, I keep a constant speed of the speed limit or maybe 5 MPH over. I think people who go 15+ MPH over the limit are complete idiots who need to get an adrenaline rush somewhere else like a race track... but in general I hate having cars all around me all going at the same speed.

And I too hate people who go the speed limit or below in the passing lane. Ridiculous and you bunch up traffic behind you, cause others to be impatient, and yourself cause more accidents

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Swanny1172 @ Jun 4 2007, 03:47 PM) [snapback]455166[/snapback]</div>

Speed never killed anyone; it's sudden deceleration that's the problem.

 

What I noticed down here in Florida (after residing in Connecticut for 48 years) is that on the Florida Highways like I-4, etc, there is NO TRUCK LEFT LANE prohibition.............. trucks are allowed in ALL THREE lanes, which usually results in three trucks being all in "parallel" having an "elephant race" and tying up lanes of traffic behind them........... My Brother drives a big rig (in CT, NY, NJ, Mass., etc.) and most of those states DO NOT ALLOW any TRUCKS to go into the furthest left lane on three lane highways........... so this too is another factor which makes the motorist vary his or her speed and try to maneuver around these gigantic 18 wheelers which are supposed to "share the road" with us too !!
:angry:

 

I was told by a friend who use to be a trucker, is they do this to slow down traffic behind them, and block the cops as well, so their buddies ahead have a warning if there are cops coming, and so they can speed up in an open road for a bit.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Swanny1172 @ Jun 4 2007, 02:47 PM) [snapback]455166[/snapback]</div>

Here's the book I use on my VW EV FOX
[attachmentid=8528]

 

I do I do! I drive the speed limit about 99% of the time. The other 1% is when I'm accelerating to keep up with traffic and I have absolutely NO WAY of slowing down.

 

interesting a study was presented concluding that the differences in speed is what causes the most accidents so then its decided that to alleviate the problem, the recommended course of action is assumed to break the law by speeding???

that is what i get out of this thread and i am hoping that is not the case. that is like saying that young urban male blacks are responsible for most of the murders so the keep anyone from being killed, we just need to kill all the young urban male blacks....

if this correlation is not correct, please enlighten me