S-L-O-W Prius law?

My most frustrating part of a speed limit, is selective enforcement.

There is a work zone by work (toll road construction, for over 2 years now), the speed limit is 50, and for good reasons, construction trucks are coming in and out of the roadway all the time. Most people do at least 60 there, and if I try to do 55, I will get tailgated, and honked at.

I had a 2002 Camry that was totaled there last year, from a speeding pickup truck driver who lost control in the rain. I replaced it with my Prius.

Most drivers get away with it most of the time, except for on some days, the cops decide to run a speed trap there, and pick off speeders. Some of my "follow the flow" coworkers get victimized with tickets for speeding in a work zone.

I got fed up with the situation and found a back road to travel, to avoid this all together.

Most around here think 5-10 MPH over PSL is their God given right.

 

Pass the hat, cheap man right here. I'm known as the cheapest guy in the office. Whenever there is leftover lunch from a meeting, everyone knows exactly who to call to "clean" it up. I am very cheap. I was self conscious about it at first. But when my 2 daughters arrived, I realize that I care very little about what others think.

On the driving issue, I'm not talking about driving dangerously. I feel perfectly safe doing 55 mph in the right lane. Half the time, there is a semi going just as slow in that lane. I definitely would not do this on a 2 lane highway with 70 mph speed limits. There is plenty of access on the left lanes so I am not blocking anyone. If I am, then I will move over or speed up. I went to school in Los Angeles, I don't think I would feel safe doing 55 mph there either.

 

move closer

 

MMModem, you eat other peoples left over food????

 

I generally do the posted or posted +5 if I can depending on the road and conditions. And I am still averaging 52 mpg's in the life of my Prius.

 

Yes? You sound horrified. I'm not eating off someone's plate. There's always left over food from a meeting. An apple, a sandwich, bag of chips, entree platters, leftover pizza slices. The attendees can take the leftovers to the break room or they can call me.

 

NBC News piece about an up-tick in 2012 Highway fatalities, but so far no link to speed limits which have been on the rise in many states

 

Usually the police say, "nine your fine, ten your mine." It appears that this statement will eventually hold true for speeding and going too slow.

As a motorcycle rider, road safety is first and foremost on my mind. When riding, it is assumed that everyone is going to pull out in front of my motorcycle. Perhaps one of the most dangerous situations is driving too slow or too fast, as these driving habits are disruptive to traffic flow and result in lane jumping and traffic jams. Of course, texting, talking on a mobile phone, eating, applying make up and many other forms of distracted driving are dangerous.

It's interesting that German auto manufacturers cannot understand why Americans are obsessed with big glup drink holders in cars. After all, they believe that when in a car, you should be DRIVING. That's why they build the best driving cars in the world.

I always drive with the flow of traffic which on occasion results in travelling almost 10 MPH over posted speed limits. After 13,000 miles, my Prius is averaging 52.7 MPG. I have no desire to create road rage or cause an accident in order to squeak out slightly higher fuel mileage.

 

You should be driving at a reasonable speed that avoids impeding the normal flow of traffic, regardless of your fuel economy and a new law.

 

In Los Angeles, you can get shot for driving too slow. It's mainly gang members doing the shooting.

Mike

 

Change your job or move. If you commuted a couple of miles in Hummer, you would be much much greener.

 

Marcus, I agree with all of your thoughts. If people really chilled and just rolled along, they may realize, "holy crap, rushing got me nowhere!" I used to try in previous cars to "make time", staying left and keeping with the fastest cars. The past year in the Prius has been the most relaxing in 8 years of mega commuting. Rolling along in the right lane, chilling to my tunes, and imagine, the ride is maybe 5 minutes longer over 100 mixed miles! I too find more and more side roads away from the chaos. It also lets me play the mpg game a little more on my terms.
If more people realized that rushing around, being a jerk, tailgating for an extra 2 mph, really gets them nowhere, commuting wouldn't be so bad and maybe we could roll under the limit and still be safe. Wouldn't that be something ;-)

 

The deaths should be dropping rapidly as USA is aging fast and the total miles driven per year are falling from the cliff year after year. I can see how oil companies are sponsoring the speed limit increase to mitigate the huge drop in US gasoline consumption.

 

Law "abuse" works both ways. What can law enforcement do when a broken car/truck only able to go 25 mph gets on the interstate routinely? Super slow vehicles routinely make interstate merge lanes unmergeable. The only remaining option is the ditch. When it happens to someone (like me), the first thing out of their mouth is "There ought to be a law". Now there is. A reasonable law, enforced sensibly, can make life safer for everyone on the road. Likewise any law can be manipulated by law enforcement to become a revenue stream. This is not a bad law, nor something impervious to abuse.

 

some highways show a max and minimum. both should be enforced for safety.

 

Actually Bill, the best way to mitigate your impact is to reduce the length of your commute. Move closer to work or work closer to home, maybe into a smaller home which is more efficient to heat and cool. You can then take public transport to and from work further reducing your impact on the planet and taking a (slow) car off the freeway freeing up traffic flow allowing others to reduce their impact on the planet without even trying.
Not much into cat skinning myself, but I hear there is more than 1 way ...

 

The law's been there, they want to raise the fines. The problem is that it's not enforced. The troopers ride down the left lane and chase them out of it. As soon as he passes them, they pull right back behind the cop car.

 

Speaking of Prius hate, this picture showed up on Facebook. The offensive word was partially redacted. I almost replied to my friend that posted the picture to remind him that many of his co-workers have a Prius.