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[penguinofhonor]

That's bad. Hopefully she'll just stick to one beer.

[Jervill]

I keep misreading beer as bear, it certainly makes the previous two posts sound very odd.

[SalmonGod]

People driving slower than the speed limit wouldn't be so bad if so many idiots who don't understand driving didn't insist people should be driving at the roof limit or faster.

I would accept this argument if speed limits weren't so ridiculously conservative.  It's pretty obvious that they're not designed to be what it says on the label, which should mean "Driving faster than this would be dangerous."  If that were the case, I think they would be on average about 20 mph faster.  It seems to me like they're meant to be treated as "this is about the speed you should be going."  This is further reinforced by the fact that a series of stoplights will typically be timed such that going the speed limit will get you through without being stopped more than once, but if you go under the speed limit, you will be stopped at every single light.

Plus, most of the time driving is really… really… really simple.  When you have a two-lane highway that's nothing but a perfectly straight line with clear visibility for miles, there's just no excuse.  Apply constant pressure to foot pedal and don't turn the steering wheel.  If for some reason this still seems complicated to you (in which case you really shouldn't be driving at all), just stay in the right fucking lane.  Done.  Not too much to ask, right?

[kaijyuu]

It would be interesting to hear someone who comes up with speed limits/etc and their view on it. I'm not so sure the speed limits are rough estimates, but rather I think they know that people break the speed limit all the time, so they put it lower than necessary to keep people from going even faster.


Also do remember you're in an extremely heavy hunk of metal. The difference between 30 mph and 40 mph is huge if you were to get into an accident. Straight roads have speed limits for similar reasons... driving in a straight line may be simple, but there are plenty of reasons you might get into a crash anyway. Life and death can literally be the difference of a few mph.

[MonkeyHead]

Traffic accident stats: 90% of people hit by a car at 30 mph survive. 90% hit at 40 mph die. It is the energy of the moving car that does the damage... KE = 1/2*m*v^2 and all that means that 60 mph is 4 times as much energy as the same car at 30. This is also why stopping distances incrase exponentially - work done by brakes is a linear growth, dissipating KE which is an exponential term.

[SalmonGod]

Also do remember you're in an extremely heavy hunk of metal. The difference between 30 mph and 40 mph is huge if you were to get into an accident. Straight roads have speed limits for similar reasons... driving in a straight line may be simple, but there are plenty of reasons you might get into a crash anyway. Life and death can literally be the difference of a few mph.

That's why we're trained to keep a distance from the vehicle in front of you relative to your speed... at least I was.  I was told to pick a landmark beside the road and start counting when the vehicle in front of me passes that landmark "one-one thousand, two-one thousand" and I should be passing that same landmark sometime after repeating that to myself.  This rule allows for ample braking distance time, unless you're drunk or texting on your cell-phone or you just have the reflexes of someone in a coma... 

In summery, when all you're doing is driving in a straight line (which is the vast majority of driving), the only ways you can get in an accident are by tailgating, being distracted or impaired to the point of illegality, or being struck from the side...

[kaijyuu]

2 of those situations you have no real control over, and the other one can happen through simple common mistakes (such as driving drowsy).

[Frumple]

Bleh. Most people just in too much of hurry. Going faster than any land bound creature alive for longer periods than any can sustain isn't sufficient. Must go even faster, because,

... not really sure what the because is, other than because. You don't save much time going 5-10 over speed limit (and the amount you save relatively becomes progressively smaller as you go faster), unless it's really low (20s, etc). Don't save much gas. Still moving faster and more comfortably than anything else on planet. But, no. Must go 5-10 over speed limit. Doesn't matter what speed limit is. 5-10 over, always, for almost everyone.

Frumple just doesn't understand. Go speed limit, maybe leave two-three minutes earlier at most. Get there at same time or near enough it doesn't matter. Don't break law in process. Why go faster when it doesn't make particular difference and is somewhat less safe? If in hurry, already late. Not point rushing then. Late is binary, more late still late.

Is side to most of that, but part of it for me, at least, is a sort of respect... m'grandfather did a lot of the road work in my area. I respect the expertise that went into that... if he and his fellows say "go 55", I say, "Okay. You're better at this than me, so I yield to wisdom."

'Course, I also know that almost all roads are capable of safely being traveled a good 20-30 over the posted limit -- they're built that way, at least most of the time -- but that's not the point. Point to me is that 'people I trust (in a roundabout way) says this is the safe speed' mixed with 'I'm not losing any meaningful amount of time not going faster'. Throw in a "it's more dangerous to be going faster" and it's just a no-brainer to me. Go speed limit, or slower. Only reason I don't just cruise at 10 under is because it causes vehicles to start building up and impatient assholes to start doing stupid-stupid shit like passing three cars in one go.

Now, one thing I will do (and have done) is pull right the fuck over if there's a crapton of tailgating whoresons piling up behind my law abiding ass. Just let th'bastards pass, I say. I'm not in a hurry, ever.

[nenjin]

I can deal with driving the speed limit. But I interpret it both ways. It's the upper AND THE LOWER limit. If you're driving 25 to 30 in a 35 during rush hour traffic....either pull your head out of your ass and drive, or get off the road. I consider it just as disrespectful to every other driver on the road driving slow as driving too fast. People that drive like they're in their own little world piss me the fuck off. They cause as many traffic accidents as they prevent.

Being a good driver means having situational awareness at all times and respecting other people on the road. I find that people who drive slower than the posted speed limit have neither of those things.

I may not LIKE driving the speed limit, but I'll do it at a respectful distance, as long as the person in front of me keeps up their end of the bargain. But if you're driving 5 to 10 miles under the speed limit and I have an opening.....prepare to suck on my exhaust fumes. You had your chance at respect, and you blew it.

[kaijyuu]

They cause as many traffic accidents as they prevent.

Even were this true, it'd still be a point in the slow driver's favor, as accidents at slower speeds are much, much less dangerous and destructive.

[nenjin]

They cause as many traffic accidents as they prevent.

Even were this true, it'd still be a point in the slow driver's favor, as accidents at slower speeds are much, much less dangerous and destructive.

Tell that to the people behind them.

[Yoink]

Ehh, I think the Learner plates setup is good. That means people expect me to be a shit driver (I am) and will usually keep WAAAY the fuck back. So that when I slam on the brakes/stall the car(once I start learning on a manual )) they won't hit me.
Then there are some morons who will tailgait like crazy, simply because I'm doing, what? A couple of ks under the speed limit?

Overall I think everyone on the road is a stuck-up impatient asshole and I shall catch a train if it's all the same to you.

[kaijyuu]

They cause as many traffic accidents as they prevent.

Even were this true, it'd still be a point in the slow driver's favor, as accidents at slower speeds are much, much less dangerous and destructive.

Tell that to the people behind them.

May as well be trying to talk to a pack of rabid wolverines.

[SalmonGod]

2 of those situations you have no real control over, and the other one can happen through simple common mistakes (such as driving drowsy).

You have no control over being struck from the side, and your speed has very little correlation to the likelihood of this occurring.  What's the other thing you have no control over?  Being impaired?  Drowsiness is the only type of impairment I can accept as being legitimately beyond one's control.  Sometimes you're forced to miss sleep and drive somewhere the next day.  Any other kind of impairment I can think of is either a matter of being irresponsible or someone who simply should not be driving.

Regardless, the core of my message was still one single request of anyone who still finds this complex or terrifying:  don't conspire with other slow drivers to clog up multiple lanes...  This request involves nothing illegal or dangerous.

I was the type of driver who often stayed under the speed limit for the first couple years after getting my license, because of the oft-repeated idea that I'm zipping around in a several-ton death coffin.  I really took it to heart.  Over time, I came to realize that, even though vehicles are extremely deadly, driving is just so ridiculously easy.  It is only ever dangerous if somebody does something irresponsible, and there are very few cases where taking cautious driving to any extreme will save you from someone else's irresponsibility.  Not only that, but driving slowly causes road rage and traffic congestion which increases the likelihood of accidents.  Slowing down the flow of all traffic caught behind you is not safe, it is disruptive.

[Jopax]

A few kilometers above the limit is usually fine around here, mostly because the signmakers were rather conservative in certain parts, but the road is quite crappy most of the time so no crazy stuff.

Also a favourite quote by my dad: "When driving it's usually better to stick to the rules, you know what idiot is driving from your side, but can't really tell what the idiot coming from the other direction will be like." (paraphrased because it's kinda hard to translate directly, that and some beers)