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I drove on autobahns for years while traveling from Brussels to Munich once in two weeks. The fact that you are allowed to be an idiot does not say that you must be one, right? I almost never went over 100 MPH there.
It's funny one mentions Germany. Driver's education is on a far different level than America. In Germany, you are tested, behind the wheel, in almost any type of driving condition. City traffic, country roads, night driving, etc... By the time you get your license, you should have demonstrated the ability to drive anywhere in any type of condition.
Here in America, complete different. Some states don't even require high schoolers to take the road test. And the ones that do, you're out there for one day, driving through a few roads, and as long as you don't wreck, you pretty much get your license. I can say that in my first few years of driving, there is absolutely no way I would have been prepared to have driven through certain city traffic in bigger cities. In fact, I would have no confidence right now, even after nearly 30 years of driving, to drive through places like New York City. I can drive through city traffic, but city traffic here in Greensboro or Charlotte NC pales in comparison.
It's funny one mentions Germany. Driver's education is on a far different level than America. In Germany, you are tested, behind the wheel, in almost any type of driving condition. City traffic, country roads, night driving, etc... By the time you get your license, you should have demonstrated the ability to drive anywhere in any type of condition.
Here in America, complete different. Some states don't even require high schoolers to take the road test. And the ones that do, you're out there for one day, driving through a few roads, and as long as you don't wreck, you pretty much get your license. I can say that in my first few years of driving, there is absolutely no way I would have been prepared to have driven through certain city traffic in bigger cities. In fact, I would have no confidence right now, even after nearly 30 years of driving, to drive through places like New York City. I can drive through city traffic, but city traffic here in Greensboro or Charlotte NC pales in comparison.
And you have to wonder if some drivers ever did go to driving school in the first place here. I would love it if police handed out more tickets for bad driving which not only came with a fine, but also mandatory retraining for repeat offenders
They can if they pull back into your lane with less than a car length's distance between your front and their rear bumpers. Some of them start the lane switch before they are even past the car they are passing and pulling in front of.
I had someone try that stunt on me several years ago - we were on a single-lane road, speed limit 45 MPH and some punk kid keeps tailgating me because I wasn't exceeding the speed limit (late winter, first nice warm day of the year, lot of other cars on the road, including in front of me). We get to a place with dotted yellows, and he whips by me and tries to pull back in front of me so I will rear-end him. I was wise to him, though, and I braked, so his little plan didn't work.
And you have to wonder if some drivers ever did go to driving school in the first place here. I would love it if police handed out more tickets for bad driving which not only came with a fine, but also mandatory retraining for repeat offenders
One wonders if SOME here listened in driving school or if they just decided ahead of time that they were just such naturally wonderful drivers that they didn't have to. If they HAD listened they would have known that the speed limit law is just as important as the other laws, pesky as it is to some (which is the reason we have laws in the first place, those people who do things wrong and we have to make laws for them, not the people who actually THINK about what they're doing).
Take the speed limit. We can all agree, I think, that the safest thing is for everyone to be driving at about the same speed. So how do we determine that, with a populace that is not entirely made up of professional race drivers? We determine, as a society, using engineering and various other criteria including the competence of the vast majority of our drivers, the condition of our roadways, geography, the condition of the varying cars on the road, what the safest speeds are for EVERYONE to drive, and we give them that as the target for everyone to aim for, speed addicts and slow pokes alike. The problems arise when people on BOTH ends decide that they are exempt from that.
Want to be safe? Like I said, enforce ALL the laws, including the speed limit law, which, if enforced properly, would go a long way towards increasing safety on the roads no matter how good a driver you think YOU are. A truly good driver takes into account all the conditions of the roads he or she is driving on, including other drivers, and doesn't try to show off in that venue. A driver who is so focused on showing how fast he can go on public roads that everyone else on the roads is just someone in his way is, by definition, a lousy driver. Also, probably a lousy lover, come to that. Speed isn't everything.
One wonders if SOME here listened in driving school or if they just decided ahead of time that they were just such naturally wonderful drivers that they didn't have to. If they HAD listened they would have known that the speed limit law is just as important as the other laws, pesky as it is to some (which is the reason we have laws in the first place, those people who do things wrong and we have to make laws for them, not the people who actually THINK about what they're doing).
Take the speed limit. We can all agree, I think, that the safest thing is for everyone to be driving at about the same speed. So how do we determine that, with a populace that is not entirely made up of professional race drivers? We determine, as a society, using engineering and various other criteria including the competence of the vast majority of our drivers, the condition of our roadways, geography, the condition of the varying cars on the road, what the safest speeds are for EVERYONE to drive, and we give them that as the target for everyone to aim for, speed addicts and slow pokes alike. The problems arise when people on BOTH ends decide that they are exempt from that.
Want to be safe? Like I said, enforce ALL the laws, including the speed limit law, which, if enforced properly, would go a long way towards increasing safety on the roads no matter how good a driver you think YOU are. A truly good driver takes into account all the conditions of the roads he or she is driving on, including other drivers, and doesn't try to show off in that venue. A driver who is so focused on showing how fast he can go on public roads that everyone else on the roads is just someone in his way is, by definition, a lousy driver. Also, probably a lousy lover, come to that. Speed isn't everything.
I concur with most of what you said, but realize that speed limits are set by traffic engineers (or the politicians who overrule them) with the expectation that the population will exceed it typically by 10 mph. If you're going to start with a zero tolerance policy towards speeding, interstate speed limits would need to be raised to 75. A limit of 55 on any expressway built to interstate standards is completely ridiculous. We have small country roads in New York State & Pennsylvania where the legal limit is 55 mph. Interstates are for (safe) rapid transit over long distances
I concur with most of what you said, but realize that speed limits are set by traffic engineers (or the politicians who overrule them) with the expectation that the population will exceed it typically by 10 mph. If you're going to start with a zero tolerance policy towards speeding, interstate speed limits would need to be raised to 75. A limit of 55 on any expressway built to interstate standards is completely ridiculous. We have small country roads in New York State & Pennsylvania where the legal limit is 55 mph. Interstates are for (safe) rapid transit over long distances
Funniest thing, I can remember when the speed limit was enforced much more stringently than it is now and people actually understood that it was the UPPER limit they were supposed to drive. Did they exceed it? Yes, by about 3 mph (which was because it was possible for your speedometer to be off by that much as far as the courts were concerned so the cops didn't - but could - stop you), not 10. And if you exceeded that, guess what, you'd get a ticket if you were seen by a cop. Another reason the professionals drove moderately on the public roads, as it happens - if everything else failed, there were consequences to their licenses and insurance if they didn't.
We didn't have this entitlement syndrome demonstrated so constantly then because people were held responsible for their decisions to speed rather than treated like babies who just couldn't help themselves. And, yes, I'm older than dirt, in fact I invented dirt and you all owe me rent! However, I can still remember, and at that time I was a hippie biker chick hanging out with said racers and at races and with folks who went to the Bonneville Salt Flats to try to break the world land speed record, so it's not like I'm a fuddy duddy who hates speed. Just inappropriate, self-entitled speed that risks the lives of others.
Oh, and interstates are for safe, fast movement of military vehicles and equipment over long distances. I'm also old enough to remember when the system first started being built and why.
I'm typically a very fast driver. Whenever I'm on the left lane I clock 78mph avg. It's almost a regular routine for me to get around slow left lane hoggers by cutting in front of them if necessary then taking off.
However, I've bumped into a few grumpy drivers.
One situation the car was doing 60ish on the left lane, I was holding about 1/2 a car distance behind the car for about a minute and it wouldn't move. So I tried to pass right around the car and suddenly the guy started taking off and hit above 80mph and he was gone. Then after like 5 mins, I caught up to the guy as I was doing 80mph+ and he slowed back down to 60mph.
Another case, I got around the slow car 40mph car and then got in front of it due to traffic and took off doing 50mph+ the car high beamed me. Other times, I've had cars honked and high beamed me for simply getting around them and taking off.
I never brake check any car so there's no reason someone being passed by me should be offended. Their action of driving slower than avg speed is the offense here.
driving 10 feet off somebody's bumper at "60-ish" for 1 mile is a real Richard move and you deserve whatever's coming to you. it's too bad you'll also probably hurt someone else in the process.
And you have to wonder if some drivers ever did go to driving school in the first place here. I would love it if police handed out more tickets for bad driving which not only came with a fine, but also mandatory retraining for repeat offenders
There's been a convo in another thread about retraining of elderly people in order for them to keep their license. I'm all for retraining of everyone, no exceptions.
There's been a convo in another thread about retraining of elderly people in order for them to keep their license. I'm all for retraining of everyone, no exceptions.
The elderly will be the greatest beneficiaries when autonomous cars go mainstream. They could still maintain their mobility and not be hazards to the general population. I had a distant older relative who would space out and randomly get lost on the highway going 35 mph. Everybody tried to make her stop driving until we figured a way to get her to get rid of her car. Troopers would pull her over and be nice about it with a warning and escort off the road but never any fines. I don't think fines would have even made a difference, she was confused and not all there, family has to step in with those situations
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I'm hoping the OP is just joking around and really doesn't live this way. 
