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And yet, when I drive on the roads in the course of my occupation (as an example, I put about 200 miles on my car just today in the course of showing houses to some out of state clients who are unfamiliar with the area and so needed to see several parts of it to determine where they want to live), I have made a point of noticing, and the vast majority of people ARE driving the limit or within a handful of miles of it either way. I would say easily 90% are. Of course, I'm not in New Jersey and that no doubt makes an enormous difference.
Good post. Although, I wasn't speaking specifically to fatalities. I was speaking to all MVAs. And I wasn't speaking specifically to highway MVAs, I was speaking to highway and non-highway MVAs (which I guess was off-topic, because the thread does say "interstate").
But I'm not convinced by your argument. Specifically, I didn't say it was highway speeds that were causing the MVAs. I said it was excessive speed that was the factor. You see excessive speeds on and off the highway. Indeed, in the NHTSA Traffic Safety Facts 2016 document you cite, table 121 lists 82% of the "speeding-related traffic fatalities" were in "non-interstate" situations. (And table 121 also says that 26% of all traffic fatalities were "speeding-related.")
So to say, "So speed really isn't causing many accidents, even if it's a factor in the accidents that do happen..." kind of blithely ignores those numbers. You can't cite the document and then dismiss one of the key findings.
A couple of cop buddies of mine (and admittedly, this is anecdotal) tell me time and time again: Speeding causes accidents. It doesn't have to be on the interstate. It can be in your own neighborhood.
Drivers in my area tend to drive at or below the speed limit on the interstates with a few fast ones going 90+, but speed on city streets and residential neighborhoods. Also they speed in parking lots and disregard any stop signs. Just yesterday I was coming home from work on I-79, driving the speed limit, passed a car driving below the speed limit, and we got off at the same exit onto a semi rural state road. The car I passed on the interstate started to tailgate me closely as I was driving the speed limit. They then whip around on a no passing zone and probably were travelling 60 in a 45 down the road.
I don't understand. They are docile on the interstate but aggressive elsewhere.
Youre talking about one individual person. You do not know that this guy is docile on the freeway. I do not think most of the people that are driving the speed limit on the interstate driving around like Mario Andretti once they get off it.
Drivers in my area tend to drive at or below the speed limit on the interstates with a few fast ones going 90+, but speed on city streets and residential neighborhoods. Also they speed in parking lots and disregard any stop signs. Just yesterday I was coming home from work on I-79, driving the speed limit, passed a car driving below the speed limit, and we got off at the same exit onto a semi rural state road. The car I passed on the interstate started to tailgate me closely as I was driving the speed limit. They then whip around on a no passing zone and probably were travelling 60 in a 45 down the road.
I don't understand. They are docile on the interstate but aggressive elsewhere.
As I have pointed out repeatedly speed limits are more suppressed on secondary roads than on interstates. 25 m.p.h. or 30 m.p.h. limits are fine on residential streets but are too low on undivided two or four-lane highways. Those should be set at 40 m.p.h. or 45 m.p.h. in most cases. Stop signs are often used to more to slow people down than where a full stop is warranted. They are called "traffic calming" devices, but are really there to promote the control freaks in charge of localities.
I can always tell when people get behind me on a back road who are used to driving highways or interstates...they tailgate, and go like hell...and want you to do the same....when the speed limit is 45, it's 45 for a reason...especially on back roads, and small two lane roads....going thur little towns and such...and do you know what else I see a lot.
You come to a stop light, there is a sign that says, "NO TURN ON RED" but people turn anyway...there is one right below where I live and there are accidents there all the time, b/c people turn on red and you can't see if traffic is coming down that hill until their on top of you and Wham!
Last night I had a guy in front of me, playing with his phone, nearly ran off the road, actually went off onto the shoulder, than another guy, instead of stopping at the stop sign, gunned it right thru to make a right hand turn in front of me, then there was another young kid who was tail gating the guy two cars in front of me...awful drivers out there, really awful. Oh, and they don't use they're turn signals either.
As I have pointed out repeatedly speed limits are more suppressed on secondary roads than on interstates. 25 m.p.h. or 30 m.p.h. limits are fine on residential streets but are too low on undivided two or four-lane highways. Those should be set at 40 m.p.h. or 45 m.p.h. in most cases. Stop signs are often used to more to slow people down than where a full stop is warranted. They are called "traffic calming" devices, but are really there to promote the control freaks in charge of localities.
I am ok with stop signs as a traffic calming device in certain areas to help slow vehicle traffic. Roads are not meant to be race tracks.
I can always tell when people get behind me on a back road who are used to driving highways or interstates...they tailgate, and go like hell...and want you to do the same....when the speed limit is 45, it's 45 for a reason...especially on back roads, and small two lane roads....going thur little towns and such...and do you know what else I see a lot.
You come to a stop light, there is a sign that says, "NO TURN ON RED" but people turn anyway...there is one right below where I live and there are accidents there all the time, b/c people turn on red and you can't see if traffic is coming down that hill until their on top of you and Wham!
Last night I had a guy in front of me, playing with his phone, nearly ran off the road, actually went off onto the shoulder, than another guy, instead of stopping at the stop sign, gunned it right thru to make a right hand turn in front of me, then there was another young kid who was tail gating the guy two cars in front of me...awful drivers out there, really awful. Oh, and they don't use they're turn signals either.
I see that more and more that drivers don’t use their turn signal as much as they should be.
Because many of them feel that where they are going is 'their' business - not that of every driver within 400 feet of them.
You can't be serious?? Other people have to know what you're doing in order to avoid accidents. That's the craziest thing I've heard here yet!
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