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I like to observe the speeds from place to place, so here are my observations:
Fast:
-Chicago: I live in Chicagoland and on side streets 5-10 over is considered normal. On the expressway it's a toss-up. Most of the expressways are 55 here. The slower drivers go 65, the faster drivers go upwards of 100. The flow of traffic is generally between 70-80 (that's 15-25 over) and people weave like none other.
-Detroit: Ive heard anywhere in Michigan really. They often have conflicts with Ohio drivers, who are slow to them.
-LA: I have been to LA and people are nuts. Motorcycles are allowed to ride inbetween cars and they are so fast! Cars are agressive and people frequently go 90+.
-Atlanta: Never been there, but Ive heard the ATL is home to some really fast drivers!
Slow:
-Wisconsin and Indiana: Living in Illinois, I am very familiar with the perception of WI and IN drivers. They love to go slow, and they love to do it in the left lane.
-Ohio: Ive heard that Wisconsin is to Illinois as Ohio is to Michigan. A state rivalry that is fueled by sports rivalries and differences in driving.
It also seems to me that Chicagoans suddenly kick it up 10-20 mph when they cross an IL state border. Like as soon as they cross into WI or IN they'll change from 75 to 85 or 80 to 90. I don't know if it's because the roads in those states are less conjested or if they just want to annoy the drivers of those states to get back at them for their slow driving or the Packers/Colts beating the Bears.
We seem to have a pretty mixed bag here in Tennessee. One minute you may see someone driving 35mph in a 55mph zone, the next minute you may be getting passed by someone doing 80mph in that same 55mph zone. A few times I've been driving on the interstate just going along with traffic, not really paying attention to my speed, and then I'll glance at the speedometer and notice that I, and everyone else, is cruising along at 95-100. One time this happened and shortly after I noticed the speed of the "pack" I was in, a Mercedes and an Escalade flew past us all, weaving in and out of lanes. They had to be going at least 115 (we were doing 90).
We have the lowest car insurance rates in the country, here in Iowa. People drive slow and easy, and your lead foot will get you a ticket in no time. I think people drive much faster in the south than they do in the midwest, and slower in the northeast for the most part. Drove to Florida from Iowa a few times and noticed you can't play road warrior in Illinois, it's a police state much like Iowa. They drive just as slow there as they do in Iowa, and the speed limit for trucks is 55, and they don't dare break 60 MPH......that should have told me what I needed to know about Illinois. I got pulled over twice there, but no where else on my trips to Florida.
They drive alot faster in the south, as soon as you cross from Illinois into Kentucky you have left big brother behind and can let the freedom ring. When you get into TN, GA and Fl you see people doing 80 or 90 all over the place. Atlanta is a mind fry, I used to think Des Moines was a city until I drove thru downtown Atlanta at 3AM, JESUS !!! That town is a scary mo-fo to drive thru.
Who ever said they drive like crazy insane maniacs in Florida, especially south Florida, was very, very correct. They have old people all over the place driving the biggest, widest motorhomes you could possibly imagine, and going 80 and 90 MPH with everyone else trying to pass them !! I was learning a whole new way of driving down south, and getting to like it. Then the joy was gone and I had to cross back into Illinois, not more than 20 miles in, the cops took my checkered flag away.
Nice college dogma but the law of physics still apply.
I know this post is over 3 years old, but I have to chime in and say that Drover hit the nail on the head. You seem to not understand the concept that speed does not kill, and that inattentive and drivers who do not understand the basic concepts of traffic and their vehicle do.
There is absolutely no reason that you should not be allowed to do 100mph on a rural highway. That is assuming that the highway is in good condition, and the driver knows the limits of themselves and their car. Obviously it's not a wise idea to be driving 100mph through 55mph traffic on a bumpy road in a car that has worn ball joints, tie rods, and other suspension components.
There is a reason that the Autobahn works in Germany- because it is understood that if you're not going as fast as the person behind you, that you get out of the way.
Detroit. I've heard that everyone (well not literally) does 80 on the expressways there, and that 90 is the norm when passing.
Actually, speaking as someone who does traverse the expressways of the Detroit metro on a fairly regular basis, I can tell you that this is not the norm at all. Not that people drive below the speed limit or anything, but the e-ways around Detroit are pretty heavily patrolled. One example: I-94 between Ann Arbor and Detroit Metro Airport; very heavily patrolled, especially during rush hour, and if you go over 75 mph, chances are you will be facing a ticket and a heavy fine. The e-ways closer to downtown Detroit are usually pretty busy and traffic just couldn't move at 80-90 mph if it had to.
I've gotta say, I have driven in Boston, Philly, Atlanta, Chicago, and Washington, D.C., just to name a few, and I have never, and I mean NEVER seen people drive like they do in LA. In most cities you know to stay out of the extreme left lane to let faster cars pass, but in LA, it seems like it's not only the extreme left lane but also the one or two lanes next to it where you will absolutely get run over, cussed out, etc. if you try to go under 85 mph. I love LA, but if I go there again in the future I will ride a bus in, lol.
In Baltimore, early morning commuters do between 80-90mph until volume picks up and it drops to 0-10mph around 7:30am.
I will say that Between Baltimore and Aberdeen, on 95, people certainly drive 90 like it's no problem, despite the fact that the stretch is littered with cops shooting radar. Those drivers really have some balls.
Actually, speaking as someone who does traverse the expressways of the Detroit metro on a fairly regular basis, I can tell you that this is not the norm at all. Not that people drive below the speed limit or anything, but the e-ways around Detroit are pretty heavily patrolled. One example: I-94 between Ann Arbor and Detroit Metro Airport; very heavily patrolled, especially during rush hour, and if you go over 75 mph, chances are you will be facing a ticket and a heavy fine. The e-ways closer to downtown Detroit are usually pretty busy and traffic just couldn't move at 80-90 mph if it had to..
They must save their speeding when they go out of state then. When I travel across the mid-Atlantic and South, I always see Michigan drivers speeding like bats out of hell. Also I would include Georgia and Maryland in that mix.
Someone mentioned about the midwest having slow drivers. I disagree. I drive at the speed limit or at the most, 5 above, and I am constantly passed in Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois. Speed enforcement is there, but once the threat is gone, everyone speeds again. When I drive the same way in Virginia (outside of DC) or northern New England, it seems like I am the one doing the passing.
Of course one can speed and not be a jerk, but it's still breaking the law. But driving well below the speed limit can cause a hazard.
They must save their speeding when they go out of state then. When I travel across the mid-Atlantic and South, I always see Michigan drivers speeding like bats out of hell. Also I would include Georgia and Maryland in that mix.
Well, that has honestly been my experience, that Detroit is actually one of the easiest major cities to drive in, although I'm not sure if it still qualifies as a major city after the recent census figures came out.
Anyway, I don't doubt what you're saying, we all have our own experiences to draw on. Personally, I think that people in SoCal, as I already mentioned, and the Northeast are the fastest, scariest, and (sorry!) rudest drivers that I have experienced. A couple of years ago we were coming home from Boston and took a route through NYC to let our kids see the skyline in the distance. We were in bumper to bumper traffic on the George Washington Bridge and a guy wanted in my lane, so I slowed down and signaled him to go in front of me. His response? He flipped me the bird. What a jerk! And Boston, don't even get me started. Way too many people on a very poorly designed interstate system = road rage and white knuckled drivers desperately trying to get home without getting into an accident. I could never do that everyday, I would either be dead or riding the T.
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One time this happened and shortly after I noticed the speed of the "pack" I was in, a Mercedes and an Escalade flew past us all, weaving in and out of lanes. They had to be going at least 115 (we were doing 90).
