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An interesting phenomenon is happening near my house. The interstate goes from 65 mph to 75 mph for the first time from the East coast to here. During the summer we get a good cross selection of East coast travelers coming through on the way to the West coast. When the speed limit goes up to 75 mph the East coast people continue to drive at 65 mph and when you pass them they will sometimes flip you off like they know better and that I should slow down. All the local traffic and the big trucks are buzzing by them at 75-80 mph. Sometimes they get in the left lane and try to slow the traffic down but the locals just go around them on the right at 20 mph faster then them.
I just put it down to the East coast people not being comfortable at Western state speed limits.
We're just not used to it, lol. The first time I drove in Texas in an 85 mph zone we were cruising along at maybe 83, saw a cop on the side of the road and instinctively slowed down thinking we were speeding.
Thats actually law here. You see a cop with his lights on you get in the other lane and you slow down. (To be fair though this is for city highways not interstate)
Here, it's the law on the interstate, and they take it VERY seriously (only took two or three cops getting hit by idiots to make them start enforcing that law strenously).
As it reads, you either pull over, leaving the right lane empty as you pass the stopped officer with his lights on, OR you slow to 20 mph below the limit. It's the law.
Of course, so is the speed limit, in EVERY lane, therefore someone driving the speed limit in ANY lane is NOT impeding traffic, and there's people who seriously do not understand that, either. That is what makes it really scary out there on the roadways - people who actually believe that the speed limit doesn't exist in the left lane and will argue until they're blue in the face that the person driving the speed limit in the left lane is somehow impeding traffic when legal traffic can't go any faster than that, anyway, short of emergency vehicles with lights and sirens on. How DID they get their license, anyway?
Of course, so is the speed limit, in EVERY lane, therefore someone driving the speed limit in ANY lane is NOT impeding traffic, and there's people who seriously do not understand that, either. That is what makes it really scary out there on the roadways - people who actually believe that the speed limit doesn't exist in the left lane and will argue until they're blue in the face that the person driving the speed limit in the left lane is somehow impeding traffic when legal traffic can't go any faster than that, anyway, short of emergency vehicles with lights and sirens on. How DID they get their license, anyway?
What's scary is people who refuse to acknowledge reality on the roads and what is actually safe driving.
I have come to understand that there are just some people on this earth who simply cannot grasp the reality of a situation. In this case, driving and the fact that one has to come to grips that driving the speed limit in many situations is actually going to create a far more dangerous situation than "getting it" and acknowledging reality. Not "getting" that getting with the program of assessing the situation around you and realizing that even though you are technically right, you're actually wrong.
Think of it this way - murder is illegal, therefore there should be no danger in going wherever you please, whenever you please. Murder is illegal, end of story.
However, try the theory in a high crime drug area like Sandtown Winchester in Baltimore by walking around at 2AM with a stack of hundred dollar bills sticking out of your back pocket. Murder is illegal, so you should be able to do what is your right to do under the law, which is walk unimpeded through the neighborhood.
We're just not used to it, lol. The first time I drove in Texas in an 85 mph zone we were cruising along at maybe 83, saw a cop on the side of the road and instinctively slowed down thinking we were speeding.
Because you slowed when seeing the cop, that would mean that you were uncomfortable at those speeds. The cops here will drive at 65 in a 75 zone and it causes the guilty to slow down. It lets the police know who they can pull over. Every day there is traffic stops that find sometimes 100's of pounds of illegal drugs. One of the first signs that they are doing something illegal is if they slow down.
BTW for the state troopers to pull you over for speeding you need to be going 85 or more.
Because you slowed when seeing the cop, that would mean that you were uncomfortable at those speeds. The cops here will drive at 65 in a 75 zone and it causes the guilty to slow down. It lets the police know who they can pull over. Every day there is traffic stops that find sometimes 100's of pounds of illegal drugs. One of the first signs that they are doing something illegal is if they slow down.
BTW for the state troopers to pull you over for speeding you need to be going 85 or more.
Not true. I've been pulled over for going five over the limit (the speed limit changed at sundown to five mph lower, this was a few years ago before they changed that AND changed the law that had the speed limit for trucks 10 mph lower than that for cars, a whole 'nother discussion). I knew I was going five over because I had set my cruise control to the daytime speed in error, knowing that I would be going through an area that was frequented by officers from three different agencies (city, county, and state), and upon explaining this to the nice officer, he let me go with a warning. But he pulled me over for five over, and would have been entirely justified in giving me a ticket as I was in violation of the statute regarding the speed limit.
EVERYONE slows down when they see a cop, in my experience. So that's not a good indicator to anyone, including cops, of guilt for other infractions. It's when you DON'T slow down that they notice that you stand out from the pack, in fact.
What's scary is people who refuse to acknowledge reality on the roads and what is actually safe driving.
I have come to understand that there are just some people on this earth who simply cannot grasp the reality of a situation. In this case, driving and the fact that one has to come to grips that driving the speed limit in many situations is actually going to create a far more dangerous situation than "getting it" and acknowledging reality. Not "getting" that getting with the program of assessing the situation around you and realizing that even though you are technically right, you're actually wrong.
Think of it this way - murder is illegal, therefore there should be no danger in going wherever you please, whenever you please. Murder is illegal, end of story.
However, try the theory in a high crime drug area like Sandtown Winchester in Baltimore by walking around at 2AM with a stack of hundred dollar bills sticking out of your back pocket. Murder is illegal, so you should be able to do what is your right to do under the law, which is walk unimpeded through the neighborhood.
Reality is different than letter of the law.
In other words, you want to speed and you're using the "But, Mom, EVERYBODY's doing it!" plea to try to justify it.
And that is a pretty accurate assessment of reality, whether you want to acknowledge it or not.
Because you slowed when seeing the cop, that would mean that you were uncomfortable at those speeds. The cops here will drive at 65 in a 75 zone and it causes the guilty to slow down. It lets the police know who they can pull over. Every day there is traffic stops that find sometimes 100's of pounds of illegal drugs. One of the first signs that they are doing something illegal is if they slow down.
BTW for the state troopers to pull you over for speeding you need to be going 85 or more.
around here most of the time they are speeding well above speed limits like 90MPH in 65MPH and so on.
It's a limit, not a requirement. Some people don't want to drive that fast.
Exactly which is why most states have lower limto n certain types of highways.
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