Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
+1 on stop giving tickets for those of us who speed safely, and start giving tickets to people texting, that should be a reckless driving ticket. I can't tell you how scary it's gotten being on the motorcycle with all these idiots on the road.
Yup. Most of my miles these days go on my motorcycle. The stuff I see is just unreal. I once saw a guy driving a landscaping truck while eating a bowl of cereal. I sometimes lean on my horn when I come up next to someone who's not paying attention at all. One guy I saw in a Mustang convt. was typing into his PDA, even had the little stick. He was all over the road. When I hit the horn, he was so startled, he dropped the PDA and then flipped me off. I loved it.
If you get passed on the right, you are in the wrong lane.
EXCEPTION: If I'm in a big truck and move to the left lane to give the guy changing a tire on the shoulder an extra margin of safety or have moved over to let merging traffic onto the highway that does mean the a**clowns can race around me on my BLIND side, endangering both the guy on the shoulder AND everyone else around us.
MAYBE in your "ALL ABOUT ME" world, you could give a moment's consideration to the rest of us that you SHARE the road with...
Yes, of course, there are plenty of exceptions. I might go under 75 mph in a torrential hail storm too. I'm talking about regualr road conditions. AFAIK, in AZ it's a law that you slow down and/or move over a lane if you see an emergency vehicle by the side of the road. I do it for any vehicle. I'm talking about the left lane squatters and they are legion.
Yeah, I know. Too many people just DO NOT get the "SLOWER TRAFFIC KEEP RIGHT" concept... (Maybe we need a license endorsement for "LEFT LANE QUALIFIED".)
I've done a lot of driving in Europe, mostly in Germany and it's a driver's paradise there. Not so much because of the speed, but because of the lane discipline. Their laws are no different than ours (though their penalties are severe), but they are enforced and observed religiously. See what happens to a left lane squatter there. It's about the same as a DUI here. If the cops don't see him first, he'll have cars on his bumper, sometimes less than 1' away at triple digit speeds, flashing their high beams. Actually, I've never seen it go on there for longer than it took the left lane squatter to immediately move over. You can drive twice as fast there as here, it's safer and you don't get harassed by the police unless you're being unsafe. Amazing how that works when they don't give driver's licenses out like Halloween candy.
Traffic laws say that speed limits are set at the speed of a large percentage of the drivers (I forget, but it's a high percentage). I think speed limits are total political BS. Here is TX, the speed limit is 70, and just about everybody speeds, so how about we raise it 5mph for a month, see how people react, and keep raising it until that really is the average speed of 90% of the drivers? I know damn well 90% of us want to, and do, drive faster than 70, but are breaking the law by doing it. How is it safe for a tractor trailer to drive 70 in some places, but only 55 in places like Ohio? No offense, but the difference in speed is what causes accidents, and when the speed limit is 70, and most are going 75-80, then the people who are driving 55 need to take city or county roads to their destination.
You are referring to the 85th percentile rule in highway/traffic design. It is no law and certainly not a code or a requirment. It is merely a suggestion in highway design.
The rule suggests that the speed limit should be set at the speed that 85% of vehicles travel.
I've done a lot of driving in Europe, mostly in Germany and it's a driver's paradise there. Not so much because of the speed, but because of the lane discipline. Their laws are no different than ours (though their penalties are severe), but they are enforced and observed religiously. See what happens to a left lane squatter there. It's about the same as a DUI here. If the cops don't see him first, he'll have cars on his bumper, sometimes less than 1' away at triple digit speeds, flashing their high beams. Actually, I've never seen it go on there for longer than it took the left lane squatter to immediately move over. You can drive twice as fast there as here, it's safer and you don't get harassed by the police unless you're being unsafe. Amazing how that works when they don't give driver's licenses out like Halloween candy.
Exactly. They actually take driving seriously. Getting a license is no joke over there. I've never been to Germany, but when I was at the Mazda Drive autocross, the instructor guy said that the autocross we were doing is pretty much a normal driver training module in Germany.
Also, their vehicles are up to the task, with stout brakes and competent suspension.
Also, they DRIVE instead of chat on the cel, eat, etc.
You are referring to the 85th percentile rule in highway/traffic design. It is no law and certainly not a code or a requirment. It is merely a suggestion in highway design.
The rule suggests that the speed limit should be set at the speed that 85% of vehicles travel.
Ahhhh that must be it then. I wish it was a law. Remove the speed limits for a week and set them at that 85%
+1 about driving in Germany, I LOVED it. The roads were never crowded and people pay attention when driving. Licenses are much more expensive and harder to get, and include more advanced training. Over here I didn't study for my license or motorcycle exams, it was complete common sense. While vehicle inspections make sure they have good tires and brakes, that in no way means they have better suspension. The mindset over there is to buy a nice bimmer, mercedes, or VW and drive it til it dies, so they have a lot of beaters on the road. Also, they stay the hell away from the passing lane unless they are actually passing. And even their rural roads have 130km ~ 81mph speed limits, and people are usually going faster than that if the road has good visibility.
The guy eating cereal is priceless. The worst I saw was a guy reading a newspaper one day, full spread with both hands. Suprisingly, he was doing pretty well. If you want to see truly extraordinary, check out this vid: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wDAw0e-uD4s
Last edited by jaguar5822; 10-10-2008 at 07:43 AM..
You know when I was a kid the speed limit on the interstate was 75mph but then the 70s gas crisis came along and it was lowered to 55 and stayed there for years. It saved a lot of gas. Why don't we go back to it now? It seems it would sure help out and save lives too. I have been driving lately at 60 [which seems to be the most efficient speed for my vehicle] and it is not that bad at all.
Your kidding me about 55 mph, It takes me an hour everyday to work now, Tell the auto makers not to make such nice cars.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
(Maybe we need a license endorsement for "LEFT LANE QUALIFIED".
)
