Tell me about highway speed protocol in AZ (Buckeye: car, office)

[new2colo]

Originally Posted by DetroitN8V

Meh. Nothing shameful about driving with purpose and critical thinking. Just yesterday evening I had an AZ state trooper behind me as I was going 80 on the 101 in the HOV lane. I got over after passing and he continued in his merry way. No big deal.

Driving exactly the speed limit on our highways is far more dangerous and inconsiderate than going with the flow of traffic. You’ll learn once you step away from your terrible roads and congestion. Or maybe you won’t and you’ll take pride in being holier than thou and in everyone’s way. Whatever.

I'm glad we get to pick and choose what laws we think are valid and should be followed. Everyone who fails to adhere to your set of modified rules is now the problem. Sounds pretty selfish. People following the law are not in the wrong. You are. Speeders don't realize how silly they look speeding everywhere, but then we get stuck at the same stoplight or they're two cars ahead of me on the freeway exit ramp.

[DetroitN8V]

Originally Posted by new2colo

I'm glad we get to pick and choose what laws we think are valid and should be followed. Everyone who fails to adhere to your set of modified rules is now the problem. Sounds pretty selfish. People following the law are not in the wrong. You are. Speeders don't realize how silly they look speeding everywhere, but then we get stuck at the same stoplight or they're two cars ahead of me on the freeway exit ramp.

You need to read more closely. I mentioned the FLOW of traffic. Have you driven on our highways? They tend to flow at a rate higher than the posted limited. Unless one has issues with mental capacity, vision or hand-eye coordination, going with the flow is easier and safer than going slower than the rest and causing a bottleneck. But, by all means, putter along with a chip on your shoulder. I’ll get around.

[MN-Born-n-Raised]

Originally Posted by DetroitN8V

You need to read more closely. I mentioned the FLOW of traffic. Have you driven on our highways? They tend to flow at a rate higher than the posted limited. Unless one has issues with mental capacity, vision or hand-eye coordination, going with the flow is easier and safer than going slower than the rest and causing a bottleneck. But, by all means, putter along with a chip on your shoulder. I’ll get around.

Disclaimer: I go 10 over. But you did say:

Originally Posted by DetroitN8V

Meh. Nothing shameful about driving with purpose and critical thinking. Just yesterday evening I had an AZ state trooper behind me as I was going 80 on the 101 in the HOV lane. I got over after passing and he continued in his merry way. No big deal.

Driving exactly the speed limit on our highways is far more dangerous and inconsiderate than going with the flow of traffic. You’ll learn once you step away from your terrible roads and congestion. Or maybe you won’t and you’ll take pride in being holier than thou and in everyone’s way. Whatever.

As far as dangerous is concerned, I take it physics wasn't your strength (we have already learned that composition wasn't my strength). As far as being inconsiderate, that's also suspect and needs a qualifier. There are 4 lanes on the 101. At any given time, there are people intentionally pegged at or around the speed limit. While neither one of us fall in that driving camp, it's certainly not "inconsiderate". Unless of course someone wants to hog a lane right next to someone else who has the desire to go 65. Kind of like two semi's climbing a hill right next to each other going UNDER the speed limit which happens all the time in AZ.

What irks all of us is when a dimwit is in the HOV lane going 65 and clogging the lane. Just last week, I had a guy who was oblivious that he was going UNDER the speed limit in the HOV lane. After people passed him, they sped up to 80. I was one of them. As a side note, he wasn't the punching bag "snowbird" that people like to blame every p_iss-poor driver (which are often tourists or local q-tips). Ironically, he was driving a newer new Camaro with the 6.2L V8. He was inconsiderate. After I passed him, I put on my hazard lights (hinting to get the Hell out of the way). Nope.

In summary, I read new2colo's post and agreed with him. It's factually more dangerous to drive faster. And it isn't "inconsiderate" to drive the speed limit if you employ some common sense.

[veritased]

Physics is immutable, but Detroit does have a point... best to stay out of the left lane unless you are going to 'flow'.
Not that any other lane is guaranteed safe, but you may be safer and avoid testing physics theories if 90mph texting speeders are not bum rushing your 70mph in the left lane. I get his point.

[MN-Born-n-Raised]

Originally Posted by veritased

Physics is immutable, but Detroit does have a point... best to stay out of the left lane unless you are going to 'flow'.
Not that any other lane is guaranteed safe, but you may be safer and avoid testing physics theories if 90mph texting speeders are not bum rushing your 70mph in the left lane. I get his point.

I also understand what he is saying and agree with most of it. Other the specific point of "Driving exactly the speed limit on our highways is far more dangerous and inconsiderate." Not really. It depends and I covered that above.

[new2colo]

Originally Posted by DetroitN8V

You need to read more closely. I mentioned the FLOW of traffic. Have you driven on our highways? They tend to flow at a rate higher than the posted limited. Unless one has issues with mental capacity, vision or hand-eye coordination, going with the flow is easier and safer than going slower than the rest and causing a bottleneck. But, by all means, putter along with a chip on your shoulder. I’ll get around.

I have driven on our freeways. There is rarely a flow to traffic here. You frequently complain about law abiding drivers in the left lanes who refuse to move over for you to cruise at 80 (likely higher) in the HOV lane. That indicates that either the flow of traffic you cite is non-existent or you’re going well over that flow. Four or five drivers darting all over the place, going well above the speed limit is not a flow, it’s stupidity.

I have no chip on my shoulder. You’re the one who has been whining since you stumbled here from Michigan about slow drivers in your way. You seem to think the world needs to cater to your bad habits. Therefore, you seem to have a chip on your shoulder, not the other way around. Everyone does not posses your self-described superior coordination skills, or they just understand that speeding doesn’t actually get you much farther ahead than if you stuck closer to the limit. Either way, your luck can run out at any time. You can enjoy the fallout from that while the rest of us continue to get to where we’re going safely and adhering to the law, which you don’t think applies to you.

[DetroitN8V]

Originally Posted by new2colo

I have driven on our freeways. There is rarely a flow to traffic here. You frequently complain about law abiding drivers in the left lanes who refuse to move over for you to cruise at 80 (likely higher) in the HOV lane. That indicates that either the flow of traffic you cite is non-existent or you’re going well over that flow. Four or five drivers darting all over the place, going well above the speed limit is not a flow, it’s stupidity.

I have no chip on my shoulder. You’re the one who has been whining since you stumbled here from Michigan about slow drivers in your way. You seem to think the world needs to cater to your bad habits. Therefore, you seem to have a chip on your shoulder, not the other way around. Everyone does not posses your self-described superior coordination skills, or they just understand that speeding doesn’t actually get you much farther ahead than if you stuck closer to the limit. Either way, your luck can run out at any time. You can enjoy the fallout from that while the rest of us continue to get to where we’re going safely and adhering to the law, which you don’t think applies to you.

If you truly cared about safety, rather than awarding yourself holier than thou status, you wouldn’t brag about “obeying the law” in the far left lane impeding others. There’s nothing safe about that whatsoever and you should be advocating against congestion, not causing it.

[Valley Native]

Much of my commuting is done during rush hour, so there's no way I could drive fast if I wanted to since traffic proceeds at a crawl most of the time. During other times when the traffic is lighter, I do take advantage of the opportunity to drive fast if the conditions are right. On the 51, the speed limit is 55 MPH between Glendale Avenue and the 10/202 interchange, which is too slow for most people, so it's not uncommon for traffic to whiz along at 65 or 70. I've seen police cars speeding along too, so even the cops realize these speed limits are set too low. My experience is that you likely won't be pulled over for doing 10 or 15 MPH over unless you're following too close, being aggressive, or some other violation.

I love the way these transplants get on the freeways & drive slower than the flow, and bellyache about the rest of the traffic passing them. There's a very good reason why we drive fast here: our clear weather most of the year, and the road conditions allow for it. Most of the freeways are wide with 4 or 5 lanes in each direction. If there isn't heavy traffic, I don't see any reason for driving slow. The ones who really tick me off are the slowies in the left lane who won't move over, as well as those who treat the entrance ramps like residential streets & drive 25 MPH onto the freeway.
()

Originally Posted by new2colo

Speeders don't realize how silly they look speeding everywhere, but then we get stuck at the same stoplight or they're two cars ahead of me on the freeway exit ramp.

Me personally, I try to drive pretty close to the speed limit on surface streets, or least move with the general flow. Trying to get one or two cars ahead when you have to slam on your brakes at the next stoplight is pretty ridiculous. Freeway driving is much different. Slow drivers on the freeways (especially those in the left lane) don't realize how silly they look meandering along while everybody else is passing them. The same slowpokes obviously don't care about how inconsiderate they're being by remaining in the left lanes and being a hindrance to others. Just because the speed limit says one thing doesn't mean it's absolute. If you're doing 60 or 65 in the left lane while the traffic flow is at least 70, then you're breaking the law because AZ law mandates that slower traffic stays to the right.

[veritased]

@Valley, I'm fine with all of that, hence my op. Just trying to deCalifornia myself as fast as possible.

[new2colo]

Originally Posted by DetroitN8V

If you truly cared about safety, rather than awarding yourself holier than thou status, you wouldn’t brag about “obeying the law” in the far left lane impeding others. There’s nothing safe about that whatsoever and you should be advocating against congestion, not causing it.

So again, you think you are smarter than traffic engineers. There is a speed limit established specifically to address the safety that you seem SO concerned about all of the sudden. If people like you stuck closer to the limit, you wouldn't see law abiding drivers as being an impediment. If everyone is going 65 or 70 and you're going 80, you're also not maintaining the "flow" you say exists.

You're not getting anywhere faster by speeding. Honestly no one is impressed by your supposed cat like reflexes and ability to pass all these law abiding morons. Again, it's probably best to stick to the actual law as opposed to your made up rules. No reasonable court of law is going to take the argument you're presenting to us seriously.

If you're driving this way because this is the way people drive "back home," it's probably best to just return there instead of trying to teach all of us clueless idiots a lesson.