Speed Limit 85 (construction, gas, ticket)

[kenshi]

Originally Posted by TexasHorseLady

Vehicle Stopping Distance Calculations (and even they say that with a VERY quick response time of half a second on the part of the driver, the stopping distance is over 200 feet, so you're still in the back seat of the vehicle in front of you)

Whoa whoa whoa. First of all, reaction time does not factor into a vehicle's braking distance. I think that's why we're coming up with different numbers.

Secondly, you seem to be assuming that the vehicle in front of you comes to an instantaneous stop. I'm having trouble coming up with a scenario where that would happen on the freeway. That would involve them running into a massive stationary object without ever touching their brakes and you not seeing this object before they hit it. Are they hitting a pile of neutronium in the road or what?

[TexasHorseLady]

They could very easily be hitting the car in front of them that they were following too closely, that itself is stopped because of an accident. Or their reaction time could be faster than your apparent lightning quick reflexes and they react sufficiently more quickly to make your stopping distance greater than theirs. Or any number of other scenarios.

What matters in any of these cases is not the braking distance, but the total stopping distance. So 200 feet (in ANY case, as it happens) is too close to be following another vehicle because the lowest braking distance is in excess of that, without adding the reaction time on top of it, so even the fastest reaction time is going to have you in the back seat of the vehicle ahead of you if you're following that close.

[kenshi]

Originally Posted by TexasHorseLady

They could very easily be hitting the car in front of them that they were following too closely, that itself is stopped because of an accident.

Again, unless they run into them at full speed (extremely unlikely) and you can't tell before they impact that traffic is stopped in front of them, you don't need the full stopping distance of your car.

Or their reaction time could be faster than your apparent lightning quick reflexes and they react sufficiently more quickly to make your stopping distance greater than theirs.

It doesn't matter how quick their reaction time is. It only matters how quick yours is.

What matters in any of these cases is not the braking distance, but the total stopping distance. So 200 feet (in ANY case, as it happens) is too close to be following another vehicle because the lowest braking distance is in excess of that, without adding the reaction time on top of it, so even the fastest reaction time is going to have you in the back seat of the vehicle ahead of you if you're following that close.

What matters is the distance it takes you to react plus your braking distance minus their braking distance. Simple math. This is assuming you're reacting to their reaction. If you see the danger ahead of them before they do, you need even less space.

[Trainwreck20]

Although you also have to consider the car behind you.....

[TexasHorseLady]

Kenshi, you're using an awful lot of "ifs" to shore up a VERY shaky (in fact, factually non-existent) argument that you should be able to follow more closely than the laws of physics (and not-so-common common sense) say you can safely do.

Fact: you stated that 200 feet is sufficient at 70 mph.

Fact: every source I can find says that 200 feet is insufficient ONCE YOU'VE STARTED BRAKING. This doesn't take into account your superhuman reaction time at all.

But, as I said (or maybe just thought?), the laws of physics are much more memorable teachers than any of us here are, and I'm sure (would almost be willing to bet money) they'll get around to you sooner or later.

[Newbe10]

85 mph speed limit is nice, but until that road (i.e. the entire length of SH 130) becomes "free," I won't be driving on it.

[kenshi]

Originally Posted by TexasHorseLady

Kenshi, you're using an awful lot of "ifs" to shore up a VERY shaky (in fact, factually non-existent) argument that you should be able to follow more closely than the laws of physics (and not-so-common common sense) say you can safely do.

Fact: you stated that 200 feet is sufficient at 70 mph.

Fact: every source I can find says that 200 feet is insufficient ONCE YOU'VE STARTED BRAKING. This doesn't take into account your superhuman reaction time at all.

But, as I said (or maybe just thought?), the laws of physics are much more memorable teachers than any of us here are, and I'm sure (would almost be willing to bet money) they'll get around to you sooner or later.

And as I said, you're assuming the car in front of you suddenly comes to an instantaneous stop on the freeway. That's just not going to happen.

[TexasHorseLady]

Okay, picture this. You're barreling down the road at 70, following a car at 200 feet, which you say is completely safe. You both come over a rise in the road, and there's an accident right over the rise in front of you. The car in front of you hits the accident, adding to the disaster. You, being 200 feet behind that car, do the same.

How do you think multi-car pile-ups happen, anyway? It's always people who just KNOW, in the face of all the facts, that their preferred interpretation is MUCH better than that of the people whose job it is to know these things (and often to clean up after those who think they know better).

Again, just one of many examples.

[Dopo]

Originally Posted by Newbe10

85 mph speed limit is nice, but until that road (i.e. the entire length of SH 130) becomes "free," I won't be driving on it.

[kenshi]

Originally Posted by TexasHorseLady

Okay, picture this. You're barreling down the road at 70, following a car at 200 feet, which you say is completely safe. You both come over a rise in the road, and there's an accident right over the rise in front of you. The car in front of you hits the accident, adding to the disaster. You, being 200 feet behind that car, do the same.

There aren't rises on freeways... Try again?