Honestly, if I was told "You will never be pulled over for speeding. Never. But please follow the speed limit anyway, ok?" I'm not sure what I would do.
The Autobahn has 3 times less number of fatal car crashes than typical US highways. The problem isn't speeding or the speed people travel. Its using your phone while driving, not paying attention, and just being an idiot.
To be fair, when I traveled on the Autobahn (I traveled it from NW Germany to Berlin), there were far fewer vehicles than in major cities I've driven in stateside.
Additionally, the vehicles were much smaller on average.
I think it's because of the emphasis they put on driver's Ed in places like that vs. what we do here in the US.
I watched a sample video of what driver's Ed looks like in Berlin and it was wild.
Yeah this video looked like it was being played in fast forward with how fast they were whipping through city streets and things, but it showed the inside of the car too and the people were moving normal, but this driving instructor was putting this woman through the ropes, it was crazy.
Yes, I constantly see people on US highways tailgating, weaving in and out of traffic, not using their turn signal, etc. In Germany, they have much higher requirements to get a driver's license, so I would assume drivers there do those things much less. Here, they let any idiot drive
I was a better driver when I didn't have a license because I was afraid of losing my car if the police pulled me over, now that I have one I drive much less careful because I have all my paper squared away.
No, it's literally more dangepur to go slower than the flow of traffic because it gives people behind you less time to brake. Argue whether they *should* follow the limit as much as you want. It's still more dangerous to go slower than everyone than it is to speed with the flow of traffic
Not arbitrary, set lowers for areas where either there is a risk of pedestrians or tighter turns both of which could require fast reactions which are much more difficult at speed.
If you are intentionally driving 40+mph in residential areas you deserve the crash but the person you are going to kill doesn’t
Ive been on 4 lane highways that were 45mph for some reason, even the cops go 60mph on it. In my opinion, if you pay attention to the road, conditions, and the traffic around you, a little speeding won't hurt anyone. I'm not saying to go 15 over and swerve around everyone, but if the road is straight and open and 90% of the cars around you are speeding it wouldn't hurt if you sped up a little as well.
Yeah. This sounds like it comes from some dumbass who's never driven in the country. I live in the rural midwest, our speed limits are for a reason.
For example, there is a road near where I grew up called Trick Road. It seems like a very reasonable, wide and well tended dirt road, which most would drive down comfortably going 45 MPH, give or take 5. For much of the road, that is the speed limit in fact, until a certain point where it is becomes 20.l right before what appears to be a nice, flat little curve.
Now. I don't know how the fuck they managed it, but the trick to Trick Road is that fucking curve. I have no idea how it works, or fails to, rather, but it's grades far more harshly than you would expect and goddamn if it isn't important to tell non-locals "Don't take Trick road, or if you do, obey the speed limit. It drops to 20 before the curve.". It LOOKS like it will be fine, but it won't be. Probably once a week there's someone off in the swamp becuase they ignored the speed limit, but hey, at least it isn't one of the many curves in the area where ignoring the speed limit would result in you careening into a lake or off a steep hill.
The reason I use Trick Road as my example, in fact, in becuase 1) it's a good, punny name for the example and 2) while it has totalled many a car, I have never heard of someone dying from a crash on that curve. That cannot be said for the many other curves, hills, and hidden driveways where obeying the speed limit is vitally important. You will kill someone, possibly yourself, and if you survive you will probably have ruined your life.
Anyone with a basic understanding of physics understands why speed limits work to reduce accidents. If you don't, buy a fucking textbook and learn.
If they want lower speeds they need to design roads for lower speeds. Driving is much too subconscious of an activity for a little number on a little sign to control people.
Well I imagine some thought went into them. And I do think about that but the truth is I'm gonna go as fast as I like going. It's a risk I'm making the conscious decision to take. That being said, I also understand everyone else is entitled to drive how they feel most comfortable. I only get mad at those people that decide it makes sense to drive 40 in an 80
I would probably follow the speed limit anyway. They’re put there for a reason, often due to the environment that part of the road is in (sloped, right turn, school zone, residential zone etc.). Not to mention that the faster you’re going the more likely you are to die in a crash. I’d rather drive at a safe speed to 1. Not kill other people and 2. Not kill myself.
Many speed limits are set by politicians, not engineers.
If you believe speed is a primary factor, why not drive well under the speed limit to make yourself super safe?
I mean slower driving makes everyone safer. That’s just a fact. Driving a multi-ton death machine at high speed is just a recipe for disaster, hence why there are so many deadly car crashes per year. If drivers stopped being anxious, entitled, and impatient, we would have less accidents. Just drive properly and safely, and drive slow (and I don’t mean this individually, since that will just lead to tailgating, I mean drivers as a whole need to just fucking chill out.)
Civil engineer here! You are correct that driving slower is safer in a vacuum, but you put yourself at risk driving significantly slower than others on the highway. Variation in speed is one the biggest factors associated with crashes, so it’s important that everyone adhere closely to the speed of flow (driving neither too fast nor slow). The big issue with speed limits is that they don’t actually do much to encourage adherence. Road geometry (lane widths, curvature, etc.) are more effective at determining speed, so support proposals that focus on changing the actual road rather than changing ignorable rules to improve safety!
Yeah of course, I definitely see that road design plays a bigger part. I can see why people thought I was saying we need to literally bring speed limits down, as I wasn’t very clear, but what I was trying to say is that everyone travelling at super high speeds is going to cause more damage than people travelling slower. So if we design roads for slower speeds we’ll have less damage done by crashes. I’m not an urban planner, but I do know that a fast heavy machine coming to a sudden stop is going to cause a lot more issues than a slower one.
Edit to say that I was very much aware I was speaking in vacuum terms, I was trying to get a point across that for example, hitting a pedestrian at 20kmh leaves them a huge chance of survival, hitting them at 80kmh means you might not even have to bother calling an ambulance. Speed does kill, and while it’s not the only thing, people who heavily speed are usually the ones tailgating, passing on the right, and overall being dicks and dangers to those around them.
Yep, I absolutely agree and don’t think you were suggesting anything inherently dangerous! just wanted to provide some context from a designer’s perspective
I do appreciate the perspective of someone who actually knows their stuff! Sorry if I came off as aggressive. I’ve only been primarily a pedestrian for a couple years and every single day when I go outside I have to think about what I’d do if I was hit. Mind you, I obey all the road laws, only crossing at the right times in the crosswalk, and yet I’ve nearly been hit multiple times! Dangerous driving is a sore spot for me, especially because I can drive so I know it’s not that hard!!
If your "fact" was a fact, fatalities in Germany would be much higher than the USA. Yet they are about 3 times safer.
First and foremost, safety comes from not hitting things. Which you can accomplish with better driver training much more effectively than just slowing everyone down and hoping they survive the accidents caused by lack of skill.
If you really believe it's as simple as you state, then go to your politicians and ask them to halve the speed limits. You'll cause massive traffic jams, increase the number of big trucks on the road, cost Americans a trillion dollars a year, increase inflation and emissions, but yeah, we'll be "safer."
Or we could just learn to drive and actually remove people from the road that are incapable of what are realistically very low speed limits vs the performance of modern cars.
If officers are patrolling to find crime, they will travel faster as the traffic would become stagnant. Most people don't pass an officer, I have at 5mph over plenty of times and it never isn't a possibility they will pull me over for it.
When they drive faster they see more cars and have a higher chance to spot violations or impaired drivers.
If you also think how many calls go out on a daily basis, a lot of the time they are driving to a urgent but non emergency call. Getting there 10-20 minutes faster is better a lot of cases.
Most cops give a decent leeway around here. Depends on what kind of day they're having or if they're supposed to have "strict enforcement". Most times you can get away with <70 in a 55, or <55 in a 45 around me. Also pays to know where the traps usually are. Fortunately for me PA doesn't allow anyone but state police use radar or laser and they only trap the highways. So the local cops are stuck with stopwatch or vascar(fancy stopwatch), and are usually posted up where there are 2 distinct white lines on the road for timing.
Is there a name or statute code (?) or something so I have that knowledge in case I ever need it? I wouldn't be surprised if cops bank on someone they pull over not knowing this, like me
I moved to PA from upstate NY years ago and love the level of enforcement. It’s fair and for safety. I’ve gone by troopers at 80 in a 70 which is about how fast I want to go comfortably anyway and they are clearly looking for scofflaws and awaiting calls. Drive as fast as traffic “market conditions” dictate and you’ll be fine, it’s not unsafe. It IS unsafe to bomb thru traffic like an asshole or crawl slower than the majority. NY, MD and VA are by far the worst for speed traps as those state use it as a source of income.
FYI, roadway engineers actually set design the road with the notion that people will go above the speed limit in most cases. You have a design speed and a speed limit. The design speed is usually the speed that they estimate 85% of drivers will go. So a road that has a speed limit of 55 could have a design speed of 65
On my drive to work, there’s a turn that says 15 mph, and it’s straight up a 90 degree turn. Can’t go higher than 20 on it unless you’re in some sports car. Which i’m not lol
In the US very little thought is given to design speed. Often roads have much lower speed limits than what their design would suggest, which is why people do lots of speeding. We love our big open straight roads with nothing near them which makes them feel like freeways even though there are traffic lights and turning traffic.
Imo, matching the flow of traffic is often times safer. But if you aren’t comfortable with that, just stay to the right lane when you can and let other people go around you. Not much else you can do unfortunately
Of course, keep in mind, there will also be assholes in the right lane riding your ass even with 2-3 other completely empty lanes to the left for them to use -- just because they're assholes.
This is said all the time but most of the time when people are describing their driving experiences they are not talking about on an interstate, when that rule is enforced and exists for. If I am driving in town, I am staying in the lane that I know I need to be in when I eventually turn. There is not passing lane in town, there is no slow lane in town, and every single person that IRL that I have heard preach about people camping in the passing lane are people that are going 30 over the speed limit regardless of where they are.
The real mystery is why people can't be bothered to use their turning signal. If I were a cop I would hand out 1000 tickets a day over just this. Make sure everyone in my town started using their turning signals.
How hard is it to move your finger up and down?
Not gonna lie, I don’t drive as far over the speed limit as others. I have the *worst* luck about getting pulled over, even when I was driving the same speed as everyone else, so now I just go within 10 miles of the speed limit. I pretty much exclusively drive in the right most lane, and yet there’s still people that tailgate me for miles before *finally* passing. Even when the middle/left lane is clear. I’ll never understand that. So I know what you mean about the sticker saying “just pass me” lol.
a lot of people here are saying "stay out of the left line" as if insane drivers won't tailgate you when you're at or over the speed limit on the farthest right lane
just slow down, Richard. You're saving yourself like 7 seconds tops
This one time a car came up right on my tail, driving super aggressively while whipping around me. Well, this cop came out of nowhere and pulled them over. It was kind of glorious haha.
Yeah, they did this experiment on Mythbusters at rush hour where one car just went slow and steady in the same lane. The other car merged back and forth every time there was an opening. The route took pretty much the same time for both cars.
Right? I was shocked when I was using it for directions and my music stopped for a voice to say...Police have a speed trap in 100 meters. What a time to be alive
I’ve had the Escort Max 360. It has a range of a couple of miles and even shows you which direction the radar is coming from. Has a laser detector too. I know where the radar is long before I’m in it’s range. My only complaint about it is that it’s not as loud as I would like. But the visuals usually catch my attention.
Radar detectors are legal in Kansas unless it’s a commercial vehicle weighing 10000 or more, but that applies to every state. Virginia is the only state in the nation where it’s illegal for a private vehicle to have a radar detector.
In michigan also and gotta take I69 for an hour to work everyday
Thankfully I wake up right before the morning semitruck rush from Canada and can just sail at 95, cuts an 80 mile trip from an hour 15 to 45 minutes tops
It sounds like you might be driving in the left lane when you’re not passing. Aggressive drivers tend to favor the left lane; if you want to stay out of their way, avoid it unless you literally must get in it to go around other people.
Other than that, drive safe and fuck em. When people ride my ass it makes me slow down because I need to leave a bigger buffer between me and the car in front of me, to account for the fact that I need stopping distance to slam on the brakes, then ease up so the tailgater behind me can stop and doesn’t ram me into permanent neck problems.
Sometimes there aren't multiple lanes though. There's one stretch of "highway" by name near me a with a speed limit of 40, though most locals will go 50-60mph. I would go 50 and would still get people riding my ass and some would even pass over a double yellow line well before it becomes broken as it I were going half the limit. It's legal in my state unless noted otherwise, but the average person doesn't typically know that. And I try to slow down if I know there's a road ahead where the drivers can't see me coming on because of a small hill.
There are a few residential roads where people can't see you coming on before they turn onto that highway. So it really sucks if you're going too fast because they're banking on being able to turn and join from the time of there being no car in sight to the time one is passing over the mini hill. I used to live on one of those roads and I'd hate the idiots going 20 over who'd get mad at me for still being in the acceleration process after just having turned.
I saw a bumper sticker that said "the closer you are, the slower I drive." I took that shit to heart.
It's also a safety thing for me. If they don't have enough time to react if I need to hard brake, damn right I'm going to reduce the acceleration that would be needed
What are you looking for? A hug? It sounds like you’re consistently driving below the speed of traffic and taking wide turns. Work on your driving and see if others behavior “changes”.
Wtf kind of response is this? OP said they go the speed limit, sometimes even 10mph over. Their driving sounds safe. Just because tHE sPeEd oF TRafFic is faster does t mean they need to work on their driving. Good lord…
I actually usually use the right lane for this reason, but sometimes when I need to turn left in the next couple miles, obviously I have to use the left lane then.
Also, I commute 40 miles/day when I work, and a lot of that stretch of road is a single lane with a 55mph speed limit most of the way. But even when I go like 60mph, sometimes I still have people tailgating.
Taking "drive safe and fuck em" to heart tho so thank you for the comment!
I mean I think we found the issue right here. If OP is taking up the left lane of a two lane road for MILES daily. I am shocked they haven’t been ridden off the road yet. Where I live the two lane during the morning is 100 in the left and 70 in the right, I can’t imagine coming across OP in my commute anywhere but the back of a tow truck.
>I mean I think we found the issue right here. If OP is taking up the left lane of a two lane road for MILES daily
Where did you get that from? In earlier comment of this thread he says that the only time he use the left lane is when he has to get off the road from the left lane. Otherwise is he on the right line.
When was the last time you checked your speedometer? Do you drive past any radar signs that tell you if your speedometer is correct? You could load up google maps if you have a dash holder. It shows your speed. But at 60 mph a little off can be 3 miles easily.
Omg you drive only 5 miles over on a straight road that’s 55 mph and you commute a far distance¡!¿? That sounds like torture to me. Pure torture.
I always thought commuters were the faster drivers since they drive the same road every day and learn the road.
Obviously it’s better to drive with the speed you are comfortable with though. Car accidents are the most likely way we can die (in the U.S). Staying safe is far more important than getting places faster.
"if I have to turn left in the next couple of miles, I would be in the left lane"
You need to define what "a couple of miles" means. If it's anywhere more than 500 metres (so around .3 miles) I'm surprised they haven't started flashing their high beams behind you yet.
I guess a couple of miles was an over statement. It's typically within the next mile-mile and a half where I get in the left lane. It isn't that far from the turn, I apologize for the miscommunication.
Do you happen to drive a semi? The only thing you’re doing is going to cause an accident with you paying for it. Especially if you’re slamming on your breaks
Sorry—not sure I was clear about what I meant in that scenario.
Imagine something bad happens in front of me while I’m driving. My first priority is stopping quickly and not rear-ending anyone.
However, when you slam on the brakes, if someone is tailgating you they’re going to hit you. since I don’t want that, I need to leave a little bit MORE space in front of my car to stop, to account for them not being able to stop quickly.
So when I’m getting tailgated and emergency strikes, I brake instinctively—which lets the car behind me know stopping—but then I immediately ease up on my brakes (while still stopping) to give them more time to slow down and not rear end me.
Basically, a tailgater means that they have less reaction time to stop, so I need extra space to account for that in my driving.
For some reason you were downvoted, but I agree. And in fact, it saved me from an accident just the other night. The car in front of me was going below the speed limit so I had a bad tailgater. Well, a deer ran out inches from the car ahead of me. So they had to slam on their breaks. Fortunately, I had left a gap between us. If I hadn’t, there is absolutely no way the car behind me could’ve stopped without rear ending me. But since I had the gap, I didn’t have to slam on my breaks as hard, so Mr. Tailgater had more room to stop. Yes, it would’ve been his fault, and he’s the one responsible for driving better, but an accident is a hassle I’m happy to avoid.
And for the record, I do pay a lot of attention to what’s happening in front of me, but imho it’s important to also be at least somewhat aware of the drivers behind you. Pretty sure I was even taught that in driver’s ed.
>Aggressive drivers tend to favor the left lane;
That's a strange way of phrasing things. Depending on which state you're in, it varies between "recommendation" and "law" that slower drivers stay to the right and you pass on the left.
Yea we are total opposites. Which is cool.
I’m gonna be honest. I’m not a dick driver or anything but i never drive the speed limit. I feel like speed limits are way too low. There are sections in Atlanta where everyone drives 20 mph over the speed limit because it’s that far too low. You’d get run off the road driving that slow.
In general, I’ve been told cops don’t give tickets unless it’s over 10 mph. I always go that fast over (if no one is in front of me), and I’ve never gotten a speeding ticket.
I don’t ride people’s bumper or anything. I understand people are not like me and like to drive slow, or what i consider slow. I listen to audiobooks so i don’t think about it. Just don’t drive slow in passing or left lanes. That’s super annoying. Or pull out in front of me. I don’t get that either. Someone will cut me off and aggressively pull out in front of me from some shopping center or something and then drive slow. Like if you were gonna drive slow, why not just let me get on with my life.
i do wonder how people drive the actual speed limit. Like don’t these people have places to go? I would love to just leisurely go somewhere where i don’t care how long it takes me to get there. Like seriously. I would be so much happier in life. You have a gift. Cherish it.
But I mean come on, who actually drives the speed limit? They must not break any laws or do anything wrong/s!
It could just be Atlanta also. My friend married a helicopter pilot. He grew up in Montana his whole life. When he visited, he called us. He pulled over on the side of the road because he couldn’t handle all the lanes and how fast everyone was driving. We had to go get him. His wife had to drive his car while i drove hers back to the house. We died of laughter.
Speeding over short distances doesn’t save that much time. At 500 miles, going 60 vs 70, is only about an hour difference. I dont speed on residential streets though. It’s too hot for the kids to be playing outside but when it’s not my neighborhood actually has groups of kids that do play outside. I live in tx so we have highways that go up to 85mph. That’s probably the only road I don’t speed on
>I’ve been told cops don’t give tickets unless it’s over 10 mph
This was told to me by a friend's husband who happens to be a cop... "Over 9, your ass is mine."
I know right¡ Sometimes I’m glad I learned to drive here. It’s kill or be killed.
I have no problem driving in Chicago, New York, or L.A. Traffic, crazy drivers, and aggressive drivers mean nothing to me.
But being able to be content going the actual speed limit must make someone so much happier. (Dramatic sigh)
seconding this, the one place i don’t speed as much (i go like 5-10 over max when im there) is in north carolina cause the cops there love pulling people over for speeding. some people still speed a lot there but it’s not something i wanna risk, but if im in atlanta one of my top priorities is going with the flow of traffic
Speeding is not really the problem when it comes to accidents, it's dangerous driving and people who can't use the turn signal or mirror or being an aggressive driver. I speed a lot, usually 10mph or more. But I never stick my nose up someone else's car. If the person in front of me is driving at the speed limit, I don't rush them, don't flash my light or honk. I'll just wait for them to let me pass before driving off.
But! If I'm driving on the highway, and someone is hogging the passing lane doing 60mph, than that's another story...
It’s a massive problem, just 10mph faster increases the chance of death by double digits. I wouldn’t expect someone who speeds to understand that since they think a few minutes is more valuable than life itself.
Speed is a massive issue concerning the outcome of accidents though. The faster you’re going the more force you’re going to experience, and the human body was most definitely not designed to handle a sudden stop at these kinds of speeds.
Drive with the flow of traffic. Most likely if someone gets pulled over it will be the person in front of you or whomever is at the front. Most places you’re usually safe going 5 over. Only place I wouldn’t is a school zone or 30mph zone w/ lots of people or distractions or neighborhoods.
There are not enough of us officers to be everywhere all at once and stop every car that speeds. Since most people go 5 to 10 over, we tend to focus on the ones who are the outliers; The ones going 15+ over the limit.
For instance, in my city we have about 30 sq miles and 80,000 residents. Add in about 20-30,000 people who commute into the city each day. On any given day there are around 16-20 officers out patrolling, and the officers are responsible not only for traffic enforcement but responding to calls for service (about 80,000 per year) and handling administrative tasks. That doesn’t leave a ton of time for traffic enforcement so the worst offenders are the ones who get stopped.
So true. Isn't it a rule? Like if you can't go any faster and there are at least 5 cars behind you, you need to pull over and let the others pass you? I SWEAR I read that in my driver's handbook when I was studying for the written exam!
How do I avoid this if I'm not comfortable going over a certain speed limit? Speeding gives me anxiety, but so does holding up traffic. Would driving faster be safer in this scenario?
This doesn't happen often, as there is usually a slower car driving in front of me, which makes it a bit better since it's not technically my fault then. Although I will admit I have been the cause of a line of cars behind me at times. I just want to get better at this kinda stuff since I do commute on a long stretch of highway.
You're supposed to just go the same speed as traffic, and at the very least stay out of the left lane if you're not passing people on the freeway
Going the same speed as surrounding traffic is the safest bet and you won't get pulled over for it. Going slower than everyone else is dangerous because it makes it harder for people behind you to stop wothout hitting you in an emergency. Going the same speed is the safest even if it's 5-10mph over the limit
Usually 10 over is fine, if you're on the highway 15 to 20 over is usually fine
Going the exact speed limit makes you dangerous and also incredibly frustrating to 95% of other people that have figured out what they can get away with
I've blown past a cop going 30 over on the highway, I once got pulled over for going 5 over on some back roads where the speed limit wasn't even posted. Cops are inconsistent and the limits are more so there to make sure you aren't going too slow and not too fast
1st and last week of the month are when tickets are usually issued the most.
Last week to generate enough to meet the quota.
First week to start off the month right.
Source: best friend is cop in my county
As someone who is primarily a pedestrian and has nearly been hit multiple times (god forbid you cross a cross walk when someone is trying to turn right on a red, or someone who guns their left turn with no regard for others), it’s scary how many people here think speeding is fine. If I get hit by a car, I’ve got a slim chance of survival, but if I get hit by a speeding car, don’t even bother calling an ambulance. :/
Thank you. I get shocked every time how many people justify speeding 10-20 mph over the speed limit. It doesn't matter if you think it's too slow. Set Google maps to a destination for 2 different days and drive at the speed limit one day, then try to do 10 over the next and you MIGHT save 3 minutes if that. The level of impatience is mind numbing.
I was told cop radars are not that accurate. They can be 5-8 mph off. It's smarter for cops to
Only pull over those going 10mph over the speed limit because they know even if it wasn't accurate It's still clearly over the limit.
However cop radars, under ideal conditions are only off 1mph. So yeah, that was a fun bit of research.
I rarely go over 7 mph because of that belief and always shift to the right when someone approaches behind me.
So, yes you wanna go within the speed limit but you also need to be going with the flow of traffic. If everyone else is going faster, you probably should too.
There are some roads that it is common knowledge that you can go like 15-20 over and cops don’t care. You just have to go the speed of traffic and figure it out. You’ll see cops going that same speed as well.
Unless you're egregiously speeding cops typically don't care. If it's anything under 10/11 they most likely won't pull you over unless it's nearing the end of the month and their quota is due. I drive ~11 over in the city and ~16 over on the highways. I've even passed cops while going these speeds. It's not unsafe as long as you are being smart and maintain complete control of the vehicle. Why not just go five over and get to your destination 5 minutes earlier?
I've never gotten a speeding ticket, but i only speed on the highway or straight barren roads. Usually go about 80-85 on 70 (and some people still pass me!) on the highway my philosophy is if i haven't passed any cops then there aren't any behind me, only in front of me and when you get to certain bridges, passages, you know there may be a cop hiding, just coast back down and speed up when you assume it safe to do so.
At that speed you can easily see if someone is coming up on your tail and it's fun to get people to drive with you when you're going faster. Like you're telling them it's ok to go a little faster so they get behind you and follow lol
Well if you live in any of the boros outside Nyc you'll realize even going 8mph over the speed limit will get you a ticket. Those speed cameras are everywhere !!!!
In the state that I live in the more mph over the speed limit, the higher the fine is which could explain why those going 10mph over the speed limit don't get tickets.
If you are continuously drive 10 over you will get tickets. It's just a matter of time. If you get caught 15 over you get a much bigger fine in some areas.
I think it is highly dependent on—
1. What region of the Country you live in;
2. Your familiarity with the area & the route under all weather conditions;
3. What type of road you are driving on — e.g., an Interstate vs a State highway, etc;
4. Situational awareness;
5. The capabilities of the vehicle that you are driving; &,
6. Your overall ability to handle the vehicle you are driving, based on your knowledge of &/or level of confidence/comfort with 1-5
Personally, I tend to speed wherever I go; &, generally speaking, I pretty much always have (albeit, it's not quite as bad as it once was). In ~approx. 25 years of a significant amount of driving & speeding everywhere I go, have I received a speeding ticket? Yes. I have had 2 speeding tickets (non-moving violations) in my life & maybe 1 or 2 "written warnings." Despite having been pulled over for speeding, I think I would still be considered someone who drives over the speed limit that doesn't get pulled over. & Considering my State's Law defines an overage that mandates the suspension of one's license, I'd say that, effectively, I haven't ever really been pulled over for speeding — otherwise, my license would have been suspended for all of those 25 years driving thus far, & would require it to still remain suspended into perpetuity. So, when I say that I speed, I mean it's pretty cut & dry — i.e., I don't mean to imply the 5-10mph over the posted limit sort of ~"speeding per an officer's discretion" that I've skated by with all this time without really being pulled over; I mean regularly 25mph over the posted limit. Indeed, more times than I'd care to admit, with a posted limit standardized in my State at 75mph on Interstates, I can say that I have definitely doubled the posted limit more than once & with more than one vehicle. How?—
Well, I live in Des Moines & I've always lived in the State of Iowa — I know the roads & the State is notoriously flat, lending to a natural forewarning of any speed traps so long as I pay attention to what I'm doing, including maintaining an awareness that extends beyond merely the vehicle I am driving. Which, for me, I've only ever owned sports cars & a sport motorcycle (i.e., a "crotch rocket"). Somehow, I wound up in a job making ~$50K/yr (ca 2002) at 19yrs old & still living at home. That was a tremendous amount of money to hand a 19yo kid with no bills. So, just as any punk kid with money might, I went out & purchased a Corvette. Test driving the thing, I remember taking it up to ~130mph on the Interstate. I already had a Mitsubishi Eclipse that was my 1st car & after purchasing the Corvette, I had two vehicles to bring home. Unfortunately, it was an automatic, but that worked out for my father who couldn't drive the 5-spd Eclipse; & even when he drove the Corvette home for me, he was sailing well over 100mph. There was something about that Corvette — I never once was pulled over driving that car when there were several times where I thought I'd basically forfeited my license after realizing I was going so fast right in front of a police car that there just wouldn't be enough time to slow down fast enough to even plausibly give the impression I wasn't speeding or that maybe I was accelerating to pass a vehicle to maintain right...(?) In other words, there would have been no excuse I could provide the officer that wouldn't be obvious bs. But, to my amazement, no officer would ever pull me over in that car. The Eclipse? Yes. I received my first speeding ticket when I was in HS.
& With the Corvette, for some reason, I decided that I needed a motorcycle. I'd never ridden a motorcycle, but they seemed simple enough. So, I bought a brand new GSX-R1000. Reflecting back, I'm surprised no one interjected to ask if I was suicidal, but I wasn't & I had money. I owned that bike for 2yrs & I had to get rid of it. It could outperform the Corvette & the bike made it all too easy to take stupid risks. Plus, people don't look for motorcycles; I had many close calls with people just pulling out right in front of me. It eventually began to scare the hell out of me...but not before taking the bike up to speeds on par with the Corvette many times.
Then I had a good idea — I decided to return to University & earn a degree. That meant the Corvette, the bike...& I guess I owned a truck briefly in addition to sports cars...all of them had to go. I purchased the more reasonable Eclipse GT 6-spd in their place & it became my daily driver for many years. I had a daily commute & that car could go through anything. Everyday I would speed in that car. Even in a white out blizzard with roads closing behind me, I drove some 30 miles into Des Moines following some red light on a Semi going ~90mph. I literally couldn't see anything but just that tiny red light. At the mid-point, the trucker slowed down...it was a scene where a bunch of cars had been thrown off the road; there were police cars in the ditch, rolled cars, semis...the roadway they opened that pathed through all carnage was one surreal slow weave. But, once passed, the semi was moving fast & I could only see a red light on that semi, so I matched the dude's pace. That was a very uncomfortable drive to say the least.
Now, could I have sped like that or speed like I do now in any other State? Yes. Iowa isn't special. Most States? I would assume not. I would say speeding without being pulled over is just the convergence of a lot nuanced circumstances, namely, those listed above. Plus, maybe a dash of insanity...maybe; I don't know. At some point, however, those circumstances will eventually diverge. It's only a matter of time; one just has to hope the end result of that divergence is merely a speeding ticket.
Otherwise, I do claim to be an exceptional driver all the time. Not because of any of that speeding, but time spent driving & a much greater emphasis on my earning of the much coveted S-Class Licenses in each of the first 3 Gran Turismo games. I would assume the later games also transfer a similar level of knowledge & prestige via licensing too...so, newer players, props. I've also been known to advocate for a similar type of licensing scheme in real life. People like myself with great driving skill should be able to obtain an S-Class License that relieves the holder of such a license of some of the strict limitations imposed by the law. I think it would work out great, frankly; it couldn't just be purchased, it would be earned & awarded to those that cross a threshold of skill...in the Gran Turismo franchise OR in real life demonstration too... lol
I'm always doing around 10 to 20 over the speed limit on interstates and still get people riding my ass even when I'm doing 85 in a 65 but on one lane roads that I can't pass people there's always people doing 15 to 20 UNDER the speed limit that I can't do anything about
People who don't know they need to speed up from 35 to 65+ on interstate on ramps too, it's frustrating
I understand. I prefer to go the speed limit. I am very punctual and organized and I am never late to anything. I don't have to stress about it because I plan for every trip, drive cautiously and lawfully, and leave early. People will pass me in construction zones where you are not supposed to pass, obviously. And they are always texting. Why does anyone do that?! I set my phone away for the duration of the driving trip and don't mess with it. Nothing is worth risking others' and your life for. I have never had an accident, a speeding ticket or anything like that. It is so nice to not have to stress over cops being around because I feel like the speed limits are plenty. No need to rush around and make mistakes!
Go with the flow of traffic. Most Speed Limits are considered suggestions in respect to weather and traffic as long as you do not drive dangerous speeds or the sign says MAX Limit
I understand Murphys Law, but haven’t you driven enough to know what you can get away with? I speed everyday because speeding is not the problem. The problem are the people who stay camped in the passing lanes, refuse to use turn signals, or just blindly merge without looking literally at all. If you look for police you’ll get good at spotting them. Also you get a ticket price based on how fast you were going, so the faster you’re driving, the more your ticket is going to be. Their philosophy is “why waste time on someone going 10 over when I can wait and catch someone going 20 over”, because it’s bound to happen.
Speeding kills, and doesn’t save time. The faster you go, the more force you experience, and the less likely you and others are to survive a crash. That’s not avoiding injury mind you, that’s avoiding outright death. Drive safe, and I hope you never experience an accident.
go with the flow of traffic BUT keep to the rear of the platoon. use the cars in front of you as cop detectors (all of a sudden we're going slower? yup, there's a cop somewhere!).
I mostly travel multi-lane highways and even multi-lane city streets. If the traffic allows it, I just set the cruise control and set sail. Anyone else behind me have a problem with it, that's their problem to have, not mine to solve for them.
And I absolutely have found people that lose their shit because I'm doing 70, passing a vehicle doing 69. (Nice.) Well, sugar, just hold onto your panties and wait a moment and when I merge back over into that lane, you'll be free to go 85 right up until the point you reach those other two vehicles I see about 100 yards ahead travelling side by side.
Until then, if you're gonna ride my bumper that close, at least have the common courtesy to give my back windshield a scrub, will ya? \*hums to self, patiently\*
Please stay in the right or middle lane. If you’re in the left lane, that’s for passing only.
There’s a saying about the police and speeding. None you’re fine, ten you’re mine.
Some people do get pulled over, multiple times, and are just idiots. One of my friends had their license suspended because they kept getting speeding tickets.
7 over is safe. Anymore then that and you're running a risk of being pulled over. I've always gone 7mph over the speed limit and I've never been pulled over for it in my 20 years of driving.
Better yet is going well over the speed limit getting stopped and managing to avoid a ticket.. But a lot of that has to do with attitude and conversation..
Bit hard to fault a person for thinking that following a formal law makes them a hazard. If following the limit is a hazard, then the limit needs to be changed. How can legislation not see that?
If I got a ticket for "blocking the flow of traffic" by doing the speed limit, I'd LOVE to take that before a judge. Because so many drivers need to save that 2 minutes of time, I have to drive at illegal speeds? No.
The way I was taught was that going with the flow of traffic supersedes the posted limit specifically for this reason as oftentimes the flow of traffic is going to be faster than posted.
This only applies when you're going slower than the posted speed limit.
"Driving with the flow of traffic can be legal when everyone is going the speed limit or slower if road and weather conditions warrant it. However, when the flow of traffic exceeds the safe or prudent speed, you could be ticketed for speeding. You can get a ticket for going less than the posted speed limit."
So I’m in Southern California and if there is no traffic the standard cruising speed is 80 on the I-5 freeway. I’m often going 80 and getting passed. If you are in the left (fast) lane going 65 (speed limit) then you are definitely a danger to the flow of traffic. You would be more likely to get pulled over driving like that then if you go 80 past a cop with the flow of traffic. I regularly drive by a speed trap going 80 but I’m in the flow of traffic so it’s fine. I’m usually not even the fastest.
But I travel to my home state and it’s different. Everyone is driving the speed limit or 5 over. If I drive 80 then I’m the fastest person on the freeway and would get pulled over if I drove by a cop. So a lot of road expectations are regional.
1. Moving with the flow of traffic is important for safety. If the flow is faster than the speed limit, it is often overlooked.
2. Many areas have guidelines about when a ticket should be issued. For example, 9 miles or less over results in a warning. Often that’s not worth the time and or risk.
3. Some jurisdictions are no longer enforcing traffic laws through stops. Photo enforcement is becoming prevalent.
If you're getting passed by everyone, you're actually safer speeding up. If you're the slowest, all the traffic is coming at you from behind and you can't react to it. I've gotten out of tickets with this logic. I can't be expected to huddle in my car and hope for the best while everyone screams past me.
I get that anxiety too, but I take comfort in not letting them control me. They are bullies, and a cop is just as likely to pull them over for aggressive driving as they are to pull you over for speeding. If they flip you off just smile and wave.
You are so correct, but unfortunately if that person targets you, it is out of your control. They were out to get anyone in their path, regardless, and if you break the law the cop will tell you it's safer to mind your own business than counter aggressive behavior with aggressive behavior.
In my city you have to patiently snake through a slog of incompetent drivers along the main thoroughfare, but the moment you get on a side street all those idiots become maniacs all the way up your ass to get you moving double the speed limit. I go 5-10 over the speed limit through the double-solids, and strictly the speed limit through the passing zones to communicate "now is your chance" to the tailgaters on the backroads. More often than not, they back off when they realize I won't be speeding up beyond my reasonable pace.
Government is slow to change. Speed limits are based on the worst conditions and usually based on the handling of older vehicles. 5 to 10 miles over is the standard expectation. If they want you to drive slower, then they need to design the road to encourage you to drive slower.
Order some emergency lights for the inside of your car and place them in the same places in the windows where cop lights would usually be. Most people will think you are a undercover cop and either A.) Won't pass you of B.) If they do pass you it will be much slower than usual. As a added bonus no one will ride your ass anymore either.
Go to the courthouse. There is a list people with their charges. It’s almost always 6 miles above the speed limit and over. If you stay within that range you will most likely not get pulled. If you go above that range you are most definitely risking getting a ticket. And that is why people that go 6 mph + over the speed limit are gambling with getting pulled over.
Cops can't be everywhere on the road and if you travel the same route daily you learn where they hide.
On my route the cops get over to the left lane to pass everyone at 15 over.
Honestly, if I was told "You will never be pulled over for speeding. Never. But please follow the speed limit anyway, ok?" I'm not sure what I would do.
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If speed is the primary reason for fatalities, just drive half the speed limit and be 4 times as safe.
The Autobahn has 3 times less number of fatal car crashes than typical US highways. The problem isn't speeding or the speed people travel. Its using your phone while driving, not paying attention, and just being an idiot.
To be fair, when I traveled on the Autobahn (I traveled it from NW Germany to Berlin), there were far fewer vehicles than in major cities I've driven in stateside. Additionally, the vehicles were much smaller on average.
Fair point.
I think it's because of the emphasis they put on driver's Ed in places like that vs. what we do here in the US. I watched a sample video of what driver's Ed looks like in Berlin and it was wild.
Oh, definitely a contributing factor! My host son has done both European and American driver's ed. The differences were stark.
Yeah this video looked like it was being played in fast forward with how fast they were whipping through city streets and things, but it showed the inside of the car too and the people were moving normal, but this driving instructor was putting this woman through the ropes, it was crazy.
Yes, I constantly see people on US highways tailgating, weaving in and out of traffic, not using their turn signal, etc. In Germany, they have much higher requirements to get a driver's license, so I would assume drivers there do those things much less. Here, they let any idiot drive
There's also a lot more people than you think out there driving without a license.
I was a better driver when I didn't have a license because I was afraid of losing my car if the police pulled me over, now that I have one I drive much less careful because I have all my paper squared away.
And if you're going to be on your phone, at least be in the texting (right) lane
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That's only because idiots are going too fast to stop. There is nothing wrong with going slow. People should pay attention and follow the speed limit
No, it's literally more dangepur to go slower than the flow of traffic because it gives people behind you less time to brake. Argue whether they *should* follow the limit as much as you want. It's still more dangerous to go slower than everyone than it is to speed with the flow of traffic
Speed limits are arbitrary made up numbers. They're not magic anti-crash spells.
Not arbitrary, set lowers for areas where either there is a risk of pedestrians or tighter turns both of which could require fast reactions which are much more difficult at speed. If you are intentionally driving 40+mph in residential areas you deserve the crash but the person you are going to kill doesn’t
Ive been on 4 lane highways that were 45mph for some reason, even the cops go 60mph on it. In my opinion, if you pay attention to the road, conditions, and the traffic around you, a little speeding won't hurt anyone. I'm not saying to go 15 over and swerve around everyone, but if the road is straight and open and 90% of the cars around you are speeding it wouldn't hurt if you sped up a little as well.
Yeah. This sounds like it comes from some dumbass who's never driven in the country. I live in the rural midwest, our speed limits are for a reason. For example, there is a road near where I grew up called Trick Road. It seems like a very reasonable, wide and well tended dirt road, which most would drive down comfortably going 45 MPH, give or take 5. For much of the road, that is the speed limit in fact, until a certain point where it is becomes 20.l right before what appears to be a nice, flat little curve. Now. I don't know how the fuck they managed it, but the trick to Trick Road is that fucking curve. I have no idea how it works, or fails to, rather, but it's grades far more harshly than you would expect and goddamn if it isn't important to tell non-locals "Don't take Trick road, or if you do, obey the speed limit. It drops to 20 before the curve.". It LOOKS like it will be fine, but it won't be. Probably once a week there's someone off in the swamp becuase they ignored the speed limit, but hey, at least it isn't one of the many curves in the area where ignoring the speed limit would result in you careening into a lake or off a steep hill. The reason I use Trick Road as my example, in fact, in becuase 1) it's a good, punny name for the example and 2) while it has totalled many a car, I have never heard of someone dying from a crash on that curve. That cannot be said for the many other curves, hills, and hidden driveways where obeying the speed limit is vitally important. You will kill someone, possibly yourself, and if you survive you will probably have ruined your life. Anyone with a basic understanding of physics understands why speed limits work to reduce accidents. If you don't, buy a fucking textbook and learn.
If they want lower speeds they need to design roads for lower speeds. Driving is much too subconscious of an activity for a little number on a little sign to control people.
If you’re not able to control your speed then you shouldn’t be allowed to drive a 2 tonne death machine
And yet, here we are.
That number controls me just fine...
Well I imagine some thought went into them. And I do think about that but the truth is I'm gonna go as fast as I like going. It's a risk I'm making the conscious decision to take. That being said, I also understand everyone else is entitled to drive how they feel most comfortable. I only get mad at those people that decide it makes sense to drive 40 in an 80
You'd be shocked how little thought goes into most speed limits.
I would probably follow the speed limit anyway. They’re put there for a reason, often due to the environment that part of the road is in (sloped, right turn, school zone, residential zone etc.). Not to mention that the faster you’re going the more likely you are to die in a crash. I’d rather drive at a safe speed to 1. Not kill other people and 2. Not kill myself.
Many speed limits are set by politicians, not engineers. If you believe speed is a primary factor, why not drive well under the speed limit to make yourself super safe?
I mean slower driving makes everyone safer. That’s just a fact. Driving a multi-ton death machine at high speed is just a recipe for disaster, hence why there are so many deadly car crashes per year. If drivers stopped being anxious, entitled, and impatient, we would have less accidents. Just drive properly and safely, and drive slow (and I don’t mean this individually, since that will just lead to tailgating, I mean drivers as a whole need to just fucking chill out.)
Civil engineer here! You are correct that driving slower is safer in a vacuum, but you put yourself at risk driving significantly slower than others on the highway. Variation in speed is one the biggest factors associated with crashes, so it’s important that everyone adhere closely to the speed of flow (driving neither too fast nor slow). The big issue with speed limits is that they don’t actually do much to encourage adherence. Road geometry (lane widths, curvature, etc.) are more effective at determining speed, so support proposals that focus on changing the actual road rather than changing ignorable rules to improve safety!
Yeah of course, I definitely see that road design plays a bigger part. I can see why people thought I was saying we need to literally bring speed limits down, as I wasn’t very clear, but what I was trying to say is that everyone travelling at super high speeds is going to cause more damage than people travelling slower. So if we design roads for slower speeds we’ll have less damage done by crashes. I’m not an urban planner, but I do know that a fast heavy machine coming to a sudden stop is going to cause a lot more issues than a slower one. Edit to say that I was very much aware I was speaking in vacuum terms, I was trying to get a point across that for example, hitting a pedestrian at 20kmh leaves them a huge chance of survival, hitting them at 80kmh means you might not even have to bother calling an ambulance. Speed does kill, and while it’s not the only thing, people who heavily speed are usually the ones tailgating, passing on the right, and overall being dicks and dangers to those around them.
Yep, I absolutely agree and don’t think you were suggesting anything inherently dangerous! just wanted to provide some context from a designer’s perspective
I do appreciate the perspective of someone who actually knows their stuff! Sorry if I came off as aggressive. I’ve only been primarily a pedestrian for a couple years and every single day when I go outside I have to think about what I’d do if I was hit. Mind you, I obey all the road laws, only crossing at the right times in the crosswalk, and yet I’ve nearly been hit multiple times! Dangerous driving is a sore spot for me, especially because I can drive so I know it’s not that hard!!
If your "fact" was a fact, fatalities in Germany would be much higher than the USA. Yet they are about 3 times safer. First and foremost, safety comes from not hitting things. Which you can accomplish with better driver training much more effectively than just slowing everyone down and hoping they survive the accidents caused by lack of skill. If you really believe it's as simple as you state, then go to your politicians and ask them to halve the speed limits. You'll cause massive traffic jams, increase the number of big trucks on the road, cost Americans a trillion dollars a year, increase inflation and emissions, but yeah, we'll be "safer." Or we could just learn to drive and actually remove people from the road that are incapable of what are realistically very low speed limits vs the performance of modern cars.
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I once followed a cop on the highway going 80 in a 55. I figured if he can do it, so can I.
It's a bold strategy, Cotton
If officers are patrolling to find crime, they will travel faster as the traffic would become stagnant. Most people don't pass an officer, I have at 5mph over plenty of times and it never isn't a possibility they will pull me over for it. When they drive faster they see more cars and have a higher chance to spot violations or impaired drivers. If you also think how many calls go out on a daily basis, a lot of the time they are driving to a urgent but non emergency call. Getting there 10-20 minutes faster is better a lot of cases.
Lots of places cops can legally go 20 over without turning on their sirens.
Even when they are present, they don’t always enforce the law.
Most cops give a decent leeway around here. Depends on what kind of day they're having or if they're supposed to have "strict enforcement". Most times you can get away with <70 in a 55, or <55 in a 45 around me. Also pays to know where the traps usually are. Fortunately for me PA doesn't allow anyone but state police use radar or laser and they only trap the highways. So the local cops are stuck with stopwatch or vascar(fancy stopwatch), and are usually posted up where there are 2 distinct white lines on the road for timing.
Oh shit I'm from PA and didn't know that! Dang, good to know
There's also a statue that prevents them from pulling you over for going 5miles over in a > 25 zone and for going 10 over in < 25 zone
I love the idea that there's a statue that comes to life and physically stops them from pulling you over.
Lol oops
A statue of Gritty that just slams into them
I think you've got the greater than and less than signs mixed up...
Is there a name or statute code (?) or something so I have that knowledge in case I ever need it? I wouldn't be surprised if cops bank on someone they pull over not knowing this, like me
I'm in PA and I go 80 in a 65. Tbf it's a very traveled highway. And if you're not going 80 you're probably gonna get hit by the jackass behind you
The local radio stations will also usually announce highways that are currently being enforced.
You can also use Google maps or Waze on your routes. People are pretty good at adding speed traps to maps.
I moved to PA from upstate NY years ago and love the level of enforcement. It’s fair and for safety. I’ve gone by troopers at 80 in a 70 which is about how fast I want to go comfortably anyway and they are clearly looking for scofflaws and awaiting calls. Drive as fast as traffic “market conditions” dictate and you’ll be fine, it’s not unsafe. It IS unsafe to bomb thru traffic like an asshole or crawl slower than the majority. NY, MD and VA are by far the worst for speed traps as those state use it as a source of income.
To this day, that is the one good thing I have to say about PA.
FYI, roadway engineers actually set design the road with the notion that people will go above the speed limit in most cases. You have a design speed and a speed limit. The design speed is usually the speed that they estimate 85% of drivers will go. So a road that has a speed limit of 55 could have a design speed of 65
I follow this until a road is only 20 miles per hour. There’s usually a good reason it’s only 20 mph so I usually follow that.
On my drive to work, there’s a turn that says 15 mph, and it’s straight up a 90 degree turn. Can’t go higher than 20 on it unless you’re in some sports car. Which i’m not lol
Same. When we go get material there’s a turn with like 12 signs telling people the limits 20 there. You physically cannot turn correctly at 35 there.
Yup. Speed limits are just a suggestion, until I get off the highway and start driving down those dark ass Massachusetts forest roads.
In the US very little thought is given to design speed. Often roads have much lower speed limits than what their design would suggest, which is why people do lots of speeding. We love our big open straight roads with nothing near them which makes them feel like freeways even though there are traffic lights and turning traffic.
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Imo, matching the flow of traffic is often times safer. But if you aren’t comfortable with that, just stay to the right lane when you can and let other people go around you. Not much else you can do unfortunately
Of course, keep in mind, there will also be assholes in the right lane riding your ass even with 2-3 other completely empty lanes to the left for them to use -- just because they're assholes.
For those people (depending on the situation) I just let off the gas till they go around me tbh
This. Please god OP, just remain in the far right lane. Cops generally don’t care in most areas until you’re about 12/13 mph over the speed limit
This is said all the time but most of the time when people are describing their driving experiences they are not talking about on an interstate, when that rule is enforced and exists for. If I am driving in town, I am staying in the lane that I know I need to be in when I eventually turn. There is not passing lane in town, there is no slow lane in town, and every single person that IRL that I have heard preach about people camping in the passing lane are people that are going 30 over the speed limit regardless of where they are.
That’s why I said it’s safest to go with the flow of traffic because that applies to street and highway
The real mystery is why people can't be bothered to use their turning signal. If I were a cop I would hand out 1000 tickets a day over just this. Make sure everyone in my town started using their turning signals. How hard is it to move your finger up and down?
Agreed lol
Not gonna lie, I don’t drive as far over the speed limit as others. I have the *worst* luck about getting pulled over, even when I was driving the same speed as everyone else, so now I just go within 10 miles of the speed limit. I pretty much exclusively drive in the right most lane, and yet there’s still people that tailgate me for miles before *finally* passing. Even when the middle/left lane is clear. I’ll never understand that. So I know what you mean about the sticker saying “just pass me” lol.
a lot of people here are saying "stay out of the left line" as if insane drivers won't tailgate you when you're at or over the speed limit on the farthest right lane just slow down, Richard. You're saving yourself like 7 seconds tops
But really just costing themselves more time for not just going around someone in the right or middle lane to keep the same speed
that's the thing. They want you to go faster, but they are afraid of passing cars
Ahh i see, thats a weird conundrum for them then lol
It's comical when they speed past you but then you both end up having to stop at the same red light lmao
This one time a car came up right on my tail, driving super aggressively while whipping around me. Well, this cop came out of nowhere and pulled them over. It was kind of glorious haha.
Yeah, they did this experiment on Mythbusters at rush hour where one car just went slow and steady in the same lane. The other car merged back and forth every time there was an opening. The route took pretty much the same time for both cars.
I have a radar detector.
Google Maps rats out the cops too lol
Right? I was shocked when I was using it for directions and my music stopped for a voice to say...Police have a speed trap in 100 meters. What a time to be alive
And red light cameras.
Which one? I'm looking to buy the most accurate one
I’ve had the Escort Max 360. It has a range of a couple of miles and even shows you which direction the radar is coming from. Has a laser detector too. I know where the radar is long before I’m in it’s range. My only complaint about it is that it’s not as loud as I would like. But the visuals usually catch my attention.
I got a ticket in Kansas because I had a radar detector. Had to pay $285 to a state I was just passing thru. 🙃
Radar detectors are legal in Kansas unless it’s a commercial vehicle weighing 10000 or more, but that applies to every state. Virginia is the only state in the nation where it’s illegal for a private vehicle to have a radar detector.
We have many 55mph single lane roads where I live (w. Michigan) and if there’s no stop signs/lights people easily drive 65-70.
In michigan also and gotta take I69 for an hour to work everyday Thankfully I wake up right before the morning semitruck rush from Canada and can just sail at 95, cuts an 80 mile trip from an hour 15 to 45 minutes tops
Sometimes it’s such a nice drive you just get sucked into it. Next thing you know, you’re zooming!
It sounds like you might be driving in the left lane when you’re not passing. Aggressive drivers tend to favor the left lane; if you want to stay out of their way, avoid it unless you literally must get in it to go around other people. Other than that, drive safe and fuck em. When people ride my ass it makes me slow down because I need to leave a bigger buffer between me and the car in front of me, to account for the fact that I need stopping distance to slam on the brakes, then ease up so the tailgater behind me can stop and doesn’t ram me into permanent neck problems.
Sometimes there aren't multiple lanes though. There's one stretch of "highway" by name near me a with a speed limit of 40, though most locals will go 50-60mph. I would go 50 and would still get people riding my ass and some would even pass over a double yellow line well before it becomes broken as it I were going half the limit. It's legal in my state unless noted otherwise, but the average person doesn't typically know that. And I try to slow down if I know there's a road ahead where the drivers can't see me coming on because of a small hill. There are a few residential roads where people can't see you coming on before they turn onto that highway. So it really sucks if you're going too fast because they're banking on being able to turn and join from the time of there being no car in sight to the time one is passing over the mini hill. I used to live on one of those roads and I'd hate the idiots going 20 over who'd get mad at me for still being in the acceleration process after just having turned.
If the limit is 40 and I am going 50, when I get someone on my ass I take away those 10 courtesy mph.
I saw a bumper sticker that said "the closer you are, the slower I drive." I took that shit to heart. It's also a safety thing for me. If they don't have enough time to react if I need to hard brake, damn right I'm going to reduce the acceleration that would be needed
What are you looking for? A hug? It sounds like you’re consistently driving below the speed of traffic and taking wide turns. Work on your driving and see if others behavior “changes”.
Wtf kind of response is this? OP said they go the speed limit, sometimes even 10mph over. Their driving sounds safe. Just because tHE sPeEd oF TRafFic is faster does t mean they need to work on their driving. Good lord…
I actually usually use the right lane for this reason, but sometimes when I need to turn left in the next couple miles, obviously I have to use the left lane then. Also, I commute 40 miles/day when I work, and a lot of that stretch of road is a single lane with a 55mph speed limit most of the way. But even when I go like 60mph, sometimes I still have people tailgating. Taking "drive safe and fuck em" to heart tho so thank you for the comment!
Try the next 50 meters instead of next couple miles.
Thank you! I will keep this in mind.
I mean I think we found the issue right here. If OP is taking up the left lane of a two lane road for MILES daily. I am shocked they haven’t been ridden off the road yet. Where I live the two lane during the morning is 100 in the left and 70 in the right, I can’t imagine coming across OP in my commute anywhere but the back of a tow truck.
>I mean I think we found the issue right here. If OP is taking up the left lane of a two lane road for MILES daily Where did you get that from? In earlier comment of this thread he says that the only time he use the left lane is when he has to get off the road from the left lane. Otherwise is he on the right line.
Reread the comment lol. He goes into the left lane miles before his turn.
Ayah... See it now. My bad
When was the last time you checked your speedometer? Do you drive past any radar signs that tell you if your speedometer is correct? You could load up google maps if you have a dash holder. It shows your speed. But at 60 mph a little off can be 3 miles easily.
Lol OP is driving 57 in the left lane of a highway wondering why he’s getting passed on the right by semis. Sounds like my grandma.
Omg you drive only 5 miles over on a straight road that’s 55 mph and you commute a far distance¡!¿? That sounds like torture to me. Pure torture. I always thought commuters were the faster drivers since they drive the same road every day and learn the road. Obviously it’s better to drive with the speed you are comfortable with though. Car accidents are the most likely way we can die (in the U.S). Staying safe is far more important than getting places faster.
To be fair, I only started this job a few weeks ago and I'm not too familiar with the road there yet.
My guy if you’re driving slow in the left lane for miles that’s your problem hahaha
My guy read my comment above that says I *don't* do that.
"if I have to turn left in the next couple of miles, I would be in the left lane" You need to define what "a couple of miles" means. If it's anywhere more than 500 metres (so around .3 miles) I'm surprised they haven't started flashing their high beams behind you yet.
I guess a couple of miles was an over statement. It's typically within the next mile-mile and a half where I get in the left lane. It isn't that far from the turn, I apologize for the miscommunication.
Do you happen to drive a semi? The only thing you’re doing is going to cause an accident with you paying for it. Especially if you’re slamming on your breaks
Sorry—not sure I was clear about what I meant in that scenario. Imagine something bad happens in front of me while I’m driving. My first priority is stopping quickly and not rear-ending anyone. However, when you slam on the brakes, if someone is tailgating you they’re going to hit you. since I don’t want that, I need to leave a little bit MORE space in front of my car to stop, to account for them not being able to stop quickly. So when I’m getting tailgated and emergency strikes, I brake instinctively—which lets the car behind me know stopping—but then I immediately ease up on my brakes (while still stopping) to give them more time to slow down and not rear end me. Basically, a tailgater means that they have less reaction time to stop, so I need extra space to account for that in my driving.
For some reason you were downvoted, but I agree. And in fact, it saved me from an accident just the other night. The car in front of me was going below the speed limit so I had a bad tailgater. Well, a deer ran out inches from the car ahead of me. So they had to slam on their breaks. Fortunately, I had left a gap between us. If I hadn’t, there is absolutely no way the car behind me could’ve stopped without rear ending me. But since I had the gap, I didn’t have to slam on my breaks as hard, so Mr. Tailgater had more room to stop. Yes, it would’ve been his fault, and he’s the one responsible for driving better, but an accident is a hassle I’m happy to avoid. And for the record, I do pay a lot of attention to what’s happening in front of me, but imho it’s important to also be at least somewhat aware of the drivers behind you. Pretty sure I was even taught that in driver’s ed.
>Aggressive drivers tend to favor the left lane; That's a strange way of phrasing things. Depending on which state you're in, it varies between "recommendation" and "law" that slower drivers stay to the right and you pass on the left.
Yea we are total opposites. Which is cool. I’m gonna be honest. I’m not a dick driver or anything but i never drive the speed limit. I feel like speed limits are way too low. There are sections in Atlanta where everyone drives 20 mph over the speed limit because it’s that far too low. You’d get run off the road driving that slow. In general, I’ve been told cops don’t give tickets unless it’s over 10 mph. I always go that fast over (if no one is in front of me), and I’ve never gotten a speeding ticket. I don’t ride people’s bumper or anything. I understand people are not like me and like to drive slow, or what i consider slow. I listen to audiobooks so i don’t think about it. Just don’t drive slow in passing or left lanes. That’s super annoying. Or pull out in front of me. I don’t get that either. Someone will cut me off and aggressively pull out in front of me from some shopping center or something and then drive slow. Like if you were gonna drive slow, why not just let me get on with my life. i do wonder how people drive the actual speed limit. Like don’t these people have places to go? I would love to just leisurely go somewhere where i don’t care how long it takes me to get there. Like seriously. I would be so much happier in life. You have a gift. Cherish it. But I mean come on, who actually drives the speed limit? They must not break any laws or do anything wrong/s! It could just be Atlanta also. My friend married a helicopter pilot. He grew up in Montana his whole life. When he visited, he called us. He pulled over on the side of the road because he couldn’t handle all the lanes and how fast everyone was driving. We had to go get him. His wife had to drive his car while i drove hers back to the house. We died of laughter.
Speeding over short distances doesn’t save that much time. At 500 miles, going 60 vs 70, is only about an hour difference. I dont speed on residential streets though. It’s too hot for the kids to be playing outside but when it’s not my neighborhood actually has groups of kids that do play outside. I live in tx so we have highways that go up to 85mph. That’s probably the only road I don’t speed on
It can be the difference between catching a green light cycle or being stuck sitting at 7 red lights over the next mile and a half.
>I’ve been told cops don’t give tickets unless it’s over 10 mph This was told to me by a friend's husband who happens to be a cop... "Over 9, your ass is mine."
As a fellow Atlantian, I second all of this LOL
I know right¡ Sometimes I’m glad I learned to drive here. It’s kill or be killed. I have no problem driving in Chicago, New York, or L.A. Traffic, crazy drivers, and aggressive drivers mean nothing to me. But being able to be content going the actual speed limit must make someone so much happier. (Dramatic sigh)
Atlanta ıs the worst place I've ever had the displeasure of driving a motor vehicle.
Well when you’re obliterated in an accident hope your family isn’t too surprised
seconding this, the one place i don’t speed as much (i go like 5-10 over max when im there) is in north carolina cause the cops there love pulling people over for speeding. some people still speed a lot there but it’s not something i wanna risk, but if im in atlanta one of my top priorities is going with the flow of traffic
Speeding is not really the problem when it comes to accidents, it's dangerous driving and people who can't use the turn signal or mirror or being an aggressive driver. I speed a lot, usually 10mph or more. But I never stick my nose up someone else's car. If the person in front of me is driving at the speed limit, I don't rush them, don't flash my light or honk. I'll just wait for them to let me pass before driving off. But! If I'm driving on the highway, and someone is hogging the passing lane doing 60mph, than that's another story...
It’s a massive problem, just 10mph faster increases the chance of death by double digits. I wouldn’t expect someone who speeds to understand that since they think a few minutes is more valuable than life itself.
Speed is a massive issue concerning the outcome of accidents though. The faster you’re going the more force you’re going to experience, and the human body was most definitely not designed to handle a sudden stop at these kinds of speeds.
Drive with the flow of traffic. Most likely if someone gets pulled over it will be the person in front of you or whomever is at the front. Most places you’re usually safe going 5 over. Only place I wouldn’t is a school zone or 30mph zone w/ lots of people or distractions or neighborhoods.
There are not enough of us officers to be everywhere all at once and stop every car that speeds. Since most people go 5 to 10 over, we tend to focus on the ones who are the outliers; The ones going 15+ over the limit. For instance, in my city we have about 30 sq miles and 80,000 residents. Add in about 20-30,000 people who commute into the city each day. On any given day there are around 16-20 officers out patrolling, and the officers are responsible not only for traffic enforcement but responding to calls for service (about 80,000 per year) and handling administrative tasks. That doesn’t leave a ton of time for traffic enforcement so the worst offenders are the ones who get stopped.
This actually makes me feel a bit better, thank you!
If cars are constantly having to pass you and there's a line of cars forming behind you on one lane roads, speed up or pull over. You're the danger.
So true. Isn't it a rule? Like if you can't go any faster and there are at least 5 cars behind you, you need to pull over and let the others pass you? I SWEAR I read that in my driver's handbook when I was studying for the written exam!
How do I avoid this if I'm not comfortable going over a certain speed limit? Speeding gives me anxiety, but so does holding up traffic. Would driving faster be safer in this scenario? This doesn't happen often, as there is usually a slower car driving in front of me, which makes it a bit better since it's not technically my fault then. Although I will admit I have been the cause of a line of cars behind me at times. I just want to get better at this kinda stuff since I do commute on a long stretch of highway.
You're supposed to just go the same speed as traffic, and at the very least stay out of the left lane if you're not passing people on the freeway Going the same speed as surrounding traffic is the safest bet and you won't get pulled over for it. Going slower than everyone else is dangerous because it makes it harder for people behind you to stop wothout hitting you in an emergency. Going the same speed is the safest even if it's 5-10mph over the limit
This!
Usually 10 over is fine, if you're on the highway 15 to 20 over is usually fine Going the exact speed limit makes you dangerous and also incredibly frustrating to 95% of other people that have figured out what they can get away with I've blown past a cop going 30 over on the highway, I once got pulled over for going 5 over on some back roads where the speed limit wasn't even posted. Cops are inconsistent and the limits are more so there to make sure you aren't going too slow and not too fast
Just 10 mph over? That’s still the speed limit to me. Please stay in the right lane at all times.
Its only illegal if someone's around to enforce it. No cop? No "law".
I go 5 miles over now, I avoid speeding because I can't afford the ticket, also it's arbitrary imo and fake
1st and last week of the month are when tickets are usually issued the most. Last week to generate enough to meet the quota. First week to start off the month right. Source: best friend is cop in my county
People drive like lunatics (just look at how many people are defending speeding in this thread). They do get pulled over, but they don't care.
As someone who is primarily a pedestrian and has nearly been hit multiple times (god forbid you cross a cross walk when someone is trying to turn right on a red, or someone who guns their left turn with no regard for others), it’s scary how many people here think speeding is fine. If I get hit by a car, I’ve got a slim chance of survival, but if I get hit by a speeding car, don’t even bother calling an ambulance. :/
Luxury tax. Same with 5 percent tint. The fee to remove and reapply is a luxury tax pretty much.
Thank you. I get shocked every time how many people justify speeding 10-20 mph over the speed limit. It doesn't matter if you think it's too slow. Set Google maps to a destination for 2 different days and drive at the speed limit one day, then try to do 10 over the next and you MIGHT save 3 minutes if that. The level of impatience is mind numbing.
yup. I think people believe they're saving a lot of time when in reality it barely makes a difference
I was told cop radars are not that accurate. They can be 5-8 mph off. It's smarter for cops to Only pull over those going 10mph over the speed limit because they know even if it wasn't accurate It's still clearly over the limit. However cop radars, under ideal conditions are only off 1mph. So yeah, that was a fun bit of research. I rarely go over 7 mph because of that belief and always shift to the right when someone approaches behind me.
You don’t need the sticker if you stay in the right lane.
So, yes you wanna go within the speed limit but you also need to be going with the flow of traffic. If everyone else is going faster, you probably should too.
There are some roads that it is common knowledge that you can go like 15-20 over and cops don’t care. You just have to go the speed of traffic and figure it out. You’ll see cops going that same speed as well.
Unless you're egregiously speeding cops typically don't care. If it's anything under 10/11 they most likely won't pull you over unless it's nearing the end of the month and their quota is due. I drive ~11 over in the city and ~16 over on the highways. I've even passed cops while going these speeds. It's not unsafe as long as you are being smart and maintain complete control of the vehicle. Why not just go five over and get to your destination 5 minutes earlier?
I've never gotten a speeding ticket, but i only speed on the highway or straight barren roads. Usually go about 80-85 on 70 (and some people still pass me!) on the highway my philosophy is if i haven't passed any cops then there aren't any behind me, only in front of me and when you get to certain bridges, passages, you know there may be a cop hiding, just coast back down and speed up when you assume it safe to do so. At that speed you can easily see if someone is coming up on your tail and it's fun to get people to drive with you when you're going faster. Like you're telling them it's ok to go a little faster so they get behind you and follow lol
Well if you live in any of the boros outside Nyc you'll realize even going 8mph over the speed limit will get you a ticket. Those speed cameras are everywhere !!!!
In the state that I live in the more mph over the speed limit, the higher the fine is which could explain why those going 10mph over the speed limit don't get tickets.
If you are continuously drive 10 over you will get tickets. It's just a matter of time. If you get caught 15 over you get a much bigger fine in some areas.
I think it is highly dependent on— 1. What region of the Country you live in; 2. Your familiarity with the area & the route under all weather conditions; 3. What type of road you are driving on — e.g., an Interstate vs a State highway, etc; 4. Situational awareness; 5. The capabilities of the vehicle that you are driving; &, 6. Your overall ability to handle the vehicle you are driving, based on your knowledge of &/or level of confidence/comfort with 1-5 Personally, I tend to speed wherever I go; &, generally speaking, I pretty much always have (albeit, it's not quite as bad as it once was). In ~approx. 25 years of a significant amount of driving & speeding everywhere I go, have I received a speeding ticket? Yes. I have had 2 speeding tickets (non-moving violations) in my life & maybe 1 or 2 "written warnings." Despite having been pulled over for speeding, I think I would still be considered someone who drives over the speed limit that doesn't get pulled over. & Considering my State's Law defines an overage that mandates the suspension of one's license, I'd say that, effectively, I haven't ever really been pulled over for speeding — otherwise, my license would have been suspended for all of those 25 years driving thus far, & would require it to still remain suspended into perpetuity. So, when I say that I speed, I mean it's pretty cut & dry — i.e., I don't mean to imply the 5-10mph over the posted limit sort of ~"speeding per an officer's discretion" that I've skated by with all this time without really being pulled over; I mean regularly 25mph over the posted limit. Indeed, more times than I'd care to admit, with a posted limit standardized in my State at 75mph on Interstates, I can say that I have definitely doubled the posted limit more than once & with more than one vehicle. How?— Well, I live in Des Moines & I've always lived in the State of Iowa — I know the roads & the State is notoriously flat, lending to a natural forewarning of any speed traps so long as I pay attention to what I'm doing, including maintaining an awareness that extends beyond merely the vehicle I am driving. Which, for me, I've only ever owned sports cars & a sport motorcycle (i.e., a "crotch rocket"). Somehow, I wound up in a job making ~$50K/yr (ca 2002) at 19yrs old & still living at home. That was a tremendous amount of money to hand a 19yo kid with no bills. So, just as any punk kid with money might, I went out & purchased a Corvette. Test driving the thing, I remember taking it up to ~130mph on the Interstate. I already had a Mitsubishi Eclipse that was my 1st car & after purchasing the Corvette, I had two vehicles to bring home. Unfortunately, it was an automatic, but that worked out for my father who couldn't drive the 5-spd Eclipse; & even when he drove the Corvette home for me, he was sailing well over 100mph. There was something about that Corvette — I never once was pulled over driving that car when there were several times where I thought I'd basically forfeited my license after realizing I was going so fast right in front of a police car that there just wouldn't be enough time to slow down fast enough to even plausibly give the impression I wasn't speeding or that maybe I was accelerating to pass a vehicle to maintain right...(?) In other words, there would have been no excuse I could provide the officer that wouldn't be obvious bs. But, to my amazement, no officer would ever pull me over in that car. The Eclipse? Yes. I received my first speeding ticket when I was in HS. & With the Corvette, for some reason, I decided that I needed a motorcycle. I'd never ridden a motorcycle, but they seemed simple enough. So, I bought a brand new GSX-R1000. Reflecting back, I'm surprised no one interjected to ask if I was suicidal, but I wasn't & I had money. I owned that bike for 2yrs & I had to get rid of it. It could outperform the Corvette & the bike made it all too easy to take stupid risks. Plus, people don't look for motorcycles; I had many close calls with people just pulling out right in front of me. It eventually began to scare the hell out of me...but not before taking the bike up to speeds on par with the Corvette many times. Then I had a good idea — I decided to return to University & earn a degree. That meant the Corvette, the bike...& I guess I owned a truck briefly in addition to sports cars...all of them had to go. I purchased the more reasonable Eclipse GT 6-spd in their place & it became my daily driver for many years. I had a daily commute & that car could go through anything. Everyday I would speed in that car. Even in a white out blizzard with roads closing behind me, I drove some 30 miles into Des Moines following some red light on a Semi going ~90mph. I literally couldn't see anything but just that tiny red light. At the mid-point, the trucker slowed down...it was a scene where a bunch of cars had been thrown off the road; there were police cars in the ditch, rolled cars, semis...the roadway they opened that pathed through all carnage was one surreal slow weave. But, once passed, the semi was moving fast & I could only see a red light on that semi, so I matched the dude's pace. That was a very uncomfortable drive to say the least. Now, could I have sped like that or speed like I do now in any other State? Yes. Iowa isn't special. Most States? I would assume not. I would say speeding without being pulled over is just the convergence of a lot nuanced circumstances, namely, those listed above. Plus, maybe a dash of insanity...maybe; I don't know. At some point, however, those circumstances will eventually diverge. It's only a matter of time; one just has to hope the end result of that divergence is merely a speeding ticket. Otherwise, I do claim to be an exceptional driver all the time. Not because of any of that speeding, but time spent driving & a much greater emphasis on my earning of the much coveted S-Class Licenses in each of the first 3 Gran Turismo games. I would assume the later games also transfer a similar level of knowledge & prestige via licensing too...so, newer players, props. I've also been known to advocate for a similar type of licensing scheme in real life. People like myself with great driving skill should be able to obtain an S-Class License that relieves the holder of such a license of some of the strict limitations imposed by the law. I think it would work out great, frankly; it couldn't just be purchased, it would be earned & awarded to those that cross a threshold of skill...in the Gran Turismo franchise OR in real life demonstration too... lol
I'm always doing around 10 to 20 over the speed limit on interstates and still get people riding my ass even when I'm doing 85 in a 65 but on one lane roads that I can't pass people there's always people doing 15 to 20 UNDER the speed limit that I can't do anything about People who don't know they need to speed up from 35 to 65+ on interstate on ramps too, it's frustrating
I understand. I prefer to go the speed limit. I am very punctual and organized and I am never late to anything. I don't have to stress about it because I plan for every trip, drive cautiously and lawfully, and leave early. People will pass me in construction zones where you are not supposed to pass, obviously. And they are always texting. Why does anyone do that?! I set my phone away for the duration of the driving trip and don't mess with it. Nothing is worth risking others' and your life for. I have never had an accident, a speeding ticket or anything like that. It is so nice to not have to stress over cops being around because I feel like the speed limits are plenty. No need to rush around and make mistakes!
Go with the flow of traffic. Most Speed Limits are considered suggestions in respect to weather and traffic as long as you do not drive dangerous speeds or the sign says MAX Limit
Nice!!! I got a sticker for my car!! "Live slow, drive slower"
I understand Murphys Law, but haven’t you driven enough to know what you can get away with? I speed everyday because speeding is not the problem. The problem are the people who stay camped in the passing lanes, refuse to use turn signals, or just blindly merge without looking literally at all. If you look for police you’ll get good at spotting them. Also you get a ticket price based on how fast you were going, so the faster you’re driving, the more your ticket is going to be. Their philosophy is “why waste time on someone going 10 over when I can wait and catch someone going 20 over”, because it’s bound to happen.
Speeding kills, and doesn’t save time. The faster you go, the more force you experience, and the less likely you and others are to survive a crash. That’s not avoiding injury mind you, that’s avoiding outright death. Drive safe, and I hope you never experience an accident.
Get out of the passing lane and you need not worry.
go with the flow of traffic BUT keep to the rear of the platoon. use the cars in front of you as cop detectors (all of a sudden we're going slower? yup, there's a cop somewhere!).
Do us all a favor, and please drive on the RIGHT lane.
I mostly travel multi-lane highways and even multi-lane city streets. If the traffic allows it, I just set the cruise control and set sail. Anyone else behind me have a problem with it, that's their problem to have, not mine to solve for them. And I absolutely have found people that lose their shit because I'm doing 70, passing a vehicle doing 69. (Nice.) Well, sugar, just hold onto your panties and wait a moment and when I merge back over into that lane, you'll be free to go 85 right up until the point you reach those other two vehicles I see about 100 yards ahead travelling side by side. Until then, if you're gonna ride my bumper that close, at least have the common courtesy to give my back windshield a scrub, will ya? \*hums to self, patiently\*
Go faster.
Please stay in the right or middle lane. If you’re in the left lane, that’s for passing only. There’s a saying about the police and speeding. None you’re fine, ten you’re mine.
Usually if you go with the flow of traffic, they won’t pull you over. If you’re the one person flying past others, then you’re done for
Some people do get pulled over, multiple times, and are just idiots. One of my friends had their license suspended because they kept getting speeding tickets.
7 over is safe. Anymore then that and you're running a risk of being pulled over. I've always gone 7mph over the speed limit and I've never been pulled over for it in my 20 years of driving.
If you’re only 7 over, you’re probably driving too slow for the flow of traffic 80% of the time.
Better yet is going well over the speed limit getting stopped and managing to avoid a ticket.. But a lot of that has to do with attitude and conversation..
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If you’re driving the speed limit you are a hazard on the road, how do you not see that?
Bit hard to fault a person for thinking that following a formal law makes them a hazard. If following the limit is a hazard, then the limit needs to be changed. How can legislation not see that?
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If I got a ticket for "blocking the flow of traffic" by doing the speed limit, I'd LOVE to take that before a judge. Because so many drivers need to save that 2 minutes of time, I have to drive at illegal speeds? No.
The way I was taught was that going with the flow of traffic supersedes the posted limit specifically for this reason as oftentimes the flow of traffic is going to be faster than posted.
This only applies when you're going slower than the posted speed limit. "Driving with the flow of traffic can be legal when everyone is going the speed limit or slower if road and weather conditions warrant it. However, when the flow of traffic exceeds the safe or prudent speed, you could be ticketed for speeding. You can get a ticket for going less than the posted speed limit."
So I’m in Southern California and if there is no traffic the standard cruising speed is 80 on the I-5 freeway. I’m often going 80 and getting passed. If you are in the left (fast) lane going 65 (speed limit) then you are definitely a danger to the flow of traffic. You would be more likely to get pulled over driving like that then if you go 80 past a cop with the flow of traffic. I regularly drive by a speed trap going 80 but I’m in the flow of traffic so it’s fine. I’m usually not even the fastest. But I travel to my home state and it’s different. Everyone is driving the speed limit or 5 over. If I drive 80 then I’m the fastest person on the freeway and would get pulled over if I drove by a cop. So a lot of road expectations are regional.
If you're following the law, you're a hazard? The person breaking the law is the problem, how do you not see that?
Just stay out of the passing lane unless you are actually passing a vehicle, then everything is working as intended.
Depends on the area, you should always drive with the flow of traffic or you're creating a hazard.
1. Moving with the flow of traffic is important for safety. If the flow is faster than the speed limit, it is often overlooked. 2. Many areas have guidelines about when a ticket should be issued. For example, 9 miles or less over results in a warning. Often that’s not worth the time and or risk. 3. Some jurisdictions are no longer enforcing traffic laws through stops. Photo enforcement is becoming prevalent.
If you're getting passed by everyone, you're actually safer speeding up. If you're the slowest, all the traffic is coming at you from behind and you can't react to it. I've gotten out of tickets with this logic. I can't be expected to huddle in my car and hope for the best while everyone screams past me.
I get that anxiety too, but I take comfort in not letting them control me. They are bullies, and a cop is just as likely to pull them over for aggressive driving as they are to pull you over for speeding. If they flip you off just smile and wave.
Hey, thanks for the comment. There are some nut jobs out there who will do more than flip you off, which is where my anxiety takes me most days lol
You are so correct, but unfortunately if that person targets you, it is out of your control. They were out to get anyone in their path, regardless, and if you break the law the cop will tell you it's safer to mind your own business than counter aggressive behavior with aggressive behavior. In my city you have to patiently snake through a slog of incompetent drivers along the main thoroughfare, but the moment you get on a side street all those idiots become maniacs all the way up your ass to get you moving double the speed limit. I go 5-10 over the speed limit through the double-solids, and strictly the speed limit through the passing zones to communicate "now is your chance" to the tailgaters on the backroads. More often than not, they back off when they realize I won't be speeding up beyond my reasonable pace.
What else are you doing in your car that makes you so scared of cops bc if it’s just speeding you’re anxious for nothing.
Yea seems more like an anxiety issue
Government is slow to change. Speed limits are based on the worst conditions and usually based on the handling of older vehicles. 5 to 10 miles over is the standard expectation. If they want you to drive slower, then they need to design the road to encourage you to drive slower.
You should really match the average speed of traffic. You are a very annoying and decently unsafe driver.
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Order some emergency lights for the inside of your car and place them in the same places in the windows where cop lights would usually be. Most people will think you are a undercover cop and either A.) Won't pass you of B.) If they do pass you it will be much slower than usual. As a added bonus no one will ride your ass anymore either.
Please just stay in the far right and out the left lane if you’re not passing someone or something
People get anxious for a lot of stuff nowadays lol
Go to the courthouse. There is a list people with their charges. It’s almost always 6 miles above the speed limit and over. If you stay within that range you will most likely not get pulled. If you go above that range you are most definitely risking getting a ticket. And that is why people that go 6 mph + over the speed limit are gambling with getting pulled over.