American Drivers Think Speeding Is Okay Because Everyone Else Is Doing It
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This isn't specific to America...
Here in Europe we occasionally get road construction sites on motorways where the speed limit is temporarily reduced to 80, 60 or even 40 because the lanes are narrower than usual and drivers need to navigate around the construction site. I'm never quite sure how fast to drive there: if I actually drive the posted limit, I'll have 0 cars in front of me, but it looks (from my perspective) that I'm holding up 67 cars behind me who would want to drive faster. If I keep up with what the driver in front of me is doing, I'm technically violating the law...
Are there workers? If there are workers, slow the heck down, keep them safe. If there are workers, it shouldn’t even be a question
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Driving school and being pulled over has taught me that the silly numbers are not the maximum speed, theyre the minimum speed, and the actual maximum is 5-10 higher depending on what other people are doing. "Going with the speed of traffic and going fast enough to prevent lane changes" is the real answer.
Ive begun going the exact speed limit in the right lane and ive been pulled over 3 times now and experienced more roadrage than i thought possible. I never got pulled over going 90 in a 70, or 30 in a 25, or 45 in a 35.
People are in such a hurry to save 0-30 seconds on their 15 minute drive
Can you tell these stories? I didn't think cops would pull you over for going the speed limit in the right lane.
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Are there workers? If there are workers, slow the heck down, keep them safe. If there are workers, it shouldn’t even be a question
Of course the assumption was that it was clearly completely safe to drive significantly faster than the posted limit.
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What's a little extra 5 or 10 mph on the clock?
I don't think I'm autistic. But it tickles my brain that the speed limit is one USian law that is designed to NOT be followed literally.
If it were, it would be trivial to use automatic toll reader cameras to give everyone who speeds a ticket. They have a time stamp when you enter the toll road. They have a time stamp when you exit. They can calculate mathematically that if your average speed is higher than the limit, you broke the speed limit.
But they don't do this, because society does NOT believe in following this specific law (speed limits)... because why exactly?
There is an unwritten rule in society that the speed limit law is not meant to be followed literally?
I hate it.
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I don't think I'm autistic. But it tickles my brain that the speed limit is one USian law that is designed to NOT be followed literally.
If it were, it would be trivial to use automatic toll reader cameras to give everyone who speeds a ticket. They have a time stamp when you enter the toll road. They have a time stamp when you exit. They can calculate mathematically that if your average speed is higher than the limit, you broke the speed limit.
But they don't do this, because society does NOT believe in following this specific law (speed limits)... because why exactly?
There is an unwritten rule in society that the speed limit law is not meant to be followed literally?
I hate it.
Prima fascie.
No body is driving perfect, speedometers aren't perfect, and such automatic devices aren't perfect nor can they identify the driver yet. I believe they use these elsewhere like UK... But most likely have a bit of wiggle room
It may be necessary to speed up to avoid or pass something reasonably and ultimately the speed limit is so for most conditions. In a 70 it may be reasonable to do 80 on a clear, sunny day with minimal traffic. After all it's still 70 at dark when your visibility is cut way back. Plus it can't be a hard rule given weather conditions, traffic speed differentials, etc... 70 may be too fast or otherwise.
It's not that big of a deal unless you're the one driving too fast or slow relative the everyone else.
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Depends on where. I’m going the speed limit through town or less where there are people. It saves lives.
But highways are built for fast driving and cars continue to get safer and more performant. Fuck the speed limit set for 1970’s death traps and hasn’t changed.
The real problem as always is local roads designed like highways. Stroads seem to be one of the underrated evils of modern society
The speed limit has raised since those death machines... Specifically because it was lowered due to that oil crisis.
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Then people should stop passing, and realise an ekstra 5 mph isn't going to get you to your destination any faster?
Yeah but if you're the odd one out, you're the problem.
If everyone is going too fast for you, you should use a slower road and not be a danger/impediment.
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Lol wtf is all these car lovers doing in /c/FUCKCARS
They literally want to fuck cars.
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Yeah but if you're the odd one out, you're the problem.
If everyone is going too fast for you, you should use a slower road and not be a danger/impediment.
I think that's a very backwards way of thinking about it. If you're being safe, but a bunch of people are being unsafe, and bring your life in danger, that's not you being a problem, that's you being a victim.
If people start waving knives around at random, and telling you they'll get closer to you, if you don't also wave a knife around, then that's a hostage situation, not people wanting you to be safe.
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I don't think I'm autistic. But it tickles my brain that the speed limit is one USian law that is designed to NOT be followed literally.
If it were, it would be trivial to use automatic toll reader cameras to give everyone who speeds a ticket. They have a time stamp when you enter the toll road. They have a time stamp when you exit. They can calculate mathematically that if your average speed is higher than the limit, you broke the speed limit.
But they don't do this, because society does NOT believe in following this specific law (speed limits)... because why exactly?
There is an unwritten rule in society that the speed limit law is not meant to be followed literally?
I hate it.
The other aspect is that we typically are against automated enforcement regardless of the law.
We typically want people to be in the loop. If there were more visible traffic cops, people tend to slow down to the limit.
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It quite literally is.
If you don't keep up with traffic, people pass you, and that is much more dangerous than an extra 10mph
"You made me do it!"
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What's a little extra 5 or 10 mph on the clock?
In my US state of Texas, speed studies set the speed limit based on a 85th percentile rule. They assume that people will basically ignore the speed limit and drive the speed they feel is safe. That's why we have highways with 85 mph speed limits.
https://www.txdot.gov/safety/driving-laws/speed-limits/speed-zone-studies.html
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Sure, but just because they are morons, doesn't mean I have to drive faster than what I deem is safe.
The safest speed is nearly always the average speed of traffic, this is well studied...
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There are roads where speeding is so common you will in fact be dangerously tailgated if you drive the speed limit
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The safest speed is nearly always the average speed of traffic, this is well studied...
That is true, but that doesn't mean I feel safe driving as fast as other drivers. It doesn't mean I feel confident in my ability to react in time, if something was to happen a few cars ahead. Is it statistically safest? Absolutely, but that doesn't mean everyone is equally safe going that speed.
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The other aspect is that we typically are against automated enforcement regardless of the law.
We typically want people to be in the loop. If there were more visible traffic cops, people tend to slow down to the limit.
Autonomous weapons go brrr
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The safest speed is nearly always the average speed of traffic, this is well studied...
Can't argue with facts with someone that goes off feelings
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That is true, but that doesn't mean I feel safe driving as fast as other drivers. It doesn't mean I feel confident in my ability to react in time, if something was to happen a few cars ahead. Is it statistically safest? Absolutely, but that doesn't mean everyone is equally safe going that speed.
If you don't feel confident driving the usual flow of traffic you shouldn't be driving
So many times I've had to slam on brakes to let an idiot get back in their side after a pass because some slowpoke idiot is doing 60kmph on a 100kmph road and a whole column is passing them
If you don't speed tf up you will get yourself or someone else killed
When you're alone on the road drive whatever speed you like
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I think that's a very backwards way of thinking about it. If you're being safe, but a bunch of people are being unsafe, and bring your life in danger, that's not you being a problem, that's you being a victim.
If people start waving knives around at random, and telling you they'll get closer to you, if you don't also wave a knife around, then that's a hostage situation, not people wanting you to be safe.
You're not being safer by driving slower, your base premise is wrong
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I don't think I'm autistic. But it tickles my brain that the speed limit is one USian law that is designed to NOT be followed literally.
If it were, it would be trivial to use automatic toll reader cameras to give everyone who speeds a ticket. They have a time stamp when you enter the toll road. They have a time stamp when you exit. They can calculate mathematically that if your average speed is higher than the limit, you broke the speed limit.
But they don't do this, because society does NOT believe in following this specific law (speed limits)... because why exactly?
There is an unwritten rule in society that the speed limit law is not meant to be followed literally?
I hate it.
There are plenty of stories in our folklore of times people sped 100+ just to get to the emergency room on time.
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