Drivers/Driving....things that cheese me off...

[Stick]

No 9. I'm waiting for just right shade of green.
Why is everyone in so much of a hurry? Driving 75 instead of 65 for one full hour saves less than 10 minutes. I like to take back roads and I even pull off to the side to let speeders pass.

Finally! Someone who agrees with me! I was beginning to think I was the only person in the universe that doesn't drive like an idiot on a racetrack leading to nowhere.

Experience from years of over the road trucking says that no matter what your speed, be it 55, 65, 75, 85, or 95, you always average 55 over the long run. The faster you go, the more often you need to stop.

Just a small example..........I do a 450 mile one way commute to work. I never speed, and I'm often passed by the same vehicle 6 to 7 times, yet we arrive within seconds of each other. The difference, I see no need to stop. They do, and often. I'm sitting back enjoying the drive at 100km/h while they're doing 140-150km/h whiteknuckling it all the way. They don't get there any faster. Why bother?

Also very often, the same ones who fly by me are the ones I laugh at when they're in the ditch buried up to their roof in snow. The unwritten "code of the north" says you always stop for anyone in trouble, but if I see someone who's passed me at ridiculous speeds, unless they are obviously hurt or freezing to death, they can stay right in the ditch where they deserve to be.

There is no need to exceeed a posted limit. Plan your trips to allow sufficient time. Period. Truckers get paid by the mile, private individuals don't. If anything, there should be seperate lanes for trucks, that smaller vehicles are not allowed in, gated or fenced...........and let the trucks go. There's an entirely different scenario happening there..........if a big truck is geared for a certain speed, it actually wastes fuel to go any slower. Example: Let's say the truck is geared to be able to do 80 with a full load. this equates to a certain engine rpm in a certain gear. If it has to slow down, it has to run in a lower gear, possibly even two gears down, at the same engine rpm. Wasting fuel. The big truck may have 13-20 gears to choose from. If it runs in a lower gear, it just runs that much longer to cover the same distance, while burning the same amount of fuel per hour. Yes, wind drag does come into play, but not as much as you would think.

But the small vehicle, if it runs slower, runs at a reduced engine rpm, thus saving fuel. It's a balancing act for sure, every vehicle has its sweet point to run at, but very few small vehicles get their best mileage at high speeds.

I know my F150, at speed limit, gets around 15 imperial MPG. If I were to get up to the speeds you guys are talking about, I'm down into single digit mileage. And our gallon is a quart bigger than yours.

I'm not kidding at all when I say my grain truck that weighs 27,000 pounds empty gets just as good of mileage at speed limit as the Ford does. it will run at 75 mph and do considerably better. But do I need to go that fast? No.........are the speeding tickets worth it? I haven't had one in over 30 years. I like my license!

[monte]

Good post. I think you covered it well.

[sacherjj]

I forgot one until this morning. When you are entering the highway and someone has their blinker on to get off, is even with you and slowing down, DON'T SLOW DOWN TOO! It makes no sense to merge onto a highway via the brake. As I finally got in behind him, I noticed the cell phone glued to his head.

[Russianwolf]

There is no need to exceeed a posted limit. Plan your trips to allow sufficient time. Period. Truckers get paid by the mile, private individuals don't. If anything, there should be seperate lanes for trucks, that smaller vehicles are not allowed in, gated or fenced...........and let the trucks go. There's an entirely different scenario happening there..........if a big truck is geared for a certain speed, it actually wastes fuel to go any slower.

.......are the speeding tickets worth it? I haven't had one in over 30 years. I like my license!

My Ram was geared to run 70mph at 2k rpm, slightly less rpm at 65, below that it would drop in/out of overdrive depending on grade and fluctuate between 1600 and 3000 RPM. It became stable again at 55. 65-70 I got 15-18mpg, below 65 I got 12mpg, and at 55 I got the 15-18 again. They gear small trucks like that too. Since most highways are 65 limits, I would waste gas if I didn't exceed the limit by a small amount. needless to say, I would drive it 65-70 unless the entire stretch was down grade. It's been at least 10 years since I've had a ticket (other than parking), and I've only been driving 15.


The Jeep was another story. always seemed to get 20 mpg no matter what speed. but it was fun to drive alittle fast with the top down.

I usually don't do more than 10 over, but depending on traffic flow I will step it up alittle above that. If traffic is flowing at 65 and the limit is 50, doing 50 is dangerous and you can get a ticket for "driving at an unsafe speed for conditions" or that was the charge in Charlotte that my Grandmother got when I was a kid. We made fun of her for years.

[Stick]

My Ram was geared to run 70mph at 2k rpm, slightly less rpm at 65, below that it would drop in/out of overdrive depending on grade and fluctuate between 1600 and 3000 RPM. It became stable again at 55. 65-70 I got 15-18mpg, below 65 I got 12mpg, and at 55 I got the 15-18 again. They gear small trucks like that too. Since most highways are 65 limits, I would waste gas if I didn't exceed the limit by a small amount. needless to say, I would drive it 65-70 unless the entire stretch was down grade. It's been at least 10 years since I've had a ticket (other than parking), and I've only been driving 15.

The Jeep was another story. always seemed to get 20 mpg no matter what speed. but it was fun to drive alittle fast with the top down.

I usually don't do more than 10 over, but depending on traffic flow I will step it up alittle above that. If traffic is flowing at 65 and the limit is 50, doing 50 is dangerous and you can get a ticket for "driving at an unsafe speed for conditions" or that was the charge in Charlotte that my Grandmother got when I was a kid. We made fun of her for years.

So, by your own example, at legal speed limit, you're getting your best mileage.

The law in most jurisdictions allows a leeway of 10%, in order to allow for speedometer error. The problem arises when everyone knows that and thinks it is now acceptable to drive at 71.5 instead of 65. Now you add that possibility of error to that, and they could be driving 78. It's awfully difficult to fight a speeding ticket based on speedometer error when if you have it verified, you will be proved to have been knowingly speeding. I can hear it now when pleading innocent to ticket for 78 in a 65, "But Judge, I was ONLY doing 70." Judge: "So then you ADMIT you were indeed SPEEDING?"

I would like to see the day a ticket like Grandmother's that would actually stand up in court if it were fought. I got one like it in 1979 in California, and as soon as I went to court to fight it, it was immediately thrown out. This was at the height of the fuel crisis back then, when nationwide speed limits were 55 and gas rationing was in effect, the odd/even day thing. Truckers then were being ticketed regularly for even 56. So I got one for doing 54 and supposedly impeding the flow of traffic, and the case immediately before mine was another trucker who was going 57. He got the fine. I went before the same judge, and all he did was look at the ticket, the speed involved, and dismissed the case.

I believe it is quite illegal to be forced to break one law to avoid breaking another one.

That's why interstates have minimum speed limits posted as well, so that you don't get farm implements and such travelling at 10mph. They take the secondary roads where such speeds are perfectly legal. And absolutely, when there's a minimum speed posted, it is a chargeable offense to travel slower than that.

If the highways were posted minimum 65, then I would have no problem with the current attitude, but the fact remains that they aren't.

[Russianwolf]

So, by your own example, at legal speed limit, you're getting your best mileage.

The law in most jurisdictions allows a leeway of 10%, in order to allow for speedometer error. The problem arises when everyone knows that and thinks it is now acceptable to drive at 71.5 instead of 65. Now you add that possibility of error to that, and they could be driving 78. It's awfully difficult to fight a speeding ticket based on speedometer error when if you have it verified, you will be proved to have been knowingly speeding. I can hear it now when pleading innocent to ticket for 78 in a 65, "But Judge, I was ONLY doing 70." Judge: "So then you ADMIT you were indeed SPEEDING?"

I would like to see the day a ticket like Grandmother's that would actually stand up in court if it were fought. I got one like it in 1979 in California, and as soon as I went to court to fight it, it was immediately thrown out. This was at the height of the fuel crisis back then, when nationwide speed limits were 55 and gas rationing was in effect, the odd/even day thing. Truckers then were being ticketed regularly for even 56. So I got one for doing 54 and supposedly impeding the flow of traffic, and the case immediately before mine was another trucker who was going 57. He got the fine. I went before the same judge, and all he did was look at the ticket, the speed involved, and dismissed the case.

I believe it is quite illegal to be forced to break one law to avoid breaking another one.

That's why interstates have minimum speed limits posted as well, so that you don't get farm implements and such travelling at 10mph. They take the secondary roads where such speeds are perfectly legal. And absolutely, when there's a minimum speed posted, it is a chargeable offense to travel slower than that.

If the highways were posted minimum 65, then I would have no problem with the current attitude, but the fact remains that they aren't.

the law in the states is that if you are doing 66 in a 65 the officer has the discretion to ticket you. there is no 10% leeway on the books. You are responsible for knowing your vehicle and if it isn't calibrated properly, that is your fault. now most officers won't use that discretion as they would be ticketing everyone and the judges would get alittle impatient at all the "minor" violations clogging the courts time. but it is also the officer's discretion to ticket vehicles that are causing a safety hazard for any other reason. Driving 65 on an ice covered road in a 65 limit isn't illegal for speeding, but for driving in such a way as to be unsafe for the conditions. Same can be said for a person doing the speed limit while everyone else is driving much faster. Go drive on the highway in Jersey/NY at the speed limit and see if you don't get a ticket.

Grandma's ticket did stand up in court. My family takes responsibility for our actions and going to court for those actions is one way. Even if all we do is stand up there and say "guilty", we go. I even made my step-daughter go to court for her ticket, it taught her a valuable leason. When you take responsibility and admit you are in the wrong, you benefit. Her fine was reduced.

[maxparot]

It may be your responsibility to know your vehicle but that doesn't take into consideration the percentage of error for the device clocking you. (radar, laser or other vehicles speedometer) For that reason court will dismiss speeding tickets within a certain percentage of legal speed. All you need to do is ask them to dismiss for lack of evidence. (reasonable doubt)They tend not to do it for everyone that asks on their own but if you have a lawyer it's a done deal.

[BobSch]

#10 - The appropriate spacing while driving is 1 car length for every 10mph, @ 0 mph there is no reason to leave 30' between you & the car ahead - could you please pull up so the rest of us can get to the left turn lane?

I'm going to differ just a bit on this one. Around here in the winter I'm much more comfortable with a cushion (not 30 feet, though) between me and the guy behind me. If the fool behind HIM can't stop, I'd rather he had some bounce room before meeting my rear bumper.

[AlanJ]

Handicap parking is one of my pet peeves. In a college town it is violated often, especially at the grocery store and drug stores. Local PD is on speed dial and more than one ticket has been written at my request. My wife's Jeep has handicap plates and I park out on the lot unless she is with me.

I agree with Pappy, but from a slightly different perspective. It's really annoying to watch an 18 year old girl swing into a handicap space, hang her grandmothers handicap tag on the rear view and run into the store. I know it's commonplace in some families to share the handicap tag around, depending on who's going shopping today. These abusers deserve to get ticketed too.

[Stick]

I'm going to differ just a bit on this one. Around here in the winter I'm much more comfortable with a cushion (not 30 feet, though) between me and the guy behind me. If the fool behind HIM can't stop, I'd rather he had some bounce room before meeting my rear bumper.

Ok, now there's another whole can of worms. As a motorcyclist, I don't have the protection someone in a car or truck does. One of my largest safety factors lies in being able to get out of the way. I purposely leave a suitable distance between myself and the vehicle ahead, so that I may have a slight chance of getting around him in an emergency, even if it means jumping the curb. Nothing peeves me more than some wingnut in a small car that has to cut into that space. I have had friends that have been hit from behind, with nowhere to go, and been killed.

[WayneJ]

Then theres the guy in front of you driving 65 = 70 , nobody in front of him , but he has to check his brakes every tenth of a mile, he's likely the same guy that had his left turn signal on for the last five miles.HE CAN'T HEAR IT GOING CLICK-CLICK because his radio is to loud or he's on that **** cell phone. (I don't have a cell phone, don't want one) Feels good to rant.
Wayne

[stewchi]

I agree with you Bob about the car length thing if no one is behind you, but if you are in a line of 20 or 30 cars there is so much cumulative cushion you really don’t need anymore. This is a sore point with me as my daily commute has a intersection were 90% of people go straight, I need to go right, there is a pretty long right turn lane (About 10 car lengths) but people leave so much space it takes forever to get to the turn lane and I often have to sit through 2 or 3 light changes before I can make my right turn. If everyone pulled up a little more (especially those people that leave outrageous amounts of space) it would save me a lot of time.
Like many laws speed limits are not updated with the times, as federal and state laws require speed limits must be determined trough and engineering study to determine if they are reasonable. A big portion of this is the 85% rule, which the speed at which 85% of vehicles are driving at or below the speed.
University or Kentucky published an interesting study that showed that drivers tend to drive at what they feel is reasonable despite what is posted, they studied 122 roads were speed limits were changed and found that in the average speed changed only slightly when the posted speed changed
“For example: Back when the speed limit on Ky. 9 in Campbell County was 55 mph, the 85th percentile speed was 58.2 mph. When the limit was dropped to 45 mph, the 85th percentile speed changed only slightly, to 57.3.
Similarly, when the speed limit on Ky. 536 in BooneCounty was increased from 35 mph to 45 mph, the 85th percentile speed changed only from 44.8 mph to 46.2 mph.”

[jwaterdawg]

With regards to speeding the real problem is that most people have no clue how stopping distance correlates with speed. Here's an example that dramatically illustrates this point. We actually use this example in class, hopefully illustrating to those crazy freshmen how dangerous a vehicle can be and hopefully they will slow down.

Question:
You and another driver in an identical automobile come around a blind curve at the same time. The other driver is going 50mph while you are going 70mph. Up ahead there is a semi jacknifed across both lanes. The other driver is able to come to a controlled stop just in time, thereby avoiding crashing into the semi. Assuming you decelerate at the same rate as the other driver, how fast are you going when you crash into the semi?

Think of your answer before scrolling down to reveal the correct answer.
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You will hit the semi doing ~50mph , in other words you will probably me dead, or at the least severely injured. How many of you said 20mph?

PS: Stopping distance goes with the square of the velocity. It would take you twice the distance to come to a controlled stop compared to the other driver.