75 Speed Limit - How Fast

REMEMBER back in the 70's when speed limit was 55. Now we have unlimited fuel so lets all do our part to use as much as we can. It's never going to run out. I run around 62. I've always gotten where I was going. I'm retired, time is what I have. More time than money,so I slow it down and last trip 14.9 mpg. And when a tire (tires) blew, I think I wss more in control at 60+ that say 75.Do what you need to do but please don't take me out or hold up traffic when you have a high speed oop's

I will do 70 mph when legal... because:

1. I have plenty of truck for my 12,000 lbs. trailer
2. Speed rating of tires are good ....Goodyear Endurance
3. Disk brakes on trailer for superior stopping performance
4. weather/traffic conditions permit...obviously

I set the cruise at 67, even if the speed limit is 75 or 80. My trailer tires are rated for 75. Noticed while driving out west , that most of the traffic travels at about 75 regardless of the speed limit.

JRscooby And if you step out to pass, get it done, and get out of that left lane. The more time vehicles run side by each, the more traffic will stack up behind. And no traffic engineer can tell me the stacks are safe.


That's the real problem, it's not the guy doing 64 in the right hand lane, it's the guy passing at 65 taking his sweet time causing the rolling road block.

This idea of everyone going the same speed is not very realistic.
Most highways in America with speed limits of 70 or more have light traffic. Give people space. The faster you drive, the more room everyone needs especially if you are towing.

Ever drive the Autobahn in Germany? They have extreme differences in speed. The number one (right hand lane) are trucks going 45-50 mph. In the number two lane are mostly cars and faster trucks in the 60-70 range. In the number three or more lanes are people going 90, 100, or even 130 mph or more. People do not change lanes without changing speed. That is how you stay safe.

If you are towing, be mindful of your stopping distance.

Like I have said, I have drove millions of miles. Somebody driving 20 per below flow of traffic has never put me close to a accident. (Me driving 20 faster than flow has) But one thing I wish is when you are on open road, decide what speed you want to drive and hold that speed or slow if somebody is passing. You cruise control is everybody's friend. The 'he's passing speed up' is bullsnot. If I come up behind a slower car, I can check traffic behind, decide what will be better, slow a little, or drop the hammer. And if you step out to pass, get it done, and get out of that left lane. No matter ho fast you drive, somebody wants to go faster. The more time vehicles run side by each, the more traffic will stack up behind. And no traffic engineer can tell me the stacks are safe.

Lynnmor wrote:
Yep, it's the slower guy that is the problem. If we would just find the highest recorded speed on that highway and require everyone to run at that speed, just imagine how safe we would all be.

What might make sense is to actually understand that we are all traffic, not just those that run at illegal speeds, and instead of giving the fast crowd the consideration, but instead come back to common sense and let the fast crowd adjust to my speed. If they can't grow up it's their problem.

Reducto Ad Absurdum

If you read my earlier post, the ideal is for everyone to go roughly the same speed.

Politicians set the upper bound (and lower on freeways) but you aren't far off from how speeds are set. The primary tool we use is to measure the 85th percentile speed and round it off to the nearest 5mph.

The old slogans about "speed kills" is more correctly stated as "differential speed kills". Our safest roads by a couple orders of magnitude are also our fastest roads. Mostly because "differential speeds are small".

Moral discussions or police tickets have never been found to be effective in the long term addressing this issue. Setting realistic speeds have been found to reduce crashes.

65 is fast enough for us.

Even tho we're not in any hurry traveling, try going 1500 miles on secondary roads through every little town and village with 25 MPH speed limits and multiple stop lights. Then there's the areas out in the Farm Lands where the speed limit is still only 40 or 45, you can never get the Xmission close to overdrive.
I run 65 because any slower in Tow/Haul mode my TV won't shift up to 6th and much faster and I can watch the Fuel Guage go down.

Lynnmor wrote:
Yep, it's the slower guy that is the problem. If we would just find the highest recorded speed on that highway and require everyone to run at that speed, just imagine how safe we would all be.

What might make sense is to actually understand that we are all traffic, not just those that run at illegal speeds, and instead of giving the fast crowd the consideration, but instead come back to common sense and let the fast crowd adjust to my speed. If they can't grow up it's their problem.

Blowing it our of proportion. Not saying highest speed is safe either just that. Higher speed than traffic flow or lower speed than traffic flow is a hazard. Both are issues. Drive the speed limit or close to it and it makes everyone safer. 20 MPH below or above is dangerous.