Forum Discussion
pnichols wrote:
Why is it that if "speed differential is the problem" ... the conversation ALWAYS winds up going somewhere like "the at or under the speed limit drivers should for safety speed up to match those going over the speed limit?
How about the other way around .... the gas pedal can be lifted as well as depressed.
Where do the Over-The-Limiters think speed limits come from? I guess they think that highway engineers know nothing and are wasting tax payers' dollars ... might as well fire them all. Yeah .... let's move onward and upward to vehicle speed anarchy where drivers can do as they please speed-wise all the time, everywhere.
Turn the nervous system jitters down a notch, relax, listen to some music, and start respecting a bit more what highway engineers do.
The highway engineer in our bunch already explained why people won’t always slow down...it’s not always the correct answer (i.e. the 85 percentile guideline). Speed anarchy...lol. Nice exaggeration. If you want to suggest changing 85 percent of the population’s behavior to suit yours, you’re in for a frustrating exercise.
Speed limits come from all kinds of places, some without proper engineering. The small town near me turned a major road into a 20mph school zone for over 9 blocks. The school’s completely fenced ball field touches 1/2 of a block of road frontage. When I wrote the city, I was told they didn’t have money for the engineering study (that I showed them was suggested by the state that they do) and that I could pay for one myself if I wanted.
Yes, some roads require a little enforcement to bring the top speeders back into line.- Why is it that if "speed differential is the problem" ... the conversation ALWAYS winds up going somewhere like "the at or under the speed limit drivers should for safety speed up to match those going over the speed limit?
How about the other way around .... the gas pedal can be lifted as well as depressed.
Where do the Over-The-Limiters think speed limits come from? I guess they think that highway engineers know nothing and are wasting tax payers' dollars ... might as well fire them all. Yeah .... let's move onward and upward to vehicle speed anarchy where drivers can do as they please speed-wise all the time, everywhere.
Turn the nervous system jitters down a notch, relax, listen to some music, and start respecting a bit more what highway engineers do. valhalla360 wrote:
...The old slogan "speed kills" is flat out wrong. It's "differential speed kills". Heavy enforcement tends to increase differential speeds.
Both are wrong. It isn't the speed, it is the sudden stop that kills.colliehauler wrote:
Lynnmor wrote:
Not according to the highway patrol. Twice a year the highway patrol put on safety meetings at the company I worked for, trooper Ben Gardner did the presentation speed differential was the cause of most accidents. The person driving to slow was just as hazardous as the person driving to fast. I don't think the highway patrol would lie to me.valhalla360 wrote:
Enforcement doesn't work. Drivers (as a group) are very good at determining an appropriate speed and short of permanent ongoing enforcement, you won't have any impact on the long term average speed. It will go down while heavy enforcement is in place but as soon as you stop, it will go right back up.
Worse, those familiar with the heavy enforcement may slow down but those not familiar will try to continue at reasonable speeds.
The old slogan "speed kills" is flat out wrong. It's "differential speed kills". Heavy enforcement tends to increase differential speeds.
What planet are you referring to? Here on Earth the opposite is true.
We were also required to take the Smith driving course every year, along with CPR, first aid and fire training.
Study after study in my state has been done. I've read them all. They all state speed differential was the biggest hazard not speed. Why we still have towing laws set at 55 MPH in my state is beyond me. I can only come to one logical conclusion: "revenue enhancement."DutchmenSport wrote:
The article says no where how fast or slow this offender was going. If the "offender" was traveling the speed limit, then this office is completely wrong. Speed limit is that THAT .... L I M I T!!!! Any lane. Now, I can see if the speed limit is 65 and the offender is traveling 40 in the "fast lane." Then yes, there is justification. But if the "offender is traveling 65, she was not wrong ... EVERYONE ELSE IS. But YOU are probably one of those who think the law doesn't mean anything either! Drive any speed you want as long as you don't get a ticket! WRONG! You are still breaking the law!
The law doesn't take into account the speed of the offender (that would be the next LEO down the road's job). The primary purpose of the law is to keep traffic moving. This isn't the same as the Drive Right, Pass Left law. Georgia calls it the Left Lane Hog law, Indiana calls it the Slow Poke law. If there are 20 people behind you in the left lane and you aren't passing anyone, then you are "hogging the lane" and the Left Lane Hog Law applies.
Obviously this state trooper is not a hero, but it certainly is nice to see the law enforced. There have been plenty of times when I have wished a GA state trooper would enforce it.
-MichaelLynnmor wrote:
Not according to the highway patrol. Twice a year the highway patrol put on safety meetings at the company I worked for, trooper Ben Gardner did the presentation speed differential was the cause of most accidents. The person driving to slow was just as hazardous as the person driving to fast. I don't think the highway patrol would lie to me.valhalla360 wrote:
Enforcement doesn't work. Drivers (as a group) are very good at determining an appropriate speed and short of permanent ongoing enforcement, you won't have any impact on the long term average speed. It will go down while heavy enforcement is in place but as soon as you stop, it will go right back up.
Worse, those familiar with the heavy enforcement may slow down but those not familiar will try to continue at reasonable speeds.
The old slogan "speed kills" is flat out wrong. It's "differential speed kills". Heavy enforcement tends to increase differential speeds.
What planet are you referring to? Here on Earth the opposite is true.
We were also required to take the Smith driving course every year, along with CPR, first aid and fire training.- My dog is not in this fight. :W however i thought the left lane was for two types of vehicles. LEO and vehicles running government plates. BTW, I was surp0rised the Officer had the nads to do the right thing.
valhalla360 wrote:
Enforcement doesn't work. Drivers (as a group) are very good at determining an appropriate speed and short of permanent ongoing enforcement, you won't have any impact on the long term average speed. It will go down while heavy enforcement is in place but as soon as you stop, it will go right back up.
Worse, those familiar with the heavy enforcement may slow down but those not familiar will try to continue at reasonable speeds.
The old slogan "speed kills" is flat out wrong. It's "differential speed kills". Heavy enforcement tends to increase differential speeds.
What planet are you referring to? Here on Earth the opposite is true.fj12ryder wrote:
No the problem is that you think you are above the law.pnichols wrote:
The problem is that you equate bad driving to speeding. Speed had nothing to do with the bad driving. Speed was secondary to his lousy driving. I speed all the time, usually a couple mph over the limit, but most of the time you'd never know it because I ride smoothly, and rarely ruffle feathers.
Most of these type discussions seem to always gravitate towards wrongly opinioned conclusions something like this:
"If vehicles all around you are going over the speed limit and you're not and if there is not a right-hand slow lane or appropriate slow vehicle turnouts ... then you are out of line if you don't speed up to match the rest of the law breakers."
And the bottom-line justification for the above position being in the right is usually "safety".
The above is baloney thinking.
How about more enforcement of speed limits and way stiffer fines for the caught speed law violators? Maybe more (expensive) law enforcement officers and their vehicles is not required. Maybe it's instead way cheaper and better to use license plate reading radar detectors installed all over the country to slow drivers down.
For example, a couple weeks ago we were traveling downhill on a winding mountain road with a 40 MPH speed limit and we were traveling 2-3 MPH faster and still barely safely than this in our motorhome. There were no safe pullouts and no road shoulders. An impatient pickup soon pulled up behind, tailgating us. The pickup (male) driver soon passed us crossing double yellow lines, gave use a certain finger as he passed us, and quickly pulled away obviously going way faster than 40 MPH.
The above baloney stuff goes on all the time. Something is out of whack on this county's roadways. When is it going to end? For Pete's Sack ... IMHO millions of drivers need to slow down and smell either the roses or the fuel fumes!- The problem with modern society's penchant for dubbing every Tom, Dick and Harry "hero" is that it makes nobodies out of actual heroes...
