The speed limit on the straight desolate paved road that goes past our place is 80 km/hr. The people who use the road drive whatever speed they please and for the most part it works fine ….. until you come across somebody driving 80 km per hour. The other day I was riding my bike through Banff national park and rode at the upper end of how fast traffic was moving …. about 130 km per hour. For the most part people drove 120 - 130 km/hr. Fortunately there wasn’t a sole driving the posted speed of 90 km/hr. How should we view speed limits? Is a speeding ticket simply a driving tax?

look at the bright side. you can drive 80. we have to drive 48. take the lemon and make lemonade.bumpuy

Years ago, when riding my bike across Montana, I was riding over the posted limit, but being passed by many vehicles. When stopped at a rest stop, I asked a guy about speed limit enforcement. He replied "if stopped, the fine is only $5.00, and ticket doesn't show on your record". I rarely got passed after that, and did lots of passing myself.I also remember riding in Canada, yes speeding, and many cars would pull to the shoulder to allow me by. Amazing, cars actually pulling over for a motorcycle! In my experience, Canadian folks were more courteous, which was noticed, beginning at the border crossings.Jerry

Speed limits need to be set to what the police are really going to enforce. What is legal and what you can get away with should be the same thing, especially as self driving vehicles become more common. One of the main issues with using Tesla self driving is that it won't let me keep up with traffic in many places. I can't blame manufacturers for not allowing people to use their programs to break the law since they could be held liable. Tesla does allow 5mph over the speed limit on non-divided roads and 10mph on divided roads but that generally isn't enough to keep up with traffic. If the cars were programmed to strictly follow the law there would be chaos on the roads. Limits should be limits, not political devices. They should also be reasonable.

Groover wrote:Speed limits need to be set to what the police are really going to enforce. What is legal and what you can get away with should be the same thing, especially as self driving vehicles become more common. IMHO, you have that bass ackward. If a cop is seen in traffic running over the limit, he better explain what is more important he is doing or head for unemployment line. Of course in many areas tickets are a tax. In my home town, every speed enforcement operation is out on the interstate. Limit 65, traffic moving 60+, tickets normally 75+, but all going the same direction. Most impact is between vehicles with a speed difference of maybe 20 MPH. Now look at the residential areas. Limit 25. At the limit, hit something coming out of cross street, 25 MPH impact. Then add the odds that crossing object might be a kid chasing a ball, 10 MPH over adds more risk. When the chief of police is asked, "It takes longer to spot 1 in light traffic, and cop is always facing the wrong way."

I agree that the posted 90 through Banff is painfully low. I drive that road a lot, and find everyone passes me. I used to be a road warrior in my younger years but now stick very close to the speed limit.I can't tell you how many times I run through that area and see speed traps. Not uncommon to see 3 or 4 from the gate at Canmore to Golden. And they always have people pulled over. Even though they have wildlife fences there are still those that make it past and cross the highway. That's one of the reasons they have it at 90. It's not until Canmore that it goes to 110. I'd hate to hit a deer while riding a bike.I drove it yesterday and was about 25K out of Calgary when 2 deer entered the highway right in front of me. Very close call.

Speed limits | Good Sam Community

Groover
Explorer II
Jul 22, 2021
I wish someone would explain the problem with differential speed to our lawmakers. I am not a commercial truck driver but I believe that having lower speed limits for them creates more problems than it solves.

Truck differential speeds is one reason that I am looking forward to the Tesla semi. The Tesla semi has enough power to pull the vast majority of hills at whatever speed the cruise control is set on and with regenerative breaking speeding going downhill has no benefit as the energy can be saved by other means.
valhalla360
Navigator
Jul 22, 2021
toedtoes wrote:
No, I am saying that the data does not suppoet your hypothesis that slow moving vehicles are the cause of collisions.

The facts are well established. The engineering community pushes the 85% speed because it's safer and the primary reason is it reduces differential speeds. You don't have to believe it but it's true.
JRscooby
Explorer II
Jul 22, 2021
rhagfo wrote:
Wow, how we digress!
Following distance, I like allowing enough space that I don’t need to be constantly watching the vehicle in front of me. I prefer to be looking a 1/4 mile or more ahead of me, I hate surprises! By looking well down the road I will see slowing, and or braking well ahead of me so I don’t need to be slamming on the brakes.
I see way too many lines of vehicles traveling at 60 to 70 mph less than a car length apart! This is how you get 30 car pileups!

Yes, much better to see the reason the car in front of you will slow down, before he starts to slow. But that does not help for say the deer that can't read the crosswalk sign.
Now once the tailgating gets tight enough that bumpers bump before the driver can hit brakes, it is better that they run real close together. When the first slows, the 2nd will hit while doing near the same speed.
ssthrd
Explorer
Jul 22, 2021
spoon059 wrote:
Bumpyroad wrote:
If one kid has an IQ of 100 and another gets in with an IQ of 100 the combined IQ would total out to about 60.
bumpy

None of us are as dumb as all of us...

Well said, bumpy. Funny things happen when a couple of youngins get together in a car.
rhagfo
Explorer III
Jul 22, 2021
Wow, how we digress!
Following distance, I like allowing enough space that I don’t need to be constantly watching the vehicle in front of me. I prefer to be looking a 1/4 mile or more ahead of me, I hate surprises! By looking well down the road I will see slowing, and or braking well ahead of me so I don’t need to be slamming on the brakes.
I see way too many lines of vehicles traveling at 60 to 70 mph less than a car length apart! This is how you get 30 car pileups!
toedtoes
Explorer III
Jul 21, 2021
Bumpyroad wrote:
Thunderbolt wrote:

I have to agree. this discussion is silly, bordering on stupid.
bumpy

Since when is a discussion on safe following distance silly ? There are many silly things discussed on this forum, but safety isn't one of them. Just because people have a differing opinion on what is safe makes it silly ?

I was referring to the quibbling about 3 or 4 seconds, of F-150 PU or VW bug, that debate was silly bordering on stupid.
bumpy

Actually what is silly is thinking everyone can easily judge distances while in a moving vehicle.
Bumpyroad
Explorer
Jul 21, 2021
Thunderbolt wrote:

I have to agree. this discussion is silly, bordering on stupid.
bumpy
Since when is a discussion on safe following distance silly ? There are many silly things discussed on this forum, but safety isn't one of them. Just because people have a differing opinion on what is safe makes it silly ?

I was referring to the quibbling about 3 or 4 seconds, of F-150 PU or VW bug, that debate was silly bordering on stupid.
bumpy
JRscooby
Explorer II
Jul 21, 2021
fj12ryder wrote:
The 2 second rule is decent, but they say that stopping distance increases at about the square of speed. So if you're going twice as fast, the stopping distance is 4 times as long as it was at the slower speed. So you're probably right that the 2 second rule doesn't work as well at higher speeds.

Ok, your stopping distance increases on the square. Does the other guy's stopping stay at the same rate as his speed increases? The 2 seconds is the time for you to realize the car is slowing, and how fast, and get on the brake to slow your vehicle. The issue really gets bad is when the lead vehicle can slow at a faster rate. Sometimes a truck will hit a car, knock it well out in front of the truck, then hit it again.
Thunderbolt
Explorer
Jul 21, 2021
Bumpyroad wrote:
toedtoes wrote:
Bumpyroad wrote:
toedtoes wrote:
Bumpyroad wrote:
toedtoes wrote:

They changed the wording from "at least one car length per every 10mph" to "at least three seconds" because it is easier to figure out.

I don't think that going down the road counting one thousand one, one thousand two, etc. and restart when another car pulls in front of you is easier than to estimate a car length behind a vehicle. in any event, there will not be any precision into any method is used to determine distance.
bumpy

Many people have difficulty estimating distances. And what "is" a car length? Is it a vw bug or a pickup or a sedan or a station wagon? Counting to three seconds takes those arguments out of the equation.

is that count to three, or one onethousand, two two thousand, etc.? what cadence do you use? when that car length was used many years ago I would assume that it was for a standard sized vehicle so it would probably equate to 1.273 of today's vehicle length.
bumpy :S

You're just being silly now. Is that 1.273 of a fiat or a Suburban?

I have to agree. this discussion is silly, bordering on stupid.
bumpy

Since when is a discussion on safe following distance silly ? There are many silly things discussed on this forum, but safety isn't one of them. Just because people have a differing opinion on what is safe makes it silly ?
Thunderbolt
Explorer
Jul 21, 2021
Cummins12V98 wrote:
The braking and handling of cars now compared to 1973 when I took my Drivers Ed simply do not compare. 2 seconds then makes 2 seconds now much safer.

Our teacher had us set in a chair in front of the class one at a time. He held a yardstick by the tips of his fingers with it dangling to the left of our right foot at one foot off the ground. He would let go and the challenge was to hit the stick before it hit the ground once he let it loose. No one could do this. He used this as an example of how long it takes to react.

Great teacher, when traveling at 70 on I-5 he always kept on us saying "keep it on the top side of 70". It was actually scary doing so in a 72 LTD boat of a car going thru the curves along Lake Samish.

I know what you mean about the handling of the car. I learned in a 74 Dodge Monaco which is about the same. After driving one of those cars any new car today feels like a sports car.

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