Actual driving speeds

In my high school driving class, I had a police officer state that he never pulled anyone over going less than 8mph over the speed limit. That has always stuck with me. On the freeway, however, I tend to go with the flow of the faster moving vehicles.

I drive when towing at what my tires are rated at or a little less. Mine, because of the load, are rated at 62 mph. I usually drive at 60 if the limit is higher, at the speed limit if it is lower than 60.

JAXFL wrote:
I really don't kinow where all you 60-62 MPH driver are. It never fails that when we travel by highway that I am passed numerious times when driving 65MPH by everything from TT to MH's in the 45' range. We normally drive I10 or I95...

North of you off of I-95 in Maryland. I hear you- we're constantly passed by other folks. Occasionally we'll get to pass someone, but it's rare (unless it's a long hill + a tractor trailer).

I really don't kinow where all you 60-62 MPH driver are. It never fails that when we travel by highway that I am passed numerious times when driving 65MPH by everything from TT to MH's in the 45' range. We normally drive I10 or I95 and without towing or driving the MH I average 75MPH and sometimes feel like I am stopped because of how fast the other cars are going past. In town the average speed limit is 45, most of the time you cannot do 45 as the people just will not move, the real average is 30MPH counting stop lights and traffic. This last weekend I tried to stay at 70 (the speed limit) and only got 6.445 MPG. That was not the plan so will slow back down to 55-60. JMHO.

Stanmawyer wrote:
My rule of thumb:

Speed Limit. My Speed
45. 45
50. 50
55. 60
60. 66
65. 72
70. 75-77
Generally prefer to remain in the right or middle lane, and pass only when the vehicle in front of us slows us by more than 5 mph. The VORAD system maintains separation from the vehicle we are following, based upon our speed. Higher speed, more separation, etc.

This is the closest thing to my answer - my speed depends on the speed limit when not towing.

Up to 30 mph, I generally drive right at the speed limit or 1-2 over.

From 35-45, I generally drive about 5 over (e.g. 40-50).

At 55, I do 9-10 over.

At 65 and up, I do 7-8 over.

When towing, the only difference is I max my speed out at 62-64mph regardless of what the speed limit is.

As for the naysayers and those who claim their lives were in danger, I drive the Baltimore/DC area and have never had a problem.

Why do you exceed posted speed limit?

I don't think it is country city. I am as you describe and my wife is like your city driver.

Many is the time I am waiting at an intersection and she says, "I would have gone."

Maybe it is roots. I was born country and she had 20 years of small city life before me.

First post:

I think it would be helpful for a lot of people to know what the local acceptable speeds are.
We all know 55 is a fantasy, so what do you really drive at home.

Additional post:

Why is it so hard to get a succinct answer to a simple question?

I am in unfamiliar territory. I wish to go some place in the region. I am not on an interstate.
At what general speed will other traffic I encounter be traveling?

Because your question was not succinct nor truly answerable. First post indicates you are talking about highway, i.e. reference to 55 mph.

I cannot tell on any given day what speed someone may be traveling on the secondary roads in my area. It depends on weather, traffic, if it's during the school year, and what mood people are in. You might as well ask "what's the best unit for me". I think the answers you have gotten fit the question you have asked.

I used to travel on business to many, many states - and the one common thing I picked up was that there is a difference between city drivers and country drivers.

No I don't mean the roads and the amount of traffic. I mean the characteristics individual drivers generally have.

Country drivers will wait at a stop sign until they can not see anyone at all before crossing. City driver gauge how much room there is in traffic and if they can cross without getting hit.

For City drivers, the speed limit is kind of a suggested lower limit, but Country drivers see it as an absolute and it would be better if you left some room for error.

Country drivers aren't worried about the time it takes to get where they are going. City drivers want to spend the minimum amount of time traveling. "They got stuff to do!"

People in our town drive at or just over the posted limit. A small town just south of us has overly active speed enforcement and if you're about ten over you're busted as they all have radar and many clever places to hide from traffic. The city police here are pretty easy going about it unless you're 15 over then they'll pounce.