Prevailing Speed

[pitch]

How fast do you drive in an unfamiliar area and how or do you determine the prevailing speed.
Please do not respond with "drive the speed limit",as that is almost never the prevailing speed. In NY on most two way highways, "one lane each direction", the speed limit is posted at 55. The prevailing speed is about 62.
How fast is the PREVAILING speed in your area?
I always hate being in an unfamiliar area and having traffic stack up behind me. I do not want to hold folks up, but the again I don't want to be the out of stater, that is rounding out a small town budget.
This query is born of the "do you pull over thread"

[Grit_dog]

Goofy question. People actually spend time thinking or worrying about this??

[ol_Bombero-JC]

.

Prevailing speed/s on busy freeways in my area of So. CA:

NON-rush hour/s -
Towing "anything": approx 60-65 mph. (speed limit for towing is 55 mph)
Not towing: 70-85 mph (speed limit is 65 mph)

Rush hour/s - approx 0 mph to 10-15 mph (no choice) for everyone...:W

How fast do *I* drive?
NON-rush hours:
Towing about 60 mph. (Will result in semis "tailgating")
Not towing - slightly less than the fastest "point man", which means
don't drive "slowly" at 70 mph in the fast lane.

Rush hour/s: Always avoid 'em like the plague.
With RV - departure in the wee hours of the AM (like 2 or 3 AM)

~

[Cloud_Dancer]

Me, driving my big motorhome and towing my GMC Envoy,....we present a big profile. All drivers see me, and right away they know an old retired guy is driving his big-rig pride and joy. They know I can't go as fast as the speed of the prevailing traffic. They look out for me,.......right?

[john_bet]

Why are people so inset on a prevailing speed? Why do they want to go faster than the posted speed? What are they gaining? I for one one simple do not understand the attitude.

[gbopp]

Popsie wrote:
I know of at least two states where the Highway Patrol selects out of state drivers for speeding tickets when they are cruising with the flow of traffic while the flow is exceeding the speed limit.

In other words, the speed limit is 65, the traffic is all driving at 75, and the out of stater is picked out of the pack for a ticket.

I think you can imagine why this is done.

Are you going to share with us the state's you know do this?

[2oldman]

It's common in Southern California to have stop lights on 55mph 'freeways'. Really annoying. What I will not do is race along with the traffic to get to the next red light.

[NMDriver]

I am a flow of traffic driver. Generally that means going 5-7 mi. over the limit.

Research has shown that the probability of a crash increases as drivers deviate from the average flow speed. In other words the slower or faster you are in relation to the flow speed the more likely you are to be in an accident.

"In 1964, Solomon researched the relationship between average speed and collision rates of automobiles and plotted the results. While others have attempted to quantify the relationship between average speed and collision rates, Solomon's work was both "the earliest and best known". Solomon conducted a comprehensive study of more than 10,000 collision-involved drivers and their vehicles and how other roadway, driver, and vehicle characteristics affect the probability of being involved in a crash. He found that the probability of being involved in a crash per vehicle-mile as a function of on-road vehicle speeds follows a U-shaped curve with speed values around the median speed having the lowest probability of being in a crash. Although typically called the Solomon curve, the U-shaped curve has also been referred to as the Crash Risk Curve."

[down_home]

Ordinary and prudent. I drive with the flow of traffic. If it exceeds my capabilities I stay in the right lane or let it pass.
Comfort level in coach with toad is a lot less than car in congested traffic or curvy roads just like everyone else.
I'm not going to try to force everyone to conform to my speed or operation of vehicle.
The primary concern on roadway is not causing an unsafe situation not the speed limit sign.

[motorcycle_jack]

I've read these replies and find everyone's comments interesting. Since this was asked in an RV forum, I feel the answer has to be answered in the best possible RV response. Some answers came close but not in my opinion well enough. YOUR prevailing speed must be based on your RV components. First go to the tire manufacturer's page and get the tire speed vs. weight load chart. Then look at your RV's laden weight (weighed at a scale not guessed at or assume). Next visualize the road you will be on (road surface, curves vs straight, traffic load, etc.) The higher the laden weight, the lower your speed should compared to the tire charts speed. The worse the road conditions or more traffic, then again lower your speed. On an interstate with my highly loaded RV and moderate traffic, I'll try to maintain 60 mph (5 less than my tires max at the weight I haul). Higher traffic will lower that by 5mph. I want to get where I'm going but wont sacrifice going faster for safety in any situation. Vehicles that come up behind me are never impeded by more than a couple of minutes.

[Popsie]

I know of at least two states where the Highway Patrol selects out of state drivers for speeding tickets when they are cruising with the flow of traffic while the flow is exceeding the speed limit.

In other words, the speed limit is 65, the traffic is all driving at 75, and the out of stater is picked out of the pack for a ticket.

I think you can imagine why this is done.

[TOMMY47]

If you're being tailgated doing the speed limit or a few over, you will be tailgated at any speed. Many times, I've driven at 10 over, passing the cars in the inside lanes, and had completely irate drivers right on my bumper. I think their issue is that I should be tailgating the folks in front of me. Because I won't, they go nuts. When they get past me, they immediately speed up to catch the faster vehicles and begin tailgating them.
When traveling, I do 62 on fast roads and 55 when that's the speed limit. If possible, I'll move aside if it's safe. Always in the right lane on roads with 2 lanes in my direction.

[ken56]

Gotta love Texas. Their 2 lane roads are 70-80 mph even though when I was pulling my trailer I only did 65, the limit on my ST tires. Sure there is a buffer on that limit but I don't care to push it. The guy behind me isn't the one who is going to pay my insurance deductible or buy me a new trailer. As for getting pulled over and ticketed for doing the speed limit I would hope a court would take to task any officer who thinks they can suspend state law all on their own. Absurd, and anyone who willingly pays a fine for obeying the law is daft. I try to be mindful of those behind me though and do pull over if I can safely to let people pass.

[sdianel_-acct_c]

In Texas the prevailing speed is 80!! We travel the speed limit or below. On interstate highways where the speed limit is 70mph we travel 63mph and stay in the right lane. We also use US highways and state highways when we can so that we don't have to keep up with the prevailing speed on interstate highways. Speed in an RV or towing an RV is extremely dangerous.

[tpi]

Also at least for me, I'm sightseeing when I'm traveling. The higher the speed, the higher the total concentration necessary to pilot these beasts. And the less chance to process the scenery around you. There has to be a compromise struck -these RVs handle nowhere near as well as even basic commuter cars. For me that is to slow down to a comfortable pace-a pace typical of RVs. But with an eye towards allowing vehicles to pass when possible.

Lets say a typical commuter car will generate .8 g of cornering force. What does an RV develop? I've briefly pushed my class C at the rate of .3 or .4. Felt like it was getting towards the limit. Plus it sure didn't seem right for the contents of the cupboards and closets. How can you keep up with prevailing speeds with this kind of capability?

[Dog_Folks]

tsetsaf wrote:
....Walk inside a Walmart and look at the general population... these are the folks defining your "prevailing speed" argument. I would rather trust my judgement over the prevailing judgement... just saying.

Don't know WalMart can be used as a standard.

A lot of us do not shop in WalMart....juts saying.