Do you obey the speed limit?

[borg69unimatrix]

^
Heh.

It's interesting and annoying to me that while Oregon's traffic laws remain the same, the defense that one's driving was safe given the conditions is no longer honored. So what changed? I see it as one of the drawbacks of "the rule of law", because it throws out common sense and exalts laws to divine-like status.

It's because the cities are funded by speed traps. State cops will give you warnings, but you're guaranteed a ticket by city cops.

[Alnitak]

It's because the cities are funded by speed traps. State cops will give you warnings, but you're guaranteed a ticket by city cops.

I was given a warning from a city cop recently just for keeping my mouth shut, i.e. not admitting I was the one who spun my tires.

[borg69unimatrix]

I was given a warning from a city cop recently just for keeping my mouth shut, i.e. not admitting I was the one who spun my tires.

Yeah... but you're cute. The pretty ones always get off with a warning.

[talbot57]

I do, having had a family member killed by a speeding driver. However, I was recently on one of the UK's new 'Smart' motorways, it was almost impossible to keep within the limits as the speed kept changing from 60mph to 40mph, and when it suddenly changes do you slam the brakes on?

[blackbeltninja]

In fact I disagree here as the slower you drive the easier it is to stop and avoid an accident.

The danger with slow drivers is the frustration they cause in other road users who, lacking all patience, will take any risk to overtake.

There should be no frustration... provided that the slow drivers are not obstructing traffic flow.

Nothing more off-pissing than someone doing 20 in rush hour gridlock when the car in front of them (and everyone around them) is managing to do 30 and a parade is forming behind them.

You don't have to speed. You do have to keep everything flowing.

-d-

[peeonme]

The roads that I travel to and from work are posted at 45mph, I stay in the slow lane until I come upon someone going slower, then when an opportunity presents it's self I pass.

I always leave for work much earlier than I need to, if I wait 15 more minutes I find that the volume of traffic has greatly increased.
By leaving early I avoid heavy traffic, I get better gas mileage as I am not sitting still. I never have to rush and I get the best parking at work.

I must admit to some frustration on the way home, I have had to learn to live with traffic back ups on occasion, anger and hast don't get me home any sooner.

My friend at work always complains about the slow drivers, he likes to do 60 in a 45 mph zone and can't seem to understand why others don't do the same.

I love all of your responses.

[borg69unimatrix]

You don't have to speed. You do have to keep everything flowing.

-d-

^^^ THIS. How do some drivers NOT see the 20 cars stacking up behind them? I think there's a law here that you're required to pull over and let faster traffic pass you if it's 5 cars or more, but I've yet to EVER see this actually enforced.

[pat grimshaw]

Question,
the US drive on the right hand side of the road but Canada drive on the Left hand side right?

is that so?

[smokeshadow]

The question I always have is, why? Why do drivers on city streets want to drive faster than the posted limit. In residential areas, 30 MPH is fast enough, maybe too fast if there are kids and toys running about. On major thoroughfares, 35 or 40 MPH seems to be an acceptable limit as these streets carry more traffic, might also be heavy commercial or retail strips with automobile traffic moving into and out of traffic. Why do drivers always want to drive 5, 10 or 15 MPH over the posted limit? No one has been able to give me a definitive answer. It can't be that they want to get to their destination faster, as you only save seconds over those of us who try to drive within a 5 MPH range of the posted limit. And, if you are trying to avoid the traffic lights, you might need to drive at 1.5 to 2 times the posted limit to catch all lights green, because unless traffic engineers have timed the lights correctly, the speed limit is what will get you through the most lights green. Not all of them, because IMO it would be extremely difficult to time every signal light exactly for every driver and every situation.

Besides, is one slows down, one doesn't feel the need to run that amber light and can safely stop without endangering oneself, the driver of the vehicle behind you (who is probably traveling 5 to 10 MPH above the limit anyway) and you won't get as frustrated.

[bankside]

is that so?

Canadians only drive on the left side of the road when the blowing snow makes lane positioning a random guess.

[Kulindahr]

It's because the cities are funded by speed traps. State cops will give you warnings, but you're guaranteed a ticket by city cops.

Except I wasn't talking about city cops, I was talking about all across the board -- city, county sheriff, state.

[Kulindahr]

^^^ THIS. How do some drivers NOT see the 20 cars stacking up behind them? I think there's a law here that you're required to pull over and let faster traffic pass you if it's 5 cars or more, but I've yet to EVER see this actually enforced.

I've seen it enforced. A guy got dinged for failing to maintain the minimum speed, failure to pull over when possible, impeding traffic, and then ten bucks a pop for each of the sixty-some cars behind him.

$360 for each of the three separate charges...

State cop HQ here a while back issued a directive telling cops to pay more attention to the slowpokes. I don't know anyone who's been ticketed, but I've seen a couple pulled over -- one just long enough to let the rest of us by.

[Kulindahr]

The question I always have is, why? Why do drivers on city streets want to drive faster than the posted limit. In residential areas, 30 MPH is fast enough, maybe too fast if there are kids and toys running about. On major thoroughfares, 35 or 40 MPH seems to be an acceptable limit as these streets carry more traffic, might also be heavy commercial or retail strips with automobile traffic moving into and out of traffic. Why do drivers always want to drive 5, 10 or 15 MPH over the posted limit? No one has been able to give me a definitive answer. It can't be that they want to get to their destination faster, as you only save seconds over those of us who try to drive within a 5 MPH range of the posted limit. And, if you are trying to avoid the traffic lights, you might need to drive at 1.5 to 2 times the posted limit to catch all lights green, because unless traffic engineers have timed the lights correctly, the speed limit is what will get you through the most lights green. Not all of them, because IMO it would be extremely difficult to time every signal light exactly for every driver and every situation.

Besides, is one slows down, one doesn't feel the need to run that amber light and can safely stop without endangering oneself, the driver of the vehicle behind you (who is probably traveling 5 to 10 MPH above the limit anyway) and you won't get as frustrated.

I got pulled over for being too slow in a residential area once. I recited the ball that had rolled into the street, the Frisbee laying in the street, the dog in an intersection, the cat dashing across, and the numerous kids involved with these, and said there was no way I was going to drive faster than seemed safe to me with all that. He seemed to ponder that, then put away his pad and told me to have a nice day. I wondered if he was picturing himself telling the judge he wanted me to drive at a speed that I considered unsafe when there were kids and pets involved.

[Rickrock]

I usually go between 5 and 10 mph over the posted speed limit. Most other drivers have done the same for years. It is only recently that I have come across cars going the speed limit or less and they drive me crazy.

In my state the speed limit on main roads is 35 mph except in business areas where it is 25. Residential side roads are 25. In my suburb they have several blocks of main roads at 35 and then several blocks of the same road at 25 and then several more blocks at 35 and later more at 25. Some people drive the slower speed the whole way. I understand why they do this, but I know where the speed limits change and it drives me crazy when I could be going faster but can't because they are in my way. I guess that my suburb is a speed trap.

[smokeshadow]

Rick - Why do you want to go faster? The posted speed limits will get you to your destination within less than a minute or two slower than if you drive your 5 to 10 MPH faster. That's not enough time, IMO, to make any difference

[cgymike]

Here there is rarely any chance to exceed it since the traffic is so bad. 65 mph is tops usually. Crazy. That's like 110 kph....slow!

[dpnice]

Here there is rarely any chance to exceed it since the traffic is so bad. 65 mph is tops usually. Crazy. That's like 110 kph....slow!

"Slow!"

In my daily journeys I never get over 50kph and most of the time due to limits I am driving at 30kph.

[blackbeltninja]

I got pulled over for being too slow in a residential area once. I recited the ball that had rolled into the street, the Frisbee laying in the street, the dog in an intersection, the cat dashing across, and the numerous kids involved with these, and said there was no way I was going to drive faster than seemed safe to me with all that. He seemed to ponder that, then put away his pad and told me to have a nice day. I wondered if he was picturing himself telling the judge he wanted me to drive at a speed that I considered unsafe when there were kids and pets involved.

Your cops have too much power, and too much time on their hands. Too slow in a residential area? Jeebers.

Is there no real crime in your country?

-d-

[Autolycus]

Where I live there is a long 30 mph stretch and with the aid of cruise control, I am able to stay on the limit much to the frustration of people who do not live locally and think they can go as fast as they like. In effect the limit is rather daft as 40 mph applies on a much longer stretch where there is far more housing and more traffic. The people who run our lives are slightly bonkers!

[smokeshadow]

True And, since I'm on cruise at 1 MPH over the posted limit; and, 99% of everyone else is blasting past me at 5, 10 or 15 MPH over the speed limit, I'm left to myself, with nobody slowing me down And, I get to my destination relaxed and within a few seconds behind the speed demons that passed me