National Speed Limit

[TheMalcolmConnection]

After a long discussion that I read on the "other" site about whether it's OK or not to drive in the left lane, I was thinking about this...say we decide to appease most everyone and up the speed limit to 75-80, hell why not 100? Would you be OK if car manufacturers put a governor on your car to only allow it to go 100?

No one wanted to answer that question and there are an abundance of jerkoffs saying, "Just get out of my way!" I'd love to hear your guys thoughts on this. It sparked a pretty lengthy discussion in my office too.

[Schneed10]

1) I don't think they should increase the speed limit. What is the advantage of doing that anyway?

2) If they did move the speed limit to 100 (a ridiculous notion), I would want them to put governors on vehicles. There are way more morons out there than there are people who can handle a car at 100 mph. I would plan to drive at 70 mph, a speed that I can handle well enough to transport my wife and daughter safely from one place to another. If some jerkoff is going to try to go over 100, he's risking my family's life. He better be prepared to deal with me physically when he comes to an offramp. So it's probably in everyone's best interests to keep cars under 100 mph, or I'd start kicking some moron ass. Seriously though, 100 mph isn't even close to safe. Seems like a dumb question to me.

3) I see nothing wrong with driving in the left lane, unless someone behind you wants to go faster. So drive in the left lane all you want, but if someone starts creeping on your bumper, move over and let them by.

[ArtMonkDrillz]

That's an interesting thought and off the top of my head I'd say it's a good idea. However, I think it would basically kill the sports car market, and we all know the automotive companies would never let that happen.
Also, some people seem to be scared to drive 65mph on I-95 even though it's the speed limit so I could never see them going as fast as 85, let alone 100. These people typically stick to about 55-60 and can create a real danger on the roads as it stands now, so I can't imagine what it would be like to stuck behind them on a freeway with that high of a speed limit.

[ArtMonkDrillz]

Originally Posted by Schneed10

3) I see nothing wrong with driving in the left lane, unless someone behind you wants to go faster. So drive in the left lane all you want, but if someone starts creeping on your bumper, move over and let them by.

I would agree with you on this one. The problem is that people don't seem to care who's coming up behind them. I think some drivers stick to the left lane so they don't have to deal with people exiting and entering the highway but don't take into consideration drivers who may want to pass.

Also, 100mph probably isn't a realistic speed limit, but 75-80 is. Is that too fast?

[Schneed10]

Originally Posted by ArtMonkDrillz

That's an interesting thought and off the top of my head I'd say it's a good idea. However, I think it would basically kill the sports car market, and we all know the automotive companies would never let that happen.
Also, some people seem to be scared to drive 65mph on I-95 even though it's the speed limit so I could never see them going as fast as 85, let alone 100. These people typically stick to about 55-60 and can create a real danger on the roads as it stands now, so I can't imagine what it would be like to stuck behind them on a freeway with that high of a speed limit.

Yeah exactly. What creates danger on the roadways is when you have different vehicles traveling at widely varying speeds. If everyone is moving 65 to 70 mph, it's a pretty safe environment. But if some are going 65 and some are going 100, it's essentially like the guy going 100 is driving through a slalom course of parked cars at the speed of 35 mph. Very dangerous.

And you should never force people to go faster than a speed they're comfortable with. That's the most dangerous of all. The last thing I'd want is to see 85 year old grandmas trying to navigate I-95 at 80 mph. It's dangerous to have them going 50 mph on I-95, but not as dangerous as having them go 80.

Speed limits have to stay at a level where almost every driver can find a comfortable speed and still keep speeds in a relatively tight range.

My question, who is thinking about changing speed limits up to 75 or 80? And my next question would be "what the F are you thinking, moron?" Or is this just a hypothetical?

[Schneed10]

Originally Posted by ArtMonkDrillz

I would agree with you on this one. The problem is that people don't seem to care who's coming up behind them. I think some drivers stick to the left lane so they don't have to deal with people exiting and entering the highway but don't take into consideration drivers who may want to pass.

Also, 100mph probably isn't a realistic speed limit, but 75-80 is. Is that too fast?

In certain remote areas, 75 or 80 would be fine. When you have low-volume roadways, you can increase the speed and still be pretty safe.

But along the I-95 corridor, where it's really busy, 75 or 80 would be irresponsible. The grandmas will still stick to 50 MPH, and now you'll have people stretching the higher speed limit and going up to 90. That's too much of a speed differential between the grandmas and the speedsters. You'd have too many deadly accidents, all so we could get someplace 10% faster. Not worth it.

You can't make speed limits a national thing and apply them to all interstates anywhere. If you tried to make I-76 here in Philly (the Schuykill Expressway) an 80 MPH road, it'd be complete suicide to drive on it. There are no shoulders in many spots; there is a concrete median in the center with no shoulder, and hardly any shoulder on the right, nestled right up against cliffs. Speed limits need to be set accordingly with local driving conditions in mind.

[TheMalcolmConnection]

Sorry, I went to lunch and couldn't respond to you guys.

I'm just saying those numbers as a jumping off point. I don't know what would be a good speed. It's 70 when I drive through TN and that's perfectly fine with me.

My main beef with people who drive in the left lane is that is most definitely clogs up traffic. It's illegal for one if you're not passing and two, it makes the jerks who want to blow around have to weave in and out of traffic to pass you drive even more dangerously.

Now, I'm not of the "GET ON THEIR ASS! THEY DESERVE IT!" persuasion, I was just reading some comments by a guy with the name of Larry on ES and he had some REALLY good points. I'll paste a few:

EXTREMESKINS.com - View Single Post - Is It OK To Drive In The Left Lane? Discuss

"I'm also being struck by another effect of the entitlement mentality: The tendency of the entitled to demand more.

Now, it's not only your Right to speed, and your Right to demand that lesser people get out of your way to make it easy for you to speed, it's your Right to endanger them if they trespass in your reserved road."

[firstdown]

Originally Posted by TheMalcolmConnection

Sorry, I went to lunch and couldn't respond to you guys.

I'm just saying those numbers as a jumping off point. I don't know what would be a good speed. It's 70 when I drive through TN and that's perfectly fine with me.

My main beef with people who drive in the left lane is that is most definitely clogs up traffic. It's illegal for one if you're not passing and two, it makes the jerks who want to blow around have to weave in and out of traffic to pass you drive even more dangerously.

Now, I'm not of the "GET ON THEIR ASS! THEY DESERVE IT!" persuasion, I was just reading some comments by a guy with the name of Larry on ES and he had some REALLY good points. I'll paste a few:

EXTREMESKINS.com - View Single Post - Is It OK To Drive In The Left Lane? Discuss

"I'm also being struck by another effect of the entitlement mentality: The tendency of the entitled to demand more.

Now, it's not only your Right to speed, and your Right to demand that lesser people get out of your way to make it easy for you to speed, it's your Right to endanger them if they trespass in your reserved road."

I do not think its against the law to drive in the left lane and not passing its one of those unwriten rules of the road. I do agree that if not passing to stay in the right lane. I like when one of those people who weave in and out of trafic gets behind me and there is a car beside me. I slow down a little and they switch lanes thinking that they can get around on that side. Then I speed up some and then they jump back in behind me as they think I'm passing the car beside me.

[ArtMonkDrillz]

As far as people pushing an 85mph speed limit (for example) to 90+, I would hope that the police would be less tolerant of speeders if the normal limit was already that high. Most cops will let you get away with going 70 in a 55 if the road is clear and you're not weaving in and out of lanes, but I don't think that should be the case if people are legally allowed to go that much faster.
To me it's like a parent allowing their teenager to stay out until 2am instead of 12 with the understanding that there will be leniency for breaking curfew by a couple of minutes.
I hope that makes sense, work has been mind numbing today.

[GhettoDogAllStars]

In most states, passing on the right is illegal. It's not illegal to hold up traffic by driving slow in the fast lane, but people hate it because it forces them to pass on the right -- which is usually illegal. In some places I have seen signs which read something like, "Slower Traffic Keep Right". In that case, it is illegal to hold up traffic in the left lane.

I live in Florida, and I'll tell you that NOBODY appreciates the left lane rule. There are ALWAYS people driving slow in the left lane, and they rarely get over. Usually when a person gets over from the left lane when I'm on their ass I think, "Oh, they must be an out-of-towner." I'm not even joking. There's no way that a Florida native would get over for another driver.

[TheMalcolmConnection]

Actually it is (I didn't think it was illegal either) from some of the laws posted over there. I'll find it and share it. Just thought it was interesting...

But yeah, it's really one of those situations where you give courtesy, you get courtesy.

I'll tell you this, if I'm passing and someone flies up behind me and gets right on my ass or GOD FORBID actually blinks their lights at me, I will slow down to impede their progress as much as humanly possible (of course I know this doesn't make it right). You give courtesy, you get courtesy.

If you're flying up on me, but you get a good distance away and DO NOT BREAK THE LAW by tailgating, I'll speed up, pass and get over ASAP. The slow people or people in general just DRIVING in the left lane clog up traffic so bad. I really just ask that people follow the law. I'm reading "over there" that people are saying that people who drive slow in the left lane deserve whatever they get.

That's where that above post from Larry comes in.

[GhettoDogAllStars]

I rarely ever give anyone a chance to get on my ass. I see them coming, and I get over. Why must people wait for me to slow down, before they get over? They can see me approaching them. They don't need to wait before getting over.

[TheMalcolmConnection]

But say you're passing someone, do you slow down and get over if someone is flying up on you?

[GhettoDogAllStars]

Originally Posted by TheMalcolmConnection

But say you're passing someone, do you slow down and get over if someone is flying up on you?

No. I speed up, then get over.

[GhettoDogAllStars]

Just a note: I only ride people's asses when I am feeling especially road-rageful -- which is almost never. But, I definitely hate when people get in my way by riding slow in the fast lane. I just don't ride their ass. I'm guess I'm playing the devil's advocate.