Drivers who are permanently in a ‘pissed off’ mood because they are unable to overtake everything ahead of them as they please and see everyone who impedes their efforts as unfit to drive often have a miserable time dealing with others at work and at home. Driving at ‘reasonable’ speeds and moving to the right except when passing are certainly givens but with left exits, heavy truck traffic blocking the view of overhead signs and drivers who rush to fill the “safety zone” that many of us feel comfortable keeping makes it difficult to drive sensibly these days. Speed limits are based on averages and myself and a significant number of ‘seasoned’ drivers who prefer reasonable speeds are calculated into the mix. Hopefully a great many young drivers will live to be seasoned drivers due to speed limits allowing for myself and others driving 45… Usually 65+.
I agree with MikeInNh that truck drivers are not the slowest. But, by their very nature, their speeds are the most erratic. Even the best of them will let let speeds build up going down hills, so much, it makes it impossible to pass when they then drop to well below on uphills.
Their speed variation makes them especially troublesome when it’s accompanied by the occasional bad driver in the cab. I recently had an encounter with one I swear, took his driving test from Steven Spielberg. In their defense, trying to suddenly stop or evade at higher speeds, creates huge control problems but I would like to see their speeds moderated to below higher speeds suggested. If Texas or anyone, especially with hills wants increase speeds, let’s not include trucks.
Impossible I know, but lets build dedicated truck roads-Kevin
Truck speeds seem very predictable. Their speed increases on descents and decreases on ascents. And because most are paid by the mile drivers take advantage of every opportunity to keep their speed up. In another thread someone mentioned that Texas raised the speed limit of trucks up to that of cars. That seems a shame. The lower limit seemed to improve the traffic flow. But, of course, hills are not a great issue in Texas.
Truck speeds seem very predictable. Their speed increases on descents and decreases on ascents. And because most are paid by the mile drivers take advantage of every opportunity to keep their speed up.When I was a company truck driver, if I let my speed build beyond the governed speed of the truck (64 MPH) while going downhill, the computer would beep and log the fact that I had exceeded the company's speed limit. When drivers got too many of those warnings, they were penalized by either getting fired or not getting pay raises. In addition, drivers with too many "over speed" warnings often had to come off the road to take a safety class.
Ironically, the company is named “Swift.”
When I was training , my trainer and I spent most of our time hauling FedEx and UPS freight. These are often the lightest loads any driver can get, making uphill speeds a little less predictable. Once my training was over, I hated hauling Gatorade and giant rolls of paper through the mountains.
IMO a 65 MPH speed limit leads to slower driving than 55.
W\ a 55 mph limit, people who would normally drive 65-75 are already at a speed at which they will get a very expensive ticket, so why not drive at the high end of that, or push it out to 80-85?
When it’s a 65 mph zone, people can be around 70, feel like they’re moving, and be comfortable that they won’t be ticketed (and here in CT, troopers have told me they won’t ticket unless the car is 8-10 over the posted limit unless there’s a push on to increase citations).
When it's a 65 mph zone, people can be around 70, feel like they're moving, and be comfortable that they won't be ticketed (and here in CT, troopers have told me they won't ticket unless the car is 8-10 over the posted limit unless there's a push on to increase citations).
On Rt 95 in MA when traffic is moderate to light…the average speed is anywhere from 75 to 90. The cops only pull over the real aggressive drivers. I was doing 80+ going past a cop on the side of the road with a radar gun on more then one occasion and never been pulled over.
They must have had bigger fish to fry that day. But you’re right for the most part. If nearly everyone is close to that speed and you are going with the flow, I doubt a cop is going to go 95 to catch you while weaving in and around othe 80 mile per hour goers.
But if everyone else is going 65 and you are going 80 plus, you will appear to be the more aggressive driver. You experienced MA drivers have a knack for picking your spots…I just follow you when in the area and make sure I’m the “passed” and not the passer when going faster then posted sped limit.
There are a lot of interesting points being made. The actual speed limit isn’t what the signs say, but what cops enforce. Going barely over the 80 mph limit on I-10 can get you stopped, but going 80 in a 60 in Dallas or Fort Worth will be ignored if you’re just keeping up with traffic. The “effective speed limit” seems to be closer to what the signs say during periods of light traffic.
But to address the original topic, posted limits above 75 are being applied only to lightly traveled freeway-grade roads. Picture I-10 near Fort Stockton - four lanes, widely divided, mostly arrow-straight with visibility for miles, exits miles apart, and 5,000-8,000 vehicles per day. Traffic, as most people think of it, doesn’t exist. Passing usually involves looking in your mirror to see no one following, or someone following a mile behind. It would be a challenge to find someone else to run in to. I find 80 perfectly reasonable here, and see no reason 85 wouldn’t be. If it’s reasonable there, then maybe this new toll road will be similar. If the road can handle it and traffic conditions don’t impede, then why not allow it?
In Central MD it depends on the road. On one road, the police rigidly enforce the 55 MPH limit, while on several others, you can be going 65 in a 55 and be passed by the police. I’m not sure where they’re going, but it isn’t to stop speeders.
Try that zooming around here and there is a good chance it will be your “lucky day” the cops around here have a quota and dont mind filling it,yes higher speeds are more dangerous then moderate speeds-Kevin
Most of the truck traffic I see in California isn’t moving that fast. Many are clearly heavily loaded and doing 65 or less when the cars average 75. There are some empty trucks keeping up with the cars, but most aren’t. Diesel fuel is expensive and fuel economy drops dramatically at high speeds. The truckers I know (a few in my family and some friends) are very concerned with fuel economy, or the companies they work for are and have equipment enforcing lower speeds. When we drive to Southern California we’re OK keeping up with the average trucks and letting the faster drivers go by. Less work that way. On the local freeways the trucks are not such a factor, as they are so outnumbered. Many are smaller trucks that keep up with the cars just fine.
Barkydog
June 13
Sure, but IMHO it boils down to the driver. Me I would be happy with 100 mph, but it is not about me, it is about every one else on the road.
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But you are an expert driver, right??
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I certainly haven’t read all the posts but someone has probably used the old canard that “Germany has no speed limit and not as many accidents so the fault is with the [US drivers/ slower US limits/ indestructible German cars/ gloomier German weather – pick one or all].” If you look at World Health Organization statistics, you will indeed find that Germany has considerably fewer fatal accidents per person and driver-miles as the US, BUT on a passenger-mile basis, the two countries come out nearly equal. In other words, it’s highly likely the lower German fatality rate correlates more with fewer miles driven than with any superiority in driving conditions, cars, or drivers. It’s a lot more complicated than that, because many other factors are involved as well (and relatively few German roads have no speed limits and even the Autobahns have many traffic slowdowns), but the data point to lower miles driven in Europe, and the data suggests the German speed limit policy may have little to do with lower fatalities.
Agree with satisficer, I work with many people with a company partner to mine, from Germany, and they report two things that matter here. Firstly, due to some truly horrible accidents, at least near cities speed limits are going up on the autobahns. They do have better lane discipline, etc., but when things do go wrong, at high speeds they go wrong horribly.
Secondly, Germany, like the rest of Europe, is covered with rail lines and these take the bulk of inter-city traffic. Also, cities are more centralized; it’s not like you have to go out to the far 'burbs to get home every day.
Probably, the drivers are better, but that’s because there are other really good ways to get around, so people can self-select out of the autobahns. That just isn’t going to happen in the USA.
I suspect young German drivers are better, because they take driver training seriously and many young people can’t afford to drive, but once drivers have a few years experience I doubt they are any more skilled there than here. German roads are excellent and they have plenty of honest cops patrolling them, but they still have accidents and people die. Most of them on roads with speed limits not much above ours. When the German government was threatening to put national speed limits in place (to save fuel) a few years ago, the loudest protests came from the automakers. They constantly use that lack of speed limits to sell their cars as the very best and worth a premium even when they’re not very good (nor even made in Germany, often.)