The last time I drove a truck in Ohio, they had a similar setup (differential speed limit).
@Bing, I guess you wouldn’t like the Autobahn in Germany then. In rural areas where cars have no speed limit, trucks over 3500-kg are limited to 80 kph (54 MPH). When I was there in 2003, every truck obeyed that limit. Our cousins said that there were hefty fines if the truckers were caught speeding and that the police did not let it slide. So that pretty much guarantees that there will be a huge difference in speeds all over Germany, and that is what I observed.
Yeah I guess I never noticed it in Germany because our tour guide insisted the bus not exceed 80.
Texas just got rid of all differential speed limits (truck/car, day/night). Much simpler.
The speed limits in Germany are simple. There is a very long line of 18-wheelers in the right lane going 80 KPH and cars venture into the left lane to pass. Everyone pulls over quickly after passing because they know someone going 150 or more will be on their tail quickly.
@FoDaddy
No one can disagree with your reasoning taking extreme cases as you do. Comparing 45 mph with 70 or 80 is one situation that I seldom if ever have encountered. I don’t see anyone routinely driving 45 mph on restricted highways any more then I see people driving 80 mph on unrestricted highways with 45 mph speed limits. That kind of differential just does not exist on a routine basis to make a "matter of fact statement " that if the crowd (95%) is going 80, you should be too. This as a speed differential does not routinely exist in areas where even you should think anyone should be going 80 mph.
It happens, in my experience, on 65 mph highways and a few passing lane speeders start diving 80 mph. Those in the right lane, even if they’re are fewer of them driving 70 mph, which I routinely do, are not safer jacking the speed up to 80 and just adding to the mix, regardless of the vehicles they are in, the passengers they carry, the weather or the experience of the driver. The average older driver, teen age driver, texting driver, driver with under inflated tires, drivers with substance abuse problems ( and there are more then you would ever guess even if they are not drinking or consuming at the time) and a whole plethora of exceptions which could account for nearly half the drivers out there; and they are not safer driving 80in high traffic areas UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES. That is because it takes a high traffic area to justify your speed differential reasoning.
EXCEPTIONS ARE areas as in our state where the limits are higher(75 mph) because of the low traffic density and limited on and off ramps. 80 is not unreasonable, as in these areas , the traffic density is so low, not everyone is apparently doing it. In this case, those driving as low as 60 to 65 mph do not present any more of a problem as there is much more room to maneuver around them. And still, almost no one is driving 45 mph. It’s just another reason to speed that is not legitimate. IMHO…
Already the argument has shifted form 80 mph to 70 plus. I think even those of you who promoted traveling with the “flow of traffic” may feel that 80 mph speeds are not justifiable. I have never seen a situation where 95% of the traffic was driving 15 mph over the speed, never, not even in terrible NE and not for sustain periods. Yes, you can get a snap shot in time where you may be the only one in a stream of traffic, all of whom is passing you at 80, but it is never the vast majority of drivers over time and it doesn’t justify you jumping into this stream just to make a point.
yeah, I m not driving 80 in my jeep at any time, unless im being chased by the taliban
@dagosa It’s not just extreme cases. Even is the speed limit is 65 MPH and the prevailing speed limit is 75 MPH, which I think is a fairly common situation. It’s still better to keep with the prevailing traffic. Because, once again, a 10 MPH speed differential is safer than a 0 MPH speed differential.
Ok, now that may seem to make more sense, as an argument as we are now down to 10 mph over the limit and only dealing with speed differences of ten mph…but. Here is the problem though when jumping on with people going 10 miles per hour over the speed limit in my experience. You then become the problem when ever you see a cop car or change in situation and the entire group starts changing their speeds to get to that magic 5 mph over or less. I see it pretty routinely when driving now. Speeders vary their speed more then anyone else and it’s more difficult to use the cruise and be around then those within a sane margin of the speed limit. They create more problems then they solve.
When I worked as a cop and while driving down the highway or even parked, people within 5 mph of the speed limit often paid the cruiser no mind. Speeders were slamming on brakes, ducking into another lane…it was comical if it wasn’t so dangerous. Speeders were always among the more erratic drivers just to somehow rationalize their existence. When driving an unmarked car, I found they were the least tolerant, most aggressive and plainly, the most dangerous drivers on the road…and that includes ALL drivers who drive that fast over the limit, even in groups ! If you followed them long enough, the offenses other then speeding could mount up from following too close, failure to yield, failure to use proper signals, all things that happen routinely when people drive too fast around other cars. Yes, they say it too, they are doing it to remain safe when pulled over. Then I ask them about all the other offenses they sometimes accumulate. They have no reply. Sorry my good friend, I don’t buy it.
It’s those who vary their speed that create the most problem, not those who obey the speed limit. Speeders vary their speed more then other drivers do as well as their lanes, just to keep their speed up.
@dagosa is the principle of it, any numbers you care to use doesn’t really matter, it’s fundamental thing, whether it’s 1 MPH or 100 MPH, the difference is speed is the problem and nobody necessarily has to be speeding for there to be a substantial difference in speed between cars.
Lets not pretend that the posted speed limits have been calculated to be the precise, safest speeds from some mathematical and geological formula. In St. Paul there is a stretch of freeway that is posted at 45. It was a political decision to satisfy the neighborhood. Nothing to do with safety. In the metro area the limit is 55 on six or more lane highways regardless of traffic. Outside of the metro areas it is 70, but the two lane roads are still 55 that used to be 65. In South Dakota, the freeways are 75 which are the same exact design as the freeway in St. Paul that is 45. The two lanes in South Dakota are 65. So within a hundred feet is is safe at 65 but then only safe at 55.
So lets not pretend the posted speeds are the most correct. In SD I drive 75 or under in a 75 limit and 65 in a 65 limit. In Minnesota I drive slightly over 70 in a 70 limit and 65 in a 55 limit. Weather and traffic conditions permitting. Most other cars are doing the same thing and once in a while there will be a tractor doing 20 that poses a hazard.
The just raised a lot of speed limits in and around Dallas on the freeways because they were too low. I-45 south out of Dallas was the worst, often very light traffic, no hazards, and a low limit. Now it’s 70 I think, which is what it should have been.
Raise the price of gas to 10 bucks a gallon and what is going to happen? The cost of all goods and services will skyrocket and certain segments of the economy will suffer due to fewer miles being driven.
Place yourself into the position of owning a small company and relying on motor vehicles to conduct business. Would you still be happy knowing that your monthly fuel bill will double or triple and that it is not economically feasible to pass along the entire cost without alienating your customer base?
I know a couple who owned a local bar for several decades. One evening the wife told me that the beer distributor had raised prices on them 5 times in less than a year. Since beer is usually sold in 25 or 50 cent increments passing along that 10 or 15 cent increase at 25 cents a pop and doing so every few months is going to run off a lot of customers.
The biggest problem on highways related to speed is the variation of speed by the drivers them selves, not the speed differential between speeders and those traveling at the speed limit. It’s the speeders that vary their speed the most. The faster a group of cars go, the greater the individual drivers vary their speed. Not all the drivers in the group are equally capable as their speed increases. You are assuming that everyone has the reflexes of a race car driver. The individual variation of driver skill and their ability to react to problems become greater as the speed in erase. My good man; the discussion is not one in which only the physics involving speed differential is at work.
Back in 1974 or whenever it was when the freeways went from 70 speed limit to 55, one thing I really noticed was how much the cars all bunched together into big clusters. There was no speed differential hardly at all since no one would drive less than 55 so 20-30 cars would all be bunched together with no one able to break out of the bunch because you couldn’t drive any faster than that. I discussed this with a highway patrol friend and he agreed it created more of a hazard than if some drove 55, and some 60, 58, etc., but the law was the law and they had to enforce it or Nixon would pull the highway funds.
“Speeders were slamming on brakes, ducking into another lane…it was comical if it wasn’t so dangerous. Speeders were always among the more erratic drivers”
That is what I constantly see on the freeway
Guys are driving much faster than everybody else . . . if most guys are doing 70, these guys are probably doing 80-85
They’re weaving in and out of traffic, tailgating so close you can make out their eye color when they’re behind you, slamming on brakes, cutting in front of you, not using turn signals, not even looking before moving over one lane . . . and they’ve got one hand on the wheel, and the other on their handheld cell phone. And they’ve got shades on, even at night, so they can’t even see what they’re about to hit
Speed differential is not a problem, until you crash into the obstacle. As the driver in a faster moving vehicle coming up from behind, it’s your RESPONSIBILITY to notice the object in your path getting bigger and bigger well in advance. You are also responsible for look for an escape path to avoid such obstacle or take appropriate action, such as slowing down, to prevent contact with said obstacle. Anything on the road is an obstacle, be it a mattress that fell from a car, an 80000# semi going uphill, or a timid driver on the freeway
People wearing sunglasses at night are suspected drug users due to their eyes being dialated. I stay very clear of anyone wearing shades at night.
I used to always hear back in the seventies,that my car gets better gas mileage at 70,then it does at 55 mph(my Dodge truck seems to do its best at 45 mph)-Kevin