What is Digg?178 Comments
- toastgodsupreme, on 10/12/2007, -5/+51Meh. Watch this video, much more informative about the speed limit and how it needs to be changed.
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-5366552067462745475 - bribera, on 10/12/2007, -1/+34I remember my driver's ed teacher laughing at me when I told her that my mom always drove the speed limit. Soon after I got my license, I realized what an anomaly that actually is - and yet, my mother manages to do it. Happy Mother's day.
- willcode4beer, on 10/12/2007, -2/+28What gets me is (on a regular basis) observing cops travelling 10mph above the limit without emergency lights; or cops tailgating at 65mph.
Enforcing the law is fine but, I'd think that those who know better should be setting an example.
Hell, in the last couple of months my town has had two cops busted for drunk driving, in their police cars. - umfskibum, on 10/12/2007, -2/+22@ mfratt
No offense, but going 120 in a 55 and getting hurt isn't due to inexperience, it is due to irresponsibility. - JJP0223, on 10/12/2007, -6/+22Nice experiment
- inactive, on 10/12/2007, -0/+13it proved that when filming a video you really need microphones that are attached to people.
- mfratt, on 10/12/2007, -1/+13"In this country, the speed limits are used as a way around the constitution. They are knowingly set very low, so that everyone is a criminal, and can be pulled over at any time for "speeding"."
Sort of - they set them at 55 back in the 50's (if im not mistaken) because at that time, 55 was fast. They just havent changed them for your reason. If we are going to have a true "limit" it should be around 100mph. Modern cars (those that pass inspection can handle it).
Drivers, well thats another story. Massachusetts politicans want to raise the driving age to 18, which would do jack *****. We would then have 18 year old inexperienced drivers. A 16 year old freind of mine recently died when he crashed his BMW into a tree doing 120 in a 55 zone. This was not because of age, but inexperience. We need to make a more comprehensive drivers ed program and make it more difficult to get a license. Do that and you can issue them at 14. Germany's Drivers Ed program consists of a 1 year (?), 2000 Euro course, but look at how good of drivers it puts out. - enderu, on 10/12/2007, -2/+14That's been public information here since the start, it's no secret the Highway Patrol has been targeting people going 15mph over, in fact they advertised it, including it's year-long lifespan.
- RadicalBender, on 10/12/2007, -3/+15Meh. Driving the speed limit in the left-hand lane isn't just stupid, in many states it's illegal. You know, that whole "Slower Traffic Keep Right" axiom? If a truck is in the fast lane and has to go around a slow-moving vehicle, he has to pass on the right which is dangerous.
I drive based on the speed of the flow of traffic, usually a little over the speed limit. Saves gas, too. - chriszma666, on 10/12/2007, -2/+14"What we need are "graduated" license programs. It's simple: drivers take a series of tests, each being more difficult than the last, until they fail. Depending on where they fail, they're given a score. This score is reflected on the license, and allows the driver extended privileges on the road. They can encode this score in our federal ID cards' RFID tags."
So what you want is a bunch of cars all going different speeds? How is that any safer? - account, on 10/12/2007, -1/+13I drive the speed limit. Always. Why? When I speed, I find myself getting worked up over the traffic. Going the speed limit is much more relaxing than speeding. You have more time to react to traffic and you get better gas milage. Also, I found that speeding doesn't really make me get to my destination that much faster. Sometimes I have will have a friend in a different car race ahead of me. Often I meet up with my friend at the stop-light on the freeway exit.
One problem I saw with the reporter was that he didn't stay to the right. If you pass someone, you should move to the right. I think this causes many accidents because people will cut in and out of lanes to get ahead of slow people. - CoreBurn, on 10/12/2007, -2/+13When I first saw this story I thought it was just going to be a link to that video.
- kindrobot, on 10/12/2007, -0/+11"Part of the issue is there just isn't enough law enforcement," Decker says. "People don't think they're going to get caught. And they're often surprised when they do get caught."
I cannot go anywhere on a freeway here without running into a cop, yet every house
in our neighborhood has been broken into or vandalized over the last few years.
So yeah, great point. Let's get more enforcement where we need it, out on the
road busting those bastards trying to get to work and back. - TheWalkingDude, on 10/12/2007, -2/+11Car accidents in the US kill an average of 40,000 people each year.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Car_safety
http://www.atsnn.com/story/116918.html
http://www.unitedjustice.com/death-statistics.html
Driving also adds to the collective anger - just look at the comments below, listen to drivers, or stand in a gas station. My advice is to calm down, leave early, and stop listening to Ludacris - you're in a car, at least you didn't have to walk. - sogracefully, on 10/12/2007, -4/+13raising the speed limit isn't the answer. i live in los angeles and i can tell you with, uh, more than absolute certainty, most drivers are not skilled/attentive enough to handle driving as fast as they do ALREADY. i've personally been hit twice by drivers going too fast and trying to cut across lanes in slow traffic, and i'm already stressed out enough that some absurdly gigantic SUV (or worse, a hummer) is going to plow right over my little fuel- and emissions-efficient honda on the freeway with the 90mph+ speeds people seem to need so badly. on second thought, raising the speed limit would cause so many more accidents and traffic deaths that it could actually reduce overall traffic because it would lower the number of drivers on the road, because they would be dead. so maybe that's a good idea! (no)
- TopherT, on 10/12/2007, -1/+10When we all have robotic cars, will they go the speed limit?
God I want a robotic car. - willcode4beer, on 10/12/2007, -2/+10Information from the media? crazy talk
;-) - inactive, on 10/12/2007, -3/+11I guess I'm just super-safe because I drive atleast 40 miles under the speed limit on my way to work.... then again I live in Southern California and don't have a choice.... and being able to go 15 on the freeways is sometimes a blessing.
They need to do an experiment to measure the movement of traffic in relation to me yelling and honking my horn. - johndi, on 10/12/2007, -0/+7Catching criminals takes effort, and costs money in the courts. Busting speeders brings in revenue. Is it any wonder why their priorities are so screwed up?
- macgabriel87, on 10/12/2007, -1/+8nice experiment! pff, anyone who drives in california knows this happens 24/7. I get on the road and I have a tailgator already behind me. with my mom's camry, i increase my speed so the tailgator can leave me alone, but when im driving my truck, i save gas and keep my 35mph until the ***** realizes "ohh this guy's driving an old F150". yes, old indeed from 1983.
- weiran, on 10/12/2007, -0/+6mfratt: you're right. I was shocked to learn that the driving test in Florida is completely off road, mainly based of a series of obsticals. This gives the examiner NO indication of how observant the driver is, how well he/she reacts to different situations or their general judgement.
Also, inexperienced drivers should face far harsher penalities if they get caught speeding or casuing accidents. You should consider your first two years on the road a "probationary" period.
And one last rant, your lorries (or "semis") need speed limiters fitted. That is one vehicle that CANNOT stop in any safe distance, which is why they usually leave a massive braking distance. I've seen lorries travel 80mph+ in the US, and that's just plain dangerous. - deadbaby, on 10/12/2007, -1/+7He's right. Keeping a constant speed gets you better gas millage. It's mostly true of highway driving. If you go the speed limit on the highway you will often have to slow down even more to let people merge in front of you. Going +5-10mph faster and staying with the flow of traffic is much more efficient. Plus you get some minimal reduction of drag by being around other cars going the same speed as you.
- 3adkied, on 10/12/2007, -0/+6"If a cop just drives the speed limit on the thruway, then the same crowd of cars will be around him and none will be breaking the law so its wasting his time and your money."
Wow, wouldn't that be awful if everyone was obeying the law! Sadly, I'm afraid you're right. I think too many police believe their job, rather than get people to obey the law, is to catch people breaking the law, even if it means the police have to subtly encourage them to do so. - tdowling, on 10/12/2007, -0/+6@mfratt: Doing 120 in a 55 probably *is* more due to age than inexperience. Or rather, immaturity. This is why 16 year olds shouldn't be given BMWs (or similar vehicles). There should be a standard-issue 1991 Geo Metro that all kids should be forced to drive for at least a year after getting a license; if their parents feel that they deserve a BMW after that, then they can feel free to do whatever the hell they want. But at least they'll get a chance to know their kids' driving habits first.
- demondog, on 10/12/2007, -0/+5The problem is that most people don't know when they're going to fast. This is what causes accidents. This is especially true in highway driving where one's perception of speed becomes progressively distorted as the longer one is behind the wheel.
- chaosmachine, on 10/12/2007, -1/+6worth watching just for the bridge shot.
- AhronZombi, on 10/12/2007, -1/+6that one is awsome
- deadbaby, on 10/12/2007, -6/+11Absolutely. Every near-wreck I've been in includes some idiot driving 1/3rd the speed limit causing everyone to dart to the left lane to pass.
- willcode4beer, on 10/12/2007, -2/+7I'm amazed at the number of digg'rs who on other topics talk about how we have to stop global warming and pollution yet, on this topic talk about how the speed limits are too low.
Then, these same posters talk about how politicians are hypocrits.
lmao - tehdvd, on 10/12/2007, -1/+6yeah but not everyone goes on youtube or the internet. Having a similar story on broadcast tv is much better if you want people to realize these things.
- BradC, on 10/12/2007, -2/+6People laugh, make fun of, or (more often) get mad at me because I drive the speed limit. Although I never drive in the left-most lane because that's just mean and asking for someone to get pissed off. On the freeways I drive in the lane next to the left lane for two reasons.
1.) While it would be perfectly legal for me to drive 65 in the left lane, as I mentioned it would piss off a lot of people.
2.) Semi's are not allowed to drive in the left-most lane or the one next to it (on a 3 or more lane highway). I DO NOT like having semi's behind me because I would not want to be rear-ended by one of those (I've seen what it can do.)
So I get people tailgating me and throwing me angry looks or middle-fingers all the time, but to me it's not worth the ticket for speeding and I'm never in THAT big of a hurry. By driving at 75 or 80 instead of 65, you actually only gain a few minutes per hour of driving (I forget the exact statistic, but it's not a big number.) If people would stop and think about that and just drive the speed limit like you're supposed to, I can't begin to describe how much better off we'd all be. - superkendall, on 10/12/2007, -1/+5One reason I think people drive faster is that with longer commutes, they are more used to driving and thus are more comfortable with being able to handle higher speeds.
I think that is probably true to a certain extent as it is somewhat based on experience over time, and is different tahn the situations where SUV drivers flip on icy roads because they assume the car can handle it. But still people need to be careful not to overdrive thier abililites and conditions.
I wish we would see more courtesy on the roads though, if I'm in a left lane passing and I see someone coming up behind me rather quickly I make sure to complete the pass as soon as I can and get out of the way. After all, I don't know why they are going fast - they may have a good reason.
I also let people in when turn signals are engaged and I think if more people did that more people would actually use them instead of not using turn signals because they need to surprise other drivers in order to get over. Surprising someone travelling in a meta shell going 70+MPH is never a good idea. - shockingbird, on 10/12/2007, -1/+5That was (buffering) pretty (buffering) good.
- willcode4beer, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4So, for your 40 mile trip. If you do 70 instead of 60 you are going to save a whopping 5 and a half minutes.
Lets risk lives for 5 minutes. great.... - brandizzle, on 10/12/2007, -0/+470 or 75 the speed limit is on most interstates. Regular highways it's usually 55-65.
I'm pretty happy with the current speed limits. No matter what they are people will always want them to be faster, but most people can't handle their cars going faster than 70. - demondog, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3Speed limits are already variable depending on light and road conditions. The posted speed limit is legally considered the maximum speed for ideal driving conditions. A traffic cop is well within his authority to ticket you for 'only' driving the speed limit during a zero-visibility downpour at night.
- mtekk, on 10/12/2007, -3/+6Anyone notice how they admit to being in the left lane of HWY100 and only going the speed limit, in Wisconsin this is illegal and tickable for holding up traffic, the left lane is for passing not driving.
The highways and interstate highways in the Twin Cities area have many traffic problems, starting with too many idiot drivers in Minnesota, along with those on ramp traffic lights, and continuing with only 4 lane highways, maybe 6 lanes if you are lucky, and in some cases a four lane highway will go down to a 2 lane highway in the middle of the city (Hwy 65 and I35W) which backs up traffic for miles. On the interstate highways hardly anyone obeys the speed limit; on a 65MPH road, even in construction, people drive 70-85MPH daily.
What needs to be done is ticketing people who go the speed minimum, and raise it from 40MPH to 55MPH, and ticket people who don't merge correctly, those who stop in the acceleration lane and wait for a large gap, or those who just force their way in without looking for who is in the lane they are trying to go into. - tuxracer, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3@DigitalDud
They caused an accident by doing it? So by following the speed limit, they *caused* a guy to choose to drive on the shoulder when there was a stalled vehicle ahead and clip that car?
I love this is the same logic as a lot of these posts. People driving the speed limit "cause" dangers because of drivers dodging around them at 90mph. You know what, if you're going to be an irate, impatient driver, why don't you take responsibility for your actions instead of using this nonsense logic that when you drive 90mph and choose to be an ***** and cut people off in your frantic desire to get around another car that when an accident is caused by you doing that, or a near accident, that is anybodies fault but your own. Who in the hell are you kidding?
Around here the speed limit is 70mph on most highways. If I drive SEVENTY miles per hour some drivers start going crazy. Is it that freaking big of a deal to drive seventy miles per hour? Is it so important to you to be driving 90mph that you are going to risk life and limb cutting other drivers off to get around me and then have the audacity to claim *I* am at fault because you chose to be an irate dumbass? - mtvkilledusall, on 10/12/2007, -10/+13Enforcing a too-slow speed limit is not the answer.
- willcode4beer, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3"what needs to be done is..." make it harder to get a license and put more people on public transit.
- psyon, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3No Wolf Packs by you? The cops setup shop on the side of highways around here. One guy sits on an overpass clocking traffic, he radios up to a pair of cops up on the shoulder flagging people to pull over. If you don't pull over, there are usually at least 5 cars waiting to follow you to pull you over.
Reguarding the Autoban. Some parts do have speed limites now, but they vary with conditions. - jlowe, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3"I know when I drive, I'm never in a massive hurry, I get tailgated almost every time I drive and I make people pay for it dearly sometimes (I love driving beside a bus). I'll do the limit, but not a centimetre over. The fervor people drive with sometimes blows my mind. What's the huge rush!?"
Doing things like that is driving just as recklessly as someone who speeds and tailgates. What we need is more courtesy as drivers. When you hold up a speeder, do you believe you are teaching him or her a "lesson"? Of course, the reverse is also true: If you tailgate someone, do you really think you are going to make them speed up? All it will do is make them angry and increase the risk of accident. - loki1983, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3it's 70 in some states, like missouri, and alot of people drive 75-80 also...
- ezkiel, on 10/12/2007, -1/+4All the high and mighty speed limit followers are a bunch of tools. The limits were set in an age when cars were far less safe and far less advanced (ABS, Tracktion Control, Skid control, Independantly driven wheels). 55 is a joke. Everyone who is a capable driver could easily drive 65-70mph at absolutely NO risk to anyone. The fact that the average speed is signifigantly higher than the limit speaks to how flawed the limit is.
That cop has the same attitude as anyone who doesn't like to think for themselves. "The limit is the limit because its the set limit and it's illegal to drive faster than the limit" is such a copout (excuse the phrase but its the only one that comes to mind). In germany on the autobahn where speeds are what I would consider to be too fast (or faster than the average driver could handle) they still only have the same percentage of accidents as in the US just they tend to be more serious (due to the higher speed). If the limit was raised to 70 and stiffer fines were imposed for breaking that limit than I think we would see a decrease in accidents, driver frustration, and revenue for the DMV. Which is exactly why they will stay the same and the people who drive the limit will cause more harm (even if they are right in not breaking the 'law') because they interrupt the flow of traffic.
People need to stand up to themselves and it should be judged on whether or not they were posing a risk to other drivers by there speed or driving and not how much over the 'limit' they were.
Who knows maybe I'm way off base here but if my theory had a chance to be tested I have no doubt it would prove to have a decrease in accidents.
TO ramble just a bit further whats worse. Doing 55 and getting hit from behind by someone doing 70 or doing 60 and reducing your risks of getting hit at all those extra 15mph make an exponential difference on the severity of the hypothetic accident. - marksven, on 10/12/2007, -1/+4When at least 80% of the people on the road are going well above the speed limit, that tells you that the speed limit is set too low. Speed limits should be variable depending if it is day or night, and if the roads are wet or dry. With the current situation, the majority of people are breaking the law, which can lead police to practice selective enforcement.
- gekkokid, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3try driving slow in italy, i dare ya
- SniperSlap, on 10/12/2007, -2/+5I think the biggest reason why people are so aggressive when they drive is because it's the common denominator of behaviour nowadays. People vary, certainly - but in a lot of ways...they don't. And this is just one of those things where you can kinda pick the behaviour out of a few bags.
It's also because people often leave at the last minute and don't always leave a decent window. They'll hit two traffic lights and suddenly they're panicked.
I know when I drive, I'm never in a massive hurry, I get tailgated almost every time I drive and I make people pay for it dearly sometimes (I love driving beside a bus). I'll do the limit, but not a centimetre over. The fervor people drive with sometimes blows my mind. What's the huge rush!?
Truck drivers - especially bad. Again - something to do with the personality and the cross of traits. No word of a lie and I can speak for many locations. Driving reduces us all to only a handful of possibilities in terms of road personalities.
Freeways and highways are a different story though. I think it'd be nice to have stretches of road where the limit was a bit "extreme". We'd get better mileage, get places faster and all those morons driving trucks & SUVs would be in ditches. - hfswagon, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3Rules to Courteous Driving:
1. Slower traffic keep right. This doesn't mean "slower than the speed limit." It means keep to the right except when you're passing.
2. When passing, do so expediently. Don't leave your cruise control set at 1MPH different than the car you're passing. Press on the gas and get around. Once you've passed them you can let the cruise resume it's speed. Also, if not using the cruise control, the same applies. Pass with a certain sense of urgency. Not recklessly, just enough to minimize the time in the left lane.
3. Use turn signals effectively. When *wanting* to change lanes, signal after you've made sure there is space for you in the lane you want to move into. Signalling doesn't give you carte blanche to just change lanes. You are entitled to nothing when your blinker goes on. You are just informing others of your wishes. Also, turn off the blinker once you've finished the lane change.
4. Use brake lights effectively. If, while in heavy traffic, you are about to coast or start slowing, tap your brakes to inform the people (close) behind you that your speed is changing.
5. Do not tailgate. There's no reason for it and it just doesn't make sense.
6. Do not make people tailgate you. By this I mean if someone is leaving a resonable gap don't dive into it. It's dangerous because now you're tailgating and you just caused someone to be too close to you.
7. During merging in heavy traffic, allow space for a car. Treat merges like a zipper. If everyone gapped correctly, traffic would move a lot smoother. The problem comes when one "tooth" of the zipper decides they're more important and either 1) rides to the end of acceleration lane and tries to jam their way into the flowing traffic or 2) cars in the flowing traffic bunch up to make it impossible to merge, even politely. It's a vicious circle of people not letting people in. Stupid.
8. During normal traffic, when cars are merging (either from the right or left) move out of the traffic lane nearest the merge if possible.
9. Use the horn courteously. If you're at a stoplight and clearly the person ahead of you doesn't realize the light has turned green, a simple tap of the horn should be sufficient. You don't need to lay on it.
10. Don't pass on the right. As tempting as it is sometimes do not do it. That just sets up a more dangerous condition of changing lanes and mixing speeds of traffic. - TopherT, on 10/12/2007, -1/+4That would make the speed law pretty much unenforcable. How could you ID which drivers could drive which speeds? Even if RFID technology was modified so it could be used from 100 feet away there would be hundreds of other signals around you.
I like the way you think, but it just wouldn't work. - TylerDurden0, on 10/12/2007, -2/+5Maybe I am just stupid, but what did that video prove?
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