Americans 'below speed limits'

[CALL_911]

So how pissed was your dad?  I mean it sounds like he sort of encouraged it so I doubt he was that mad.

He wasn't.

As soon as we got out of the police station, he told me that he got his first ticket in a rental Hyundai while I got mine in a rental Camaro. He also said that he anticipated something of the sort to happen (as a result of renting a V8 Camaro), but he thought it was "worth it."

He just made me promise not to tell my mom (who doesn't know, to this day).

[dazzleman]

He wasn't.

As soon as we got out of the police station, he told me that he got his first ticket in a rental Hyundai while I got mine in a rental Camaro. He also said that he anticipated something of the sort to happen (as a result of renting a V8 Camaro), but he thought it was "worth it."

He just made me promise not to tell my mom (who doesn't know, to this day).

That's pretty funny.  He knew your mom would be mad at him for encouraging you to speed.  There's a special relationship between fathers and sons based on shared maleness that a mother couldn't fully understand (just as a father can't fully understand a mother-daughter relationship).

[CALL_911]

That's pretty funny.  He knew your mom would be mad at him for encouraging you to speed.  There's a special relationship between fathers and sons based on shared maleness that a mother couldn't fully understand (just as a father can't fully understand a mother-daughter relationship).

That's absolutely right. He knew my mom would flip a shit if she found out, so it's better she didn't.

I'm amazed at how, well, cool my Dad is.

[dazzleman]

That's absolutely right. He knew my mom would flip a shit if she found out, so it's better she didn't.

I'm amazed at how, well, cool my Dad is.

This is just another example of the vanishing 'generation gap.'  My generation had much more of a gap between kids and parents.  I don't know if this is a good or bad thing.  Probably both.

[CALL_911]

This is just another example of the vanishing 'generation gap.'  My generation had much more of a gap between kids and parents.  I don't know if this is a good or bad thing.  Probably both.

I never really noticed any such thing.

The more I see it, my dad and I really are the same person.

[dazzleman]

I never really noticed any such thing.

The more I see it, my dad and I really are the same person.

Is that why you posed as a doctor when you first posted here? 

[S204STi]

My dad never permitted speeding.

[CALL_911]

Is that why you posed as a doctor when you first posted here? 

Perhaps.

My dad never permitted speeding.

My dad speeds a decent amount himself and he knows it would be hypocritical (and ultimately pointless) to have me follow the speed limit as though doing otherwise would kill me.

[dazzleman]

Perhaps.

My dad speeds a decent amount himself and he knows it would be hypocritical (and ultimately pointless) to have me follow the speed limit as though doing otherwise would kill me.

I have to be honest though, I don't think I'd be as 'cool' as your dad is about it.  Car crashes are the number one cause of death for teenaged boys and young men, and I think I'd try to discourage fast driving in a guy that age, hoping that that will make him more restrained in his driving than he would otherwise be.

[ChrisV]

It appears they were tracking speeds on particular roadways, not in overall, day to day driving.

Where does it say that? it uses particular roadways as examples but it doesn't say they were only tracking those roadways.

[CALL_911]

I have to be honest though, I don't think I'd be as 'cool' as your dad is about it.  Car crashes are the number one cause of death for teenaged boys and young men, and I think I'd try to discourage fast driving in a guy that age, hoping that that will make him more restrained in his driving than he would otherwise be.

I guess it's just the way I've been brought up. There's nothing my dad has restricted me from doing and he knows me well enough to know that if I know something was completely irresponsible and would indeed put my life in danger I wouldn't.

In my defense, the road on which I was speeding was DESERTED and was wide enough to accommodate such a speed. Had there been more cars on the road, I definitely would not have been driving that fast.

[S204STi]

My dad speeds a decent amount himself and he knows it would be hypocritical (and ultimately pointless) to have me follow the speed limit as though doing otherwise would kill me.

My dad doesn't speed much if at all either, especially never with passengers and not since he sold his AMX, but he always figured that hypocrisy had nothing to do with it; it had more to do with the complete lack of skill in a 16 year old driver. 

[CALL_911]

My dad doesn't speed much if at all either, especially never with passengers and not since he sold his AMX, but he always figured that hypocrisy had nothing to do with it; it had more to do with the complete lack of skill in a 16 year old driver. 

Probably. I don't know, my dad seems to have a lot in trust in me and feels that I am responsible. He's always been of the opinion that if a parent exposes their kid to something, they're less likely to go buck wild with that particular thing once they gain access to it without any supervision.

Example: My dad never hid alcohol from me. It was always firmly within reach and I took my first sip of beer at like age 5 and decided it was vile shit. I never had much of a desire to try alcohol (not that I haven't since then), but it's not something I have problems with, nor is it something I abuse (unlike many other kids my age).

[93JC]

I don't find this surprising at all. At least, as far as Montanans are concerned. The speed limit on the Interstates is 75 mph, I set my cruise control to 76ish, and I was passed once, by another Albertan.

[Northlands]

I don't find this surprising at all. At least, as far as Montanans are concerned. The speed limit on the Interstates is 75 mph, I set my cruise control to 76ish, and I was passed once, by another Albertan.

Sounds about right. They oughtta do this test in Canada. I hope it will end up proving that most people where I live drive well under the limits, and hope it will finally prove that those lunatics in Quebec all think they belong to the Villenueve family. Last I spent time driving on highways in that province, I ended up getting my speedometer checked.

[dazzleman]

I don't find this surprising at all. At least, as far as Montanans are concerned. The speed limit on the Interstates is 75 mph, I set my cruise control to 76ish, and I was passed once, by another Albertan.

That sort of confirms my theory that people will drive the speed at which they feel comfortable, regardless of speed limit.  Around here, the speed limit is 55 mph, and when traffic permits, people drive basically the same speed as they do in Montana.

[Rupert]

Where does it say that? it uses particular roadways as examples but it doesn't say they were only tracking those roadways.

If fact, it doesn't say a damn thing about their methods.

[MX793]

Where does it say that? it uses particular roadways as examples but it doesn't say they were only tracking those roadways.

The article states the study was focused exclusively on average "motorway" (which is British for highway) speeds.  

Note that it mentions the average speed of 70 mph for Mississippi.  The average driver probably spends about 50% of their time in city/suburban driving (25-40 mph) and 50% on the highways.  If that's the case and they're looking at total average speeds, the only way people are going to average 70 mph overall is if they are traveling triple digits on the highways (or are traveling at highways speeds on city/suburban streets).  Neither scenario seems likely, which means they must not be including city driving in their speed averages.

[Rupert]

Indeed. The question becomes, of course, what are they including?

[giant_mtb]

Well, I mean, they did include specific examples of highway/freeway areas where drivers were averaging under the limit.

[Rupert]

Pretty meaningless...

[dazzleman]

I guess it's just the way I've been brought up. There's nothing my dad has restricted me from doing and he knows me well enough to know that if I know something was completely irresponsible and would indeed put my life in danger I wouldn't.

In my defense, the road on which I was speeding was DESERTED and was wide enough to accommodate such a speed. Had there been more cars on the road, I definitely would not have been driving that fast.

It's great that you dad has such trust in you.  Make sure you live up to that trust.  It would be terrible to let him down.

[CALL_911]

It's great that you dad has such trust in you.  Make sure you live up to that trust.  It would be terrible to let him down.

Oh, absolutely.

I'm sure that's a large factor in my not doing stupid shit.

[dazzleman]

Oh, absolutely.

I'm sure that's a large factor in my not doing stupid shit.

[Colonel Cadillac]

The area where drivers are most likely to push the limits is Mississippi, but even then the average speed was 70mph - exactly the motorway limit.

I believe my max of 130 in Mississippi threw off the statistics a little bit 

[dazzleman]

I believe my max of 130 in Mississippi threw off the statistics a little bit 

Dude, if you'd gotten snagged at that speed with Connecticut plates down there, those good ole boys would probably have fed you to the alligators in one of their swamps.  I don't think we'd ever have heard from you again, man. 

[Rupert]

Dude, if you'd gotten snagged at that speed with Connecticut plates down there, those good ole boys would probably have fed you to the alligators in one of their swamps.  I don't think we'd ever have heard from you again, man. 

You've seen My Cousin Vinny? It would be like that, except without Vinny.

[dazzleman]

You've seen My Cousin Vinny? It would be like that, except without Vinny.

Dude, I love that movie...

[Rupert]

Of course you do.

[dazzleman]

Of course you do.

What's that supposed to mean?  


It is a very funny movie.  I like comedies, especially those oriented around crazy schemes and generally wild behavior.

I love the movie "Porkys."  Did you ever see it?