Why 70 is the new 55

[Raza]

Last time I went up I-95  I saw NO LIE 35 state highway patrol in a 15mile stretch in NC. It was the first weekend of October last year.

Sometimes they stake out I-20 west to Atlanta, 4-5 troopers in a 2hr trip.

That's worse than when I saw 11 cops sitting on my drive to work.  More than 1 every 5 miles. 

[Raza]

LOL

C'mon guys, at least give his posts a cursory run-through before flying off the handle.

His position is relatively easy to understand.

For starters, NOT ONCE did he endorse left-lane campers or otherwise sanction the behavior.

He simply questioned the wisdom of "enforcing" lane discipline on your own through devices like flashing lights, tailgating, cutting people off, etc...


For Pete's sake, he even acknowledged that he, from time to time, participates in the very behavior y'all support! All he said was it isn't the safest idea.

It's nice that Cougs has a sidekick now. 

[Jon?]

It's nice that Cougs has a sidekick now. 

[sportyaccordy]

If my car can do 100 and brake from 100 effectively, the speed limit should be about 80 with heavy penalties above that.

[AutobahnSHO]

If my car can do 100 and brake from 100 effectively, the speed limit should be about 80 with heavy penalties above that.

Then I get a limit of 100mph if I buy a better car?

[dazzleman]

Then I get a limit of 100mph if I buy a better car?

Will, I never knew you were such a speed demon.....

Just don't let your kids know.

[AutobahnSHO]

Will, I never knew you were such a speed demon.....

Just don't let your kids know.

LOL
My last speeding ticket was a radar camera flash the last day I drove a government vehicle in Germany. (Jan2005- I moved away a week later so never got in trouble. )  I don't do more than 5-10mph over anymore.

I did test the 143mph max of my SHO when I owned it. (speedo stopped at 140mph, it was a lot of work to get it past 130mph...)

I rode my bike to work for the summer after my first year of college- my tickets jacked up my insurance so high it wasn't worth paying, plus I was leaving on a church mission that fall. ..

I'm going to encourage a little "spirited" driving while I'm in the car as my kids are learning. So they can test the limits a little as safe as they can. They will pay all tickets and insurance..

[dazzleman]

LOL
My last speeding ticket was a radar camera flash the last day I drove a government vehicle in Germany. (Jan2005- I moved away a week later so never got in trouble. )  I don't do more than 5-10mph over anymore.

I did test the 143mph max of my SHO when I owned it. (speedo stopped at 140mph, it was a lot of work to get it past 130mph...)

I rode my bike to work for the summer after my first year of college- my tickets jacked up my insurance so high it wasn't worth paying, plus I was leaving on a church mission that fall. ..

I'm going to encourage a little "spirited" driving while I'm in the car as my kids are learning. So they can test the limits a little as safe as they can. They will pay all tickets and insurance..

Camera tickets don't count.  When was your last real ticket?

And what's with only going 5-10 mph over the speed limit now?  You're surrendering to the man.  The next step is a nursing home if you're driving that speed.

[Minpin]

Camera tickets don't count.  When was your last real ticket?

And what's with only going 5-10 mph over the speed limit now?  You're surrendering to the man.  The next step is a nursing home if you're driving that speed.

Not everyone can afford to laugh about a couple hundred dollars and insurance premiums. You're losing touch with the real world, old man.

[dazzleman]

Not everyone can afford to laugh about a couple hundred dollars and insurance premiums. You're losing touch with the real world, old man.

I know that.  Can't you tell that I'm kidding around?  Goading people to do things that are going to get them in trouble is high school behavior, and grown men emulate high school behavior sometimes as a joke.  Will can do whatever he wants.

[AutobahnSHO]

Camera tickets don't count.  When was your last real ticket?

And what's with only going 5-10 mph over the speed limit now?  You're surrendering to the man.  The next step is a nursing home if you're driving that speed.

My last "real" ticket was 1993?! 
I got SEVERAL radar tickets in Germany. Somehow mine were just fines. Most went to the Commander, who chewed your butt and/or gave you puni$hment.

Don't get me wrong, I've done 90mph on the DC beltway (55mphzone when I was there,) but normally I just set the cruise for 5mph over and roll. As much as I like going fast I am turning into a geezer.. (Except I totally smoked a ricer from the light in a 55mph zone, last night in my Sienna.)

[dazzleman]

My last "real" ticket was 1993?!  
I got SEVERAL radar tickets in Germany. Somehow mine were just fines. Most went to the Commander, who chewed your butt and/or gave you puni$hment.

Don't get me wrong, I've done 90mph on the DC beltway (55mphzone when I was there,) but normally I just set the cruise for 5mph over and roll. As much as I like going fast I am turning into a geezer.. (Except I totally smoked a ricer from the light in a 55mph zone, last night in my Sienna.)

My last ticket was in 1999, so I'm not that far behind you, man.

Was it the radar tickets that went to your commander?  How did that work?  Were you driving military vehicles when you got them?  Having to answer to your boss for a speeding ticket would definitely suck.

Nice work in the Sienna! 

[S204STi]

(Except I totally smoked a ricer from the light in a 55mph zone, last night in my Sienna.)

I find it hard to resist the temptation to put a ricer in his place.

[dazzleman]

I find it hard to resist the temptation to put a ricer in his place.

You're pretty badass, Roy.....

[dazzleman]

That's worse than when I saw 11 cops sitting on my drive to work.  More than 1 every 5 miles. 

That's pretty close to saturation.  It was like that on a trip to Boston that a took a long time ago.  Luckily, my buddy was driving, and he ended up with the inevitable ticket that day.

[S204STi]

You're pretty badass, Roy.....

Someone has to do it.

[dazzleman]

Someone has to do it.

When did you last get popped for speeding, Roy?

[S204STi]

When did you last get popped for speeding, Roy?

No tickets on my record.  Last stop was three years ago when I got heckled by a Deputy for cruising at 5mph over despite the fact that he was following me the whole time.  He just gave me a tongue lashing and let me go.  Since his colleagues normally do the same speed I was doing that day on that same stretch I didn't figure it was anything other than a powertrip.

[The Phantom]

NO.
If US cops spent half the time enforcing traffic rules (running "pink lights" and lane-camping) as they do catching speeders, global warming would cease, world peace would become a reality.

I've NEVER seen someone pulled over for lane camping. Although it's law most places, for instance in Utah they made it illegal to "let yourself be passed on the right."
-Many states have signs that say "slower traffic drive right". That just makes the camping worse, because big-ego Americans AREN'T SLOW.

Yup.  Mostly on the left coast, the signs say "slower traffic keep right."  Go over to the east, they say "keep right except to pass."  Seems to work.  You can tell the east coaster living in California by the way he gets back to the right lane after he's done passing.

[Raza]

That's pretty close to saturation.  It was like that on a trip to Boston that a took a long time ago.  Luckily, my buddy was driving, and he ended up with the inevitable ticket that day.

It's funny...all those cops sitting, yet I saw no one pulled over.  Traffic talks, you just have to listen.  It's telling that the only times I've been pulled over have been at off hours.  Night (no ticket), middle of the day (wolfpack ticket), late night (follow ticket). 

[dazzleman]

It's funny...all those cops sitting, yet I saw no one pulled over.  Traffic talks, you just have to listen.  It's telling that the only times I've been pulled over have been at off hours.  Night (no ticket), middle of the day (wolfpack ticket), late night (follow ticket). 

Same for me.  I've been pulled over mainly in the afternoon, and later at night.

The funny thing is, while people tend to worry about getting a ticket when they go on a long drive, my tickets have been close to home doing routine stuff.  One trip to the bank years ago netted me two tickets -- one on the way there, and one on the way back.  Red letter day that was....   Another time, I got busted going to buy some books.  I had gotten off work early and figured I'd take advantage by going to the book store.

On longer trips, I always emerge unscathed, despite usually being one of the fastest cars on the road and speeding pretty consistently on the whole trip.  On all the trips I've made to Boston in the past 3-4 years, I've never even had what you could call a close call.

[AutobahnSHO]

Yup.  Mostly on the left coast, the signs say "slower traffic keep right."  Go over to the east, they say "keep right except to pass."  Seems to work.  You can tell the east coaster living in California by the way he gets back to the right lane after he's done passing.

I HATED Californians when I was going to college in Wyoming.  School was 100miles away from home, I made the visits in a 15yr old Subaru wagon. So I wasn't able to do the 75mph speed limit. I did 60-65mph.

EVERY TIME I made the trip, I'd be puttering along, no other cars in sight 20miles in front or back. Someone would come up from behind and get totally on my bumper before they'd change lanes left. They'd pass and barely miss my front bumper getting back into the right lane. Still no other traffic in view.
And they ALWAYS had California plates when they did that.

[AutobahnSHO]

My last ticket was in 1999, so I'm not that far behind you, man.

Was it the radar tickets that went to your commander?  How did that work?  Were you driving military vehicles when you got them?  Having to answer to your boss for a speeding ticket would definitely suck.

Nice work in the Sienna! 

The last one I got was in a purple government Caravan. I was yakking with other people in the van and didn't notice a speedlimit change (as we got into a city) and didn't notice everyone had slowed WAAAY down in the right lane. I switched lanes and didn't notice the white Mercedes station wagon with the back door open and two people standing in front of the hood until something FLASHED from the back of the car.

Both the others were in the SHO, one I didn't realize the speedlimit dropped into a construction zone. The other was coming off a 140mph high with a buddy, and it wasn't even in a "no speed limit" zone. We were doing almost twice the limit (120kph/76mph) then I let off the gas and there was a camera hidden in the bushes in the median when the limit changed to 100kph/62mph...

Usually the cameras are easy to spot, like Raza says, just pay attention to traffic.

[dazzleman]

The last one I got was in a purple government Caravan. I was yakking with other people in the van and didn't notice a speedlimit change (as we got into a city) and didn't notice everyone had slowed WAAAY down in the right lane. I switched lanes and didn't notice the white Mercedes station wagon with the back door open and two people standing in front of the hood until something FLASHED from the back of the car.

Both the others were in the SHO, one I didn't realize the speedlimit dropped into a construction zone. The other was coming off a 140mph high with a buddy, and it wasn't even in a "no speed limit" zone. We were doing almost twice the limit (120kph/76mph) then I let off the gas and there was a camera hidden in the bushes in the median when the limit changed to 100kph/62mph...

Usually the cameras are easy to spot, like Raza says, just pay attention to traffic.

I've always found that paying attention to the other traffic is key.  You can almost always tell when there's some type of enforcement by the behavior of the drivers ahead of you.  I've gotten tickets mostly when I was pretty mucyh by myself on the road.  When I'm driving with other cars, I never get nailed, even if I've been speeding extensively.

[hotrodalex]

I've always found that paying attention to the other traffic is key.  You can almost always tell when there's some type of enforcement by the behavior of the drivers ahead of you.  I've gotten tickets mostly when I was pretty mucyh by myself on the road.  When I'm driving with other cars, I never get nailed, even if I've been speeding extensively.

Always watch the trucks if you are on the freeway.

[Vinsanity]

I HATED Californians when I was going to college in Wyoming.  School was 100miles away from home, I made the visits in a 15yr old Subaru wagon. So I wasn't able to do the 75mph speed limit. I did 60-65mph.

EVERY TIME I made the trip, I'd be puttering along, no other cars in sight 20miles in front or back. Someone would come up from behind and get totally on my bumper before they'd change lanes left. They'd pass and barely miss my front bumper getting back into the right lane. Still no other traffic in view.
And they ALWAYS had California plates when they did that.

yikes, that's what I did to the aforementioned Prius that flashed his high beams at me but we were both in the carpool lane when that happened (I had to wait for a break in the double-yellow lane demarcations to pass, which is why I had to weave around him so closely)

[SVT666]

I've averaged a ticket every 2 years.  8 tickets in 16 years of driving.  Though there was a stretch where I didn't get a ticket for 5 years.  Thankfully they don't count towards your insurance premiums in BC. 

[Byteme]

55 is slow, and many cars still get pretty good economy at 70MPH.

On vacation last week so I missed this topic.

We drove 960 miles one way to Disney World.  Interstate all the way.  Filled up at home and set the cruise at 72 (The GPS says that's 70 MPH) and pretty much didn't touch the brakes or gas for the first tank.  Averaged close to 37 MPG with probably 550# of people and 100# of luggage in thye 06 Mazda 3.  Filled up just outside Mobile, Alabama and averaged about 36 on that tank.  Next fillup was around Ocala, mileage began to drop.  On the return trip we did the same thing, set the cruise at 72 and noted that mileage was averaging about 32 on the gas we bought in Florida.  We filled up again in Louisiana and gas mileage went back up to around 37 for the remainder of the trip. 

Apparently there is a big difference in the gasoline formulations sold in Florida compared to Texas.  That's about the only thing I can think of for that significant of a difference in mileage. 

I did note that when I did a steady 60 in Louisiana (where that was the limit) mileage was in the low 40's.  I love that Mazda.    
 

[Byteme]

The one thing I will admit is that most of the time people ignore flashing headlights behind them because they have the same attitude as Cougs: that they have the right to camp in the passing lane in spite of apparent signage indicating otherwise. That said, it's ridiculous to consider it an offensive course of action. It's no more offensive than using your turn signal to let  other drivers know you want to change lanes.

Maybe it's a geographic thing.  Flash your lights behind a slow left lane camper within 100 miles of Houston and you get a rude response.  Do it most anywhere else in the country (in my experience at least) and you get a courteous response.  There are exceptions of course, since one can find a**holes who believe it's their god given right to ignore common road courtesy with their "I'm-only-thinking-of-myself" attitude, just about anywhere.

[Vinsanity]

Maybe it's a geographic thing.  Flash your lights behind a slow left lane camper within 100 miles of Houston and you get a rude response.  Do it most anywhere else in the country (in my experience at least) and you get a courteous response.  There are exceptions of course, since one can find a**holes who believe it's their god given right to ignore common road courtesy with their "I'm-only-thinking-of-myself" attitude, just about anywhere.

That makes sense. I guess out here, we're so bogged down with traffic most of the time, people are too lazy to be bothered to make a simple lane change when the road opens up enough to actually exceed the speed limit.