Speed Limit Enforcement: Setting an Example for Adherence to Laws

[Cyrus]

By my casual observation in Maryland, 98% is far too high. Tailgating is the norm, even to the extent that they pack tightly together when merging onto a freeway, and they will not pass you until after they start tailgating you.

It's not that these people feel they're special. It's (most likely) that the popular opinion is that it's not something worth caring about, so they remain uneducated and unaware of their bad behaviors.

Hey, you leave me and my Murryland drivers alone! Slow poke...

Looks like YOU got schooled on how to drive in MD!

 

[Hurkyl]

Hey, you leave me and my Murryland drivers alone! Slow poke...

Looks like YOU got schooled on how to drive in MD!

Huh? This doesn't even make sense. Unless... you're not one of those people who haven't figured out how to pass someone without tailgating, are you?

 

[Cyrus]

Huh? This doesn't even make sense. Unless... you're not one of those people who haven't figured out how to pass someone without tailgating, are you?

This is why people tail gate and flip you off in MD...

Because people don't know what damn lane to drive on! I live next to a lot of old people. My god they are horrible. The speed limit on my road is 50mph. They *LOVEEEE* to drive side by side going 40mph. I have to ride their a** until a gap opens up so I can change lanes around them. Damn old people...

If someones going slow on the slow lane, I leave them alone. If they go slow on the fast lane, I am an absolute a-hole to them. I only cut them slack if they have kids in the back seat.

Most of the offenders are stupid middle aged people driving around 5-10 below the speed limit.

 

[Kurdt]

I call it slipstreaming not tailgating.

 

[Hurkyl]

This is why people tail gate and flip you off in MD...

People tailgate everyone in MD, not just me. Try actually paying attention to the other drivers on the road sometime.

If they go slow on the fast lane, I am an absolute [edited for content] to them.

If you ride my bumper while I'm in the fast lane passing a group of people, I'm probably going to slow down until I can get back over, so that's quite counterproductive.

(And I think the word you're looking for isn't 'slow', but 'legally')

 

[Cyrus]

People tailgate everyone in MD, not just me. Try actually paying attention to the other drivers on the road sometime.

Its hard to do that when you're too bussy tailgating!

I have a pet peeve of driving next to other people. I'll accelerate until I'm a good 10-15 car lengths ahead of you and then go the speed limit or match your speed so you never catch up to me. I can't stand being inside the pack of idiot's who are too indecisive to change lanes, slow down for no reason, or do various other stupid driving habbits.

Hey look at me, I've got my blinker on for 5 mins now and I STILL can't change a lane. Meanwhile, I could have driven a bus through there...

 

[ekrim]

Come to think of it, I drive as fast as I possibly at all times. But living in South Florida this turns out to be 10-15 mph below the speed limit.

 

[Cyrus]

Come to think of it, I drive as fast as I possibly at all times. But living in South Florida this turns out to be 10-15 mph below the speed limit.

HAHAHHAHAh...I know the feeling man... damn old people.

 

[turbo]

HAHAHHAHAh...I know the feeling man... damn old people.

My dad is a lead-foot and at 82 years of age, he just bought a 1997 Park Avenue Ultra with a 232ci V-6 that is supercharged and develops 240 hp and WAY more foot-pounds of torgue. If you're up here, he won't flip you the bird (he's too nice for that crap) but you will be looking at his rear bumper. I'm trying to slow him down, but it's tough.

 

[Cyrus]

My dad is a lead-foot and at 82 years of age, he just bought a 1997 Park Avenue Ultra with a 232ci V-6 that is supercharged and develops 240 hp and WAY more foot-pounds of torgue. If you're up here, he won't flip you the bird (he's too nice for that crap) but you will be looking at his rear bumper. I'm trying to slow him down, but it's tough.

Good for him! Let him drive fast. Hahaha, he's got the classic old's-man-mobile - nice. Old people are attracted to that car like white on rice.

 

[JasonRox]

My dad is a lead-foot and at 82 years of age, he just bought a 1997 Park Avenue Ultra with a 232ci V-6 that is supercharged and develops 240 hp and WAY more foot-pounds of torgue. If you're up here, he won't flip you the bird (he's too nice for that crap) but you will be looking at his rear bumper. I'm trying to slow him down, but it's tough.

How the hell does a Supercharged V6 only pack in 240hp? We really came a long way in 10 years.

 

[bassplayer142]

This is very true. A speeding person is can be more dangerous to their neighbors then someone who is drinking.

 

[redargon]

how accurate is a gps speed readout compared to the spedometer in a car compared to the actual speed of the car compared to the radar/laser gun that is measuring my speed?

An example I've noticed:When my spedometer says 120km/h, my gps usually says about 115km/h. Which is more accurate to my actual speed?

 

[Jimmy Snyder]

how accurate is a gps speed readout compared to the spedometer in a car compared to the actual speed of the car compared to the radar/laser gun that is measuring my speed?

An example I've noticed:When my spedometer says 120km/h, my gps usually says about 115km/h. Which is more accurate to my actual speed?

Relative to the galaxy in Andromeda? 130 km/s.

 

[redargon]

Relative to the galaxy in Andromeda? 130 km/s.

ummmm thanks...

 

[turbo]

How the hell does a Supercharged V6 only pack in 240hp? We really came a long way in 10 years.

Can't say, for sure. Buick is known for smooth, quiet engines and that little push-rod mill is no exception. They might have been able to squeeze more performance out of it if they wanted, at the expense of fuel economy. Anyway, since it is supercharged, there is no lag in torque when you stomp on it, like there would be if it were merely turbocharged, like the Grand Nationals were.

 

[Moonbear]

I have a pet peeve of driving next to other people. I'll accelerate until I'm a good 10-15 car lengths ahead of you and then go the speed limit or match your speed so you never catch up to me. I can't stand being inside the pack of idiot's who are too indecisive to change lanes, slow down for no reason, or do various other stupid driving habbits.

Not driving next to other people isn't a pet peeve, that's proper defensive driving technique. You always want to leave at least a car length or two alongside you so you have room to quickly change lanes if something happens ahead that you can't brake in time for and need to maneuver around.

Which leads to my pet peeve...that slow person you start to pass who decides that's when they'll speed up and pace you so you can't get around them. If they just KEEP doing their slow speed, it's much easier to get around them and leave them alone. When they do that crap of speeding up when you go to pass them (and you know if you then drop back down behind them, they'll slow down again, so you don't want to do that option), that makes me WANT to tailgate them for hours.

 

[CPL.Luke]

I usually flash my brights when I want someone to move over, most people understand that and it is safer than tailgaiting. although I must admit if they ignore it I will push them a little bit to move over, and I try to move over when people want me to.

You know people are talking like lowering the speed limit will always result in increased safety, however hyway hypnosis and the like are equally dangerous. If anyone knows the history of highways in America they initially tried to make them all straight believing this would be safer compared to the German idea of making them elegantly curve (which was done for aesthetic reasons). They quickly discovered that the result was actually an increased accident rate due to drivers falling asleep, or becoming distracted as it wasn't expected that anything would change in the road ahead of them.

thats why most modern highways always seem to be curving, it reduces accidents. The problem with rigid speed limits is that as cars become capable of higher speed (a modern car of moderate means can easily do 90 with the same control that a car 20 years ago could do 75 at) if this trend continues and speed limits aren't ajusted upwards it will cause an increase in accidents.

 

[porums]

That sounds drammatic.

 

[BobG]

I usually flash my brights when I want someone to move over, most people understand that and it is safer than tailgaiting. although I must admit if they ignore it I will push them a little bit to move over, and I try to move over when people want me to.

This works in Europe. I think it's a standard signal, just like using your blinkers to indicate a turn. It's at least very common.

I think more people in the US understand this signal than used to (or, having spent 20 years in the military and even more living in military towns, I just see more American drivers that have lived in Europe), but there's still a lot that wouldn't have a clue why you flashed your brights.

 

[JasonRox]

Can't say, for sure. Buick is known for smooth, quiet engines and that little push-rod mill is no exception. They might have been able to squeeze more performance out of it if they wanted, at the expense of fuel economy. Anyway, since it is supercharged, there is no lag in torque when you stomp on it, like there would be if it were merely turbocharged, like the Grand Nationals were.

Yeah I know, but don't nationally aspirated V6 engines have over 200hp now?

I know the BMW's with I6's have up to like 230hp, and that's just engine.

 

[Alfi]

I can't help thinking that if the Government really wanted people to not drive faster than the maximum posted speeds ( 75 mph or whatever the fastest legal speed is anywhere ) for the pure reason of safety and protection, it would be the simplest thing to have the car manufacturers install a chip to limit the speed before the car is sold. As many of the commercial transports do.
Since they do not, I have to believe they ( police and government ) don't really have any true interest in speed limits as a protection for ourselves or others.

Acceleration ( zero to death in x seconds) is a major selling factor in some cars but they certainly don't tout in their advertisements that these cars have a maximum speed of double or triple the countries maximum speed limits.

 

[Jimmy Snyder]

I can't help thinking that if the Government really wanted people to not drive faster than the maximum posted speeds ( 75 mph or whatever the fastest legal speed is anywhere ) for the pure reason of safety and protection, it would be the simplest thing to have the car manufacturers install a chip to limit the speed before the car is sold. As do many of the commercial transports do.

It would be dangerous if you could not go faster than the limit too. Sometimes you need to accelerate out of a dangerous situation.

 

[rewebster]

It would be dangerous if you could not go faster than the limit too. Sometimes you need to accelerate out of a dangerous situation .

like...

Bond...James Bond

 

[turbo]

Yeah I know, but don't nationally aspirated V6 engines have over 200hp now?

I know the BMW's with I6's have up to like 230hp, and that's just engine.

I think that the point is that this simple push-rod engine (no OHC, timing chain etc, etc) is bulletproof. Buick was selling them to Jeep back when they were producing V-6 CJ5s in the 1960's, and they put them in all kinds of cars including the Skyhawk (THAT was a fun car to drive) and in their smaller luxury cars, too, as well as their Grand National muscle car. Those engines last a long time and they can produce some serious torque, even using regular unleaded, unlike engines that are so tweaked and high-compression that they must have premium gas. I think that Buick was smart not to try to engineer a brand-new V-6 when they could tweak an existing one with such a track record.

 

[Jimmy Snyder]

like...

Bond...James Bond

Like Snyder, Jimmy Snyder. I have a license to drive.

 

[turbo]

Like Snyder, Jimmy Snyder. I have a license to drive.

It's even more important when you're on a bike. Even if you have all your marker lights and headlights on, drivers of cars and trucks pull out in front of you or try to make really stupid moves as if you don't exist. Strong acceleration on-tap is just as valuable as good braking in many situations.

 

[Alfi]

It would be dangerous if you could not go faster than the limit too. Sometimes you need to accelerate out of a dangerous situation.

I do not agree.

Please explain your belief to me.
You can accelerate from 45 to 55 same as ever.
but there is never a need to accelerate beyond the maximum unless you are already part of the problem with being a 'too fast' driver in the first place.

 

[Kurdt]

I do not agree.

Please explain your belief to me.
You can accelerate from 45 to 55 same as ever.
but there is never a need to accelerate beyond the maximum unless you are already part of the problem with being a 'too fast' driver in the first place.

You may have to accelerate out of the way of emergency vehicles. If someone was being particularly reckless with speeding I might imagine having to accelerate out of danger in that situation.

 

[edward]

I do not agree.

Please explain your belief to me.
You can accelerate from 45 to 55 same as ever.
but there is never a need to accelerate beyond the maximum unless you are already part of the problem with being a 'too fast' driver in the first place.

The need for acceleration is a safety factor. Every time I have to access I-10 I am glad I can get up to 80 mph quickly so I can merge into traffic safely. People who get to the point where they need to merge and are only going 60 mph are sitting ducks for the big rigs.

The problem is that a car that can accelerate that fast is also usually capable of going well over 100 mph.

Some vehicles have electronic controls that keep the driver from over revving the engine. A control system for top speed could work the same way. It would still allow quick acceleration up to a set point. But let's face it people won't go for the idea.