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Comments
Around here they like to modify the exhaust to make the heavy duty diesel pickups sound like semis. A shrink could have a field day.
Nothing says cool more than a middle aged Harley rider who drives a beige Camcord on weekdays...LOL
Nobody went 55 just as nobody goes 60 or 65 today...all speed limits are always disregarded in some way.
I wonder what it did to revenues.
I could cruise at the 65 speed limit in the left lane on the PA Turnpike and pass whole lines of vehicles without someone coming up on my rear. (If one did, I of course yielded to the right.) Tractor-trailers rarely passed cars. This is not to say some people didn't travel at higher speeds -- they most certainly did, but they were in the minority.
You have to keep in mind that American iron of the day wasn't exactly confidence-inspiring at speeds much above 70, though of course, many engines had more than enough horsepower to go much faster. It's just that handling and braking lagged far behind, and radial tires were for the most part still in the future.
55 made a mockery of rural interstate speed limits, but it was never strictly enforced except in a few notorious states like Ohio -- and even there, the enforcement became more lax as the years went by. Personal note: my mother was stopped for going 60 mph in 1974 on I-70 in Ohio; she got off with a warning, but can you imagine this today?
It was only because of this lax enforcement that the law remained on the books. Everyone knew you could wink at it. At the same time, studies showed that despite flagrant disregard for the law, measured travel speeds DID decline, and fewer people were killed on the roads affected by the lower limits. This has been well documented, despite those in denial because, well, everyone likes to go fast, right?
An interesting thing is that polls showed most Americans said they supported keeping the speed limit, but at the same time, it was a case of "do what I say, not what I do." My take was that drivers always consider themselves superior -- the other idiots on the road need to be watched, but I know how to drive well, so I'm entitled to go faster.
Anyway, as the political spectrum turned more red, western states won out and forced a change in 1987 to allow 65 mph on rural interstates, but 55 mph remained in effect in urbanized areas and all roads other than freeways. By 1995, with the Republicans in full control of Congress, legislation repealing ALL national control of speed limits was passed as part of a much larger highway bill that Clinton signed.
Any old-timers remember things differently?
No, they generally do help - opening up the airflow has no ill effects (the backpressure argument still exists, but dyno tests always seem to show that open exhausts help all over the rev range). On sporty cars (already performance-tuned) they only add a couple of hp. On economy cars they can add 5-10hp because the stock system is designed to optimize emissions, quietness, and economy.
Obviously they can be annoying too. But my point is that most people target the small buzzy cars, when the ones that actually hurt people's ears are Harleys and aftermarket-muffler V8s.
Of course I'm biased. I think cans of bees are way cooler than gurgles.
the road-way is a collective and cooperative experience with a multitude of factors you are over-simplifying and trying to optimize for a minority.
i assert it's the "i'll do what i want" drivers (in addition to those not-skilled, not fully awake, not fully present / cognizant, not on top of vehicle service, etc) that can and will get you into trouble.
even if you're in perfect mind, vehicle, environment- state with perfect situational awareness you can't predict what the others will do in an evolving situation.
you need a sufficient time horizon to react with your confident proficiency when they do something you didn't anticipate.
the faster you go, the less the horizon. factor in unpredictability in a moderately congested environment, and you're the danger on the highway to yourself and to others...
crazy spin? maybe not. yes, even though the other driver is the one poorly skilled, tired, having mental difficulties, hasn't maintained their vehicle properly, your behaviors forced an outcome that was avoidable.
have you ever heard of over-optimizing a problem?
there's some logic behind a sub-optimal speed limit.
It's kind of like when they charge a 13 year old minor as an adult. How can you say someone can't be old enough to make the decision to drink, drive, have sex, or sign a contract all of a sudden conprehend the fact that his/her action will effect the rest of their life. Some states are even trying to sentence minors to death. It's crazy to me. A 13 year old is either a kid or an adult, not subject the situation at hand. A missing 15 year old girl is only a poor innocent child whereas a 15 year old who kills his bully is a menace to society?
Same with the speeders. Someone who does 100 in the wide open spaces yet slows for traffic gets the same 100 mph fine as someone who blasts along and rides bumpers and darts across several lanes of traffic. That's crazy.
We're all in mortal danger if we go above 45 or so. Let's dumb it down another notch.
"you've caused someone to be cut off by not slowing or yielding even when you were definitely in the right, and the other driver was in the wrong."
That's an awfully dangerous way of examining a situation. If I didn't yield to someone in the wrong, and they cut someone else off, I did not "cause" someone else to be wronged.
Hahaha, yeah, the "fart cans" are pathetic attention-getters, but that is tolerable. The bikes and trucks can actually hurt one's ears, wake up the baby, etc. That is where it becomes a problem.
I used to work as a landscaper back in the mid-90's and when one of those ear-splitting bikers would drive by, I would spray them with the hose. It still does not seem like it was an equitable turnabout. I needed one of those airhorns-in-a-can or something. :mad:
I am not advocating timidness - as we all know how annoying, dangerous, and unpredicable timid drivers can be - but thoughtfulness. *shrugs*
But there's no practical way to have different speed limits for different levels of fuel efficiency. You can at least have slower speed limits for large trucks, but that's about as far as I would go.
And the 55 limit was recommended by Nixon in late '73 as a way to save fuel, when the Arab oil embargo occurred. Originally, he said 50 mph, but the trucking and bus companies said 55 would be better because their vehicles could then run in top gear. Ergo, 55 was born.
We had a lovely crash a while back. Semi in fast lane. Car behind semi.
Semi drive swerved right and hit brakes.
The car driver was suddenly presented with a breakdown car in the 'fast' lane, a semi along side and concrete divider on other side.
It killed the occupant of the breakdown who was trying to get out of the car and off the highway.
But there are never semis blocking the view? Must live in an enchanted land.
Planes are known for being able to leave the ground and often have a higher hp to weight ratio than automobiles, enabling accleration in a variety of directions not available to autos.
and this is a forum about being considerate right?
everyone has a blind moment. perhaps some posters haven't yet, but they will... i'm confident of that.
this is no butterfly flapping, sandstorm in egypt problem. yet as you astutely point out - it's situational.
tonight's speed limit optimized on the top end of I-285 are not the same as this morning's optimal limit, 3:00pm this afternoon (ha), or tomorrow morning (yipee).
so what would reasonably be proposed for this 1 section of the perimeter around metro Atlanta?
oh wait, i suppose we need to have dynamic signage. oh wonderful.
Today I finally got the pack of total idiots. These ones see the 55 sign and go 80. Many of them will end up in the right exit-north lane that gets added -after- the on-ramp merge, but today, as soon as my left signal goes on, they start flooring it. Some moved from behind me to the next left lane rather than being in the lane I was vacating. One was a pickup with a tail-wagging trailer - the kind that just waits for a little bump before flailing out of control and 'accidently' crashing.
Going faster doesn't help much because the exit ramp doesn't move and the shorter time to reach it is shorter time to look for idiots who fail to ...
-what?-
YIELD TO THOSE AHEAD OF YOU. That's right, Ahead. Of. You.
Not ahead-in-your-lane.
Not ahead-of-you-in-size.
Ahead-of-you-at-all.
So I didn't make my exit. I got to watch it go by while the pack of idiots was caught up behind those doing 65 a short way down the road.
Because mine is almost 10% off between 60 to 70 mph. Up to that point it's great, but when it reads 70, the car is actually going 65. 62 on the the 'meter is 60 on the road.
So the next time you fly up at 70, ask yourself two questions. Is the driver of the car ahead knowingly dawdling, or does his speedo read 80. And, am I actually going 70 or maybe going 75?
Any states require annual recalibration? I know the dyno emmissions testing guys use the dyno speedometer, not the one in the car. And I know the state law here holds the driver responsible for knowing his speed. No whining the speedo is off when nipped by a cop.
If automakers wanted to, they could include the GPS as the main source for speedo information and recalibrate the mechanical unit (even a digital display requires a mechanical linkage using rubber in contact with road) for when the GPS is not reliable (parking garages, tunnels.) It would also make the car clock really accurate and does wonders for the odometer accuracy as well.
Everyone with a GPS unit, which could predominate after 10 years, would know that almost everyone else was accurately aware of their speed.
It would even silence the twits who object to the erroneous readings possibly recorded by the (post-crash) black box. You know - where they say the car was only going 25 mph before it left the road and rolled 12 times in a level corn field. It was just the tires spinning up while the car was upside down that cause the 95mph reading. Uh-huh.
This was not a revenue generation move, it was a Safety move. The WSP can justify their speed limits with facts based on traffic experience. What's your data based on?
I know my daily drive is a couple of percent on the high side, so I know when my speedometer reads 70 I am doing about 67.
Everyone with a GPS unit, which could predominate after 10 years,
Unless the price of them comes down drastically I cant see them being anywhere near being predominate.
2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D
Would this be the cowardly married guy who drove off a bridge in Mass with a young single woman in his car coming from a party late at night and she drowned while he fled (swam) from the scene? He never served any time for this and his mega money maybe shielded him from further investigations, media scrutiny?
Drivers in countries with autobahn like roads have respect for the people that they share the roads with. That's the most important thing missing in this country. Respect. The people don't repect each other. And the government doesn't respect the people.
It is a fact, those with the best and highest credit ratings enjoy lower insurance rates because statistics prove, "When Mr. Wheeler is responsible with his wallet, he is responsible with his wheels."
Those with bad credit ratings would be limited to 55 mph and have to travel from then on with the better credit raters.
This "civil disobedience" crap is just a new P.C. term for anarchy and if it feels good, do it mentality.
Political Correctness = Speech Control
The WSP also claims that archaic cable barriers are not a safety hazard. I don't believe these guys any further than I can throw them.
The Bellingham limit change is a revenue creation move if there ever was one. Ostensibly it is because of Bellingham traffic, but the limit changes a good 10 miles south of the city! It's rural down there, and no different from the 70mph roads further south. The slow zone also extends a few miles north of the city, where it is also rural. It's all about revenue.
I can agree with the extension of slower traffic N of Everett...with the new casino and tract of outlet malls, it is chaotic around there. There's enough traffic and dawdling sightseers to justify it. But the Bellingham limits are a joke.
Blind deference = Idiot Control. Fear and faith won't keep you safe forever.
Revenue generation? You betcha! I often travel I-5 late at night, when traffic is light and the "justification" of the lower limits makes no sense. That is also when and where it is easy pickin's for a cop seeking to "get his numbers up" by writing a handful of citations.
The lower limit around Centrailia is just plain dumb. That is all two-lane freeway. When traffic is heavy the speed is self-limiting. The truckers will clog up both lanes and impose the 60 MPH truck limit on everyone. No need to lower the limit. The new 60 MPH limit there just facilitates another speed trap arena, which (of course) will only operate when traffic is light.
Someday we may have electronic speed limit signs which change to reflect actual driving conditions.
james
Given that people pay $400 for a pair of headlight housings when a pair of $20 sealed beams would work fine, I don't see the GPS price as too high as an addition to the speedo. It makes the car insensitive to slip, tiresize, breakage of the little gear in the transmission, variations in spring rate in the speedo head.
You may be thinking of a navigation system with maps and a color screen. It costs a lot of money to find out where all the roads are and to keep the maps up to date. The ones that cost 400-1000 contain that as part of their cost. Another large part is the computer that is programmed to figure routes. Take those away and you get an item that's really inexpensive.
Change of topic - How about large lighting - DRLs and HIDs and daytime fog lights?
Some have suggested these are only for attention getting as a means to reduce collisions, but many collisions are the result of not looking. Maybe loud exhausts should be on all vehicles as an attention grabbing safety measure just like the lighting. Just joking, but the DRL proponent arguments are making a similar claim.
As for choppers and boom-box cars, I think they don't get the attention they deserve. Trebuchet rides anyone?
well much cheaper than the $2K+ most want now.
Some cell phones are getting GPS recievers.
IIRC its not GPS but rather trianglate your position using the providers signals.
You may be thinking of a navigation system with maps and a color screen.
I have a nifty little hand held one that is color, has maps, tells elevation, marks your trail, tells you how far you have gone, speed and all that crap all for about $200. I use it for hiking, fishing and all that stuff.
Unfortunately GPS systems in cars are way overpriced.
2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-3811567397679147618&q=bmw
james
2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D
You always have to be on alert and practice "defensive walking".
A while back, I worked in an office complex that had some sidewalks within and sidewalks on three lightly travelled streets and one sidewalk along a busy 4-lane (Ogden). I sometimes walked along Ogden but stopped walking along it when one day I spotted tire tracks coming up from road into grass parkway and then onto sidewalk and beyond.
There needs to be special driver certification based both on age and vehicle type. This guy likely shouldn't be driving anything, not to mention an obese menace like that thing.
Maybe he was blinded by the xenons.
One car going slower than the speed limit, 35 in a 40.
Being tailgated by a guy who wanted everyone to know he had a horn. Tailgated as in 2-4 feet following distance.
On a two lane, no-passing road.
One guess what the Blowhard did.
Yup, Passed into oncoming traffic over the double yellow. The oncoming cars dove for the shoulder, so no muss, no fuss.
I'll bet some here believe that the guy who was driving at a speed suitable for the condition - that of having a raving maniac threatening a bumper slam - was in the the wrong and should have pulled over and let the rolling temper tantrum get all his rage out somewhere else. Maybe he pulls over and Blowhard caps him?
If you think the temper tantrum was not educational for the blow hard, you are probably right. That driver cannot learn. Eventually he will die from something, but he should not be driving anymore.
If he was sitting up that high, in compelte sunlight, and was blinded by headlights, he needs to have his eyes checked, and as you whine about, should not be driving. It scares the hell out of me to have some of these old people driving large deadly vehicles.
Oh yeah, and yesterday I had a real winner. I was out in the fintail, going about 5 over in a 30, and some middle aged woman chowing down on french fries, driving a Hyundai Accent, starts tailgating me. I didn't get too excited, as I was in no hurry, and she couldn't do much. When the road broke up into 2 lanes, she floored the little tin can and went around, just to be caught at a red light as I pulled beside her. When that light turned green, she floored the little thing, but it was no use, as I know the light sequencing at this interchange, and the next light a block down is guaranteed to be red. Sadly, the idiot turned before I could enjoy more of her sad driving skills. I wonder what would happen if a fintail hit an Accent...I'd go through it like it was tinfoil I bet...
Don't states have more stringent driver's license requirement renewals for seniors?
If I recall from articles in news at various times, most dangerous drivers are 16 to mid-20's. I see more young women drivers, those appearing to be 18 to 40, on phone and chattering than any other group in my observations. I can't recall ever seeing an old geezer (guy or gal) chatting on phone and driving. They are the ones who appear to "really" be focussed on driving.
I have been tailgated by many of those including distaff members into their 30s and up talking on their cell phones, oblivious of the physics involved in their driving. "If I'm 20 feet behind I can stop if something makes the car in front of me stop!" DUH.
I was followed by a 20 something in her Honda becsuse I was going the speed limit. I was going 15 miles to the small town where I like to do country shopping. She wouldn't pass. Apparently is afraid to pass on two lane, rural road, but she's not afraid to tailgate. She wasn't on cell phone. I kept slowing down and she finally passed at 45 in an area of a busies than average for rural crossroads and with oncoming cars in the slight dip that she didn't see three-quarters of a mile ahead. They need better driver training courses. When I'm behind someone who slows down a couple miles per hour and there's no oncoming, I pass.
And the worst ones always drive red sport-like cars.
>chatting on phone and driving. They are the ones who appear to "really" be focussed on driving.
Most seniors are careful driving because they realize they aren't as sensitive to input visually. The youthful ones will kill you with their lack of logic and care.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
"Don't states have more stringent driver's license requirement renewals for seniors? "
They don't seem to here. I see some scary stuff....the "I'll go 10 under if I please" crowd, coupled with a dose of an inability to see cross traffic. Really, it's just as selfish as a tailgater weaving through traffic.
I've mentioned this very same thing before. Men usually have no hesitancy about passing on a 2-lane road, but women will just ride your butt. You practically have to wave them around to get them to commit to a pass...most annoying. Pass or back off, please!
Fintail, yes seniors do have problems driving, but the most dangerous drivers are the youngest, when measured on a per-miles-driven basis. Seniors' biggest problem is failure to yield (like your Suburban driver example) due to perceptual and judgmental errors. Many seniors are aware of their limitations and so do not drive on freeways or at night, for example.
The young are immature and inexperienced and tend to be the most reckless and overconfident. They are also the most likely to be using a cell phone. They decidedly do NOT place limitations on their own driving -- it has to be imposed by law or by their parents.
I'm glad to know I'm not the only victim of this discriminatory following rather than passing. It's amazing how even when the two-lane road was clear for 1+ miles she wouldn't pass. She just planned to follow me 12 miles to the next(major for rural Ohio)town.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,