What if you drove 55MPH?

[dwasson]

A video of people driving 55MPH on I 280 In Atlanta.

Check it out? (http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-5366552067462745475&q="meditation+on+the+speed+lim it")

[Donny Carlson]

A video of people driving 55MPH on I 280 In Atlanta.

Check it out? (http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-5366552067462745475&q=)

I been in both Marty's and Todd's MM's on the perimeter, and we got to 55 at least twice... once on the way up to crusing speed, and again back down when it was time to exit. No problem.

[TripleTransAm]

People always tend to progressively drive faster as time goes by. If the speed limit was 80 mph we'd see 120 mph cruising speeds before long. Anyone who wants to dispute this should have a good look in the mirror and try to proclaim they will actually drive 5-10 mph UNDER any given speed limit in either highway or urban situations "because that's the perceived safest speed", without laughing.

The 55 mph limit is outdated as far as its original intent goes (energy conservation - most modern cars are more efficient at slightly higher speeds). To consider a speed limit as unrealistic because everyone drives faster is irresponsible. Where I lived up until 2 years ago, I wouldn't trust the local drivers' skills if they DID adhere to the speed limits (and it shows by the almost daily accidents that paralyze the two major incoming routes from that area...).

Everyone wants the liberty to drive as fast as they see fit. Realistically, most drivers don't show the skill or maturity (or basic intelligence!) to handle that liberty (see the "irritants" thread for examples), and sadly the enthusiast community is forced to endure frustrating speed limits.

To adapt a popular statement: cars don't kill people, people kill people.


(besides, have you all noticed what kind of CRAP falling-apart POSs zoom by you at speeds the car was barely designed to handle when brand new? And we want to give them carte blanche to take it 10 mph over a yet-higher speed limit? The idea is enough to make Vincent Price whimper like a little girl...)

[TripleTransAm]

I been in both Marty's and Todd's MM's on the perimeter, and we got to 55 at least twice... once on the way up to crusing speed, and again back down when it was time to exit. No problem.

Following Todd to the airport in early 2004, I noticed how cruising speeds centered around 80 mph.

One phenomenon I've noticed is (regardless of what city I'm driving in at the time) people tend to maintain higher highway speeds in town than out on the open road. I see this here on a daily basis, as one of my 'shortcuts' involves driving further AWAY from town in order to cut back in on an artery that tends to free up earlier (saves me a solid 20-60 minutes, ironically enough!). As I leave my suburb, speeds are 70-75 mph. Within 10 minutes, the highway becomes entirely rural (farmland and undeveloped areas on either side) and speeds stabilize at 70 mph. As I whip back towards town, the speeds will creep closer to 80 mph as I get on the island (Montreal is an island city). Which doesn't make much sense because traffic is much denser as we approach town, so if anything this increases the likelihood of being unable to react quick enough to avoid an accident (nothing p*sses me off more than a tailgater at 80 mph when you're already in the right lane).

[dwasson]

What about the 85th percentile rule? Speed limits are supposed to be set at the speed that 85% of the traffic drives at. Artificially lower limits create more tickets and less respect for the law.

[TripleTransAm]

Kind of a chicken and egg thing, in my opinion.

Since my wife's been home with the kids, I found myself scooting home faster than I used to. Nothing else changed, just the fact I no longer had my wife sitting beside me possibly criticizing me for driving too fast. (I'll give her credit, though... she gives me plenty of leeway and really only mentions it when I, by my own admission, am really going too fast for nothing).

So I'm now running a cruising speed of minimum 78 mph on my way home from work, where the speed limits are set to the metric equivalent of 62 mph. Sometimes I will scoot up to 80-85 mph when my lane is free for a long way ahead of me... feels safe enough for me, I've got 302 hp of full frame badness all around me (and honestly I'm not hesitating to treat this redheaded stepchild the way it deserves to be treated). I do this because I want to get home as fast as I can, to enjoy my time with my family.

Why do I limit myself to 80-85 mph on those stretches? Sure, there's a safety mechanism in my head telling me to limit the differential speeds to something that gives me ample time to react in case of someone pulling out in front of me absent-mindedly, or to avoid 'buzzing' motorists by suddenly appearing out of nowhere. And a big part of that is the enforced limit: I know I'm already a good 20 mph over, I *might* actually be ignored by low enforcement at that speed if I'm not openly blatant about my absolute speed, since most of traffic is probably going 70-75 mph on those stretches. At 30 mph over, I get the feeling I'd attract way too much attention.

Raising the speed limit by 10 mph or so might alleviate both my concerns above, as most people would be driving 10 mph faster than they currently are. But at some point I'm not willing to trust the people around me to be able to handle those speeds, nor be responsible enough to realize their cars might not be in good enough shape to handle those speeds safely.


Speed enforcement on our highways up here is not a big deal. I've had a Provincial Police (equivalent to state trooper) come up behind and alongside me and gesture for me to lower my speed somewhat, as I absent-mindedly plodded along at 15-20 mph over. Now and then, someone takes it too far and smears themselves and/or their ride across several lanes of highway (hopefully not taking an innocent motorist or their passengers with them) and then the police presence gets a little tighter for a week or so, and folks start to slow back down. Then the cycle repeats.

For now, I think of it as a game of balance.

One day my luck will run out. I'll get nailed and then I'll be doing 65 mph for a bit, then 70, then maybe 75-80 within a couple of years, and so on. As it stands, each week I seem to permit myself a slightly quicker cruising speed, as I fall into the false sense of security. I'm going to have to keep myself in check lest I see myself holding a regular 100 mph on my commute to work... something that would be too easy if the speed limits were 80 mph to begin with.

[LimoMerc]

Thanks for sharing that. I believe the fast lane (far left) is the safest even though you must drive faster in order to keep the other motorists happy and I drive in it 95% of the time.

[duhtroll]

(besides, have you all noticed what kind of CRAP falling-apart POSs zoom by you at speeds the car was barely designed to handle when brand new? And we want to give them carte blanche to take it 10 mph over a yet-higher speed limit? The idea is enough to make Vincent Price whimper like a little girl...)

This AM on my way to work on a 4-lane divided highway (speed limit 65) a wheel and tire from a semi crossed my lane in front of me (about 200 feet) after it had vacated the vehicle going the other way, a vehicle that I noticed was emitting showers of sparks as it pulled onto the shoulder. The wheel ended up in a farm field after having jumped the boundary fence.

I wonder what kind of damage that size object would do to my MM at 75 MPH?

[merc6]

in texas people refused to even do the 70 mph speeds. I remember almost swinging the 55 foot trailer around cause we were about to run over this tool doing 35 in the left lane. Here in the capitol area there was many times I tried tailing state and county patrol cars and after reaching 95 mph I gave up. They still were pulling away from me.

[Cheeseheadbob]

It's been awhile since algebra, but I think it would be F = MV squared. I may be wrong since I am in sales and all I do is calculate my commission percentage!:D


I wonder what kind of damage that size object would do to my MM at 75 MPH?

[Badger]

Bob...you are a salesman aren't you?!:shake: :D :D
Fnet=Mass*Acceleration

BTW There's a case of Victory HopWallop on sale down here.

[TripleTransAm]

And energy is 1/2 * mass * velocity² .

Energy I'd rather not have transferred to my vehicle through unsolicited contact. :)

[blackf0rk]

I believe that the vast majority of people will drive at the speed their most comfortable with. I can only use myself in an example...

There are certain roads where I live that are one laned (both ways), heavily wooded, with entrances to homes on the street. The speed limit is there 35 but I rarely go over 35, I usually drive 25-30 because I think 35-40 is way too fast for that area.

The same holds true on the freeway. Going 55 in a three to four-laned highway with our without traffic is not safe; traffic reports and studies have concluded this. Why? Because irregardless of what the speed limit IS, people will drive the speed they feel safe at. On top of that, you have the morons and goodie-two-shoes who won't go a hair over 55 in the left lane; causing backups, traffic jams, and dangerous situations because they feel they need to be the citizen's police and control traffic (or for whatever other reason is bouncing off the hollow walls of their heads).

Another good example is Germany. In many areas they do not have speed limits. The law is GET OUT OF THE LEFT LANE and let people pass. Guess what? They have fewer accidents and fewer deaths.

[Haggis]

Well here in the greater D.C. area there is no such thing as speed limits. For those that know the area, I travel I-270 to the beltway to Georgia Ave. and back daily. The posted speed limit on I-270 in Frederick County is 65mph most people do at least 70-75mph, but if there is any open road someone will pass you doing 90mph or better.

Montgomery County the posted speed limit is 55mph on I-270, but the speed increases to 75-80mph and cars are still passing at greater speeds and traffic increases the closer you get to D.C. Where are the police at these times? Who knows, they are definitely not interested in the speeders and if you happen to see one he is usually also cruising at 90mph or better.

On Sunday when we had the CAM Meet I was cruising between 75-80mph down and then back home later that afternnon and I was still being passed by POS that should not be on the road. The few times that I wanted to play Chris would just give me that look that I was going fast enough. She was right I don't need a ticket and no one realy wanted to play anyway.

Also someone must have put a 'Cut Me Off' sticker on Mike Poore's car on Sunday. Charlie?? He was cut off 3 or 4 times from when we left Big Bats to I-70 and then the idots wanted to tail gate me. Chris and I have an old saying; 'The closer you get, the slower I go.'

[blackf0rk]

Chris and I have an old saying; 'The closer you get, the slower I go.'

You sound like one of the ones causing all the headaches. :P

[duhtroll]

I do the exact same thing when some idiot pulls up on my 6. If I weren't in a MM and owned some piece of crap I might lock 'em up.

They could go around. Instead they ride my a$$? They can do so at 20 MPH, then.

-A


You sound like one of the ones causing all the headaches. :P

[martyo]

I wonder what kind of damage that size object would do to my MM at 75 MPH?

A lot. ...............

[TripleTransAm]

I believe that the vast majority of people will drive at the speed their most comfortable with. I can only use myself in an example...

The problem is that a lot of people have a faulty relationship between "comfort" and "reality". I saw that this morning on my way to work... little Honda Civic lowered to ridiculous heights and with enough negative camber to scratch the wheel balance weights off his steel winter rims (oh yes, they were winter tires, too!). This "intense" dude is obviously misled by the 'slot car' feeling of the alignment specs, and it showed by his cruising speed and lane change methods. It was -17 C on my MMs display... he's obviously oblivious to the temperature/adhesion relationship that applies to tire rubber. I was glad to see him go by... if he's going to splatter himself somewhere, I'd rather it not be in my vicinity. (sounds cold, but I have plenty of more important things to worry about than the outcome of someone else's decisions - as long as they don't affect me or my family).



On top of that, you have the morons and goodie-two-shoes who won't go a hair over 55 in the left lane; causing backups, traffic jams, and dangerous situations because they feel they need to be the citizen's police and control traffic (or for whatever other reason is bouncing off the hollow walls of their heads).


THIS is the absolute key to safe driving, in my opinion. While the example in the video with the van clipping the stopped car supports exactly why I don't think many motorists possess the IQ necessary to enjoy a higher speed limit in a safe manner, it totally shows the potential for bad things to happen when there is a big speed differential and/or when someone tries to be "holier than thou".

I'm thinking faster speed limits may initially have a benefit (safety-wise) of spreading out traffic in areas that are becoming congested as the number of vehicles increases beyond the road capacity. But then I go back to thinking about those clapped out pieces of rolling junk on the roads and at that point I think I'd rather be hit by one going at a slower speed than one going at a higher speed. Frankly, I'd rather not have them on the road to begin with...



Another good example is Germany. In many areas they do not have speed limits. The law is GET OUT OF THE LEFT LANE and let people pass. Guess what? They have fewer accidents and fewer deaths.


Of course, I have no data to back this up, but I feel many areas in Europe show a more mature manner of driving. Driving in Sweden is pure smooth joy, and most seem to respect the left-lane-for-passing rule making for absolute event-free driving. This morning I was plodding along at my 80 mph clip in the left lane when all of a sudden ALL THREE cars in front of me simultaneously swerved into the middle lane... simultaneously! WTF? Then I realized what was up... a slow Jetta doing a ridiculously slow speed in that lane. The three cars in front of me had prevented me from seeing this coming up, and I had to get on the binders pretty hard to avoid having a VW as a hood ornament. It can be argued that if I was going slower, I'd have had more time to react in a safer manner (I'll reluctantly concede that much...).

I'm not sure where I read/heard this but while there may be fewer accidents and road deaths in Germany (no idea if this is actually the case), I understand that if a high-speed accident does happen, the likelihood of it being serious is much higher. I guess that means a basic fender bender isn't going to happen often, rather it'll be something big.

Anyway, no doubt the teutonic 'level-headedness' has something to do with the left lane rule being so successful and safe (ie. Germany, Scandinavia, etc.). In places like Italy and Portugal I'd probably be more reluctant to give the general slob the green light to go as fast as they're comfortable with. Portugal is the worst... those dumbasses have neither the skill nor the common sense to keep the shiny sides of their cars facing up, and it shows in the fatality statistics. :shake:


Next time we're on the road in steady traffic flow, have a quick look to the left and the right and make a mental note of the drivers... ask yourselves how comfortable you'd feel knowing this person would be doing 90+ mph sharing a roadway with you. :P

[duhtroll]

Wait a sec -

I 280?

I 280 begins and ends in the Quad City IL/IA area also.

??

It must have fragments in other places.


A video of people driving 55MPH on I 280 In Atlanta.

Check it out? (http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-5366552067462745475&q="meditation+on+the+speed+lim it")

[blackf0rk]

...right so living in your own world, going 55, hoping that everyone will have a flash of light and see it your way is the safe way... uh huh.

Actually, I don't care if people go 55 - it's the law. But don't do it in the left lane, or if you're causing an obstruction. That's my pet peve.

[Cheeseheadbob]

I think I will wait awhile until I put the next "Wallop" on my skull. BTW when are you looking to install? Perhaps I could visit with some Victory "Moonglow" Weizen Bock @ 11.5%:D :beer:


BTW There's a case of Victory HopWallop on sale down here.

[TripleTransAm]

You sound like one of the ones causing all the headaches. :P


Oh, no way, man... a big reason for North American traffic woes is the Dumbass (pron: duhm-äss). This species of driver shows complete disregard for sharing the road and shows no consideration at all for fellow motorists or their safety. Example: that van in the video.

I used to live right beside a Dumbass Reserve (they seem to be a protected species, sadly enough). The best display of the Dumbass' folk dance is the tailgater tailgating another tailgater. One sudden movement by the guy up front and it's an instant multi-car pileup. And should one of them decide to tail me as I'm in the slow lane, I'd slow down as well. Progressively, until they either got the message and passed on the left, or we come to a complete stop.

If that last outcome ever happens, I can promise you the other driver will be the proud recepient of a sanctimonious beating the likes of which Chuck Norris would sit back and exclaim "DAYUM, that was a righteous beating!" and then remain speechless and wide eyed for a good 10 minutes or more. Because I equate this kind of moronic tailgating to vehicular assault and possibly attempted murder.

[TripleTransAm]

...right so living in your own world, going 55, hoping that everyone will have a flash of light and see it your way is the safe way... uh huh.

Actually, I don't care if people go 55 - it's the law. But don't do it in the left lane, or if you're causing an obstruction. That's my pet peve.


I frankly don't give a rat's behind if people go 130 mph with their jallopies in the LEFT LANE as long as they don't mess with me at whatever speed I happen to be doing in the RIGHT lane. As long as they don't lose it somewhere before my exit, forcing me to sit 2 hours in traffic as emergency crews mop up their remains.

I'm with you: let me go the speed limit in the right lane if for some reason I want to, and if I am in the left lane, make sure you move on over as I'm approaching (all part of being aware of your surroundings as you're driving).

To be honest, I didn't see any police enforcing the 55 in the video, and to be honest I never felt worried going 80 mph as I was following Todd to the airport in 2004. Likewise, that morning as I drove down from Chattanooga, I passed a few parked LEOs who left me alone to my 5-10 mph over, as I was simply pacing the Sunday morning interstate traffic. In general I'd be inclined to say that police enforcement of an absolute speed limit is usually a result of some Dumbass having caused a pileup in the recent past, and thereby forcing the police to make their presence felt and maybe deter the reckless speeder.

[ctrlraven]

Well here in the greater D.C. area there is no such thing as speed limits. For those that know the area, I travel I-270 to the beltway to Georgia Ave. and back daily. The posted speed limit on I-270 in Frederick County is 65mph most people do at least 70-75mph, but if there is any open road someone will pass you doing 90mph or better.

Montgomery County the posted speed limit is 55mph on I-270, but the speed increases to 75-80mph and cars are still passing at greater speeds and traffic increases the closer you get to D.C. Where are the police at these times? Who knows, they are definitely not interested in the speeders and if you happen to see one he is usually also cruising at 90mph or better.

Also someone must have put a 'Cut Me Off' sticker on Mike Poore's car on Sunday. Charlie?? He was cut off 3 or 4 times from when we left Big Bats to I-70 and then the idots wanted to tail gate me. Chris and I have an old saying; 'The closer you get, the slower I go.' I know exactly what you mean, I used to live in Rockville/Wheaton area and would take I-270 to get to Frederick and Mt. Airy to see friends and family and it was nuts how fast ppl were driving even when I was going 5-10mph over. I learned to drive out in western Howard Co. on all country back roads where you drove as fast as you wanted. Now living out in eastern Howard Co. near Laurel and Columbia the ppl drive even crazier. It seems the smaller the area or road way the faster ppl want to go. I travel Rt 1 (Washington Blvd) and I-95 a lot and I can't count how many times I've been almost ran over or hit because someone was in a hurry. I perfer to always drive at night cause there are less ppl on the road and less of chance of having to deal with them. But that all changed for me back on Oct 12, 2005 when I had just go onto I-95 NB via Rt 175 and had been on 95 for maybe less than a min and got over into lane 3 to pass an 18 wheeler and everything was clear in front of me and behind me when I got over. Once I got over and was near the front of the trailer on the semi I saw cars coming up really fast behind me and before I could do anything besides downshift, floor the gas pedal and brace myself a drunk driver rearended me going close to 100mph while I was only going 60ish mph. I later found out he was drunk and blew a 0.15 which is 0.01 less than double the legal limit in MD:censor: :censor: :censor: . Because of that accident is how I came to purchase a Marauder, I needed something big, safe, wasnt grandpa ish, and of course its one big sexy sedan:D and atleast I know now I have a better chance if I am ever in an accident again.

[Badger]

Bob...Mid month for install. This afternoon for the case of Wallop, unless they have Stoubts double IPA.

[Mesencephalon]

Hey that Capitolareamarauders.com link is apparantly not only broken but for sale ... :rasta:

[duhtroll]

If 55 is the speed limit then you don't have a right to get mad at people for following it. Right lane or left. I think they are morons when they are in the left lane doing the SL and the right lane is empty, because it's best to be in the RL when you are slower than others. I just go around them in the right lane, which BTW according to our driver's manual is not illegal.

Some people do 55 (or 65, whatever) because it's the law, and not because they are trying to force others into doing the same. Laws don't usually address the most competent among us, but instead most often address the least competent, which is probably why we see the speed limits as being too low. I've said this before, but speeding is an inability to control your vehicle within the law. I'm guilty of it, but that doesn't change the fact that I'm not following the law.

I'm not saying I do 55 in the left lane. I don't. Nor am I saying it is my job to police the world. When some ********* comes up behind me in the *right* lane and could easily go around, I slow down to the miniumum speed limit. They usually get the picture.

I'm also not saying I don't get mad at people who are doing 55/65 in the left lane. I do. However, I am the one who is wrong for doing so. The LAW states 55 is the speed limit. The driver's manual SUGGESTS that the left lane is for passing. (at least in Iowa it reads "it is best to drive on the right and pass on the left" and makes no other mention of it - can you tell I renewed recently?) The law is more important. Getting pi$$ed that someone is following the law is one of the reasons we have accidents in the first place, and it's pretty stupid, IMO (and I'm guilty of it - doesn't make it not stupid).

That's like getting pulled over and telling the LEO you don't deserve a ticket because "everyone else was going faster."

-A


...right so living in your own world, going 55, hoping that everyone will have a flash of light and see it your way is the safe way... uh huh.

Actually, I don't care if people go 55 - it's the law. But don't do it in the left lane, or if you're causing an obstruction. That's my pet peve.

[DEFYANT]

I've said it before, I'll say it again. Hwy speed limits should be based on individual experiance. 1-5 years driving - you obey posted limits. 5-10 yrs with no accidents - ever, and driver training permits you to go faster. Lots of experiance with no accidents + hi perf car w/ driver training tailored to you and the vehicle = "Resume Safe Speed Limit"

Location location location!

You have to know when. Most drivers do not know when its "safe" to let'er rip. For instance, we have a pretty straight shot of a road way near by where the limit is 55. Sure the road can handle over 55. But what "the best" drivers forget is the "Woodline Rodents". Yes, DEER.

These suckers literally come out of nowhere! At 55 you may be able to react and avoid a collision with the venisen. At 85, your in a closed casket.

[TripleTransAm]

I've said it before, I'll say it again. Hwy speed limits should be based on individual experiance. 1-5 years driving - you obey posted limits. 5-10 yrs with no accidents - ever, and driver training permits you to go faster. Lots of experiance with no accidents + hi perf car w/ driver training tailored to you and the vehicle = "Resume Safe Speed Limit"

That is a very interesting concept. Hard to enforce, but it sounds pretty good. However, it would be tough to find the best experience delimiters for what speed limits allowable. I know a lot of people who have been driving for at least 10 years that I would NOT get into a car with, if they were within 2 feet of a steering wheel and pedals.

And it doesn't take into account the ********* factor. This is the situation where an experienced driver gets the notion that he/she does in fact own the road and has inherent priority over anyone else. This is usually more notable in higher income neighborhoods, where you have executives in high profile positions used to getting their a$$es kissed at work and extend this to the outside world. These are the guys who will get impatient with your speed in the right lane (say, because there's quite a few cars in front of you keeping you at that speed) and will scoot across 3 lanes to the fast lane and zoom 3-4 cars ahead then cut back across the same 3 lanes in time to catch their exit... all this in a span of maybe 5-10 seconds tops. Obviously someone that important cannot possibly follow another car for 5-10 seconds and casually take the exit, they are obviously very important people with important things to do. And surely, based on apparent driver age, these people have been driving for many years, possibly more than I have.

I'm beginning to think drivers should occasionally submit to some sort of psych exam similar to what some Human Resource departments use during hiring... depending on your makeup, you might or might not be permitted to drive at a higher speed.

I like your comment about being aware of your location when choosing your speeds. Each person's perception differs, though... in my new (I've been here 2 years now) neighborhood, the main boulevard has a posted limit of 50 kph. I find this reasonable considering the incredibly large number of kids playing at the various parks along the way, plus the presence of a bike path along one side of that road. I'll be honest... I usually stretch it to 60 kph because it feels better, but I'm usually paranoid on the lookout for kids. Meanwhile, there is this one street in this somewhat limited-access neighborhood where property values are clearly much higher (it's enclosed by the golf course path, whereas I live just on the outside of the golf course) and the street has been in existence for close to 10 years (so residents have been there longer). It NEVER fails that the car turning onto that street has been tailing me for blocks, even if I'm doing over 60 kph in this 50 zone with kids all around. Again, the ********* factor... it's usually the high priced luxury SUVs and/or BMWs (one VW Phaeton too... you gotta be one mega loser to spend that much money of a freaking Volkswagen!!!). I'm gonna start pulling over and taking license plates to report to the cops.

The moment I'm past that street, usually no more such worries until I get to my house. For now. (and I imagine some people are beginning to complain, as I'm seeing more and more speed traps practically on a daily basis). As I said, it's all about that game of balance.

[Dr Caleb]

The problem is that a lot of people have a faulty relationship between "comfort" and "reality". I saw that this morning on my way to work... l

I have to strongly agree with you on this. This morning, we were blessed with 20cm (8") of snow that we've been waiting for since October. The highway 'felt' OK, up to 60km/h (35mph?) until you tried to apply the brake and found it a frictionless surface. 2 Semis in the ditch, to their credit, were not jack knifed (but in for a long wait).

So once the crowd that slowed down to 40km/h got inside the city and hit the first onramp to the freeway, all the city dwellers promptly decided to do the regulation 80km/h, swerved across 3 lanes only to find they were now passengers in their own car.

Some invulnerable driver in a BMW 7 series found himself facing the wrong way with lots of traffic oncoming. The look on his face said it all. :help: Luckily his trajectory along with the slope of the road took him off to the side where he wouldn't hurt anyone for a few hours. :corner:

It happens all too often with the first snowfall. People just won't slow down. :mad:

[duhtroll]

It happens all too often with the first snowfall. People just won't slow down. :mad:

It's called Darwinism.

[TripleTransAm]

It's called Darwinism.

So true. Unfortunately, they seem to affect the rest of us in some way or another, whether in jamming up traffic for hours or costing us a fortune in insurance and health care costs.

We got just under 4 cm of snow last night. By our standards, this is nothing more than a light sneeze. Still, my commute took 1/2 hour longer because the authorities had to close off an entire artery heading towards one of the bridges here because last night around 3am some early-20-somethings lost control of their car in an area that was marked at just over 40 mph (where I usually do 50-55 when conditions are perfect). Now, this was way before the total 4cm reached the ground. And this car was literally wrapped around a highway sign support (all that was missing was a little bowtie and a greeting card, it was neatly wrapped)... so this was certainly not a 50-55 mph crash.

Likewise, on the opposing direction of another artery, I passed another 2-ambulance accident (couldn't tell the circumstances, but at least one car was facing the wrong way)... traffic was backed up for at least 2 miles behind it. And note that by this time the roads were 100% clear... wet, but clear.


I've been thinking about that "Germany" comment and I'm beginning to think that any lower death- or accident-rate over there can't be attributed to a higher speed limit, but rather to the general attitude of drivers. I'm now willing to support that a lower speed limit on some German highways (which has been happening recently, the Autobahn ain't what it used to be) would actually lower the casualty rate even further, as long as the attitude remained. In Sweden I believe you're not even allowed to pass on the right, so right there that puts the pressure on drivers to keep right except for passing.

One other thing crossed my mind this morning: with the way we design and maintain/repair our roads, the thought of a higher speed limit is indeed chilling. Natural speed bumps, I guess... anyway, the speeder with lack of foresight regarding road surface quality will undoubtedly hit a bad bump and lose control, as it's hard to control a car when wheels are actually off the ground.

*sigh* Tough commute this morning...