Speed Limits (U.S.) [modified]
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I think States should eliminate speed limits in favor of posted speeds with allowed variance and enact a minimum acceleration standard for roads. Most of the Interstates in the U.S. outside of major cities are very straight and in excellent condition easily supporting triple digit speeds. But even now with an almost universal "limit" of 70mph people insist on driving in the passing lane at 45mph. If you can get a ticket for going 85pmh then you should get the same ticket for going 55mph. And to be honest, going 45mph should be jail-able with loss of license just like 95. Some persons should not be allowed on some roads. If 45mph is your maximum safe speed then you should be on a highway not an Interstate. Traffic enforcement must also not be about revenue. I am literally sickened when I hear local politicians talk about traffic enforcement and revenue as related subjects. Talk about a conflict of interest.
Need custom software developed? I do custom programming based primarily on MS tools with an emphasis on C# development and consulting. I also do Android Programming as I find it a refreshing break from the MS. "And they, since they Were not the one dead, turned to their affairs" -- Robert Frost
Ennis Ray Lynch, Jr. wrote:
I think States should eliminate speed limits in favor of posted speeds with allowed variance
And the variance should be displayed as a percentage with further variances being a percentage of the percentage. Any one who can't do the necessary maths will be banned from driving.
Forgive your enemies - it messes with their heads
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New Hampshire had minimum speed "limits" posted on most it's interstates (45 MPH). I never heard of anyone getting pulled over for an under limit, but then again, you didn't see it nearly as frequently as elsewhere. On the other end of the spectrum (and country), California had a section of road where the car speed limit was 55, and the truck speed limit was 35. This reeked havoc during commute hours as any time spent in the right lane risked getting stuck behind a truck and then trying to get back into the left lane which would then be going 20+mph faster than you...
Jeremy Hutchinson wrote:
On the other end of the spectrum (and country), California had a section of road where the car speed limit was 55, and the truck speed limit was 35. This reeked havoc during commute hours as any time spent in the right lane risked getting stuck behind a truck and then trying to get back into the left lane which would then be going 20+mph faster than you..
that sort of idiocy isn't just a CA thing. Unless they changed it in the last few years, Tennessee has posted interstate speed limits of 70 for cars and 55 for semis. With the left lane cruising near 80 you've got the same problem. You'll see the same sort of thing locally on secondary highways in mountainous regions because the steep downslopes push semis breaks too hard.
3x12=36 2x12=24 1x12=12 0x12=18
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Yep - I reckon all those under 65 such as the 17-24 year-olds are far, far safer.
cheers, Chris Maunder The Code Project | Co-founder Microsoft C++ MVP
Chris Maunder wrote:
Yep - I reckon all those under 65 such as the 17-24 year-olds are far, far safer.
Don't get me started on them. ;)
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Ennis Ray Lynch, Jr. wrote:
I think States should eliminate speed limits in favor of posted speeds with allowed variance
And the variance should be displayed as a percentage with further variances being a percentage of the percentage. Any one who can't do the necessary maths will be banned from driving.
Forgive your enemies - it messes with their heads
My blog | My articles | MoXAML PowerToys | Mole 2010 - debugging made easier - my favourite utility
Pete O'Hanlon wrote:
And the variance should be displayed as a percentage with further variances being a percentage of the percentage. Any one who can't do the necessary maths will be banned from driving
cause an accident while trying to figure it out on his smartphone.FTFY :sigh:
3x12=36 2x12=24 1x12=12 0x12=18
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Henry Minute wrote:
And you maintain that it is the 35mpher that is the danger.
Yes. Imagine you have been driving for an hour or so, and everyone is driving 70mph. You are nice and comfortable at that speed. You are in the left lane, when suddenly the car in front of you switches to the right lane rather quickly, and much to your surprise, it is because the car in front of them is doing roughly half your speed. Well, since you are now approaching this car rather quickly, you look to get into the right lane as well, only to see that there is a car next to you. At this point you begin to brake, but due to the extreme difference in speed there are really only two outcomes. You slow down enough so as to not hit the car in front, but get rear ended in the process because the car behind you couldn't brake in time, OR you don't slow down enough and you rear end the person in front of you.
The United States invariably does the right thing, after having exhausted every other alternative. -Winston Churchill America is the only country that went from barbarism to decadence without civilization in between. -Oscar Wilde Wow, even the French showed a little more spine than that before they got their sh*t pushed in.[^] -Colin Mullikin
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Jeremy Hutchinson wrote:
On the other end of the spectrum (and country), California had a section of road where the car speed limit was 55, and the truck speed limit was 35. This reeked havoc during commute hours as any time spent in the right lane risked getting stuck behind a truck and then trying to get back into the left lane which would then be going 20+mph faster than you..
that sort of idiocy isn't just a CA thing. Unless they changed it in the last few years, Tennessee has posted interstate speed limits of 70 for cars and 55 for semis. With the left lane cruising near 80 you've got the same problem. You'll see the same sort of thing locally on secondary highways in mountainous regions because the steep downslopes push semis breaks too hard.
3x12=36 2x12=24 1x12=12 0x12=18
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l a u r e n wrote:
i will be sure to check up on you when you get to 64
In all seriousness, I would have no problem being tested 65 or later. If I am a danger to others on the road then I shouldn't be driving. Most people here in the U.S. drive the speed limit or 5-10 MPH faster. You always drive to the speed of traffic. You don't drive to what you feel you should drive unless you are the only car on the road. Common sense.
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Slacker007 wrote:
Common sense.
Bzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz! But my favorites are the morons who slow down becasue they see a police car. They weren't going over the speed limit or anything, mind you. Unless the idiots this morning were all drug-runners afraid to be pulled over for a broken taillight, they had no reason to drop to 50 when the cop car pulled out onto the highway. We were all doing a nice get-to-work-on-time 70 before then.
It always itches for the first week or so. My Mu[sic] My Films My Windows Programs, etc.
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Ennis Ray Lynch, Jr. wrote:
I think States should eliminate speed limits in favor of posted speeds with allowed variance
And the variance should be displayed as a percentage with further variances being a percentage of the percentage. Any one who can't do the necessary maths will be banned from driving.
Forgive your enemies - it messes with their heads
My blog | My articles | MoXAML PowerToys | Mole 2010 - debugging made easier - my favourite utility
Pete O'Hanlon wrote:
And the variance should be displayed as a percentage with further variances being a percentage of the percentage.
:laugh:
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Pete O'Hanlon wrote:
And the variance should be displayed as a percentage with further variances being a percentage of the percentage. Any one who can't do the necessary maths will be banned from driving
cause an accident while trying to figure it out on his smartphone.FTFY :sigh:
3x12=36 2x12=24 1x12=12 0x12=18
Hey, we should soon weed out the dumb ones with this.
Forgive your enemies - it messes with their heads
My blog | My articles | MoXAML PowerToys | Mole 2010 - debugging made easier - my favourite utility
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I think States should eliminate speed limits in favor of posted speeds with allowed variance and enact a minimum acceleration standard for roads. Most of the Interstates in the U.S. outside of major cities are very straight and in excellent condition easily supporting triple digit speeds. But even now with an almost universal "limit" of 70mph people insist on driving in the passing lane at 45mph. If you can get a ticket for going 85pmh then you should get the same ticket for going 55mph. And to be honest, going 45mph should be jail-able with loss of license just like 95. Some persons should not be allowed on some roads. If 45mph is your maximum safe speed then you should be on a highway not an Interstate. Traffic enforcement must also not be about revenue. I am literally sickened when I hear local politicians talk about traffic enforcement and revenue as related subjects. Talk about a conflict of interest.
Need custom software developed? I do custom programming based primarily on MS tools with an emphasis on C# development and consulting. I also do Android Programming as I find it a refreshing break from the MS. "And they, since they Were not the one dead, turned to their affairs" -- Robert Frost
Ennis Ray Lynch, Jr. wrote:
Most of the Interstates in the U.S. outside of major cities are very straight and in excellent condition easily supporting triple digit speeds.
Except that those are only two of a number of factors that go into determining the working speed limit. The other, probably more important one, is stopping sight distance. That's why you see long, straing roads with low limits when there are dips, rises, driveways and intersecting roads. Basically you have to have enough time to stop when something comes into view. Cheers, Drew.
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Hey, we should soon weed out the dumb ones with this.
Forgive your enemies - it messes with their heads
My blog | My articles | MoXAML PowerToys | Mole 2010 - debugging made easier - my favourite utility
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Some of the highways in the Rockies have lanes for semis that are unable to stop ("out of control vehicle lane" or something like that) that end in sand and water barrels. I always found those amusing.
You'll find runaway truck lanes anywhere you have steep downhill grades. I expect the ones out west are more impressive though. I've never seen anything steeper than about 10 or 15* in PA; WV has ramps half again or twice as steep; the Rockies are much steeper than even the rugged parts of the Appalachians.
3x12=36 2x12=24 1x12=12 0x12=18
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BobJanova wrote:
If you do 60mph down a single track road with blind bends, you won't last long.
Common sense. Exception to the rule.
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Henry Minute wrote:
And you maintain that it is the 35mpher that is the danger.
You are obviously delusional.He is not delusional Henry. In the U.S. you drive the speed of traffic. You can get a ticket for not driving the speed of traffic. If the posted speed limit is 65 and the speed of traffic is 70 then you drive 70 not 60. The speed of traffic is usually the same as the posted speed limit or 5-10 MPH faster. [edit] we do have a slow lane on most highways and this allows vehicles pulling trailers and other slow moving vehicles to travel. However, if you are going too slow against the speed of traffic then John Law will pull you over and ticket you.
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Slacker007 wrote:
You can get a ticket for not driving the speed of traffic
Very, very rarely. I suspect the most likely reason that that would ever happen would be because the driver in the car behind you that is pissed off that you are going too slow is a police officer.
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Henry Minute wrote:
And you maintain that it is the 35mpher that is the danger.
You are obviously delusional.He is not delusional Henry. In the U.S. you drive the speed of traffic. You can get a ticket for not driving the speed of traffic. If the posted speed limit is 65 and the speed of traffic is 70 then you drive 70 not 60. The speed of traffic is usually the same as the posted speed limit or 5-10 MPH faster. [edit] we do have a slow lane on most highways and this allows vehicles pulling trailers and other slow moving vehicles to travel. However, if you are going too slow against the speed of traffic then John Law will pull you over and ticket you.
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Slacker007 wrote:
You can get a ticket for not driving the speed of traffic. If the posted speed limit is 65 and the speed of traffic is 70 then you drive 70 not 60.
Seriously? You can get a ticket for not speeding? What if traffic is going 85 in a 60 zone? I've heard of people using others as a "rabbit"... they follow behind somebody else who is going over the speed limit in hopes the person in front will get pulled over rather than them.
Driven to the ARMs by x86.
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gavindon wrote:
he/she is doing 35 mph. This is actually a danger as there are PLENTY of people doing the 65(or higher)who are not paying proper attention
And you maintain that it is the 35mpher that is the danger. You are obviously delusional. Posted speeds, in all countries that I am aware of, indicate the maximum speed. It is those driving "without paying proper attention" that are the danger. Indeed, in the UK, there is a motoring offence of driving without due care and attention to cover such lunacies. The slower driver may, on occasion, cause an inconvenience but in the circumstances that you describe never a danger. The only time that could ever possibly be true would be if they were doing 35 in a zone where the minimum speed limit is 55 or higher and I ain't seen too many of them.
Henry Minute Do not read medical books! You could die of a misprint. - Mark Twain Girl: (staring) "Why do you need an icy cucumber?" “I want to report a fraud. The government is lying to us all.” I wouldn't let CG touch my Abacus! When you're wrestling a gorilla, you don't stop when you're tired, you stop when the gorilla is.
Henry Minute wrote:
Posted speeds, in all countries that I am aware of, indicate the maximum speed.
Few people understand this. Most treat it as the minimum starting point.
"One man's wage rise is another man's price increase." - Harold Wilson
"Fireproof doesn't mean the fire will never come. It means when the fire comes that you will be able to withstand it." - Michael Simmons
"Some people are making such thorough preparation for rainy days that they aren't enjoying today's sunshine." - William Feather
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l a u r e n wrote:
i will be sure to check up on you when you get to 64
In all seriousness, I would have no problem being tested 65 or later. If I am a danger to others on the road then I shouldn't be driving. Most people here in the U.S. drive the speed limit or 5-10 MPH faster. You always drive to the speed of traffic. You don't drive to what you feel you should drive unless you are the only car on the road. Common sense.
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Slacker007 wrote:
You always drive to the speed of traffic.
Peer pressure? With thinking like that, it's no wonder this country's a mess. Imagine what would happen if everyone drove the posted LIMIT. :rolleyes:
"One man's wage rise is another man's price increase." - Harold Wilson
"Fireproof doesn't mean the fire will never come. It means when the fire comes that you will be able to withstand it." - Michael Simmons
"Some people are making such thorough preparation for rainy days that they aren't enjoying today's sunshine." - William Feather
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So if someone knows (common sense) that it is unsafe for them to drive at a certain speed it is ok? Then how does that jive with your original point?
Common sense is apparently lacking in the UK roads department. We have default speeds in the US; but when roads aren't safe to be driven at them lower speed limits are posted to discourage people from driving stupidly fast.
3x12=36 2x12=24 1x12=12 0x12=18
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That's a bit rich coming from an American: amongst the worst drivers I've ever encountered with the easiest road test and the oldest, stupidest drivers. That doesn't count the people who stick in the fast lane and will not move over, the others who bob and weave, the tailgaters, the girls in SUVs at lights on their phone who just sit there or the morons who don't understand that a stop sign means stop, not go! There is a difference between fast driving and driving fast. Wow: that feels better tho I suspect I've just painted a large target on my back for when I next return! :)
"If you think it's expensive to hire a professional to do the job, wait until you hire an amateur." Red Adair. nils illegitimus carborundum me, me, me
digital man wrote:
...the morons who don't understand that a stop sign means stop...
So stop signs should be taken literally, but speed limit signs are merely a suggestion? :confused:
"One man's wage rise is another man's price increase." - Harold Wilson
"Fireproof doesn't mean the fire will never come. It means when the fire comes that you will be able to withstand it." - Michael Simmons
"Some people are making such thorough preparation for rainy days that they aren't enjoying today's sunshine." - William Feather
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Slacker007 wrote:
You always drive to the speed of traffic.
Peer pressure? With thinking like that, it's no wonder this country's a mess. Imagine what would happen if everyone drove the posted LIMIT. :rolleyes:
"One man's wage rise is another man's price increase." - Harold Wilson
"Fireproof doesn't mean the fire will never come. It means when the fire comes that you will be able to withstand it." - Michael Simmons
"Some people are making such thorough preparation for rainy days that they aren't enjoying today's sunshine." - William Feather
You're a slow driver aren't you?
DavidCrow wrote:
it's no wonder this country's a mess.
I know, I know. The ruination of America is because of my irresponsible driving speeds. Lock me up, throw away the key. ;)
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