Slow pokes look out! Ouch

[hdrygas]

I came across the following on my log on page.

Driver Beaten Up for Observing Speed Limit
BERLIN (Reuters) - A German truck driver beat up a motorist he believed was driving too slowly in a case of 'road rage' in a country famous for having no limits on stretches of its motorways.
The trucker got in a fight with a car driver who had been slowing him down by observing a 30 km-an-hour (18 mph) speed limit in a built-up area.
Police in the western town of Bochum said the truck driver told them he felt provoked by the motorist "because he was actually driving 30 kph in a 30 kph area." The trucker faces an investigation and may lose his driving license.

Gives one pause. When the price of gas went up I have been making a real effort to get better MPGs in my present car. I had been a 5 over person and now I am more like one or two under. The reaction of other drivers is remarkable now that I have slowed down by 5 or so mph. Twice in the last week I have had what my son calls "rice rockets" peel around me and pull right in front of me. Stupid because if they had to stop suddenly I would crush those guys like little tin cans driving the barge I am in now. I guess I really piss them off. The most interesting thing is that in traffic I usually catch up to them ad arrive at my destinations at the same time I would otherwise and spend less time at lights. I guess you are never too old to learn. My wife is happy she has been after me for years to slow down and drive the limit. I knew that other that schools zones and such the cops would let you slide if you were just a bit over and the traffic flow encouraged it, heck most people were going much more than 5 over. Hope some one doesn’t take a swing at me or worse!

[Starbug]

If it makes you feel any better, I always go 5-10 miles over the limit along a certain road (limit was once 55 and then stupid yuppies complained and got it reduced to 35mph; however nobody goes 35 there anyway). So here I am going 45mph, and rice rockets still go peeling past me like I was going 20mph. I think it's just the ricer mentality. They like to show off the speed of their cars, so they peel around as if people cared (hate to burst their bubble, but most people only find em annoying instead of cool). And you know, in a collision with those delicate rice rockets my blazer would win....they have no clue.

[flyingprius]

It's amazing how certain cars make you drive. I really learned that I have no consistant driving habits. When I drive the Prius, I drive a little bit under the limit; I get much better gas mileage. I get especially better gas mileage when I drive about 38 mph in a 40mph because at 41/42mph the ICE comes back on. If I have nothing better to do, I even avoid freeway driving which can double my commute( does that make any sense at all?) However when driving my mom's A4 or step-dad's 9-5 Aero, I flash the highbeams at folks on the freeway when they go only 5 over the limit in the left lane, I speed, and I take corners very tightly... Maybe there is a reason as to why the Europeans make safety a top priority...

As for the rice rockets, I know when I'm at a light and they see me, deep down they know that a few neon lights and a dorky spoiler can't compare to Prius...

As for Starbug, maybe you don't have a clue. Maybe those stupid yuppies are just looking out for people like yourself. Maybe your Blazer isn't so tough... Do yourself a favor: check out what the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety has to say about your Blazer :idea:
http://www.iihs.org/vehicle_ratings/ce/html/96002.htm

[LeVautRien]

We get cool cars without having to do much...maybe a little EV mod here or there. :wink: :mrgreen:

[daniel]

Going slower, you will usually catch up to the faster guy at the next light. But one time out of 10 or 20 he'll make it through the light and you won't. So on average he'll get where he's going sooner. ... Until he causes an accident with his reckless driving, but even then he gets to his final "destination" sooner.

I don't think my driving style has changed since I drove my Civic, except that I could not drive with the engine off. I go with the flow of traffic. If there's no traffic I go 3 or 4 mph over the limit, except in school zones, when I go at or one mph under the limit. I really don't want to have to deal with the consequences of hitting a kid.

[LeVautRien]

Yeah, driving faster when there are lights just doesn't work much at all. I don't see the sense. It's only on the interstate that you can reap large rewards from high speeds.

[victor]

Originally posted by Starbug
If it makes you feel any better, I always go 5-10 miles over the limit along a certain road (limit was once 55 and then stupid yuppies complained and got it reduced to 35mph; however nobody goes 35 there anyway). So here I am going 45mph, and rice rockets still go peeling past me like I was going 20mph. I think it's just the ricer mentality. They like to show off the speed of their cars, so they peel around as if people cared (hate to burst their bubble, but most people only find em annoying instead of cool). And you know, in a collision with those delicate rice rockets my blazer would win....they have no clue.

I had a similar experience too. A ricer started to over take me in a 50Kmh limit (I was doing about 55Km) and as he pulled out, he saw a police car coming towards him head on. He pulled sharp back in behind me, but the police turned around and followed him. He didnt get the chance to rice it for a while

[bruceha_2000]

Originally posted by hdrygas
I had been a 5 over person and now I am more like one or two under.

The speed limit is supposed to be the maximum, but at least for the 30+ years I have been driving, society has also considered it the minimum. Since this is the case, driving under the limit is likely to cause more accidents simply because the "five or more over" drivers get really wound up and drive stupidly when you aren't even doing the limit. I have always been a 2 - 4 over driver except where the flow of traffic makes it dangerous not to keep up. Not likely to piss people off and the nice officers don't pull me over :-)

The most interesting thing is that in traffic I usually catch up to them ....

See, they do have their value - they race ahead and trip the traffic lights for you!

[bruceha_2000]

Originally posted by Starbug
(hate to burst their bubble, but most people only find em annoying instead of cool).

Not the people on the boards THEY read. They probably don't even think the Prius is cool and make nasty comments about them and their drivers :-)

[TonyPSchaefer]

I have tried to argue Bruce's point on many occasions to my wife. Here in Chicagoland, if you are driving 55mph on the interstate, you are an obstacle, plain and simple. The argument that one person driving slower can reduce the risk of an accident is offset by the people willing to take risks they wouldn't otherwise just to get around you. The whole matter is worsened by the 2 out of 3 lanes constantly occupied by big trucks.

My analogy is this: imagine a stream of water flowing on a smooth bed. All the water moves unobstructed. Now, take a stick and poke it straight down into the water. Watch what happens to the water as it tries to get around the stick. Such a small item can cause such a great disruption.

I am not a speed freak, I have never owned a fast or even nice car. But you don't have to witness too many near-misses as people whip around slower vehicles to figure these things out.
(on a side-note, the people whipping around cause others to break which can cause accidents 3 - 4 cars back. The initiator is long gone and completely oblivious.)

But I will offset that "rule of speed" with the "rule of residential". With children, driveways, bicycles, and all the other things that constitute a residential neighborhood, exceeding the posted speed limit by more than a few is reckless endangerment. No one argues this point until they've hit someone, been hit, had a friend who's hit or has been hit. And from a purely statistical viewpoint, adults abolish such behavior because it is more likely they have learned from such experiences.