Slow Pokes

[johnnylightning86]

Rant On!

So how many people out there like me who are sick of people who drive slow just to be driving slow? I really do not understand why peopl cannot drive at least the speed limit. I drive about 45 miles to work one way mostly on a two lane interstate (two lanes for each direction), but it is so frustrating because everyone in the right lane is typically going 10 miles under the speed limit, while everyone in the left lane is going at least 10 miles over the speed limit. So this makes it hard to enjoy using the cruise control. But what really gets in my crawl is when someone - usually a big 18 wheeler gets in the left lane to pass someone in the right lane but does not speed up to get around and you are stuck behind them for miles.

Makes me want to put a bumper sticker on the back of my car that says "I drive the speed limit yes I do, If I can drive the speed limit how bout you?"

Then I would like a sticker on the front that has the lettering backwards so it can be read in the rear view mirror of the car in front of me that says "If you can read this, then you are going too slow and need to move the hell out of my way!"

Rant Off!

[eRic]

you need one of these

from Left Lane Drivers Unite!

[johnnylightning86]

Originally Posted by eRic

you need one of these

from Left Lane Drivers Unite!

LOL! - I love it!

[BondiBlue]

I'm a speed limit driver, but even I get irritated if I'm stuck behind someone for a long time unable to pass that's going well under the limit for no apparent reason. I still don't tailgate though.

[Norm201]

Short story...gas conservation!

Long story...If you learn to drive at a more leisurely pace (it took me many years to learn the proper mind set) you will find yourself less tense, better rested and more alert. The driving experience becomes much more enjoyable. When you reach your destination you'll also feel better. And the only price you pay is just a few extra minutes (perhaps 5 to 10 extra min per hour duration) in time. Plus, with the price of gas more and more people are driving slower to gain more mileage. And yes slower driving does in fact conserve gas consumption.

Many people will yell BS with this reasoning, but youth is head strong and only time and experience will teach this lesson. No amount of preaching from people like me will convince the younger than 45 year old crowd. And sometimes some people will never learn to relax. And if you're younger than 45 and have learned this mindset then you're on you way to becoming a Jedi-Knight, my young Padawan.

[e350 coupe]

I have had the fortune or mis-fortune of spending over 10 years of my 31 year career in law enforcement in the traffic section. I have to honestly say what part of the word "maximum" on the speed signs do people not get.

Now having said this I do not see why the extremely low speeds in particular area are warranted either. When I worked I usually gave a tolerance of 19 kilometres over in the city and 29 kilometres over on the highway. The reason for doing this was not because of tolerance but because of volume, to write at any lower speed would be absolutely impossible.

Now having said this the max coefficient of friction otherwise known as the ability of tires to stay on the road (or stop) is 1.00 for dry new concrete, .80 for new asphalt, .60 for old asphalt .30-.50 for wet roads .10 to .30 for snow covered roads and .00-.10 for icy roads.

Taking this into consideration I guess highways should be 80 mph in dry, 50 in wet and 30 in snow, but no one could understand it, thus we use a tolerable average to which some drivers are not conferable at driving at.

I have seen numerous people at over 100 kilometres (61 mph) over the speed limit usually young unexperienced male drivers, and we have one city road where we never wrote until you were 40 over the limit.

Now as I got older I found myself not just driving for myself but for other allowing for the "what if scenario", as in what if that guy swerves out, or that guy fail to stop for the stop sign etc.etc.

I guess other people would look at my driving saying I was a slow poke as I was doing the speed limit, in reality I know that under optima conditions it will take you 48 feet to stop at 30 mph. Just plain physics for a co-efficient road of .80. and thats only 30 mph travelling at 44 feet per second. At 60 mph I am travelling at 88 feet per second.

Now we have to add, action, and reaction, time which is first the time for you to see the problem and realize that it is a problem (reaction) which is on average .75 of a second, and then the time realizing that you have to do something and actually doing something (action) about what you are perceiving usually .25-.75 of a second.

If we add the two together and are travelling at 60 mph when someone does something and you have to react your vehicle has already travelled 88 feet before any intervention or avoidance can take place. Now we need additional distance and hopefully time to take alternate action.

In short there is more then just gas and brakes. The law requires a 2 second following rule which means at 60mph you should be following the vehicle at no less then 176 feet in ideal conditions.

I guess after driving considerable number of years logic sets in and you wonder what the big hurry is, I been driving over 38 years and I drive for maximum value per mile which is why I got this vehicle.

I will agree that some roads are just set with too slow of speed limits where there is absolutely no reason for being so slow. However we do not see eye to eye on the fact that others should speed and break the law simply because you are in a hurry.

In a 2 lane road each way I understand why the left hand driver uses the left lane doing the speed limit, as the right lane is slower vehicles entering and exiting the freeway.

In addition from this and other forums I fail to see why people are not outraged at the inaccuracy of speedometers. 60 means 60 so why do our vehicles read 60 and are actually travelling 55-57 mph. We should not have to buy oversize tires simply to correct speedo errors on brand new vehicles.

Perhaps this might explain some of your frustration in slow drivers, their speedo might indicate to them they are really going faster. My 1986 Fiero GT was over 10% out and I had to get new speedo gears to correct that error.

Hey just my 2 cents worth.

[jonl9]

I do the speed limit and if I do pass somebody, I get back into the right lane as quickly as I reasonably can without pulling in too close to the car that will be behind me. The state I am currently living in has more people dawdling along in the left, 'passing' lane and just staying there mile after mile. Get two of them and the road begins to back up and tempers begin to rise and tailgating starts, and the clods never get a clue. Oh well....

[illinipo]

Originally Posted by Norm201

Short story...gas conservation!

Long story...If you learn to drive at a more leisurely pace (it took me many years to learn the proper mind set) you will find yourself less tense, better rested and more alert. The driving experience becomes much more enjoyable. When you reach your destination you'll also feel better. And the only price you pay is just a few extra minutes (perhaps 5 to 10 extra min per hour duration) in time. Plus, with the price of gas more and more people are driving slower to gain more mileage. And yes slower driving does in fact conserve gas consumption.

Many people will yell BS with this reasoning, but youth is head strong and only time and experience will teach this lesson. No amount of preaching from people like me will convince the younger than 45 year old crowd. And sometimes some people will never learn to relax. And if you're younger than 45 and have learned this mindset then you're on you way to becoming a Jedi-Knight, my young Padawan.

We youth not all morons, you know. At 23 I have learned to enjoy the relaxing speed limit and the gas mileage that comes with it. Just have to make sure you stay out of the morons' way so you dont become an idiot.

If you ask my dad the road is full of a bunch of morons and idiots (too fast and too slow).

[Jazzdog]

Originally Posted by eRic

you need one of these

from Left Lane Drivers Unite!

This and play the first part of Oh No by Girl Talk reeeeal loud with the windows open. Free download but a tad explicit. Part of the All Day album GIRL TALK - ALL DAY - ILLEGAL ART

[Reddog99]

Originally Posted by Norm201

Many people will yell BS with this reasoning, but youth is head strong and only time and experience will teach this lesson. ....

It's not just time, it's the hormones that need to taper off.