DC_Hokie Posted October 18, 2005 Share Posted October 18, 2005 For the record, I state that we never have to exceed the speed limit of 55 mph. The reason being I can not think of anytime we would ever need to go over the 55 mph speed limit no matter the situation(except in an emergency where we let emergency response vehicles go faster than the posted). Think about it, if everyone was going 55 or under on the highway, there will be less chance of reckless driving, less pollution, less need of highway law enforcement, less medical/insurance we would have to pay in terms decrease in severity of accidents. This could all be easily done by the manufacturers to electonically limit the speed to 55 mph. The excuse of needing to speed up to merge with traffic would be negated because everyone would be going 55 mph and you have the option of slowing down too. The point that the state of Wyoming(and other areas) has very lax speed limit is an exception and noted. Even though it is your right to speed past 55 is not a point in this discussion - what I am asking is should we limit all highways/roads to 55 and under. Yes I know this would impact the choice of vehicles you purchase - why buy a lambo when you can only go 55? Yes, I do drive over 55 all the time if you guys are wondering. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DeanCollins Posted October 18, 2005 Share Posted October 18, 2005 top speed 49mph:laugh: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest sith lord Posted October 18, 2005 Share Posted October 18, 2005 All I know is that you really don't get from point A to point B any faster by driving about 55 mph. And I regularly drive atleast 60 mph. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Huly Posted October 18, 2005 Share Posted October 18, 2005 the fastest i think Pez and I have ever traveled is when we received a phone call my dad had another heart attack. We had to get from Ashburn VA to Charleston SC quickly and there were not any right away flights. Pez drove very very fast as he had a wife that was an emotional basket case in the passenger seat. When I called him the first time to tell him (he was on his way to work) I was crying so hard he thought it was static on the phone. I called back and all he got was "dad" "heart" and "charleston". That is one time I will never forget and i would do it again if need be! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skins24 Posted October 18, 2005 Share Posted October 18, 2005 All I know is that you really don't get from point A to point B any faster by driving about 55 mph. And I regularly drive atleast 60 mph. Having traveled extensively across the US by car....yes you do. Local stuff...maybe not so much. Pushing the speed limit back to 55 would not accomplish a thing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
E-Dog Night Posted October 18, 2005 Share Posted October 18, 2005 What if you were trying to outrun someone who was trying to kill you? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pez Posted October 18, 2005 Share Posted October 18, 2005 I WISH I could get up to 55 mph on the way in and out of work... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlexRS Posted October 18, 2005 Share Posted October 18, 2005 For the record, I state that we never have to exceed the speed limit of 55 mph. The reason being I can not think of anytime we would ever need to go over the 55 mph speed limit no matter the situation(except in an emergency where we let emergency response vehicles go faster than the posted). Think about it, if everyone was going 55 or under on the highway, there will be less chance of reckless driving, less pollution, less need of highway law enforcement, less medical/insurance we would have to pay in terms decrease in severity of accidents. This could all be easily done by the manufacturers to electonically limit the speed to 55 mph.The excuse of needing to speed up to merge with traffic would be negated because everyone would be going 55 mph and you have the option of slowing down too. The point that the state of Wyoming(and other areas) has very lax speed limit is an exception and noted. Even though it is your right to speed past 55 is not a point in this discussion - what I am asking is should we limit all highways/roads to 55 and under. Yes I know this would impact the choice of vehicles you purchase - why buy a lambo when you can only go 55? Yes, I do drive over 55 all the time if you guys are wondering. Change 55 to 65 in your post. Nothing changes! Are you saying those extra 10 mph increase chance of reckless driving, pollution, need of highway law enforcement, or need for medical/insurance? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlexRS Posted October 18, 2005 Share Posted October 18, 2005 Now change that to 75... hehe What I am trying to say is, all these "benefits" you list to driving 55mph do not actually come from people driving 55. Problems you are trying to address are not based on people driving too fast. They happen because people do not know how to drive, plain and simple. There is no "culture of driving" here as there is in Europe. Everybody and their little brother has a car... Our government is focused on giving out tickets, not improving overall highway safety or promoting better driving. Which is understandable, considering one brings you money while the other you have to spend money on. It's a classic American approach to solving these kinds of problems... Regulate instead of educating. Reduce everything to lowest common denominator... It's sad, really. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chopper Dave Posted October 18, 2005 Share Posted October 18, 2005 Your post doesn't make any sense, and that's basically it. I'm sorry, but if I can choose between getting home to my family in 4 and a half hours or 5 and a half hours, I'm going to want the speed limit to be 70, and I'm going to want to be doing 90. Besides, they've changed it from 55 to whatever in alot of places for good reasons. First of all, if you're going to get into an accident at 55, you may as well get into an accident at 70, because the outcome will probably be the same. Also, they did studies, and I'm pretty sure 70 is the gas mileage sweet spot. Any faster, and it gets worse, any slower, and it gets worse. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
riggins44 Posted October 18, 2005 Share Posted October 18, 2005 Speed isn't what kills. It's usually driver over reaction or poor decision making. Speed may contribute, but it's how the driver reacts to a situation that determines outcome. I drive 70 all the time....yes sometimes a little faster. All I know is that if you drive 55 on the beltway around DC, you'll be killed! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
China Posted October 18, 2005 Share Posted October 18, 2005 I routinely drive over the speed limit, especially when that limit is 55. I believe the 55 mph speed limit was originally insituted during the Carter administration as a way to maximize fuel efficiency (as it was determined that 55 was optimal for minimizing fuel consumption) during the energy crisis. Despite wanting to get better gas mileage, I cannot bring myself to drive that slow on the highway sometimes, espcially on long trips when I know traveling 65 mph may save me an hour or more of driving for my trip. As for safety, I think the big concern is not the speed but the differential speed between drivers. If one car is going 55 and another 75, that provided potential for accidents. So everybody speed up! I would just like to conclude with the lyrics to Sammy Hagar's I Can't Drive 55: One foot on the brake and one on the gas, hey! Well, there's too much traffic, I can't pass, no! So I tried my best illegal move to think black and white come and touched my groove again! Go on and write me up for 125 Post my face wanted dead or alive Take my license, all that jive I can't drive 55! Oh No! Uh! So I signed my name on number 24 Yeah the judge said, "Boy, just one more We're gonna throw your ass in the city joint" Looked me in the eye, said, "You get my point?" I said Yea!, Oh yea! Write me up for 125 Post my face wanted dead or alive Take my license, all that jive I can't drive 55! Oh, yea! I can't drive 55! I can't drive 55! I can't drive 55! I can't drive 55! Uh! (Solo) When I drive that slow, you know it's hard to steer. And I can't get get my car out of second gear. What used to take two hours now takes all day. Huh! It took me 16 hours to get to L.A. Go on and write me for 125 Post my face wanted dead or alive Take my license, all that jive I can't drive 55! No, no no, I can't drive... (I can't drive 55!) I can't drive... (I can't drive 55!) I can't drive 55! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest sith lord Posted October 18, 2005 Share Posted October 18, 2005 Having traveled extensively across the US by car....yes you do. Local stuff...maybe not so much. Pushing the speed limit back to 55 would not accomplish a thing. You're right, over long distances. I would thinking more of 20-30 miles. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlexRS Posted October 18, 2005 Share Posted October 18, 2005 Yeah that's a song not to blast when being pulled over! :laugh: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rdsknbill Posted October 18, 2005 Share Posted October 18, 2005 Are you the guy with the VA tags going 60 in the hammer lane on i83 up here? :mad: Seriously though, I usually drive about ten mph over the speed limit on the highway. I usually drive for business if it is within a days drive. I figure by the time I get to the airport to get through security, get on the plane, endure the flight, get off the plane and find my ride, I could drive it just as fast if not faster. :2cents: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DC_Hokie Posted October 18, 2005 Author Share Posted October 18, 2005 Which now begs the question - why do we have speed limits in the first place? Who picked 55 or 65? Was there a study. We all go faster than the posted. I guess is what I am trying to get at is what if we made it so that no one could out speed everyone else on the freeways. Wouldn't it make the highways more sane, less aggressive driving, less need to pay for extra highway patrol men to fill their local coffers. Less speed cameras. Less need to hit the accelerator since it is already electonically governed which means more gas savings. By the way, if I could choose between a 55 or 65 mph impact, I would still choose the 55 - any less inertial forces would be my preferences. Like I said before, I am already discounting extreme cases like medical emergencies for argument sake. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pez Posted October 18, 2005 Share Posted October 18, 2005 I just want to know why some ignorant people can't get it through their thick skull that the Left hand lane is for faster travelers.... I keep getting stuck behind some a-hole going below the speed limit in the fast lane on the dulles toll road with about 60 car lengths in front of them... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DC_Hokie Posted October 18, 2005 Author Share Posted October 18, 2005 Ok a little late on the above post. Yeah, there would be a differential between a guy going 75 mph vs. a guy going 55, so shouldn't everyone go 55 then so there would be less of an impact. By the way, I am no commie - I love my 250 HP sedan. I am just bringing up a discussion Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rdsknbill Posted October 18, 2005 Share Posted October 18, 2005 I just want to know why some ignorant people can't get it through their thick skull that the Left hand lane is for faster travelers.... I keep getting stuck behind some a-hole going below the speed limit in the fast lane on the dulles toll road with about 60 car lengths in front of them... PREACH IT BROTHER!!!!!!!!!!!! MD Drivers are bad too Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MissU28 Posted October 18, 2005 Share Posted October 18, 2005 damn, i guess i don't have anything to say to this post, since I've gotten 2 reckless driving tickets going 90 in a 65 :halo: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DC_Hokie Posted October 18, 2005 Author Share Posted October 18, 2005 Also, all I see is people saying that I want to travel faster. I.E. making it to their next appointment, go cross country, or make a meeting. No one actually stated to me that they NEED to go faster. So far it sounds like poor time management. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
airborneskins Posted October 18, 2005 Share Posted October 18, 2005 PREACH IT BROTHER!!!!!!!!!!!! MD Drivers are bad too Yeah, MD drivers are bad, But MI drivers are the worst...(in the US) In Korea, if you are bigger than the car next to you , you have the right away.. (this was fun especially in a BIG truck!!! :laugh: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlexRS Posted October 18, 2005 Share Posted October 18, 2005 Also, all I see is people saying that I want to travel faster. I.E. making it to their next appointment, go cross country, or make a meeting. No one actually stated to me that they NEED to go faster. So far it sounds like poor time management. Yeah, but does anybody really NEED anything? Think about it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rdsknbill Posted October 18, 2005 Share Posted October 18, 2005 How is it poor time management if you get there about 20-30 minutes faster, depending on the distance? It would seem to me it would be less time sitting on your arse watching the broken line go by Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rdsknbill Posted October 18, 2005 Share Posted October 18, 2005 Yeah, MD drivers are bad, But MI drivers are the worst...(in the US)In Korea, if you are bigger than the car next to you , you have the right away.. (this was fun especially in a BIG truck!!! :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: I like it considering I drive a 3/4 ton pick-up. (Diesel) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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