How much over the speed limit is too much?

[Pew]

Originally Posted by jeepman3071
Originally Posted by grampi


I wouldn't say most of the left lane campers I encounter are control freaks. I'd say they're more like clueless morons. Most of these people act like they're the only driver on the road and they don't have clue about what's going on around them...



Agreed. I came up on a left lane camper over the weekend doing 57 mph. I expected it to be some texting idiot, but instead it was a middle aged woman doing her best.


The worst is when you get the person that just got on the highway and jumps 3 lanes over to the left lane when there's nobody else in the middle lane.

 

[grampi]

Originally Posted by k1xv
Whether you are "speeding" by being over the posted limit depends on degree and duration.

So, for example, cruising along on cruise control set at 70 in a 60 zone is, in my book, speeding. However, in the same 60 zone, if you are passing a slower 18 wheeler and during the pass, hit 75 mph, and slow back down after the pass is accomplished, that is not speeding.


I agree 100%

 

[supton]

Originally Posted by grampi
Originally Posted by k1xv
Whether you are "speeding" by being over the posted limit depends on degree and duration.

So, for example, cruising along on cruise control set at 70 in a 60 zone is, in my book, speeding. However, in the same 60 zone, if you are passing a slower 18 wheeler and during the pass, hit 75 mph, and slow back down after the pass is accomplished, that is not speeding.


I agree 100%

I think I'd want a clarification by a police officer on this one. I agree, if you need to pass, speed up and get it over with. But I've always been told, and I see the point, that if you exceed the speed limit, it's speeding. Regardless of why.

One could argue that if you had to speed up to pass quickly, then you shouldn't have "needed" to pass in the first place.

[FWIW I'm not a slow driver. Don't take my comment as justification for bringing back the double nickle!]

 

[oilpsi2high]

Nowadays I just stay in the right lane and follow the car in front of me. I did an experiment a while back and every car seems to speeds up when you go to pass them. Now you're both going over the limit.

Unless someone is going slower than the posted limit I'll just sit back and relax on getting where I need to go.

Even a 10 mph over ticket, after factoring in court costs and increased insurance rates, just isn't worth it and you don't really end up at your destination any faster.

Also, NY will hit you with a "driver responsibility assessment" and you'll end up paying hundreds towards that as well. No thanks.

 

[oilpsi2high]

Originally Posted by supton
Originally Posted by grampi
Originally Posted by k1xv
Whether you are "speeding" by being over the posted limit depends on degree and duration.

So, for example, cruising along on cruise control set at 70 in a 60 zone is, in my book, speeding. However, in the same 60 zone, if you are passing a slower 18 wheeler and during the pass, hit 75 mph, and slow back down after the pass is accomplished, that is not speeding.


I agree 100%

I think I'd want a clarification by a police officer on this one. I agree, if you need to pass, speed up and get it over with. But I've always been told, and I see the point, that if you exceed the speed limit, it's speeding. Regardless of why.

One could argue that if you had to speed up to pass quickly, then you shouldn't have "needed" to pass in the first place.

[FWIW I'm not a slow driver. Don't take my comment as justification for bringing back the double nickle!]


It doesn't matter what lane you're in, passing or not. I've been told by an officer to leave tailgaters behind you, and don't speed up just because they are tailgating. By all means move over when it's safe to do so, but if you speed up over the limit to move over then most cops will write you up.

 

[bbhero]

Originally Posted by Astro14
Is this a safety question?

Or a law enforcement question?

Traffic engineers take a lot of factors into account when setting a speed limit. Some of those factors may/may not apply to your situation, and so, driving, say, 25 MPH over under particular circumstances (traffic and other drivers, naturally, must be considered) might be just fine, or it might be completely reckless.

But a cop is bound by the law, so, at some speed over the limit, you're at risk of getting a ticket, regardless of circumstance. At 10 MPH over, around here, they start pulling folks over.

I tend to set my cruise control at 5-8 MPH over. I also sit in the middle or right lane at that speed as it seems everyone is passing me...




You are exactly right about that... I went to Hampton traffic court with my ex wife and every speeding ticket was at minimum 10 mph or more over. Time of travel matters a whole lot... If I out driving late at night or between work hour traffic times... Driving 69 in a 60 mph zone.. I'm passing a lot of people. Work time traffic that is not backed up... I'm like a lap down car at Darlington

I'm in the way going 69 mph then... And 664 south bound going into the shipyard at say 6 am.. it is intense to say the least.

 

[StevieC]

The last couple of months (3 to be exact) working for this new place I have been commuting about 200km a day on average mainly on the toll road that is very costly here but covered by my employer. If you are doing 130kph (81mph) there are people passing you like you are standing still which is fine because it's their license they are risking and vehicle seizure if they get caught doing 150kph (94mph) or faster along with a $10,000 fine. Local law we have.

Anyway, there is a ton of traffic on this road all flowing along at very high rates of speed and no accidents and for the most part folks understand the left lane passing rule and moving over is accepted. There are still idiots that try to own the lane for themselves at slower speeds but the Audi/BMW drivers are sure to swerve in front of them and scare the heck out of them. Or at least that is the typical vehicle of choice I see doing this. For the record this is dangerous and I don't condone this at all and would never participate. But I have been known to use horn and lights to get my message across myself.

Then you have our traditional roads like the 401, 427 (at the south end), 403, QEW which during the same time are clogged with vehicles traveling at best 60kph (37mph) at best and there are accidents everywhere as reported on the radio that monitors traffic conditions and reports them frequently. (680 news for those that are local).

This small case study over the past few months would indicate that speed isn't the factor but driver inability or distraction taking place. To better confirm this in this small sample size, the one day we had really heavy rain this past week there was 1 accident on this Highway 407 and traffic was backed up for miles because all but 1 lane was closed. It took me over an hour to go about 20 miles in this jam indicating how much traffic uses this road so that it is a fair comparison.

What I'm getting at is that on this 407 folks have always treated it like a speed track in comparison to the free public roads that are treated more with "Speed Kills" which is a weird phenomenon but disproves by the daily speeds that take place on the Toll Roll with ample number of cars to prove that if speed itself truly killed and it wasn't some other factor like driver inability then this place would be labelled dead mans highway.

I have been traveling the 407 since it opened quite some time ago and it has always been a speeders paradise. I can probably count on one hand, maybe two the number of accidents I have seen on this road when traveled over the past decade.

Folks from the Greater Toronto Area can chime in and confirm how folks drive like they are qualifying for the grand prix on this highway and how few accidents there are.

 

[oilpsi2high]

Here it's entirely a cash grab for the state. For example it drops from 65 to 55 then back to 65 again a few miles up. No rhyme or reason and nobody ever slows down. Always a trooper in this area as well.

 

[Cujet]

I got tired of the speeding tickets for 9 over. That's where I set the cruise control, and that's what I get written up for.

So I purchased an airplane. I now cruise at 165-170 MPH everywhere I go. Sometimes I even commute by plane, as I work at the airport.

No more tickets, insurance hassles, searching the car, and best of all, no more secondary tickets for "other things found", such as radar detector on the windshield.

The airplane even helps my wife avoid tickets. As I simply fly her to where she wants to go.

 

[Pew]

Originally Posted by Cujet
The airplane even helps my wife avoid tickets. As I simply fly her to where she wants to go.


Do you literally drop her off at her destination too?

 

[Cujet]

Originally Posted by Pew
Originally Posted by Cujet
The airplane even helps my wife avoid tickets. As I simply fly her to where she wants to go.


Do you literally drop her off at her destination too?


Generally, she goes to see family about 300 miles away, so they come and pick her up. She drives much faster than me. I am a 9 over kind of guy. She can drive the trip in 4 hours block to block if there are no left lane campers and 5 hours otherwise. About 1:45 in the plane.

 

[turtlevette]

I like travelling by myself in open spaces on the highway. I'll run up to 95 to get to the spaces then slow down to not catch the next pack.

And I feel this is extremely safe.

Night is a different matter. I feel driving on the highway at any speed is dangerous with deer here and moose in Canada.

 

[turtlevette]

Driving at some range over is not really a choice like people are making it out to be here. Its a compromise to be as safe as possible so every car on the road doesn't go around you. Impeding traffic by only going 5 over is more dangerous than flowing with traffic doing 15 - 20 over.

 

[jeepman3071]

Honestly I'd rather have a bunch of speeders than the texting zombies. At least the speeders are usually looking at the dang road. Lately when I see someone texting I usually pass them when safe to do so and get as far away from them as possible.

 

[Pew]

Originally Posted by Cujet
Originally Posted by Pew
Originally Posted by Cujet
The airplane even helps my wife avoid tickets. As I simply fly her to where she wants to go.


Do you literally drop her off at her destination too?


Generally, she goes to see family about 300 miles away, so they come and pick her up. She drives much faster than me. I am a 9 over kind of guy. She can drive the trip in 4 hours block to block if there are no left lane campers and 5 hours otherwise. About 1:45 in the plane.


I was thinking more like kicking her out of the plane while in the air.

 

[dave1251]

I just don't like driving in New Mexico. Passing a 18 semi convoy at 75MPH so you not stuck behind the 2nd one from the end attempting to pass the other 16 at 65MPH while the others are traveling at 64MPH=ticket. What a money hungry socialists state.

 

[DGXR]

For me, the answer to the original question depends on the flow of traffic, what lane you are in, and what are the current road/weather conditions (including daylight). There is no one answer to the question. Other probably said the same but I didn't read through 10 pages of posts.

 

[Gasbuggy]

14 over is where I drive comfortably on highways. 8-10 over everywhere else.

 

[grampi]

Originally Posted by turtlevette
Driving at some range over is not really a choice like people are making it out to be here. Its a compromise to be as safe as possible so every car on the road doesn't go around you. Impeding traffic by only going 5 over is more dangerous than flowing with traffic doing 15 - 20 over.




So is the driver doing only 5 over the limit more dangerous than one going 20 MPH faster than traffic flow?

 

[PimTac]

If the flow of traffic allows it I will cruise at around 5mph over.

Our freeways here tend to go to two or three lanes once outside of the metro. I generally stay in the right lanes but truck traffic will cause me to go left to pass and then re-enter the right lanes. Inevitably, there is always one knucklehead who has to run 20-30 over the limit. They ride up on my rear with lights flashing. This, even though it is obvious I cannot go right due to traffic. If I have room I move over but that's not always possible.

I wish I had a old beater in those situations. I would brake and let them hit me then sue them to kingdom come.

Reckless and intimidating driving is the real problem today with these kinds of drivers who cut in and out and think they own the road.