Speeding...

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flag gibson19
Posted: May 27, 2009 at 14:56 Quote
I'd love to hear what people think about this...

I've been thinking lately that I drive worse when I am not speeding because I become so inattentive and bored that I don't focus on actually driving... I know some of you will disagree...

Basically do you think we need to do more to crack down on speeding or should we focus our energy on other crimes...

IMO more important crimes... Crack down on intoxicated driving or don't let stupid teens on cell phones drive...
flag ezekiel
Posted: May 27, 2009 at 15:10 Quote
Recently the OPP took over policing a local municipality and when they did, they took to the streets and did a speeding blitz. Within a month they took the average speeder down from 95-100+ down to 85 and I am so grateful that they did that. It was at the point that the speeders on the main county highway were so bad that I would no longer drive down there. Without much thought I can remember 2 incidents where I had uncomfortably near death experiences with people speeding. After the OPP took over, everyone follows at the proper distance and there's nowhere near as many clowns in a hurry running people of the road in both directions.

I think all types of dangerous driving should be cracked down on because at the end of the day, whether you lose control of your car due to speed, alcohol or a cell phone, the final product is going to be the same and may we all hope that an innocent life isn't included. You just have to remember that you will not realize that you're traveling too fast until a few seconds before impact.
flag gibson19
Posted: May 27, 2009 at 17:02 Quote
It pains me to agree with you but I do... I mean I wouldn't really consider doing 10 MPH an hour over the limit dangerous... The only times I speed in excess of that is when I am:

A) The only one in the car
B) On backroads where there are no other cars (aka near my house)
C) Only for short periods
D) I am fully prepared for mental and physical strain (sounds kinda stupid but ya)

When I see another car on the road I'll slow right down so as to not scare them... and I know this doesn't always work cause sometimes you'll come around a corner and whatnot...

Part of the reason this bugs me so much is cause of my tickets... I rarely go fast enough to warrant being pulled over... but it seems whenever I do, the cops are waiting... meanwhile I'm hearing stories from friends at school how they always drive home drunk or how some chick rear ended a guy on the highway cause she was texting...

I would argue that I am more in control of my vehicle when I'm going 15 over than the soccer mom who's trying to tame her kids in the backseat, talk to her husband on the phone and read the GPS at the same time...

That being said I wholeheartedly agree that speeding around populated areas is dangerous...
flag brad-maxwell
Posted: May 27, 2009 at 21:08 Quote
Roads are designed to be driven about 25% faster than what the posted speed limits are. The limits are there for a number of reasons such as improper vehicles, road conditions, ect. The other thing you have to remember if your on a 80 km road an lets say your only doing 100 does not seem like much only 20 over. What if the other car is also doing 100 and you collide? that's 40 km/h faster than planned, could mean a big difference.
I think the point is everyone speeds once in a while but in reality its not really ever a good idea, the limits are there for a reason and they expect people to go 10 over. Just think what would happen if there was no limits...
Luckily I drive a 4 banger jeep so my temptation to speed never gets satisfied.
flag ezekiel
Posted: May 27, 2009 at 21:14 Quote
brad-maxwell wrote:
Luckily I drive a 4 banger jeep so my temptation to speed never gets satisfied.

I'm in the same boat except its a 92 4runner on 31s. If anything I usually find myself going under the speed limit.
flag brad-maxwell
Posted: May 27, 2009 at 21:19 Quote
ezekiel wrote:
brad-maxwell wrote:
Luckily I drive a 4 banger jeep so my temptation to speed never gets satisfied.

I'm in the same boat except its a 92 4runner on 31s. If anything I usually find myself going under the speed limit.
at least im not alone, everytime I see a hill on the highway I cringe.
flag laurie1
Mod
Posted: May 28, 2009 at 15:33 Quote
Speed kills and police/city/province or in the US, cities/states/counties get huge revenues from giving out traffic violations for infractions. It is honestly, a multi-million dollar business. A red light camera ticket in Calgary is $395! I'm a firm believer in radar detectors and jammers.
flag brad-maxwell
Posted: May 29, 2009 at 10:00 Quote
laurie1 wrote:
Speed kills and police/city/province or in the US, cities/states/counties get huge revenues from giving out traffic violations for infractions. It is honestly, a multi-million dollar business. A red light camera ticket in Calgary is $395! I'm a firm believer in radar detectors and jammers.

Is it just me or was that comment extremely hypocritical? Unless you want to die?
flag laurie1
Mod
Posted: May 29, 2009 at 14:02 Quote
brad-maxwell wrote:
Is it just me or was that comment extremely hypocritical? Unless you want to die

As I have said in the past, I only race on closed roads or on the track. I never speed excessively enough to endanger my life or the lives of others on the road. I save all of that for the track. Since most cities/states have street racing legislation whereby if you go over 30km/h over the posted speed limit, you can be charged with street racing, I don't speed by more than that. When I speed, I'm usually only over by 20km/h except for if I am on the highway and the speed limit is 110km/h I probably do 130-140km/h in some places. Then again, since I go to the track pretty frequently, I know what my cars are capable of doing and I have done some advance driver training in the past (demanded by our insurance company if I wanted to drive some of the cars we have) so I think I have adequate training. I'm not saying I'm an expert/racecar driver but I know my limits and am relatively safe with high horsepower cars. I don’t weave traffic, don’t tailgate, am not super aggressive, don’t stunt, etc on public roadways.
flag bonfire
Posted: May 29, 2009 at 16:25 Quote
See here is my problem.

Technically speed has never killed anyone. Coming to an abrupt stop is what does the killing.

In Europe there are many roads that don't have speed limits, and the average speed there is much higher. Mainly due to the fact that getting a license is much harder. You are trained to drive at higher speeds. They also have better road maintenance.

What you don't get in Europe is airhead yammering away on their cell phones catching the crumbs from their Crispy Creams. They also don't have 16 yr old kids driving around in 5L mustangs racing light to light, and attempting to take a corner.

I speed, but only kinda. I go 10 overish all the time. I don't know why, but the cars that we own just seem to cruise a lot better at 60km/h or 120 km/h.

I drove the Hwy from Calgary to Edmonton this year probably 30-40 times. So I learned a lot about people speeding. The most common speeders. Lifted pick-ups, I know we are all aware of the fantastic handling characteristics of these machines. I am also sure we are aware of the typical driver of these trucks.

The other speeders are women aged 16-30 driving grand prix's/grand am's. They speed at speed upwards of 160.

For that matter in my experience girls aged 16-24 speed in obscene excess. I was once going to 140km/h trying to pass a semi, whilst being tailgated by some girl driving a silver Cherokee SRT/8. Once we got passed that semi, she changed into the right lane and blew past me like I was standing still.

Now if someone were to change lanes in front of her, or someone slowed as she was changing lanes. It is game over. That is why speeding can cause death.
flag harriieee
Posted: May 30, 2009 at 15:40 Quote
laurie1 wrote:
I never speed excessively enough to endanger my life or the lives of others on the road.

Everyone thinks what they do on the roads are fine, it's a fact. The problem is, the first time it turns out that maybe what you're doing isn't OK, if you're lucky you've totaled your car. If you're unlucky, you've just killed a 10-year-old girl.

I don't know enough about North American driving to answer whether you guys are worse off, but our speed limits are 5mph faster than yours. And if you think you don't get f*cking idiots here, well, you're in for a shock. I've only been driving a few months and many a cell-phone-blabbing twat in a Merc has cut me up at a roundabout. It's generally the well-to-do middle-aged I find who seemingly unconsciously hate their lives and want to piss off as many road users as possible in the hope that one of them will get out of their and put an end to their miserable soulless life once and for all.

I'm a speed limit purist. I actually quite enjoy pissing other drivers off on the two speed limit changes near my house, both from 60mph down to 30. 90% of people might drop to 45 through them; not me. I am goddam religious.

Oh, and Gibson, as for driving fast near your house: apparently like 70% of accidents happen within 5 miles of home, so I'd be careful on that one.
flag bonfire
Posted: May 30, 2009 at 23:27 Quote
That stat is soo skewed.

Same thing with Child Abductions being close to home. Because the average person is often close to their house. Same with kids. Not many parents let their kids go roaming around 30 miles from the house.
flag gibson19
Posted: May 31, 2009 at 3:11 Quote
To be honest I'm not at all concerned with being in an accident... I can control my car... and if something strange does happen one day... Like a deer... or mad pothole or something and I get in an accident I get whats coming to me...

ps... I go exactly the speed limit if people tail me...
flag harriieee
Posted: May 31, 2009 at 5:41 Quote
The other person/people involved in the accident, on the other hand, also gets what's coming to you. I'm not going to lie, cars scare the shit out of me. Driving is a much bigger danger to oneself than anything anyone on this site does on two wheels in their spare time, and if you're going by the book probably a solid 20% minimum of drivers are underqualified.
flag gibson19
Posted: May 31, 2009 at 12:39 Quote
harriieee wrote:
The other person/people involved in the accident, on the other hand, also gets what's coming to you. I'm not going to lie, cars scare the shit out of me. Driving is a much bigger danger to oneself than anything anyone on this site does on two wheels in their spare time, and if you're going by the book probably a solid 20% minimum of drivers are underqualified.

I don't speed with passengers... or around other cars... only on the back roads.... I mean still Its not like I go 50 MPH over... its like 25 tops...
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