Why can't people obey the speed limit?

[C.Ann]

IMO people know their car and know how fast they can go and still drive safely. They're not taking as big of a risk in driving too fast as people are making it out to be. They know they are on the hook if they hit somebody. They know if they hit a stationary object they will have to pay for the repairs.

Somebody already posted this, but it bears repeating. It's actually more dangerous to be staring at your dashbaord watching how fast you're going.

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Regardless if all of that were true (which I think is a bunch of bunk) it doesn't change the fact that if you are speeding, you are breaking the law..

So basically you are saying it's okay for people to "pick and choose" which laws they are going to obey - correct?

 

[WIcruizer]

WI - just because you think you are a superior driver and have excellent judgement and can drive at whatever speed you feel comfortable, does not mean that you actually are a superior driver and have excellent judgement. Admitting that you do not use a safety belt, shows me that your judgement is lacking.

When did I admit I don't use a safety belt?? What are you talking about? I wear a seat belt, and I demand everyone in my car wear one.

Instead of making something up, maybe you can answer the question that nobody is willing to handle. Is it safer to drive 25MPH at a time when nobody is on the streets or 15MPH when kids are running all over the place?

To suggest driving 5 MPH over the speed limit is criminal or unsafe is laughable. It's why police don't bother stopping anyone for doing so.

 

[cardaway]

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Regardless if all of that were true (which I think is a bunch of bunk) it doesn't change the fact that if you are speeding, you are breaking the law..

So basically you are saying it's okay for people to "pick and choose" which laws they are going to obey - correct?

It's insane how many companies are producing radar and laser detectors since I'm their only customer.

 

[WIcruizer]

So basically you are saying it's okay for people to "pick and choose" which laws they are going to obey - correct?

In the most technical terms, yes. But that would mean 99% of the population breaks the law every day.

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

IMO people know their car and know how fast they can go and still drive safely. They're not taking as big of a risk in driving too fast as people are making it out to be. They know they are on the hook if they hit somebody. They know if they hit a stationary object they will have to pay for the repairs.

Somebody already posted this, but it bears repeating. It's actually more dangerous to be staring at your dashbaord watching how fast you're going.

That is what cruise control is for. No dashboard watching. And if you are flying past everyone--you don't have to look at the dash to know you are speeding.

And unless someone crowned the driver GOD--I have news.....


Race car drivers know there cars and there are wrecks all the time on the race track. And sometimes it doesn't have to be something super serious or complex to have terrible consequences.

You want to speed---go get a car--put in a roll cage...and go have at it on a race course. I have a friend who does this all the time.

But you cannot control all conditions and it is only one split instant to screw someone's life for ever even if you have control of your vehicle--you can kill someone--have complete control of your car...never touch them--but you killed them.


Knowing there are consequences---doesn't validate the poor decision to risk my life with your (generally directed) vanity and carelessness.

It is safe to drive the speed limit as posted as pedestrians and other drivers are expecting that.

And while no child may be playing in the street--you never know when something may accidentally dart in front of you in the neighborhood. Low speed limits are there for a reason. And as a runner who sometimes runs in the wee hours of the morning--I follow the law and the rules of the road (run with traffic on the side)--so at any given time there can be a pedestrian utilizing the roadways (legally)

And no 99% of the population doesn't break the law every single day. Don't bring the rest of us down to validate your illegal choices.

 

[C.Ann]

In the most technical terms, yes. But that would mean 99% of the population breaks the law every day.

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Sorry, but I don't believe for one sceond that 99% of the population breaks the law every day.. I used to be a school bus driver.. If I received one ticket for speeding, I would have lost my job.. That's pretty standard for all school bus drivers (and I would imagine there are some other occupations as well that have the same rules) so out of 100 school bus drivers (who need their jobs; have families to support; count on that job for health benefits or whatever you're telling me that 99 of them drive over the speed limit while off the clock and chance losing their jobs? I don't think so.. My sister-in-law just retired from her job as a school bus driver and in 30 years, one person (a newbie with a cocky attitude) lost his job due to a speeding ticket.. Every year their driving record is checked through the DMV and speeding is simply not tolerated - whether it's 5 miles over or 40 miles over..

 

[mickeyboat]

When did I admit I don't use a safety belt?? What are you talking about? I wear a seat belt, and I demand everyone in my car wear one.

Instead of making something up, maybe you can answer the question that nobody is willing to handle. Is it safer to drive 25MPH at a time when nobody is on the streets or 15MPH when kids are running all over the place?

To suggest driving 5 MPH over the speed limit is criminal or unsafe is laughable. It's why police don't bother stopping anyone for doing so.

WI - I apologize. I meant to direct that comment to another poster, Mouseworshipin, and got my initials mixed up, I am sorry. He freely admits he is a "speed demon" and does not wear a safety belt.

Regarding whether it is safe or not... A driver has the responsibility of both following the rules (read laws) of the road, AND to drive in a safe manner. If the posted speed limit is too high for a particular situation (bad road conditions, children playing), you have the right and responsibility to use your discretion and drive more slowly. But the limit is just that, a limit. You do not have the discretion to drive higher than that limit, just because you think it is o.k. to do so. Enough people have shown poor judgment that our government has seen fit to limit the speed.

Again, my apologies.

Denae

 

[WIcruizer]

I might do 5 to 10 over--

And no 99% of the population doesn't break the law every single day. Don't bring the rest of us down to validate your illegal choices.

The irony is so sweet. You just contradicted yourself. If you drive 5 or 10 over then you ARE INCLUDED IN THE 99%!!! Who are you to say that you are careful by going 10MPH over, and someone else is dangerous for going 12MPH over? If you drive over the speed limit YOU are breaking the law too!!!

 

[WIcruizer]

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Sorry, but I don't believe for one sceond that 99% of the population breaks the law every day.. I used to be a school bus driver.. If I received one ticket for speeding, I would have lost my job.. That's pretty standard for all school bus drivers (and I would imagine there are some other occupations as well that have the same rules) so out of 100 school bus drivers (who need their jobs; have families to support; count on that job for health benefits or whatever you're telling me that 99 of them drive over the speed limit while off the clock and chance losing their jobs? I don't think so.. My sister-in-law just retired from her job as a school bus driver and in 30 years, one person (a newbie with a cocky attitude) lost his job due to a speeding ticket.. Every year their driving record is checked through the DMV and speeding is simply not tolerated - whether it's 5 miles over or 40 miles over..

i don't remember saying 99% of school bus drivers, lol. 99% of the POPULATION. SDo you have any idea how small of a percentage school bus drivers are in the general population? Yes, I stand by the fact 99% of the population (including bus drivers) drive at least 1 MPH over the speed limit at least once a day. So by your definition, everyone is law breaker. the rest is just a matter of degree.

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

I said might and it is not daily, but nice try.


It was in regards to a traffic flow comment in DC. Where I do not live btw.

 

[C.Ann]

i don't remember saying 99% of school bus drivers, lol. 99% of the POPULATION. SDo you have any idea how small of a percentage school bus drivers are in the general population? Yes, I stand by the fact 99% of the population (including bus drivers) drive at least 1 MPH over the speed limit at least once a day. So by your definition, everyone is law breaker. the rest is just a matter of degree.

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I didn't realize that school bus drivers (and others in occupations that require strict adherence to the speed limit) weren't part of the "general population".. I guess we must be very special!

99% of the "general population" does not speed at least once a day - regardless of how much you would like to believe that to justify your own actions..

 

[cardaway]

That is what cruise control is for. No dashboard watching. And if you are flying past everyone--you don't have to look at the dash to know you are speeding.

CC is great for the freeway but not much else. Too much traffic and too many traffic lights.

But you cannot control all conditions and it is only one split instant to screw someone's life for ever even if you have control of your vehicle--you can kill someone--have complete control of your car...never touch them--but you killed them.

That is true for any drivers at any speed, and no more true for people who are speeding.

And while no child may be playing in the street--you never know when something may accidentally dart in front of you in the neighborhood. Low speed limits are there for a reason.

I'm well aware of the sitatution. I actually go about 15mph in our 25mph neighborhood because of the number of cars parked along the street and the number of kids whose idiot parents let them play in the street knowing how little we can see given all the parked cars.

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

Of course you are special C. Ann--didn't you know that?


And since 99% of the population doesn't drive daily---well that puts another whole in that statistic, now doesn't it?

Statistics = fake math

 

[va32h]

Presumably, people drive fast because they feel they need to get to wherever they are going as quickly as possible. We are an impatient nation in general (have you ever stood in front of a microwave and thought "hurry up!" - nothing is ever fast enough for us these days).

What's silly is that speeding in residential areas or even on city streets isn't really going to save a person much time. With stop signs and signals, the few seconds you gain by speeding are just as quickly lost.

I especially love it when someone whooshes past me on the street, and then as I approach an upcoming signal, I see them stopped at the red light, which conveniently turns green before I even have to slow down, so I can cruise right past them and think "so there, speedy, you're behind me again."

My immediate neighborhood has solved the speeding problem by creating an even more dangerous situation - narrow streets and street parking on both sides, so that you have to drive slowly, because you are very likely to encounter another car coming head on, and one of you will need to pull over into a driveway to let the other person pass.

Honestly, the short answer for why people speed is that they feel their need to get wherever they are going trumps anyone else.

 

[WIcruizer]

Apology accepted mickeyboat. All I can say in reply is that politics are involved in speed limits. It isn't only safety considerations that are considered. Bottom line, technically I'm breaking the law when I drive 72 on the freeway in rural areas where the speed limit is 65. But I'll drive right past troopers with the radar pointed at me and I've never been pulled over. In fact, knock on wood, I've never had an accident or speeding ticket.

Swerving in and out of lanes is more dangerous than speed. So is driving tired, weather conditions, talking on the cell phone, etc. All of this has been proven. There are a ton of factors more likely to result in an accident than the difference of 5 or 10 MPH.

 

[cardaway]

The irony is so sweet. You just contradicted yourself. If you drive 5 or 10 over then you ARE INCLUDED IN THE 99%!!! Who are you to say that you are careful by going 10MPH over, and someone else is dangerous for going 12MPH over? If you drive over the speed limit YOU are breaking the law too!!!

Do as I say, not as I do.

 

[WIcruizer]

I said might and it is not daily, but nice try.

That's too funny. Ok, you can get cute. So you don't break the law every day, just some days.

 

[Miss Jasmine]

Well in Florida they are talking about cracking down on the slow drivers.

Also, I don't speed because I want to get somewhere faster, I speed because I like to. I have never received a speeding ticket, and the one accident I was involved in was not my fault (person came into my lane without looking and I had no where to get out of the way).

 

[mickeyboat]

Apology accepted mickeyboat. All I can say in reply is that politics are involved in speed limits. It isn't only safety considerations that are considered. Bottom line, technically I'm breaking the law when I drive 72 on the freeway in rural areas where the speed limit is 65. But I'll drive right past troopers with the radar pointed at me and I've never been pulled over. In fact, knock on wood, I've never had an accident or speeding ticket.

Swerving in and out of lanes is more dangerous than speed. So is driving tired, weather conditions, talking on the cell phone, etc. All of this has been proven. There are a ton of factors more likely to result in an accident than the difference of 5 or 10 MPH.

I won't argue on these points. There is a huge difference between what the laws are, and which laws are being enforced. Police don't have enough time to pull over every speeder, and choose to concentrate their efforts in other areas. Threre are many more dangerous driving issues besides speed, but that doesn't change the fact that we can't (technically) pick and choose which laws we want to follow, and which ones we don't.

I am on my way home, now (and I promise I wont speed ). But I will check this thread again tomorrow, because I think it is really an interestign debate.

Denae

 

[C.Ann]

Apology accepted mickeyboat. All I can say in reply is that politics are involved in speed limits. It isn't only safety considerations that are considered. Bottom line, technically I'm breaking the law when I drive 72 on the freeway in rural areas where the speed limit is 65. But I'll drive right past troopers with the radar pointed at me and I've never been pulled over. In fact, knock on wood, I've never had an accident or speeding ticket.

Swerving in and out of lanes is more dangerous than speed. So is driving tired, weather conditions, talking on the cell phone, etc. All of this has been proven. There are a ton of factors more likely to result in an accident than the difference of 5 or 10 MPH.

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So because someone isn't doing their job (the troopers you pass by) and politics are involved in setting speed limits, it's okay for you to break the law? Interesting.. Are there other laws that you feel don't apply to you?

I have always been under the impression that laws are made to be followed.. I didn't realize I was allowed to "pick and choose"..