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I feel like a Unicorn, but I obey the speed limit as closely as I can. My speedometer says a perfect 60 on the highway in my area, and I am always being passed

I feel like a Unicorn, but I obey the speed limit as closely as I can. My speedometer says a perfect 60 on the highway in my area, and I am always being passed like crazy. I've never received a speeding ticket. I'm not a "nuisance" for not going faster and breaking the speed limit. Everyone else is the "nuisance" and I vote for stronger enforcement where possible.

notreallyserio 5y ago
One of the most frustrating things I deal with is people driving too fast on the main street that is (basically) just outside my cul-de-sac. It's a 35 mph limit but people drive 40-45. That makes it harder to see them coming, making the road less safe. Too many people seem to believe that the only thing that matters is the road in front of them, they don't consider the side roads at all. The city is talking about narrowing the lanes on the main street to reduce speed and add bike lanes, and it can't happen soon enough.
- asdff 5y ago
  Also your chance of surviving an impact at like 50mph is next to zero as a pedestrian. You have a higher chance surviving an impact at 35mph even though its still pretty small.
fallingknife 5y ago
The traffic engineering standard for the properly set speed limit to minimize collisions is the speed of the 85th percentile car on the road. https://www.lincoln.ne.gov/files/sharedassets/public/ltu/transportation/traffic-engineering/regulatory-speed-limits.pdf https://www.lincoln.ne.gov/files/sharedassets/public/ltu/tra... So if you are being passed like crazy and going the speed limit, the speed limit is set incorrectly, and you are, in fact, the nuisance.
- gjsman-1000 5y ago
  It's not just the highway, I am frequently passed on roads of all kinds for following the speed limit and going no faster. They are absolutely, for breaking the law, the nuisance in these situations. The number of people breaking the law does not change what the law is or, even necessarily, what the law should be.
  - Sargos 5y ago
    People generally drive the safe speed for the road they are travelling on. The fact that you're being passed (probably on the right a lot of the times) means you are driving slower than traffic and are actually a danger to other drivers. You might think you are being morally high and mighty but you are actually putting innocent lives in danger. Please have some introspection here.
    - gjsman-1000 5y ago
      So I am the dangerous one for not engaging in dangerous activity. Gotcha.
      - HWR_14 5y ago
        You are the dangerous one for not engaging in an illegal but safer activity. It kinda assumes you're right if you call it a dangerous activity.
        Filligree 5y ago
        The illegal activity is in fact illegal. Nothing more should need to be said.
        fallingknife 5y ago
        If you are an authoritarian, yes.
        HWR_14 5y ago
- asdff 5y ago
  All roads are not built to perfect standards. Chances are your freeway interchanges are not built to be taken at full highway speeds. If you tried to go 75mph to make the 101s to 110s interchange in LA, you would crash into the wall like many have done because the recommended speed is 35mph (and speaking with experience it is VERY sketchy going above that because the turn is entirely unbanked and the lanes are narrow and there is zero shoulder to speak of). There is also the issue of meatspace. Maybe your modern car can exceed the speed limit of the road surface and safely handle itself. Meanwhile, we still have our biology to deal with, which has not hardened itself to survive an impact at a high speed with a car. Only after millions of years of pedestrian deaths will that evolution be possible. When you find yourself driving 45-50mph on a road signed for 35mph, just know that if a pedestrian were to step out and appear in front of you, you are virtually guaranteed to kill them at this speed, and if you respected the signage, they have a better chance of surviving this impact.
  - Dylan16807 5y ago
    The issue with an interchange is a sudden change in speed, which is a separate issue from the natural speed of roads. > When you find yourself driving 45-50mph on a road signed for 35mph, just know that if a pedestrian Change the road to be a 35mph road. It'll be cheaper too.
- caf 5y ago
  If you are driving at the 85th percentile speed then 15% of cars will be passing you, or 3 in every 20. I suggest that this will in practice feel like you are being "passed like crazy".
mmanfrin 5y ago
Going noticeably slower than the speed of traffic is dangerous and more of a nuisance than people going 5-10 mph over.

notreallyserio 5y ago

One of the most frustrating things I deal with is people driving too fast on the main street that is (basically) just outside my cul-de-sac. It's a 35 mph limit but people drive 40-45. That makes it harder to see them coming, making the road less safe. Too many people seem to believe that the only thing that matters is the road in front of them, they don't consider the side roads at all. The city is talking about narrowing the lanes on the main street to reduce speed and add bike lanes, and it can't happen soon enough.

asdff 5y ago
Also your chance of surviving an impact at like 50mph is next to zero as a pedestrian. You have a higher chance surviving an impact at 35mph even though its still pretty small.

fallingknife 5y ago

The traffic engineering standard for the properly set speed limit to minimize collisions is the speed of the 85th percentile car on the road. https://www.lincoln.ne.gov/files/sharedassets/public/ltu/transportation/traffic-engineering/regulatory-speed-limits.pdf https://www.lincoln.ne.gov/files/sharedassets/public/ltu/tra... So if you are being passed like crazy and going the speed limit, the speed limit is set incorrectly, and you are, in fact, the nuisance.

gjsman-1000 5y ago
It's not just the highway, I am frequently passed on roads of all kinds for following the speed limit and going no faster. They are absolutely, for breaking the law, the nuisance in these situations. The number of people breaking the law does not change what the law is or, even necessarily, what the law should be.
- Sargos 5y ago
  People generally drive the safe speed for the road they are travelling on. The fact that you're being passed (probably on the right a lot of the times) means you are driving slower than traffic and are actually a danger to other drivers. You might think you are being morally high and mighty but you are actually putting innocent lives in danger. Please have some introspection here.
  - gjsman-1000 5y ago
    So I am the dangerous one for not engaging in dangerous activity. Gotcha.
    - HWR_14 5y ago
      You are the dangerous one for not engaging in an illegal but safer activity. It kinda assumes you're right if you call it a dangerous activity.
      - Filligree 5y ago
        The illegal activity is in fact illegal. Nothing more should need to be said.
        fallingknife 5y ago
        If you are an authoritarian, yes.
        HWR_14 5y ago
asdff 5y ago
All roads are not built to perfect standards. Chances are your freeway interchanges are not built to be taken at full highway speeds. If you tried to go 75mph to make the 101s to 110s interchange in LA, you would crash into the wall like many have done because the recommended speed is 35mph (and speaking with experience it is VERY sketchy going above that because the turn is entirely unbanked and the lanes are narrow and there is zero shoulder to speak of). There is also the issue of meatspace. Maybe your modern car can exceed the speed limit of the road surface and safely handle itself. Meanwhile, we still have our biology to deal with, which has not hardened itself to survive an impact at a high speed with a car. Only after millions of years of pedestrian deaths will that evolution be possible. When you find yourself driving 45-50mph on a road signed for 35mph, just know that if a pedestrian were to step out and appear in front of you, you are virtually guaranteed to kill them at this speed, and if you respected the signage, they have a better chance of surviving this impact.
- Dylan16807 5y ago
  The issue with an interchange is a sudden change in speed, which is a separate issue from the natural speed of roads. > When you find yourself driving 45-50mph on a road signed for 35mph, just know that if a pedestrian Change the road to be a 35mph road. It'll be cheaper too.
caf 5y ago
If you are driving at the 85th percentile speed then 15% of cars will be passing you, or 3 in every 20. I suggest that this will in practice feel like you are being "passed like crazy".

mmanfrin 5y ago

Going noticeably slower than the speed of traffic is dangerous and more of a nuisance than people going 5-10 mph over.