85 mph speed limit in Texas!

[HerrStig]

Originally Posted By: RTexasF
Originally Posted By: matrass
does not make a lot of sense to me. 70mph is fast enough to get where you are going. people in my neck of the woods stink at driving over 65 at 85 they would all be doing over that speed limit too, while texting reading the paper ( yes I have seen people doing that while driving ) etc ....
Nobody will be getting BETTER at driving with speed limits DROPPING, that's for sure.

It is plainly obvious that you have never driven across west Texas. If you ever do you will genuinely appreciate the escalated speeds.

 

[dave1251]

Originally Posted By: HerrStig
So drive slower but don't impose your ideas on the rest of us.


Judging by your consecutive posts you do not know what you are talking about and you are grasping at any excuse to justify your need for speed. No one individual is opposing their ideas on you, there is no arbitrary number that is the factor on speed limits posted on the highway. Each and every highway has the posted speed limit based on several factors, you keep sighting the original engineers intended the speed limit to be set at ____MPH. OK site it. Also site the capacity that the highways was designed to facilitate. Often the volume of traffic that interstates where designed to handle was surpassed in the 70's and it is not any better now. Slowing down may not improve anyone's skills but it gives more time for drivers to react. If anyone on a constant basis needs to drive faster to get where they need to be, you need re arrange your priorities, I have seen the aftermath of too may people dead because they have to speed because they needed be somewhere sooner than would be possible to arrive. I have a vested interest in speed limits, I pay taxes for the roads to be maintained, I and my family travels on the streets if people are engaging in dangerous activities to others, I have responsibility to speak up and it is a right. No matter what you say or how good of a driver you believe you are if you are speeding you are a danger not only to your self but others. That being said do I always drive at or below the posted speed limit. No. But will I protest if I get a speeding ticket because I feel the posted limit is too low. No. I would have made the decision to break the law and would accept the consequences. So because you feel the law is not convenient to you by speeding. Do you want to oppose your standards on me because I chose to drive the speed limit 98% of the time?

 

[HerrStig]

I have an interest in RATIONAL speed limits as set by trained engineers. You could look up "85 percentile speed limit setting" and learn something, or continue on your self centered way.

 

[dave1251]

Originally Posted By: HerrStig
I have an interest in RATIONAL speed limits as set by trained engineers. You could look up "85 percentile speed limit setting" and learn something, or continue on your self centered way.


Cite your rational speed limit. The speed limit that was intended for traffic flow 60 years ago? How is that rational? Learn something? What are you trying to teach? Self centered because I feel that raising speed limits does next to nothing for drivers safety because drivers are too self centered and do not have adequate training? When you are talking about a group of 10 cars driving down the interstate no matter how good you are. You are only as good as the worst driver out of the 10. Now if posting a lower speed limit allows me the time to avoid a worst case scenario with the worst driver on the road than I am for it. Self centered I am not the one who made several consecutive post trying to justify driving faster and only applied situations that apply to you. Such as down force on the front end on your modified car.

 

[Vikas]

Suppose there were no speed limit "sign" on a road. How many people do you know who would drive at "really insane" speeds if that were the case? Conversely, do you think those "really insane" people would be deterred by seeing a speed limit sign? There could be some in that category but I suspect their numbers are extremely limited i.e. irrational drivers but still obeying posted speed limits.

Regardless of the speed limit, most people drive at speed which "they" feel comfortable.

 

[SteveSRT8]

The 85th percentile rule is official federal law with regard to speed limits.

Then they arbitrarily ignore it. Even though accidents per mile have steadily declined for decades now. Speed has NEVER been proven as a factor in causing accidents, only as a factor in increasing the severity of accidents.

Unfortunately traffic is always subject to the lowest common denominator.

Speeding is simply a tax that you vote for with your right foot.

 

[dave1251]

Originally Posted By: SteveSRT8
The 85th percentile rule is official federal law with regard to speed limits.

Then they arbitrarily ignore it. Even though accidents per mile have steadily declined for decades now. Speed has NEVER been proven as a factor in causing accidents, only as a factor in increasing the severity of accidents.

Unfortunately traffic is always subject to the lowest common denominator.

Speeding is simply a tax that you vote for with your right foot.


Couple of points I disagree with. I do not want the Federal Government to decide for me what is acceptable. Second the 85th percentile rule is flawed because people drive at the speed they feel comfortable, a person is intelligent, people tend to commit unintelligent acts.

The 85th percentile rule is not the law in every state in every condition, and is not generally applicable on freeways and interstates.

 

[HerrStig]

SO we'll conform the entire world to what YOU like, Dave, right? Despite the science of it. Look, drive any kind of hair shirt of an automobile you want, and suffer while saving the world, but just stay the bleep out of the passing lane while you do it. The world doesn't revolve around you.

 

[HerrStig]

Originally Posted By: dave1251
Originally Posted By: HerrStig
I have an interest in RATIONAL speed limits as set by trained engineers. You could look up "85 percentile speed limit setting" and learn something, or continue on your self centered way.


Cite your rational speed limit. The speed limit that was intended for traffic flow 60 years ago? How is that rational? Learn something? What are you trying to teach? Self centered because I feel that raising speed limits does next to nothing for drivers safety because drivers are too self centered and do not have adequate training? When you are talking about a group of 10 cars driving down the interstate no matter how good you are. You are only as good as the worst driver out of the 10. Now if posting a lower speed limit allows me the time to avoid a worst case scenario with the worst driver on the road than I am for it. Self centered I am not the one who made several consecutive post trying to justify driving faster and only applied situations that apply to you. Such as down force on the front end on your modified car.
It's a formula, Dave, and reflects what is happening NOW, Dave. BTW Dave, "frontal area" refers to DRAG, not downforce, you genius. It relates to miles per gallon, Dave. ANd spare us the highschool depating team dweeb "cite me" tricks. Been there, done that.

 

[HerrStig]

Originally Posted By: SteveSRT8
The 85th percentile rule is official federal law with regard to speed limits.

Then they arbitrarily ignore it. Even though accidents per mile have steadily declined for decades now. Speed has NEVER been proven as a factor in causing accidents, only as a factor in increasing the severity of accidents.

Unfortunately traffic is always subject to the lowest common denominator. WHich is Dave, offical speed limit determination man. Speeding is simply a tax that you vote for with your right foot.

 

[HerrStig]

Eaxactly, but the crusader in the "Smart" car wants all of us to conform to the enviroweenie view of life and driving.

 

[SteveSRT8]

http://www.caranddriver.com/features/feeding-the-machine-sandbagging-on-speed-limits

some factual stuff here without the hyperbole.

 

[HerrStig]

"I do not want the Federal Government to decide" .. who DO you want to set speed limits, YOU, Dave, based upon what YOU like? If you troubled yourself to actually understand the 85th percentile method, instead of just perseverating about it you might realize it is a TOOL to establish a speed limit which produces fewer dangerous speed differentials. Instead you can only blather on about what YOU don't want the "government" to do. As we used to say in Infantry School, Dave, "Lead, Follow, or just get the bleep out of the way".

 

[dave1251]

Originally Posted By: HerrStig
"I do not want the Federal Government to decide" .. who DO you want to set speed limits, YOU, Dave, based upon what YOU like? If you troubled yourself to actually understand the 85th percentile method, instead of just perseverating about it you might realize it is a TOOL to establish a speed limit which produces fewer dangerous speed differentials. Instead you can only blather on about what YOU don't want the "government" to do. As we used to say in Infantry School, Dave, "Lead, Follow, or just get the bleep out of the way".


Have you actually talked to people to find out the 85th percentile rule does not work. The simple fact the majority of people read a speed limit sign and assume the safe driving speed is 5-7 MPH higher than the sign. Factor in the recommended safe driving distance is not followed anywhere driving on the interstate is akin to a NASCAR restart with drivers diving into and from your lane within 10 feet of either or both bumpers at speed you would be hesitant for a increase of speed also. Also I do not have to lead, follow or out of the way, or anything I may or may not want to this is not the military. As for who sets the speed limits I am happy with whom sets them now? I am happy the states set the law and I am happy the states enforce the law.

 

[dave1251]

Originally Posted By: SteveSRT8
http://www.caranddriver.com/features/feeding-the-machine-sandbagging-on-speed-limits

some factual stuff here without the hyperbole.


Thanks this is the information that I was wanting to read. But if I am driving on a road, I am the only driver within 3 city blocks and I was driving 38 in a 35 how many police officer's would stop me? I have even driven 45 in a situation like that and have not been pulled over. I have spoken with law enforcement officers on several occasions speeding alone is not something they are going to stop someone for. This is for San Diego county in California and Pinal&Maricopa county in Arizona. The best advice each officer has given me is if I am driving with the flow of traffic, or driving with reasonable respect to the limit, not racing, or cutting in and out of lanes they are not going to stop me for driving a little over the limit. How often you will here a co-worker or friend often they have be pulled over for a different violation, when the officer is about to walk away he/she will notice the driver is not wearing his seat belt and then will give a ticket for the infraction?

 

[JHZR2]

Originally Posted By: HerrStig
Maybe I own a car with a six speed and low frontal area which operates efficiently at higher speeds. Perhaps I paid a bit extra for that. Maybe you should block traffic in the right hand lane only.


If you think that any car operates more efficiently at 85 than 55, you need to relearn physics.

A cubic relationship is a tough thing to get past by reducing frontal area and adding ODs.

I have no issue if you want to drive 85 and the limit allows it.

What I have issue with is making me (who does own cars with really low drag and multiple ODs to optimize economy) drive faster than I want by setting a high minimum speed to minimize speed deltas. I can stay to the right, no big deal.

But if they start pushing high minimum speeds so that the traffic flows together (getting passed by an 85 MPH truck at 55 is a pretty big difference), then Id have an issue. Similarly, if flow of traffic is 85-ish, so I get a ticket for not driving with the flow at a very reasonable speed of, say, 67, then I do have an issue. Ill not have someone else's non-sustainable practices influencing my financial position.

 

[1999nick]

Originally Posted By: Shannow
They are talking about changinng the speeds in my state to 70...km/hr


Unbelievable - surely you are joking. What is that in mph - about 43?

 

[Shannow]

Not joking, the doctors and pedestrian council are pressuring to do so...25mph in rural towns as well...and that can be 2 miles of 10 houses

 

[SteveSRT8]

I have several buds who are LEO's in my area. Also some clients as well.

They were brought to a meeting last year and told that revenues were down, they needed to write more citations and that would help the county's budget shortfall.

They hated the idea and openly rebelled against it. The actual result of our 'crackdown' is a higher rate of non payment, and revenues are down even LOWER!

LEO's should be driving in traffic and citing for other offenses not just speeding.

 

[HerrStig]

Yup, we'll run the world for YOUR specific benefit. I pay a little more for the car and a little less for fuel. You don't like that. Too bad. Keep right and keep moving.