Average highway speeds?

[BoomerD]

The main "freeway" here, Kahleeforneeya Hwy. 99, (varies between 2 and 3 lanes each direction) is posted between 65 and 70 for most of its length. MOST people drive between 70 and 75 when traffic permits, but it's not uncommon to see folks flying by at 80-85.

The major Interstate in the area, (I-5) is posted at 70 for most of its length, except as it passes through cities, and in places, the average speed is over 80. (A couple of years back, the AVERAGE ticket written on I-5 between Sacramento and Bakersfield was for "speeding in excess of 100 mph.) Lots of stretches of flat, straight road in the middle of nowhere...people tend to ignore those signs on the side of the highway that "offer suggested maximum speeds."

 

[MotF Bane]

If the speed limit is 55
And you're going 75
And you get passed by a cop cruising along at about 85
You know you're in New Hampshire.

I respect the NH state police and their enforcement; 75+ is rabbit-only speed. They are devious and clever, unlike their MA counterparts.

 

[MotF Bane]

3 tickets over the period of 15 years, I would hope not D:

They never even registered on my insurance.

They certainly shouldn't. Many zones could use a +10 to the limit.

 

[MJinZ]

That is still pretty fast, I always get annoyed trying to do 15 over in NY, people are always in the left doing the standard cop safety 11 over.

I did Boston - NY and then back again from Manhattan on mostly I-95 with an average of 100mph sustained. Took about 2.5 hours. :whiste: My buddy slept through most of it.

 

[Wyndru]

I did Boston - NY and then back again from Manhattan on mostly I-95 with an average of 100mph sustained. Took about 2.5 hours. :whiste: My buddy slept through most of it.

My pos car would probably fall apart at speeds like that for that long 😀

 

[Imp]

Average of 20 Km/h over here. I do 20-30 over stupidly. My "company" runs the highways where I live, and it's generally accepted that the cops will let you go 20 over. There are no demerit points until 15 Km/h and up, so ideally, I try to hover at the border.

I tried doing just 5 over to practice for my driving test, and everyone passed me; hey, I stayed in the right lane...

 

[Nik]

Hmm, convenient cash grab? They just lower the speed limit and start pulling people over lol.

Reminds me of the traffic cameras and the yellow light timing people keep talking about.

The city of Beaverton (where I live) got in HUGE trouble for installing red light cameras at intersections and then lowering the yellow light timing well under what would be a safe stopping distance for vehicles travelling that road at the posted speed.

I fucking hate... HATE... cops.

 

[Inspector Jihad]

i usually do 75-80 on a 65, 65 on a 55. i only go about 5 over on all speed limits under 45 though. no tickets and no accidents so far.

this is under optimum conditions...not all the time.

 

[coxmaster]

How do they determine a safe speed for a given stretch of highway/interstate anyway? I live in the Orlando, FL area. Our major Interstate through town is I-4. There are MANY parts of I-4 with a speed limit of 50 MPH, on an interstate. This is even on long stretches of 3-4 lanes (in the same direction) with on-ramps spaced at reasonable intervals. I have no clue how they determined that the average vehicle on the road today is unsafe at speeds greater than 50 MPH.

They also have these new LED or some sort of lighted speed limit signs. They will change depending on traffic conditions, or time of day, not sure which determines it. But I have seen as low as 30 MPH on these signs, on THE major Orlando interstate. I don't buy that 10 MPH over is automatically dangerous. There are so many interstate/road laws that seem so antiquated or pointless to me.

Ignore those. Ive driven across I4 (end to end) many times. Nobody follows the speedlimit.

Depending on time of day/night, ive seen traffic flow going a consistent 85-95

 

[CycloWizard]

Commuters here go 10-15 over in the morning between 8-8:30. If you're on the same interstate at 9:05, you'll be going 10 under. It's ridiculous. Then there are the people that go 10 over until they cut you off, then go 10 under. If you walk in the DMV here in Missouri, they practically throw a drivers license at you and shoo you out the door, so it's hardly a surprise, though the Illinois drivers are even worse.