Is 80MPH to fast too drive on a freeway?

[wvtalbot]

Originally posted by: CVSiN

Originally posted by: wvtalbot

Originally posted by: CVSiN

Originally posted by: wvtalbot

Originally posted by: CVSiN

Originally posted by: wvtalbot

Originally posted by: Injury

Originally posted by: wvtalbot
No, because it is against the law. Simple as that. Its like me saying I will murder someone because I feel like it and I can get away with it.

Equating murder to speeding is like calling grandma's rose garden a redwood forest.

The law is the law.

LOL.. what are you 12?
or just another Blind ass cop loving fool?
or worse yet a gung ho cop?
nm doesnt matter still a dumbass..

Actually I was an EMT for a few years. So unless you have seen someones face peeled off of asphalt or seen the reaction of a guy who just finds out his best friend is dead because he was speeding, I don't think you should judge.

Oh please get off your little soapbox..
Ive have seen way worse than you ever will in the Motorcycle community + 10 years of Military..
ive seen just as many fatal accidents happen at low speeds as high...
For facts on high speed drivign vs low speed look up saftey records for the Autobaun vs US highways.. speed DOES NOT KILL.. CRAPPY TRAINED DRIVERS DO...

Its not speed here that kills its drivers that shouldnt be driving a car period at any speed that are allowed to have licenses..

The records for the autobahn are way better than any of our highways over any amount of time.

but thier licensing program is 4x as hard as ours.

80mph to a properly trained driver is like doing 20mph to anyone else..

the problem with US drivers is.. instead of watching what they are doing and concentrating on the road they are...
Slapping the kids...
putting on makeup..
adjusting the Air.. DVD.. CD.. or MP3 player..
shaving...
reading a book or map...
etc etc etc..
Driving is not somthing that needs to be done while distracted.. thats why Ill take a motorcycle rider over a car driver any day... not only are they trained better but they tend to take in everything around them and have absolute concentration when riding...
usually bikers die becasue car drivers are inattentive or distracted.

Fact is there is a direct correlation between the speed of a vehicle and the chance of a fatality. I understand you think that being a biker makes your knowledge more reliable than hundreds of statistical studies, but I think I will stick with those statistics and my experience thank you.

LOL... all you have to do is use google and search...
it was on history channel.. Discovery.. and TLC.. every time the do a bit on the Autobahn or Autostradas or other Euro superhighways where the speedlimits are higher or nonexistant we get comapred to them..
the truth is there is no relation in accdients to speed..
it all comes down to training...
and if you are old as you say you are.. you should remember that the national US speedm limit was not lowered for safety... but for GAS REASONS...
for many years some states with low pops including nevada and wyoming had highways with no offical speedlimits imposed.
and there were no stats that say it was more dangerous to anyone...

I dont think you are as old as you say you are or you would remeber those days...
the ONLY reason the US has lower limits than the rest of the wold is gas.. and oil prices and our heavy handed government trying to tell us whats good for us...

So lets me get this right you are a biker, hate cops, hate the government, and have no respect for the law? Maybe you should move to Europe.

 

[giantpinkbunnyhead]

"Speeding" is nothing more than a legally defined crime. That's it. You're right that faster speeds are more likely to kill you IF you crash. But speeding isn't "worse". If you crash while speeding along at 50mph in a 25 mph zone, you'll be better off than crashing while driving 65 in a 75. So even though the latter is a worse speed to crash at... people get more worked up over the first case because of the artificially dangerous term "speeding". People have been killed in collisions at just 10 mph. Driving is inherently dangerous... no speed limits or traffic enforcement is going to solve that. better driver education and car maintenance would be infinitely more effective.

To those that say "the law is the law": Can I take that to mean you NEVER drive 36 in a 35, or 46 in a 45? Not sure I can believe THAT one but if it's true... at least pull to the right or even off the road to let the 95% of us pass by instead of being a vigilante traffic cop.

Ultimately... the only speed that's "too fast" depends on too many things, and the posted speed is the least important of them. It's artificial. Having the sign there does not suddenly make the road dangerous.

 

[wvtalbot]

Originally posted by: giantpinkbunnyhead
"Speeding" is nothing more than a legally defined crime. That's it. You're right that faster speeds are more likely to kill you IF you crash. But speeding isn't "worse". If you crash while speeding along at 50mph in a 25 mph zone, you'll be better off than crashing while driving 65 in a 75. So even though the latter is a worse speed to crash at... people get more worked up over the first case because of the artificially dangerous term "speeding". People have been killed in collisions at just 10 mph. Driving is inherently dangerous... no speed limits or traffic enforcement is going to solve that. better driver education and car maintenance would be infinitely more effective.

To those that say "the law is the law": Can I take that to mean you NEVER drive 36 in a 35, or 46 in a 45? Not sure I can believe THAT one but if it's true... at least pull to the right or even off the road to let the 95% of us pass by instead of being a vigilante traffic cop.

Ultimately... the only speed that's "too fast" depends on too many things, and the posted speed is the least important of them. It's artificial. Having the sign there does not suddenly make the road dangerous.

And do you trust ALL drivers on said road to know what the safe speed is, the answer is no, hence speed limits.

 

[giantpinkbunnyhead]

Originally posted by: wvtalbot

Originally posted by: giantpinkbunnyhead
"Speeding" is nothing more than a legally defined crime. That's it. You're right that faster speeds are more likely to kill you IF you crash. But speeding isn't "worse". If you crash while speeding along at 50mph in a 25 mph zone, you'll be better off than crashing while driving 65 in a 75. So even though the latter is a worse speed to crash at... people get more worked up over the first case because of the artificially dangerous term "speeding". People have been killed in collisions at just 10 mph. Driving is inherently dangerous... no speed limits or traffic enforcement is going to solve that. better driver education and car maintenance would be infinitely more effective.

To those that say "the law is the law": Can I take that to mean you NEVER drive 36 in a 35, or 46 in a 45? Not sure I can believe THAT one but if it's true... at least pull to the right or even off the road to let the 95% of us pass by instead of being a vigilante traffic cop.

Ultimately... the only speed that's "too fast" depends on too many things, and the posted speed is the least important of them. It's artificial. Having the sign there does not suddenly make the road dangerous.

And do you trust ALL drivers on said road to know what the safe speed is, the answer is no, hence speed limits.

Irrelevant. Drivers who don't know what a safe speed is, are just as dangerous with or without speed limits. These drivers aren't suddenly safe once they drive at or below the posted limit.

 

[wvtalbot]

Originally posted by: giantpinkbunnyhead

Originally posted by: wvtalbot

Originally posted by: giantpinkbunnyhead
"Speeding" is nothing more than a legally defined crime. That's it. You're right that faster speeds are more likely to kill you IF you crash. But speeding isn't "worse". If you crash while speeding along at 50mph in a 25 mph zone, you'll be better off than crashing while driving 65 in a 75. So even though the latter is a worse speed to crash at... people get more worked up over the first case because of the artificially dangerous term "speeding". People have been killed in collisions at just 10 mph. Driving is inherently dangerous... no speed limits or traffic enforcement is going to solve that. better driver education and car maintenance would be infinitely more effective.

To those that say "the law is the law": Can I take that to mean you NEVER drive 36 in a 35, or 46 in a 45? Not sure I can believe THAT one but if it's true... at least pull to the right or even off the road to let the 95% of us pass by instead of being a vigilante traffic cop.

Ultimately... the only speed that's "too fast" depends on too many things, and the posted speed is the least important of them. It's artificial. Having the sign there does not suddenly make the road dangerous.

And do you trust ALL drivers on said road to know what the safe speed is, the answer is no, hence speed limits.

Irrelevant. Drivers who don't know what a safe speed is, are just as dangerous with or without speed limits. These drivers aren't suddenly safe once they drive at or below the posted limit.

So speed limit should just be ignored eh? Do yourself a favor and go out in front of an elementry school sometime and see how fast people speed through school zones, then ask yourself if you want your kids walking to that school.

 

[So]

Originally posted by: EatSpam
I drive faster than that...but I've also been driving for 10+ years.

You, OTOH, are a new driver and should probably slow it down until you are more experienced.

QFT. If you've been on the road for six months, I'd say keep it under 80.

 

[JulesMaximus]

You got your to/too's backwards.

No, I drive 80mph all the time. It's called going with the flow of traffic here in SoCal.

 

[Krazefinn]

Lol, speeding is NOT a crime. it is an infraction of a statute governing mv operator behavior. I've been stopped well exceeding a hundred mph, and officer didnt treat me like a criminal...just warning though. One gave me an escort to my destination...(called in to work the ER after a schoolbus crash brought in 36 patients)
However, wreckless endangerment or negligence can be considered criminal offence in some jurisdictions. Over 30mph over limit, dui, racing, can be construed endangerment.

80 is not too fast, provided operator is experienced. A blow out, or other happenstance, can change things quickly. Try learning to drive at 80 on frozen lake....now thats fun!

 

[giantpinkbunnyhead]

Originally posted by: wvtalbot

Originally posted by: giantpinkbunnyhead

Originally posted by: wvtalbot

Originally posted by: giantpinkbunnyhead
"Speeding" is nothing more than a legally defined crime. That's it. You're right that faster speeds are more likely to kill you IF you crash. But speeding isn't "worse". If you crash while speeding along at 50mph in a 25 mph zone, you'll be better off than crashing while driving 65 in a 75. So even though the latter is a worse speed to crash at... people get more worked up over the first case because of the artificially dangerous term "speeding". People have been killed in collisions at just 10 mph. Driving is inherently dangerous... no speed limits or traffic enforcement is going to solve that. better driver education and car maintenance would be infinitely more effective.

To those that say "the law is the law": Can I take that to mean you NEVER drive 36 in a 35, or 46 in a 45? Not sure I can believe THAT one but if it's true... at least pull to the right or even off the road to let the 95% of us pass by instead of being a vigilante traffic cop.

Ultimately... the only speed that's "too fast" depends on too many things, and the posted speed is the least important of them. It's artificial. Having the sign there does not suddenly make the road dangerous.

And do you trust ALL drivers on said road to know what the safe speed is, the answer is no, hence speed limits.

Irrelevant. Drivers who don't know what a safe speed is, are just as dangerous with or without speed limits. These drivers aren't suddenly safe once they drive at or below the posted limit.

So speed limit should just be ignored eh? Do yourself a favor and go out in front of an elementry school sometime and see how fast people speed through school zones, then ask yourself if you want your kids walking to that school.

Are you really that naive? putting up speed limit signs will do very little to help ANYTHING. As I said earlier... crashes/accidents BELOW whatever the posted speed limits are, including speed limits in school zones, can STILL kill people. Speed limits, while well intentioned, are grossly inneffective at anything except providing a means for the city to squeeze more money from the public in the form of speeding tickets. Seriously... unless you live in a podunk backwater town someplace, how often do you find yourself on any piece of road where not one vehicle is exceeding the limit? Speed limits are not the godsend you think they are. Unsafe drivers are drivers who are driving too fast for conditions, NOT drivers who simply exceed an arbitrarily picked, one-size-fits-all number.

 

[QED]

I'm sorry... you cannot compare the Autobahn to US highways and try to conclude that higher speed limits do not mean higher fatality rates-- because with that comparison you are not just comparing speed limits (or the lack thereof).

The fact that the typical American is playing with their ipod, adjusting their stereo, putting on makeup, eating a big mac, or clipping their toenails while trying to drive makes me think all the more I don't want these morons driving at 80 MPH.

 

[spidey07]

going slower than 80 is a danger to other drivers and yourself. You are hindering the flow of traffic and need to keep pace.

so absolutely not too fast. That's normal traffic flow/speed.

 

[The Green Bean]

My car wont do 80KM/hr

 

[gsellis]

Originally posted by: newParadigm
Road condition were completley dry, it was 10PM, so almost no traffic, and i was off in the Boonies.

Ladyfriend says its dangerous i say its not, u decide...

Originally posted by: Cuda1447
If you know hwo to drive, and have a reliable car... then I think its fine.

I drive an 2002 Mercury Sable, i've had my Liscence 6months...

It is a little slow, but if you move to one of the right lanes, it should be OK.

BTW, for 6mths of experience, it probably is above your head it spit happens. Especially in a hook slide king link a Ford/Chevy sedan.

 

[gsellis]

Originally posted by: wvtalbot
And do you trust ALL drivers on said road to know what the safe speed is, the answer is no, hence speed limits.

Speed limits are rarely set for a safe condition. Governments are involved and usually a politician, not a traffic engineer in setting the speed limit. Traffic engineers know that the speed the traffic chooses is usually the safe speed for that section of highway. In other words, many highways should have an 80 mph speed limit.

And yes, at least 25% of the traffic can be trusted.

 

[sao123]

Originally posted by: gsellis

Originally posted by: wvtalbot
And do you trust ALL drivers on said road to know what the safe speed is, the answer is no, hence speed limits.

Speed limits are rarely set for a safe condition. Governments are involved and usually a politician, not a traffic engineer in setting the speed limit. Traffic engineers know that the speed the traffic chooses is usually the safe speed for that section of highway. In other words, many highways should have an 80 mph speed limit.

And yes, at least 25% of the traffic can be trusted.

wrong... I work at the dept of transportation for pennsylvania...
any speed limit not set at 55mph required a week traffic study adn a followup study every ten years. All our speed limits are set by traffic engineers, and not politicians.
all the politicians can do is request a study...

 

[sao123]

just because a road is straight, doesnt mean that the 80mph is safe...
speed limits are set in regards to many a factorys which can affect causes of accidents.
these things include...

[*]Traffic Counts
[*]Right of Way Width
[*]Lane Width
[*]Presence or Absence of Guard Rails
[*]Presence of deer/animal crossings
[*]Average number of intersections per distance
[*]Proximity to houses with children
[*]Sight Distance & Lighting
[*]Curvature & Slope of the road
[*]Pavement Condition
[*]Drainage Conditions
[*]Volume of slow moving vehicles (large trucks, tractors, etc)

plenty of things you cant control can cause accidents... and you are less able to react to a given situation at higher speeds... this is why speed limits are controlled.

 

[MercenaryForHire]

Originally posted by: spidey07
going slower than 80 is a danger to other drivers and yourself. You are hindering the flow of traffic and need to keep pace.

so absolutely not too fast. That's normal traffic flow/speed.

>100mph for the win

- M4H

 

[CVSiN]

Originally posted by: wvtalbot

Originally posted by: CVSiN

Originally posted by: wvtalbot

Originally posted by: CVSiN

Originally posted by: wvtalbot

Originally posted by: CVSiN

Originally posted by: wvtalbot

Originally posted by: Injury

Originally posted by: wvtalbot
No, because it is against the law. Simple as that. Its like me saying I will murder someone because I feel like it and I can get away with it.

Equating murder to speeding is like calling grandma's rose garden a redwood forest.

The law is the law.

LOL.. what are you 12?
or just another Blind ass cop loving fool?
or worse yet a gung ho cop?
nm doesnt matter still a dumbass..

Actually I was an EMT for a few years. So unless you have seen someones face peeled off of asphalt or seen the reaction of a guy who just finds out his best friend is dead because he was speeding, I don't think you should judge.

Oh please get off your little soapbox..
Ive have seen way worse than you ever will in the Motorcycle community + 10 years of Military..
ive seen just as many fatal accidents happen at low speeds as high...
For facts on high speed drivign vs low speed look up saftey records for the Autobaun vs US highways.. speed DOES NOT KILL.. CRAPPY TRAINED DRIVERS DO...

Its not speed here that kills its drivers that shouldnt be driving a car period at any speed that are allowed to have licenses..

The records for the autobahn are way better than any of our highways over any amount of time.

but thier licensing program is 4x as hard as ours.

80mph to a properly trained driver is like doing 20mph to anyone else..

the problem with US drivers is.. instead of watching what they are doing and concentrating on the road they are...
Slapping the kids...
putting on makeup..
adjusting the Air.. DVD.. CD.. or MP3 player..
shaving...
reading a book or map...
etc etc etc..
Driving is not somthing that needs to be done while distracted.. thats why Ill take a motorcycle rider over a car driver any day... not only are they trained better but they tend to take in everything around them and have absolute concentration when riding...
usually bikers die becasue car drivers are inattentive or distracted.

Fact is there is a direct correlation between the speed of a vehicle and the chance of a fatality. I understand you think that being a biker makes your knowledge more reliable than hundreds of statistical studies, but I think I will stick with those statistics and my experience thank you.

LOL... all you have to do is use google and search...
it was on history channel.. Discovery.. and TLC.. every time the do a bit on the Autobahn or Autostradas or other Euro superhighways where the speedlimits are higher or nonexistant we get comapred to them..
the truth is there is no relation in accdients to speed..
it all comes down to training...
and if you are old as you say you are.. you should remember that the national US speedm limit was not lowered for safety... but for GAS REASONS...
for many years some states with low pops including nevada and wyoming had highways with no offical speedlimits imposed.
and there were no stats that say it was more dangerous to anyone...

I dont think you are as old as you say you are or you would remeber those days...
the ONLY reason the US has lower limits than the rest of the wold is gas.. and oil prices and our heavy handed government trying to tell us whats good for us...

So lets me get this right you are a biker, hate cops, hate the government, and have no respect for the law? Maybe you should move to Europe.

trust me it has crossed my mind... If immigration wasnt so tough these days id already be in Australia or New Zealand... the US is seriously fvcked up these days...
and I loved my Country all my life but with the crap the Government is doing the last 20 years we are gonna follow the roman empire and kill ourselves if we arnt careful..

 

[gsellis]

Originally posted by: sao123

Originally posted by: gsellis

Originally posted by: wvtalbot
And do you trust ALL drivers on said road to know what the safe speed is, the answer is no, hence speed limits.

Speed limits are rarely set for a safe condition. Governments are involved and usually a politician, not a traffic engineer in setting the speed limit. Traffic engineers know that the speed the traffic chooses is usually the safe speed for that section of highway. In other words, many highways should have an 80 mph speed limit.

And yes, at least 25% of the traffic can be trusted.

wrong... I work at the dept of transportation for pennsylvania...
any speed limit not set at 55mph required a week traffic study adn a followup study every ten years. All our speed limits are set by traffic engineers, and not politicians.
all the politicians can do is request a study...

And who set 55 as the threshold? Are you allowed to set it to 90 or even higher on sections of new, modern highway whatever that interstate out of Scranton? It looks like you are still limited by politics. If all of your list was considered ideal, what would be the maximum speed limit?

I have been on roads up in the Northeast where cleared fence to shoulder to fence was 150'. The shoulder was at least 10' and the lanes were > 8'. The traffic was 50 vehicles per minute at midday. The road was new macadame, flat, with a 1/2mile line of sight. Speed limit, 65 because that was the state wide limit set by politicians.

 

[otispunkmeyer]

Originally posted by: extra
With the conditions you stated, yes, 80mph is fine...hell, in nebraska here the speed limit is 75mph, I think in texas some places they are trynig to make it 80.

But..I could not vote because honestly, your poll has no good answer. Sorry, not meant as a flame, but your poll has no correct answer in my eyes. Lets not make this into a "my driving skill is better than yours" thread either. Whether 80 is safe has little to do with your driving skill in most real world situations. 100, yes, likely. But not necessarily at 80.

Whether 80mph is safe depends on things like: wildlife and it's isolation from the road. weather conditions. traffic conditions. conditions and lay of the pavement.

80mph in any modern car on a nice stretch of I-5, I-90, I-80, or whatever, with low traffic in good weather is safe.
80mph on that same previously safe stretch of road in poor weather or traffic conditions or if a section of road is in disrepair, is not necessarily safe.

I know this is a topic for another thread, but i'm a huge fan of an intelligent sign network on the freeway system that would vary speedlimits based on weather, traffic, and other road conditions.

55mph is not always even safe on the freeway. Sometimes it can be dangerously fast. It's all relative, folks.

we got that here

but they also stuck speed cameras on all the over head gantry things, and they measure your speed over a distance, no use speeding up in btween cameras, they'll know you were speeding still. the only way to go through this particular section of the M42 is to do 70Mph (or what ever the signs tell you to do based on weather and traffic) on the dot

 

[otispunkmeyer]

Originally posted by: Lonyo

Originally posted by: Chaotic42
No.

I've gone 115 with no problems. If you can't safely maintain a vehicle at 100 miles per hour in good conditions on a freeway, you shouldn't have a license at all.

I've driven a ~1990 hatchback (1.1l engine Metro) at 85mph without issue, but it can't even GO 100mph, let alone be safely maintainable at that speed.

was the steering wheel shaking like a ******?

 

[sao123]

Originally posted by: gsellis

Originally posted by: sao123

Originally posted by: gsellis

Originally posted by: wvtalbot
And do you trust ALL drivers on said road to know what the safe speed is, the answer is no, hence speed limits.

Speed limits are rarely set for a safe condition. Governments are involved and usually a politician, not a traffic engineer in setting the speed limit. Traffic engineers know that the speed the traffic chooses is usually the safe speed for that section of highway. In other words, many highways should have an 80 mph speed limit.

And yes, at least 25% of the traffic can be trusted.

wrong... I work at the dept of transportation for pennsylvania...
any speed limit not set at 55mph required a week traffic study adn a followup study every ten years. All our speed limits are set by traffic engineers, and not politicians.
all the politicians can do is request a study...

And who set 55 as the threshold? Are you allowed to set it to 90 or even higher on sections of new, modern highway whatever that interstate out of Scranton? It looks like you are still limited by politics. If all of your list was considered ideal, what would be the maximum speed limit?

I have been on roads up in the Northeast where cleared fence to shoulder to fence was 150'. The shoulder was at least 10' and the lanes were > 8'. The traffic was 50 vehicles per minute at midday. The road was new macadame, flat, with a 1/2mile line of sight. Speed limit, 65 because that was the state wide limit set by politicians.

The threshold of 55 was set by the department of transportation traffic engineers.

§ 3362. Maximum speed limits.
(a) General rule.--Except when a special hazard exists that requires lower speed for
compliance with section 3361 (relating to driving vehicle at safe speed), the limits specified in this section or established under this subchapter shall be maximum lawful speeds and no person shall drive a vehicle at a speed in excess of the following maximum limits:
(1) 35 miles per hour in any urban district.
(1.1) 65 miles per hour for all vehicles on freeways where the department has posted a 65-miles-per-hour speed limit.
(1.2) 25 miles per hour in a residence district if the highway:
(i) is not a numbered traffic route; and
(ii) is functionally classified by the department as a local highway.
(2) 55 miles per hour in other locations.
(3) Any other maximum speed limit established under this subchapter.


despite what you believe that this came form some politician or legislator... in PA the Dept of transportation was commissioned and has sole power in writing and changing Title 75 Motor Vehicle Code.

 

[otispunkmeyer]

Originally posted by: DivideBYZero
My point was lanes are called by number, 1,2 & 3. All lanes apart from lane 1(the inside lane) are passing lanes.

I cannot see the point in owning two Mercialago's.

well he bought his dad one i think

 

[ViviTheMage]

I do 75-80 on the highway, but i do keep my eyes alert for cops sitting on the side of the roads and such, still have no ticket

 

[otispunkmeyer]

i wouldnt even think of speeding in residential areas though, thats just not on.

theres too many things that can pop at you in these areas. kids on bikes, balls, dogs, cats, other cars, grannies, etc