Poll: What should interstate speed limits be?

[notfred]

85-90. Sh!t, everyone drives 80-85 in the fast lane around here anyway.

 

[MrDudeMan]

edit2: toned down a bit, i was frustrated

driving over 70 is usually pointless, and if you are that much in a hurry that you need to drive 90+, maybe you should have left 5 minutes earlier. someday you will kill someone by driving too fast and having an accident, regardless of how good of a driver you are, but really they should have lived and you should have died for being an idiot. that is my biggest pet peeve; people that think they are entitled to put others in danger because they are "cool" and drive incredibly fast. skillz or no skillz, no one should be driving that fast unless there is a really good reason to do so (like you are about to die if you dont get to the hospital).

if you want to get rid of the morons, i have a completely different plan. find everyone that does stupid things, put them on an island with airsoft guns and bayonets, and drop enough food for roughly 20% of them to live. they will take care of themselves and your conciense can be clear because you didnt do any of the killing.

edit: and before anyone asks, ive only got over 70-75 three or four times. i may not be as old as some of you (im about to be 20) and i may have only put ~40k miles on a car, but ive never had a reason to be going THAT fast. i can handle the car, and im not scared to do it, but going a lot faster than the flow of traffic is a bad idea and ive only needed to do it when im about to be late for something extremely important (my fault for leaving late) or i had to get to the hospital. i still didnt go 90, though.

 

[91TTZ]

Originally posted by: Bigsm00th
that is my biggest pet peeve; people that think they are entitled to put others in danger because they are "cool" and drive incredibly fast. skillz or no skillz, no one should be driving that fast unless there is a really good reason to do so (like you are about to die if you dont get to the hospital).

Well driving "incredibly fast" would be reckless driving even in countries with no speed limit. It has to be within reason and safe for conditions.

Saying that driving over 70 is "pointless" is a bit naive. People should be able to drive quickly and responsibly, just like they did when there was no speed limit in Montana, or how they do in Germany. Same laws of physics apply everywhere, you just don't have oppressive politicians everywhere.

 

[MrDudeMan]

Originally posted by: 91TTZ

Originally posted by: Bigsm00th
that is my biggest pet peeve; people that think they are entitled to put others in danger because they are "cool" and drive incredibly fast. skillz or no skillz, no one should be driving that fast unless there is a really good reason to do so (like you are about to die if you dont get to the hospital).

Well driving "incredibly fast" would be reckless driving even in countries with no speed limit. It has to be within reason and safe for conditions.

Saying that driving over 70 is "pointless" is a bit naive. People should be able to drive quickly and responsibly, just like they did when there was no speed limit in Montana, or how they do in Germany. Same laws of physics apply everywhere, you just don't have oppressive politicians everywhere.

well, i guess i can agree to that. but driving really fast is usually pointless, and while people should be able to make their own decisions, i just cant understand why you need to go faster than that (unless, like i said, there is an emergency).

maybe i was a little stupid in my post, i will admit, but i still agree with my main points regardless of that.

 

[notfred]

Originally posted by: Bigsm00th
you guys are all idiots. driving over 70 is pointless, and if you are that much in a hurry that you need to drive 90+, maybe you should have left 5 minutes earlier. someday you will kill someone by driving too fast and having an accident, regardless of how good of a driver you are, but really they should have lived and you should have died for being an idiot. that is my biggest pet peeve; people that think they are entitled to put others in danger because they are "cool" and drive incredibly fast. skillz or no skillz, no one should be driving that fast unless there is a really good reason to do so (like you are about to die if you dont get to the hospital).

if you want to get rid of the morons, i have a completely different plan. find everyone that does stupid things, put them on an island with airsoft guns and bayonets, and drop enough food for roughly 20% of them to live. they will take care of themselves and your conciense can be clear because you didnt do any of the killing.

edit: and before anyone asks, ive only got over 70-75 three or four times. i may not be as old as some of you (im about to be 20) and i may have only put ~40k miles on a car, but ive never had a reason to be going THAT fast. i can handle the car, and im not scared to do it, but going a lot faster than the flow of traffic is a bad idea and ive only needed to do it when im about to be late for something extremely important (my fault for leaving late) or i had to get to the hospital. i still didnt go 90, though.

You're the one that's an idiot. You've never even driven 80-90 and you're telling is it's unsafe? I've put THOUSANDS of miles on my cars at over 80 mph and nver had a high speed accident. Just because you're not in a hurry doesn't mean that 80mph is more dangerous than 70. 90 moh is not "incredibly fast". You don't even notice you're going that fast if traffic is keeping up with you (or there is no traffic).

 

[Nitemare]

Have each driver speedrated, divide the Interstate into 3 lanes.
Right hand lane has a 65 mph speed limit
Middle lane has a 75 mph speed limit
and there is no limit in the left hand lane, but you can only drive there if you have been tested by the DMV. If you are in the left hand lane going less than 65 mph, you will be taken out of your vehicle and shot, no questions asked.

 

[MrDudeMan]

Originally posted by: Nitemare
Have each driver speedrated, divide the Interstate into 3 lanes.
Right hand lane has a 65 mph speed limit
Middle lane has a 75 mph speed limit
and there is no limit in the left hand lane, but you can only drive there if you have been tested by the DMV. If you are in the left hand lane going less than 65 mph, you will be taken out of your vehicle and shot, no questions asked.

:thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup: / :thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:

 

[91TTZ]

Originally posted by: Bigsm00th

well, i guess i can agree to that. but driving really fast is usually pointless, and while people should be able to make their own decisions, i just cant understand why you need to go faster than that (unless, like i said, there is an emergency).

maybe i was a little stupid in my post, i will admit, but i still agree with my main points regardless of that.

I think we'd be able to reach a happy medium where people can drive quickly and safely. Of course we'd still need police to pull over people who are swerving all over the place and driving recklessly, because they put everyone in danger.

I was kind of surprised when I went to Germany and drove on the autobahns there. I expected it to be totally different where people cruised so fast, but it was nothing like that. It flowed about the same as it did here. Most people still went around 80-85 like they do on the highways in PA, but they were more courteous and stayed to the right. I did not see anyone clogging up the passing lane, they used it as a passing lane. Some people passed me that were going faster than 90, but they were not being reckless about it. The speed limits would change from unlimited to slower when you got near bridges or sharp turns. All in all traffic moved very smoothly and efficiently there, just as it would here in the US if the driving test was harder and police enforced the laws that were already on the books, such as staying to the right and passing on the left. When you allow people to clog up the passing lane, it forces people to swerve and pass on the right, breaking up the intended order on the roads and creating a dangerous situation.

 

[toekramp]

Originally posted by: Amol1

Originally posted by: Syringer
There should be no speed limit.

why, so you can syringe us FASTER?

SPIDER

come back to OT when you have more than 1000 posts

 

[CraigRT]

80 or 85 would be good
thats about how fast i go here in Ontario (mph of course)

 

[95SS]

Originally posted by: Nitemare
Have each driver speedrated, divide the Interstate into 3 lanes.
Right hand lane has a 65 mph speed limit
Middle lane has a 75 mph speed limit
and there is no limit in the left hand lane, but you can only drive there if you have been tested by the DMV. If you are in the left hand lane going less than 65 mph, you will be taken out of your vehicle and shot, no questions asked.

That would be an enforcement nightmare. If passing laws were strictly enforced, that may solve some of the problems on our highways. Make failure to yield a fine greater than speeding, and actually enforce it.

 

[MrDudeMan]

Originally posted by: 91TTZ

Originally posted by: Bigsm00th

well, i guess i can agree to that. but driving really fast is usually pointless, and while people should be able to make their own decisions, i just cant understand why you need to go faster than that (unless, like i said, there is an emergency).

maybe i was a little stupid in my post, i will admit, but i still agree with my main points regardless of that.

I think we'd be able to reach a happy medium where people can drive quickly and safely. Of course we'd still need police to pull over people who are swerving all over the place and driving recklessly, because they put everyone in danger.

I was kind of surprised when I went to Germany and drove on the autobahns there. I expected it to be totally different where people cruised so fast, but it was nothing like that. It flowed about the same as it did here. Most people still went around 80-85 like they do on the highways in PA, but they were more courteous and stayed to the right. I did not see anyone clogging up the passing lane, they used it as a passing lane. Some people passed me that were going faster than 90, but they were not being reckless about it. The speed limits would change from unlimited to slower when you got near bridges or sharp turns. All in all traffic moved very smoothly and efficiently there, just as it would here in the US if the driving test was harder and police enforced the laws that were already on the books, such as staying to the right and passing on the left. When you allow people to clog up the passing lane, it forces people to swerve and pass on the right, breaking up the intended order on the roads and creating a dangerous situation.

good points :thumbsup:

 

[Babbles]

Originally posted by: NFS4

Originally posted by: KLin
100 mph speed limit and bad weather don't mix.

Survival of the fittest

Until some other idiot drivers runs into you.
I feel confident about my driving skills, it is the driving skills of others I am not so confident about.

Originally posted by: Specop 007
65, no faster. The faster you drive, the more gas you consume. In the interest of the environment, 65.

Maybe in 1975.
Cars today have a tendacy to be just a bit more efficient. My car has a digital readout of MPG and heads up with digital speed, and I figured my optimal speed limit to achieve the best MPG is actually ~72 MPH.

I say 80/85 outside of cities but perhaps 70/75 thru busier metropolitan areas.

 

[seanws]

add a line to your poll for "as safely as road/weather/traffic conditions permit, and i'll vote for that

 

[quakefiend420]

i would say 90

 

[imthebadguy]

i say autobahn it, nah actually there are too many dumb drivers out there to make it any faster as much as i hate it, id advocate for it staying at 70

 

[b0mbrman]

65 for everyone but me who will be unlimited

 

[b0mbrman]

Originally posted by: 91TTZ
but they were more courteous and stayed to the right. I did not see anyone clogging up the passing lane, they used it as a passing lane.... All in all traffic moved very smoothly and efficiently there, just as it would here in the US if the driving test was harder and police enforced the laws that were already on the books, such as staying to the right and passing on the left. When you allow people to clog up the passing lane, it forces people to swerve and pass on the right, breaking up the intended order on the roads and creating a dangerous situation.

Oh wow. That sounds like heaven

 

[Amaroque]

I think 100 MPH on rual interstate highways would be reasonable.

 

[b0mbrman]

Originally posted by: toekramp

Originally posted by: Amol1

Originally posted by: Syringer
There should be no speed limit.

why, so you can syringe us FASTER?

SPIDER

come back to OT when you have more than 1000 posts

Spi.

Der.

:beer:

 

[Robor]

Originally posted by: Syringer
There should be no speed limit.

:thumbsup:

 

[phonemonkey]

Originally posted by: 91TTZ

Originally posted by: gutharius


Yeah sure if you like your physical remains to be atomized if you ever have a wreck going that fast... I say 65 is fine. Less fatalities then when going 100+ speeds. that is just insane.

When Montana had no daytime speed limit, their fatality rate went down. It's been theorized that when you let people make their own decisions, they actually pay attention while driving.

Um, Montana still had a daytime speed limit. It was called "reasonable and prudent". Basically, this meant that it was up to the cops to decide if they felt you were driving in a safe manner.

From what I learned when I lived there, you could do about 85 on a clear, sunny day and could expect to not get pulled over. Go much faster, and you were in for some heavy fines (some people getting caught for 100mph on I-90 were given $500 tickets).

You also have to consider traffic in Montana versus somewhere such as, oh, say LA or Phoenix. Traffic is much lighter there, so you can handle greater differences in speed. If you tried to do that on a 4 lane freeway in a large metro area (especially if it was badly designed like Phoenix's is) travelling anywhere would be a nightmare.

I'd like to see much higher speed limits myself (85+), but I think that in order to do so, they need to severely tighten the requirements for driving and require people to take qualified driver's ed courses before they give their licenses. Basically, if we started to handle traffic like Germany, I could see it becoming a reality.

 

[Robor]

Originally posted by: seanws
add a line to your poll for "as safely as road/weather/traffic conditions permit, and i'll vote for that

It's not always the road/weather/traffic that determine the safe speed for traffic. I I live in the Tampa Bay area and I do a lot of driving in my job . As a result I often encounter situations where I see drivers that shouldn't be driving on any road let alone a road with no speed limit. It's time the US make drivers actually qualify for the right to operate a vehicle. If you don't have the mental capacity, hearing, or vision to safely drive then you shouldn't be behind the wheel.

Flame me if you want but nearly every story you read about some driver mistaking the gas for the brake and running through a store or their garage is almost always elderly. We have a senior community about 5 miles south of me. It's located off a major 3 lane road through the county. About 200 yards before the intersection of the community are signs that state "Prepare to stop" with lights that flash yellow to warn when the intersection light is red. Haven't seen this type of warning sign/light anywhere else and this signal is located on a long straight section of road (Belcher Rd in Palm Harbor, Fl if anyone knows the area). I guess they know they suck at driving.

Long live the AARP... :roll:

 

[MrDudeMan]

Originally posted by: notfred

You're the one that's an idiot. You've never even driven 80-90 and you're telling is it's unsafe? I've put THOUSANDS of miles on my cars at over 80 mph and nver had a high speed accident. Just because you're not in a hurry doesn't mean that 80mph is more dangerous than 70. 90 moh is not "incredibly fast". You don't even notice you're going that fast if traffic is keeping up with you (or there is no traffic).

you will find any reason to disagree with me :roll:

read my edit nimwit. i said i have, and ive definitely seen plenty of people do it. there is no way you can argue that 90 is as safe as 70. your reaction speed does not increase with your speed, so the faster you go, the more chance you have of having an accident. that is simple logic. if the flow is 75-80, fine, go 75-80, but ive never been in traffic where the norm was 90. i havent lived everywhere, but i have a hard time imagining there is even a small minority of places where normal driving is 90+. i know there is a place in atlanta like that, so im not completely naive, but im also not gullible. ill concede that people can drive faster than that if they want to, but i still dont ever see a need for it in regular circumstances. all you are doing is increasing your chances to have a fatal accident. it makes no sense.

 

[MrDudeMan]

Originally posted by: Robor

Originally posted by: seanws
add a line to your poll for "as safely as road/weather/traffic conditions permit, and i'll vote for that

It's not always the road/weather/traffic that determine the safe speed for traffic. I I live in the Tampa Bay area and I do a lot of driving in my job . As a result I often encounter situations where I see drivers that shouldn't be driving on any road let alone a road with no speed limit. It's time the US make drivers actually qualify for the right to operate a vehicle. If you don't have the mental capacity, hearing, or vision to safely drive then you shouldn't be behind the wheel.

Flame me if you want but nearly every story you read about some driver mistaking the gas for the brake and running through a store or their garage is almost always elderly. We have a senior community about 5 miles south of me. It's located off a major 3 lane road through the county. About 200 yards before the intersection of the community are signs that state "Prepare to stop" with lights that flash yellow to warn when the intersection light is red. Haven't seen this type of warning sign/light anywhere else and this signal is located on a long straight section of road (Belcher Rd in Palm Harbor, Fl if anyone knows the area). I guess they know they suck at driving.

Long live the AARP... :roll:

we have those here in a few places, but only in special cases. i agree with you on the driving requirements though...it should be a lot more strict and more frequent testing as you age.