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Why do people speed?
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Well, all the wisdom of ATOT has shown me WHY people speed, and it's rather interesting to see some of your justifications. I'll think of you all the next time I have to sit in traffic for 2 hours because people tried to do 90 in a blizzard and there are 40 different accidents blocking the damned highway.
OP, get a life. If you're driving the speed limit on ANY road, pull over and let people pass you every once in awhile. When I'm going home, I have a very short drive (about 6 miles). Many would say I shouldn't speed. The problem is, it's not the driving part that takes awhile, it's getting stuck behind traffic lights (in my head, I'm thinking there are ~15 stoplights in that amount of time). Every fvcking one of them would cut 1 - 2 minutes (differs) from my life when I get stuck behind them. If I'm driving 60 and I get a free pass through every light (which I have to continue to drive 60 to do... don't ask me, I didn't program them), I can make it to work in 6 minutes. If I hit them wrong (especially when I'm stuck behind people like yourself), it can take me 20 minutes to get home. EASILY. Now I know those of you in NY or LA are telling me that you'd DIE to get home in 20 minutes, but regardless, that's an EASY 14 minutes of extra driving time every morning and night that I have to deal with if I can't drive as fast as I want to. If you don't think that 14-15 minutes a day is worth speeding for, you're crazy. Of course getting pulled over sucks and I avoid that like the plague, but again, if they'd time the lights to where you didn't have to speed to make them all, I wouldn't drive as quickly.
But honestly, it's more than just that. The reason I speed (I can't speak for everyone) is that I have a serious mental problem with just sitting there wasting time. I can't stand moving along at the speed limit getting caught at every light. It would be one thing if I could move at 45 the entire way without stopping, but just sitting there waiting for the next traffic light is PAINFUL. It's a waste. It's time spent doing absolutely nothing. I'm not even making progress towards my goal (being home/at work).
But honestly, it's more than just that. The reason I speed (I can't speak for everyone) is that I have a serious mental problem with just sitting there wasting time. I can't stand moving along at the speed limit getting caught at every light. It would be one thing if I could move at 45 the entire way without stopping, but just sitting there waiting for the next traffic light is PAINFUL. It's a waste. It's time spent doing absolutely nothing. I'm not even making progress towards my goal (being home/at work).
MikeyIs4Dcats
Lifer
Now there is a fine line between those of us who speed when it is in safe conditions and those asshats who barrel through 4 inches of snow at 65.
I speed almost all the time in fair weather, but I'm intelligent enough to know my limits in adverse conditions. An I don't erroneously believe my 4x4 Dakota gives me the right to drive like a maniac in bad weather.
The logic behind that is simple. Most of the nation's driving happens on slowass roads. Highways are safer for several reasons, despite being significantly faster. First, they're wider. Second, there is no oncoming traffic. Third, natural vehicle spacing is larger. Fourth, there's more lanes to manuever into to get around a bad situation. On your average one-lane-each-way road, you have basically one option for avoiding an accident - BRAKES. Go into the other lane, head on. Go right, guard rail, embankment, parked car, telephone pole.
But there is no logic behind doing twice what conditions permit and then causing all hell to break loose for an entire region (see: Baltimore City, Baltimore County, Harford County this past Friday)
WHOA!!!! We were talking about speeding in general. If you want to talk about the fvcking soccer moms out there in Land Rovers doing 50 in a 20 in the middle of an ice storm, that's another issue. I'm very careful and SLOW when iinclement wweather hits. However, you have to seek a happy medium. I'm not going to go so slow that I cause problems (something tells me you do, though). For instance, I was stuck behind two fvcking jacka$$es one morning going up a steep hill with ice and snow on the road from the night before. I ALMOST didn't make it up the fvcking hill. If they want to do 20, that's fine. But A) get both of your a$$es to the right lane, and B) do it on the flat roads where I don't need my momentum to get up the hill.
PricklyPete
Lifer
agreed.
Zenmervolt
Elite member
Honestly? Because the speed limits on highways are set for revenue creation and not for safety. The interstates were designed for 80 mph. Going 55 or even 65 isn't even working hard. One could almost sleep through it. The 75-80mph area still isn't working hard, but at least it's pushing the car a little bit.
I understand the argument against speeding when it's recklessly swerving in and out of traffic, but when there's open road, I'm putting the pedal down. I don't care if there's someone faster, I'll pull to the right and let them by. But when there's plenty of room and good weather there's just no reason not to pick up the pace a little.
I suppose that the "car as an appliance" people won't understand this but to me, driving slowly is the same kind of feeling that Einstein or Von Neumann might get from having to do a bunch of 7th grade algebra problems. So easy and simple that there's just no enjoyment at all in it.
ZV
I understand the argument against speeding when it's recklessly swerving in and out of traffic, but when there's open road, I'm putting the pedal down. I don't care if there's someone faster, I'll pull to the right and let them by. But when there's plenty of room and good weather there's just no reason not to pick up the pace a little.
I suppose that the "car as an appliance" people won't understand this but to me, driving slowly is the same kind of feeling that Einstein or Von Neumann might get from having to do a bunch of 7th grade algebra problems. So easy and simple that there's just no enjoyment at all in it.
ZV
Cars are an appliance? Sh!t, I never knew that 😛
Meh, there's a reason the turbovan is what it is, but it doesn't get expressed on public roads. I don't know, when I've been driving for awhile, I reach a zen-like state where my bullshit real-world problems don't matter anymore, so I can look at them objectively, and quite frankly, I don't want that to go by any faster.
nakedfrog
No Lifer
My GF works nights. I get home sometimes as little as 5-10 minutes before she has to leave. If it means I get to spend an extra 4 minutes with her before she leaves and I don't get to see her again until 11PM or sometimes the next day, I'm gonna speed.
Not obnoxiously so, as I've never been in an accident or received a speeding ticket, I just apply some sense to the issue. For example, the first stretch of my drive has about six stoplights that are all timed to the speed limit. If I go any faster at any of those, I'll only get to the next red light faster. Once I'm past the last one, though, I'll punch it up a bit.
What REALLY bugs me are those people that for no good reason are doing 35 in a 45--no rain, snow, high winds, or anything, and in both lanes, which occasionally causes me to get stuck at a light.
Not obnoxiously so, as I've never been in an accident or received a speeding ticket, I just apply some sense to the issue. For example, the first stretch of my drive has about six stoplights that are all timed to the speed limit. If I go any faster at any of those, I'll only get to the next red light faster. Once I'm past the last one, though, I'll punch it up a bit.
What REALLY bugs me are those people that for no good reason are doing 35 in a 45--no rain, snow, high winds, or anything, and in both lanes, which occasionally causes me to get stuck at a light.
liquidblue
Senior member
If you could see at 45 mph you weren't in a blizzard. I've had to drive at around 10-15 mph and I couldn't see past 2 car lenghts in front. A usual 15 min drive was around an hour that day.
If you're speeding because you're late then you're speeding without paying attention. You're more likely to be thinking or worrying about what's going to happen when you arrive at your destination. I think we've all been guilty of that.
If you speed because you don't like waiting at the red light and you've been tailgating me all the way there, prepare to slow the hell down. I'll go at the limit (I'm not going to get a ticket because of your impatience). That is... if it's on the streets. On the highway... I don't care.
Yeah, I was exagerating the "blizzard" thing, in reality it was a light dusting. I didn't even TRY driving in the only blizzard I've had my license to experience, took one look outside and said "No reason to go out there, I have food, I have intarweb, school's closed. Back to bed."
Zenmervolt
Elite member
Yeah, I'm definitely not an advocate of rude or angry driving, but simply going faster doesn't automatically equate to recklessness. And you're completely right that the people who don't adjust for conditions or who over-drive their vehicles need to back off more than a few clicks but there are plenty of us who move along quickly but don't follow too close and who do use our turn signals and who do slow down for snow and ice and rain.
ZV
mb
Lifer
Because driving slow is boring. I usually only speed when I have to drive to go home from college. It saves me about an hour and a half, and that to me is worth it. One time I tried going the speed limit, and I got so bored that I became tired and was probably more of a danger at that point.
Daily commutes - yes. Something about seeing the same scenery day after day for the past 5 years that raises my stress level a bit everytime I get into my car to make that trip. You know it sucks when you get excited when someone changes a billboard. Driving anywhere else though, I love... and I usually speed then out of habit.
cHeeZeFacTory
Golden Member
yea in LA no one really goes 65 when there's no traffic. i say 80 is avg here.
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