I don't understand speeding.

Central Avenue

Is it just that I'm never in that big a hurry?

Like, for me, there are two possible scenarios:

(A) The speed limit seems reasonable and gives me a decent travel time

(B) The speed limit is unreasonably low, but I know damn well it's an intentional trap

So I never really feel a reason to go more than like 5 mph over the limit?

And that's not even considering the fact that traffic signals are timed for certain speeds, and if you go too fast you'll hit more red lights than if you weren't speeding.

glennmagusharvey

That last bit might not apply if you're making turns, or if the traffic signals react based on the presence of traffic.

Anyway, you should pat yourself on your back for always leaving yourself decent time to travel comfortably and safely, rather than having things go overtime and being in a hurry to get places.

Stormtroper

I get all nervous and jumpy when driving, so I usually go well under whatever the limit is.

I hate driving.

Bee

As long as you're in the right lane.  You can and will get ticketed for holding up traffic in the left, even if you're going the speed limit or above.

Of course, my parents have been ticketed in the right lane for impeding traffic, even though they were technically speeding.  And then got pulled over a couple hours later under identical circumstances for speeding.

I guess what I'm trying to say is traffic cops are very, very likely to be corrupt bastards with quotas and enforcement is almost entirely arbitrary.  You're more likely to be targeted for having an out-of-state plate than for committing an offense unless it's a really egregious one.

Central Avenue

I'm always amused when I take US 40/SR 16 east out of Downtown and people don't understand that the signals are timed for 35 mph.

If you're actually doing 35 mph, you can go several blocks at a time without hitting a red light. If you're going faster, you hit one every couple blocks.

lrdgck

Right next to my job there are two crossings. The second one is irritatingly timed in such a way, that you can pass it in one go only if you're the first in queue on the first one, and from the get-go you drive at the highest allowed speed. When you drive as normal, the lights change to red at like the last possible moment. 

glennmagusharvey

Bee wrote: »

As long as you're in the right lane.  You can and will get ticketed for holding up traffic in the left, even if you're going the speed limit or above.

Of course, my parents have been ticketed in the right lane for impeding traffic, even though they were technically speeding.  And then got pulled over a couple hours later under identical circumstances for speeding.

I guess what I'm trying to say is traffic cops are very, very likely to be corrupt bastards with quotas and enforcement is almost entirely arbitrary.  You're more likely to be targeted for having an out-of-state plate than for committing an offense unless it's a really egregious one.

Alternatively, don't live near small towns whose budgets are primarily funded by speeding tickets.

lrdgck wrote: »

Right next to my job there are two crossings. The second one is irritatingly timed in such a way, that you can pass it in one go only if you're the first in queue on the first one, and from the get-go you drive at the highest allowed speed. When you drive as normal, the lights change to red at like the last possible moment. 

There are a pair of lights outside where my parents live which are basically guaranteed to give you two stops.

Bee

glennmagusharvey wrote: »

Alternatively, don't live near small towns whose budgets are primarily funded by speeding tickets.

Nah, this was on a road trip toward the Midwest.  Probably somewhere near Denver.

glennmagusharvey

Bee wrote: »

glennmagusharvey wrote: »

Alternatively, don't live near small towns whose budgets are primarily funded by speeding tickets.

Nah, this was on a road trip toward the Midwest.  Probably somewhere near Denver.

putting the "trap" in "tourist trap"

KilgoreTrout

How fast I go pretty much depends on how many other cars are on the road and what they're doing. I'll want to get wherever I'm going as fast as possible usually, so if there's little to no traffic on the freeway then I'll go 10-20 kph over the speed limit. (Or 6-12 mph.) This is because way back, my pop told me that cops will let it slide if you exceed the limit by that much, and in my experience that's been true. Any more than that and you're risking getting pulled over.

(I know from firsthand experience that going 160 kph will get you pulled over. That happened when I was 19 or so and I was going that fast at a time of night when I had the road mostly to myself and not filled with cars I might crash into. MOSTLY to myself. There was a cop car there. D'oh.)

If there's moderate to heavy traffic, I'll match the speed of the cars in whichever lane seems to be least congested. I'll usually move to the fast lane so I can go 120 kph. In the past when somebody came up behind me going faster than that and slowed down behind me, I would think "Damn, I'm holding this person up. I don't want them to think I'm lame, so I'll speed up." Today when that happens I just move over to the middle lane and let them pass me.

Vorpy

I have sped pretty much every time I've ever driven, because I live in Montana where between each city is around 25 or so miles of straight road wilderness.