I was just wondering how many of us drive the speed limit ~

Always

Mostly

On the Average

Sometimes

Never

I posted to the seatbelt post and thought of this questions. I am very good about driving the speed limit.

However, there is one road that is posted 35, but I always catch myself going 45. It is a straight road, gold course full length of the one side of the road and houses on the other.

One of my new year's resolutions, silly I know, is try to maintain a proper speed on this road.

Just wondering how many drive the speed limit?

BTW, reason I am posting this, is yesterday, less than 1/4 of a mile from our house, a person in a larger vehicle than ours was coming up the road, over the speed limit, on our side of the road. I thought we were all dead. DH had no where to go (he was driving, thank heavens) because the other side is a fully wooded area (no pullover room). He just stopped and pulled over as much as he could and blew his horn. Apparently that and a band of angels startled the driver and he swerved. Thought I was going to have a heart attack.

By Fraggle on Sunday, January 11, 2004 - 10:11 am:

I drive the speed limit for the most part-and I never go more than 5 miles over the posted limit. DH is the same. When we attended a class before we got married this was one of the questions we had to answer (Do you drive the speed limit?). The instructors then asked the people to stand up who answered yes to certain questions. My DH and I and a couple of other people in the room stood up out of a class of about 30.

Marg, so glad someone woke up the driver of that car! We hate driving on certain roads North of here because of the logging trucks. They fly around corners barely leaving any rooms for the car on the other side of the road.

By Ginny~moderator on Sunday, January 11, 2004 - 10:26 am:

It depends. On local roads here, the limit is 25 for residential and 35 for "major" roads, and I tend to drive the limit or up to 5 miles over the limit. On high-speed roads, the limit here is usually 55, and I tend to drive 60-65, depending on traffic. Personally, I would prefer to drive the actual limit, but most drivers are going significantly faster and I have had drivers tailgate and honk if I am going 55. I stay in the right hand lane or 2nd from the right lane so other drivers can pass me, and they do. A lot! I have observed that it is very easy to go over the limit - even as careful as I am, when I am on a high speed road with not much traffic ahead of me I will glance down sometimes and see I am going 70 or higher without even realizing it.

On my usual homebound route I turn off a 35 mph road onto a residential street where there is a playing field about 150 yards from the intersection, just around a curve. During nice weather I always come out of that curve at about 10 mph and keep that speed when going past the playing field if the usual Little League or soccer teams are there.

Because of my age, I take the AARP 55-Alive driving class every 3 years, because it gives me a 10% discount on my insurance and they give good advice. One thing they recommend is the 3-second interval - that is, when the car ahead of you passes something fixed, like a sign or a marking in the road, count the seconds (saying one thousand and one, one thousand and two, one thousand and three will be about 3 seconds). Try to keep a 3-second or 4-second interval between you and the car ahead of you so that if something happens you have plenty of room to stop. On high speed roads I try to keep a 4 or 5 second interval, dropping back when cars pass and move into the lane ahead of me.

So far I have been able to manage my timing so that I am not driving on high speed roads during rush hour, and I agree, I really hate driving where there are lots of big trucks on the road. I'm really glad that my job commute is to a train station, and I have a lot of sympathy for those who have to commute over high speed roads and have that rush hour traffic.

Interesting that it was part of a pre-marriage class, and really glad for you, Fraggle, that you and your dh agree on this. Funny how people who are ordinarily quite law-abiding and considerate will change personalities when they get into a car and become anonymous. I've been pleased, when riding with any of my sons driving, to see that they tend to be courteous and careful drivers too.

By Marg on Sunday, January 11, 2004 - 10:47 am:

Ginny, I don't really do much highway driving and local highway driving around here is 60/65. But I know what you mean with flow of traffic.

When we go on the beltway or 95, I'm only 37 but I don't know if I would ever drive it alone. I let poor, wonderful dh do the driving. It scares me too much.

By Babysitbarb on Sunday, January 11, 2004 - 11:12 am:

I use to be terrible about driving the speed limit but, I usualy do more so now. When I drove the buick that my husband now drives it was easy to speed before you realized it but in my van Im more careful. I especially try to watch in any speed limits under 55. On the back country roads I usually go 60-65. Ive just been lucky to not get stopped.

By Cat on Sunday, January 11, 2004 - 04:17 pm:

I try to stay within 5mph's of the speed limit. I've never gotten a ticket. I've only been stopped twice. I was stopped about a year ago and honestly had no clue why. Turned out I was going 62 in a 45. I thought it was 55. The cop was very nice and just warned me (especially nice since Robin was sitting in the passenger's seat saying "Excuse me, you're violating my rights by wasting my time!" I about died! LOL). Dh wasn't so lucky. About a week later he got a ticket for doing 60 in a 45. That was expensive! $$$

By Jackie on Sunday, January 11, 2004 - 04:24 pm:

I almost always drive the speed limit. There is one street close to my house that the speed limit is 35, and more times then not,you will see a policeman sitting parked at one of the side streets. Sometimes I may go 40 on that street, and people pass me by giving me dirty looks like Im insane for going go so slow. Sometimes I really wonder what is wrong with people.
I hate interstate driving, it still scares me and Im 39 yrs old. Here the speed limit is 55, and I drive no faster then 60, and people speed by me like Im going 20. Nobody is going to pressure me into going any faster and getting a ticket.

By Dananivyboo1 on Sunday, January 11, 2004 - 05:45 pm:

I ALWAYS drive the speed limit and follow the rules while my son is in the car.

However, and I know I should I do catch myself going a bit above the limit when no one is in the car with me. I lost my license for 1.5 years once and it was just over the fact that I couldnt afford to pay for an accident so I had to make payments. My insurance didnt cover so until I was able to pay the guy $4000, I finally got my privileges back!

By Mommmie on Sunday, January 11, 2004 - 08:24 pm:

I drive on the freeway everyday and I only drive up to 10 miles over the speed limit to closer match the flow of traffic. I stay in the far right lane bec even at 10 miles over I'm still slower than the rest. But, if you get too slow you become a danger.

Then I arrive at the law firm where I work where we defend car makers in really bad accidents caused partly by high speed and there are accidents pictures everywhere - pictures of dead bodies, burned bodies, body parts, etc. and it confirms my slower speed on the freeway.

I drive the speed limit on non-highway roads.

By Bobbie on Sunday, January 11, 2004 - 09:10 pm:

I drive the speed limit. UNLESS we are driving to Tennessee. Which is the only time I take the interstate roads. And you are all right even at 65 the posted rate around here I am driving to slow for everyone around me. The thing is.. Often these jerks that blow buy me will be at the next traffic stop just in front of me. They risked my life and theirs and everyone else on that stretch of road just to get to the light before me. I often wonder why people do not schedule themselves enough time for the commute that they would have to be in such a rush. I also have wonderd why and how people pass drivers ed.. I have seen grown men not follow any trafic laws but yet we expect our youth to know them buy heart and follow them to the T.

Local(normal every day)driving we avoid the interstate all together. We know the "back roads" that will get us from point A to point B. Sometimes it takes us longer to get there but it is a heck of a lot less stressful.. And we always drive the speed limit. DH drives like a "grandma" as the kids like to tell him.

By Mommyathome on Sunday, January 11, 2004 - 09:19 pm:

Always! I never go over the speed limit. I usually set the cruise control for a couple miles under the speed limit.

DH drives me crazy...he always goes over the speed limit. He sets the cruise at least 3 miles over the speed limit. He's been pulled over quite a bit. It makes me so mad.

By Familyman on Monday, January 12, 2004 - 10:07 am:

On 'normal' roads I'm always within 3mph of the speed limit. On freeways I'm usually 3-5 over or with the flow of traffic if traffic is heavy and fast. I'm actually trying to enjoy this last little while before DK's can read the spedometer and I have to drive exactly the speed limit.
I've only been pulled over once, on the freeway in Kansas for doing 12 over. I thought the limit was 65 but it was 55 around the exit for the state police training center. I got away with a warning then and have never recieved a ticket.

By Colette on Monday, January 12, 2004 - 11:12 am:

Oh it's just great when they start reading the speed limit and being little backseat drivers...

On normal roads I pretty much do the speed limit. On the highway I usually drive 70. I try not to take dh's car because it is VERY easy to go over the speed limit without even realizing how fast you are going.

By Tunnia on Tuesday, January 13, 2004 - 10:34 am:

Ok, I guess I'm the bad one here. I almost never drive the speed limit unless it's a residential area. I usually drive 8-10 miles over on regular streets (read: not interstate). However, when on the highway I usually drive 15-20 over the speed limit and I still get passed on the left and right like I'm not even moving. Here in Atlanta it is dangerous to drive the speed limit. Driving the speed limit will get you killed.

By Lauram on Tuesday, January 13, 2004 - 01:09 pm:

9 miles over the limit to me IS the speed limit. I've only had one ticket- when I was 20 years old and I was going 20 miles over. I got a "warning" last year too- I was 15 miles over. I pass cops all the time doing my 9 mile thing and NEVER get stopped. I drive ALOT. My commute is 45 min each way.