Speed limits are a communist plot to kill ambition and excellence.
Speed limits are a communist plot to kill ambition and excellence.
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I mean it's a deranged post, but sometimes to make an overtake safely you need to go slightly over the speed limit for a short period of time, especially on single lane roads. It's safer to temporarily speed slightly and be in the oncoming lane of traffic for a shorter period of time, than to stick perfectly to the speed limit and be in the oncoming lane for longer.
The point is that, in that case, you should not be overtaking at all. There are three options, overtake without speeding, overtake with speeding, and don't overtake. In the specific example you've provided, the options ordered in level of danger are overtaking without speeding, overtaking with speeding, and just staying in your lane.
I mean it's a deranged post, but sometimes to make an overtake safely you need to go slightly over the speed limit for a short period of time, especially on single lane roads.
If you have to go over the speed limit to overtake there really isn't a good reason as to why you would be overtaking in the first place
People where I live speed up when you try to pass them. They could be going 15mph under the limit, dicking around on their phone, swerving wildly, but as soon as you start passing they realize they're going too slow and speed up.
I mean, not really. Not in a single lane rural road. I'll give an example that happened often when I used to drive.
You're on a single lane road in the middle of nowhere where the speed limit is 100kph. You're behind a 30 meter long truck on a curvy section of the road where it's rightfully illegal to overtake, and the truck is doing 50-60kph to negotiate the curves. The road then straightens out and it becomes legal to overtake, as indicated by the road markings. The truck, instead of maintaining its speed and letting you past, decides to speed up on the straight bit of road, to 80-90kph. If you were to attempt an overtake without going over the speed limit, you'd probably be in the oncoming lane for 10+ seconds, maybe more, making the overtake very difficult to pull off safely. If you don't attempt an overtake and just stay behind the truck, it will slow down again for the next curvy section and create a small traffic jam behind it, which becomes its own hazard. The safest option is just to pass the truck while going slightly over the speed limit momentarily, say 110kph. Then you only spend 5 seconds in the oncoming lane, get the pass done and can go back to driving at the speed limit. The obvious solution is just that the trucks maintain their speed and allow cars past, but that doesn't always happen. It's not a scenario applicable to city driving or driving on multi lane highways/freeways, but it's something that does happen on single lane roads.
Yes it does seem counterintuitive at first, and yes I hated making these kind of passes everytime, but it was the best option.
how's it a traffic jam if it flows at at least 60kph? Or is this gonna go "well if I don't do it some other psychopath is going to do even worse stuff"?
Three cars following each other going five under the limit is a traffic jam for rural driving
I mean enlighten me here
if someone is doing 40 in a 45 you spend less time in the pass lane if you overtake at 50 or 55, which makes it safer to speed under that circumstance.
you should operate any conveyance within the limits of the surface conditions and your own ability, from shoes to a space rocket, and generally a straight section of dry road is safe at a higher speed than the limit is set at because of how speed limits are determined.
If someone is doing 40 in a 45 there's zilch reason to overtake them in the first place
One reason is you're behind a camper or truck on a road with bad visibility, with the vehicle in front of you obstructing even more visibility. You come to a designated passing section, and pass that vehicle.
Additionally, slow moving work trucks are always dropping shit. Gravel, dirt, leaves, tools, etc. You pass so you don't have your paint peppered with rocks that eventually turn into rust.
Passing in the oncoming lane in a city area? Psycho behavior. Passing in a rural area where there are exactly two vehicles, you and the person in front of you, who's obviously texting and veering in and out of the lane? Good time to pass.
So many of these opinions are rooted in a more urban mindset where these things do make sense, but in like most of the country there's basically nothing around and speed limits are still set for a time period where radial tire was a fancy new invention and going 60 mph was considered fast.
Full disclosure, I love operating vehicles, bikes, motorcycles, cars,(not SUVs they suck). No amount of logic and reasoning will take away my joy of levers, switches, knobs, and the ability to step into/onto a machine. I want public transport and bike infrastructure to improve so I don't need to drive my car for boring tasks, and can save it for driving out in the country side, on mountain roads, and various other twists and turns. Right now if I was to try to take public transport the 10 miles to work, it'd take roughly two hours between three busses. That blows. There's also no continuous bike infrastructure so I'd probably die via a big truck or suv going the speed limit but totally unable to see me.
Passing in the oncoming lane in a city area? Psycho behavior. Passing in a rural area where there are exactly two vehicles, you and the person in front of you, who's obviously texting and veering in and out of the lane? Good time to pass.
how the fuck is your first instinct to somebody wobbling all over the road to get closer to them. is this entire post a bit? I have bad visibility, time to speed up? These are all easily solved by the magic of "keeping a good amount of distance to the previous vehicle"
It does sound counter productive, no not a bit. I'm not talking about straight up back and forth between lanes wobbling. Just going slow and not watching. You speed up to pass then go the speed limit on an otherwise empty road and let them do their thing in peace, rather than slowing down even further to maintain that distance. Its not a first instinct, it comes after being behind someone who's a hazard to themself for several miles.
I have bad visibility, time to speed up?
Like I said, when you're driving through mountain roads, there's sections of road with good visibility especially for passing. A large truck will obscure road signs and oncoming traffic, just pass so you can see further ahead. I'm not saying we should be super speeding down these roads in case we see a truck.
I'm trying to come into this conversation saying honestly that I want better infrastructure. I love riding my bike, I want to not die. I'm also trying to say "hey, there are situations where a bazinga brain computer should not have full override control of a machine". I don't know why folks feel the need to be a dick when I point this out. Like its cool if you live somewhere dense and easy to bike. I've done hundreds of hours on back mountain roads. I've been passed by speed demons in pickups, and I have passed others who are going extremely slow. Drivers who are freaked out by the very existence of the road they're driving on and I want no part of their current struggle, I'm just going to pass them quickly in the passing zone, resume the speed limit, and watch them disappear in the rear view.
I absolutely think that when we come into these conversations, we're thinking of two drastically different scenarios and both getting angry at the other person. I genuinely think we should just stop allowing cars into a lot of cities all together. I think we should demolish the highway overpasses and rebuild neighborhoods. Replace one lane of every large road with some light rail.
But shit man, chill out.
Just to say I totally get your point of view. This is very much my experience. I’m not a racer, but I’ve done a lot of driving in my time for work.
Following some elderly or inexperienced or just plain bad driver on remote roads sucks for everyone, you following them stresses them out and hinders their already limited abilities to drive safely, and it slows you down and forces you to drive in a very guarded manner, trying to anticipate their next weird decision which is stressful. If the road allows a suitable place then passing them is absolutely the safe and proper thing to do. You get an open road to drive on and they don’t have to worry about you any more which allows them to relax and focus.
Yeah, I don't like going fast anyway, I mentioned in another comment I've broken 100mph once in my life and I didn't particularly enjoy it. I drive a little hot hatch, not a tremendous amount of power, but it handles good and I like shifting gears. Me passing the this person just makes everyone's day better, I wait for the zone, drop a gear and break the speed limit for a total of 15 seconds, then go about my day. I can hit the turns at the speed limit and feel some Gs, the other person doesn't have to worry about me being annoyed.
I'll admit its selfish, but driving my little car on fun roads is a genuine pleasure of mine, I don't speed day to day but I might quickly accelerate to 40 with a 1-2 shift then throw er in 5th and cruise.
rather than slowing down even further to maintain that distance.
Yeah, why? I've been behind all kinds of drunk people on dark country roads in my life, I used to live in a rural area where car was the only option. Never occured to me to get into the swerve zone. I just figured this trip is gonna take 10 minutes longer before we part ways and that's that, no overtaking required.
Like I said, when you're driving through mountain roads, there's sections of road with good visibility especially for passing. A large truck will obscure road signs and oncoming traffic, just pass so you can see further ahead.
But again, you can increase visibility by increasing distance to the truck
I've been behind all kinds of drunk people on dark country roads in my life
Sorry I didn't mean like obviously drunk people, another commenter replied with better examples, elderly or inexperienced. Essentially people not very confident in their abilities, people who ride the brakes down the entire mountain, etc.
But again, you can increase visibility by increasing distance to the truck
Sure until you're going up hill now and the truck is struggling to break 30. Or I could go around the truck, carry on with the speed limit and go about my day, and see further down the road and around corners.
Another thing is I really really enjoy driving on back roads. Its one of the few genuine pleasures I've gotten to experience in life. Up there with performing for a big crowd and getting married. I know it's insane, I know its terminal treat brain. I don't really like speeding, I've broken 100 once in my life(haha passing a gravel truck dropping sand all over me, empty 4 lane highway, up hill in the mountains). So if someone is taking their time, enjoying the view, going under the limit and I just want to hit a couple turns within the margin of safety but enough to feel some g forces, I'll pass them. When I'm enjoying the view and going slow, I'll flash my hazards and let folks know to pass me.
you dont understand im going to reach my destination 17.62 seconds slower!!!I don't even think it's that driving a car is just mind numbingly boring and driving slow is therefore deeply unpleasant
get over it you big baby
that is why I don't drive
you're imagining a 30 mile commute, i'm imagining an 8 hour road trip in the midwest turning into a 9 hour road trip
no one is going to go under the speed limit on those giant midwestern bumfuck nowhere roads, you used the correct word because this problem exists in your imagination
it's the maximum speed not the minimum this seems to be a common point of confusion among drivers
Always gets down to "Look at what you made me do" in these scenarios eventually
Why are you being such an asshole? Is there any brain left in there or is it just gasoline?
After the enlightened PPB posting in a prior antinatalism thread (in favor of antinatalism to the point of declaring that future generations simply should not exist because there's no way to attain consent for making people that don't exist yet), I think mostly gasoline.
most hinged car-brain
guess huffing those fumes all day really did a number on you
It may be safer but it's illegal and the cops wouldn't hesitate to write you a ticket
