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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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.
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.
But you have to realize with this example that this is no basis on to which to regulate any of this stuff on some level, right?
I mean it's not like I don't get it, love to go what most people would consider sort of ludicrous speeds on my bicycle and corner hard, same stuff at heart, and also no basis as to which decide regulations on other than that a good society would give me like a cool bicycle track (like not a velodrome) and guys like you some racetrack or hell, special scenic routes or something.
I absolutely understand its no basis to regulate. The irony of me crying about this is very clear. The race track is always the example people propose but the special scenic routes would be nicer.
Basically i'm shouting into the void "no please, i'm good, don't take this thing away" despite understanding that it's a net negative for society.