XPost: comp.mobile.android, comp.mobile.ipad   
   From: nospam@nospam.invalid   
      
   In article , Jolly Roger   
    wrote:   
      
   > >>> If you drive 55mph where the flow of traffic is 70mph then *you* are   
   > >>> a hazard. Many of those idiots you see are trying to avoid an   
   > >>> un-anticipated impediment.   
   > >>   
   > >> Depends very much on the circumstance. What if the speed limit is 55?   
   > >> What if there are multiple flows of traffic - some obeying the speed   
   > >> limit, and others not? Very often, I'll be driving with cruise   
   > >> control set to 55-60 in the middle lane of a 3-lane highway where the   
   > >> posted speed limit is 55, where most of the cars around me are doing   
   > >> similar speeds (again, around 55-60), and a group of cars (usually   
   > >> anywhere from 2 to 6 cars) will come up from behind driving   
   > >> significantly faster than 55 (sometimes 15-25 miles faster (yes:   
   > >> 75-85 mph in a 55), speeding much faster than the traffic around me),   
   > >> usually with one or two idiots leading the pack in some sort of   
   > >> apparent race to see who can get wherever faster. Inevitably one or   
   > >> more drivers in the speeding group gets upset that the drivers in my   
   > >> group are "in their way", usually in various lanes (almost never just   
   > >> the left lane), and start tailgating and using aggressive and fast   
   > >> lane switching maneuvers in all three lanes, often making   
   > >> double-lane-switches without signalling within a few feet of other   
   > >> cars and pulling other dangerous stunts to get past these "slow"   
   > >> drivers that are imposing such an inconvenience on their little   
   > >> racing game as quickly as possible, safety be damned. In such a   
   > >> situation, I'd typically like to gradually decrease my speed, and   
   > >> make safe lane changes to the right to get as far away from the   
   > >> idiots as possible, if and when such opportunities safely become   
   > >> available.  Unfortunately, very often, due to the tailgating   
   > >> aggressive behavior of the speeding group, there isn't a good   
   > >> opportunity to do that until *after* they've finished making their   
   > >> dangerous maneuvers and sped on past. I'm probably one of the last   
   > >> people who will just gleefully increase my speed to match the speed   
   > >> of the idiot group when I see them coming in my rear view mirror -   
   > >> especially if I'm not in the passing lane and I'm already at or   
   > >> exceeding the posted limit, and the cars around me are doing the same   
   > >> speed as me. Nor am I going to quickly or dangerously make lane   
   > >> changes just to get out of their way to make their dangerous behavior   
   > >> easier for them to continue. Safety comes first, and I naturally   
   > >> value the safety of the well-behaved drivers around me more than   
   > >> speeding jackasses. BTW, this isn't a cherry-picked example situation   
   > >> - it happens *all* *the* *time* on American highways.   
   > >   
   > > What happens on grossly underposted limited access highways is that   
   > > drivers like Jolly here form packs that impede flow.   
   >   
   > I'd like to understand your logic better. Are you suggesting that every   
   > 55 MPH highway in America us grossly under posted, or just the ones on   
   > which I personally travel?   
      
   most of the highways that are still 55 are remnants of the nmsl.   
      
   they were designed for higher speeds, but the optimal speed was not   
   restored due to political pressures.   
      
   the posted speed *should* be the 85th percentile, but it usually isn't.   
      
   when traffic normally flows faster than the posted limit, you can be   
   certain the posted speed limit is wrong.   
      
   > Are you suggesting that those exceeding   
   > posted speed limits do not form packs? Also, how do you know the road   
   > conditions of the highways I typically travel? Are you secretly   
   > following me, or do you have telepathy and know which highways I travel?   
   > Please explain.   
      
   there's nothing unique about the highways you're on. they might be   
   underposted but that's not unusual.   
      
   however, the situation you describe is not common, which indicates that   
   it's not the roads or conditions that are the problem.   
      
   > > Faster drivers then go from pack to pack, neededing to find a way   
   > > through each pack, often doing a Claybrook weave.   
   >   
   > So the dangerous behavior I describe above is necessary in your view?   
   > Strange. Do you prioritize speed over safety?   
      
   the safest speed is that of prevailing traffic flow (85th percentile to   
   be exact).   
      
   those driving slower are a hazard, causing the dangerous behavior you   
   describe.   
      
   > > When 55mph was imposed Claybrook stated it   
   > > was safer to force faster drivers to slow down and weave through   
   > > blockages of slow drivers who can't be bothered to keep right except to   
   > > pass.   
   >   
   > Experience shows it is the idiots described above who can't be bothered   
   > to keep right. They stay firmly implanted in the left lane, expecting   
   > every other drive on the fucking planet to get out of their way,   
   > regardless of posted speed limits or safety implications.   
      
   that would explain why people pass you on the right.   
      
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