slow drivers

[Gummiente]

And I don't think +5/10 over the limit would warrant me having a "lead foot"

Not here in Ontario, it wouldn't... when you sling out from the on-ramp into traffic on the 401 HWY you'd better wick it up to 120-130kmh in a hurry or you'll wind up a hood ornament on some Ontario plated SUV or Quebec plated VW Jetta faster than you can say "road rage".

[blues2cruise]

There are valid reasons for speed limits. Sometimes it may be because the road curves or has a hill. Both of those situations have reduced visibility (poor sight lines) thus a slower speed is appropriate.
If a freeway had no exits and entrances then a unlimited speed would make sense, but given that there are exits and people will be changing lanes and slowing down to get to the exit a limit is necessary for safety.

Sometimes there are hidden driveways making it necessary for a slower limit for safety.

Keep in mind also that if you go just a bit slower you use less fuel.

If you are going a bit slower you have a better chance to stop in an emergency.

Now take your lead feet to the racetrack and give those of us who drive legally a break.

[Gummiente]

There are valid reasons for speed limits. Sometimes it may be because the road curves or has a hill. Both of those situations have reduced visibility (poor sight lines) thus a slower speed is appropriate.
If a freeway had no exits and entrances then a unlimited speed would make sense, but given that there are exits and people will be changing lanes and slowing down to get to the exit a limit is necessary for safety.

Sometimes there are hidden driveways making it necessary for a slower limit for safety.

Keep in mind also that if you go just a bit slower you use less fuel.

If you are going a bit slower you have a better chance to stop in an emergency.

Excellent points, Blues. But unfortunately people like us (I happen to agree with you) are clearly in the minority, judging by what I've witnessed on the roads of this nation.

[Mag7C]

i didn't read all the previous posts, so if this has been mentioned already... oh well!

don't be so quick to anger. sometimes people have a reason to go slow. once i blew out a tire (on a car, not the bike!), so i had to put on the "doughnut" tire. the warning read DO NOT EXCEED 45 MPH so I went 40 the whole way to the tire place. i let people by as much as i could. same as using chains in the winter.

but it does suck when someone that could've waited 2 more seconds decides to pull out in front of you and then just putts along.

i make sure to wave to the people who let me by, because they're probably the ones in the first group!

[ZooTech]

people will be changing lanes and slowing down to get to the exit

Whoa now! Hang on a minute! These are the kinda people I'm talking about. There's plenty of room to do your braking while ON the exit ramp, so there's absolutely no reason to ever apply your brakes while still on the super slab. Conversely, onramps are more than long enough for even the slowest of cars to reach at least 65mph before entering the freeway, yet on a daily basis I am forced to merge into traffic with a 10-20mph disadvantage thanks to these dummies. You think speeding causes accidents? Think again. It's usually some grandpa merging onto the freeway at 45mph causing semis and everyone else to funnel into the fast lane with little warning. If people just knew how to exit and merge properly there would be far fewer accidents.

[blues2cruise]

How convenient to take something out of context and change it to suit your self. The statement you quoted has more to do with being in a complex traffic situation.
The point being that if a person is speeding excessively (I don't mean 5 over) they usually don't have enough time to respond if something goes wrong. And things do go wrong from time to time.

If people would practice some courtesy, quit tailgating and open up some space, merging would be easy at the speed limit.
It's really quite simple....if you can't move over, then slow a bit to allow the merging person on. But, oh-h-h-h, no-o-o-o, everyone seems to think they have to speed up and close the gap so nobody can merge. Heaven forbid they should be in front of you now.

One small gesture of kindness could make someones whole day and in turn they may show some kindness.
It's not that difficult to be civil and people who obey the law should not be harassed.

[Sev]

I almost hit a coyote on the highway once. Fortunately I saw him far enough away that I was able to slow down and avoid him. I was doing 140km/h at the time, imagine if someone was doing 150 or 160 behind me and getting close, prepping to change lanes. Then suddenly I slow to 80. He might not have time to respond apropriately.

My point is that there are speed limits for a reason.

[blues2cruise]

I almost hit a coyote on the highway once. Fortunately I saw him far enough away that I was able to slow down and avoid him. I was doing 140km/h at the time, imagine if someone was doing 150 or 160 behind me and getting close, prepping to change lanes. Then suddenly I slow to 80. He might not have time to respond apropriately.

My point is that there are speed limits for a reason.

Exactly.


Here is a link to a news story about something that happened yesterday.

http://www.mytelus.com/news/article.do? ... ID=2133711

The police have since said that speeding was a factor.

[ZooTech]

How convenient to take something out of context and change it to suit your self.

It wasn't taken out of context. You said speed limits are necessary because people are changing lanes and slowing down to exit. If people just used on and off ramps as they were intended (for accelerating to the speed of traffic and for braking, respectively) there wouldn't be anyone slowing down on the freeway itself, which is as it should be. I'm not advocating the removal of speed limits, but I do believe slow drivers doing stupid stuff like braking on the freeway and merging too slow cause far more accidents than speeders simply losing control of their vehicle. It's almost as though our speed limits are set so low just to accomodate all the morons on the road who are begging to be rear-ended otherwise.

[CNF2002]

I'm not advocating the removal of speed limits, but I do believe slow drivers doing stupid stuff like braking on the freeway and merging too slow cause far more accidents than speeders simply losing control of their vehicle. It's almost as though our speed limits are set so low just to accomodate all the morons on the road who are begging to be rear-ended otherwise.

And who hits those slow drivers? The ones behind them driving too fast!

Not everyone slams on the gas to get onto the freeway, and you cannot always reach freeway speeds in time...in fact, sometimes people are so close on the freeway that you can't find a place to merge right away, and if you were going 60 suddenly you find yourself out of ramp. In a text-book perfect example, maybe you're right...but in the real world you have 30 people in one spot on a freeway coming from 2-3 directions, merging, changing lanes, exiting, spacing themselves from the car in front, with 30 different perspectives on the road situation...you just can't expect everyone to act like robots and it all to be perfect, allowing you to smoothly sail at 75mph all the time.

Traffic situations are complex, and whether you realize it or not, there are actually valid reasons for that person merging a little slower than you would, or braking on the freeway. We all share the roads here, and we'd all be alot better off if we accepted other people's driving styles and limits instead of barreling down the road like we own the world.