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In my neck of the woods it's more or less accepted to drive 5 over the speed limit since at that point it's more or less a waste of time for a cop to give you a ticket.
So I was wondering if this is a prevalent attitude or not.

I am also interested in whether other countries are more or less strict than the US on this point.

Please discuss.

As fast as the bus driver goes!

Of course in Australia the taffic police seem to be pretty strict I think, people get done all the time for low level offences and I reckon most actual drivers will complain heavily about Speeding cameras which are the bane of many urban aussies.

Personally, I don't mind the revenue raising, but I freely admit I don't actually drive a car so I know many will say that I suck!

I drive 5 over, up to 70 MPH.

But them Canadians, I swear they don't know how to drive below triple digits. I can't even go to town during the weekends because them Canadians are going 110 MPH in a 65 MPH zone...

Not that the people in my small town are any better. They go 55 in a 25 zone, and on the highway.... Heck I've had people ride my ass in town, I could have turned slightly and they would have hit me, and then in a no passing zone they start going 80 miles to pass me in a 35 MPH zone.

And then the dipsticks wonder why they get into car accidents....

Usually a good 10Km under the limit as the single lane roads around here are clogged with Yoda aged drivers who drive way under the limit. So far, the personal angriest record was 25 km under the limit on a 40km/h zone.

If I didn't have to drive, I wouldn't.

Cops don't give a damn in San Antonio. You'd have to go like 15-20 over to actually get a ticket.

My speedometer is broken, has been for the last four years*, so I rarely know how fast I'm going. But whenever I go past those speed-checking signs I'm always within 1 mile of the posted limit, and I never get pulled over for speeding (despite multiple speed traps in my neighborhood), so I must drive the speed limit.

*Not just the speedometer either. Gas, oil, rpm gauge, battery, odometer, all of it is nonfunctional. Completely dead dash. Every mechanic I've taken it to has tried to completely rip me off, wanting me to spend $1000+ to replace all of the dash instruments, which are all out, when I know for a fact that the problem is a bad ground somewhere behind the dash. So until I can find a good Jeep electrician who won't try to scam me, it's staying unfixed. Besides, dash instruments are for pussies. If you can't tell how much gas is in your tank by feel, you don't deserve to drive.

ETA: Back when I had my LeBaron, I used to speed a lot by a lot, but that car topped out around 160, not 90 like my Jeep. Once I was heading down I-5 outside Sacramento, going 105 mph in a 65, and a cop blew past me. So I sped up and got within safe braking distance of him and followed him for almost an hour at 135 mph. The a fething lamborgini zoomed past both of us going like 165. Cop didn't even try to catch him. It was awesome.

Khornholio wrote: So far, the personal angriest record was 25 km under the limit on a 40km/h zone.
.

I think I could work up a good case for justifiable homicide at that point. There are a couple of streets in my town where people regularly drive 5-15 under and I tend to cuss like a sailor when they do.
Ironically, I get slightly annoyed when people go more than 5 over.

Impatient drivers and people who get severe road rage are the only things related to driving that genuinely piss me off. Nothing in your life is important enough to insult or accost people because they are observing mandated traffic laws. You'll get there eventually; chill the hell out.

I go the speed limit. If I'm late getting somewhere, then feth it. I get there when I get there.

Chrysaor686 wrote:Impatient drivers and people who get severe road rage are the only things related to driving that genuinely piss me off. Nothing in your life is important enough to insult or accost people because they are observing mandated traffic laws. You'll get there eventually; chill the hell out.

I go the speed limit. If I'm late getting somewhere, then feth it. I get there when I get there.

It's still okay to cuss out idiots who don't use their turn signal, right? Because I really hate that.

Gailbraithe wrote:

Chrysaor686 wrote:Impatient drivers and people who get severe road rage are the only things related to driving that genuinely piss me off. Nothing in your life is important enough to insult or accost people because they are observing mandated traffic laws. You'll get there eventually; chill the hell out.

I go the speed limit. If I'm late getting somewhere, then feth it. I get there when I get there.

It's still okay to cuss out idiots who don't use their turn signal, right? Because I really hate that.

The habit here, and I wonder if it is taught at driving schools here or not, is to 1) Hammer your brakes 2) Signal. It infuriates me beyond redemption.l

There is also a complete and total disregard to the rules of right away.

Back in Canuckistan, Alberta had two Autobahns: The Calgary Edmonton Autobahn and the Calgary Banff Autobahn. I remember the last time I drove out to Banff in a 92 Dodge Caravan I was doing 140 km/h, around 90mph, in the slow lane and people were going past like I was standing still. If you can't get from Calgary to Edmonton in less than 2 hours, you suck.

Gailbraithe wrote:
It's still okay to cuss out idiots who don't use their turn signal, right? Because I really hate that.

I agree. That's another pet peeve of mine.

Khornholio wrote:

Gailbraithe wrote:

Chrysaor686 wrote:Impatient drivers and people who get severe road rage are the only things related to driving that genuinely piss me off. Nothing in your life is important enough to insult or accost people because they are observing mandated traffic laws. You'll get there eventually; chill the hell out.

I go the speed limit. If I'm late getting somewhere, then feth it. I get there when I get there.

It's still okay to cuss out idiots who don't use their turn signal, right? Because I really hate that.

The habit here, and I wonder if it is taught at driving schools here or not, is to 1) Hammer your brakes 2) Signal. It infuriates me beyond redemption.l

There is also a complete and total disregard to the rules of right away.

I have to get this out of the way first; it's 'Right of way', not 'right away'.

If someone completely disregards a traffic law, then it's cool to lose your gak for a second (after all, you probably just avoided a wreck), but to continue to threaten and insult them when you know for a fact that you're never going to encounter them again in your entire life is excessive, to say the least. Once you do get in a wreck, then is the time to lose your gak completely. Go wild; they just cost you thousands of dollars with their stupidity.

I have quite a few theories about the nature of the completely useless act of road rage, and none of them are good.

Chrysaor686 wrote:

Khornholio wrote:

Gailbraithe wrote:

Chrysaor686 wrote:Impatient drivers and people who get severe road rage are the only things related to driving that genuinely piss me off. Nothing in your life is important enough to insult or accost people because they are observing mandated traffic laws. You'll get there eventually; chill the hell out.

I go the speed limit. If I'm late getting somewhere, then feth it. I get there when I get there.

It's still okay to cuss out idiots who don't use their turn signal, right? Because I really hate that.

The habit here, and I wonder if it is taught at driving schools here or not, is to 1) Hammer your brakes 2) Signal. It infuriates me beyond redemption.l

There is also a complete and total disregard to the rules of right away.

I have to get this out of the way first; it's 'Right of way', not 'right away'.

If someone completely disregards a traffic law, then it's cool to lose your gak for a second (after all, you probably just avoided a wreck), but to continue to threaten and insult them when you know for a fact that you're never going to encounter them again in your entire life is excessive, to say the least. Once you do get in a wreck, then is the time to lose your gak completely. Go wild; they just cost you thousands of dollars with their stupidity.

I have quite a few theories about the nature of the completely useless act of road rage, and none of them are good.

Yeah, right of way. My mistake.

Unfortunately, losing one's gak here would get me a oneway ticket to jail for a good 5-10 years followed by the option of being deported or remaining here to live under a blacklist unable to get a job. Back in the West, people drove more aggressively, but did follow the rules for the most part. I can handle that. It's just this nation of Sunday drivers and their total disregard for the rules of the road. Seriously, stopping in the middle of a two lane street to have a conversation with the old geezer at the side of the road right underneath the "No stopping here at any time sign". There is always the parking your car in a blind curve to check a map trick that gets my blood pressure to rise too.

If I had the Rhino Tank from GTA 3, I'd just drive around exploding all of their lame little white cars.

Rant fin.

It takes some doing to even reach the speed limit on the rural roads around here. There are high speed car accidents around here, three were killed when a car went off the road only last week, and it's because people drive too fast for the conditions and the nature of the road. I don't know if they were going over the limit, it's quite probable but just because the signs say it's an open limit doesn't mean the road is actually safe to do 60mph on.

I stick to the speed limit though because I'm not really in a rush to get places and it's not safe to speed in built up areas and on motorways and the like, well keeping the speed down is good for fuel efficiency.

I'll generally go within a few miles an hour in city zones. On highways, it's pretty standard 5mph over. Interstates I'll do about 8mph over.

Got one speeding ticket in my life, and that was for going 38 in a 30. But that was me not paying attention, not a concious decision.

I believe I may be one of the most hyper vigilant drivers on the planet,honestly,it borders on paranoia.

I seldom,if ever exceed speed limits,and am often accused of driving like a little old lady.

Basically I attribute it to the fact I have a great many RNs/LPNs in my family,and have seen/heard a lot of emergency room horror stories and that I work in the auto collision repair business and witness every day the results of careless/high speed driving.

I used to drive with no car insurance for over a year(and it was my mud truck damn Im a rebel lol), so the habbit stuck with me to just follow the damn speed laws. The only time Im over the limit is if I dont realize it. The police in my area are fickle, so 3 mph over and your most likely getting pulled over. They will ALWAYS say they thought you werent wearing a seat belt, but then hit you with the "so how fast WERE you going"


Automatically Appended Next Post:

FITZZ wrote: I believe I may be one of the most hyper vigilant drivers on the planet,honestly,it borders on paranoia.

I seldom,if ever exceed speed limits,and am often accused of driving like a little old lady.

Basically I attribute it to the fact I have a great many RNs/LPNs in my family,and have seen/heard a lot of emergency room horror stories and that I work in the auto collision repair business and witness every day the results of careless/high speed driving.

lol We have similar views on alot of stuff ( I need to read theses threads all the way I guess) Im the same way. Constantly checking mirrors, following at safe driving distances, looking for pedestrians you name it

Definitely not 55. I just can't do it.

I definitely don't drive the speed limit, unless I'm on a military installation, a cop is behind me, the truck has a lot of crap in the back or I'm towing something. The generally accepted here is 10 over, and I generally go a little more. I've never had an accident, I got one ticket right after I got my license, and I follow all the rules of the road. I've just got a lead foot.

I try to keep it at speed limits.
But then, there is 'no limit' ( Autobahn, minimum 60+ km/h, max = drivers abilities ).

So ususally speed limits, the weather and money ( fuel ) restrain any dumb idea.

So far the majority of Dakkites obey the speed limit. I did not see that one coming.

1hadhq wrote:I try to keep it at speed limits.
But then, there is 'no limit' ( Autobahn, minimum 60+ km/h, max = drivers abilities ).

So ususally speed limits, the weather and money ( fuel ) restrain any dumb idea.

That must be nice. Here in the states it's rare to go more then 75 MPH (legally).

I like going about 2 mph over, sometimes as much as 5. If It's more than that, it's usually because traffic is flying and I just don't notice. Speed limit here is 70 mph though so it's already pretty high.

Usual rule of thumb is 5 over is usually safe, but fair game. Less than that you won't be bothered. 10 over is ok depending on where you are.

What really ticks me off are the ones who drive 15 mph BELOW the speed limit and congratulate themselves on what a safe driver they are. Can't count the number of times somebody damn near got rear-ended for not keeping up with the flow of traffic.

Gailbraithe wrote:My speedometer is broken, has been for the last four years*, so I rarely know how fast I'm going. But whenever I go past those speed-checking signs I'm always within 1 mile of the posted limit, and I never get pulled over for speeding (despite multiple speed traps in my neighborhood), so I must drive the speed limit.

*Not just the speedometer either. Gas, oil, rpm gauge, battery, odometer, all of it is nonfunctional. Completely dead dash. Every mechanic I've taken it to has tried to completely rip me off, wanting me to spend $1000+ to replace all of the dash instruments, which are all out, when I know for a fact that the problem is a bad ground somewhere behind the dash. So until I can find a good Jeep electrician who won't try to scam me, it's staying unfixed. Besides, dash instruments are for pussies. If you can't tell how much gas is in your tank by feel, you don't deserve to drive.

If you know what is wrong, why don't you fix it?

Driving from Vancouver to Kamloops in BC the highway has a speed limit at 110km and I would travel at about 130km most of the way and I would be getting passed by people going way faster. In town I do the speed limit though.

Don't drive, but I'd probably go about 42 in a 35 zone. It just seems like something to do. I think I might drive over curbs too. Seems fun.

Sweden has the worst traffic rules in Europe.

http://awcstockholm.org/sweden6.htm

To me It seems impossible to drive at the limit in the UK, nobody seems to drive at the limit here unless there's a speed camera nearby, in which case they are decelerating rapidly. You could try driving at the speed limit but nine times out of ten if there's no way for them to overtake the person behind you will flash you, beep their horn or most of the time just drive ten inches from your bumper. I have spoken to police officers here who say they don't pull anyone over on the motorway unless they over 80, ten over the limit, because barely anyone stays bellow the limit.

I used to drive 5-10 MPH over the speen limit in when off post. Then, as my two sons became older and more cognizant while I was driving my wife pointed out I needed to set a better example because they would be driving soon. I began to drive the speed limit at all times.

Now my sons have both moved out and I still do the speed limit OR if in a crowded urban area (say Atlanta) drive with traffic to stay safe (doing 55 when everyone else is doing 70 is a good way to get rear ended). Frankly I've come to realize it is a good habit.

BrockRitcey wrote:

Gailbraithe wrote:My speedometer is broken, has been for the last four years*, so I rarely know how fast I'm going. But whenever I go past those speed-checking signs I'm always within 1 mile of the posted limit, and I never get pulled over for speeding (despite multiple speed traps in my neighborhood), so I must drive the speed limit.

*Not just the speedometer either. Gas, oil, rpm gauge, battery, odometer, all of it is nonfunctional. Completely dead dash. Every mechanic I've taken it to has tried to completely rip me off, wanting me to spend $1000+ to replace all of the dash instruments, which are all out, when I know for a fact that the problem is a bad ground somewhere behind the dash. So until I can find a good Jeep electrician who won't try to scam me, it's staying unfixed. Besides, dash instruments are for pussies. If you can't tell how much gas is in your tank by feel, you don't deserve to drive.

If you know what is wrong, why don't you fix it?

I don't have the tools or the space to take apart my Jeep's dash, and I don't know enough about auto electronics to do the job. And like I said, the mechanics I've taken it to have all tried to sell me on replacing all of the dash instruments, which is $1000+ and won't fix anything.

And nobody I know has been able to recommend a good auto electrician in Seattle. So if any of you know of one, speak up.

Well, I know that in my city, it's supposed to be 6 over or less (that's my dad's rule, who is a police officer). Once you hit 7 over the limit, then it's fair game to get a ticket. That said, it's shocking how many people I've seen that are going 10-15 over the limit. It is kind of funny being a safe driver (safe meaning between the limit and 5 over) and watching someone zoom into the next lane, pass me, and then immediately get pulled over by a cop who was sitting in the entrance to a neighborhood.

Speed limit, maybe one or two mph over