Traffic Is Down But Speeding Is Up

[HubertGummer]

I don’t know if the % is up, or if they’re just more obvious now that they’re easier to spot but you guys have more experience with this than I do. I don’t have the patience for that.

I'd say it's up. I'm a service tech so I drive alot and I'm used to people doing stupid stuff on the road but what I've seen these past 4 weeks has been REALLY stupid. Traffic laws just do not matter.

People changing lanes regardless of how close they are to my front bumper or if they're even ahead of me yet. Red lights also don't mean anything anymore, and I'm not talking about someone trying to squeak through a yellow. Weaving in and out of traffic whole doing 80-90 mph. They pretty much just drive where they want without regard to anybody else being in their way. I'm really surprised I haven't seen more accidents.

 

[BE Mike]

I follow the rules pretty closely. I also follow some advice I heard a long time ago. It may be from the Blue Press where Mike Dillon (RIP) advised after the light changes to green he looks both ways and enters the intersection after 2 seconds. I believe he lost a relative from someone who ran a red light. I also took an online driving course offered by my insurance company. It seems to have had the effect of making me more aware of my surroundings while driving. I agree that there is less traffic and maybe a little more frequency of those who drive recklessly, especially regarding very high speed. There still are those texters on the road, too. I can't change the behavior of idiots on the road, but I can keep from adding to the problem.

 

[JettaKnight]

I follow the rules pretty closely. I also follow some advice I heard a long time ago. It may be from the Blue Press where Mike Dillon (RIP) advised after the light changes to green he looks both ways and enters the intersection after 2 seconds. I believe he lost a relative from someone who ran a red light. I also took an online driving course offered by my insurance company. It seems to have had the effect of making me more aware of my surroundings while driving. I agree that there is less traffic and maybe a little more frequency of those who drive recklessly, especially regarding very high speed. There still are those texters on the road, too. I can't change the behavior of idiots on the road, but I can keep from adding to the problem.

I almost re-ended a guy that took his time at a green light, as I was coming up on an intersection.


I doubt he was looking both ways.

 

[bwframe]

In the modern day, people stuck at green lights aren't looking at traffic at all. They are looking at their phones.

We don't really seem want to address this distracted driving thing that has become the norm over the last generation or so.

 

[Rick Mason]

This is the truth. As someone who rides a zoom splat (lol) i try to stay in one lane when there’s traffic around, just because the more I change lanes the more statistically I am to end up as a stain on the road... and people aren’t very aware of a 2,000 pound vehicle, let alone a 400 pound bike. Like I said I do occasionally open her up on an empty straight stretch, temptation gets me and I’m a weak willed man at times, but i *try* to be smart about it, if you can be smart opening the throttle.

One night we was coming home from covered bridge festival. Had a bike blow past us on the shoulder, had to be well over 100. I was joking with my wife and said driving like that he must be taking death to an appointment he’s late for. We stopped and got gas, got some food and got back on the road. Saw the fire trucks and ambulance lights, sure enough when we drove past there were busted pieces of bike parts scattered. I don’t know that it was the same guy, couldn’t see the actual bike anywhere, but if I were a betting man...

I hate to see it happen, but if people are willing to blow past traffic on the shoulder, drive through the center of cars on the interstate (I’m for lane splitting, but only at traffic lights where the bike risks being rear ended, not driving down the highway) or do wheelies and act a fool, they have to know the risk. That’s the kind of stuff that makes people hate bikers, and it gives us a bad rep with LEO and regular people.

Ok, it’s late and I’m done ranting now.

I remember a story from back in the mid-70s when we were in San Diego. Seems the LA county police were chasing a Kaw going about 130 down the freeway. It wiped out in front of them, but when they caught up with the debris there was no rider. No body. No nothing. A ghost was riding it apparently. After tracking down the registration they went to the owner's home the next morning. He met them at the door with his arm in a cast and fairly banged up. When the bike flipped at 130 he went thru the air and landed on the flat trunk of a mid-70s Cadillac that could double for a land-yacht. The Caddy was doing about 80 himself, so the rider still landed at about 50 miles an hour, hence the broken arm. The Caddy drive pulled over once he realized that someone had fallen on his car while driving down the freeway at 80 mph. The biker jumped off, made it to a phone where he called a friend, and then went to the hospital for treatment. The Caddy driver never reported it to the police, for reasonable reasons starting with who would believe his story.

 

[JettaKnight]

In the modern day, people stuck at green lights aren't looking at traffic at all. They are looking at their phones.

We don't really seem want to address this distracted driving thing that has become the norm over the last generation or so.

We want to, it's just a really hard problem to solve without getting draconian.

 

[Hatin Since 87]

I remember a story from back in the mid-70s when we were in San Diego. Seems the LA county police were chasing a Kaw going about 130 down the freeway. It wiped out in front of them, but when they caught up with the debris there was no rider. No body. No nothing. A ghost was riding it apparently. After tracking down the registration they went to the owner's home the next morning. He met them at the door with his arm in a cast and fairly banged up. When the bike flipped at 130 he went thru the air and landed on the flat trunk of a mid-70s Cadillac that could double for a land-yacht. The Caddy was doing about 80 himself, so the rider still landed at about 50 miles an hour, hence the broken arm. The Caddy drive pulled over once he realized that someone had fallen on his car while driving down the freeway at 80 mph. The biker jumped off, made it to a phone where he called a friend, and then went to the hospital for treatment. The Caddy driver never reported it to the police, for reasonable reasons starting with who would believe his story.

LOL, you never know what you’ll pick up when you drive a caddy

 

[BE Mike]

I almost re-ended a guy that took his time at a green light, as I was coming up on an intersection.


I doubt he was looking both ways.

Good thing you avoided the collision. It would have been totally your fault. Stay safe.

 

[bwframe]

We want to, it's just a really hard problem to solve without getting draconian.

Pretty simple. If it can be proven that driver distraction was the cause of the accident, it's a $5,000 fine. License reinstated upon payment. Then 95% distracted driving ends.

 

[JettaKnight]

Pretty simple. If it can be proven that driver distraction was the cause of the accident, it's a $5,000 fine. License reinstated upon payment. Then 95% distracted driving ends.

I think that is the definition of draconian.

 

[BE Mike]

Pretty simple. If it can be proven that driver distraction was the cause of the accident, it's a $5,000 fine. License reinstated upon payment. Then 95% distracted driving ends.

Yep, you have to get some people's attention, like that old mule you have to hit between the eyes with a 2X4. Hit 'em in the pocketbook and it gets their attention. There will always be those narcissistic people who will never comply and may never comply after having caused an accident or getting enough points to lose their driving privileges.

 

[BugI02]

Pretty simple. If it can be proven that driver distraction was the cause of the accident, it's a $5,000 fine. License reinstated upon payment. Then 95% distracted driving ends.

You can buy a lot of lawyering for $5000

I predict unintended consequences/full employment for barristers (unless you were planning to deny them their day in court)

 

[jkfletcher]

Speed is up a bit in places. Can't wait until its safe to pull someone over again.

 

[soupergenius]

i haven't obeyed the speed limit since 2003

 

[Hatin Since 87]

i haven't obeyed the speed limit since 2003

Name checks out


I like the signs that display your speed on the road side. I think some people us that to try to break their personal best speed.

 

[KokomoDave]

For some reason, today wasn't so bad for speeders. Must've been because so many people were in Jackson Morrow Park, Lowe's or Menards.

 

[SOUP]

As the great Jeremy Clarkson once said,"Speed has never killed anyone. Suddenly becoming stationary, that's what gets you."

I think I remember a statistic of slow drivers being the cause of most accidents on the road from one of my criminal justice classes... but I could be mistaken. I tend to stay 10 or so above the limits and I rarely have incidents with being pulled over. /knockonwood

 

[femurphy77]

As the great Jeremy Clarkson once said,"Speed has never killed anyone. Suddenly becoming stationary, that's what gets you."

I think I remember a statistic of slow drivers being the cause of most accidents on the road from one of my criminal justice classes... but I could be mistaken. I tend to stay 10 or so above the limits and I rarely have incidents with being pulled over. /knockonwood

Speed differential definitely plays a big part of traffic accidents. The problem is exacerbated by low performance drivers behind the wheel of high performance cars or low performance cars pretending to be hi performance cars.

I've seen more than one lower flyer "lose it" while dodging thru slower traffic without understanding the dynamics of braking, body roll, pavement changes etc. Not to mention the "civilian" that changes lanes to the unexpected displeasure of said low flyer.

 

[BE Mike]

Speed differential definitely plays a big part of traffic accidents. The problem is exacerbated by low performance drivers behind the wheel of high performance cars or low performance cars pretending to be hi performance cars.

I've seen more than one lower flyer "lose it" while dodging thru slower traffic without understanding the dynamics of braking, body roll, pavement changes etc. Not to mention the "civilian" that changes lanes to the unexpected displeasure of said low flyer.

Ya rolls the dice and takes yer chances. The trouble is that the rest of us also have money ridin'.

 

[bwframe]

Pretty simple. If it can be proven that driver distraction was the cause of the accident, it's a $5,000 fine. License reinstated upon payment. Then 95% distracted driving ends.

You can buy a lot of lawyering for $5000

I predict unintended consequences/full employment for barristers (unless you were planning to deny them their day in court)

Are you sure about that? Maybe some of INGO's professionals could give us a rough idea on that?

If the lawyers love the idea, then maybe we can actually get something like this passed?

One way or another, be it the lawyers or the state, a large penalty for distracted driving would essentially end 95% of the problem. Especially with the caviate of losing driving privileges until the fine was paid.

Our laws now have no teeth or they go the wrong direction of limiting liberties to those who are quite conscious of their actions and handle them well.