You're right. The cops and the judge both considered me a habitual offender and I was. Back then I normally drove 10-20mph over the limit in cars that screamed "pull me over!", and they did, over and over again. I still find it irritating that a driver's risk to those arround him is guaged by his speed much more than any other factor. I've yet to see or hear of anyone getting a ticket for driving in torrential rain or after dusk without headlights, jamming traffic for miles because they like doing 55 in the fast lane and aren't about to move over for anyone, reading newspapers while steering with their legs, etc.

I consider myself to be a well above average driver. I always use both hands, turn signals, appropriate lighting for conditions, keep my car well maintained and give the task 100% of my attention. I've won my auto-x class numerous times (everytime in the rain) and only had one accident in 30 years. It all counts for nothing in a system that considers speeding (now often referred to as "aggressive driving") to be the #1 accident risk factor and chooses to enforce that one contributing factor as if it were the only one that matters. The truth is that speeding tickets have become an essential source of transportation funding, plain and simple.

Anyway, enough ranting about things that I can't change. What I have done is to slow down 5-10mph and drive plain cars that cops don't target so voraciously. These two changes have allowed me to go 15 years with only one speeding ticket. I don't feel any safer by going slower but it saves me a ton of money.

BTW, I agree completely with mrfuzzy4 about many drivers not knowing or caring what the posted speed limit is. I often drive on highways where the speed limit varies from 45-65mph and the same cars that I passed at 70mph in the 65mph section always seem to pass me when the limit drops to 55 or 45. They just keep doing 50mph up hill and 65mph down hill as they block the passing lane, forcing people to pass them in the slow lane. I bet most of them have multiple at-fault accidents but clean records and cheaper insurance than habitual speeders with no accidents.

IMO, ignorance of the law is not a good excuse in most cases. If you don't know what the speed limit is, how fast you're going, that you should burn headlights in heavy rain, through construction zones and at night; that turn signals are there for a reason, etc., etc., you're a much bigger risk factor than the guy who happens to get caught on radar at 70mph in a 55mph zone on a highway designed for 80mph.

 

Agreed ScionFred.
Quite a few similarities we have, I just made the decision to get rid of any fast toys and have started looking at my vehicles as just economical transportation and am now more concerned with saving money (gas included).
I feel untrained drivers in unprepped vehicles are the highest risk on the road, but they never seem to get the attention from officer friendly or the general publics perception. I knew what my vehicle(s) could do, I drove it hard in controlled situations and modified it in certain ways which gave me confidence. After a few auto-x events you really get an understanding of it all.
In the end though:
No more modified 600RR, no more modified turbo car.
No more tickets or being constantly tailed and harassed by cops either though.
Wife is happy and I'm spending more time with my son instead of my bike/car.

 

yeah i agree. its the ignorant drivers that are a real threat. speeding is not nearly as bad as the "no turn signal" guy or even worse "im lost and cruise across lanes because i cant decide which side of the road i want, so ill take em all" guy.

 

Inattentive coffee sippin' large SUV drivin' morons. The lot of 'em.

 

Rofl, you've just named 90% of American moms.

 

I'm aware.
Problem is lots of people think of driving as a secondary or even tertiary thing to focus on. It's the primary thing! I used to use my cell on speakerphone before earpieces, then used those, now I use bluetooth, IF I have to be on the phone. Eat your breakfast at home, etc.
I have a son, and for his safety and mine, I check on him at stoplights, not continually stare back at him while I drive going forward. Geez. I've seen too much stuff, I stress it on my wife to take driving seriously and she does, not your typical aloof mom.

 

Yea, and I love how they're always driving in Chevy Tahoe's or something massive like that. They say they feel safe in it. Probably because they think they can take out whoever while they concentrate on putting makeup on. Little do they know, it's actually safer to drive a small vehicle.

 

yep, a lady in a 2 door pickup hit me, and totaled both our cars. then, she got a 4 door f150! wtf? clearly you suck at driving, why get something even bigger!

 

Fast drivers catch most of the flack for three reasons in my opinion: 1. money as ScionFred previously mentioned 2. they are easier to catch since most people normally speed for more than a couple of seconds, and 3. it's not your driving that speed is a problem for, it's everyone elses.

When someone backs out in front of you or cuts you off in traffic it's a momentary thing. If the cop isn't right there to see it, the person gets away with it. Speeding on the other hand is something people generally do over long distances. The odds are much higher that a speeder will be caught because of the increased time. There's also the fact that there's really no argument against speeding. If they clock you, time you, or pace you, it's a scientifically recordable fact. If they give grandma a ticket for pulling out in front of you, she can just say she didn't see you or she didn't think you were going that fast. It's harder to prosecute someone for something more subjective. That brings me back to point number 3 from above. Many many accidents are caused by people pulling out in front of other people. No matter how good your driving is if someone pulls out at the right time, there's nothing you can do to avoid being in an accident. When you are going slower it lessens the chances of accidents by making it easier for people to pull out without really having to gauge your speed. Also if you are going slower and do have an accident there will be less damage and injuries.

People either aren't very good at judging speed or don't take the time to do it and that's why a lot of accidents happen. Back in my motorcycling days it was very evident. People pulled out because they couldn't judge the speed as well because it was smaller, they didn't look closely or long enough, or they just went on distance not even thinking that I may have been going double or more what they were used to. I was riding home one day and I was playing around. I think I was going somewhere around 120 or better on a long straightaway near home. There was one car coming my direction in the opposing lane. He began to make a turn down the only connecting road. Thankfully he realized I was going fast and he hit his breaks. In a flash I whizzed by him. If he hadn't stopped, I wouldn't be typing this right now because he wouldn't have made it across before I got there and there wasn't enough room to maneuver around at that speed. Obviously that's an extreme case but it still holds true at much lower speeeds.

We really need better driver training instead of letting poor drivers teach their young. We also need to ban cell phones.

"The scientists also found previously that chatty motorists are less adept than drunken drivers with blood alcohol levels exceeding 0.08." Quoted from http://www.livescience.com/technolog...ll_danger.html.

Which means you are less likely to get in an accident after drinking than while talking on a cell phone. Yet drinking and driving is illegal but talking on a cell phone isn't.

 

I'm all for the hands-free law. Get a bluetooth you damn gabbers, I have one lol

 

UM so is it bad to do the engine shift down thing?