Absolutely… as they build safer vehicles, we should do all we can to nullify the improvements… I mean no one wants to see less death and destruction be the result of these advancements… it is far better they be used to allow more irresponsibility behind the wheel…
There are to many vehicles on the road that shouldn’t be and to many drivers that shouldn’t be… chances are they will be the first to put everyone else on the highway at more risk, closely followed by those that can’t plan their trips well, and then there are the invincible that are sire they are a much better driver than they really are…
I am sure it is much better being hit by a out of control vehicle at 85 than one going 70 or 65...
Love my mass produced, entry level, built by Lazy American Workers, Hornet
I have no issue with the speed limits being that high. Most people drive that fast anyhow.
I just hope the yayhoos are paying a bit more attention to the road than their cell phones at that point. Otherwise they just run into the back of you faster.
Jarlaxle wrote: By that "logic", all speed limits should be reduced to 25MPH.
Maybe so…
And by the logic I have read here where would the limit be set??? We should maybe rely on individual drivers to set their own??? YA RIGHT…
Belts, air bags, and crumple zones can only do so much… the decision to go faster and faster effects everyone on the highway even if there is only one other, not just the person driving fast… most drivers are very overconfident in their driving proficiency, much more than their actual abilities ever were/are but very few accept responsibility when things go wrong…
I believe that a 70 MPH speed limit where the average vehicle is going 5 to 10 over has already passed the point of reasonable risk, and exceeds the safe limits for the average driver…
maybe every one should help try to figure out how to remove someone from under the front seat of a car the was hit head on and a pickup going 80 to understand…
Maybe if drivers and their vehicles were both tested yearly and their insurance rates were based more on their driving style their thinking would change a bit…
its coming sooner than you think with things like snap-shot from progressive…
No one likes speed more than I, I have more than my share of going fast, but I chose to do it in a proper setting…
For your sake and those that travel with and around you, I hope you get there before me for many years… you obviously put a very high premium on that short time you think you saved…
I do hope and pray you are really as good of a driver as you think you are and are able to predict all the moves others around you might make…
But I think this is seldom true even for the best of drivers…
Here is a reprint of a small article I read many years ago… yes it was before the airbag laws, but it still is worth reading… I don’t know where it come from or who to credit for it, but it is a good read for anyone that drives any vehicle…
Please think about it while you are traveling down the highway and imagine if you were the that driver how it would impact those that are the closets to you…
I do not include this to scare you or anyone else… just to hopefully make you think a little bit… if it accomplishes that it is worth the inclusion, and I hope you pass it on to other drivers you love or know it hopes it saves you the anguish of losing someone close to you…
It Happens In Less Than One Second
Look at your watch and see how long one second really is. If you have a stop watch, try to stop the stop watch at seven-tenths of a second. Now that you know how long that is, consider what happens in the first seven-tenths of a second when an automobile traveling 55mph hits a solid object and the driver is not wearing his/hers seat belt and shoulder belt.
In the first tenth of a second, the front bumper and grille collapse.
In the second tenth of a second, the hood crumples, raises and strikes the windshield while the rear wheels are lofted from the ground, still spinning at 55 mph. Simultaneously, the fenders begin wrapping themselves around the object that was just struck by the car. The frame of the car has stopped moving, but the rest of the car is still traveling 55 mph. The driver instinctively stiffens his legs against the crash and they snap at the knee joint.
During the third tenth of a second, the steering wheel starts to disintegrate in the driver's hands and the steering column is aimed at the driver's chest.
The forth tenth of a second finds the first two feet of the car's front end wrecked, the rear moving at 35 mph, but the driver's body still traveling at 55 mph.
In the fifth tenth of a second (a "split second"), the driver is impaled on the steering column and his lungs begin to fill with blood.
In the sixth tenth of a second, the driver's feet are ripped out of his shoes, the brake pedal snaps off and the car frame buckles in the middle. The driver's head smashes into the through the windshield as the rear wheels fall back to earth.
In the seventh tenth of a second, doors fly open, hinges rip loose and the seats break free, striking the driver from behind. The driver does not feel the seat striking him, because he is already dead!
A lot has happened in less than one second. think about how long one second is the next time you decide not to drive defensively…
* This post was
edited 06/11/12 03:55pm by Stranger *
Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving
safely in one pretty and well preserved piece, but to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, worn out and defiantly shouting "Wow, what a ride!".
2002 3500 6 Speed
2005 ALFA
Just 72 feet!
I set the Cruise control to 62 and 99% of the cars on the road are wizzing by me now. How will the Texas law change anything and why should we worry about it?
Paul & Sandra
New Bedford, MA
2003 Monaco Executive M43 DS2
Jarlaxle wrote: By that "logic", all speed limits should be reduced to 25MPH.
Maybe so…
And by the logic I have read here where would the limit be set??? We should maybe rely on individual drivers to set their own??? YA RIGHT…
Very simple: in most cases, speed limits should be set to the 80th percentile.
Quote: Belts, air bags, and crumple zones can only do so much… the decision to go faster and faster effects everyone on the highway even if there is only one other, not just the person driving fast… most drivers are very overconfident in their driving proficiency, much more than their actual abilities ever were/are but very few accept responsibility when things go wrong…
I believe that a 70 MPH speed limit where the average vehicle is going 5 to 10 over has already passed the point of reasonable risk, and exceeds the safe limits for the average driver…
maybe every one should help try to figure out how to remove someone from under the front seat of a car the was hit head on and a pickup going 80 to understand…
You DO realize that, prior to Nixon's idiotic 55MPH limit, highway limits of 70MPH were common, right? Heck, Nevada had NO daytime limits!
Quote: Maybe if drivers and their vehicles were both tested yearly and their insurance rates were based more on their driving style their thinking would change a bit…
its coming sooner than you think with things like snap-shot from progressive…
Go for it. Don't care.
Quote: No one likes speed more than I, I have more than my share of going fast, but I chose to do it in a proper setting…
Define "fast".
John and Elizabeth (Liz), with 3 nutty cats
My beloved St. Bernard, Marm, lost him 1/2/12
Current rig:
1992 International Genesis school bus conversion
This is a bit of a digression, but what is ironic is that from what I read, the Snapshot device doesn't care about how fast you go. Instead, it holds against you the amount of times you have to slam on the brakes, how far you drive, and at what times.
So, if you work swing or graveyard and have to commute a ways in heavy traffic where having to stop from 55-0 due to someone who fails at merging is commonplace, this device will "punish" that driver severely. The guy going 100+, swerving around people? Not nearly as much.
We can discuss speed limits all we want, but the biggest reason for the bump to 85 is to get the NAFTA trucks from continuing to turn the core of Austin into a demolition derby if the roads are not a parking lot. Just last week, there was a Pepsi truck with its wheels in the air near where I was eating lunch.
Jarlaxle wrote: By that "logic", all speed limits should be reduced to 25MPH.
Maybe so…
And by the logic I have read here where would the limit be set??? We should maybe rely on individual drivers to set their own??? YA RIGHT…
Very simple: in most cases, speed limits should be set to the 80th percentile.
Quote: Belts, air bags, and crumple zones can only do so much… the decision to go faster and faster effects everyone on the highway even if there is only one other, not just the person driving fast… most drivers are very overconfident in their driving proficiency, much more than their actual abilities ever were/are but very few accept responsibility when things go wrong…
I believe that a 70 MPH speed limit where the average vehicle is going 5 to 10 over has already passed the point of reasonable risk, and exceeds the safe limits for the average driver…
maybe every one should help try to figure out how to remove someone from under the front seat of a car the was hit head on and a pickup going 80 to understand…
You DO realize that, prior to Nixon's idiotic 55MPH limit, highway limits of 70MPH were common, right? Heck, Nevada had NO daytime limits!
Quote: Maybe if drivers and their vehicles were both tested yearly and their insurance rates were based more on their driving style their thinking would change a bit…
its coming sooner than you think with things like snap-shot from progressive…
Go for it. Don't care.
Quote: No one likes speed more than I, I have more than my share of going fast, but I chose to do it in a proper setting…
Define "fast".
Fast is defined in the context of it use…
In the context of my post, Speed limits IMHO of 70 MPH already exceed the reasonability safe limits of the average driver and most likely is in the 80th percentile range of drivers ability to control their vehicle under emergency situations… not their personal perception of their ability…
In the context of my going fast and my love for speed in the proper place comes from my years motorcycle racing in organized events and designated areas… mostly long distance cross country events and enduros… sometimes where 15 to 25 MPH average speeds were quite difficult and beyond the ability of many riders…
mlts22 wrote: This is a bit of a digression, but what is ironic is that from what I read, the Snapshot device doesn't care about how fast you go. Instead, it holds against you the amount of times you have to slam on the brakes, how far you drive, and at what times.
So, if you work swing or graveyard and have to commute a ways in heavy traffic where having to stop from 55-0 due to someone who fails at merging is commonplace, this device will "punish" that driver severely. The guy going 100+, swerving around people? Not nearly as much.
Snap-shot is just the beginning, marketed as a tool to discounts to gain acceptability… even with it the information gathering capability in unknown by me and in time will expand… the technologies already exist to monitor your every move and are in use commercially today…
The AMS-CT 6151 has a robust set of features including real time and scheduled tracking, plus zone and speed monitoring, a back-up battery and power-cut notification. Combined with our commercial mobile monitoring portal, subscribers can manage and view the location of any or all vehicles in a fleet, run a variety of valuable reports, and even manage vehicle maintenance alerts.
It coming to a insurance company near you someday soon…
Offline
Online
