Driving in NY

[Scrundy]

Should be rare occasions you have to hit your breaks on the highway. Just piss poor planning of what ahead of you. Drives me crazy when I see it.

 

[JTG]

Do you really believe it is safer to slow pass at 78 than it is to go up to 82 and put some distance between whatever you are passing (and the tailgater behind you)? Is the risk of a ticket really that high? This really proves the point that traffic enforcement is really about revenue, not safety.

mm

That’s quite a can o’ worms to open!

What would be even safer than me bumping up to 82 to expedite the pass would be me traveling at 85 to 90 with no other idiots on the highway! However, much as I might like that I don’t think it’s happening....nor is the Trooper who just clocked me doing 83 going to accept my plea that it was safer to drive that speed because of the idiot riding my ass.

Do we have a resident highway safety expert? I’b bet there are a number of studies out there correlating higher speeds to increased incidence of accidents...as well as with increased severity of injuries and fatalities in higher speed accidents. If it’s statistically safest to limit speeds to 65/70 then maybe speed limits (and traffic enforcement) are more about safety than revenue? If everyone followed the speed limits perhaps we’d all be safer and we’d have better traffic flow?

Most of my highway driving is done above posted speed limits....so I can’t exactly say I’m a proponent/fan of them!

 

[Campgottagopee]

Should be rare occasions you have to hit your breaks on the highway. Just piss poor planning of what ahead of you. Drives me crazy when I see it.

I concur

 

[Milo Maltbie]

That’s quite a can o’ worms to open!

What would be even safer than me bumping up to 82 to expedite the pass would be me traveling at 85 to 90 with no other idiots on the highway! However, much as I might like that I don’t think it’s happening....nor is the Trooper who just clocked me doing 83 going to accept my plea that it was safer to drive that speed because of the idiot riding my ass.

Do we have a resident highway safety expert? I’b bet there are a number of studies out there correlating higher speeds to increased incidence of accidents...as well as with increased severity of injuries and fatalities in higher speed accidents. If it’s statistically safest to limit speeds to 65/70 then maybe speed limits (and traffic enforcement) are more about safety than revenue? If everyone followed the speed limits perhaps we’d all be safer and we’d have better traffic flow?

Most of my highway driving is done above posted speed limits....so I can’t exactly say I’m a proponent/fan of them!

I've spoken with a lot of traffic safety experts. Most of them drove faster than me. None of them disouted that speed limits are too low for safety, or that there's generally too many stop signs, hazard signs and traffic lights. They also agreed that distracted driving is as dangerous as driving with a 0.08 BAC.

FWIW I drive the Northway to Gore several days a week in the winter. If I use the cruise control I set it on 78, I get out of the way of tailgaters, and I put the pedal down when I anytime I can to put distance between me and another car. I've never gotten a ticket that way, and I roll by radar almost every trip.

mm

 

[JTG]

Knock on wood!

How many times you roll past Smokey whilst you happened to be putting the pedal down?

Pushing 80 and it’s not likely to take you that long to complete a pass....so I’ll make Mr. 85 behind me wait a few seconds rather than open myself up to the albeit small risk of a speeding ticket.

Good to know 78 seems to be a speed that isn’t likely to attract attention. I usually say keep it to 10% over the limit (about 72 in a 65) and you won’t ever have trouble.

I really liked driving in Europe!

 

[Brownski]

The fines go up when you’re more then 15 mph over the limit so that’s usually where you run into trouble. When I was younger I got a lot of tickets for 72 or so on the Taconic but never one for less then 70. So 79 mph on Rt 87 is logical.
Knock on wood

 

[Campgottagopee]

Buddy/neighbor of mine is a NYS Trooper on Rt 81 --- he'll give you up to 80 then you're getting pulled over

 

[jasonwx]

Buddy/neighbor of mine is a NYS Trooper on Rt 81 --- he'll give you up to 80 then you're getting pulled over

back in the day..I had a red Trans Am..I got pulled over so many times, I used to keep my license/reg/insurance card on a clip on my visor.. I collected tickets going 45 in a 35 .. I cost me my license for 6 months..

 

[Milo Maltbie]

I've never been stopped in a 65 zone, and if I use cruise control it's 78 or 79, plus sometimes more to pass. The last time I was stopped I was doing 69 in a 55 on my way to Gigi's with a couple of Gore buddies. I showed the trooper a courtesy card from an NYPD lieutenant, and after he checked for warrants he gave back my license and said "You are an outstanding citizen, Mr. Maltbie." That was better than beating the speeding ticket.

mm

 

[Warp daddy]

Buddy/neighbor of mine is a NYS Trooper on Rt 81 --- he'll give you up to 80 then you're getting pulled over

Good to know Camp , i usually set cruise on interstates for 70

I was last stopped on a 2 lane hgwy coming out of Canton going 60 in a 40 zone , by a female trooper . I was respectful said "yep ya got me officer i honestly wasn't paying attention, my screw up "

Luckily she let me off . Seems she was a student in a leadership class i taught when she was first hired and remembered me . We were coming home after a "party " sure glad to get off on THAT one ?...meanwhile the Queen of the Hop simply shook her head and i got " The Message "