Define \”stupid and slow drivers.\” Would that mean going below the speed limit? The speed limit is a law not a suggestion.
I\’d say a stupid driver is a person that tailgates and goes far over the speed limit and changes lanes without signaling and zig zagging through traffic. I hope you\’re not that type of driver since that would mean that you are a \”stupid driver.\”
Speeding is more dangerous to yourself and other drivers on the road. All the cars around you and the passengers in those cars and in your car are dependent on each other to be safe drivers. being a safe driver means adhering to safety and traffic laws.
Speeding is more dangerous to everyone on the road. Speeding is less gasoline efficient. Speeding is more dangerous to the long term health of your car.
I hope you can list for me the good points of speeding. I can\’t really think of any. Those that chronically speed are generally young or irresponsible people. Impatient.
In my opinion, this shows that the U.S. puts too much emphasis on controlling speed and not enough on other factors – such as driver behaviour and safer road design. A few roundabouts, especially at busy junctions, might help. It is a fact that one is three times more likely to die on the road in the U.S. compared to the UK. Even if one takes account of the the extra mileages covered in the U.S., one\’s risk of dying or being seriously injured is well over double that of the UK (inspite of there being vastly more vehicles per mile of road space in the UK). Unfortunately, the UK police are now, also, spending too much effort on speed at the expense of other factors – hence the UK death rates haven\’t improved over the last ten years. On the other hand, the revenue from fines is booming!
Duh…. Do you think it might have something to do with the speed limits being raised several years ago? Not to mention the repeal of helmet laws? How about the fact that high school drivers education programs are no longer provided via the schools, which means a lot of kids never take drivers ed? Or that there is no longer even a behind-the-wheel driving portion of the licensing test in Texas? Not to mention people who cannot read English are allowed to take licensing tests in their native language! (how are they going to read roadway signs?)
Nice Cindy but it most likely is cell phone use among female drivers of suvs who insist on making left hand turns at busy intersections while tlaking on a hand held cell phone. Would be surpirsed if the were hitting motorcyclist and pedestrains in the process—a recent study showed you are safer on the road at a .12 BAc than talking on even a hands free cell phone. No one want to take on this issue but it slows traffic and causes accidents plain and simple!
High school drivers\’ Ed was tremendously helpful for me. I learned so much in that class that I never learned from my parents or even other drivers. Its probably saved my life in difficult driving situations.
Some people who do not have \”sense\” when driving may not have it b/c of education. Driver\’s Ed was that education that many kids are lacking nowadays as they are talking on the cell phone and listening to their ipod while speeding in the fast lane.
If you have ever lost someone or become injured from an auto accident these stats touch your heart. Everyone should be required to take driver\’s education and us older driver\’s traffic school. Don\’t wait until you receive a traffic ticket to learn what could save one\’s life. Accidents from carelessness,
cell phones, eating/drinking while driving, falling asleep, and so many others are things we can avoid for safety purposes. Buckle up for safety and drive wisely as if someone\’s life depended on it, it does.
May be if children where to wait until they are adults before they can drive, may be drivers test were more restricted, like, drivers exam were to be taken in a regular roads instead of a paking lots. That may be the biggest problems here in the US.
P.s. get rid off stupid and slow drivers from the road..
By stupid and slow, I would assume that would refer to people who drive slowly in the fast lane, or people who drive 45 in a 55 and have 10 cars behind them. Are we going to blame the 10 cars who all want to drive the speed limit, who then attempt to pass the 1 slow driver? Its human nature to want to drive the speed limit and that will never change.
So if you want to make the roads safer, remove or punish the one slow car, then the other 10 cars who just want to drive the speed limit wont be tempted to make a pass, which is always risky. Contrary to popular belief, its the slow cars that cause the accidents, because slower cars, ruin the FLOW of traffic. If you ruin the FLOW of traffic then you create passing and lane changes which statisticly lead to accidents, NOT SPEED. Also slower drivers are usually driving slowly because they lack the basic reflexes to drive the speed limit.
To the person who claimed the increase in speed limit caused this increase in fatalities, that is not true. This article refers to an increase in fatalities from 2004. The speed limit increases were actually well before that. You people need to STUDY the situation before you go spouting off.
the increase in speed limits has worsened the severity of car crashes. Were it not for the increased safety of cars there would be a dramatic increase in fatalities. It is not my opinion but a fact.
The speed limit is the maximum speed allowable under law. So we should reward those that are driving the maximum legal speed and punish those who choose to follow the law and drive defensively?? Imagine that punish people for following the law!
Going 10 below the speed limit doesn\’t hamper the flow of traffic that much. That\’s why many roads have a passing lane. That\’s why some states have laws that slow drivers can\’t be in the passing lanes. Your \”solution\” is irrational.
And you also bring up \”proof.\” Well Geoff where is this said proof that says that going faster REDUCES the likelihood of an accident? I\’d like to see it. Preferably it should be a peer reviewed study not something you scrawled on a napkin using crayons.
Mr Duffman, you never addressed my point. If one slow old man, or drunk lady, or cowardly driver, is driving 40 in a 55, then till the end of time, I promise you, the 20 cars following behind will attempt to make a pass. Some legal, some not, some safely, some not. That will never change. As you apparently are not aware, there are traffic laws currently on the books that were derived from the same study I quoted from. Thus, you will see a minimum speed limit on many roads.
Also, it has always been illegal to slow and disrupt the flow of traffic. How can you dispute the fact that 100 cars going 55 miles per hour on a rd, is more safe than 99 cars going 55 with one car going 45 screwing things up? How many years have you studied these issues? In urban planning this is old hat to us, im not saying anything new or controversial. Slow cars are dangerous, and enforcing a 55 mph speed limit on millions of cars has never worked!! Go after the few weak and feeble drivers that screw things up for the rest of us.
That was exactly my point. The person who is talking about the passing lane, does they know? the passing lane is not known to those retarded and slow drivers. Try to understand the point before getting offended. You are probably one them slow driver going 10 miles below the speed limite on a \”passing lane\”. Believe me slow and retarded drivers cause the all accident in the world. That is the fact.
What is this \”study\” you are referring to? Punishing defensive drivers b/c everyone wants to go faster is not a solution. YOU also haven\’t addressed the fact that the reduction in fatalities is not b/c of increased speed limits but the result of the improvements in vehicle safety. If the safety of vehicles had stayed constant the number of fatalities would have skyrocketed. Going faster increases the severity of an accident and of the injuries suffered. I have never head of any legitimate studies that have stated otherwise.
Do you know what defensive driving is? Its people who choose to travel at a slower speed and take more precautions when driving in order to avoid accidents. Many people do not understand how to do this effectively.
Your points seem to squarely focus on \”stupid retard drivers going slowly\” or some variation of that. Stupid retard drivers going slowly get into less accidents than people who drive faster.
What my driving habits are is inconsequential. It is important to understand highway safety and the proper operation of a vehicle in traffic. Tail-gating is harmful. And increases accidents. If you are so late perhaps you should have left earlier. There needs to be more personal responsibility and less blaming the other guy for your mistakes or punishing those that follow the law.
Many states have a law when to block traffic in the passing lane is a ticketable offense. I have yet to meet a person that doesn\’t know this.
What we have here it seems is a case of those that exceed the speed limit blaming slower drivers for accidents that are more likely to be caused by speeding.
Mr. Duffman, defensive driving and speed are two different things. No matter how fast you are going, maintain a safe distance from the other cars and be ready to slow down at all times. Driving slow, by defenition is NOT defensive driving. Maybe you should take the class and stop confusing the two. You clearly lack an overall understadning of how to realistically bring safety to the roads. Your short sightedness is why things will never change, look at the statistics, are things working the way they are now?? Are you happy with the status quo? You have no understanding of basic human nature and the flow of traffic. Also, I have never once condoned speeding, just obey the basic speed limit as it is posted, and dont drive 55 in a 65 while oblivious to everyone around you! You my friend, should be retested until you gain the confidence to control an automobile at the proper speed limit. Also, google defensive driving in Europe, and learn why they have less problems over there. Hint, its not cause everyone drives slow, its being offensive enough to avoid the accident in the first place. Duffman, please, b4 your next response, RESEARCH THE SUBJECT
Ironically it was you that was using numerical values as indicative of driving slower. All I have ever maintained was that slower traffic (slower is a relative term of course) drives defensively far far far more often than faster drivers.
I\’m glad you realize that driving slowly doesn\’t always mean you are driving \”defensively\” or safely.
You seem to be getting upset for some reason. Your opinion that someone going in 45 in a 55 mph zone is a criminal to be punished is an extremely faulty concept. No researcher on highway safety would ever claim that going faster is safer. Not everyone drives the same speed nor should they be expected to.
European defensive driving is to flash headlights and possibly honk horns when passing. Just like here in the states they have passing lanes. Just like here in the states they can have minimum posted speeds.
The thing I probably disagree with you most about is that you want to create more laws to go after slower drivers when 1.) going faster increases the severity of an accident when there is one.
2.)there are already laws on the books ticketing slow drivers on highways.
3.)Traffic fatalities are only dropping as a result of safer cars not higher speed limits or better driving.
I did that google search on European defensive driving, european accident causes, european driving speeds, etc. And each and everyone of those searches yielded very similar results from sites such as the EU, the European public health alliance, Scottish government website, and even an Italian guide to safe vehicle operation on its highway system. ZERO–zero references to anything referring to slower drivers to being the cause of accidents. ALL–all of them referenced that faster speeds will cause more severe accidents.
For good measure, I thought I would also do a search on preventative driving habits. One site popped up saying that in order to avoid ROAD RAGE it is suggested that you at least drive within 10 mph below the speed limit. Out of 25 websites I visited this was the only one that referenced a minimum speed. And even then it was only for avoiding road rage.
It brings up and interesting question. Are you actually interested in what laws are on the books (which there are already laws pertaining to your problem which is perhaps the most perplexing thing about your objectionable demeanor; there are already laws in effect that encourage the flow of traffic) or are your comments attributable to a specific road rage you had while you were late to an important meeting or the like?
So now you are talking about road rage? And now you are talking about being late? Once again, if you drive 45 in a 55 on a busy one lane rd almost anywhere in a America you will have a line of 20 cars behind you. Are they all road ragers? Are they all late? Is anyone enforcing the laws that are on the books in regard to people like your self blocking traffic, no. Like I keep telling you, its about real world driving habits and traffic flow, 2 concepts which you refuse to grasp. You suggest that no researcher would suggest that going faster is safer, but do you suggest the speed limit be lowered? Where do we stop? 30 miles per hour? How come trains can go 80 miles per hour safely? Because there are no other slower trains in the way! You cant seem to get it in to your head that there are other things you can do to make the road ways safer besides slowing down. DO you really think you can take 95 percent of the cars on the road and make them drive 55 miles per hour on the expressway???? It cant be done, so you are therefore living in lala land with no real life solutions. You must be a retired beurocrat. And yes, that does piss me off, cause people like you stand in the way of progress.
It amuses me that you are projecting your frustration upon me. Not at any point have I made it personal but that\’s all that you seem to be capable of.
From the very beginning I have maintained a position that I can produce peer reviewed studies to back my position. It\’s not difficult for me to do so b/c they are everywhere. I asked for one–ONE from you and have received nothing. Only \”I say so\” type arguments. You asked me to do google searches and I did search for one hour. But until you can back up anything you are saying the problems you point to are simply encumbrances and not an arena where we need our government to be creating duplicate laws.
Many highways already have a minimum speed limit (often 40) where police officers can ticket slower drivers. There are already passing lanes for faster drivers and if a slower driver is in that lane impeding the flow of traffic they can be ticketed.
Its funny that you accuse me of being a bureacrat when it is you who is proposing duplicate laws for the government to enact, in other words a bureacratic intervention.
Enforcement is the job of police. The police already have the permission to ticket those that are driving slow enough to warrant a citation.
Many drivers that are aware of their driving habits and who realize that traffic is backing up behind them will pull over to the side of the road to let faster traffic pass. It is a sign of courtesy. Government cannot legislate courtesy. If education is your goal than I am with you, but if your goal is more bureacratic red tape and duplication of current laws then I\’m afraid that until you can produce me a concrete conclusion to a peer reviewed study that demonstrates that driving 10mph below the speed limit CAUSES accidents you are gonna have some difficulty promoting your viewpoint with anyone, let alone me.
Duffy, just go back and read my last email. Really read it, dont just repeat yourself over and over. The existing laws should be enforced, slower drivers who black traffic should be given tickets, and then evaluated for retesting, potentially losing their license. Welcome to the real world buddy, you cant drive forever, look at the statistics on older drivers if youve got so much time on your hands. And point to me the last time there was a study done on slow dirvers, never. My theory is that they lack the basic driving skills to handle a car at the posted speed limit.
Your intentions seem to change with every post. My arguments have stayed focused and constant.
Now you seem to be focusing on elderly drivers. Finally your European references have yielded a result–there is a maximum driving age in many European jurisdictions.
I am not an elderly driver but my understanding is that elderly drivers are allowed to keep their licenses for as long as they are able to be safe drivers.
Fortunately for your argument there have been documented incidents of elderly drivers causing accidents.
So now instead of regulating drivers going 10 mph below the speed limit you are talking about limiting the driving priveleges of elderly drivers. Such regulation is already being pursued in many jurisdictions but a standard policy nationally has yet to go into effect.
I am also curious if you have a specific requirement regarding elderly drivers that you consider would be effective. Simply an age limit? A specific level of driving expertise?
In what ways would you want to regulate the licensing in regards to elderly drivers?
Personally, the way I would do it, is if you are over 65 or 70, and involved in an accident where you are at fault, you would then have to take another driving test or evaluation. Maybe the accident should depend on if it were a hit and run, which surprisingly happens a lot with older drivers, or if its an injury accident, or extreme negligence.
Other than that, I think it would be a good idea every now and then to pull over vehicles who block traffic and ask them why they didnt pull over to the side of the road. If the driver seemed to be struggling, then they would be referred for a dirver evaluation. The same should be done to drivers who speed excessively, and who run traffic signals that cause an accident.
My concern is about the grey areas and enforcement of them.
At what point do you pull over someone for impeding traffic? When does an officer decide that someone is going too slowly.
I just don\’t think that 45 in a 55 is that big a deal. Now if someone where going 35 that would be really impeding traffic…and maybe impeding a number of cars say 10+..those are the people that I really would support being stopped and asked if they are having any difficulty. And from there it would be the officer\’s judgment on whether a test be administered.
Define \”stupid and slow drivers.\” Would that mean going below the speed limit? The speed limit is a law not a suggestion.
I\’d say a stupid driver is a person that tailgates and goes far over the speed limit and changes lanes without signaling and zig zagging through traffic. I hope you\’re not that type of driver since that would mean that you are a \”stupid driver.\”
Speeding is more dangerous to yourself and other drivers on the road. All the cars around you and the passengers in those cars and in your car are dependent on each other to be safe drivers. being a safe driver means adhering to safety and traffic laws.
Speeding is more dangerous to everyone on the road. Speeding is less gasoline efficient. Speeding is more dangerous to the long term health of your car.
I hope you can list for me the good points of speeding. I can\’t really think of any. Those that chronically speed are generally young or irresponsible people. Impatient.
In my opinion, this shows that the U.S. puts too much emphasis on controlling speed and not enough on other factors – such as driver behaviour and safer road design. A few roundabouts, especially at busy junctions, might help. It is a fact that one is three times more likely to die on the road in the U.S. compared to the UK. Even if one takes account of the the extra mileages covered in the U.S., one\’s risk of dying or being seriously injured is well over double that of the UK (inspite of there being vastly more vehicles per mile of road space in the UK). Unfortunately, the UK police are now, also, spending too much effort on speed at the expense of other factors – hence the UK death rates haven\’t improved over the last ten years. On the other hand, the revenue from fines is booming!
Duh…. Do you think it might have something to do with the speed limits being raised several years ago? Not to mention the repeal of helmet laws? How about the fact that high school drivers education programs are no longer provided via the schools, which means a lot of kids never take drivers ed? Or that there is no longer even a behind-the-wheel driving portion of the licensing test in Texas? Not to mention people who cannot read English are allowed to take licensing tests in their native language! (how are they going to read roadway signs?)
Nice Cindy but it most likely is cell phone use among female drivers of suvs who insist on making left hand turns at busy intersections while tlaking on a hand held cell phone. Would be surpirsed if the were hitting motorcyclist and pedestrains in the process—a recent study showed you are safer on the road at a .12 BAc than talking on even a hands free cell phone. No one want to take on this issue but it slows traffic and causes accidents plain and simple!
High school drivers\’ Ed was tremendously helpful for me. I learned so much in that class that I never learned from my parents or even other drivers. Its probably saved my life in difficult driving situations.
Some people who do not have \”sense\” when driving may not have it b/c of education. Driver\’s Ed was that education that many kids are lacking nowadays as they are talking on the cell phone and listening to their ipod while speeding in the fast lane.
If you have ever lost someone or become injured from an auto accident these stats touch your heart. Everyone should be required to take driver\’s education and us older driver\’s traffic school. Don\’t wait until you receive a traffic ticket to learn what could save one\’s life. Accidents from carelessness,
cell phones, eating/drinking while driving, falling asleep, and so many others are things we can avoid for safety purposes. Buckle up for safety and drive wisely as if someone\’s life depended on it, it does.
May be if children where to wait until they are adults before they can drive, may be drivers test were more restricted, like, drivers exam were to be taken in a regular roads instead of a paking lots. That may be the biggest problems here in the US.
P.s. get rid off stupid and slow drivers from the road..
By stupid and slow, I would assume that would refer to people who drive slowly in the fast lane, or people who drive 45 in a 55 and have 10 cars behind them. Are we going to blame the 10 cars who all want to drive the speed limit, who then attempt to pass the 1 slow driver? Its human nature to want to drive the speed limit and that will never change.
So if you want to make the roads safer, remove or punish the one slow car, then the other 10 cars who just want to drive the speed limit wont be tempted to make a pass, which is always risky. Contrary to popular belief, its the slow cars that cause the accidents, because slower cars, ruin the FLOW of traffic. If you ruin the FLOW of traffic then you create passing and lane changes which statisticly lead to accidents, NOT SPEED. Also slower drivers are usually driving slowly because they lack the basic reflexes to drive the speed limit.
To the person who claimed the increase in speed limit caused this increase in fatalities, that is not true. This article refers to an increase in fatalities from 2004. The speed limit increases were actually well before that. You people need to STUDY the situation before you go spouting off.
Mr. Montgomery:
the increase in speed limits has worsened the severity of car crashes. Were it not for the increased safety of cars there would be a dramatic increase in fatalities. It is not my opinion but a fact.
The speed limit is the maximum speed allowable under law. So we should reward those that are driving the maximum legal speed and punish those who choose to follow the law and drive defensively?? Imagine that punish people for following the law!
Going 10 below the speed limit doesn\’t hamper the flow of traffic that much. That\’s why many roads have a passing lane. That\’s why some states have laws that slow drivers can\’t be in the passing lanes. Your \”solution\” is irrational.
And you also bring up \”proof.\” Well Geoff where is this said proof that says that going faster REDUCES the likelihood of an accident? I\’d like to see it. Preferably it should be a peer reviewed study not something you scrawled on a napkin using crayons.
Mr Duffman, you never addressed my point. If one slow old man, or drunk lady, or cowardly driver, is driving 40 in a 55, then till the end of time, I promise you, the 20 cars following behind will attempt to make a pass. Some legal, some not, some safely, some not. That will never change. As you apparently are not aware, there are traffic laws currently on the books that were derived from the same study I quoted from. Thus, you will see a minimum speed limit on many roads.
Also, it has always been illegal to slow and disrupt the flow of traffic. How can you dispute the fact that 100 cars going 55 miles per hour on a rd, is more safe than 99 cars going 55 with one car going 45 screwing things up? How many years have you studied these issues? In urban planning this is old hat to us, im not saying anything new or controversial. Slow cars are dangerous, and enforcing a 55 mph speed limit on millions of cars has never worked!! Go after the few weak and feeble drivers that screw things up for the rest of us.
That was exactly my point. The person who is talking about the passing lane, does they know? the passing lane is not known to those retarded and slow drivers. Try to understand the point before getting offended. You are probably one them slow driver going 10 miles below the speed limite on a \”passing lane\”. Believe me slow and retarded drivers cause the all accident in the world. That is the fact.
What is this \”study\” you are referring to? Punishing defensive drivers b/c everyone wants to go faster is not a solution. YOU also haven\’t addressed the fact that the reduction in fatalities is not b/c of increased speed limits but the result of the improvements in vehicle safety. If the safety of vehicles had stayed constant the number of fatalities would have skyrocketed. Going faster increases the severity of an accident and of the injuries suffered. I have never head of any legitimate studies that have stated otherwise.
Do you know what defensive driving is? Its people who choose to travel at a slower speed and take more precautions when driving in order to avoid accidents. Many people do not understand how to do this effectively.
Your points seem to squarely focus on \”stupid retard drivers going slowly\” or some variation of that. Stupid retard drivers going slowly get into less accidents than people who drive faster.
What my driving habits are is inconsequential. It is important to understand highway safety and the proper operation of a vehicle in traffic. Tail-gating is harmful. And increases accidents. If you are so late perhaps you should have left earlier. There needs to be more personal responsibility and less blaming the other guy for your mistakes or punishing those that follow the law.
Many states have a law when to block traffic in the passing lane is a ticketable offense. I have yet to meet a person that doesn\’t know this.
What we have here it seems is a case of those that exceed the speed limit blaming slower drivers for accidents that are more likely to be caused by speeding.
Mr. Duffman, defensive driving and speed are two different things. No matter how fast you are going, maintain a safe distance from the other cars and be ready to slow down at all times. Driving slow, by defenition is NOT defensive driving. Maybe you should take the class and stop confusing the two. You clearly lack an overall understadning of how to realistically bring safety to the roads. Your short sightedness is why things will never change, look at the statistics, are things working the way they are now?? Are you happy with the status quo? You have no understanding of basic human nature and the flow of traffic. Also, I have never once condoned speeding, just obey the basic speed limit as it is posted, and dont drive 55 in a 65 while oblivious to everyone around you! You my friend, should be retested until you gain the confidence to control an automobile at the proper speed limit. Also, google defensive driving in Europe, and learn why they have less problems over there. Hint, its not cause everyone drives slow, its being offensive enough to avoid the accident in the first place. Duffman, please, b4 your next response, RESEARCH THE SUBJECT
Ironically it was you that was using numerical values as indicative of driving slower. All I have ever maintained was that slower traffic (slower is a relative term of course) drives defensively far far far more often than faster drivers.
I\’m glad you realize that driving slowly doesn\’t always mean you are driving \”defensively\” or safely.
You seem to be getting upset for some reason. Your opinion that someone going in 45 in a 55 mph zone is a criminal to be punished is an extremely faulty concept. No researcher on highway safety would ever claim that going faster is safer. Not everyone drives the same speed nor should they be expected to.
European defensive driving is to flash headlights and possibly honk horns when passing. Just like here in the states they have passing lanes. Just like here in the states they can have minimum posted speeds.
The thing I probably disagree with you most about is that you want to create more laws to go after slower drivers when 1.) going faster increases the severity of an accident when there is one.
2.)there are already laws on the books ticketing slow drivers on highways.
3.)Traffic fatalities are only dropping as a result of safer cars not higher speed limits or better driving.
I did that google search on European defensive driving, european accident causes, european driving speeds, etc. And each and everyone of those searches yielded very similar results from sites such as the EU, the European public health alliance, Scottish government website, and even an Italian guide to safe vehicle operation on its highway system. ZERO–zero references to anything referring to slower drivers to being the cause of accidents. ALL–all of them referenced that faster speeds will cause more severe accidents.
For good measure, I thought I would also do a search on preventative driving habits. One site popped up saying that in order to avoid ROAD RAGE it is suggested that you at least drive within 10 mph below the speed limit. Out of 25 websites I visited this was the only one that referenced a minimum speed. And even then it was only for avoiding road rage.
It brings up and interesting question. Are you actually interested in what laws are on the books (which there are already laws pertaining to your problem which is perhaps the most perplexing thing about your objectionable demeanor; there are already laws in effect that encourage the flow of traffic) or are your comments attributable to a specific road rage you had while you were late to an important meeting or the like?
So now you are talking about road rage? And now you are talking about being late? Once again, if you drive 45 in a 55 on a busy one lane rd almost anywhere in a America you will have a line of 20 cars behind you. Are they all road ragers? Are they all late? Is anyone enforcing the laws that are on the books in regard to people like your self blocking traffic, no. Like I keep telling you, its about real world driving habits and traffic flow, 2 concepts which you refuse to grasp. You suggest that no researcher would suggest that going faster is safer, but do you suggest the speed limit be lowered? Where do we stop? 30 miles per hour? How come trains can go 80 miles per hour safely? Because there are no other slower trains in the way! You cant seem to get it in to your head that there are other things you can do to make the road ways safer besides slowing down. DO you really think you can take 95 percent of the cars on the road and make them drive 55 miles per hour on the expressway???? It cant be done, so you are therefore living in lala land with no real life solutions. You must be a retired beurocrat. And yes, that does piss me off, cause people like you stand in the way of progress.
It amuses me that you are projecting your frustration upon me. Not at any point have I made it personal but that\’s all that you seem to be capable of.
From the very beginning I have maintained a position that I can produce peer reviewed studies to back my position. It\’s not difficult for me to do so b/c they are everywhere. I asked for one–ONE from you and have received nothing. Only \”I say so\” type arguments. You asked me to do google searches and I did search for one hour. But until you can back up anything you are saying the problems you point to are simply encumbrances and not an arena where we need our government to be creating duplicate laws.
Many highways already have a minimum speed limit (often 40) where police officers can ticket slower drivers. There are already passing lanes for faster drivers and if a slower driver is in that lane impeding the flow of traffic they can be ticketed.
Its funny that you accuse me of being a bureacrat when it is you who is proposing duplicate laws for the government to enact, in other words a bureacratic intervention.
Enforcement is the job of police. The police already have the permission to ticket those that are driving slow enough to warrant a citation.
Many drivers that are aware of their driving habits and who realize that traffic is backing up behind them will pull over to the side of the road to let faster traffic pass. It is a sign of courtesy. Government cannot legislate courtesy. If education is your goal than I am with you, but if your goal is more bureacratic red tape and duplication of current laws then I\’m afraid that until you can produce me a concrete conclusion to a peer reviewed study that demonstrates that driving 10mph below the speed limit CAUSES accidents you are gonna have some difficulty promoting your viewpoint with anyone, let alone me.
Duffy, just go back and read my last email. Really read it, dont just repeat yourself over and over. The existing laws should be enforced, slower drivers who black traffic should be given tickets, and then evaluated for retesting, potentially losing their license. Welcome to the real world buddy, you cant drive forever, look at the statistics on older drivers if youve got so much time on your hands. And point to me the last time there was a study done on slow dirvers, never. My theory is that they lack the basic driving skills to handle a car at the posted speed limit.
Your intentions seem to change with every post. My arguments have stayed focused and constant.
Now you seem to be focusing on elderly drivers. Finally your European references have yielded a result–there is a maximum driving age in many European jurisdictions.
I am not an elderly driver but my understanding is that elderly drivers are allowed to keep their licenses for as long as they are able to be safe drivers.
Fortunately for your argument there have been documented incidents of elderly drivers causing accidents.
So now instead of regulating drivers going 10 mph below the speed limit you are talking about limiting the driving priveleges of elderly drivers. Such regulation is already being pursued in many jurisdictions but a standard policy nationally has yet to go into effect.
I am also curious if you have a specific requirement regarding elderly drivers that you consider would be effective. Simply an age limit? A specific level of driving expertise?
In what ways would you want to regulate the licensing in regards to elderly drivers?
Personally, the way I would do it, is if you are over 65 or 70, and involved in an accident where you are at fault, you would then have to take another driving test or evaluation. Maybe the accident should depend on if it were a hit and run, which surprisingly happens a lot with older drivers, or if its an injury accident, or extreme negligence.
Other than that, I think it would be a good idea every now and then to pull over vehicles who block traffic and ask them why they didnt pull over to the side of the road. If the driver seemed to be struggling, then they would be referred for a dirver evaluation. The same should be done to drivers who speed excessively, and who run traffic signals that cause an accident.
That seems reasonable enough.
My concern is about the grey areas and enforcement of them.
At what point do you pull over someone for impeding traffic? When does an officer decide that someone is going too slowly.
I just don\’t think that 45 in a 55 is that big a deal. Now if someone where going 35 that would be really impeding traffic…and maybe impeding a number of cars say 10+..those are the people that I really would support being stopped and asked if they are having any difficulty. And from there it would be the officer\’s judgment on whether a test be administered.
Amazing that more pedestrians died in 2006 than all the troops in Iraq in 4 years!.