So you go over 100mph every day? Wow.. I am impressed. Unfortunately, the rest of us, who drive our SUV's with our kids in them, have to share the road with people like you. You need to realize that the laws are there for a purpose, and in the case of the speed limits it's usually for safety reasons. When you hit some poor family in an SUV and kill them all, tell us about your right to drive fast on public roads. Why don't you just spend the money and go out to the track? Then again, I just noticed that you are only 24 yrs old. A lot of 24 yr olds think that they are invincible. Sometimes it takes age to bring wisdom. When you are older and have some kids of your own, you will see what I am talking about.
Show me compelling accident statistics where attentive drivers driving quality vehicles are the sole proximate cause of an accident? You won't be able to find anything signifigant, because within reason, speed alone on an interstate is not a factor. Inattentiveness is dangerous at 100mph or 50mph. Drinking or use of other substances that causes inattentiveness especially so. Operating a motor vehicle in paramaters that do not fall within the bounds of Car, Driver, and Conditions is irresponsible conduct. Pure speed alone does not nessicarily constitute a breach of the above. Thanks for taking the youth cop out too. PS: My right to drive fast on roads ends where your SUV begins. And when I exceed the posted speed limit (or indeed, operate a motor vehicle at all) I take special care to insure I not only do not try to occupy the same space as other vehicles, but leave safe buffer distance for other drivers inattention.
most accidents are indeed caused by cell phones, DUI, eating while driving, etc....and no....speed alone does not kill. But.....the public roadway is not a place to go 100+ on an everyday basis, weave in and out of traffic, go at 9/10s, etc. ...even if you are MS. There are too many upredictable factors outside of your control: Dogs, children, people not paying attention when you are passing at a speed 40 mph greater than thiers. The track is a better place for thrills. Did I drive irresponsibly 10 years ago? Of course....
Ah... I don't think so. Last time I checked you didn't have some special pass given to you at birth saying you are somehow above the law. So you keep taking "special care" to make sure you don't hit anyone on one of your 100mph jaunts. The world is full of kids like you who think you are invincible. Let's hope you don't take out a family on your way to 25.
Most of the time it will be the idiot parent not paying attention and taking his or her own family out. Driving on public roads is not the time to hand out Happy Meals, or forget about the laws of physics and cut off approaching cars without even warning them with your turn signals, or make some bone-headed move without checking your mirrors, or use the cell phone to fix up a playdate. Pay attention and you will be fine. You also need good skills to begin with. Getting 16 out of 20 questions right on the DMV test doesn't give you good skills. Unfortunately, it does entitle you to drive on the road and reinforce bad driving habits and pose a danger to others. Blaming bad driving and lethal accidents on speeding is retarded. Just think of the number of times you have exceeded the speed limit, and of the accidents you know about or have been involved in, as well as their causes (not talking about the sensationalistic crap on TV). Besides, cops speed all the time. And we know they're perfect.
Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz..... Neither of these are true, and you damned well know that NO ONE here has said they are. Lose the chip on your shoulder, Faisal. No pun intended. Let it go. You will be a lot happier.
I can vouch for Ben's driving. I've seen him, both at speed and in normal conditions, and he has more presence of mind while driving than nearly everyone else on the road. The number of times I have seen him be at risk for causing an accident: zero. JSMDMD: when you see him driving, then and only then can you make qualified statements about his responsibility or lack thereof as you see it. (Oh, and your SUV is *extremely* unsafe as a vehicle in general. I have one too, but I also know how bad they really are. Find our for yourself.) Until then, look at the facts and understand that FAR more important to driving safety than speed are 1) Spatial awareness 2) Understanding vehicle dynamics 3) Ability to control a vehicle within the parameters and conditions in which you drive. Most drivers out there have little to no spatial awareness. Here's a simple test: next time you're driving with someone, cover up their rearview mirror and ask them what color and kind of car is behind them (not make, just SUV, sedan, etc). 10 to 1 they have no idea. Then ask them about the car behind that one, the one they just passed to their right, and the one that just passed them ont he left. You should be fully aware of all of those and much much more, and yet it's amazing how many people just AREN'T paying attention. And that's just knowing what's around you, forget being able to control your vehicle based on said conditions and parameters. I've harped on and on about it before, but until this country starts making people RESPECT their priviledge to drive, the roads aren't safe. The chances of Ben, or myself, or any one of us plowing into a minivan full of kids is slim to none (none of us speed in such circumstances, etc.). The chances of said minivan mother not having a frickin clue while three kids in the back are screaming and she has NO IDEA what's going on around her while yapping to her best friend at the hair salon and then not braking in time because she's futzing with the in-car dvd player or radio or whatever else: infinetly more likely. Compounded with the fact that the number of people doing the latter versus the former is orders of magnitude higher - tell me what the greater risk is. As far as the LE argument goes: my general attitude it I will respect and politely discuss with the citing officer unless they have been rude to me. Even then, I swallow my pride and move on, regardless of whether the ticket is warranted or not (I got one in summer, first one in the 550, because an officer said she heard my car but didn't see it. Cmon). Of course, I will ALWAYS contest the ticket and get my way out of it. Am I bailing on my responsibility? No, not in my mind. I am simply exercising the law as it allows me. What DOES bother me about LEAs and LEOs is not the good people there, but the bad ones who set an example. All of us have had some story or encounter with an officer who has been completely out of line, and while some have it more than others, there's generally something. I understand that they are doing their job, and that their lives are generally at more risk than Joe Bloe, but that certainly doesn't warranty certain actions. And some of the more extreme things are true - a friend of mine was basically propositioned something very illegal and morally degrading in exchange for a ticket not being issued. She obviously didn't do it, but was far too scared to speak out about it. You want some examples of LEOs attitudes: go to the forums specifically for them. There are a few (I'll dig up the name I found of one that verifies them), and just read throgh the topic. Ok, I admit the internet allows some people to hide behind a thin veil of anonimity (supposedly), but some of the discussions and topics there were absolutely telling. The bad apples make it worse for the rest. It's like running a business: 1 bad customer can ruin 10 good ones. --Dan
Dan, most of what you say makes a lot of sense, and I agree. I must have led a charmed life. In all the times I have been pulled over by police (some of which have resulted in citations, and some not), I have never, ever witnessed anything untoward at all. Some cops are curt & less than social. Most have been very nice. But none, ever, has been unprofessional, rude, discourteous, or even remotely out of line. And this is in Pennsylvania, SoCal, Norcal, Utah, Colorado, Wyoming, New Jersey, Dallas, and Austin, Texas.
Com'on guys, it's o.k. for a chp to follow me and tell me he was doing 140+ MPH and could not catch up with me but it is wrong for me to speed. A very rude and obnoxious CHP motorcycle cop whom apparently followed me because he anticipated I was going to speed (even though I was driving with traffic at the time) and caught up with me 15 miles later near my home after three or four traffic lights... He claimed he saw me taking the Sand Hill exit off 280 S at 80+ MPH and then wrote me up for 85+ MPH. At no time he had me in his sight, otherwise I would have been jailed. The only time he saw me was as he claimed when I was taking the exit, and he had to be at the top of the hill at Woodside/280, which is about 1.25 miles from Sand Hill exit. How could he write me the ticket when there were no physical evidence. Of course the ticket was contested and was dismissed among other stuff he wrote me up for. The fact remains drivers license system in US is a joke. People who have ridden on mopeds all their lives come to this country and take the test in their native language and get license to drive on US freeways (this is not to alienate only one group, this is just an extreme example.) They are the ones who create dangerous situation not me flying by your suv at 140 MPH. If you are aware of your surrounding as some posters have eloquently described you will DEFINTELY notice a car is approaching you double the speed limit and instead of peeing in your pants you make sure you stay in your lane. I see everyday women driving the speed limit, carrying a conversation on their cell, changing radio station, and fixing their eyelashes with one eye closed while trying to get close to the vanity mirror. I have never read or heard anywhere if dmv is going to suspend their license or take away their cars. Just because they are not breaking any law doesn't mean they are not creating a danger on our freeways. By the way, I do track my car every chance I get and speed to and from the track whenever I can. There is no substitute for the almost infinite grip one gets on public roads. Call me selfish or criminal, it is fun to drive fast and that's exactly why I opted to buy a fast car.
Matt you are right there are a lot of rotten drivers on the road but I would submit that the vast majority of them are born in the good old USA. The problem is, like it or not driving in this country is a right. I know what the law says but tell that to the AARP or any other special interest group that has a high percentage of people that have no business on the road. It would be political suicide to try and change that. There are lots of less heated issues that politicians won't touch, so as my father used to say it will be a very cold day in hell before politicians will screw up the courage to do anything about that one. Until then we will, as a society just do what we so often do and make the group live to the lowest common denominator.
I am out almost every day in the thick of traffic as I do road work, the biggest cause of accidents is not speeding, cell phone talking, eating, etc., all though many accidents have happened from these issues it's just plain old Driver Stupidity, I can't believe some of the stupid things people do, pulling over 3 lanes without looking, they don't look more than 20 head of their car to see what obstacles are coming, they don't understand what cars can and cannot do within the limits of control, they play chicken with others and bully others, it's really just driver error that sums it up, but the scarey part is you need to share the road with these idiots and they usually take out everyone around them in the process of crashing.
Everyone speeds. Usually its, 5, 10 mph over the posted limit. Sometimes when there is no visible traffic, some people add another 20, 30 mph to the 10 over and continue to drive. Then a V1 is essential. Having said that, if you note most posted limited, where they is a radar survey, the difference between the posted limit and the survey is usually 20%. Wonder why. California Code provides that they can set the limit lower if certain conditions are fulfilled, and usually the city, etc. finds a way to avoid the law and set the limit lower than the median speed on that roadway. That of course, means more money to the City, et al. Typcial. Art
Since dinner at 9pm, Faisal and I have covered 180 miles. We managed to do this through our liberal interpretation of the basic speed law. Why were we in such a hurry? So we could get home and pee in each others butts, of course.
Notwithstanding the good Monty Python & Faisal Spicy Butt references....you two Tea Bagger Vances need to get a frikkin' ROOM.
