i am a commuter who is sick of having to do less than the speed limit on the highway. there is always some a-hole driver (male, female, old, young- i’ve seen it all) who is in the passing lane going less than the limit or just, to pass someone going 1km more an hour…
why why, you see me closing in on you and you still pull out, no blinker to barely pass. then me and 10 other people behind me have to brake and wait for you to pass, which takes forever when you are barely going faster than the person you are passing.
get off the road, some of us are trying to get to work on time.
This article appears in May 29 – Jun 4, 2008.
You know what I think when I see you closing in on me? “Too fucking bad”.Leave for work earlier if you want to be on time.
If your going to pass, FREAKING PASS. I give people the benefit of the doubt but once they get passed the person and dont move out the way, thats when I get annoyed. Huge pet peeve of mine… In terms of getting to work on time, yeah leave early..
“Legally” you’re not allowed to go over the speed limit. Really. Read the book.
You know, Angry Commuter, common practice notwithstanding, the posted speed limit is the upper limit that you are permitted to drive on any road. You may drive precisely at that limit, or slightly below. You may not exceed it, even to pass.
These are all valid points, but what really “grinds my gears” is that 90% of the time the people that do this aren’t thinking “oh no , I can’t go over the speed limit” They are just not paying attention. Why stay in someone;s way if you can get out of it safely. Let them go on, speed away, maybe there’s a trap around the bend. Diving is an INTERACTIVE activity, you have to be aware of whats around you. Period.
I saw a car a few days ago with a bumper sticker that said, “Mobile Speed Bump. I Drive the Limit.” The implied meaning is obviously that this driver intends to deliberately get in the way of people who want to exceed the speed limit. I think a lot of people probably do that without announcing it to the world. Not saying I think it’s a good idea. But I’m sure there are a lot of people driving 1 km/h over the limit in the passing lane on purpose.
Agreed. This is a huge piss off. Leave earlier, what if you are not going to work, but you are on a road trip. I’ve honk the horn, flicked the high beams and passed them on the inside while giving some sort of hand signal indicating they pull to the right or they are number one. Just because you are going the speed limit or slightly above does not give you rights to dictate what speed I drive. You are not a cop, it is really none of your fucking business what speed I drive.Get in the left lane, do your business and then get back in the right lane. If you are not passing some one, stay to the right. This applies even when the signs are not there to remind you. Are people just being pricks or not paying enough attention. However, I have noticed that over the years there seem to be less people that hanging out in the left hand lane. This is a good Bitch.
It actually is my business what speed you drive, Scott. When you crash into my car because you couldn’t control your vehicle due to the speed you were travelling, it absolultely becomes my business.
Try Bedford highway between 7:45 and 8am, and between 5:00 and 5:30pm. I have no idea why people then feel the need to drive at 40-50 km/hr where it’s clearly marked max 70km/hr. Also on 1 lane highways, I had the pleasure of driving behind so many morons going at 50 in an 80 zone. I get the dashed yellow line and i pass them, then they get pissed, speed up and tail gate me while i’m doing 90 in an 80 zone! Oh tough people, now you speed up, pissed that i took your spot! uh oh watch out. I swear someday i’ll break n let you plow me, then we’ll see who’s tough when you pay me $500,000 out of your insurance money when i sue your ass!
So…every car that exceeds the speed limit is out of control? If you believe that you must be a very uncomfortable driver…It’s your business the second contact is made…before that, you are merely intentionally becoming a hazard. That is not the brightest of ideas. I understand how you feel, I get pissed when I see someone FLY by me when I am already at the speed limit and it looks like they are nearly doubling my rate of speed but getting in their way is only going to CAUSE the accident you hope to stop happening in the future.Good Rule: Whether you are on the roads or on the sidewalk…give the crazy people as much room as possible.
No, of course not every speeding vehicle is out of control. But speed is a factor in an overwhelming number of highway accidents, making it the business of everyone on the road.
Jesus, why do people have to be pricks about this? Ever occur to you that someone may be speeding off to an emergency? Years ago my dad was rushing to get to the hospital and some lady refused to let him pass because he was speeding and did ten under the posted. He honked, flashed the lights, etc and she would swerve back and forth so he couldn’t get by. He ended up actually lightly bumping her to get her to move.And yeah, I know that’s probably not the reason 99% of people are speeding, but really, it’s none of your business what they’re doing, so if you can, get out of the way. Don’t try and police other drivers. That’s what the police are for.And really, Jennie do you think that driving 120 on the bi-hi means that person is out of control? It’s a perfectly safe speed as long as you aren’t frequently changing lanes and paying attention to what other people are doing ahead of you. Modern cars are designed for highway speeds of around 110+. Don’t be such a bloody busybody.
Pete – I understand the emotional stress your father would have been under but that doesn’t give him the right to pass on a solid line, bully/intimidate other motorists and then basically have a collision when he bumped the other car. What would his answer have been had a child run out in front of his car? My dad did the same damn thing on the highway when my grandfather fell ill. The RCMP pulled him over, loaded the grandfather into their car and took off for the hospital. I know they later chastised my old man for pulling that stunt. They made it clear that the outcome of that trip could have been much different had traffic been heavier. Next time he knows to call an ambulance.And you should note the speed limits is not the speed at which you are required to drive. It is simply the safest speed allowed on that section of road if all the right conditions exist: clear view vs. reduced visibility, snow/ice covered vs. clean surface, daytime vs. nightime, etc. The woman wasn’t breaking any laws and all your father had to do was wait for a place where he could legally make a safe passing manoever.
This attitude that people have; I am driving the speed limit they can not pass me it’s against the law or whatever these whack jobs are thinking. You do not think this causes accidents ? You are mistaken. Do play games I the highway, that is what gets people killed. Yeah staying in front of some one to prove a point about speeding or stay in their way on purpose is a game. A lame game of ‘pretend’ that people play when they think they are ‘policing’ the highway with what they consider right.Keep it up, I’ll see you at the Morgue.
Scott – I can’t figure out what part of “speeding is illegal” you don’t understand. Yeah sure the cops tend to overlook those travelling 5 to 10kms over the posted limit but just because a car can drive 120+ kms/hr you have to remember the condition of the road can change at any moment and you might not have time to avoid the deer, black ice, shredded tire flying off a semi, etc. All you end up with is an out-of-control obstacle to those motorists around you who, if alert and driving the speed limit or lower, will have ample opportunity to avoid you and your car.
I don’t think that I ever said that I do not understand that speeding is illegal. I just got a speeding ticket last week. I’ll pay my fine, when renewal time comes, I’ll pay the increase and I’ll still speed when I feel the need. By the way, it’s 1 – 15Km/h over the speed limit and that could get you a ticket too, I know I’ve gotten one. My point is more that it is not up to you or anyone else but the Police to enforce the law. Would you step into the middle of a gun fight and tell them it is illegal ? No, well stay the fuck out of my way too please.As for your point about weather conditions and debris on the highway, well I have seen the reaction time that some of the three-toed sloths they have given drivers licenses to. Some of these people could be near stopped and become out-of-control obstacles or crash. There are many factors other than speed. Most accidents are not accidents, they are completely avoidable.
It’s too bad that you feel the need to speed and possibly involve innocent highway users in the accident that will eventually happen with that desire to speed. Hopefully they aren’t peeling some toddler off the pavement while you sit injury free on the shoulder after the accident occurs.
Ex Hali, where are all these kids jumping out into traffic on the highway? And fyi, the lady did that to my dad on a four lane street, blocking both lanes, which is why he went a bit crazy.The bitch is about people in the passing lane not passing, and taking some sort of bullshit attitude that they are keeping the road safe by controling the flow of traffic. If there is a passing lane, you are on a highway. If you aren’t passing, get out of the passing lane. Don’t be a selfrighteous eedgit.All you’re hypothetical situations can happen, but on a nice day with good road conditions, on a nice highway with no sharp turns, 120 is more than safe. The 100 km an hour speed limit goes back to the 70s oil crisis, when they set the speed limit at 55 mph in the US because that was the speed with the least drag with those big assed old square cars. New cars have a much better drag coefficient, so the 100 km/h limit is pretty arbitrary. That’s why a number of highways have upped it to 110.Speed only kills when people drive like idiots. If everyone on the road pays attention to things around them, then going a bit faster won’t hurt anyone.
The statement that driving the extra speed does not save that much time is fine for the drive to work (which is what the Bitch is about). But if you are crossing the Country, driving into the States or any distance traveling the extra speed makes a lot of difference. Averaging 100km/h means driving above the speed limit quite a bit. I do not think this example is just a ‘rationalization’. I like to drive a speed I feel comfortable with, it is usually above the speed limit. When I am driving long distance I hardly ever look at the speedometer. Usually looking ahead, quite a bit up the road. Not slowing down for weather conditions, well that is just reTarded, those people should not be on the road in the first place. The Drivers license test should be a way more extensive and include a some sort of IQ testing, a psychological component and the actual driving skill test. That would reduce the amount of road kills and injuries that our health care system has to burden.
I have to agree, if you are on a highway with clearly marked signs stating to keep right except to pass, do so. But this also goes for everyone. On the other hand, if I’m in the city on a street with 2 lanes of traffic (i.e. Robie, Quinpool, Main St, Lacewood) there’s no such thing as a passing lane and people should be in the proper lane depending on where they need to exit. Therefore, if I’m in the left lane on these streets, I’m there for a good reason so too bad to someone that feels the need for speed. On a highway, however, pull to the right like the signs say.
I’m having a bit of a chuckle at all these rationalizations for speeding. Because that’s all they are. Back in the days when I used to drive to work every day, the limit was 80 km/h for most of my 13 km route. I drove 100 as much as I could. I figured it was a chance I was willing to take in order to get to work in time for a leisurely cup of coffee before I had to punch the clock. Then one day I did the math. Driving 100 rather than 80 saved me a little less than 2 minutes. And that’s assuming I could drive 100 all the way from my driveway to the parking lot at work, which is obviously an oversimplification. In the end, I probably got to work maybe 60 seconds sooner in exchange for the risks I took. Not worth it. So I changed my driving habits. And not only did my commute become a lot less stressful, but my gas costs dropped by about 20%. Just something for you speeders to think on. Not that it will make any difference.
ummm.. to the nut jobs out there that think that they can control people’s speed. I think there are 2 reasonings behind the attitude. You’re either loser cops (and I use loser loosely), or losers who couldn’t make it as cops and now they’re security guards who somehow magically believe they’re cops!!.. yep keep believing!!.. you might actually get there in the next life!
Miranda is right on the spot. I have a 90 km commute (yes, I know that is insane, but the salary is sweeeeeet.), and I used to set my cruise at about 127 for the highway portion, so I got to work in just about 45 minutes. For a few reasons including some near-misses, the increase in fuel prices, and the general stress of always being pissed off at the people in front of me who had the nerve to drive at the speed limit, I have gradually reduced my cruising speed over the last couple of years. I now set it at about 112. And I get to work in just about 50 minutes.The stress of driving is gone, I haven’t had any scary panic moments, and I get at least 100 km more out of a tank of fuel than I used to. And I don’t even miss the 5 minutes, because what can you do in 5 minutes between breakfast and work anyway? (get your mind out of the gutter)
PS if I am in the left lane passing and someone comes up behind me at a higher speed but stays at a respectful distance, I speed up and get back in the right lane so they can get by. If they are aggressive assholes that come right up on my ass (almost always in oversized pickup trucks!) despite having had plenty of time to see me ahead of them, I just let my cruise control get me past the other car before I move back over. Being aggressive and rude gets you less respect, not more.