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How Fast Do You Drive?

And you gotta keep up with the general flow of traffic, especially on highways. If everyone is flying by at 80 MPH you should probably follow suit. Hanging out in the slow lane doing 60 because you're "too cautious" or worried about speeding can just cause more harm. Other cars will just fly past you, change lanes to go around you, and it could end up causing a problem.

If people want to drive stupidly, it is their fault, not mine.
 
The fastest I ever went was on the Autobahn at 160 mph in my Grandpa's 2006 BMW 540i.

When I'm in my Mom's 2008 Jeep Commander I tend to drive at ~135 kph when there is no speed limit, and 10 mph above the limit if there is one.

My 1996 Volkswagen Polo isn't really suitable for longer Autobahn drives (it tends to get very loud above 100 mph).

What can I say, everyone in my family drives very, very fast (and thinks very highly of their driving skills, to the point of being annyoing pricks when behind a steering wheel).
 
The speedlimit is 120kmh on the highway here, but I generally go over that by 10-15kmh depending on the traffic and weather.
Within city limits I never speed because they have got speedcameras everywhere. Got myself ticketed twice for speeding +7kmh at a 50 speed limit zone. I realised the money was better spend on other things.
 
I speed sometimes. I always make sure there's someone going faster than I am. The PA turnpike sometimes flies by at 80-85 mph so driving the speedlimit (65) is kind of scary, actually.

Usually I just go with traffic. If I'm the lead vehicle on a two lane road and there's a long string of traffic behind me I tend to go a little faster than I would normally, because I feel like there's peer pressure to go fast.

Agreed. I always feel paranoid when there's a line of cars following me, as if I need to go fast enough to keep up with their desired pace as to not offend/piss them off.

And you gotta keep up with the general flow of traffic, especially on highways. If everyone is flying by at 80 MPH you should probably follow suit. Hanging out in the slow lane doing 60 because you're "too cautious" or worried about speeding can just cause more harm. Other cars will just fly past you, change lanes to go around you, and it could end up causing a problem.
It really depends on the road you are on. If you're on a six lane freeway (three lanes each direction) you can certainly go the speed limit in the far right lane. There's two lanes for people to use to pass you. Slow traffic should ALWAYS stay in the right lane on any divided highway. The problems that happen are caused by the people that stick to the speed limit in the left lane (which is typically the passing lane). If you're going 80 in the right lane and someone is trying to merge at 45 (which seems to happen a lot here in MN, it's an onramp people, speed up!) and you can't move over, you're slamming on your brakes so you can slow down, which would be more serious of an issue than someone sticking to the speed limit in the right lane.

I tend to stick as close to the speed limit as possible mainly for fuel efficiency. There are stretches of some freeways I tend to get 10 over on but I try to stick close to the limit. Cops like to hang out on the route I take so the limit is a good idea, especially because people always brake when they see a cop sitting on the side of a road waiting to nail someone.
 
As fast as I can safely get away with.

The determination of "safely" is an advanced heuristic algorithm including variables such as road conditions, traffic, weather, and likelihood of getting nicked. :p
Pretty much this :lol:
 
As fast as I can safely get away with.

The determination of "safely" is an advanced heuristic algorithm including variables such as road conditions, traffic, weather, and likelihood of getting nicked. :p

Same for me, but for a while there, I was racking up the speeding tickets (had 16 in 2008 and lost my license for 3 months). I've now gone 17 months without a speeding ticket (a record for me), but I still feel the need to pass anyone not going at least 15 miles above the posted limit.
 
About 5 mph above in the city, 10-15 mph above the limit, or conform to to flow of traffic on the highway, whichever is higher. However, I won't push my POS car above 80 anymore.

To those who stay under the limit: just remember that if everyone is passing you, you're creating a hazard. It's safest to stick with the speed of traffic in most cases.

Amen. I think people should be ticketed for going more than 5 MPH below the speed limit in favorable road/traffic conditions. If you're not comfortable driving at least 65, you're a roadblock; get off the highway and take surface roads.
 
About 5 mph above in the city, 10-15 mph above the limit, or conform to to flow of traffic on the highway, whichever is higher. However, I won't push my POS car above 80 anymore.
I feel very sorry for you. I had my brand new Traverse up by 90 this morning on the way to my daughter's karate class, and the only reason I noticed is because the traffic in the right hand lane seemed to be moving exceptionally slowly. That, and my wife started screaming, "You're going too fast!"
 
Generally I drive at or slightly above the posted limit on surface streets, which is usually what the traffic flow permits anyway. The only time I'll really open her up is when I'm on the 105 freeway, an east-west express route with limited entrances and exits. Traffic moves at a pretty good clip on the 105, and I can easily get up to 80 or 85 mph in fifth gear without realizing it until I look at the speedometer.
 
Usually I just go with traffic. If I'm the lead vehicle on a two lane road and there's a long string of traffic behind me I tend to go a little faster than I would normally, because I feel like there's peer pressure to go fast.
Agreed. I always feel paranoid when there's a line of cars following me, as if I need to go fast enough to keep up with their desired pace as to not offend/piss them off.
Screw them. If I'm at the speed limit and there's 4 or 5 cars behind me, I'm not breaking the law for them. If they want to overtake me, that's their choice, and if that causes them to crash and die then it's their fault for exceeding the speed limit. I wouldn't have any trouble getting to sleep that night.

However, if I'm on a motorway and I'm overtaking a long vehicle when a car shows up behind me, then I might feel the need to exceed the speed limit in order to complete my overtaking manoeuvre so that they can pass me.
 
. . . if I'm on a motorway and I'm overtaking a long vehicle when a car shows up behind me, then I might feel the need to exceed the speed limit in order to complete my overtaking manoeuvre so that they can pass me.
I find it's often necessary to briefly exceed the speed limit when passing a slow truck on the freeway anyway, since I want to pass the 18-wheel behemoth as quickly as possible.
 
I'm a fast driver and depending on my schedule i drive so fast to be above the limit from which on you get points in your registry, heavier fines and maybe have my license revoked for a month.

Usually i'm near the limit for points which means somewhere 20 km/h above the speed limit.

However i quickly lose patience with "granny" drivers, especially those on the left lane overtaking other cars in what appears to be slow motion. If you car doesn't cut it because you have a toy engine or you are not unwilling to drive a bit faster then please don't block the highway for people who are able to and want to drive faster.
 
Agreed. I always feel paranoid when there's a line of cars following me, as if I need to go fast enough to keep up with their desired pace as to not offend/piss them off.

If the the guy in back wants to go 70 MPH on a two lane road in the 55 zone that I'm doing 55-60 in, he can find a way to pass me.

You Echo will hit 110 mph before it cuts out, it will just take a long time to get there and be a bit scary. :lol:

Not a thrill I'd like to experience, but good to know anyway.

Downhill on windy roads, I like to go fast, say 40 MPH in a 30 MPH zone or rated turn. :devil:
 
Roughly ten miles per hour.

I'm 23 years old and I still haven't gotten my permit. "What a loser," some might say. "Probably lives in his mother's basement," others would muse from the safety of the internet.

None of which is true, of course, or I wouldn't be so inclined to make light of it. No, I simply have neither desire nor imminent need to get a purchase a vehicle, pay the car insurance, so on and so forth. When inevitably there comes a point in which a job or school is impossible to reach routinely via bike or bus, then I'll gladly join the rest of society on that venture.
 
... I simply have neither desire nor imminent need to ... purchase a vehicle, pay the car insurance, so on and so forth. When inevitably there comes a point in which a job or school is impossible to reach routinely via bike or bus, then I'll gladly join the rest of society on that venture.

I needed to pedal fast in that respect, I could have gotten the permit and done the license thing before 18, but with a school Chevy Suburban/60's International Harvester bus comming to take me to high school 15 miles away, coupled with all of the restrictions that California puts on under 18 drivers (buried in this PDF) I was in the same boat.

Then I decided to go to college. Got my permit after 18, drove to bus stops with the grandparents as the driving teachers. got my license when I was 19, free and clear of restrictions.
 
I've just been really lucky so far when it comes to employment and education locations. My school is a single bus ride down the road and my job is a couple of miles of good exercise. I know I won't be lucky forever, though, and there will come a point in my life where it will just be a hell of a lot more practical to join the masses. :P
 
About 5 mph above in the city, 10-15 mph above the limit, or conform to to flow of traffic on the highway, whichever is higher. However, I won't push my POS car above 80 anymore.
I feel very sorry for you. I had my brand new Traverse up by 90 this morning on the way to my daughter's karate class, and the only reason I noticed is because the traffic in the right hand lane seemed to be moving exceptionally slowly. That, and my wife started screaming, "You're going too fast!"

Yeah, I used to drive fast. :(

On the other hand, I bought the thing for cash in 1999 and I've put less than $1000 into my car in over 10 years, so the trade-off is ok, unless I want to go more than 10 miles outside of the city. :lol:
 
However i quickly lose patience with "granny" drivers, especially those on the left lane overtaking other cars in what appears to be slow motion.
What irritates me is when a truck tries to overtake another truck and spends two minutes doing it. It's especially irritating when the overtaking truck is coming up on his junction, so he spends two minutes blocking both lanes, then slows down and pulls in behind the other truck anyway.

I'm 23 years old and I still haven't gotten my permit. "What a loser," some might say. "Probably lives in his mother's basement," others would muse from the safety of the internet.

None of which is true, of course, or I wouldn't be so inclined to make light of it. No, I simply have neither desire nor imminent need to get a purchase a vehicle, pay the car insurance, so on and so forth. When inevitably there comes a point in which a job or school is impossible to reach routinely via bike or bus, then I'll gladly join the rest of society on that venture.
Loser! :p ;)

Seriously, I was in a similar situation when I was 21, I cycled everywhere and thought I was great for doing so because I wasn't harming the environment. I hadn't bothered learning to drive because I never needed to, but my girlfriend got pissed off that she was the one driving everywhere and bought me the test book and the rules of the road as a "hint". :lol: Even though she's long gone now, I'm glad that she encouraged me to drive because it's one of the great relaxing pleasures I have in my life. Learning to drive is complicated and stressful, especially if you're learning in a manual, but once you get used to it it can be great fun. I wouldn't trade it for a bicycle again.
 
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