Putting the 45-m.p.h. construction-zone speed limit to the safety test -- chicagotribune.com
It seems like everyone is sick of the state of speed limit laws in this country. None of it makes sense to me. I have had my share of speeding tickets in the past and I am determined not to get any more. But somehow I feel like doing the "right thing" makes you a schmuck.
Someone once told me, "If everyone follows the rules, then everyone wins. If everyone follows the rules but me, then I win." If the system does not reward those who follow the rules, and hardly punishes those who do not, then what are we supposed to infer?
I don't know the exact statistics, but from my experience the only "punishment" those idiots speeding past me on the highway get is to arrive at their destination sooner than I do. Sure, after a couple hundred of them pass me I will see one pulled over by a state trooper. If I were a Vegas handicapper I would like those odds.
After my last ticket (well over a decade ago, now) I tried a similar experiment as mentioned in the article. Every time I drove on the highway I stayed in the right line with my cruise control set as close to the speed limit as possible. I did this for several months but it was too frustrating to continue. I was amazed, not just at how many drivers were speeding, but also at how much faster they were going.
This article asserts that despite these conditions, driving the speed limit is still the responsible choice. That may be, but one thing I found in my experiment that they did not mention is that even when you feel like the slowest vehicle on the road, you will likely still get stuck behind someone even slower. And with traffic as thick as it usually is in Chicago it is extremely difficult to get around these pokeys if you are not keeping up with the flow of traffic.
While I am compiling my own list of possible solutions, I would love to hear yours. Please take a second to add a comment.
It seems like everyone is sick of the state of speed limit laws in this country. None of it makes sense to me. I have had my share of speeding tickets in the past and I am determined not to get any more. But somehow I feel like doing the "right thing" makes you a schmuck.
Someone once told me, "If everyone follows the rules, then everyone wins. If everyone follows the rules but me, then I win." If the system does not reward those who follow the rules, and hardly punishes those who do not, then what are we supposed to infer?
I don't know the exact statistics, but from my experience the only "punishment" those idiots speeding past me on the highway get is to arrive at their destination sooner than I do. Sure, after a couple hundred of them pass me I will see one pulled over by a state trooper. If I were a Vegas handicapper I would like those odds.
After my last ticket (well over a decade ago, now) I tried a similar experiment as mentioned in the article. Every time I drove on the highway I stayed in the right line with my cruise control set as close to the speed limit as possible. I did this for several months but it was too frustrating to continue. I was amazed, not just at how many drivers were speeding, but also at how much faster they were going.
This article asserts that despite these conditions, driving the speed limit is still the responsible choice. That may be, but one thing I found in my experiment that they did not mention is that even when you feel like the slowest vehicle on the road, you will likely still get stuck behind someone even slower. And with traffic as thick as it usually is in Chicago it is extremely difficult to get around these pokeys if you are not keeping up with the flow of traffic.
While I am compiling my own list of possible solutions, I would love to hear yours. Please take a second to add a comment.
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