What’s A Safe Highway Speed?

there is law of physics: faster you go - longer stopping distance. not many people understand that.

 

Sammy! I didn’t know you were a member of the 4Runner forum!

 

Same goes for the people who pull out in front of you while you’re going 55 on a 2 lane highway. They either don’t care that they pulled out and caused you to slow down or have no clue that they have to floor it to not cause you to have to brake.

 

Coming from my 911 S manual transmission to my ‘23 4R i have to say the Toyota wants to be driven slower. Im almost 72 now and dont mind slower at all.

 

You are right it’s not their job to enforce the speed limits, it’s our job to follow the limits to help ensure everyone’s safety. I don’t care how good of a driver you think you are, (I think I am dam good and have pushed almost every vehicle I owned to its max speed). Your responsibility on the road is to follow the laws.

I will say the 4Runner isn’t a vehicle I’d want to have to maneuver in an oh shit moment, the few hard braking times have been ok. I do like to push it on back roads, the hills and corners really show how this is not a speed demon vehicle.

 

While I’m sure you feel justified, nobody else on the road needs a case of road rage or a dangerous move trying to get around you.

Not to mention the increased risk that goes along with collecting cars on your rear bumper while also having nowhere to go left or right if you need to move.

Just keep passing people, and if you find a space to tuck over, go ahead and do so - even if there are three more cars that you’d like to pass.

Safer for you, and safer for everyone around. You can’t control the guy behind you, but if you participate in their driving just to antagonize them, you’re a part of what happens next.

 

This, and hopefully we don’t read about someone getting killed when folks get into a brake-check contest or other road rage situation due to escalation.

 

Just retire and take your time and put on some good tunes. Saves on your stress level, fuel costs, Insurnace in long run and no tickets.

 

Really? Not many people understand basic physics? I'm pretty sure most drivers understand this. If they don't, they really shouldn't be driving at all.

I've never driven through a state where drivers didn't push the speed limit. It's pretty typical for folks to be going 5-15 over, and some crazy fucks will go faster than that.

Getting in the way of faster vehicles is selfish and dangerous. Anyone willing to create a dangerous situation to try to teach other drivers a lesson should just stay off the freeway.

Do people really think that the faster driver is going to realize that they shouldn't speed and back off and slow down? Of course they won't! Now you've created a high speed tailgating situation, and/or the possibility that the faster driver will pass on the right, which is way worse than just getting out of the way.

I know you didn't actually suggest that people should do this, but I thought it was relevant.

I'm also not arguing how fast anyone should or shouldn't drive. I'm just saying that the fastest driver has the right of way in the passing lane, just like the slower driver has the right of way in the right lane.

Now, if you're in the process of passing and another vehicle comes flying up your ass, I agree that that is rude. I will keep a little distance and let people finish passing and then resume my speed.

However, if someone is impeding traffic and only going .5 mph faster than the traffic they're passing, that's also rude. Give it a little extra gas and get out of the way!

I also agree that the 4Runner isn't something to drive aggressively. It's basically a Ferrari compared to some of the vehicles I see speeding and driving aggressively, though. Still, I generally don't actually drive that fast.

Sadly, I saw a YouTube video awhile back where a left lane slow poke brake checked another vehicle and they spun out into the median. Even worse, many of the commenters seemed to think it was cool.

Now, just imagine if the evil speeder had flown through the median and hit an innocent family head on and killed them! Hey, just collateral damage I guess.. It's all good as long as the speeder learned their lesson.

That video was too short to show what led up to the situation, so it's possible that the speeder was being a dick as well. But, that's certainly not any reason to endanger the safety of everyone else on the road.

 

I can't wait to retire! I have no idea when I'll be able to, but I have so many plans already!

 

All lanes in Kali are for maniacs, playing checkerboard on a busy freeway with their Porsches and Ferraris at high speeds. Goldie was a victim of one spinning out in a lane in front of my wife and kids who were in the exit only lane on their way to a movie. He bounced off the drivers side front wheel into the trailing edge of the fender…..

 

And this smugness is how you get a group of 50 cars together on the interstate when there's a mile of open space ahead. If you don't understand how that creates a more dangerous situation for everyone else on the road then there is no point in discussing it any further.

I'm glad you think you are a safer driver because you drive the speed limit or less and try to force others to as well but the reality is if your actions are causing vehicles to bunch up then you are creating a more dangerous situation for everyone on the road

 

Wait wait wait. You're starting out by saying it's our responsibility to follow the limits set, then follow up by saying you've pushed every vehicle you've owned to its max speed.

Do you take all of your vehicles to the race track or does the max speed of your vehicles just happen to be the speed limit?

 

Being born in SoCal and relocated to eastern (dry side) Washington, make the I-5, Hwy 395 drives a couple of times a year. Then over to Flag to visit my daughter. Never got a ticket on I-5 or on Hwy 395.

On dealing with LEO's, I have carry permits for 3 states that cover about 32 of the 50 states. I always, if stopped, keep my hands on the wheel, inform the officer I have a permit and that I am armed and then ASK him how HE wants to proceed. Just that courtesy often gets me just a warning. Only one officer asked yo see my weapon and that cause we got talking and he wanted to check out my semi-custom Glock.

Humorous story: I had to drive from the eastside to Lacey for an early morning meeting. I had to drop something off at our law-enforcement office before 4 PM. My boss kept me in meetings, and I was running late. I was speeding over Tiger Summit and got stopped. The officer asked why I was speeding. I told him he would not believe it. He said if I told him a story he had never heard, he'd let me go. I told him I had a frozen bald eagle in the back seat in a cooler and had to get it to Lacey before it thawed. He said "Have a nice day, sir!"

 

Kerry’s rules for the road:

If you’re going to speed, make sure you have a contingency plan, can you swerve or slow down in time when something happens like a tire blow out. If not, then slow down.

If someone is going faster than you, move over to the other lane or slightly over in your lane so they can see past you and pass safely, that’s just common driving courtesy.

Is the oncoming car far enough back that when you pull onto the highway, can you be at highway speed before he gets to you? If not, don’t pull out until it’s safe. The flow of traffic should be maintained, if you’re too scared for that flow of traffic, find another route.

Use your turn signals, the guys behind you just want to know that the reason you’re slowing down is to turn or just change lanes, not that you’re an idiot who doesn’t know how to drive. You must know hand signals if your turn signals are not working.

Know your rights of way at a four way stop. Don’t be the car bully who thinks that because you slammed on your brakes for a nano second you aren’t required to pay attention to who was already there and stopped. This is why they want to put in stupid round-abouts everywhere.

Stop pulling onto the side of the road where there is no turn lane to turn right, you’re not being courteous, just stupid. When you leave the actual roadway, you’ve relinquished your right to that lane and people who are traveling in it have the right to turn in front of you.

City drivers, don’t stop and allow people coming out of businesses to turn in front of you. They knew when they pulled into Einstein Bagels that they’d have to get back out somewhere. Holding up traffic because you think your act of kindness is saving the world is only causing chaos behind you as people try to change lanes to move around you in already congested traffic.

Brake-checking. I did this many years ago and the poor guy in the Geo slammed on his brakes and nosedived nearly into my rear end. I felt incredibly bad because I was in a big vehicle and him being on my tail did NOTHING to really bother me. I never did it again. Why try to get someone into an accident and have your own vehicle need to be repaired?

Lastly, if you’re too scared to drive the speed limit or somewhere there-about, call an Uber. You don’t have the right to slow everyone down. They have a reasonable expectation to be able to drive the speed limit, not whatever you think is safe because you’re retired or not in a hurry or whatever your selfish thought process brings you to believe.

 

a week or so ago, I was tooling behind a school bus out on a country road, leaving a safe distance to the bus as it was doing the speed limit, I got passed and the driver then was stuck between me and the bus. Was it my job to now back off more? As now they were not following it a safe distance.

I was just saying that it’s each drivers responsibility to be safe.

yes it is everyone’s responsibility to be safe on the road. That being said, I have for sure pushed almost every vehicle I have owned to the max speed. There is a long stretch of highway North of Bangor that this is know to happen (https://wblm.com/this-road-in-maine-has-the-highest-speed-limit-east-of-the-mississippi/).


We do not always live up to our responsibilities, but am I going to suggest someone drive dangerously, no and not following the speed limits is dangerous.

 

Are you a member of the 180 Club?

 

I can cut GPS times in half on the Gixxer!

 

My legs are so sore from working out yesterday I can barely walk!

 

Actually the speed limits were a lot faster back years ago. But they lowered them.

 

It’s because of EMS on the scene and when traffic gets halted.

 

And deer!

 

Congratulations. When did you receive your Karen card? We need more mall cops like you in the world

 

Not everyone. LEO's break the law every day without consequence and many speed signs are not regulatory/statutory, or as you say "LAW". Even the FHA stats "Speed limits frame expectations for drivers and other roadway users". Just look at how some PSL change from 55mph years ago to 65mph now, or vice versa, or how yellow speed signs are not regulatory. Like if the posted speed limit is 55 mph, and you see a yellow sign indicating 45 mph you can still drive 55 without getting a ticket for that higher speed.

The key is to drive in a safe manner utilising PSL as a guide because every vehicle/driver is different. Sometimes it's more than the PSL due to a safe lane change to pass, or emergency, other times its lower due to conditions. I certainly don't want someone with a 4Runner and a 5th wheel going 85psl on the highway because its "LAW", or someone with an emergency not getting to an emergency on time because of some arbitrary PSL.

When did we become empty, mindless spectres. Stripped of will and soul.

They just raised ours. Was 55 now they are 65 & 75. Feel bad for all those drivers who got tickets going 65 in a 55 that was actually a 65 years later.

 

Good for a'hole truckers. Or wait until a hill and slow down to first gear speed, then wave and take off!

 

I agree. Sorry, not all of that was directed at you, but more towards the conversation leading up to that.

 

I tell my buddies when they retire: “Welcome to the club of not knowing what day of the week it is.”

 

Can't wait!

I'm thinking I will probably keep track of the moon phase and tides better than the actual day of the week, lol.

 

HS drivers Ed….
Minimum Following Distance: 1 car length for every 10mph. Double for bad weather.

 

If it wasn’t for putting out the garbage for pick-up I would be completely lost on what day it is.