I'm just wondering why some people resolutely drive 10km/hr below speed limit.
The ones I have seen are not scared of speed, as they go from doing 50 in a 60 zone, to 85 in a 100 zone.
I understand that the limit is only the maximum limit, but I am still curious.
There is too much emphasis on speed in this country. Driving fast and driving rash and irresponsibly are very different, but here it is not distinguishable.
The amount of concentration a driver has to devote to keep checking the speedometer to be sure they are not 5km/hr over the limit would have been best used to monitor the road ahead.
Unfortunately, we have been brainwashed to think that we are saving lives doing it.
I would say it is primarily due to inaccuracy of speedometers, with a touch of not knowing the road rules, and a dash of arrogance.
https://www.legislation.gov.au/Details/F2006L01392
or the more digested version:
https://www.racq.com.au/cars-and-driving/safety-on-the-road/…
The worst drivers are the ones doing 70 in an 80 zone and then continue doing 70 in a 60 zone. As if they have no awareness of what they're doing
There's a road near my house which goes from 100k to 80 to 90 to 60.
It intersects with another road that goes 80 to 100 to 80 to 90 to 70 to 90 to 60 to 100 all in a short stretch.
On those roads I don't get angry. I can't catch every sign myself it's just that I've memorised most of them. So I expect on some stretches people miss signs also and if you're unsure better go under than over because I don't want a fine.
I generally stick to the speed limit, but I do slow down if it is a road notorious for people pulling out/turning without looking. I've been in an accident due to someone turning right and not seeing me, so now I'm a lot more wary.
I just try to drive within my safe limits. As I get older, that means I am aware my reaction time is less, so I drive accordingly.
I will drive in the left lane if I am going slower, but screw you if I'm going to speed up if you're tailgating behind me to try to pressure me to go faster.
After going on a 1 year good behaviour stint due to license loss (yes, speeding on the motorbike was mainly to blame), I now find it very hard to go over the speed limit at all. I guess that penalty actually worked.
As a red P plater im the guy who goes 90 in a 110.
Yes sorry. (profanity) you for abusing me about it too. I do my best to get to speed to safely merge
Yes P platers are a nightmare on the 110km/h freeways, and it's a nightmare and dangerous for them as well. They get overtaken by the trucks, and then have to get in the outside lane holding up all the traffic as soon as there's a hill to get past the same trucks. It's a stupid restriction on multi-lane freeways, two way 100km/h single lane country roads fair restriction, freeways - I think it makes it more dangerous for everyone. (My two kids are P platers).
I do 90ish in a 100 zone most of the time as its just safer for the wallet , its too easy for me " without a cruise control " too drift over the limit you cant keep exactly at 100.
Ive had one speeding ticket in the last 20 years " got off of it with a letter " , prior to the last 20 years i like most people of that age group either sped or just stayed on the limit , fortunately back then you got pulled over and booked you unlike the current system which is purely to take money out of your pocket " if speeding is so dangerous they would want you slowed down instantly …. not 2 weeks later in the mail ".
Trying not to put a dent in my $80,000 high yield investment vehicle, ya feel?
Do you think slow drivers are more dangerous or drivers who love to tailgate?
I would say it's the latter. It would create more accidents on the road. Rear-ended should be one of the most common accidents on the road nowadays.
Having said that, those "slow drivers" need to be reasonable, e.g., stay on left lane if possible, not doing half of the speed limit.
To me,
they go from doing 50 in a 60 zone, to 85 in a 100 zone.
It's still somewhat acceptable, as there are other factors involved like other people have mentioned.
But tailgating is absolutely not okay, police should fine those drivers as severe as speeding, where's that 3 seconds rules you learn before???
Slow drivers are not as dangerous as tailgaters, but are more unsafe than drivers who drive at the correct speed.
That's because it causes so many unnecessary lane changes as people go to overtake. They just recently abandoned the 90km/h Truck rule on freeways because it caused so many potential accidents - that's saying a lot! It's also selfish - you save fuel but you cost everyone else fuel, time and contribute to congestion.
There is no correct speed. There's the speed limit that most people travel at though.
Let's face it, a majority of people here have no idea how to drive, even the concept of keeping in your lane by following the solid white lines at an intersection is lost on many people. Without the slightest grasp of the basic principles of driving, it's pointless trying to discuss specific issues.
This is no different from asking why do some people walk along a footpath and others run…. because I bloody well can mate.. get off your high horse and piss off.
Gotta ask my sister lol
Driving a Subaru Outback - speeedo says 100km/h, GPS says 92 km/h =[
That's with two different Outbacks and different manufacturing years!
Speedo's are usually purposefully adjusted to display a faster speed than you are actually travelling. This allows for slight speed variations like going down hill etc without actually breaking the speed limit. It also means you don't have an excuse for speeding. It can only ever be indicative of the speed anyway. If your total diameter of the tyre is 24 inches, and you lose an inch of this between a brand new tyre and when it needs replacing (that equates to around 1.25 cm less tread in this example). That's a little over 4 percent difference. That's 4 kph difference to the reported speed at 100 kph right there. Bit of an extreme example, but it is a serious consideration.
I must admit 92 kph real speed at 100 kph is a bit excessive though.
GPS is not accurate. Speedometers are.
I think it's the other way round. Speedos are nearly always out, especially on motorbikes. And if someone changes their tyre profile or goes with bigger wheels….gps doesn't care about these things.
Whatever is posted is a speed limit, the key point being right in the term 'limit'. It does not say in a 60 kph zone that you have to drive exactly 60 kph. The posted speed limit is the maximum speed you can travel on that road, and only if the conditions allow it. You are required to adjust your speed according to road conditions. If it's pea soup fog and you're on an 80 kph road, you are quite literally an arrogant dh if you think that you can safely travel at 80 kph. It all depends on the circumstances and why they are travelling slow etc.
Those people that speed up when being overtaken, or when coming across an overtaking lane, are the road equivalent of trolls. Like internet trolls, they're usually not only obnoxious dh ah's, it's usually compensating for something.
A while ago I travelled along a particular road with traffic parked on either side. They were legally parked, but it meant the road was two narrow for side to side traffic. There was probably a 50 metre stretch like that (hard to judge, but it was around 10 cars. Anyways, I got almost to the other end, and a person in a Hyundai Santa Fe raced up to the road blockage and thought they had the right of way. They expected me to reverse back through all the cars, which I obviously did not do. In the meantime I had a couple of other cars come up behind me, the person behind me decided to get out and have a word with the driver. They almost got to the Huyundai when the Hyundai driver thought it were best to get out of the way and park behind the last car. I moved forward, waited for the person to get back in the car so the Hyundai driver didn't do the same thing again, and drove of.
People can be very arrogant and obnoxious on the roads, same personality types as those loser internet trolls.
I automatically overtake every Camry, Corolla and maybe Nissan Pulsar. They seem to drive under the speed limit the most.
Sensible car choices. Presumably paying less in fuel than you sir ;)
WRX STI here =)
if I am it's because its raining
That's completely fine, it's the right thing to do!
Fuel use per KM driven rises exponentially with speed.
Depending on car v6/v8 better fuel economy going faster
4 cylinder better city drive more fuel on freeway as it revs out more
I know my route to work well, So if I know there is a descent approaching I would drive 10km below the speed limit and let the descent speed me up.
This saves me on fuel and from needing to brake.
Look it's simple, drive under the speed limit if you like, but please please keep to the left lane (when possible).
Why Do You Drive Slow?
Because my car overheats so 90km in both 100 & 110 zone saves me from major mechanical, the car is not worth the cost to fix.
What annoys me more than the "can't reach the speed limit and I'm going to sit in the right hand lane anyway" drivers are those who for some reason take off so slowly when the lights change or car in front moves. Every day I see cars leave 10, 20, 30 car lengths between them and the forward group of cars due to their lack lustre acceleration.
What's their motive here? Trying to save fuel? If so that's very selfish, 10, 20, 30 other cars all sit through another set of lights just so they can save 5ml of fuel. False economy, this behaviour causes more fuel usage for everyone, more congestion and more frustration! If other cars in front do the same then you'll also be using more fuel. Sitting idling at the lights is rather inefficient in terms of fuel and time. If it's inattentive driving, then get the hell of the road. Driving is a one thing task, if you think you can do other things at the same time, then you're a hazard and inconsiderate to other drivers.
These tend to be the same fools who can't indicate until they're already into the slip lane when exiting a road, or after they've already stopped at a set of lights, etc. They fail to understand the purpose of an indicator. Here's a hint, it does not turn your car, it's to let others know your intentions so they can plan their actions. Same at roundabouts, so many turn left without indicating causing others to sit and wait for no reason other than their inconsideration.
Back on the topic of slow drivers. Some have mentioned that perhaps the skill or confidence level of those drivers may be the reason. If that is the case then perhaps driving is not for them. Driving is a dangerous activity, if you're not confident or up to the task then perhaps you need to find alternative ways to get around. Driving is not an expressed right of all humans. Like all things in life, some are suited to the task and others are not. I don't think the roads should be reduced to the lowest common denominator. If you're regularly causing congestion, frustration and generally are not up to the task, then … perhaps driving is not for you. There are other options.
Obviously driving tests etc are supposed to filter out those who are not up to the task but I've seen may drivers who are obviously not up to the task which leads me to believe that the system is not working.
But on any multi-lane road, there really is no excuse for sitting in anything other than the left lane if you're a "slow, cautious, timid, poor, new, learning, etc" driver. Obviously you'll need to if you're turning right or whatnot, but that's not the behaviour I see.
The number of times I've seen driving instructors happily letting their student sit in the right hand lane holding up traffic and causing a nightmare for no reason at all - they're damn well teaching these fools to do that! It drives me crazy! Of course there are times when it is valid, but too often it's not!
Now don't get me started on the wall of trucks we're often stuck behind - really, three lanes, each with a slow truck blocking the way in peak-hour traffic. What inconsiderate [insert expletives here].
Our roads seem to be dominated by inconsiderate drivers now - perhaps they just stand out more than the other, but still, there's a lot of them out there.
This comment here by far is the best comment i have heard so far half the problems as stated are the no good instructors that have there licence should be suspended as they ain't instructing them right in the first place
This video on facebook is by far the best example between australian and European drivers
https://m.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=130137550994…
Every single time a driving discussion comes up here I wince at the amount of dangerous stupidity and absolutely nasty douchebaggery on display.
A speed limit is a limit that is not to be exceeded, even in the best conditions.
It is not a minimum speed.
It is not the advised speed.
It is the fastest you should ever travel on that bit of the road.
If it is raining, on many roads you shouldn't be doing the speed limit.
If it is foggy, you shouldn't be doing the speed limit.
If you don't know the area, or don't know where you're going, you shouldn't be doing the speed limit.
If there is a potential hazard that you've spotted, you shouldn't be doing the speed limit.
If the person in front of you is doing 5-10% under the speed limit it doesn't mean they're a worse driver that shouldn't be on the road.
Your speedo could be calibrated up to perhaps 10% off theirs.
15 under the limit in the left lane in an 80 zone where there are 3 lanes is not the end of the world.
Now watch people who think their driving is a cut above the rest of us downvote me into oblivion.
Excuse me for being presumptuous and trying to speak on behalf of others. But, I think you'll find that most don't have an issue with drivers being cautious, driving to their capability, driving slow, etc.
But they do have issue with these drivers doing so in the right hand lanes on multi-lane roads when they are not imminently turning right or whatnot. This causes issue since it's nothing but inconsiderate or worse. They can't plead ignorance, they know the road rules. If they don't know the road rules then this is even worse. It's pretty simple really - keep as left as practical at all times. It's one simple rule that would fix a lot of problems on our roads.
We've had this discussion before in a previous thread about tailgating (not something I support) and in that thread you kept on insisting that I tailgate (I don't) since I offered up similar rationale for why tailgaters tailgate which you seem to think equates to me supporting tailgating. I still stand by my opinion that it is the drivers who lack any consideration for others and sit in the right hand lane for no reason and refuse to move over. These drivers are the problem, the drivers who become frustrated due to this are a symptom of their behaviour. Sure drivers should not become frustrated etc, but that does not make it right to lack consideration for others. Stop being inconsiderate and all those problems go away. Stop drivers becoming frustrated and you still have a myriad of issues that are not solved.
Excuse me if I have no interest in reliving that past discussion. I recall one person saying they had done 140 in a 60 zone and were proud of it in that discussion.
Now please show me where driving slow IN THE RIGHT HAND LANE or tailgating appears in the original post? Because that's not what we're talking about. At all. For that matter please show me where I've said you should drive as inconsiderately as possible? My position is that others driving inconsiderately doesn't excuse anyone else from doing the same or being dangerous. And you call me presumptuous?
The first two paragraphs of my reply were directly addressing your post. The last paragraph was intended to skirt having to cover that ground again and stipulate that I'm not condoning dangerous behaviour even if I believe inconsiderate drivers are often the root cause. Drivers doing 140 in a 60 is utter madness and has nothing to do with my comments in either thread. Note you did bring up other "driving discussions".
As I told you in the other thread this "root cause" nonsense has to stop. No one MAKES you behave badly. Road rage isn't excused because someone else was traveling slowly or being inconsiderate. You absolutely are condoning dangerous behaviour by trying to throw the blame for bad behaviour on the bad behaviour of other. We've been through all this in the other thread. I'm sick of it.
Your second paragraph was about other discourteous behaviour like driving on the right hand side of the road while being slow. That doesn't address anything I alluded to. Even the OP doesn't mention the right hand lane.
@syousef: Yes it does - read my original post again. You suffer with comprehension issues. I'm saying that most people don't have an issue with drivers being slow etc and your assertion is incorrect. They have a problem with them doing it in a manner that in inconsiderate when they don't need to be. This is inexcusable and I'm allowed to dislike that behaviour.
Which is in direct response to your post.
You're unable to understand that someone can identify a cause of something without condoning the reaction of others. How can anyone discuss anything with you? You're not able to see any reason.
Mate I'm not the one with the comprehension issues. If you had stopped with the note "most people don't have an issue with drivers being slow" that would have been fine. And you can dislike whatever behaviour you want. But we weren't talking about tailgating or driving in the right lane. We were specifically talking about people who do 50 in a 60 zone or 85 in a 100. And people ARE in fact annoyed by this even when the driver keeps left.
Somehow you've turned this into a melodramatic saga about my inability to see reason.
@iDroid: Don't bother with this, iDroid. This person has proven time and time again, in these discussions, that they've made their mind up and cemented themselves in place.
Because the guy in front talking on his mobile is in a police car.
I have a few vehicles, and drive/ride each one according to its comfortable cruising speed. Honda cb125e = 70km/h, daihatsu terios = 80km/h, ford econovan = 90km/h, ktm 990 smt = up to 200km/h. People overtake me on the straights if I'm in a car, but I invariably catch up to them in the corners or hills, because they can't actually drive.
I also believe it is good to be tolerant of slower drivers - I have no problem with them at all when I'm on my ktm. My pet peeves are tailgaters (unnecessarily dangerous - limited view for them and probably neck injuries for you when they run up your behind, and stressful), people sitting in right lane, people speeding up when it is safe for someone else to overtake them, and again tailgaters if you're overtaking them there is no room to merge in (you have to keep ovetaking till you find a gap big enough to fit in).
Slow is OK, unsafe and intolerant is not. I know I speed on the ktm, but I'm fully aware and pick my moments and minimise dangerous moments.
I drove slow because I lived in Sydney. Good luck doing the speed limit.
Cause I'm high as f*#k
I agree - It's the bullshit gov't banging on about speed kills and camera cars everywhere. 10 years ago it was not like this. Also, all new cars are set 10% above real speed so people who think they are doing 100 are doing 90 for reals
Almost everyone's got a GPS. Most are pretty accurate for speed on straight and level roads. So anyone who wants to know has an idea how much their speedo is out by. And usually it's more like 5km/hr, not 10.
Speed is an important factor in accidents but it isn't the only one. Unfortunately when you conflate revenue raising with accident prevention you're going to get a system that is more about the money and less about the lives. None of that revenue should go into anything but road safety if you ask me. There wouldn't be the temptation to keep upping the game on penalties…
I prefer marked cars on the road doing real policing than the cars. Camera cars don't catch mobile phone use or people doing 10 below in the overtaking lanes…
All my Subaru's have been 10% out.
alot of it is due to poor driver training in Australia. In many European countries there's a higher level of driver education and there is just more respect for others on the road. They also have more laws, like not being able to overtake cars on your left (for LHD) on highways which reinforces the use of the slow lane.
Also anyone who believes driving slower is saving fuel is incredibly misinformed. It depends on your gearing not your speed. Sticking to 80 on a freeway has some merit if you have a 5/6 speed gearbox, but alot of modern cars have 7/8 gears with the highest ones specifically made for driving at 80+. And anyways, if you honestly cared about fuel consumption that much, you would own a Prius because the savings from driving slow are insignificant. Time is also much more valuable than money, to most of us at least.
Going 3kms over the speed limit is costly….. Safer to stay a bit under!
I regularly drive under the limit on my motorcycle, just to enjoy the ride…
How much time do you save overtaking 5 cars in a 30 minute journey. Approximately 3 minutes?
Let's see:
In city with speed limit of 60km/hr, 30min force would be 30km.
30km @ 60km/hr would be 30mins.
30km @ 50km/hr would be 36mins.
Saving of 6 mins at speed limit.
On highway, speed limit of 110km. Let's say the "slow" driver is at 90km. Total distance 110km.
110km @ 110km/hr would be 60 mins.
110km @ 90km/hr would be 73 mins.
Saving of 13 mins at speed limit.
I think that's a fair calculation. However, in my experience, peak traffic and traffic lights mean I honestly end up at a similar time of travel. I find weaving in traffic saves time, but on long travel I think a 5-10km/hr is not going to save too much.
Yeah I was just running the exercise. In practice it's really up to each individual person to determine whether having access to the extra 13 mins greatly benefitted their day.
Sometimes 10mins for me, 10min earlier than my colleague from when we meet at an intersection. Being in the right lane at the right time does make a difference.
Getting stuck behind cars doing 10 under, thus missing the green light and getting stuck at the lights. As the slow driver, you only remember the times when you meet the fast driver at the same lights. You forget the times where the car has made through the lights and you're stuck waiting.
Just running the exercise dude. If you need the extra 10 mins, do weaving through traffic and stuff.
I drive slowly (like around 10kmph under) for various reasons. I'm a L plater, I'm scared of fines/demerits/penalties (car doesn't have cruise control, gotta constantly check speed), and I have GAD, meaning I panic easily/a lot. Driving a bit slowly means I have more leeway to fix my mistakes if something causes me to panic and I, for example, accidentally accelerate instead of breaking.
To mitigate potential annoyance to other drivers, I try to stay in the left lane where possible. I do not think it is unreasonable to stay in the right lane of a two lane road when there are many cars parked along the left lane, thus making it inaccessible or would require changing in and out of the lane. (But… Some people apparently seem to? At least, from their behaviour.)
I've mentioned it before, but some people seem to get their kicks out of intimidating/yelling really disrespectful and nasty things to L platers. I used to panic really badly in response, but now I just try and ignore them and focus on driving safely.
This is a good example of an appropriate time to be going slower, while you are still learning. People shouldn't be hassling learners. Once you are a qualified driver you should be competent to drive at the speed limits when conditions are good.
I had this question the other day, but only because I was the one driving slow.
I went to visit my mum to fix her outdoor light and left with enviro bags full of soup and other foods. I didn't want them spilling in the car.
Or the alternative would be to pack your food better.
Do you see tradies driving around slowly because they haven't secured their ladder properly?
Try going and driving a country road you've never been on and compare it to a road you drive daily. Never know what's around the corner.
The thing that pisses me off is people cutting corners. Especially blind corners and doing 40km but still cutting the corners. Like, seriously?
sometimes you really feel annoy when you are late to work
That's no one's problem except yours mate!!
I'm 33, and I drive like a nanna. Usually 5km under the speed limit. I do stay in the slow lane though, I'm not one to pi$$ other people off. I'm not afraid of speed, so why do I do it?
I can't afford a fine, and don't want to be looking at my speedo all the time.
Also, I'm a patient person, and never stressed. I'm never in a hurry to anywhere, because I am organised and rarely, if ever, late to anything.
If you are in a hurry, you should have left the house earlier. Don't make it my problem on the road!!
You know what really shits me, people who don't use cruise control on country roads.
I always use cruise control, set at the limit or 1-2 kms over. I will slowly come up to someone, overtake them and then go on my merry way.
Then later on, they suddenly come up out of nowhere and overtake me. Like really what gives? Why don't people use cruise control more on long stretches of empty country roads?
I understand your frustration. I use cruise control whenever possible, even in 60 zones to prevent freaking mobile camera sucking up my money.
But we also need to understand that not all people as fortunate as we are can afford to buy car with cruise control.
I can still spot quite a few car on the road that has no fuel injection let alone cruise control.
Let's give them a hug until the time government ban fossil fuel then everyone have a cruise control. ;)
That's totally fair enough! I don't mean to be mad at the people who don't have cruise control in their car, only the ones who do have it but don't use it :)
Late reply, my bad.
I never understand people tailgate other drivers for doing 75~80km/h on 80km/h roads.
I drive slow most of the cases, 5-10km/h below the upper speed limit depending on situations, because I came from a country where we drive on right hand side, here I drove on left hand side; and because I am in no rush. If you have a problem with it, overtake me, I ain't complain. If you can't overtake a slow driver, then you don't have the skill to complain. What annoyed me most are people who think they are so good a driver to tailgate me in hope I will speed up. In this case I purposely slow down, a bit.
When being tailgated, I purposely slam on my brakes, a bit :)
It's all fine to simply calculate how much time is lost on a stretch of road due to a driver going Xkm/h under, but don't forget to factor in the added frustration (when not on a freeway) of traffic lights.
You can get the people that somehow take hundreds of metres to reach (close to) the market speed limit whilst every other lane relatively 'zooms' past - this adds up
And then there's the instances where only 1 slow driver can add upwards of 10 minutes to a trip by forcing you to miss one set of lights which can then make you fall out of sync with the traffic flow, thereby leaving you in a situation where you're stopped for minutes at a time at multiple lights; all a chain reaction from one inconsiderate dawdler. In this scenario, you either have to accept the frustration of hitting red light after red light, or you're forced to speed to "re-sync" yourself back to where you were, prior to their interruption.
When I drive, I typically see a majority of speeding drivers speed after changing lanes from behind a slow driver, so as to make up for lost time. Whilst this isn't to say that slow drivers are the sole cause of speeding drivers, since that it is far from the truth, it would be disingenuous to suggest that slow drivers are not a major 'creator' of speeding drivers.
I normally drive 5-10km under the limit as it has an exponential effect in terms of reducing impact in a crash
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more info
Stopping Distances
The simple truth about speeding is: the faster you go, the longer it takes to stop and, if you crash, the harder the impact.
Reaction distance is the distance you travel between seeing a problem and hitting the brakes. If you’re on the ball (i.e. not distracted), you’ll react in 1.5 seconds. That is pretty quick. But despite your quick reaction, if you’re doing 60km/h, you’ll still travel 25 metres in the time it takes for the message to get from your brain to your foot.
Braking distance is the number of metres you travel between hitting the brakes and coming to a complete stop. You’ll cover another 20 metres before this happens, assuming you’re driving on a dry road, in a modern car with good tyres and brakes. If the road is wet, or your car is a bit dodgy, things can get very scary.
Stopping distance is the distance you get when you add your reaction distance to your braking distance. If you’re doing 60km/h, add 25 metres (best case reaction distance) to 20 metres (best case braking distance), and you should come with 45 metres. For the sports-minded, that’s the length of two cricket pitches.
Now taking this information into consideration, what happens if you are speeding? It is easy to see that 5km/hr over the speed limit, even in ideal conditions, will greatly impact your ability to brake in time to avoid a crash. The stopping distance due to speeding could be the difference between someone escaping with little more than a scare and a pedestrian losing their life.
Crashing at Speed
It’s simple – the faster you travel, the less time you have to react to emergencies or to stop. And if you do crash, the faster you are travelling, even if within the speed limit, the greater the risk of injury to you and your passengers.
The risk of being involved in a crash resulting in injury in a 60 km/h speed zone doubles with every 5 km/h increase in driving speed above the limit. This means travelling at 65 km/h in a 60 km/h speed zone doubles the chance of having a crash resulting in injury. Travelling at 70 km/h increases the chance of crashing by 4 times and travelling at 80 km/h increases this chance by 32 times.
This is due to kinetic energy, which a person or object has while it is moving. This energy is gained during acceleration and lost during deceleration. In a collision, the energy is transferred to the other person or object, usually as sound, heat and deformation of objects, including the human occupants.
Travel speed determines the amount of energy transferred in a crash. The human body can only absorb so much impact before death or serious injury result.
Source: https://www.rsc.wa.gov.au/Education-Programs/Safety-Topics/S…
Why not travel 5-10km below the speed you're already doing it will give you even more time to react. Where does it stop. Speed signs are already set at a limit where they deem it a safe speed to travel in that area.
Just because the limit is x it doesn't mean you have to go that speed.
The fact that all you lot are debating about speed is proof the Australian government has conditioned everyone like sheep. No such thing as a safe or dangerous speed. Be considerate, follow the flow of traffic, give way and be aware.
Japan has over 10 times our population but much lower accidents on their roads per 10,000 people. A quick drive over there and you'll quickly realise almost nobody obeys the speed limits and text'n driving is a regular thing yet no cops and no speed cameras enforce it religiously. Amazing how the our society has built this system of distrust between drivers all in the guise to raise taxes.
Really because I'd much rather be hit at 5km/hr than 200km/hr.
And as for pulling a single statistic from another country in which no one has anyway of knowing how and if that data is properly recorded, let alone the road sizes, conditions etc, not to mention the fact that Australia is huge by comparison, it renders that number unuseable.
He actually has a point. Look at autobahn, less accidents even with unlimited speed limit.
Road accidents are caused by, and prevented by a number of factors. Ascribing their low level to just one factor doesn't really make any sense. There are other countries in the world with no speed limits and high accident rates - it's not just the speed limit that reduces these accidents, there are other factors specific to those countries as well.
And we're not talking about speeding anyway, we're talking about the opposite.
I dont see your point. Plmko and me are just stating that capping lower speed limit isn't always the solution. Driver training or more strigent license requirements is the better solution.
It is noy easy to get license in Japan. Unlike here, muppets with half a brain can pass the test.
I've driven 70 or 80 on the highway once, left lane, because I was taking my car to a mechanic and a wheel was acting funny - I was worried it might snap off or something.
Also twice last year there was a sudden and extreme torrential downpour at night when I was on a 100kmh highway. I slowed way down because you literally couldn't see out the windows and the only indicator of other cars were their brake lights. Don't remember how slow I got but it was pretty slow, at least for a short section while it was going on.
That's a tricky one because slowing down that far on a highway also puts others in danger if they didn't want to slow down. I don't know whose right but I remember being told "adjust to the conditions" so that's what I do. From memory most others slowed down too.
There's another time I go slow which is when I suddenly realise I don't know what the limit is. Maybe limits changed a few times in a short section and I've lost track. I don't follow other cars as a guide because as a rule they're all generally speeding 10-20k above the limit and I don't want a fine. So I'll go a bit below or what I think the sign was until I reach the next one.
Shrug I'm not perfect. Frankly I feel the number of limit-changing signs is increasing because there are sections of road near me that might change 6 times in just a few km. I don't always catch them all.
The final time I go slow is if you've pissed me off. That's extremely rare but if I see you swerving violently and dangerously in traffic behind me or in front of me and I've got a situation where I can trap you in 5k under the limit, I'll do it. Because you've got no regard for others I've got no regard for you. Like I said this is pretty rare though. Maybe once every year or two. It only lasts a few minutes.
At all other times or where I know the limit confidently then I do the limit, except when slowing down to corn. I also tend to keep left unless I'm turning right shortly. Unfortunately people often get pissed at you doing a "slow" exact speed limit and don't realise or care that you're turning off soon (sometimes, gasp, preparing to turn a little too early, and hanging in the lane so that you don't have to swerve back and forth again like a (profanity)).
Also twice last year there was a sudden and extreme torrential downpour at night when I was on a 100kmh highway. I slowed way down because you literally couldn't see out the windows and the only indicator of other cars were their brake lights. Don't remember how slow I got but it was pretty slow, at least for a short section while it was going on.
That's a tricky one because slowing down that far on a highway also puts others in danger if they didn't want to slow down. I don't know whose right but I remember being told "adjust to the conditions" so that's what I do. From memory most others slowed down too.
I have driven in such downpours a few times, and I decided the safest thing to do was to stop by the side of the highway and wait for it to subside a little. Definitely better than doing 40 and getting rammed from the back because some idiot wants to do 100.
I started a trend because soon there were 4-5 other drivers waiting with me. Not that we waited long, in about 5 mins visibility was fine (it was still raining) and we all went back on our merry way.
I am glad i am not a taxi,courier,truck driver also glad i am 10 minutes away from work sydney traffic is getting worse bye the day think i might just have to move out bush :/
As a cyclist (human with a family), I feel so safe with some of u morons hooning up and down the roads.
can I kindly remjnd you by LAW to give 1.5 metres when passing a cycling NOT doing a sneaky driveby 10cm gap. You allowed to go over to the other lane broken or unbrokwn lines. cyclist can take the whole lane as safety precaution. Take over like how you would taking over a car.
U can hoon in your bmx too.
I don't mind people driving slower if they're in the left lane. But what I see everyday is there are always cars in front driving at 10km or more less than the limit of 70km on one lane road. Frustrating.
People have such an aggressive and ego maniacal view of driving…
I wish that was only limited to driving…
I had someone just last week start tailgating me because he thought I should be going faster (I was in the left lane, doing 70 in an 80 zone). This genius screamed abuse at me - he wanted to pass but the right lane was already clogged, and I got a mouthful when he eventually passed me. He raced into my safety zone (the space between me and the car in front) and eventually got out ahead of the traffic. What did he achieve? Absolutely SFA. I actually passed him in traffic, about 10 minutes later. This is the kind of idiot we have to share the road with. Impatient, gotta be there first and in the end not even getting "there" before those of us driving slower and steadier. Going fast or even at the speed limit guarantees nothing and says nothing about your expertise.
Tailgating me will not make me go faster.
Shouting abuse at me will not make me go faster
I drive to the capacity of my car (which isnt much, its like driving a tank and its a small car) and my ability and yes, I stay in the left lane unless I know I need to turn right and the traffic is going to be thick in the right lane. Then, I'll drive in the right lane. If you take the same roads all the time, these things are predictable.
"I drive to the capacity of my car (which isnt much, its like driving a tank and its a small car) and my ability"
Then go enrol in some classes so you can become a competent driver.
Australia is overrepresented in international road toll statistics despite having far more interventions in place than countries below us. Things like being unable to drive solo until 17/18, speed/vehicle/passenger restrictions during initial years, extensive roadside BAC and drug testing, trigger happy mobile and fixed speed cameras, mandatory seatbelt laws, lower speed limits all around (but especially freeways).
The biggest difference between us and other countries is in driver competency, or at least that's the belief of many people in this field. Other countries have far stricter criteria to meet before you can drive, and their learner/training programs teach people to be much better drivers. 120 hours of uncontrollable experience, often taught by people who got their license with NO official training when they were younger, is not conducive to safe roads, and the above comment epitomises this.
Driving slow because you're not confident is never an acceptable excuse. Speed limits on similar stretches of roads in other countries are higher than 80, so imagine travelling on those. If you're not capable enough, learn to be, then join the populous. Until then, you're a hazard, and your license is not a right.
I don't have an issue with someone doing 70 in an 80 zone if they're in the left lane. What if they don't know the road? What if they're looking for an exit?
Tailgaiting and abuse on the other hand - now THAT is bad driving.
Your driver competency must be very low if you can't maintain speed on a road you haven't driven on before. Obviously there are times when this is appropriate but it seems like every time you get past one person doing 10-20k below the limit you get stuck behind the next. If you are lost/looking for exits you can consult a map on the side of the road where it isn't hindering everyone else around you.
@Mike88: Again as mentioned by multiple posters in this thread, it's a limit. It's an upper limit. You are under no obligation to drive at it. I usually drive close to it but I don't mind if people drive a bit slower in the left lane, and neither do the cops. And I'll reiterate the point, the true driver incompetence is the unnecessarily emotional and reactive one (i.e the tailgating abusive roadrager).
this is for WA (https://www.police.wa.gov.au/FAQ?faq=Is-there-a-minimum-spee…)
20ks under is as stated in the link is an offence.
It is considered to be creating a hazard or obstructing traffic
This was the vic one i think
(1) A driver must not unreasonably obstruct the path of another driver or a pedestrian.
Penalty: 2 penalty units.
Note Driver includes a person in control of a vehicle—see the definition of drive in the dictionary.
(2) For this rule, a driver does not unreasonably obstruct the path of another driver or a pedestrian only because—
(a) the driver is stopped in traffic; or
(b) the driver is driving more slowly than other vehicles (unless the driver is driving abnormally slowly in the circumstances).
Example of a driver driving abnormally slowly
A driver driving at a speed of 20 kilometres per hour on a length of road to which a speed-limit of 80 kilometres per hour applies when there is no reason for the driver to drive at that speed on the length of road.
@Toons: Yes and we are not talking about driving less than 20km/hr below the speed limit, we're talking about 10. Not illegal. It's in the left lane, it's not obstructive. I have no problem with it and am suspicious of people who get enraged to the point that it changes their driving by it.
Just to clarify
Firstly not having a dig at you just this whole procession of excuses.
Secondly all throughout the post it's discussion has been over a varying range of speeds (partly due to the annoying inaccuracy of speedometers) reading 100K you can be actually moving at 86 so dropping by what you think is 10k's puts you well under the lower limit or law take your pick.
Thirdly doesn't discriminate on road or type in the actual rule book single, dual, or anything above.
Lastly the limit is the limit and is what should be adhered to, unless road conditions are not satisfactory to do so, i only wish road rules were treated as suggestions which with the amount of excuses for driving slowly seems to be what some people believe.
Errr, the example says "driving at a speed of 20 kilometres per hour" NOT, driving at a speed of 20 kilometres per hour less than the speed limit.
@Local: yeah your reading it correct, i perhaps should have expanded it further so thanks for actually reading it.
it provides an exaggerated case, to attempt to differentiate between what is deemed a reasonable reduction in speed, such as the 10 k's which i don't have an objection too like miss G as long as they are keeping left. to prevent the gradual creep of the argument
had they have used the same statement with a speed of 60 it would have just muddied the waters further, when trying to explain abnormal driving.
All i was trying to do is explain that yes there is a lower limit and you can be closer to it than you think because of the speedo issue. (you are more than likely doing 10 under as a minimum without knowing)
Are you a time traveller?