songman- You've basically got it. Ever since Eisenhower brought us those wide, straight limited access highways, speed limits have had nothing at all to do with safety. Then when Congress gave us 55, they straight out admitted that it had nothing to do with safety.
So we almost entirely ignore them. The only real reason most people here obey the limit ever is because of the revenue generators... er, police. Staying less than 10 over the PSL is how most Murricans hypermile- they're not going so far over the limit that they'll get an expensive ticket. In recent years Washington has loosened its grip on limits and let states set them, but our contempt for the limits was here to stay.
Meanwhile, we find the lower PSLs useful because they give us an excuse to go more slowly. Not as slowly as we might want to- my POS's highest numbers come around 35-40, but still slower than traffic would otherwise go. I can say "look, I'm already going faster than I want to, and that's a personal favor to you, tjts1. But why on Earth would I break the law as a favor to someone as rude as you?"
In the meantime, commercials and our daydreams always have clear roads with no traffic or obstructions and we can do 150 mph all the time. In real life, the road was not built to be your personal amusement park and other people use it sometimes. And so we get this:
Quote:
Originally Posted by tjts1
Even if you're using the slow lane, if you're forcing semi trucks to pass you on the left in the fast lane, you're impeding traffic. Get off the freeway and use side streets.
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