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Christ · 03-17-2009, 10:27 PM

I used to be pretty conscious of other drivers on the highway.. until I realized one thing - there's another lane.

I still do the speed limit most times, but around here, the speed limit on some highways is still 55, and people still do 70-90 average. I keep it at 55-62, even on the highways that have a 65mph speed limit. Sure, people hate following me, but they usually get the hint that I'm not going to speed up, and go around me.

I have also noticed that when I drive at the speeds that everyone else drives at, I get stuck in the "slow downs" that everyone else gets stuck in... like heavy merging traffic from an on-ramp causing some congestion on the highway... I keep a steady speed through it all the time, and usually end up passing all those foo - no, people - that passed me before hand.

I also find that driving slower, I enjoy driving more. I get to see things that I normally wouldn't be able to pay attention to b/c I'd be focused on going faster than everyone else. I can also take solace in the fact that I'm getting better gas mileage than even some cars much smaller than my 2000 Caravan, and I'm causing less wear and tear on my engine/driveline with my driving than those other drivers.

It's only the young fools that will get super close, act like idiots, whip out into the other lane, cutting someone else off, then accelerate like a cheetah with a dart in it's butt, just to make it where ever they're going 10 minutes faster... Keep in mind, the time difference between 70mph and 60 mph for a 30 mile trip is less than 10 minutes, and the average highway trip is less than 30 miles.

30 miles:
70MPH takes 25.71 mins
60MPH takes 30 mins.

"In 1995 Commuting overtook social and recreational trips as the longest distance trip type, 11.8 miles on average."

03-17-2009, 10:27 PM	#11 (permalink)
Christ Moderate your Moderation. Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Troy, Pa. Posts: 8,919 Pasta - '96 Volkswagen Passat TDi 90 day: 45.22 mpg (US) Thanks: 1,369 Thanked 430 Times in 353 Posts	I used to be pretty conscious of other drivers on the highway.. until I realized one thing - there's another lane. I still do the speed limit most times, but around here, the speed limit on some highways is still 55, and people still do 70-90 average. I keep it at 55-62, even on the highways that have a 65mph speed limit. Sure, people hate following me, but they usually get the hint that I'm not going to speed up, and go around me. I have also noticed that when I drive at the speeds that everyone else drives at, I get stuck in the "slow downs" that everyone else gets stuck in... like heavy merging traffic from an on-ramp causing some congestion on the highway... I keep a steady speed through it all the time, and usually end up passing all those foo - no, people - that passed me before hand. I also find that driving slower, I enjoy driving more. I get to see things that I normally wouldn't be able to pay attention to b/c I'd be focused on going faster than everyone else. I can also take solace in the fact that I'm getting better gas mileage than even some cars much smaller than my 2000 Caravan, and I'm causing less wear and tear on my engine/driveline with my driving than those other drivers. It's only the young fools that will get super close, act like idiots, whip out into the other lane, cutting someone else off, then accelerate like a cheetah with a dart in it's butt, just to make it where ever they're going 10 minutes faster... Keep in mind, the time difference between 70mph and 60 mph for a 30 mile trip is less than 10 minutes, and the average highway trip is less than 30 miles. 30 miles: 70MPH takes 25.71 mins 60MPH takes 30 mins. "In 1995 Commuting overtook social and recreational trips as the longest distance trip type, 11.8 miles on average." Last edited by Christ; 03-17-2009 at 10:33 PM..