Does Hypermileing make you a safer driver?

[Arragonis]

Gallane has a point (to some extent) about what we in the UK call "Road Captains" - those who decide what speed everyone else should go. They sit in the passing lane holding up traffic to their chosen speed for no reason other than their sense of public service.

As for slowpokes - not sure who they are, are they us ? me ?

Luckily here in the UK the Police have powers for people driving too slow - maybe 30 MPH under the limit may qualify. The difficulty is that different classes of vehicles have different limits - cars, trucks, coaches - and they all share the same bit of road so there has to be some give and take. Also on any motorway with more than 2 lanes on each side, trucks and buses are not allowed into the outer one - which frustrates them if there is a "Road Captain" in the middle lane refusing to speed up or move over.

If I want to go slower I find a truck and sit behind it. When I'm behind a massive truck they tend to notice that and adjust lanes to take it into account. If I doddle along on my own people sometimes assume I'm going faster than I am and get annoyed they have to slow.

As for people who go on about me doing under the PSL my response is simple - its a limit and not a target.

[dcb]

the inside lane is for passing, and road captains are not the same as hypermilers certainly. I think he is on some two lane road in Idaho with few passing opportunities, though I would probably (gladly) chill behind mr slowpoke, no problem, still beats the hell out of walking

Another time I would have been more agitated about it, but I've been first hand to more than enough close calls that way.

[Thymeclock]

Originally Posted by Arragonis

Gallane has a point (to some extent) about what we in the UK call "Road Captains" - those who decide what speed everyone else should go. They sit in the passing lane holding up traffic to their chosen speed for no reason other than their sense of public service.

In the 1970's, during the gas shortages in the U.S., our government decided to make 55 MPH a national maximum speed limit on all highways. In order to enforce it, some states decided to have three marked police cars routinely travel alongside each other on an interstate highway, going exactly 55 MPH so that no one could pass them. Road captains, indeed. It was more of a show of force than anything else.

Why did they abandon this strategy? Because those police cars traveling in that pattern created a situation that caused accidents to occur.

Slow driving is not necessarily safer driving. It doesn't necessarily save fuel in all situations, either. Unpredictability and impeding the flow of traffic is a safety hazard.

[Kodak]

I think speed differentials and following too closely are a large part of traffic confusion. Driving significantly slower than what drivers expect can cause problems. This is exacerbated by drivers who insist upon tailgating - which is futile anyway.

[cfg83]

Thymeclock -

Originally Posted by Thymeclock

In the 1970's, during the gas shortages in the U.S., our government decided to make 55 MPH a national maximum speed limit on all highways. In order to enforce it, some states decided to have three marked police cars routinely travel alongside each other on an interstate highway, going exactly 55 MPH so that no one could pass them. Road captains, indeed. It was more of a show of force than anything else.

Why did they abandon this strategy? Because those police cars traveling in that pattern created a situation that caused accidents to occur.

...

I looked that up but couldn't find any accidents :

Protesting the 55 MPH speed limit.

AS usual you have COMPLETELY misrepresented the effort. DPD was launching an new traffic enforcement program. They NEVER did it in rush hour. They did not "block" freeways" It did not take "quite a few cars". If there were three lanes, it took 3 cars. The support cars were not to keep the roadblock safe.

They lined up patrol cars side by side who drove AT THE SPEED LIMIT down selected sections of roads. They would then set up traffic untis working radar behind the moving cars.

There was no media outcry, just reporting. It was an effective traffic safety program ...

Assuming the following article from 2003 is correct, then it's also not just a 55 MPH thing :

Roadblocks and Police Escorts-Dallas police will force you not to speed
Dallas police target speeders
01/13/2003

By MARY ANN RAZZUK / WFAA-TV and ROBERT THARP / The Dallas Morning News

Dallas motorists who have been getting away with their own rules of the road should beware: Dallas police say they've had enough.

Chief Terrell Bolton Monday announced one of the toughest traffic crackdowns the department has ever launched.

Starting this week, teams of motorcycle officers and others in specially marked Chevrolet Camaros will be conducting rolling roadblocks on freeways and interstates around the city. The officers ride side-by-side across the traffic lanes and drive the speed limit, forcing motorists trailing behind to slow down to the legal posted speed. ...

While accidents are plausible, I think the police markings lowered the likelihood of accidents.

CarloSW2

[Thymeclock]

While accidents are plausible, I think the police markings lowered the likelihood of accidents.

CarloSW2

How old are you? I get the impression you may not have been old enough to have been driving in the 1970's if you don't remember it.

Another example involving safety and traffic flow was the toll booths that existed every 20 miles or so on I-95 and on certain parkways here in NY and Connecticut. It impeded the flow of traffic tremendously. People had to juggle spare change while driving to pay the tolls. After numerous, serious accidents they finally removed all the tool booths to reduce the accident rate. And yes, they did admit that was the reason for doing away with the tolls.

But I wouldn't expect you to know that either, since you don't live in this vicinity.

[cfg83]

Thymeclock -

45 years old. Started driving in the 1980's.

CarloSW2

[user removed]

The rolling roadblocks were in response to the threat of loss of federal funding of highway construction and repair. The Feds were checking for compliance of the new 55 MPH limit. Maryland was infamous for doing this to the DC rush hour traffic in both directions.

The higher accident rate was one of the reasons the whole thing fell apart.

regards
Mech

[dcb]

yes, and the cause of those accidents was not the speed, but the drivers.

[user removed]

Yep, it would have been difficult to have any accidents if there had been no drivers .

On the other hand, drivers that had been used to speeds of 70 MPH, that now had to contend with 55 MPH in a horrendous commute that now took considerably longer would certainly be the source of more accidents.

regards
Mech