Does Hypermileing make you a safer driver?

[dcb]

They should add that to the driving test, see if you can drive 70, then see if you can drive 55 without exploding

[Arragonis]

Originally Posted by 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.

It i theoretically illegal to pass on the inside in the UK, that tapped it is the responsibility of drivers to move to the inside lane when not actually passing someone. Because people ignore the second rule a lot of people ignore the first.

A traffic policeman told me once if you have enough room to pass on the nearside safely then the other car had enough time to move over.

[Galane]

US Highway 95, which should have all been widened to at least 4 lanes over 20 years ago. If you're driving well under the posted limit on a two lane road *you* are a hazard to everyone else on the road while you're playing at being a rolling roadblock.

Why people keep doing that is because the police will not enforce any existing laws against it. Should the State, County and local cops decide there's money to be had in actually enforcing all the traffic laws, I doubt "I was hypermiling." will be accepted as an excuse for impeding traffic.

[dcb]

On a daily basis, how slow are we talking Galane?

Arragonis, we have a different definition of inside/inner in the states, unlike this diagram from Ireland/britan, the inside lanes are the ones on the inside here :P


It is illegal here to pass on the outside, or the right, also. I don't encounter slowpokes in the inside lane very often, the lane on the inside that is, but slowpokes there get passed wholesale, and aggressively, so much so that it can further compound the problem, some are scared to leave that lane once they find themselves there in traffic.

[Galane]

On the part of US 95 I regularly drive on, it's 65 MPH. About half the time I'll get stuck behind somebody going 50 or slower. Sometimes there's 15 or 20 cars in a train behind some *bleep* going 45, there's too much traffic to pass. Even worse is when there's a cop stuck in the train and he won't put on the lights and go ticket the jerk in the front of the line.

What makes it even more annoying is that long stretches of 95 have been completely rebuilt, fences and poles moved back, curves straightened, roadbed leveled to reduce ups and downs, all the prep work to make room to widen to four lanes - then they repaved it with only two lanes. On the part I regularly use, that was done about 25 years ago, before that rebuild there were no shoulders at all.

New Year's Day 1997 there was a big flood that washed away big pieces of 95. Much major upgrading of the road was done but NOT WIDENING to four lanes.

This past year they've been doing some more work on this section and yup, not widening it again. Think of the money that would have been saved if a policy of widening to 4 lanes whenever any major work was done had been adopted 30+ years back.

Also think of how many head on collisions would not have happened. I've tried to find out how many such there have been in the past 20~25 years and how many deaths. Deaths which could have been prevented by a 4-lane Highway 95.

I don't care what you do when hypermiling, as long as it doesn't involve being a slowpoke on a high traffic 2-lane road. Save that for 4 or more lanes so people who want to drive the posted limit can safely get past you.

[Arragonis]

Originally Posted by dcb

On a daily basis, how slow are we talking Galane?

Arragonis, we have a different definition of inside/inner in the states...

That explains a lot about what is happening here. Do the terms "offside" (driver's side) and "nearside" (passenger side) work better in the colonies ?

Galane - if you strongly believe this is dangerous then report it to the police - yeah I read about them being in the line doing nothing, welcome to my world - and whoever (Authority etc.) looks after the road.

Enough complaints means they will do something at some point. A junction near where I live was constantly being blocked by impatient *bleeps caught out when the line changed to red - I (and others) complained enough and at first the police monitored it and spoke to a few drivers who blocked it. Now it is a "box junction" - which is illegal to enter unless the exit is clear.

It isn't a full solution but it helps.

[redyaris]

TITLE 49
MOTOR VEHICLES
CHAPTER 6
RULES OF THE ROAD
49-655.Minimum speed regulation. No person shall drive a motor vehicle at such a slow speed as to impede the normal and reasonable movement of traffic except when reduced speed is necessary for safe operation or in compliance with the law.

This is the Idaho legislation for slow moving motor vehicles.
So, as long as the traffic is moving the police can not do anything unless there is some case law that gives the police some guidence as to what is ...normal and reasonable... The defence of ...reduced speed is necessary for safe operation... is just to easy!

[SentraSE-R]

If the LEOs don't think slow drivers are an impediment on your country highway, then you're the one with a problem, Galane. The posted speed limit is a maximum, not a minimum.

You come on to the hypermiling forums with a chip on your shoulder blaming hypermilers for going slow. We don't make up 1% of the driving public. Your slow driving scapegoats in rural Idaho aren't hypermilers at all. They're farmers and old folks who aren't in a big rush to get themselves killed by driving like maniacs.

[Thymeclock]

Originally Posted by Old Mechanic

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

When you interrupt the flow of traffic and create a distraction, it increases the risk of accidents.

[Fat Charlie]

Originally Posted by Arragonis

That explains a lot about what is happening here. Do the terms "offside" (driver's side) and "nearside" (passenger side) work better in the colonies ?

Yep, and they mean exactly the opposite of what you think they do because you sit on the wrong side of the car. We both agree that the near side of the car is the left and the off side is the right. That's perfectly reasonable in places where the driver sits on the left- the "nearside" is so close I can touch it! The "offside" is way off over there.

While we're at it, why are your outer lanes wedged in against the median while your inner lanes are on the outer edges of the road?

Galane- My hypermiling is generally between 70 and 80 MPH. Nyah, nyah!