A drawback of hypermilling

[tasdrouille]

The biggest issue with speed cameras is a matter of cost/revenue.

The inital cost will be recovered with no problem, however, comfort levels of revenue after that cost will not be very high, given that when/if people stop speeding, the speed cameras no longer create income.

Therefore, they are only as cost effective as the amount of income they could generate immediately, but then not so much.

Sorry to be OT, but there is a lot more than that to consider.

If you actually get people to stop speeding, you effectively reduce the average speed of circulation from the current situation. On highways, for each reduction of 1 mph in average speed, you get a reduction of roughly 4% in accidents.

That is a great deal less people dying on our roads each years, people who will continue work and pay taxes. A greater number of people not being sent to the hospital as a result of a crash. Finally over a million people each year who do not have to deal with the productivity losses associated with an accident.

There are huge benefits for everyone to be had if people were actually driving the speed limit.

[SmallFry]

Originally Posted by Tygen1

I got quite a laugh out of it all....blocking traffic=doing the speed limit!

When I first started driving truck back in '96, I was in N. California, and swung up US 50 (I think) from Stockton to visit my aunt for the night in the mountains. Whatever road it was, it was the back way from Tahoe back to the valley. The next morning, when heading back toward Stockton, up and down in the hills, I'd grabb the right climbing land whenever there was one. On one upgrade, a cop passed me, then I found him in the next downgrade in a curve trying to catch me speeding. He did this 3 times never catching me speeding. Finally, he pulled me over and gave me the what for telling me that I was impeding traffic and someone was going to get killed because of it. When I was in flat land or on a downgrade, I was at the speedlimit. His logic was that the skiers coming back from the lake, were lined up behind me - waiting to pass - so they could speed. I only got a warning though. I guess I F-ed up his revenue that day because so many were not speeding because of me. lol.

[Arminius]

I actually have the 100+ Hypermiling Tips from this site printed out, and I carry them in my car in case I get pulled over and have to explain my driving. So far I haven't had to pull them out, because I just point at my Scanguage and say I'm testing it out to see what speed is most efficient.

I don't go slower than the law allows, and I don't dirve slowly if there is a chance I will impede traffic. But I do attact attention because of my speed, and I've gotten pulled over because they say they saw me weave (not!).

[WheresMyGas]

I keep hearing "the cop is just mad they're not able to write more tickets(revenue).
The officer is looking after safety. A bottleneck in traffic flow will cause more merging to pass a hypermiler. A lot of merging raises the chance of an accident.
The cop will think you are either drunk or saving. Some drunk drivers will drive at the limit to make sure they won't get pulled over for speeding. You would want him to check up on a possible drunk driver to make the roads safer.

I always try to make it as safe and will ajust my speed with traffic conditions(mainly with cars merging on to the highway).

[blueflame]

Put up a bumper sticker that says

'Its time to stop crime' or 'Vote for more police' kinda thing

'Jesus loves you' may work too...

dont have stickers like my friend who always gets pulled over

'Gas, grass or ass, nobody rides for free'

I think the bottom line is: dont do anything to stick out from the crowd... this is the crime that makes you pay...

[JacobAziza]

Just a minute ago I saw a cop walking toward my house through the window, and I was concerned for just a second until I saw him walk up to the truck and realized he was just admiring the upgrades (I talked to him once a couple weeks ago when he signed off a fix-it ticket for me).

I have a big orange truck with a 300w stereo, I live in an RV, I get to work by rollerblade - for me not standing out is not really a realistic option.

[PA32R]

*OFF TOPIC*

Jacob:

How are you getting 23.5 m.p.g. in your truck, 95.8% above EPA? I get about 20.6m.p.g. in my 4.4L Land Rover, and work hard and consistently at hypermiling, including all the "bad" techniques when available. I'm very impressed and somewhat envious.

[JacobAziza]

Originally Posted by PA32R

*OFF TOPIC*

Jacob:

How are you getting 23.5 m.p.g. in your truck, 95.8% above EPA?

Actually, my last tank was 24.5mpg, but the website averages the last 3 months and my mods are still a work in progress.
I did I write up of all the changes I made so far here:
*Vehicle efficiency upgrades* (New and Improved!)

I went from 15 to about 20 from driving technique, the rest has been aero upgrades and engine drain deletions.
I'm hoping to get above 25 (which would put me above the average car mileage in a commercial truck which is big enough to be exempt from CAFE standards) but I have to balance out the money I spend on my new hobby with what I save in fuel money. In a few months I'll be changing from power steering to manual, and someday in the distant future a transmission with overdrive...

[bgd73]

Originally Posted by kitaimdao

Depending on where I am sometimes you have to be within five miles of the speed limit, above or below

there are places that deadly. Like a nightmarish bridge without a breakdown lane miles long....
I still have 1781cc and t rated tires, and 80s mph cruising as a goal, I am from massachussetts originally, near rte 128. Insane. it even made some of my v8 cars not quick enough with the games of stampede it played. The contentment during last years fuel proces was to analagize 90hp super car to the average racing highway speeds slowing down. Beyond that, there is 2 decades keeping up with the rest of the world. The diesel accelerating slow reminds me of an 86 f-350 I used to drive. Outright frustrating, it just wouldn't move. The dangerous diesel goes to like a rabbit or jetta of old, or that vw pickup. crazy to even think of it and highway together. There are small engines doing big things besides make noise, hardly exist in gods country, but maybe engineering and braun will meet without a confrontation some decade. The old sube was close...close enough.

[JacobAziza]

You know, as intimidating as it can be when everyone around you goes faster, the statics show that fast cars/drivers have a far higher fatality rate than slow ones.

Even if you do get hit from behind (which is the most rare type of accident) that does much less damage than any other type of crash.
At twice the speed a crash has 4 times the impact force.

As a former driver of armored trucks, a former bicycle messenger, and a former reckless driver, I can say from experience that 1) once you get used to moving slower than the flow of traffic, its really not a big deal and 2) you can get in way more trouble going too fast than you can by going too slow.

When you cross that bridge, just go the speed limit, and everyone behind you just has to wait. You don't have to apologize for following the law, being safe, and saving fuel (which in turn helps save America)