Pulled over for hypermilling
 

So this actually happened a couple weeks ago, but I haven't gotten around to posting about it until today.

So I'm on my way home from work and I'm on this section of 4 lane divided non-interstate highway. The speed limit is 60 mph. Traffic is fairly light, just a couple cars coming up a ways behind me. I'm approaching this section where there are 2 red lights about 1 mile apart. The first light is red as I approach so I coast down from about 50 mph to 30 mph and by then it changes to green and the cars that were stopped are moving along and I don't have to brake at all (excellent!).

At this point I notice there is this tan SUV coming up behind me, but nobody else and the left lane is clear so I think nothing of it. Going through the red light I pulse up to about 50 mph and begin gliding. I can now see the 2nd red light and it's on red so I'm completely content to just glide along in neutral. I get down to 40 mph or so and I notice the SUV is right behind me. I wonder why. Speed limit is 60 mph so most people would just pass me no problem. I'm thinking, "Dude, what's the deal? The left lane is clear. Just pass me already." By this point, I've coasted down to about 35 mph.

That's when I see the Christmas tree light up behind me. That tan SUV was an unmarked cop car (Sherriff actually). Great. So I pull over. The cop walks up to my window.

Cop: "Sir, are you feeling all right?"

Me: (Puzzled look on my face) "Yes, why?"

Cop: "I noticed your driving seemed a little erratic. Your speed was fluctuating a lot. Up to 55, down to 35."

Me: "Oh, the light was red. I guess I just didn't see any point in going faster just to stop at the light. I'm not really in a hurry."

Cop: "Okay, so you're feeling okay. You're not having any medical problem or anything?"

Me: "No, sir."

Cop: "All right, have a nice day."


Anybody else ever had something like this happen?

Yeah, 60% of all Florida drivers.

Just tell him your wallet is causing you great pain.

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Thats funny, but I love the outcome. I enjoy seein our finest doin what they are supposed to do, and genuine concern for public and individual safety and wellbeing has never bothered me! Ive never had it happen, most cops would just blow my doors off LOL but that is funny!
Matt

I don't really blame the guy. I mean, after I thought about it I guess P&G would kind of mimick someone having a problem like a mild siezure, or stroke, or vision problems. You might slow down until you regain you senses so to speak, then resume a "normal" speed, etc.

And really, who drives 30 mph is a 60 mph speed zone (except us)? Even granny goes at least 45 mph.

I agree its good to see cops doing what they're supposed to do. I'm glad you didn't get hassled. Many police threads here are about ecomodders being hassled unfortunately. Its also unfortunate that your (our) driving is so far different from the norm that it sticks out enough for there to be concern... :rolleyes:

Haha, figures something like this would happen eventually.

Reminds me of a story about a guy who got pulled over on a major highway. Cop asks him how fast he was going. Unsure, the driver responds "eh...maybe about 60 or 70."

His real speed: 7 miles per hour. He had been taking LSD.

And before anybody mentions it, yes, I was coasting in neutral. That is illegal in some states but in Indiana it's only illegal on a down grade.

Here's the exact law:

So, since I wasn't on a down grade I wasn't doing anything illegal at the time. Not that this law prevents me from coasting in neutral when there is a down grade. Stupid law anyway.

You're telling me! Last time I was down there, I was so happy being able to see a light upto a mile ahead, so I'd start DFCO since it was red and I felt like I was going too fast to clear it. This caused people to be furious with me, even on 6(!) lane roads. Honks and people swerving around me for me to pass them at the stop light that they hurried and stopped at and then the process would start over. After the 2nd time it happened, I decided to only do it when traffic was 'light'

Dave: Good job! A cop story that doesn't get me fuming.

The cops are looking for drunk drivers this time of year. Drunks tend to drive slower than the speed limit or way above it.

Good story made me chuckle.

Nice outcome!

Good light timing too.

I bet when the Christmas tree came on in your mirror you were thinking, "man... I wonder if I should brake to a stop or coast to a stop... nah, I'd better brake."

I would have been. :D

I once got pulled over for doing 50 in a 55 zone :) The police man thought I had been drinking because I was going under the speed limit :D it was kinda funny.

With as far as I can coast with my big truck, he probably woulda given me a hard time for not stopping for another 1/2 mile!

yah, maybe the cops will pull you over next time just to say "I was really impressed with how well you timed those lights." :)

Thus ruining the nice avoidance of unnecessary stops. Yup, being pulled over for being the only one to drive sensibly- par for the course.

down here in invercargill, new zealand,

i get pulled up FOR DOING THE SPEED LIMIT
i kid you not, everyone drives at 40km/h down here,
im used to 50 km/h (roughly 32ish mph for you americans)
the town is so small (55,000ish people) and everything is 5 minutes away, that most people walk, so the main road which is double laned is barely every used!!

not that im complaining, its kind of nice to be able to drive without a worry in the world,

You should have asked him to push you back up to speed to compensate for your lost momentum.

Was following my 86 year old mother in her Eldorado and she started slowing down quite some distance from a red light, giving it time to change without her slowing down any more than necessary. Pop (riding with me) starts to criticize her. I explained it to him. The goal is to go through the light at the speed closest to your original speed. They compete with each other driving up Virginia's eastern shore to do some gambling near Ocean City Maryland.
He's 90. Married since 1946. She loves it and tells me even if she only beat him by a tenth of a MPG.

regards
Mech

In all seriousness, after I restarted I thought, "Dang, that cost me some mileage!"

I guess that falls under the "You might be an Ecommoder if..." category.

Fan the fire: Her father was a better teacher than her husband . . . .

HAHA, they have been married since 1946. Enough fires fanned to produce 4 sons. Occasionally an ember still flares up and sparkles for a while.

Pop hypermiled his B17 to conserve fuel in case the "self sealing tanks" lost too much from all of the bullet holes. He usually got home with 100 gallons more than anyone else, when it didn't leak out!

regards
Mech

My FIL had some similar tales about over The Hump in C-46's. I've asked son about the latest C-130 variation he flies (KC-130J) and the level of automation (and prediction) is incredible to those of raised on mechanical gauges and lots of shirtsleeve calculations. Even figures winds aloft, etc from real-time weather forecasting (if I understood correctly).

Reading advertisements from any period in automotive history one finds concern about fuel economy. Too bad it's a bit late to take oral histories of those driving in the 1930's and 1940's. WWII rations were 4-gls/week on the homefront. Sort of like sex in the 1960's or 70's. Grandma didn't say so, but you could tell that "the revolution" was only in name, ha! Hypermiling is as old as the hills.

Jed Clampett probably couldn't help himself when they loaded up the truck and they moved to Bever-leeee.

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Pop was riding in a 41 Ford to visit his family just before deployment to Europe (they flew there from the US). At a toll booth on the Pennsylvania turnpike the 2 year old hydraulic brakes failed totally. The car hit a Buick in the tool booth. After some debate the owner of the Buick finally let him know he was really ticked off because he had just used all of his accumulated ration coupons to fill his tank, which was now leaking all over the road.
Pop's ten man crew had accumulated ration coupons all the time they were in training and had enough to buy a couple hundred gallons of fuel. They gave the Buick driver the ration coupons and he left, couldn't care less about the smashed rear end, just the gas he had lost.
A lot of people learned to maximise their fuel mileage during the war. Consider what you would do today if you had 4 gallons a week to get everywhere you needed to go.
I know they got 43 MPG in a 55 Chrysler 300 Hemi accelerating to 45 MPH and coasting practically down to 0 speed, rinse and repeat.
They had 4 flats from Dayton Ohio to the toll booth on the turnpike. Replaced them with front tires for a tractor!
regards
Mech

It's been a while since I've burned anywhere near 4 gal/week! :thumbup: Thank you electric bicycle!

He must have laughed when you asked him to push start your car for you....

LOL JK... THAT WOULD HAVE BEEN CLASSIC!!!

Cops are a very strange breed.
On my motorcycle, I once got pulled over for gunning it on the motorway on-ramp !

gawd, did you eat a crabby patty this morning?

Cops are VERY lenient here in Colorado. I zoomed past one with a speed camera at 40 mph in a 65 - he never flinched. I suppose it helps that no other cars were around, I had my flashers on, and have all these hypermiler stickers plastered on the back of the car...

I might have to take these off - looks kinda tacky now that I think about it.

Can we list "mild seizure" as an official hypermiling technique? :p

That's awesome!

As said, already in effect in Florida.

I got pulled over again. Got a ticket this time. I started a new thread on the topic:
http://ecomodder.com/forum/showthrea...tml#post273752

7 miles per hour, eh? Reminds me of this!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_A-S9nxCgxU