Why do Americans drive so fast?

[Fat Charlie]

What, driving 20 minutes across town (each way) to pay three cents less a gallon?

[botsapper]

Speed has been originally designed for it. The Federal-Aid Highway Act 1956 set a uniform standard that depending type of terrain that the minimum two-way, 12ft width, 10ft right shoulder & left 4ft paved shoulder travel lanes in each direction are constructed to have safe max banking and speed dynamics at 50-70 mph. With modern suspensions, tire tech and standard ASC, we could easily travel even faster.

[jeff88]

Originally Posted by jayliu1984

USA is sure a nation on wheels, it is so freaking busy that I end up getting stuck in traffic half the time doing 20-40.

I think your answer is in your question. People feel the need to "catch up" to the "ghost car" ahead that would have been them had they been doing "normal" speed for their entire trip, even if that means hitting every light red and endangering themselves and others.

[UFO]

Short answer: Fuel is cheap. Or else we (collectively) would try to conserve.

[ksa8907]

I've considered this sort of question and come to the same conclusion as others. Gas is cheap.

[rmay635703]

Originally Posted by UFO

Short answer: Fuel is cheap. Or else we (collectively) would try to conserve.

Actually I think you could make fuel $30 a gallon and they would still drive the same and complain about the gas price but would see no possible way of reducing their fuel consumption.

Those that couldn't afford to drive 85mph would not drive at all,

I guess that would be a little progress, though not much.

[UltArc]

Originally Posted by botsapper

Speed has been originally designed for it. The Federal-Aid Highway Act 1956 set a uniform standard that depending type of terrain that the minimum two-way, 12ft width, 10ft right shoulder & left 4ft paved shoulder travel lanes in each direction are constructed to have safe max banking and speed dynamics at 50-70 mph. With modern suspensions, tire tech and standard ASC, we could easily travel even faster.

I would have to find my source, but I have been under the impression for years that the speed limits were based for primarily emissions, and then safety standards.

I do agree, if people can't afford to drive 100 miles to nowhere at 85 in a 60, they will just drive the 10 miles to the store. At 48 in a 35.

It seems many people do not place a value on their true expenses, rather, they would sooner drive at 20%+ over the speed limit to save 2 minutes. Why not just leave two minutes earlier?

[UFO]

Originally Posted by rmay635703

Actually I think you could make fuel $30 a gallon and they would still drive the same and complain about the gas price but would see no possible way of reducing their fuel consumption.

Those that couldn't afford to drive 85mph would not drive at all,

I guess that would be a little progress, though not much.

I think you are right, there would be much gnashing of teeth and plenty of blame, but no behavioral insight.

Since I have been conscious of how I use my fuel, and have changed my habits somewhat, the more I see how oblivious others are about most other aspects of driving well with others too. The prevailing driving mindset seems unconsciously selfish and narcissistic.

It's a microcosm. We have lots of growing up I think.

[Frank Lee]

Speed limit - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

It seems many people do not place a value on their true expenses, rather, they would sooner drive at 20%+ over the speed limit to save 2 minutes. Why not just leave two minutes earlier?

2/3 of the people (there are articles about this) don't budget and their notions of what they make and spend are vague at best. They simply don't know AND don't care to know.

Additionally, these same sort of people- in probably similar numbers- don't consider and/or are not intellectually capable of considering the (usually miniscule) effect of speed on trip time.

I think you are right, there would be much gnashing of teeth and plenty of blame, but no behavioral insight.

I think that as long as people buy gas on credit, the price will have minimal impact on gas usage and it won't effect change unless/until the credit card expense becomes great enough to displace something essential- say, eating or housing- out of affordability.

P.S. Upon further reflection, I wonder how many actually would change their fuel consumption habits regardless of buying it on credit or being able to afford fuel, food, and housing all at the same time? I imagine some percentage would; that said, how many Uhmericans that lost their homes to foreclosure recently made any effort to economize? In my (prejudiced) view, probably not many at all. They opted to live out of their shiny new GM Subdivisions instead. You can tell from posters on other forums like GasBuddy that there is a significant population that feels resigned/helpless/unconcerned about getting pathetic fuel economy.

[UltArc]

Originally Posted by Frank Lee

Speed limit - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia



2/3 of the people (there are articles about this) don't budget and their notions of what they make and spend are vague at best. They simply don't know AND don't care to know.

Additionally, these same sort of people- in probably similar numbers- don't consider and/or are not intellectually capable of considering the (usually miniscule) effect of speed on trip time.

it was rhetorical- I couldn't agree with you more.