Why are so many people driving slowly?

**detlump** · February-01-12, 07:34 PM

It seems to me that a lot of people around these parts are driving really slowly - I mean, 5-10 mph below the speed limit! Worse still, on a road with 2 lanes, both drivers do it, blocking traffic behind them. What gives? Are the speed traps that bad? I don't see any cops around when this happens.

Is everyone hypermiling except me? I'm driving a slow car [[170hp) too!

Has anyone, ever, been ticketed for not keeping right if slower traffic?

It happens so much to me, I figure we could double the surplus in tickets alone.

Anyone else seeing this??

**Roq** · February-01-12, 07:36 PM

Originally Posted by detlump

It seems to me that a lot of people around these parts are driving really slowly - I mean, 5-10 mph below the speed limit! Worse still, on a road with 2 lanes, both drivers do it, blocking traffic behind them. What gives? Are the speed traps that bad? I don't see any cops around when this happens.

Is everyone hypermiling except me? I'm driving a slow car [[170hp) too!

Has anyone, ever, been ticketed for not keeping right if slower traffic?

It happens so much to me, I figure we could double the surplus in tickets alone.

Anyone else seeing this??

Oh my God -- YES. I am on the verge of an aneurysm every day. Pick up the pace people!

**jtf1972** · February-02-12, 11:49 PM

That's me!

Unless I am running late I'm the guy doing 60 in a 70, 40 in a 45... And I laugh my ass off at the people who practically lose control of the vehicle to get around me, flipping me off & blowing the horn.

I'm also paying attention, not on my phone, etc.

**Pam** · February-03-12, 08:31 AM

Originally Posted by Roq

Oh my God -- YES. I am on the verge of an aneurysm every day.

Maybe listening to some nice mellow jazz in the car would help?

Ravine · February-23-12, 03:56 AM

Originally Posted by Pam

Maybe listening to some nice mellow jazz in the car would help?

Why, I oughtta...

Look, let's compromise. Some jazz suited to a Ride with Roq:

**Roq** · February-23-12, 04:40 AM

Originally Posted by Ravine

Why, I oughtta...

Look, let's compromise. Some jazz suited to a Ride with Roq:

Noooooooooooooo......not the jazz!!!

To paraphrase some great learned scholar...or something -- jazz sucks.

**MidTownMs** · February-01-12, 07:38 PM

Driving around what parts? Surface streets or freeway? Where?

**dtowncitylover** · February-01-12, 07:46 PM

Happened to me the other day when two cars we just twiddling their thumbs next to each other. I really do hate passing people on the right, but people need to learn the difference! I find it worse on the surface streets than on the freeways.

It also irritates me when people slowly merge into the left turn lane.

**downtown_racine** · February-01-12, 07:56 PM

Gas prices or stoned, beats wrong way drunks.

**Brian1979** · February-01-12, 08:08 PM

Yeah I hate this, the worst I've ever seen it is in Chicago, the red lights screw you up more than anything. Another thing I hate is people getting into the left lane and going slow for no reason at all, speed up or get in the other lane. I hate when you'll be on the expressway and the speed limit will say 55 and you know you can get away with doing 80 or more and there are cars clogging the lane going the speed limit or less. I was on the Eisenhower in Chicago and there wasn't much traffic this was on Sunday so not much traffic on a Sunday, an entire pack of cars were in the left lane going about 40 mph, the other two lanes were moving at about 65 mph. That kind of stuff gets me going.

**Meddle** · February-02-12, 07:25 AM

Originally Posted by Brian1979

Another thing I hate is people getting into the left lane and going slow for no reason at all, speed up or get in the other lane. I hate when you'll be on the expressway and the speed limit will say 55 and you know you can get away with doing 80 or more and there are cars clogging the lane going the speed limit or less.

While I agree slower traffic needs to stay right, I hate it when people think they can do 25 over.

In most cases, up to 14 under is legal. 15 or more under can be considered impeding. 14 over is never legal even though they might not stop you for it.

**jt1** · February-02-12, 01:41 PM

I hate when people drive slow. This takes away time from my agenda that consists 100% of productive uses of time and energy................like posting on an internet forum.

**j to the jeremy** · February-01-12, 11:38 PM

Originally Posted by downtown_racine

Gas prices or stoned, beats wrong way drunks.

Laid back chillin metropolis

**DetroitPlanner** · February-01-12, 07:59 PM

You folks need to chill a bit. I'd rather have folks driving under the speed limit than driving like jackrabbits. That hypermile crack may be why, Everyone knows you can get much better mileage not driving your car hard, have you ever seen what the average wages are around here or the price of gas? Gas has been going up while wages are going down or stagnant. Another reason may be that the cost of speeding tickets are so high that they are avoiding them.

I do have my pet peeves though. I hate the ones who are driving slow due to yapping on the phone or putting on makeup. Pay attention people! Why are you so important that you have to be yapping on the phone at 7 am? If someone called me that early I'd hang up!

Ravine · February-01-12, 08:15 PM

I think beginning drivers should be taught, in training, to avoid driving alongside of other vehicles. Doing so automatically means that the speed of those two lanes is being dictated, by the two, for everyone behind. If it's a 4-lane highway, that's not quite as bad, but on a 3-lane [[or less, obviously,) it's highly disruptive.
The bit where folks slowly merge into the turn lane drives me nuts, too. I try to get into the turn lane at the same speed I was doing in the left lane. If that means I am going to need to whack the brakes as soon as I get over there, then I whack the brakes as soon as I get over there.

**downtown_racine** · February-01-12, 08:15 PM

Red light cameras all over the Chi and speed cameras are coming next. I want as little interaction with law enforcement as possible.
A speeding ticket is easily 300 dollars, 80 in a 55 ? What are you driving a Kenne Bell 03 Cobra ? High test is probably $4 a gallon....

**Brian1979** · February-02-12, 08:38 AM

Originally Posted by downtown_racine

Red light cameras all over the Chi and speed cameras are coming next. I want as little interaction with law enforcement as possible.
A speeding ticket is easily 300 dollars, 80 in a 55 ? What are you driving a Kenne Bell 03 Cobra ? High test is probably $4 a gallon....

Those red light cameras in Chi aren't at every intersection, my GPS system alerts me when I'm coming up on one and I'll look for and find the cameras every time. They do those speeds on the expressway's in Detroit as well, driving 80 mph on the Dan Ryan isn't uncommon at all, the speed limit is 55.

**astongraham** · February-03-12, 03:32 PM

Red light cams are not all over Chicago, there are only a couple places within the city that have them. You can count the locations on one hand

**downtown_racine** · February-03-12, 03:50 PM

As of 2011, 190 intersections were equipped with red-light cameras.

http://www.cityofchicago.org/city/en...forcement.html

Revenue From Speed Cameras Could Dwarf Chicago’s Red Light Camera Program

$61 million a year in revenue is a lot of money. That’s the revenue Chicago’s red light camera program program generated in 2010.

http://theexpiredmeter.com/2011/11/r...amera-program/

**Brian1979** · February-04-12, 09:36 AM

Originally Posted by astongraham

Red light cams are not all over Chicago, there are only a couple places within the city that have them. You can count the locations on one hand

You are correct they are not all over Chicago, you'd need more than one hand to count them though. There are several suburbs of Chicago that have them at every traffic light, Chicago itself though doesn't have them at every traffic light, there are enough of them though.

**gazhekwe** · February-01-12, 08:41 PM

There seem to be a lot of speed traps around lately, too, on the surface streets. If you get a ticket, you are advised to make an appointment with the magistrate to argue your case. If you do that, you go in for your appointment and find about 30 or so other people with the same problem. Each person is offered a plea option for a no point ticket for a somewhat higher fine than the original ticket. If you don't plead, you have to come back for a court date with the judge. Surprise, everybody pleads and pays. I've seen this in Dearborn Heights and heard of it recently in Warren and Berkley. Maybe the slowpokes have been through the mill already.

**Dhugger** · February-01-12, 09:21 PM

SPEED TRAPS: I drive 8 mile to work in the a.m. City police trapping around State Fair grounds.
Going home state police speed trapping on the north side of 8 mile.

**detroitsgwenivere** · February-01-12, 10:02 PM

If you drive 8mile regularly, I'll bet money either Ferndale has nabbed you once or Hazel Park has darted out and damn near sent you sailing through the median pulling over someone doing 5 over coming down the 8 and i-75 bridge.

I can't stannnd slow drivers in the left lane. I've heard people say, " I don't care, the speed says limit 70, people need to slow down, I don't care if a thousand people have to go around me, i have the right to drive 55 in the left lane, etc." and I just want to smash their face in. People don't realize that when you drive slower than the flow of traffic in the left that you are impeding it and subjecting yourself and everyone going around you to the possibility of a deadly accident.

**Roq** · February-02-12, 04:41 AM

Originally Posted by detroitsgwenivere

I can't stannnd slow drivers in the left lane. I've heard people say, " I don't care, the speed says limit 70, people need to slow down, I don't care if a thousand people have to go around me, i have the right to drive 55 in the left lane, etc." and I just want to smash their face in. People don't realize that when you drive slower than the flow of traffic in the left that you are impeding it and subjecting yourself and everyone going around you to the possibility of a deadly accident.

^^This. A thousand times this. I HATE the quasi-wanna be cops around here who sit in the left lane, all smug and virtuous, thinking they're doing LE some great service. I hope people like this die in a fire.

**Mind field** · February-01-12, 10:34 PM

It is more efficient to drive 55 mph than to drive 70 or above. I'm a hypermiling advocate, but doing it in the fast [[left) lane of the freeway is not acceptable.