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Journal Em Emalb's Journal: I can't drive 55 17

Journal by Em Emalb

I used the Borg logo for this Journal entry. I hate the borg logo. There are some things wrong with MS, but the logo is getting old. /begin rant

Anyhow, on with the rant. The borg logo in this case is me. My vehicle and I merge into one being. Rush hour traffic in Atlanta does not let me drive the way I wish. My temper gets the better of me. I can see why people road rage.

For fuck's sake, YES, THE SPEED LIMIT IS 55. IF YOU ARE GOING 55, HOWEVER, WHILE THE REST OF THE TRAFFIC IS GOING 65, YOU ARE A DANGER TO OTHERS AROUND YOU.

Please, please people, go with the flow. It's safer. I don't care if you are breaking the law, so is everyone else around you. But, they are not as much of a danger as you are, since you are slowing traffic to a crawl in one lane, and make the impatient people behind you jump out into the other lanes, which aren't slowed down.

This makes Em have to slam on his brakes to avoid the asshole that did that, and Em's butt clench his leather seats. Em does not like this. He really doesn't like it when he sees an open stretch of road for a 1/2mile in front of the car that caused the whole damned thing. Em will glare at you as he drives by, veins popping out of his head, wishing he wasn't raised properly, so he could follow you home and beat you senseless. But, no. Em just lays on the horn, scaring you into consciousness. Oh shit, you think, I'm driving here. Yeah, you are. Your two ton lead sled is a danger to others because you drive like an elderly person having a seizure.

Ever notice how people that cause problems like this aren't even aware of it? The old man and wife chatting away happily? The clueless loser with no where to go, just cruising along? The business asshole with the cell-phone trying to write, drive, and talk at the same time? The teenage girl with absolutely no idea how to drive, and yet she's messing with her cd player or cell phone?

GAH, I'm getting pissed off again just thinking about it.

I HATE ATLANTA TRAFFIC. If you are any of the following people I just wrote of, please take the bus, let your friend drive, or stay home. You are a hazard to others on the road. /end rant

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I can't drive 55

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  • I don't care if you are breaking the law, so is everyone else around you

    This will not work in court. If I am the one they pulled over, I am the one screwed. I don't want to pay $100 for a ticket, and $1000 for the increase of insurance. Plus, as a legalist, I like to follow the law for its' own sake.

    As I discussed in detail in another thread, I will follow the speed limit. What I will also do is drive in the right hand most lane, or perhaps the one next to that if there is a lot of people merging onto the road.

    I don't know what else to do. Can't speed. If it bothers you that much, get a petition together and talk to your local politicians in person. You should be able to get a meeting without too many problems. Start an organisation to get the limit raised. Invite local politicians to come hear directly from their constituents. If everyone feels the same way, you should be able to get the law changed.

    Until then, the law is the law, and I feel an ethical duty to follow it.
    • It's an unjust law. In many jurisdictions, it has been proven that safety takes a second seat to revenue generation (particularly in the case of red light cameras).

      Therefore, I don't have a problem ignoring it. I drive/ride at whatever speed I feel comfortable. Sometimes this is 20mph over the limit (very few places, BTW) sometimes it is the limit. Only rarely (blizzard, vehicle without ABS, and bald tires) is it not safe to go faster than the speed limit.

      In addition, most states have laws against impeding the flow of traffic and/or driving too slow. Why aren't people pulled over for breaking this laws?

      As long as enforcement is so arbitrary, I will ignore the law.


      • In addition, most states have laws against impeding the flow of traffic and/or driving too slow. Why aren't people pulled over for breaking this laws?

        According to the Uniform Vehicle Code, I have the obligation to be in the right hand lane when going slower than the normal speed of traffic, but I also have the right to go as slow as I want in said right hand lane, unless otherwise posted. See the MIT archive [mit.edu] for the "keep right" rule.

        I can be ticketed for going to slow in anything but the right hand lane. The right hand lane is all mine, and that is where I will be going the speed limit.

        Anyway, the logic of your position, while it may be accurate, does not usurp the law. The law is the law. Hense, I will both stop at red lights and go the speed limit. You are free to do as you wish, and I as a member of society have the power (thru tickets) to force you to follow my standard. If you don't want to do that, I hope you have a bigger pocket book than me.
        • Civil disobedience. That's the law, I disagree with it, I break it. But I don't try to get out of paying for it. Pay the fine, and move on.

          My other problem is that clearly traffic slows in the presence of police. So why not have them sit on the side of the road, particularly around busy intersections, instead of... wherever they spend all their time. Honestly, we have a lot of police, but I never see them.

          • My other problem is that clearly traffic slows in the presence of police. So why not have them sit on the side of the road, particularly around busy intersections, instead of... wherever they spend all their time. Honestly, we have a lot of police, but I never see them.

            See, that was that power of force I was refering to. People fear being ticketed, so when the threat is larger, they adjust their behavior. Amazing...the mere presence of law enforcement causes people to obey the law. I don't have to slow down, since I am already following the limit.

            As to your suggestion, I don't know the answer, nor would I speculate. Why don't you write a nice letter to your chief of police, or perhaps the mayor, to suggest the idea. Write your local councilman too...I bet they could get it done. I do have to warn you though that many, including myself, would probably consider such a move the formation of a police state, but if you can get popular opinion behind you, go for it. Or you can always try to change the speed limit thru the means I suggested.

            Ranting to me will do nothing to change the situation. Try ranting to someone in power...you just might get what you want.

            • Funny this came up today. There is a new stoplight in one part of the county. Put there to prevent accidents. Well, there have been more accidents in the six months since the light has been up than in all of the previous year. Because they didn't spend the money to put up a warning sign or something. (The light is over a blind hill, where traffic is 60 mph or so. Limit is 55, so it's not... Well, it's not as bad as if the traffic were 20mph over the limit.)

              The problem with writing to the local sherrif's office, the Md. State Police, or the county commissioners is my address. I am a political non-entity. The county is run in a very much 'old boy network' sort of way, and I don't have an address sufficient to weasel my way in.

              No, there is a sherrif's election this fall. I am watching what the candidates say. And I will likely vote for the challenger. The incumbent has proven that he can't/won't get things done (and I speak of things far more serious than traffic infractions. I'm talking muggings, robbery, car theft, rape, etc.)

    • I get so tired of people who claim to be Christians and don't regard the law as something to be followed. I understand that there are extreme circumstances, because of contradictions in different rules/laws, but generally speaking, there aren't that many ethical dilemas.

      I am a Christian and a firm believer that the speed limit is to be obeyed.

      So, you can imagine how much I appreciate seeing someone claim to be a Christian, and claim that driving at the speed limit is the right thing to do. Keep standing up for that view.
      • ok, this irked me greatly.

        There is a huge difference between following God's laws and the laws of man.

        The two are not one and the same.

        The speed limit has absolutely nothing to do with being a good or bad Christian.

        I want to say more, but I don't want to offend you, and value your input in my journal. Just note that we disagree here :)
        • There is a huge difference between following God's laws and the laws of man.

          The two are not one and the same.
          Yes, and no. Just to clarify, God uses imperfect man to carry out his will. There is a whole book in the Bible devoted to showing that. Habbakuk, a prophet, believed that God should have used righteous people to discipline Israel, but God chose to use Babylonians, and others, who had impure motives. None of this proves what I said is correct. I'm just trying to explain what I meant to say. So, the Babylonians, had their laws and ways of doing things, but God used it. This doesn't mean that we should blindly obey.

          With respect to the speed limit, if someone was about to crash into me, and the only way to avoid it was by speeding out of the way, then I definitely wouldn't have a problem with speeding out of the way.
          The speed limit has absolutely nothing to do with being a good or bad Christian.
          Thanks for your concern. I appreciate it. Just so that you know, as long as you keep the discussion well organized and free of put-downs, then there shouldn't be any problems.

          All in all, I appreciate you spelling out how you feel, and what you believe regarding the issue.
  • No, not some bastard American/German thing, but a Jeep. A CJ-????. AMC or earlier. Something where the doors come off quickly and easily. They're great fun around assholes. Why? Because it so fucking easy to sling stuff at them. Through the doorway, out the back, over the side.

    Throwing stuff from motorcycles gives you clearer targets, but two problems. First, you can't carry as much ammo. Second, you are more likely to get hurt if someone takes offense at being woken up on the road. People tend not to want to run into 20 year old Jeeps with a big, scary looking mofo at the wheel.

  • Too bad our cities and counties have turned the laws promoting "safety" into this vile web of revenue.

    For fun, spend the day in municipal court as an observer. See how most people run through the system, pleading guilty because they know for a little cash, they can be on their way and then take a driver's "safety" course. A few fools will try to fight and be declared guilty. Some will have a lawyer that will work out a "deal" whereby they get a fine and traffic school. In a very rare case, someone will take a jury trial.

    Because it is expensive and the state has a lesser chance (less than 100%) of winning, they usually try to intimidate by dismissing the jury, letting the officer go, etc., "accidentally" so you cry uncle and capitulate. The goal is to wear you down, overwhelm you, put you off-balance -- whatever it takes for you to open your mouth, incriminate yourself and LOSE your case. Why is it like this?

    MONEY.

    Think about it. Officer Payne's quota (yes, they have quotas) is probably on the neighborhood of 3-5 tickets a day. Each one of these will run the recipient around $100. Plus traffic school ($50) and/or a lawyer ($100). The court will get the $100 easy, so that's $3-500 a day. Figure 5-10 cops working a court, that means that every day, the court can make $500-$1,000. Every day. All year long. What about the insurance companies? What about the lawyers? What about the traffic school proprietors?

    Follow the money

  • I have no problem with people who drive slow. My problem, at least on the freeway, are the people that drive at or below the speed limit in the far left lane. In Los Angeles, for probably about 20 miles the carpool lane on I-5 is divided from the rest of the freeway. Every single time I drive that stretch, the carpool lane is moving along around 65-70 MPH while the rest of the lanes move at least 75 and usually more like 80 or 85. This is because it's impossible to pass in the carpool lane and there is always some family that thinks having 2 or more people in the car means that they HAVE to be in the carpool lane.

    I was driving through L.A. the other day when I saw a CHP coming up the onramp. I was going about 80, so I slowed down to 75 (the speed limit was 65). But all the other cars around me kept going the same speed, not caring that the cop could easily pull them over. I'd like to see more enforcement like that, as long as the person is not driving wrecklessly and far above the speed of the rest of traffic, they should not be ticketed.

    I'd also like see the speed limit on I-5 raised. For those of you that don't know, I-5 goes from Washington (maybe farther) down the coast to Mexico. There's a long stretch that is absolutely flat and straight for about 350 miles where the speed limit is 70 MPH. You usually won't be ticketed for going 80 or 85, but with minimal traffic it would be safe to take at 90 or 95 in the proper car.

    But that's just my opinion, I know plenty of people (like my grandparents) that the government instituted a national speed limit of 45 MPH- "65 miles an hour is just unsafe!" but I prefer to think of regulations on speed just another example of The Man keeping me down. Under optimal circumstances, I would be able to drive as fast as I wanted and there would be nobody else on the road, but I don't think that's going to happen any time soon.
  • If a speeder changed lanes to avoid a slow driver, then got into an accident as a result of the changing lanes, then he was driving too fast, and there is nobody to blame but himself. Drivers should never be allowed to claim that an accident was unavoidable, unless someone crashed into him and he couldn't move out of the way.

    If speeders say that they couldn't help it because they didn't expect it, then they don't deserve to drive. The license is supposed to be there to show that they are competant enough to expect and avoid it.
    • Yes, but most slow drivers are either old people with diminished senses who don't even belong on the road (I live in South Florida, I see this all the time) or sheeple following a speed limit set artifically low in order to generate revenue. I agree, the driver with skill will avoid accidents by preparing ahead of time before actually encountering a slow driver.

      However, speed itself doesn't kill, speed differences do. Driving slowly aslo lulls people into inattention. This is why you have a lot of people reading newspapers, applying makeup and such while driving. If everyone drove faster, a majority of these people would take driving much more seriously. I don't condone such activity, driving should be done in a focused manner. And many speed diffs would be eliminated by higher limits. Most folks in 70 mph zones do less than 80, and many do the limit.

      Besides, interstates were engineered for safe travel at 75 mph, further evidence that speed limits are set for revenue generation.

      I once was busted for 64 in a 50. This might seem fair if it weren't for the fact that was caught at the bottom of a very steep hill, with a long straightaway after it. The cop was there obviously to make quota and generate revenue for his backwater WV town. Plus he hesitated for a moment, and seeing my Florida plate, he then stopped me. Chances are, I would not have been stopped at all if I were a local. Just what we need, selective law enforcement!

      Slow drivers aren't unsafe, just unnecessary.
      • A faster speed limit would mean fast speeders. If the limit is 80 in a school zone, then that means it's "safe" to drive 95 in that school zone. People don't think in actual numbers while driving. They only think in actual numbers to raise the limit. There was a stretch of highway that was 80 km/hour, and people would drive at 90 km/hour, because 90 is "safe". Now that highway modifications have been made, the limit is 90 km/hour and 100 km/hour is "safe".

        How do they engineer a highway to sustain certain speeds? At 1 mile/hour over the speed limit, do cars start sliding off the roads? That means 1 mile/hour or 1 km/hour over the speed limit is unsafe. I can't picture that.

        Slow drivers aren't to blame, in Florida, either. If you aren't paying attention, then that means that you aren't paying attention. In others words, you aren't paying attention at whatever speed you driving. If the government really wants to get more money then they should have a test each year, charge $100 of you favourite currency, and be strict about it. This way, each person is without excuse when they finally get their license. They can't say, "Oh, I didn't know that.".

        Speaking of steep hills, it doesn't matter where you drive over the limit. If you can't control your vehicle on a steep hill, then that means you're not capable of driving. For what it's worth, I think that only a small minority of the people are unqualified to drive. I believe that for you, it's really a matter of whether you agree with it.

        I remember when the newspapers were griping about photo radar. It was great in their eyes, as long as the photo radars where placed anywhere that wasn't flat, on a hill, straight, curved or at an intersection. Hmm, well okay, anyone care to point out a place that doesn't fit that criteria? No? Okay, well, then just admit that you can't keep within the speed limits.

        For what it's worth, I think that they should put more trees in the streets, and make use of parking, everywhere. This will give a crowded effect that will naturally slow people down as opposed to just leaving it up to their "integrity". Another benefit of this is that revenue can be generated through side street parking. It is public property, after all. Another benefit is that slower and crowded streets are quieter.

        Somebody should do an analysis of how much money is spent on gathering speeding tickets. I wonder if the cost of gathering tickets, from beginning to end, is more than the revenue gathered. This would imply to me that they should raise the fines, and that they aren't in it just for the money.

        Also, you probably shouldn't spend much time arguing with me, because I'm a firm believer that freeways should have no speed limits, and that drivers should be allowed to pass on all lanes but the right most lane. In other words, they can drive over the centre. My whole point here is to just defend the rights of those who obey, and to encourage others to obey. I'm not trying to defend the government's logic or safety limits.
  • I lived in Atlanta for 4 years. I totally feel your pain -- never in my life have I seen such horrific driving. [Note: I grew up in NJ, in an NYC suburb, and I currently live in Boston, after living in DC and Palo Alto as well. Atlanta is the worst I've ever seen] I would gladly take NYC or Boston rush hour over Atlanta, any day.

    There's generally a fatal rush-hour accident a day, you just hope it's not you. Speed Limit 55? Heh - try the name of the road. I75, I85, I285 (ok, 285's average is more like 83...but still, you get the point)

    In Atlanta, I couldn't stand people who drove the speed limit -- because they are traffic hazards. Driving in the right lane just doesn't work, because if you get on down by the Connector [read: parking lot moving at 75 or not moving at all], you have a left lane entrance. You'll cause an accident just getting into the right lane. Poor road design, yes. But no law is worth risking your life, or others for that matter.

    I solved the problem by moving to Lil' 5 and taking North Ave. in. Of course, I got rear-ended at a stop light two weeks before I left for Boston....

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