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[drew gandy]

So, I recently took a road trip from Chicago to central Florida and back.  Because my return trip wasn't quite as urgent as the trip down, I decided to set my cruise control at a more "efficient" setting.  It's interesting to view the world at 63 MPH on a 70 MPH highway...

A) Most of the interstate highways that I took had a posted speed limit of 70 MPH.  It seems that most people consider this as a suggested starting point. 

B) I wasn't trying to be a jerk.  I wasn't driving 45 in the left lane. My speed was somewhere between 60 and 65 most of the trip.  I stuck to the right lane except in places where the middle/left lanes were a better idea.  It bothered me that drivers had to change lanes to the left to go around me and at many points I "felt" enough pressure that I did speed up for congested high speed traffic and to pass some more dangerous stretches of road. The little tiny libertarian in me wished that I could do what I wanted to do on the road without inconveniencing anyone else.   It surprised me how many big rig drivers would come right up to my bumper for a bit before they passed.  I figured a professional driver would see me down the road a ways and plan their lane change a bit more smoothly.  I think this verifies my theory that most drivers determine their speed by simply going as fast as they can till they come up to another vehicle.  Then they make a decision.  They either slow down or they pass.  So driving is just a series of these repeat decisions until they get where they are going.  Game over. 

C)  Years ago I spent some time looking for "real" data about highway speeds and fuel economy.  I found some official documentation (I think out of Canada) that suggested that most cars don't get better mileage above 55 MPH and "SemiTrucks" have a turning point around 45 MPH. Obviously head wind/ tail wind and gearing etc have impact.  During this trip my co-pilot found this interesting blog post from the makers of the cell phone app "automatic".  https://blog.automatic.com/the-cost-of-speeding-save-a-little-time-spend-a-lot-of-money-5e8129899fec
Unless I'm reading it incorrectly, their data suggests that the difference between driving 55 and 70 is a 50% loss of fuel efficiency. This was for one specific model of car.  And I assume that driving "aggressively" is part of that difference (those that drive 70 or more on the highway probably drive differently at stop lights too) but it's an astounding number. 

D) Many of us shop for the best gas prices often choosing to fill-up at inopportune times and places to save a few cents per gallon.  Are we aware that simply slowing down a little might save us quite a bit more than the shopping we do? 

E)  I'm becoming more anxious for self driving cars.  The biggest reason is to avoid the crazies on the road.  But this fuel economy thing also has me hoping that OTR speeds will drop when we take the emotional/needy/illogical pilot out of the driver's seat. 

F) To anyone who is offended that I would choose to drive less than the speed limit, I am truly sorry.  Although I don't believe that the worst thing you can do on the road is drive a little slower, I do recognize that it can contribute to dangerous roadway situations.  I'm not sure how fast I'll drive on long trips in the future.  If I'm totally out of line, please chastise me in this forum so I'll learn my lesson.   
 

[Jeff Lelko]

...to central Florida...

There's your problem.  As someone who lives just East of Orlando and the theme park area, Florida drivers are some of the worst you'll encounter.  Most treat the speed limit as a joke, leave their brains at home when taking a vacation, and/or have no idea how to drive safely during the routine afternoon summer storm. 

Driving in itself is an interesting psychological experience though, especially when you take speed and aggression into account.  Not that I endorse speeding nor do I partake, going 10 over when safe to do so can add up to saving hours of drive time during a cross-country road trip.  I can't comment on the fuel economy or how to get the most efficiency given that I drive vans and trucks, but I would agree that at some point you'd see diminishing returns with respect to speed. 

I'm truly sorry for anyone who is offended that I would choose to drive less than the speed limit.  Although I don't believe that the worst thing you can do on the road is drive a little slower, I do recognize that it can contribute to dangerous roadway situations.

While I do agree that slow drivers can become a larger hazard than fast drivers, sometimes they don't have a choice (and the anonymity is part of what can contribute to road rage).  A perfect example is last week I was driving a truck set not to exceed 60MPH.  My routing required that I drive the Florida Turnpike, which is mostly a 70MPH roadway.  So yes, I might have been one of the slow drivers too, but I kept in the rightmost lane as per the law and operated my rig in a safe manner.  I can't speak for other drivers, but when operating a larger vehicle I try to minimize lane changes.  I don't ride bumpers by any means and always keep a sufficient stopping distance in front of me, but yes, I generally hold my lane until passing or merging over is absolutely necessary.  As a CDL driver w/hazmat the laws become a lot less optional and the consequences for violations much higher.  The best thing to do is just relax and enjoy the ride!  People will still do what they want, so no need to stress over the things you can't control!

[Stephen Swaffer]

  It bothered me that drivers had to change lanes to the left to go around me and at many points I "felt" enough pressure that I did speed up for congested high speed traffic and to pass some more dangerous stretches of road. The little tiny libertarian in me wished that I could do what I wanted to do on the road without inconveniencing anyone else. 

A wise man once illustrated this principle thus-you are free to walk down the sidewalk swinging you fists-until they hit my nose-your freedom ends where my nose begins.  Too often we live like we are the center of the universe.

If I drive 500 miles at 55 mph getting 30 mpg, my trip takes 9 hours using 16 gallons or roughly $50 worth of gasoline.  If I drive the same 500 miles at 70 mph getting 20 mpg, my trip takes a little over 7 hours using 25 gallons or $75 woth of gasoline.  Considering my time has value, unless I am driving for the sake of driving, the faster trip makes more economical sense.

This morning driving to work in a rural area (I think this was the only vehicle I encountered) I was driving 60 mph and came up on a driver doing maybe 45 mph-wide open road, so I left the cruise set and moved over in plenty of time-when my door post got even with their bumper I realized they were now pacing me.  I accelerated and passed them-their slow driving didn't bother me as much as their obvious thoughtless approach to driving-a brain in neutral befind 4000 lbs of steel moving at 45 mph is dangerous!

[David Allred]

5 southern states are having a "drive the speed limit or get a ticket, because we care about your safety" this week.  The rest of the year?  I guess not so much.

[Ray Aberle]

5 southern states are having a "drive the speed limit or get a ticket, because we care about your safety" this week.  The rest of the year?  I guess not so much.

Well, it's am emphasis. They're prefer that people obey the speed limit all the time but they understand that speeding, like using a cellphone while driving, appears to remain one of those "victimless crimes" that apparently 'everyone' does.

Lots of people on social media freaking out about the emphasis patrols. "Gosh, they just care about money," or "don't be caught DWB" or "another attempt by the police state to keep us poor." Sursly.

[TJ (Tom) Cornish]

F) I'm truly sorry for anyone who is offended that I would choose to drive less than the speed limit.

You jerk.

Just kidding.  I would rather have many folks safely driving at or slightly below the speed limit in the right lane staying out of trouble than  any number of morons weaving between traffic without signaling trying to go 5MPH faster than the fast lane.

[Geert Friedhof]

I think it is also partially due to the 'keep your lane' system you have at your side of the pond.

In Europe it is: Drive in the rightmost lane which matches your speed best, and move to the lane left of you to overtake, and then move back to the original lane. So we switch lanes a lot, and learn how to anticipate that.
Overtaking on the right side is one of the heaviest penalized offences, together with keeping too little distance and occupying the leftmost lane unnecessary.

[David Allred]

Well, it's am emphasis. They're prefer that people obey the speed limit all the time but they understand that speeding, like using a cellphone while driving, appears to remain one of those "victimless crimes" that apparently 'everyone' does.

Lots of people on social media freaking out about the emphasis patrols. "Gosh, they just care about money," or "don't be caught DWB" or "another attempt by the police state to keep us poor." Sursly.

I would much prefer than they ticket MORE people, but have the fines more reasonable and severity based.  Maybe $1 or 2 / mile.  The time lost driving when pulled over is also an incentive.  Do away with the 7 mile over allowance and be consistent.
Seeing someone with their head buried in  their own lap while navigating a left hand turn through a busy intersection is really scary.  Phones are the unsafe in the hands of idiots.

[W. Mark Hellinger]

I generally do our household shopping.  With that, I'm one of those shoppers who does so via a shopping list.  My shopping list is in the order of efficiency thru the store.  I know what and where it is that I'm there to purchase... it's strictly a routine chore.  I wish I could time my shopping trips at "off-peak time", but I usually do the shopping on Sunday afternoons in conjunction with weekly band practice and the associated trip to town... and hence Sunday afternoon at the grocery store is generally "pretty crowded".  The few times I've done the shopping chore on off peak time, I've concluded that it takes about twice as long to do the same chore during peak time... because of the time I spend wading my way thru the "slow traffic"... generally being folks lolly-gagging in the isles, oblivious to the "traffic flow".  eh... it is what it is.

[Ray Aberle]

Mark, it's not like Farmington is all THAT crowded, right...?!? How much traffic is there?

[ProSoundWeb Community]