That may be true, but the consequences of those accidents are lessened with lower speed. If you want to go 10-15 over the speed limit, fine, just know I won't. I don't really care if I impeed the flow or not, I will not break the law.Everyone is a "very good driver", if you ask them. The posted speed limit is there for a reason, it's not just a suggestion. Did you know:Not sure if anyone has mentioned this already, but it bears repeating if it has.I have done three 1,000+ mile driving legs over the past month. It could be my imagination, but I'm seeing more and more drivers who apparently couldn't care less if they are holding up traffic, sometimes for MILES. You will see a car or truck overtaking another vehicle, and basically going the same speed. This is both private citizens and OTR truckers.
You also have people who totally ignore the concept of a "passing" lane. They drive in the left lane permanently.
I'm not sure this is much of a safety problem, but it's inconsider a te as hell.
If I see that I'm holding up traffic, I accelerate to get around the cars beside me, and get out of the passing lane. Nothing but (un)common courtesy,.
Other viewpoints?
I would add to that:
I find these things to not only be dis-courteous, but also very dangerous.
- Excessive speed (more than 5MPH over the speed limit)
- Distracted driving (texting is somewhere around 4X more dangerous than drunk driving)
- Tailgating
- Cutting people off- thus forcing them into a tailgate situation, if only temporarily
I disagree on the speeding thing. I regularly drive 10 to 15 mph over the posted limit. Of course I am a very good driver and i don't do that in residential or other congested areas, only out on the open roads.
"Speeding is one of the most prevalent factors contributing to traffic crashes. The
economic cost to society of speeding-related crashes is estimated by NHTSA to be
$40.4 billion per year. In 2007, speeding was a contributing factor in 31 percent of all
fatal crashes, and 13,040 lives were lost in speeding-related crashes.
The total economic cost of crashes was estimated at $230.6 billion in 2000. Motor
vehicle crashes cost society an estimated $7,300 per second. In 2000, the cost of
speeding-related crashes was estimated to be $40.4 billion — $76,865 per minute or
$1,281 per second." NHTSA
http://www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/Pubs/810998.pdf
Is your time really worth THAT much?
But driving slower than the flow of traffic causes more accidents.
Driving Slow in the Left Lane is Dumb and Illegal
That can be true in most, but not all instances.