What? I thought there was unwritten rule for the left lane?

@chai2,

Anyway, what's the sense in speeding when it's just wasting gas?

Leave the house 5 minutes earlier.

1 Reply

@chai2,

Speeding was never abt reaching early or on time (unless you are in an emergency vehicle) but just for the thrill of it

1 Reply

@the prince,

That's what I'm saying.....dumb, dumb, dumb.

Get your thrills in a way that can't hurt others.

1 Reply

@Val Killmore,

It's not really the speeding alone - a lot of young(er) people don't know how to handle a difficult situation at any speed, never mind going over the limit.
We just heard in the news of a 4 car collision - a young pick-up driver was speeding, the road was wet (fog) and he spun out of control hitting 3 other cars. Conclusion: 4 dead, 2 severely insured, 1 child among the insured who lost both parents and the young driver of the pick-up got away with minor scratches.

Sure you want to live, but what the heck are you doing to others in case you lose control of your pick-up?

Since you mentioned the German Autobahn: I am German and I have driven the Autobahn many times, but here are some facts what it takes to obtain a German driver license: min. age is 18; 35 hours of driving lessons by a licensed professional, not dad or uncle Otto; 10 hours Autobahn lessons; 250 questions (only 10 mistakes allowed) and once you've completed the written exam, you'll have to pass the driving test of minimum 30 minutes. In addition you'll have to master parallel parking and up hill parking with a stick shift, my friend.

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@CalamityJane,

You can't talk to Val that way, CJ. He's got seven yrs. experience driving the good ole 'Murrican way. Laughing

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@CalamityJane,

yeah, it's not like they just hand you a set of keys and say "go for it"

cj, I watched a documentary about the autobahn, and they were talking about the fact that the design of the road helps keep drivers alert. The way it curves one way and another makes you pay attention, as opposed to miles straight stetches that you find in the U.S., which put you to sleep.

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@CalamityJane,

Already know parallel parking and uphill parking.

The examination, well give me a week to study and I will ace it.

The DMV should follow such stringent examination before driving as you mentioned, as long as America gets the Autobahn setup.

I'm all for it.

I know on a factual basis that autobahns are much safer than the US interstate, which impose speed limits; It has nothing to do with speed, and everything to do with the way people drive....

If you don't have common sense, then it doesn't matter what speed you're going.

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@Val Killmore,

Val Killmore wrote:

If you don't have common sense, then it doesn't matter what speed you're going.

That's true! Nonetheless, Germany has also a variety of excellent public
transportation systems and many many people opt to use them, especially the elderly. In the United States, you have people driving with 80+ - it's a necessity for them and they're more often than not a menace to other drivers as well.

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@Val Killmore,

Val Killmore wrote:

Not if you hide it when they pull over.

and how do they know you have it before they pull you over eh? you don't want to hide something they know you have - it's not worth the trouble

http://www.autoanything.com/radar-detectors/50A17A127A1.aspx

better know the laws in your jurisdiction or where you will be travelling

Quote:

It's important to know your local and state laws pertaining to radar detectors before you buy. Many areas have strict enforcement of their anti-detector laws with stiff penalties for their use. Not only is the fine for illegal detector use more costly than a speeding ticket, police can and will confiscate your detector, too – a nasty double whammy.

Radar detectors are illegal for all vehicles in the following areas:

The Commonwealth of Virginia
The District of Columbia (Washington D.C.)
Most provinces in Canada
U.S. Military bases

Radar detectors are illegal in commercial vehicles in most areas, including:
The State of New York (over 18,000lbs.)
The State of Illinois
The State of Michigan

Be sure to check out your area's laws before buying.

Traffic laws are constantly changing, so stay abreast of any news regarding radar detectors in your state and county.

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@CalamityJane,

CalamityJane wrote:

In addition you'll have to master parallel parking and up hill parking with a stick shift, my friend.

I particularly like this bit. I think everyone should be forced to do their initial driving tests on standards. Then we'll know who can drive and respond. It would definitely have kept me off the road an extra year and that wouldn't have been a bad thing.

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@ehBeth,

Memories of San Francisco hills with a Volkswagen.

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@ehBeth,

Back in the Pleistocene Era when I took my driving test at age 16 in Massachusetts, standard shift was a requirement for a standard driving license. You could take the test in a car with automatic shift but then there would be a restriction on your license to that effect. Parallel parking, goes without saying. Of course, the cars we had back then were somewhat different, too. Standard shift generally meant three speeds not four or five on the floor. Power steering and power brakes were things you read about it the automotive magazines. May be readily available next year. There were no seat-belts. Heaters and radios were optional equipment. Radios, if you had one, played AM stations only.

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Val Killmore wrote:

I got off easy because she only have me a warning and not a ticket.

Val Killmore wrote:

I mean the Corvette in front of me was booking it, I think she has something against pickup trucks!

Val Killmore wrote:

The bloody Corvette zooming in behind me, I changed lanes and picked up speed after the Corvette.

Val Killmore wrote:

If I was on my supra, I would have left her in the dust, if she came after me. Hell I would have overtook the vette, and left it in the dust as well.

Val Killmore wrote:

It has nothing to do with speed, and everything to do with the way people drive....

Val Killmore wrote:

This has happened before, I have ridden 10 to 15 mph over on left lanes many a times, and passed cops, and they have never pulled me over.

This is the first time ever, in my ~7 years of driving.

Val Killmore wrote:

If you don't have common sense, then it doesn't matter what speed you're going.

Val Killmore wrote:

Furthermore, the Supreme Court has ruled that the due process clause of the Fifth and Fourteenth Amendments to the U.S. Constitution protects the right to privacy even though the word privacy is not mentioned in the written text of the Constitution.

So I think there is a unwritten law for left lanes in highway!
The Cop just forgot it.... but hey, she didn't ticket me, so I forgive her

Val Killmore wrote:

Fast cars are made for the left lane, the DMV is no fun.

America should have a highway system like the autobahn in Germany.

Val Killmore wrote:

It has nothing to do with speed, and everything to do with the way people drive....

Val Killmore wrote:

I am not asking for sympathy, by the way, I just wanted to know if there was actually an unwritten rule for the left lane, cause I got away with it every time, speeding in that lovely left lane, except for this one instance that just happened.

Val Killmore wrote:

If you don't have common sense, then it doesn't matter what speed you're going.

Val Killmore wrote:

My only solution to this problem is buying a high end laser radar detector, that should be good enough protection from the coppers. Cause I got places to go and people to see, and the faster I do it, the more time I have to do more enjoyable stuff.

Val Killmore wrote:

It has nothing to do with speed, and everything to do with the way people drive....

Val Killmore wrote:

Well, as I see it, life is short, and a person is going to die or be disfigured no matter how careful he or she is, whether by old age or a freak accident.

On a happy note, I hope I get away with death itself, such as these people, when circumstances puts my life in jeopardy

Val Killmore wrote:

If you don't have common sense, then it doesn't matter what speed you're going.

Val Killmore wrote:

Come on now, I'm not that reckless, it's just 10 mph to 15 mph. You are over exaggerating it a bit.

Val Killmore wrote:

And with the economy down, and the police force being cut down, the coppers are looking at stupid reasons to pull over people just to ticket them and make money.

Val Killmore wrote:

It has nothing to do with speed, and everything to do with the way people drive....

Val Killmore wrote:

If you don't have common sense, then it doesn't matter what speed you're going.

1 Reply

@Lustig Andrei,

Similar memories here.

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@Butrflynet,

Are you narrating my posts?

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Well, the deal is the limits are about public safety, worked out for a reason or two. Highway engineers engineer roads re the land contours and there are speeds they are best taken at, certain tilts for best drainage, and so on, including what humans may be nearby. Not every road is a straightaway in a land of no traffic oblivion. I once could do enough of that to pass the tests as landarch, but didn't work in highway design, except once when I did preliminary grading for a highway through a town and that was basically just a modification of an existing highway for our design for a town slowdown plan. That town was very weary of people speeding though the town center.

Public welfare may get more important to people like Val as he gets older. Can't tell how old he is, but I'm guessing approaching 22 on the young side.

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@Lustig Andrei,

Lustig Andrei wrote:

Power steering and power brakes were things you read about it the automotive magazines.

I just got my first car with power steering and power brakes 3 years ago, 30+ years after I started driving. Only got them since they couldn't find the car I wanted without those features.

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@Setanta,

Setanta wrote:

I always find that there are only two phrases you need when speaking to a police officer: "Yes, sir." and "No, sir." Almost anything else you say will probably be a mistake.

Exhibit A:

http://www.mileanhour.com/files/2012/5/standhere.jpg

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@Lustig Andrei,

When I got my driving license, the hot tips were outside mirror, backup lights, turn signals, and day/night inside mirror.

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@Val Killmore,

This is an easy one. There is no unwritten rule.

And the fact that someone else may have been breaking the law to a greater extent is no excuse for you.

And....

Get out of the left lane!

0 Replies

What? I thought there was unwritten rule for the left lane?

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