Zoffix Znet

As you might have already guessed, I will be talking about posted speed limits on the roads and virtually 99% of people who go over them all the time.

If you are expecting this to be a rant about how dangerous speeding is, a list of speed-caused accidents or a list of speeding fines... this is not what I am about to talk.

I won't be trying to "fix" you; I know it doesn't work. In fact, I hope that after reading this, you will do the experiment I propose at the bottom and make the right choice for yourself.

The way most folks drive may makes you think that a speed limit is just a number some random guy decided to "post" and in most cases this number is just WAY too low. Now, as I have promised, I won't dawn you with all the safety reasons for speed limits; so what else can be said about them?

In a larger picture, a speed limit, is what is assumed you are going by "The Man" when he plans all the traffic lights, for example. This planning is harder to notice in Canada (where I do most of my driving), but is so well planned in US that it is frightening. Back home in Russia, streets where such planning is done are even marked with a sign. Now, what do I mean by "planning"?

The Man who builds the road doesn't want you to stop at every light, creating high volume traffic conditions and farting up exhausts in the atmosphere... he doesn't, I swear. By knowing the speed with which cars are going it is possible to time nearby traffic lights in a way that you would get green light virtually all the time. What's an easy way to know that speed? The speed limit of course!

I must say, driving with the speed limit is a rather challenging task - sad, I know. It feels like you're going in the opposite direction as you mostly look at the rear/side view mirrors and hoping that yet another dumbass who is tailgaiting you will react on time when you're braking. Doing a 100km/h (local speedlimit) on a highway is pretty dangerous and some people even honk at you while passing!

In my experience, most people are perfectly aware - at least from experience - that it's quite dangerous to go even 15km/h over as the yellow light is not timed for you to stop at such speeds and you either fly through on red or screetch to stop - happened to me personally several times, I'm no angel.

Cars that have a display with a measure of gas consumption can easily demonstrate you that speeding costs you more gas; the reason for this is not actually higher speeds but more frequent start-stops as we'll see later. My car has such a display, and when I was a "regular speeder" it used 16-17 Liters per 100km; these days it's down to 14.

Another thing that suffers greater wear-n-tear is your engine along with breaks. But enough about that. This is a psychology-related article... Why do we speed?

I won't speak for everyone and I am sure reasons vary, my personal reason was the ease of driving: passing everyone at 10-over gives you an idea of what's going to happen next and a bit more excitement - as opposed to just "driving along". Aside from the fear of being hit by everyone else who is speeding, I think the most popular choice would be: time.

We seem to think that we lack time and are always bitching about it. In the morning we are late to work and on the way home we are "late" to get home and relax. When we are not late, we simply speed because of a habbit of being late. One person told me a funny situation that he witnessed: a guy in a SUV cut him and a few other people off, sped through a stop sign and screetched into the parking spot on a plaza. When the speeder got out of the car, he walked to the store with the slowest walk possible.

From our early days in the school, we know quite well that if "Train A" and "Train B" leave at different speeds from the same point, the train that is going faster will arrive sooner. But does this hold up not for the rail, but for asphalt? All the traffic lights that are timed to the speed limit, other cars, turns...

I must admit, the illusion is rather convincing! And before you'll try to correct me, let me make it clear that I am talking about everyday city/highway driving and not a 10-hour highway trip.

You start off doing 10-over, you pass a "slow" guy doing the speedlimit - and to do so, you have to change the lane and give the "slow" guy the look, of course. You change the lanes back and now you're in front of the slow guy - victory at last! You are now 6 feet farther than you might have been. But damn it! Red light! You stop.

As the green lights up, you start cursing at the guy in front of you... Floor it, man! For crying out loud, floor it! Eventually, you squeeze between the cars in front of you and are happy; oh no! Not again, another red! The fact that you are the first in the lane makes you happy as you can floor it from the start without any "idiots", who happen to love their cars too much, in front of you. You floor it off and get up to 10-over once again... only to stop at another red later on.

Sounds frustrating, doesn't it? For me it was especially hard when I WAS actually late and for me even the 10-over speeders were the "slow guys" in my way.

I'm no physics major to do complicated calculations to find out whether or not the speeders save any time in their 20-minute drives to work, but it's not that hard to simply time your way to work... and then time the same way but without the speeding.

I know that me simply talking about how stupid speeding is won't change your mind, dear Speeder. Therefore, I urge you to try the "experiment" I am about to describe - just do it.

For the reasons I can't disclose, I was forced to obey every road law (except for some "hard" ones, like never passing anyone on the right) for a period of time. When I just started driving by the book, my thoughts were: "damn, it! Ok, I must go through this, and then I'll be back". These thoughts changed after my first tank of gas - when I've noticed that my fuel now lasts me way more than a week. With the second tank I had my "revelation".

So here's my proposal to you. For the next two full gas tanks, don't speed. If you really think that you'll have to shift your schedule around as it will take you longer to get places - trust me, you don't! In fact, sometimes I come to work 5-10 minutes earlier than I ever did back when I was speeding. But how can that possibly be true?

It's best if you, while never speeding, notice the next guy who flies by you. Just remember his car, you'll see him again several times - I assure you.

I'll describe a situation I had this morning, and these I encounter pretty much daily. I get the most pleasure in the "passing by" moment because I see far in advance where the red light is and purposely let the car slow down even 20-30 under the speed limit, so when I get to the traffic light, it's green light again and I don't stop; makes me feel a skillful driver.

On my way to work, there's one traffic light with a green-left-arrow sensor that lights the left-green only when there are enough cars in the left-turn lane. Today, knowing about that sensor, I stopped about 4-car-lengths before the line to trigger it and the guy in a Nissan Murano behind me, likely confused, was trying to "push me" by creeping up my ass. This made me take note of him when we made the turn and exchanged the looks... I went up to the 60 limit, while he sped up to about 75 and went well ahead of me.

The very next traffic light... coming up to it, I notice the Murano guy already standing behind other cars in the left lane; and I am in the middle one, with less cars in it. I, very slowly, passed the guy while staring at him and giving him the look. He looked at me as well, and I am sure he remembered me quite well, as my ricer is rather obvious. Since green already lit up, I didn't even stop on the light and just sped up to my usual 60km/h.

The guy in the Murano was catching up and, I assume upset by the "slow" guy in front of him, was already in my lane. Seeing the red light up on the next traffic light far ahead, I took my foot of the gas; eventually slowing down to about 10-under. The guy in the Murano, after tailgaiting me for a bit, changed the lanes again and FLOORED it. He passed me quite fast... and as soon as he did so, hit had to hit the brakes rather hard in order not to crash into the car that was standing on the light - of course he wasn't paying attention to the light; I was in his way and he was trying to get around me.

By sheer luck, I had less cars in my lane again and very slowly passed the Murano, looking at him (he didn't look back this time).

The story repeats once again: I go up to 60 and see the Murano weave around the cars ahead. I thought this is where my fun was done, but no!

Right after the next traffic light there is a highway ramp, so it's natural for the right-most lane to be packed with cars about to merge on the highway. I was driving in the middle lane (and I needed to get on that highway) and to my large surprise the Murano was standing along with a bunch of cars in the right lane. I passed him (for the third time?) doing about 30km/h and I honked several times at him just so he would see me pass him once more.

The moral of this story is that you have to be doing much more than 10 or 20 over the speed limit in order to get the same "green wave" of traffic lights that is configured to the speed limit. Sure, you'll pass a car and perhaps go through a yellow leaving it behind, but rest assured, that car will catch up to you on the very next red.

The information is there and real life is there, all for you to see the reality of speeding. Paying more for gas, more frequent car repairs due to higher part wear, being more frustrated while driving, having a less comfortable drive (all those start-stops!). If you add the possibly speeding tickets and higher chance of accidents to all that, it becomes quite a load.

Is it all a wise price to pay for a mere illusion that you're getting places faster?

I'll leave the decision up to you... or your shepherd.

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