Tips on how to Speed, I wanna go fast.

[BWillie]

I'm going to start going to Mayetta KS (just north of Topeka) once a week or so for some stuff. The highways there are pretty desolate, and going 90mph instead of 74 mph could lower my commute by almost a half an hour.

Any tips or scanners to use to avoid or locate the police using radar? With todays technologies & up to the minute information is it possible to significantly lower your risk of getting a ticket?

I usually drive like an old man, and whenever I do speed I get nailed. But then I see these people going 20 mph faster than me that never seem to get any tickets. Wondering if there is a trick I'm missing out on

[penguinz]

Originally Posted by KC native

Who causes more traffic accidents?

a) people who drive too fast

b) people who drive too slow

Asshats like you that fly down the road blasting Nickelback.

[LoneWolf]

Originally Posted by KC native

Who causes more traffic accidents?

a) people who drive too fast

b) people who drive too slow

Someone driving the posted speed limit that isn't hanging out in the left-hand lane isn't driving too slow. Someone speeding and constantly riding other people's bumpers are the drivers who cause more accidents.

[KC native]

http://www.vox.com/2014/6/16/5804590...-the-left-lane
.

Why you shouldn't drive slowly in the left lane

There are basically two types of drivers: those who get worked up about people driving slowly in the left lane, and those who do it all the time and have no idea they're upsetting everyone else.

In case you're in the second group, some background: every state has some sort of law that discourages people from traveling in the left lane on multi-lane roads and highways. It's not that you're never allowed in the left lane, just that you should only use it when necessary, for passing, then get back over.

That's because even if you're driving fast, there's always someone going faster. If you promptly get back over after passing, that car will be able to pass you, allowing everyone on the road to get to their destinations as quickly as possible. If you don't, it'll inevitably lead to buildups of traffic and likely raise the chance of accidents.

The system works best when people aren't hogging the left lane. That's one reason why National Motorists Association has declared June Lane Courtesy Month in an effort to to raise awareness about the importance of getting out of the left lane.

Here's Vox's small contribution — an explanation of the reasons why traveling in the left lane is a bad idea.

State laws restrict driving in the left lane


Every state has some law on the books restricting use of the left lane. In 29 states, the law says any car that's moving slower than the "normal speed of traffic" should be in the right lane — so even if it's going at the speed limit, a car that's not moving as fast as the other cars around shouldn't be in the left. Georgia recently increased the penalty for violating this law to a misdemeanor.

In 11 states, the laws are even stricter — specifically saying the left lane is only for turning or passing. Most of the remaining states say cars need to get over if they're blocking traffic that wants to pass, or if they're traveling more slowly than the speed limit.

Police are cracking down on left lane drivers

Traditionally, these laws have seldom been enforced, and were often just used as a legal excuse for police to pull people over for unrelated reasons.

Recently, though, police in several states — including Washington, Texas, and Ohio — have increasingly been issuing tickets to people they spot traveling slowly in the left.

It impedes traffic and probably makes everyone less safe

There's a certain rationale for these laws and enforcement campaigns. When drivers travel in the left lane, it makes the road more congested and probably more dangerous for all parties involved.

Research shows that many traffic jams result from a surprisingly small number of slow cars obstructing traffic, with their effects rippling outward. A small buildup of cars that can't pass because someone is driving slowly in the left — right next to another car traveling slowly in the right — is the exact type of scenario that can start this cascade of traffic.

Now, some people counter that as long as they're going the speed limit, they don't have to move over — and by slowing down would-be speeders, they're making the roads safer.

Apart from the fact that in 44 states, simply going the speed limit doesn't permit drivers to travel in the left lane, this argument doesn't make a lot of sense based on research into how accidents occur.

Unfortunately, there isn't much research on the effect of impeding people from passing in the left lane specifically. But there is evidence that slowing down and changing lanes is more dangerous than speeding.

Lanes changes account for about four percent of all car accidents in the US, and perhaps as much as ten percent of accidents on highways. Meanwhile, research has generally shown that the strongest predictor of an accident isn't speeding, but variance from the average speed of traffic — and a car going five miles per hour slower than the surrounding traffic has a greater chance of causing an accident than one going five miles per hour faster than it.

If relatively slow drivers are scattered among the right and left lanes, faster drivers have to repeatedly slow down and weave back and forth, changing lanes many times to pass all of them. If the slower drivers are all driving in the right lane, a faster driver can pass several at a time, then get back into the right, cutting down on the total number of lane changes and eliminating the slow downs.

Update: There's even some evidence that this is why accident and fatality rates are so much lower on the German autobahn, compared to US interstates, even though speed limits are higher (or in some places nonexistent) in Germany. Lane discipline is much more strictly maintained there, allowing drivers to travel more safely at faster speeds.

[KC native]

Originally Posted by LoneWolf

Someone driving the posted speed limit that isn't hanging out in the left-hand lane isn't driving too slow. Someone speeding and constantly riding other people's bumpers are the drivers who cause more accidents.

Yes, they are driving too slow. People who drive too slow for conditions and people who force others to make lane changes to get around them cause more accidents.

[KC native]

Originally Posted by penguinz

Asshats like you that fly down the road blasting Nickelback.

Nice dodge.

[Fire Me Boy!]

Originally Posted by KC native

Yes, they are driving too slow. People who drive too slow for conditions and people who force others to make lane changes to get around them cause more accidents.

No one, for any reason, should drive faster than they're comfortable, especially when conditions aren't good.

[penguinz]

You don't get it do you?

[KC native]

Originally Posted by Fried Meat Ball!

No one, for any reason, should drive faster than they're comfortable, especially when conditions aren't good.

I don't disagree with that. They can also not drive in the left lane if that's the case.

[KC native]

Originally Posted by penguinz

You don't get it do you?

The only person who doesn't get it is you.

[penguinz]

Originally Posted by KC native

The only person who doesn't get it is you.

You are hilarious.

[LoneWolf]

Originally Posted by KC native

Yes, they are driving too slow. People who drive too slow for conditions and people who force others to make lane changes to get around them cause more accidents.

You are a complete ****ing moron. Someone driving the speed limit is not driving too slow (as long as they aren't hanging out in the left-hand lane). They aren't forcing anyone to change lanes or go around them. Drivers that are exceeding the speed limit (by more than a few mph) are making a conscious choice to change lanes constantly to go around other drivers. They have the option to slow down and obey the law, but they choose not to. If an accident occurs in that scenario, the driver exceeding the speed limit is the one causing the accident not the driver that is obeying the law.

[KC native]

Originally Posted by LoneWolf

You are a complete ****ing moron. Someone driving the speed limit is not driving too slow (as long as they aren't hanging out in the left-hand lane). They aren't forcing anyone to change lanes or go around them. Drivers that are exceeding the speed limit (by more than a few mph) are making a conscious choice to change lanes constantly to go around other drivers. They have the option to slow down and obey the law, but they choose not to. If an accident occurs in that scenario, the driver exceeding the speed limit is the one causing the accident not the driver that is obeying the law.

There's research that backs my stance. You only have your opinion. Feel free to click the links in the story.

[penguinz]

Originally Posted by KC native

There's research that backs my stance. You only have your opinion. Feel free to click the links in the story.

You are incorrect.

[KC native]

Originally Posted by penguinz

You are incorrect.

You are stupid.

[penguinz]

Originally Posted by KC native

You are stupid.

Internet tuff guy.