Split Speeds are back in many states.

[OntarioVanMan]

Ok you safety advocates.....with the raising of speed limits in a lot of states....it has had a bad effect on road safety....since many OTR carriers now have their trucks speed limited....at about 65 mph or so....we have states like Texas and South Dakota increasing up to 80 mph ....Nebraska at 75 mph...state legislators have in their folley done more damage then good...
any input?

 

[Opel2010]

Split speed for big trucks I believe will be a good thing for CV's. More hot freight will go to them, than being carried by big trucks, that not just once they were (and are) collecting more shipments for a single truck...

 

[blizzard2014]

The USA is one of the dumbest countries when it comes to drivers and roadways. There are very few accidents on the autobon because the fast lane is for fast cars, and the right lane is for the slow cars (and over there this is strictly enforced). Here in the states you have people driving under the speed limit in the left lane, and driving in the left lane when there are hundreds of signs that clearly state (left lane for official vehicles and passing only)! People can't freakin read or follow instructions in the US. If the state has a split spewed limit, then it needs to be handled like the autobon is with zero tolerance for slow vehicles in the left lane. If your truck is governed below the speed limit, then it needs to stay in the right lane period. Only cars going 80 MPH belong in the left lane. Studies show that there are fewer accidents when speed limits are increased. I have had to nearly kill myself before trying to get past some idiot cruising under the speed limit in the left lane, and then they get mad at you when you finally get around them. There will be a two mile long back up on the interstate because some old geezer is trying to play speed police in the fast lane. The drivers in this country are dumb. You can't fix that by lowering the speed limit. That is my 60 cents on the matter!

 

[geo]

I would agree with that. Then you have ones who won't drive speed limit ,and go under speed on high roads
Also ones drive with brakes on going down hill or in tunnels, they should drive on state highways or stay home

 

[Greg]

The USA is one of the dumbest countries when it comes to drivers and roadways. There are very few accidents on the autobon because the fast lane is for fast cars, and the right lane is for the slow cars (and over there this is strictly enforced). Here in the states you have people driving under the speed limit in the left lane, and driving in the left lane when there are hundreds of signs that clearly state (left lane for official vehicles and passing only)! People can't freakin read or follow instructions in the US. If the state has a split spewed limit, then it needs to be handled like the autobon is with zero tolerance for slow vehicles in the left lane. If your truck is governed below the speed limit, then it needs to stay in the right lane period. Only cars going 80 MPH belong in the left lane. Studies show that there are fewer accidents when speed limits are increased. I have had to nearly kill myself before trying to get past some idiot cruising under the speed limit in the left lane, and then they get mad at you when you finally get around them. There will be a two mile long back up on the interstate because some old geezer is trying to play speed police in the fast lane. The drivers in this country are dumb. You can't fix that by lowering the speed limit. That is my 60 cents on the matter!

While I don't agree with split speed limits from a safety point of view, all traffic SHOULD have the same limits on the same roadway. That said, speed limits are LIMITS. It is the maximum allowed speed, by law, on that particular roadway. Speed limits do not mean you should drive to or at the limit, it is the maximum. Consequently, many roads will also have a minimum, for safety reasons. Left lane is for passing, not traveling, but not every vehicle can or will run at the speed limit. By your theory, on a split speed limit highway, trucks should never leave the right lane, since they will not be traveling at the maximum speed allowed. If you are "killing" yourself trying to get around someone then you could be the problem, just saying.

 

[OntarioVanMan]

AND some of these 80 mph road surfaces are pretty bad to support this kind of speed....they are swollen, pitched, and expansion cracks, let along pot holes...all at 80 mph...and some of these 80 mph roadways are only 2 lanes....so you are going to have mixed lanes...only minimum 3 lane hwys should be 80 mph...

 

[Greg]

AND some of these 80 mph road surfaces are pretty bad to support this kind of speed....they are swollen, pitched, and expansion cracks, let along pot holes...all at 80 mph...and some of these 80 mph roadways are only 2 lanes....so you are going to have mixed lanes...only minimum 3 lane hwys should be 80 mph...

I don't know. 3 lanes @ 80mph, the way people exit from the left lane or "merge" directly to to left lane, could cause major problems, especially for those in the right or center lane doing 90 to pass the guy in the left lane lane going 75.

 

[OntarioVanMan]

I don't know. 3 lanes @ 80mph, the way people exit from the left lane or "merge" directly to to left lane, could cause major problems, especially for those in the right or center lane doing 90 to pass the guy in the left lane lane going 75.

then its equal to someone entering the merge lane at 40 mph then eh?....you can ;t win...I personally find 80 mph on our road surfaces unnecessary

 

[Greg]

then its equal to someone entering the merge lane at 40 mph then eh?....you can ;t win...I personally find 80 mph on our road surfaces unnecessary

Yep. My opinion is more lanes equals more traffic usually, so a lower speed limit. Not necessarily 55, but not 80. And everyone should have the same limits. Same here. I don't drive 80 (anymore). But, I do like the 2 lane back roads with the 75 mph limit much better than 55. At least you can run a comfortable speed.

 

[OntarioVanMan]

Yep. My opinion is more lanes equals more traffic usually, so a lower speed limit. Not necessarily 55, but not 80. And everyone should have the same limits. Same here. I don't drive 80 (anymore). But, I do like the 2 lane back roads with the 75 mph limit much better than 55. At least you can run a comfortable speed.

only time my van see 70's is on maybe a downward slope....they don't pay me enough to burn up my fuel...

 

[Steady Eddie]

In the early 70's, I remember driving across I-40 bridge in Memphis at a legal speed of 75 mph. Then along came Jimmy Carter and lowered it to 55 mph nation wide. To save gas. So, 46 years later, we are back to what it was. Cars today are much safer than they were back then. It's going to be ok folks drive your speed you feel safe driving. Just because a sign says you can doesn't mean you have too.

 

[Turtle]

The German Autobahn is the equivalent of the Dwight D. Eisenhower National System of Interstate and Defense Highways, which is the official name of our Interstate highway system. The official name of the Autobahn is Bundesautobahn, which translates to "federal auto track" or "federal roadway." The Autobahn is about 8,000 miles of federal highways. While there are no blanket speeds on the autobahns, only about 55% of the autobahn has literally no speed limit (for cars). In urban and congested areas there are posted speed limits. And on the autobahn and other roads in Germany where there is a posted speed limit, it is rather strictly enforced, where as little as 2 MPH (3 km/h) over the limit will get you a pricey ticket. Where the autobahns have speed limits, they are 50 km/h (31 mph) inside city and urban areas, 100 km/h (62 mph) outside built-up areas, and 130 km/h (81 mph) in rural areas.

The German Highway Code begins with "Any person driving a vehicle may only drive so fast that the car is under control. Speeds must be adapted to the road, traffic, visibility and weather conditions as well as the personal skills and characteristics of the vehicle and load." If you fail to adhere to this and get into a speed-related accident, it's pricey, and you are likely to lose you license.

For trucks on the autobahns, even in places where there are no speed limits, the speed limit is 80 km/h (50 mph). Trucks over 3,500 kg (7,716 lbs) are required to have a built-in speed limiter for a maximum speed of 90 km/h (56 mph). On non-autobahn roads, trucks with a GVRW of 7,500 kg (16,534 lbs) the limit is set to 60 km/h (37 mph). So when people complain about split speeds here, it's nothing compared to the split speeds of Germany.

They key to Germany's low accident and fatality rate is what they call the Four Es - Enforcement, Education, Engineering, and Emergency response. Here in the US we just have the Two Es - Enforcement and Emergency Response. <snort>

 

[OntarioVanMan]

The German Autobahn is the equivalent of the Dwight D. Eisenhower National System of Interstate and Defense Highways, which is the official name of our Interstate highway system. The official name of the Autobahn is Bundesautobahn, which translates to "federal auto track" or "federal roadway." The Autobahn is about 8,000 miles of federal highways. While there are no blanket speeds on the autobahns, only about 55% of the autobahn has literally no speed limit (for cars). In urban and congested areas there are posted speed limits. And on the autobahn and other roads in Germany where there is a posted speed limit, it is rather strictly enforced, where as little as 2 MPH (3 km/h) over the limit will get you a pricey ticket. Where the autobahns have speed limits, they are 50 km/h (31 mph) inside city and urban areas, 100 km/h (62 mph) outside built-up areas, and 130 km/h (81 mph) in rural areas.

The German Highway Code begins with "Any person driving a vehicle may only drive so fast that the car is under control. Speeds must be adapted to the road, traffic, visibility and weather conditions as well as the personal skills and characteristics of the vehicle and load." If you fail to adhere to this and get into a speed-related accident, it's pricey, and you are likely to lose you license.

For trucks on the autobahns, even in places where there are no speed limits, the speed limit is 80 km/h (50 mph). Trucks over 3,500 kg (7,716 lbs) are required to have a built-in speed limiter for a maximum speed of 90 km/h (56 mph). On non-autobahn roads, trucks with a GVRW of 7,500 kg (16,534 lbs) the limit is set to 60 km/h (37 mph). So when people complain about split speeds here, it's nothing compared to the split speeds of Germany.

They key to Germany's low accident and fatality rate is what they call the Four Es - Enforcement, Education, Engineering, and Emergency response. Here in the US we just have the Two Es - Enforcement and Emergency Response. <snort>

People don't drive like idiots as much the consequences are so severe...Driving is a privledge not a right..once around the block and parallel park is not acceptable testing....

 

[Turtle]

People don't drive like idiots as much the consequences are so severe...Driving is a privledge not a right..once around the block and parallel park is not acceptable testing....

Getting your regular driver's license in Germany is harder than Chinese arithmetic. I've got a couple of step-cousins who were raised in Germany. Your parents don't teach you how to drive, a certified Fahrschule (driving school) does that. The fahrschules are all private enterprises, but are heavily regulated and monitored by the government. There are a lot of them, though. They're everywhere, like Starbucks (or Tim Hortons in Canada).

There are two parts: Practical and Theory. Each part is a minimum of twelve 2-hour classes. The Theory part is the written exam part. After your 24 hours of theory instruction you are given a test of 30 questions. You are allowed to get one answer incorrect. The actual test you take when obtaining your license is also 30 questions and you can only miss one. If you miss more than one, you go back and do driving school all over again. The Practical is the driving part. It's a minimum of twelve 2 hour sessions and only ends when the instructor is satisfied that you know how to operate a vehicle under a wide variety of situations. It's not driving around the block and parallel parking, that's for sure. It's more like stunt man driving school where you learn to handle skids on wet and snowy roads, intense defensive driving skills, and learn to make complicated maneuvers at high and low speeds without hitting those cones. You have to really know how to handle a vehicle and know the characteristics of the vehicle. If you fail the actual road test when getting your license, the instructor will be tasked to explain how you managed to graduate driving school. Less than 1% of applicants fail their official road test.

 

[OntarioVanMan]

That's the way it should be over here... And I'd throw in requalifacation testing after 5 yrs!

 

[billg27]

I've got an idea! Let's just give out drivers licenses, without any training or testing, to non English speaking, illiterate illegal aliens! That should help make the roads safer! Oh yea, those drivers don't need to carry insurance because the good people they collide with have their own insurance.

 

[tknight]

only time my van see 70's is on maybe a downward slope....they don't pay me enough to burn up my fuel...

Oh yea at the Mpg I get I never will drive at 70 not to mention 80 I don't like getting caught in road groves and getting tossed all over the place 65 is good enough for me

 

[Turtle]

63 MPH is my sweet spot.

 

[Mailer]

Hey guys, this could be an outdated info, but worth looking at it.

"...According to a survey, the worst drivers are considered to be in Italy, Turkey and the Netherlands, followed by Germany, France and Poland. Drivers in the United States were ranked seventh according to the survey..."

Topic: Car Drivers

 

[xiggi]

65 to 70 is about it for me. The only time my van has ever seen 80 is to avoid a bad situation.