Whats the issue with driving slow/speed limit?

[Deleted member 3645]

Hi: I am a newbie to the forum, and EV's in general, and getting up to speed in the past couple of months as the reality of a real, usable electric car is happening now. Its very exciting.

One point I wanted to ask is there seems to be a lot of reticence and unwillingness in the forums to drive slowly, but legally, on multi-lane roads. Why is this?

I sometimes have driven slowly in the past on highways, usually for 2 reasons:

1) To make a mileage run, to see the max MPG I could get out of my vehicle over a stretch of 50-100 miles. usually going 45-50 MPH, in a 55 MPH road, or 55-60 on a 65 MPH road. ( I live in the East coast where our limits are lower than the West, so YMMV )

2) Construction zones with a ridiculously low speed limit, with no construction happening, and just want to drive slowly (3-5 MPH below the posted limit ) just to make a stupid point , and to ENSURE I will not get a speeding ticket. (fines doubled in construction zones! )

There are other reasons I would be driving slowly that I cannot remember now, but cruise control is your friend, and I am of the camp that if you do NOT have to pay attention to your speed manually, you have more mental cycles to pay attention to other things happening on the road in front of you.

Now, of course this often pisses off other drivers, but you know what? screw em'. I will not be intimidated by someone coming up on me quickly and either tail-gating me, or swerving just at the last moment. If they hit me, its their fault, I was traveling a legal speed in the right-hand lane, and I am traveling slow enough that nothing bad will happen to me physically, and I can go after them for all I have for damages, and hopefully get them off the road for a while. Seriously, driving fast IS dangerous, and wasteful, and there is no reason why someone driving quickly cannot negotiate a slow car ahead. If they cannot, they shouldn't be driving fast, or at all. Occasionally if someone gets up on my rear and tailgates me for an extended period of time, I sometimes will just disengage my cruise control, and very slowly deaccelerate, and slower and slower, until I am going 30 MPH, and they are going absolutely insane behind me. Really, its not my problem; go around me, or go the speed I choose to go, your choice.

If I do bite and get a EV, I will be hyper-miling like crazy, and traveling just above the minimum legal speed on multi-lane roads, and I will not feel one iota of guilt or danger about it.

Thoughts??

- Stefan the ex-(crazy MassHole) Bostonian driver now in Montreal..

 

[JohnnySebring]

Occasionally if someone gets up on my rear and tailgates me for an extended period of time, I sometimes will just disengage my cruise control, and very slowly deaccelerate, and slower and slower, until I am going 30 MPH, and they are going absolutely insane behind me. Really, its not my problem; go around me, or go the speed I choose to go, your choice.

Do you do this on your Ducati :?:

 

[Deleted member 3645]

Well, yes,I do, but its a little tougher because I don't occupy the entire lane on my Duc. But I can turn around and stare at someone right behind you, or I weave back and forth slowly in my lane, and that sometimes unnerves people and gets them to back off.. But mostly I will just pull over and just let them pass me, if I am wanting to go slow.

Do you do this on your Ducati :?:

 

[Herm]

Having someone tailgating you is not really that bad, it improves your aerodynamics and builds up a impact buffer behind you.. but you need the mental fortitude to ignore what other drivers are doing, the hardest part to get over is that they will get there before you!

 

[Deleted member 3645]

yes, thats actually a very good point, to just ignore the presence, and just keep your eyes ahead.

Actually, if you think about a 30 mile drive, and a 20 MPH difference in speed, say 60 to 80 MPH to make it easy.

The person traveling 60 MPH will make it in 30 minutes, whereas at 80 MPH, they will make it in 22.5 minutes. How important is that extra 7.5 minutes to you?

Having someone tailgating you is not really that bad, it improves your aerodynamics and builds up a impact buffer behind you.. but you need the mental fortitude to ignore what other drivers are doing, the hardest part to get over is that they will get there before you!

 

[LEAFfan]

the hardest part to get over is that they will get there before you!

:lol: That's the easiest part to get over. They're burning up their money while I'm driving virtually free! And, they may or may not reach their destination at all if they're driving like an idiot. How many times have you seen drivers speed by ya and then they slam on their brakes up ahead because someone else is going too slow for them or they didn't pay attention to the light that turned red when they were a few hundred feet from it? They're the ones that burn gasoline as if it were water, then complain about the high gas prices. I'm with chex on this one (Chex, be prepared to be flamed for your view on this one). :mrgreen:

 

[Deleted member 3645]

Totally, or they blew past a cop and got pulled over.. on and on it goes.

I used to drive like that growing up as a suburbian punk, but I grew up, moved to the city, got rid of my car, and lead a much less stressful commuting style walking and taking transit. This is why buying and owning a car again is such a big deal and decision for me, but I think the electric car is such a revolutionary step in the car-culture, I am really tempted to step back into the lifestyle again.

I'm glad you agree, and I'm prepared for the flames! My flame-resistant cloak is up and in battle mode!

the hardest part to get over is that they will get there before you!

:lol: That's the easiest part to get over. They're burning up their money while I'm driving virtually free! And, they may or may not reach their destination at all if they're driving like an idiot. How many times have you seen drivers speed by ya and then they slam on their brakes up ahead because someone else is going too slow for them or they didn't pay attention to the light that turned red when they were a few hundred feet from it? They're the ones that burn gasoline as if it were water, then complain about the high gas prices. I'm with chex on this one (Chex, be prepared to be flamed for your view on this one). :mrgreen:

 

[JohnnySebring]

Well, yes,I do, but its a little tougher because I don't occupy the entire lane on my Duc. But I can turn around and stare at someone right behind you, or I weave back and forth slowly in my lane, and that sometimes unnerves people and gets them to back off.. But mostly I will just pull over and just let them pass me, if I am wanting to go slow.

Do you do this on your Ducati :?:

Do what it takes to survive on 2 wheels! I loved my bikes, I rode in England '67 to '70 on my BSA 250 and Honda 750 (first in country) with the Cafe Racers and thanks to my guardian angel survived it. I drive my Leaf with the same spirit and take advantage of every foot pound of torque at my pleasure. I watch this forum for any thing on handling upgrades. and as expected various topics........

 

[adric22]

One point I wanted to ask is there seems to be a lot of reticence and unwillingness in the forums to drive slowly, but legally, on multi-lane roads. Why is this?

I would imagine most of us do not want to paint a picture to the public that EVs are slow, or that EV drivers are a nuisance.

First of all, if I'm on a city street then I have no reason to drive slow, the speed limit and traffic alone will keep me at a reasonably efficient speed.

If I'm on the highway and I have only a few miles to drive, I will get in the left lane and keep up with traffic. If that means going 80 or 85 mph, then so be it.

If I have a long way to go on the highway and need to drive more efficiently, then I look for a slow moving vehicle and get behind it. Maybe a box truck, or just and old farmer in his pickup. Usually not too hard to find if you keep looking. That way I can drive at or below the speed limit on the highway but as people pass me, they think I'm just stuck behind the slow vehicle and haven't had a chance to pass yet. But they don't blame me for the slow speed.

 

[TomT]

And if you die, it makes no difference whatsoever whose fault it is... I wish *I* could predict so reliably that nothing would ever happen to me in any accident...

If they hit me, its their fault, I was traveling a legal speed in the right-hand lane, and I am traveling slow enough that nothing bad will happen to me physically, and I can go after them for all I have for damages, and hopefully get them off the road for a while.

 

[Randy3]

Strange, the older I get the slower I drive. Partly brought on by my LEAF.

When going slow, I try to take into account the situation the driver behind me is in. If they can go around me, but chose not to, that's their choice. But, if we're on a rural highway with few passing areas, I feel more compelled to either speed up or find a turnout to allow them to get by me asap.

 

[Stoaty]

When going slow, I try to take into account the situation the driver behind me is in. If they can go around me, but chose not to, that's their choice. But, if we're on a rural highway with few passing areas, I feel more compelled to either speed up or find a turnout to allow them to get by me asap.

Count me as another slow driver--but only when either:

--other drivers can go around me (freeway, multi-lane highway)
--road conditions are more of an impediment than I am (city driving, stoplights turning red)

These conditions apply in my driving about 99.9% of the time, so I am virtually always driving slowly.

 

[waitingforaleaf]

With regards to driving slow/speed limit, I doubt many people are bothered by the way the driving style the OP has mentioned in his post. As long as you are not impeding traffic on a multi-lane road (meaning other cars can pass you on the left lanes), driving 5 or even 10 mph under the posted speed limit SHOULD BE acceptable. Of course, there will be drivers that want to drive fast on ALL lanes, but they are the ones likely to get into an accident in the future so I worry less about what they generally think, especially with regards to slower drivers on the right.

The bigger concern as voiced in the "It's your duty to drive FAST" post is that there are many drivers (not just Leaf drivers) that drive under the speed limit in the left lanes or the HOV lane when the average driving speed is much higher (generally I've seen many cars driving 75-80 in a 65 mph limit area in southern CA), thereby "blocking" traffic and irritating the drivers behind who are not able to past them. If enough EV drivers do this, then there may be a perception that ALL EV drivers are irritatingly slow drivers, which is a perception that we would like to avoid. While I don't advocate the NEED to speed in these lanes, I find it generally rude to the drivers behind you to impede the overall traffic flow. Guess I grew up when the left lane was really meant for passing and that slower traffic should keep right (where I tend to be when I drive my Leaf).

 

[Anonymous]

My thoughts line up with waitingforaleaf in the previous post. I don't care what your speed is, I care what LANE you're in for the speed you're driving. As long as you're keeping to the right whenever you can, that's the important thing.

And it's not always about the speed limit, it's about how fast the other traffic is going. If you're not PASSING someone, then you'd better move over to the right another lane (unless you're already in the right-most lane, or you're impeded by traffic in front of you). If the limit is 60, and the right 4 lanes are going 20, and you're in the far left lane doing 25, then that's fine. You're passing people that are on your right, so I have no problems with that.

I also consider the HOV lane to be just another "farther left" lane that has some restrictions on who can/can't use it. Just because you're a carpool or EV or whatever doesn't mean you can go into the left-most lane and poke along slower than everyone else. The rules of "keep right except to pass" still apply.

The only other thing I would add is that if you're going slower than 10 miles under the limit, and NOT impeded by traffic in front of you (meaning everyone around you is going faster), I would stay in the right lane AND turn on your hazard lights just for safety. People that aren't paying attention might come up behind you too quickly not realizing that you're going slower than they thought. Sure, it's their fault if they hit you, but you should have an interest in avoiding that kind of hassle, right?

 

[Packet]

Totally, or they blew past a cop and got pulled over.. on and on it goes.

I was driving back down from Vancouver to Seattle a couple of years ago, doing just about the speed limit (maybe a little faster) on a 70mph stretch of I-5. Some yahoo in a sports car comes up behind me and is tailgating me, riding what seems like inches behind me. I'm already over in the rightmost lane, so I ignore him, and he pulls out around me, flips me off, and tears off at easily 90mph.

Ten minutes later, I see him at the side of the road with a flat tire and a cop sternly lecturing him. I'm sure there's a story behind how he ended up both pulled over AND with a flat, but either way, I figured that was karma. (Car-ma?)

 

[hodad66]

Karma is a wonderful thing. That said I will stay to the right
on two lanes (one way) and in the middle on a three lane
highway.

 

[TRONZ]

Speed is just a range variable in the LEAF. You should know your needs and what's best.

Regarding safety, ride like the invisible man and keep the same situational awareness when you are driving. If the government mandated a bayonet on the steering wheel instead of an airbag... people would definitely slow down.

 

[LEAFfan]

I also consider the HOV lane to be just another "farther left" lane that has some restrictions on who can/can't use it. Just because you're a carpool or EV or whatever doesn't mean you can go into the left-most lane and poke along slower than everyone else. The rules of "keep right except to pass" still apply.

That may be in CA because you have 'enter' and 'exit' areas, but here, you are absolutely incorrect. The HOV is NOT a speed lane here;only the left lane next to the HOV lane is. If there is slow traffic in the 'left/fast' lane, then people in the HOV lane need to slow down below the speed limit as a critical safety issue as you have to have enough time for cars that want to get into the HOV lane. When there isn't a lot of traffic, it's perfectly and legally acceptable to drive in the HOV at the speed limit. If others want to pass, they can easily go into the 'fast' lane to the right and legally pass. I can't speak for CA drivers because I've never driven in those HOV lanes, so it could be a different situation there.

 

[TRONZ]

I can't speak for CA drivers because I've never driven in those HOV lanes, so it could be a different situation there.

Please watch Steve Martin in LA Story for an idea of our highways during rush hour :!:

 

[Herm]

Ten minutes later, I see him at the side of the road with a flat tire and a cop sternly lecturing him. I'm sure there's a story behind how he ended up both pulled over AND with a flat, but either way, I figured that was karma. (Car-ma?)

I seen a similar thing, but this time the car was completely scrunched against a bridge pylon.. no one survived that crash.. I did not see the actual impact but I only missed it by 30 seconds or so.. there was no cabin left in that car.