Are there any driving laws you'd like to see changed?

[Renew Deal]

Tonight I was driving behind a car going 22 in a 35. The car had Florida plates (in NY) and had seniors driving. It brought up the classic question about driving license limitations. So.... Are there any driving laws you would like changed? And I mean anything. Would you like to see us driving on the left? Should road tests be administered annually? Should the minimum age for a license be 30? What would you like to change?

[Xipe Totec]

1. 35 is the maximum speed, not the recommended speed

It's okay to go slower. I don't know what the minimum speed is on surface streets. On the freeway it's 45mph.

[uncommon]

42. Ugh, while this is technically true, it's still a total douche-move to drive 13 miles UNDER the

speed limit. The people around you might actually need to get where they are going in a reasonable amount of time.

[ThomThom]

46. I think you should calm down and leave for work a little earlier.

I ride a bike on the streets sometimes (usually I avoid main roads) and people threaten me with there cars because they have exactly this attitude. Your attitude leads to road rage, crazy driving and injured people. Chill out and respect other people. Not everyone knows where they are going at all times and when people are unfamiliar with the road they tend to slow done. Have a little consideration.

[uncommon]

50. I don't speed or drive irrationally. I just think that it is selfish to drive far under the speed

limit and inconvenience other drivers.

Therefore I do not engage in that behavior. Or any other unsafe or irrational behavior when I drive.

If people are unfamiliar with the area, and they can't drive near the speed limit out of courtesy, they should pull over if a line forms behind them.

[Romulox]

58. Passive aggression is still aggression.

People get off on it the same way more honest people get off on rage.

[DailyGrind51]

99. In Illinois, overly aggressive drivers are ticketted!

[DailyGrind51]

74. Did you try passing the guy?

[JVS]

105. Then they should plan better or pass

[Cal33]

48. In Europe, many countries have no speed limits on the highways.

Yet their rates of accidents and deaths are about the same as here. I think one reason for
this is that in Europe one can overtake the vehicle ahead only from the left. This reduces
the number of accidents markedly!

Another point: When there has been an accident on the highway, even when the vehicles
are on the shoulder of the road, all traffic slows down to a crawl - even on a 4-lane
highway! And traffic comes close to a standstill for miles! Why? Is it because
of rubber-necking? Is it because the lights of a police-car are flashing? In such
a case, the traffic in Europe would not have slowed down at all.

I hope these laws will be changed.

But I'm all for speed limits. Accidents in the USA would plummet.

[SeattleGirl]

136. The grandmother of a friend of mine was ticketed for going too

slow. She was driving 35 in a 50 mph zone, on a two-lane highway. She was holding up traffic. When the cop stopped her, and asked why she was going so slow, she said that she disagreed with the 50 mph speed limit, and felt 35 was better. She got a ticket. My friend and I cracked up over that!

[Timbuk3]

2. Hang up and drive

I despise people who drive while talking on the phone. ESPECIALLY when I'm behind them in the fast lane, doing 10 or 20 mph less than the speed limit.

[Warpy]

6. Those are the assholes who try to wipe me out on the road

Honest, drunks aren't nearly as much of a problem, and the drunken driving problem out west is horrendous. Cell phones are worse, especially when it's some immortal juvenile who's texting while driving.

Getting caught doing that should be treated just like DUI, loss of license for the first offense, jail for the second, and jail plus confiscation of the vehicle for the third.

Enough.

[Dulcinea]

96. Hear! Hear!

Study after study proves that talking on the phone or texting while driving is just as dangerous as drunk driving. Therefore, the penalties should be the same.

I've almost been obliterated several times by asswipes paying more attention to their phones than the road.

Any phone conversation or text can wait till you've reached your destination. Or you can pull over.

Unfortunately, it will take a tragedy to make this the law everywhere. I'm really beginning to detest cell phones in general--why should society be subject to people's stupid phone conversations anyway about the last time they took a crap?

[DailyGrind51]

138. Agree 100%!

[Renew Deal]

7. Today I saw a NYC ticket agent texting while driving.

I was walking across an intersection in NYC. A ticket agent car was inching into the crosswalk encroaching on the pedestrians. That's unusual for a TICKET AGENT! I looked into the car and the asshole was texting while driving. I wanted to do something about it, but he was gone by the time I figured out what to do.

[bluethruandthru]

102. Agreed! They're never paying attention and I've notice when

drivers are on the phone or texting..they seem to brake for no reason at all causing others to have to slam on their brakes to avoid hitting them. I wish people would treat driving seriously. When you get in the car, plan to drive...not make phone calls, text, do your makeup, read the paper, whatever.

[Curmudgeoness]

3. Why do we have to sit at a red light for 2 minutes when there are

no cars anywhere else on the road? They finally passed laws allowing you to make a right turn on red if the road was clear. So if you are the only one on the road, why can't you stop and proceed with caution?

[liberal N proud]

8. Because morons who don't think they have to stop at stop signs

would treat a red light the same way.

Even the right on red is abused, here in Ohio, I call it the God Given Right because they roll through the light while making a red, or they will stop, see the traffic starting to pull from the left and rush to beat it.


Traffic lights are set up multiple ways, the most common being on a timer but many use sensors in the road to detect traffic and act accordingly. Some roads even put sensors far enough back to sense approaching traffic and adjust lights as the traffic pattern needs.

[Curmudgeoness]

12. I wish we could get that new-fangled technology here.

I spend so much time on the road at odd hours, and constantly sit an watch empty streets thinking "what the hell am I doing sitting here?"

And the abusers should be penalized, at the right turn, or in my pet peeve law change.

[Hansel]

77. I actually kind of like this.

It's a waste of gas and time to sit at a timed red light when nobody is coming. I guess the fear is that eventually most people would just start going through red lights like they are stop signs. It is silly that we sit at a light for 2 minutes without seeing a car in sight just because it is colored red.

[depakid]

84. Because American civil engineers don't know how to construct roundabouts

[Mopar151]

94. I can see you are not a truck driver....... n/t

[mwooldri]

103. I'm not a truck driver, but properly constructed roundabouts don't cause truckers problems.

Plus there is also the concept of the "mini roundabout" which is nothing much more than an enlarged "3+ way yield".

The roundabouts I have seen here in America are certainly not suited to big rigs. However they are in residential areas where big rigs aren't supposed to be.

British truckers are more miffed at the speeds they are regulated at, but even more so... a slow vehicle in the passing lane, especially if the "slow lane" is empty. Since it is illegal to "undetake" (i.e. pass on the passenger side of the vehicle) in the UK, that trucker is then stuck, unable to pass legally a vehicle doing 45mph in the passing lane.

[JVS]

106. It depends on the size of the truck. In the US our trucks are bigger than in the UK and...

would need some huge roundabouts.

[liberal N proud]

4. Were they in the left lane? (escapee's from Florida)

I would like to see Slower Traffic Keep Right laws strengthened and enforced.

People going slow in the fast lane are dangerous. They are going 60 in a 65 in the left lane forcing people to pass them on the right which is always dangerous.

[RKP5637]

5. IMO driving skills have little to do with age unless impaired or too young. I've seen

horrible drivers of all ages.

[skids]

9. I'd like to see cargo tiedown rules enforced better...

...lots of people getting on the highway with undersecured cargo. It's dangerous. I'm not sure any laws need changing, just stepped up enforcement. I think most people are just rushed and absent minded. Just pulling them over for a good tongue-lashing would probably be sufficient.

[Renew Deal]

10. Last week I saw a matress getting strapped to an SUV on a MAIN ROAD!

There was a cop there too. I think the matress must have fallen off.

[RKP5637]

13. That is excellent. I always hate getting stuck behind theses guys, for example, with lumber all

over the place in the back of a pickup going 65 down the road and similar.

[Renew Deal]

16. Someone gets killed by flying lumber or pipes or whatever every few years

At least around here. I'm sure it's pretty common.

[flvegan]

11. I'd like scalable speed limits.

Truckers, et al have CDL licenses for which they have to jump through hoops and have special skills. I'd like to be able to take a test and have my car tested to give me a license to drive up to, say, 85 on roads that are more than capable of me doing so safely. No, I'm not asking to be able to drive 50 mph down small neighborhood streets. I'm talking about major roads, highways, etc.

And yes, I'd be happy to have my car recertified every year, and I'd happily pay a higher base-level of mandatory insurance.

And now, I don my asbestos suit for the DU nannies to check in.

[mwooldri]

19. Actually I support you on this.

Replicate the German Autobahn type limits where appropriate. If it is safe to do 145mph on that road, go for it. If it's not safe then yes the police need to pull you over for reckless driving.

If it required taking an Advanced Drivers Test and holding such a license which requires re-testing periodically, go for it.

[BadgerKid]

22. Agree, particularly for intercity interstates.

As you say, the road and car should tolerate the speed, and the driver should be capable of handling the vehicle. Let's assume that means under dry road conditions; when the roads are wet, I think the posted limit or slower is safer.

The cost of having decreased fuel efficiency will limit high speed driving eventually. My evidence for this comes from observations when gas was $4/gal; everybody then drove the speed limit. My car is just as fuel efficient up to about 80 mph as it is around the posted 65 mph. (Shhhhhh...don't turn me in!)

[uncommon]

43. But how would the cops know who to pull over for speeding?

If everyone had a different rating... this is completely unenforceable.

[flvegan]

51. Special tag or tag sticker.

[lumberjack_jeff]

118. No. Speed doesn't kill, delta-v does

Everyone in traffic must have comparable velocity.

"Ever notice that everyone who goes faster than you is a maniac, and everyone going slower is an idiot? - George Carlin"

Every idiot runs the risk of being tailended by a maniac simply by changing lanes.

[pipi_k]

14. A couple of laws I'd like to see changed, actually...

1. No license till the age of 20

2. Ban all phone texting and all cell phone calls unless it's hands-free

[Ron Green]

52. I don't think hands-free phone use is safe at all.

It's not where your hands are, it's where your mind is.

I agree about the age 20 rule.

[Renew Deal]

15. Driver recertification

Some sort of driver recertification. I know this is an administrative nightmare, but I think it would be beneficial. People must take another written test every few years and even maybe another road test. I just don't think it's feasible.

[mwooldri]

21. Written test re-done every few years - very possible.

Can all be done by computer via the Internet. Timed test, encouraged closed book. If an invigilator is required, there are plenty of private testing companies (not to mention there are many universities and colleges who could do this) who can for a fee require you to re-take your drivers written test, without reference to any books. DMV costs would be minimal.

I would consider a more thorough road test should be required - a 30 to 45 minute road test, with a good portion on a road close to or at Interstate specification if at all possible. I would also encourage "Advanced Drivers Licenses" - in return insurance companies can give reduced premiums to people with Advanced Licenses. These Advanced Licenses would need renewal with a full road test. These licenses can be used as a qualification for people who do light duty driving (e.g. a car or light truck for business purposes) as a major part of their job role. This would demonstrate to employers that they are hiring potentially safer drivers.

But getting people to do a road test every X years again... would need more contractors, drivers examiners, and of course higher fees to get the drivers license.

[customerserviceguy]

17. Yeah, the FL plates in NY

Guaranteed to be old, slow people! I see way too many of them up here, I wish their children and grandchildren would drive down there and visit them.

[mwooldri]

18. Here's one I'd love to see here in NC... all learner drivers vehicles must be marked so.

In the UK, "L" plates are required on vehicles driven by drivers who have provisional drivers licences (a.k.a "learners permits").

Here in NC, there is no such requirement. The vehicle ahead of you may be a learner driver, and you may not know it. Now schools of motoring do identify their vehicles as such, and that is helpful... but if it's a parent teaching their kids... you can't tell.

Other limitations:

1) All new full licenses should be valid until age 70. The license card will need to be renewed every 10 years (because peoples' pictures change) but instead of going to a DMV office to have your picture taken, you send in the application by mail. This removes the DMV burden on issuing new licenses and having the staff to man the offices for these purposes. Plus you won't need to waste time going to a DMV office, just go to a pharmacy or whatever and have a passport photo taken, and mail in your card renewal.

2) When age 70 hits, drivers need to be tested every 3-5 years to keep their license. Hate to say it, but older drivers are safer but after a certain age they do become less safe, less able, have much slower reaction times, and may have other impairments which means they should not really be driving.

3) Road tests should be more extensive, and have to be scheduled. Here in NC, you can just show up at the DMV office and demand a road test on the spot.

4) Where safe, certain roads should have a "suggested maximum" of 80mph, and if road conditions are safe, drivers can then drive at whatever speed is safe. If law enforcement deems a driver to be unsafe at any speed, then of course there is the reckless driving charge.

5) To cut down on energy usage and allow for more freeflowing traffic, roundabouts where possible should replace crossroads. No more light bill for the State to pay, and no more stuck at a red light. If the way is clear, go! However, sometimes even roundabouts with lights are desirable at certain times of high traffic.

6) Drivers Ed classes at school - IMO, GREAT! However, to cut down on congestion, no student cars at school allowed, all must ride the bus or get to school by other means. Multiple teens in a car to/from school == trouble.

7) Ban turn right on red. Yes it is nice, and given the high abundance of traffic lights in our state, it's the right thing ... but it's far better to stop at red and not go until it is green. Annoying as heck, but safer.

8) Overtaking on the passenger side. It's unsafe, period. Should be banned... coupled with going slow in the passing lane... that should be enforced too. I may be passing somone going at 60mph in a 70mph zone going 70mph, but then I see this fool in the rear view mirror probably doing 85-90mph trying to get somewhere as quickly as possible and deciding to use the sui-side for passing.

9) License tag renewals for passenger vehicles and light trucks not used commercially should have a sliding scale of renewal fee, based on the CO2 emissions of a vehicle. More bad emissions == higher tag renewal rate.

10) More "Stop" signs changed to "Yield" signs. This will help law enforcement officers out because they won't have to enforce so many stop sign dis-obeyment citations and in areas where it is possible to see oncoming traffic very clearly before you get to the actual junction, you can just slow down and take the turn at speed without stopping - better for a lot of rural areas without traffic lights.

[brewens]

20. Gallagher the comedian had the solution to many problems.

Everyone would have a dart gun that fired darts with a suction cup and an idiot flag. When the cops saw a car driving around with those stuck all over it they would pull him over and write him a ticket.

[pnwmom]

23. Lower max back to 55. Saves fuel and lives.

[Roon]

72. Me and my ex were headed to wyoming and we would go 79mph

The speed limit was 75. Just for fun we would slow down to 55mph just to see what it felt like..it feels really SLOW!!

[immoderate]

139. I'll dispute part of that.

It makes a five hour drive into an eight hour drive.

I used to live in Phoenix with family in LA. Do you know what it's like to do 300 miles of straight desert interstate at 55? I think there are more variables to consider than just speed. Fatigue is a factor. Time too. Why spend an extra three hours crawling across the desert at 55 when I could be soaking in a hot tub in LA?

--imm

[BlueJazz]

24. Make the driving test MUCH harder and longer. I see people all day long that...

... (obviously), have very little skills when it comes to interacting with other drivers.
To name all would take 3 pages to write.
As it is, just about any person with even low hand to eye coordination can get a license.
The tests are ridiculously simple and short.

[PJPhreak]

29. This has been my biggest complaint for years.

Drivers (as a group,not individuals)in The US Suck.Period.

A D.L should be much more expensive,easier to lose and if you lose your D.L MUCH Harder to get back.

Driver training should be MUCH more comprehensive,should have many more hours of 'Behind The Wheel" training With an Emphasis on Emergency Handling and Avoidance Techniques...Steering Wheel Technique,Braking Skills,Skidding,Spinning Out,Dropping a Wheel off the Pavement,Hydroplaning,Blow-Outs,Ice,Snow,Dirt Roads,Shifting and Clutch Usage,Dodging Obstacles,(Critters,Road Junk,Other Traffic Ect) High Speed Handling,Following Distances,Christ i could Go on for Hours!

If you crash your Beech Bonanza chances are you will only hurt yourself and any passengers you may have.

If you crash your Ford F-350 Dually chances are that not only will you hurt yourself,But you may very well take Ten People with you!

Yet which one is the easier one to get a License for?

[liberal N proud]

33. Drivers training should be a full school year for 15 yr olds

School year of class time and either have driving on Saturday or in the summer following classes.

When I was in school in Iowa 37 years ago, you received your permit at 14 and drivers license at 16 if and only if you took drivers education in school.

Living here in Ohio, you pay some company $400 for 3 weeks of class, one night a week and 6 hours of driving. Who in the hell can teach or learn driving correctly in that short period of time. The state driving test is a written test followed by being able to maneuver your car forward and backward though a set of 5 cones. That sure test the driving skills of a new driver who has had 6 hours of professional driving training. But hey some dude made off with $400 buck from about 30 people each session. Another fine example of privatization.

[BlueJazz]

41. Yep...what you say is very true. Another thing is traffic lights.

My next door neighbor is a senior traffic engineer and...in his words: "probably 30 percent of the
junior engineers should either go back to school or be fired. they do a sloppy job of keeping the flow of traffic moving"

He said also: "When you get to a stop light and look down the street and there's 4-5 blocks of empty road, with little cross-flow,
somebody's not doing their damn job"

..and now I think about it, I see that stuff all the time.

Cheers.. PS: I think your point about Cars and planes is excellent.

[woo me with science]

95. You can't base everything on a TEST!!!!!!!!!!

(waving to the education forum)

[slampoet]

114. In 1990 Michigan you needed to get 70 out 100, in Rhode Island you needed to get 13 or 14 out of 20

[doc03]

25. Eliminate speed limits on interstates. n/t

[PJPhreak]

32. NO!

People already drive beyond their Skill Set!

To make my point...Take the drive between Phoenix and Tucson on I-10,the speed limit is 75,most do between 80 an 90 mph!

When I lived in AZ.most folk called that drive "Runnin the Gauntlet"

[Johonny]

26. Heaven forbid bumpers on passenger vehicles actually be at the same height

I worry when I see normal passenger vehicles whose bumper reaches my window in height. What's the point of bumpers if they fail to actually meet each other?

[Tesha]

73. Blame Saint Reagan for that one.

Bumper standards in the 70s were very good, but
added a few dollars to the purchase price of the
cars (and there weren't any SUVs yet).

Saint Reagan relaxed all those standards so now
bumpers aren't nearly as strong, aren't required
to "mate" and even a low-speed accident can do
thousands of dollars in damage to your car.

Tesha

[Berserker]

91. Why would that matter

most are plastic now.

[-..__...]

27. No seat belt or helmet laws.

It's not the governments (state or federal), business to decide on my safety... however reckless or irresponsible it might seem.

[Renew Deal]

28. It's only the governments responsibility to scrape your brains off the pavement

[-..__...]

30. I'm not certain if they do that anymore...

Maybe call the highway department to respond and throw down some Speedy Dry® on the pavement?

Whats that cost?

Maybe $10.00 - $15.00 per bag of clean up?

Whatever.

[pipi_k]

47. Some locations, in a massive effort to cut down on costs...

employ vultures to do the clean up.

[Tesha]

75. Just as long as you sign the new "Do Not Resucitate" part of the...

special no seat belt/no helmet driver's/rider's
license. Then, when a trivial accident that any
sensible person would walk away from leaves *YOU*
99% dead, our society won't waste precious resources
trying to save you from the consequences of your
new-found freedom.

Tesha

[Whisp]

31. yes, convert to the British system of left lane driving. Buses first. nt

[Lance_Boyle]

34. Make it illegal for bicyclists on public roads to ride two or more abreast.

No other vehicles enjoy this privilege, it is without a doubt more unsafe for all involved than riding single-file on the right, and there is no NEED for cyclists to ride side-by-side on public roads. If you want a pleasant conversation, take it offroad or sit at a fucking bar for chrissakes. Not to mention that you're really not riding so fast that sound waves from your mouth are unavailable to the person riding 5 feet behind you, and vice versa, Lance Armstrong wannabes. Forcing passing vehicles fully into the wrong lane to pass inconsiderate side-by-siders endangers everyone. It's simply not necessary to increase risk on the roads all around so that a small group of inconsiderate assholes in tights can take its recreation at public expense.

[Fumesucker]

35. Forcing passing vehicle fully into the passing lane is inconsiderate?

For the record, I've never once worn lycra in my entire life and I mostly ride a motorcycle, not a bicycle.

When you pass another car you have to move fully into the passing lane, why should you be able to brush inches away from bicyclists?

[Lance_Boyle]

36. Where I live, you can't drive 100 feet without having to pass at least one bicyclist.

Passing zones intended for passing motor vehicles are simply not applicable to passing bicyclists. If they were, I'd still be on the road right now waiting behind a pedal pusher or twelve. It's also the rule here that motor vehicles are not to come within 3 feet of bicyclists when passing. Not an entire lane.

Too many cyclists are extremely inconsiderate jackholes. Not all, but far too many. If you (not you, personally) want all the privileges of operating a vehicle on the road, you need to take on all the responsibilities. That includes stopping at stop signs and lights, signaling turns and stops, and not deliberately impeding the flow of traffic. Disallowing side-by-side riding would help tremendously in accomplishing at least the last of these.

Can you make a coherent argument, in the face of my claim that allowing side-by-side riding increases road risk to all involved, that it is a safe, necessary, or desirable activity to permit? There is zero gain from it, and increased risk. Disallow it.

[Fumesucker]

38. I see automobile drivers doing many of those things constantly..

Usually while talking on the cell phone too, something almost no motorcyclists do and very few bicyclists.

Indeed, I've been pulled over in the past for actually stopping at a stop sign, the officer thought I was probably impaired because in his words "only drunks stop for the stop signs around here".

And if you think most cars stay three feet away from bicyclists while passing then WC Fields would like some of what you're drinking.

[geardaddy]

66. I've seen loads of bicyclists texting

while biking with no hands on their handlebars. They should get a ticket for that. As should motorists who text while driving.

[Obamanaut]

37. Normally, a passing vehicle goes "...fully into the wrong lane..." to pass

another car/truck/van, so how is it inconvenient to go into that same lane to pass two bicycles? Or two motorcycles?

[taterguy]

39. Normally cars are traveling at close to the posted speed limit

So yes, it's damn inconvenient if you're behind a group of cyclists riding 10-20 mph slower than your car.

Especially if you have to pee.

Don't know how I feel about legislation though.

It would make group rides virtually impossible and be difficult to enforce. If a cyclist is passing another cyclist are they riding "two abreast"?

People that chat and ride do bug the shit out of me though. There's a time and place for everything.

[Romulox]

49. Ummm, you can't pass a vehicle (including a bike) in its own lane.

"Forcing passing vehicles fully into the wrong lane to pass inconsiderate side-by-siders endangers everyone."

That is how you are supposed to legally pass another vehicle. It's almost definitional.

[Mopar151]

81. I'd settle for bike tour operators having to ride in a milk tanker

or a cement muxer for a couple of shifts. It would really help if all drivers/riders understood the difference between the traffic laws and the laws of physics.

[whistler162]

40. Yeah ... the no blinker needed on a turn law should be

repealed!

[JonLP24]

44. I think we should get rid of lane directions

Meaning in the USA you drive on the right lane going forward on a two lane street. I want to get rid of that where you can drive any direction on any road.

[blueamy66]

45. No retirees on the road

during rush hour....I kid, I think...

[Capitalocracy]

53. Get rid of that smoke spewing out the back of the thing

Come on, it's 2010 already

[Mopar151]

82. Visible smoke is an equipment violation now n/t

[Capitalocracy]

89. That was a lame attempt at being clever

I was talking about electric cars

[B Calm]

54. End the two speed limit law, one for cars and one for trucks.

[JonLP24]

57. It does make sense

Truck & trailers require far more stopping distance especially at 55 mph.

[B Calm]

61. There are already laws about safe following distances!@!!

[Mopar151]

85. Lane restrictions too

It's not 1952 anymore, nobody puts a linehaul truck out there with 200 horsepower - the big guys can keep up.

[B Calm]

90. Cops use that lane restriction just to pick on guys trying to make a living.

There's no reason for lane restriction! Many times it's the only way to safely pass a slower vehicle.

[raouldukelives]

55. I'd like to see people who drive monster vehicles

Like Hummers or F-350 pickup's have to pass a tougher driving test. I swear I've almost died a few times from soccer moms merging into my tiny Honda. I'm down here! Pay attention!
And I'd like to see those vehicles have to pass tougher smog tests here in CA. My little car has to pass a tougher test than the aforementioned behemoths do.

[Romulox]

56. I think passive-aggression on the roadways is reaching a boiling point.

I see people go out of their way to impede other drivers all the time (e.g. taking the passing lane at a slow speed just before another vehicle is about to overtake you in that lane.)

It's dangerous and hostile, and hard for me to understand.

[Mopar151]

86. I'm with you

It's a bullying tactic - they are challenging you for the right-of-way, secure in the knowledge that you won't go Moe Tweedie on 'em. Because your'e not crazy, and you know this ain't Hudson Speedway.

Moe was the "Villan" at tracks throughout New England, who made Dale Earnhardt look like a chiorboy from a Chris Romano collum:
And what will we do without Marvelous Moe Tweedie. I saw Moe flip a car down the backstretch at Beech Ridge. I missed him taking out the starter's stand at Westboro, but I was there for God knows how many shows at the little bullring at Hudson, NH. Never politically correct Moe raced with a blow-up doll in the passenger seat, a mannequin's head affixed to his roof, and was never afraid to give you the fender if you gave him one. If anyone had more fun in this sport, I have yet to meet him. He left us all too soon this year at 61.

[havocmom]

59. Would like to see Montana's speed limit back to 'as is safe & prudent' in daytime

Stats for wrecks went up when the federal government said go with our rules or lose highway funds.

People have no idea what a big place this is, how far it is between communities, how little traffic there can be on most highways.

Safe and prudent gave the highway patrol some wiggle room to pull over idiots who were going a particular speed but which may have been way too fast for weather conditions (we have some of those here). Being able to go 90 when the weather/roads are clear and you don't encounter another vehicle for an hour or five keeps one from being on the road too long to stay awake. Also makes the deer and antelope think about things.

[A HERETIC I AM]

131. Ummm...it wasn't "Safe & Prudent"

It was "Reasonable and Prudent"



Unfortunately, it only lasted a few years - 1995 to 1999 (after the 1995 repeal of the 65 national limit)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Speed_limits_in_the_United...

[Posteritatis]

60. Everyone should be issued one(1) rocket-propelled grenade per season. (nt)

[Regret My New Name]

83. lol

[pitohui]

62. no the laws are already too strict & too nanny-fied

i'm sorry that you resent having to share the road w. seniors but until such time as we have another way to travel in america, which for most parts of america, will not happen in your lifetime or mine, then seniors must and should have the same right to drive as you do

the people here who only want "perfect" people driving, i expect you to give up your license at age 50 as soon as "menopause fog" hits or at least the minute you get a tiny bit old and frail, i mean, when YOU'RE 70, you won't mind walking miles everywhere, will you? i guess not, since you expect my parents to be able to do so

people get older, their reaction time slows down, and they have no choice but to drive more slowly

we don't live in that world where real people can all afford to live in downtown manhattan and take the subway, most people are middle class or lower income, few people can afford to live in glitzy areas like telegraph hill or manhattan where since public transportation is for the rich, then safe, reliable public transportation actually exists -- most of us have to live where we can afford to be housed, in other words, places where public transport doesn't exist

i am truly sick and tired of the attitudes of this country, which is looking for every little way to crush and punish people for making a small mistake -- seriously you want to take away an old man's freedom and ability to drive not because he was drunk or doing anything wrong but because he was driving UNDER the speed limit? i wonder about people's souls, sometimes i wonder if they have the capacity for empathy

one day, if you live long enough, and it might not be as far away as you think, then you could be old and slow, whether due to an injury, due to time, due to something wrong w. yr car/tire that you need to go a little slower until you get it to the shop...whatever, does it really matter the reason?

pass someone (on the left, please!) if they're going too slow and move on instead of hoping for laws to crush someone else's freedom of movement

how free will you be when your dad or granddad's license is lifted and you have to drive him everywhere yourself? or do you seriously think you will be one of those millionaires who can afford to be chaffeured everywhere in old age because everyone thinks that and, yet, they never are

if you're not rich not and being chaffeured around now, you prob. never will be, americans don't change their class/social status, social mobility is pretty much a fantasy for most people, esp. since if someone ever does get a little money in their pocket, some traffic cop is looking to steal it anyway -- and some of you guys are aiding and abetting these thefts, frankly



live and let live, at least a slow poke on the road is not a threat to life or limb

decent people should not be supporting more and more punishment of ordinary middle class people for small infractions, people should be saying "no more," instead of piling on

we seem to have a culture of hate and bullying, where people are eager to steal someone else's money and freedom and for what? when you take that old man's license, it won't make your day one bit brighter, you have just hurt him and his family at no profit to yourself

[Odin2005]

64. +1,000,000,000,000,000,000

Someone get this man a .

[lunamagica]

88. BRAVO!!! This is one of the BEST posts I've ever seen n/t

.

[woo me with science]

98. Beautiful post. nt

[JVS]

109. WOOO! Well said!

[Lydia Leftcoast]

63. Require that all new development be made accessible without a car,

whether that means on foot, by bicycle, on horseback, or by public transit, and ban all structural conventions (chain link fences between businesses) that force people to drive between places that should be within easy walking distance of one another.

[Ron Green]

69. + infinity.

[geardaddy]

70. +1,000,000,000

[Mariana]

65. Speed limits around where I live are WAY too low.

They're set that way to facilitate ticket revenue, of course. Nothing to do with safety. 30 mph on a five lane road that has no driveways? Please. Likewise, the yellow light times tend to be made shorter and shorter, until the local press reports on it. Then the city sets them back to the recommended safe times.

I propose that any official who manipulates such things for the purposes of maximizing revenue rather than for safety conssiderations should serve a jail term.

[MikeW]

67. depends on the state your in

Up here you'll get a ticket for being 10 under the highway posted limit.

[hunter]

68. I think automobiles ought to be banned.

It ought to be a felony to operate an automobile on a public thoroughfare.

Automobiles are dirty smelly things that maim and kill people and they are bad for the environment.

[MindPilot]

76. And replace them with what?

It ultimately takes X energy to move Y weight Z distance. If you got something as clean, efficient, and affordable as a modern automobile, I'd sure like to see it.

[B Calm]

100. Solar powered flying cars. . It probably would've been a reality

if Bush hadn't stolen that election in 2000. . .

[hunter]

111. Feet, bicycles, electric public transportation...

There are many places in the world, even in the USA, where life is good for people who don't own cars.

The entire premise of "moving stuff" is out of whack.

[MindPilot]

112. You're going to string cable and lay track on virtually every road in America?

And even if the magic electric bus did stop a block from my house to take me to Home Depot, it's still going to be difficult to get those three pieces of plywood home.

[hunter]

123. The Home Depot is now a roller skating rink.

The parking lot is apartments.

All the cool people hang out there.

If you want plywood you order it on the internet.

But you probably don't want plywood.

[A HERETIC I AM]

134. You order your plywood on the internet and it gets to your house how?

Via magic? Vacuum tube? Little electric golf carts?

Posts like yours are what makes liberals look ridiculous.

[hunter]

137. Stores often don't have what I'm looking for.

Radio shack doesn't stock those 600 volt capacitors any more...

I order what I want on the internet and it arrives at my door via United Parcel Service, Fed-Ex, or the Post office.

Before Christmas the UPS guys around here actually do use little golf-cart like vehicles.

I've also ordered literally tons of sand, gravel, and compost which then magically appeared in my driveway.

[TK421]

71. I don't know how other states enforce it, but I would like tailgaters to

be fined...it's fucking dangerous and inconsiderate

[Mopar151]

87. It's a broader problem

The laws that get enforced are the ones that are easy to enforce. "Failure to yeild" and "speed too fast for conditions (but under posted limit)" are the cause of far more accidents than speed on a lightly traveled road in good weather - but speed radar makes the latter far easier to enforce.

[MindPilot]

78. Photo-enforcement should be declared unconstitutional

as should any kind of "checkpoint".

Remove any and all financial incentive for enforcing traffic laws. All monies collected from fines go to improving roads and traffic infrastructure not to bankroll the courts or police departments that collect them.

Implement much more intensive and extensive driver training and periodic re-certification.

Require periodic vehicle safety inspections.

Remove the laws that micro-manage drivers; I don't need the law to decide when I should have my wipers on or when is and isn't safe to talk on the phone. If you don't trust me to make those decisions, why the hell did you give me a license?!

[Hansel]

79. I would like to see it to be made illegal to pass

cars that are waiting to merge into traffic and cut in at the front of the line. Once traffic slows that has to merge into one lane, by-passing a slew of cars and cutting in should earn you about a $10,000 fine. It is a huge waste of gas and causes significantly bigger traffic jams when everyone in line has to keep stopping and going and slamming on their brakes for these morons.

[B Calm]

101. I have cars do that to me everyday. Everybody wants in front of the big truck

going into construction areas. You're right, it stops the flow of traffic and causes back ups. Cops should sit back at these sites and start issuing tickets. But no, they would rather catch some truck driver trying to make a living and driving two or three miles over the speed limit.

[slampoet]

115. In Ann Landers long ago she said that if traffic is at 35mph you'd need to pass 112 cars to cut 2min

off your average commute.

[B Calm]

119. She is right. A slow steady pace will get you there and just a few minutes longer

than if you are speeding. Chances are you'll get there faster. because no cop will slow you down for half an hour or so while they write you a ticket.

[Mopar151]

127. Lane Closure Jerks

That digital billboard announces "All Lanes Merge Left" and these losers swing into action. Swervin' past the "Pavement ends 500 feet" sawhorse, clear in the knowledge that some poor chump will let him in to avoid a wreck. Good gawd. The State Police and detail cops otta be able to send 'em for a 3-day Mental Health, on the spot.

[MadBadger]

132. delete

[Contrary1]

80. Anyone who travels with a dog crate tied to the top of his car

is not allowed to hold a public office.

[Berserker]

92. When you hit 65

years old you should have to take a written exam and a driving test every year. Driving is a privilege not a fucking right even when you are old. Ages 16 to 21 will have drivers license taken away if pulled over while talking on a cell phone. Or for that matter all cell phone conversations while driving should be banned. I saw a woman tonight driving on the interstate reading off a paper and trying to dial her phone at 65 MPH.

[MilesColtrane]

93. I saw a guy with one of those pull down flat screens on his sun visor.

He was watching a basketball game AND talking on his cell phone...while driving.

No shit.

I got as far away from him as quickly as I could.

[SKKY]

97. Truck Nutz...

...They've got to go!

[Dappleganger]

104. This Floridian thinks it's funny you were exasperated by a FL driver...

it's about damn time. You New Yorkers send your senile drivers to us all the time and plague our roads with bad drivers, so now you get yours--ha!

[EstimatedProphet]

107. Legalize running over Republicans

[Silent3]

108. Modify the undercarriages of buses...

...so that it is impossible for anyone to be thrown under the bus.

There seems to be far too much of that going around lately. We must put a stop to it!

[a la izquierda]

110. D.W.T.T.

Driving while Texan in a truck, especially in the snow/ice. "Heck, I don't know how to drive in this weather, but I'll endanger everyone on the road since I have a 4wheel drive truck."

(only partly sarcastic)

Also, all drivers will now report to NJ for driver re-education complements of my mother. She's the best damn driver there is.

[B Calm]

113. Ha Ha. . . It's not just Texans. I see it even in Michigan. They think that 4wd

can do and go anywhere, even on ice.

[a la izquierda]

116. I grew up in the NE, so I am comfortable..

with my driving skills and those of my husband when it comes to ice and snow. But dear God, Texans (and Okies too, to be perfectly honest) are complete morons behind the wheel during bad weather.
Haven't they ever heard, slow and steady wins the race??? LOL

[B Calm]

117. I drove my big rig to Arlington, TX last winter in an ice storm. I was lucky

I made it out alive. I was really too busy laughing my ass off to be afraid.

[a la izquierda]

121. Was it around Christmas, or the end of January?

I had gone to visit my parents in NJ for pre-Christmas. On the way home, Oklahoma got hit with a monster blizzard. I ended up getting stuck at a hotel around 2 hours from home...it took me SIX the next day to go 140 miles. And the whole ride consisted of me looking in my rearview mirror to make sure I wasn't about to get nailed by an SUV. Driving next to the rigs actually made me feel a lot better. I figure ya'll are pros, so there's no reason to pass anybody if the trucks aren't.

[B Calm]

125. I think it was in January.

[slackmaster]

120. Really just one - I think it's far too easy to get a driver's license in US states

There should be some kind of objective performance-based test to ensure that license and renewal applicants have adequate reflexes, hand-eye coordination, physical strength, etc. to enable them to drive safely.

[MindPilot]

124. I agree...the license has become a de facto ID card

Instead of an indicator of your competence to operate a motor vehicle.

[MindPilot]

122. Pour some serious money into exploring ways to relieve congestion

Learn to accept the fact that personal transportation is not going to go away and deal with it.

Maybe a start would be to keep big rigs off the road during commute times; they account for about every fifth vehicle and it seems like their primary function is to go slowly up hills and block traffic.

Get rid of these damn HOV lanes; driving your kids to school is not removing another vehicle from the road.

Synchronize traffic signals and develop signage that actually delivers useful information in enough time to use it.

[B Calm]

126. First off, those big rigs are paying one hell of a lot of road taxes. You

should be thanking them, not bitching at them! Your acting like its your right to drive on our socialized highway system, when in fact it's a privilege.

Big rigs that are loaded heavy have to grab lower gears to climb grades. The driver would love to continue at the posted speed climbing, but it's not always possible. When going down hills they pick up speed fast and sometimes their brakes will get hot trying to keep their rig at a safe speed. For your safety, I would stay out of their way.

As far as traffic signals, some places like route 31 in Michigan the signals are synchronized. The trick is to drive the posted speed limit and not speed off to the next red light. I would love to see the USA do what they do in Mexico. In Mexico the yellow light will start blinking on and off just prior to turning red. I would like the USA do what they do in Canada, and require everybody to have their headlights on during the day and night. This makes you more visible to truck drivers, especially when it's raining or snowing. You'd be surprised how many idiots out there with no common sense driving white cars with no headlights in a blinding snowstorm, or light gray cars in the rain.

[snooper2]

128. I thnk we should be allowed to arm our vehicles

with certain "defensive" tools...

Oil slicks...

Spikes...

that sort of thing

[Taitertots]

129. Not a law, but I want more people to yield the left lane when someone flashes headlights at them

I've started the trend by flashing my high beams at anyone going under the speed limit in the left lane.

[B Calm]

140. I use left lane Rambo's for bear bait. When a cop is coming at you

and there is an idiot speeding in the left lane, who you think is going to get a ticket? The trick is to speed a couple car lengths behind them, but be in the right lane.

[TheKentuckian]

130. Year of student driving starting a 15, no speed limits on limited access highways

fines for refusal to signal (enforced rather than spouted limits), if you text then it better be talk to, encourage small foot print vehicles on city streets and state highways like rail cars, scooters, carts, and such.

[MadBadger]

133. Not using a blinker should be punishable by death...

[Vickers]

135. When I beep at someone, their car should explode. n/t

[benEzra]

141. How about ENFORCE the laws against blocking the passing lane?

That would do wonders for traffic flow, and would also reduce frustration...

I'd also like to see speed limits set realistically rather than for revenue generation...it is utterly stupid to have roads designed for 75 mph posted at 55 to raise revenue via tickets.