(TikTok screencap)
Everyone in the comments talking about speeding and I’m here like… Yeah, that be my day most days.
We’ve normalized the pain and suffering of modern working life so much that people see this shit and go “oh yeah, speeding is X, y and z” and completely skip over the part where life is a crushing, depressing, and neverending loop of torture.
Yay?
One crime at a time, save that crime for something good
On one hand, I think speeding is wrong, but on the other am I happy that these people help finance police operations.
(If you drive over the limit in Switzerland, you will get caught and you will pay and also the police are not evil (at least from what I’ve heard))
Switzerland is also roughly 238x smaller than the U.S. Closest state would be Maryland, which is small.
Just providing context.
The size doesn’t matter when calculating per capita.
To provide even more context: the EU is about double the size of the US and still doesn’t have evil police.
Coughs(bullshit)…
It’s disturbing how normalized speeding is. It goes beyond normalization. I’ve had people get furious with me, flip me off, tailgate me aggressively and literally try to run me off the road for driving the speed limit.
It’s especially stupid in the city. People get all pissed at me for driving the speed limit and maneuver recklessly around me before speeding off, only to get stuck at the red light a block ahead. I could feel smug as I pulled up beside them a moment later, that is if it weren’t for the disappointment and frustration I feel with how stupid people are behind the wheel of these speeding death machines.
I can’t think of any other law we have where a significant proportion of society seems to be actively hostile towards those who care to abide. Why do we accept this as a society?
So many drivers don’t understand average speed. It’s ridiculous.
I have lived in places where the speed limit is very obviously around 10 mph too low for the road’s engineering and surrounding environment, consistently. Consequently, there is truly no one during busy times doing the speed limit.
This gives police the ability to pull over anyone, at their discretion, with direct legal cause (not even the “immune from consequences in practice” kind). Even driving the speed limit creates a hazard and merits intervention according to the law.
The place I’m describing was very racist, driving while black was absolutely unofficially illegal, and this lets cops pick and choose in all the worst ways.
Be deeply suspicious of any law that is routinely broken by everyone for years with no change - it is to allow arbitrary, bigoted enforcement.
the speed limit is very obviously around 10 mph too low for the road’s engineering and surrounding environment
How does that work? Like, even on the broadest highway I could drive 5 mph without my car or the highway taking damage from it?!
Most drivers with experience can tell by how a road is constructed (materials, bank angles on curves, etc.) roughly how fast they can safely go, and there’s a subconscious mental tug to get up to that speed. Whether you personally are impacted by that or not, it’s a well-known phenomena.
When everyone on the road, most far less thoughtful than yourself, are experiencing that mental tug, traffic moves naturally faster than the posted speed. And then that gives probable cause for our racist police to pick and choose who to fuck up.
It’s a real thing, road design has an inherent “natural speed” where most drivers feel comfortable, not too quick, not too slow. In the Netherlands if you get a speeding ticket there is a chance that you can successfully argue in court that the road design invited you to drive faster and get the fine annuled. When that happens the government will ask the company responsible for that bit of road to add traffic calming measures like bumps, or obstacles you have to go around that slow you down. Highways are an exception though.
As an addon, those private companies responsible for the roads have to abide by certain design philosophies made by the government, and they are legally responsible for the safety of the roads, if someone dies and it’s found to be due to the road design, or its state of maintenance for example, they can be charged massive sums of money.
It’s more so psychology. There’s a few videos floating around YouTube by creators like Not Just Bikes that explain the concept, but in short most people are going to drive a speed that is comfortable for them, and that is dependent on the size and design of the road, which means the best way to make people obey the speed limit is to use narrower roads and the best way to make people break it is to design wider straighter roads.
This is what they mean by the speed “speed limit being too low for the street”. The speed limit may be an amount but the speed suggested by the street design itself pushes people to go fasterFair. Even though I feel like at least 4 out of 5 cars have cruise control (a lot even with distance control) and a speed limiter, so it would be easy to suppress one’s psychology. At least that is what I do.
In the scenario I described above, congrats, you now stick out like a sore thumb as traffic flows around you, and you need to hope or pray that everyone coming up behind you is alert. Police can pull you for causing a hazard, and plus you just radiate “I have something to hide” energy. Simply driving slower isn’t some magic solution when no one else joins you.
I’m a school bus driver and I obey speed limits religiously (and somehow I’m almost alone in this among my coworkers despite the fact that our buses all have GPS monitors installed and our boss can see exactly how fast we’re going at all times). Almost every day I have people behind me blasting their horns at me for this. Like, just imagine getting road rage at a fucking school bus driver.
My favorite thing is when they tailgate me, apparently oblivious to the fact that I can’t see them at all when they do this, not even in my mirrors.
I’m a bike commuter and it’s this by a lot. I’ve had assholes swerve into the bike lane because they’re salty I’m not traffic like they are, and punish passes are ridiculous. Dude, I’m doing 20 on my ebike, the speed limit is 20, you’re an asshole.
It’s ridiculous how acceptable people think it is.
I have someone I work with that seems to think the faster he goes the more important and busy he is, therefore he can treat everyone else on the road that follows the rules like they are just retired old geezers with nothing better to do.
It’s infuriating. There is nothing I hate more than people with no patience or ability to plan ahead and leave at appropriate times.
Yeah we are not a culture that can have cars safely.
cant think of another
Say ‘genocide bad’ in public. I dare you.
Say ‘genocide bad’ in public. I dare you.
They will agree with you but say that what’s happening in Palestine isn’t a genocide
People react the same way when you don’t make a right on red.
“when things are so bad you start obeying traffic laws as if you give a shit whether or not you’d kill some kid today.”
No idea what this is supposed to represent
It’s literal rather than representative
It’s already pretty self-explanatory, what specifically don’t you get?
normalize avoiding vehicular homicide
Driving the speed limit at all times regardless of mood. Because I value my safety as well as the one of others.
But what about the “I’m late for work” mood 😥
Don’t leave late. Lobby your politicians for sensible transport infrastructure (i.e. not just cars)
There is no excuse, but people normalise the hell out of it
the few minutes speeding saves you wont do any meaningful difference
Me with a 30 second commute from my desk to my bed:
:( -> :)
30s commute? You live in a mansion or what?
I drive like an old bitch.
I ain’t got ticket money. You’ll find me in the right lane. Running the speed limit. Like an old bitch.
Same
I mean, I could afford the ticket, but I’d rather spend that money on LEGO
Friend of mine just told me about a new 9000 piece death star. Gonna cost like $1000.
He’s already planning for it around his yearly bonus at work.
My wife wants me to buy it for our wedding anniversary next month
Broke: My wife doesnt let me buy legos
WBroke: My wife demands I buy legos
This should be a bumper sticker
Hmmm, sitting quietly, assembling a child’s toy from an instruction sheet and spending $1000 for the privilege, or driving a fast car…
Wow that’s a tough one!
Edit: oh yummy down votes, they taste so good, tears of the manchild!
I don’t think people would have a problem with driving a fast car either, you enjoy what you enjoy. Just respect the limit and the lives of others around you. Or go crazy on a circuit.
What kind of fast car are you getting for 1000 dollars?
A very rare Hot Wheels
I wonder how much it would cost for you to wreck your car
Children’s toys are rarely $1000USD or are the size of most kids.
Hell yes, fellow slow driver! It also saves fuel and car maintenance expenses.
I sold cars for a while. When you sell cars the company’s insurance typically requires the dealer to make sure everyone has a clean recent driving record. That means no speeding or bs of any kind.
Ok? 🙃
Cruise control so handy.
Set to the speed limit and chill.
If people want to pass that’s their problem.
Mind you, in Australia the speed limit is usually followed pretty well.
Not sure about the Hume since I haven’t driven it in years, but I regularly do the Western Highway, and WOW the fully loaded B-doubles are aggressive af. You could be going 20kmh about the limit and they’re still riding your ass. The only time they slow down is in the towns. There are way too many deaths on that highway.
I have been pretty lucky with the roos not jumping out in front of me, but I’ve had birds and emus. They are not fun.
I just pull off and let them go, but here in the New England they seem to be speed limited and rarely get above 105 so generally it’s only speed limited roadwork zones that they get hyper.
I prefer to sit on about 85 as I’m a bit older, and it saves a fair bit on fuel, but will do 100 if someone comes up behind and I can’t duck off. Just have to be a little more alert at that speed, watching for potholes etc. Watched too many avch videos hehe.
Mind you, in Australia the speed limit is usually followed pretty well.
That’s because Australia has realistic speed limits. The US doesn’t, and thats why people drive over it all the time.
I dunno man, 80+ mph on the highway doesn’t seem particularly necessary.
Speed limits go up to 130 (80mph) in Australia so seems like they think it’s OK.
130 is extremely rare. even 110 is very rare tbh (interstate type roads, and they can often be 100 too)… 80 is our common “fast” speed in metro areas
In Canada there is only one highway that I know of which allows up to 120km/h, the rest is 100km/h.
The only speeding ticket I have ever gotten in my life was going 130km/h on the 120km/hr highway.
Most of the 402 and recently parts of the 403 have been changed to 110km/h in Ontario. These are long stretches with no cities nearby.
Yeah, but those highways have like 5 cars and 10 trucks per hour (if that) and none of them are within 1000km from 99% of the population. Slight hyperbole, but they are genuinely only in the deep rural areas. 260k people in 1.4m square kilometres. Every where else top speed is 110, which is between city highways in good condition for the most part.
I envy that you have a life where you can use cruise control when you are in your vehicle.
If I am in my vehicle it is usually to go to work, which means crowded highways and people who cut me off or can’t maintain their speed worth a damn so if I use cruise control it’s only for like 5 seconds before I either have to hit the brakes move into another lane.
Yes I’m lucky to live in a rural area. I can’t always use it as there are hills on some of the roads, and the cruise control will downshift and cane it up the hills which feels mean, but the main highway is mostly fine.
I’ve never had a car with adaptive cruise control though, which it sounds like you would need. (Follow the speed of the car in front.)
Me using my phone on the bus after a hard day, knowing I don’t have to pay attention to shit on the road: 😌
Sometimes calm driving can lead to a calm mind.
And open all the windows sometimes!
PSA: Don’t open windows on busy roads. Let’s in a bunch of pollutants like rubber and metal particles from tires
If it’s a place you’d voluntarily have a picnic nearby, feel free to open windows
Yeah I wanted to say something specific about not doing it in the city center, or do it when you’re driving past fields and trees. But I kept thinking of bumming out all the folks that probably don’t have such a resource available.
It’s just one of those things I am lucky to have available, so I intentionally make use of it. I don’t even have to work in the office every day, but it’s a nice office and my very short commute has the option of being about 2/3 on a twisty country road. So it helps get me out of the house and/or awake sometimes.
Oh and back to your PSA: if you are in heavy traffic and exhaust is an even bigger issue than debris particles, remember the air recirculate function on your AC.
If your option is tell the truth or be a “bummer” then your only being an ass by lying to save others from reality.
Shit sucks but it never gets better if we hide reality away and never speak of it.
It only takes one right person to be bummed out to start a cascade effect that might create meaningful change. Never murder hope before it has a chance to even be born. Even if that means being a “bummer”.
I started reading your comment here and formulating a reply in my head about how I was just limiting the scope of my comment and not lying and telling people to cast off responsibility and let Jesus take the wheel, etc.
But then your third paragraph is SO on point that I withdraw any resistance to your message.
And open all the windows sometimes!
^ This … it lets all the pot smoke out, too.
What’s the hurry? I left early, and sometimes I just like the quiet. These are signs of success not defeat.
it’s been a hard day making TikTok posts so I’m gonna drive around in my luxury car
without my seatbelt onand film with my left hand and maybe probably not hit anyone while I check if the angle looks goodVery obviously wearing their seatbelt
Good call, I missed the grey on grey seatbelt. Edited my comment
You flubbed the seatbelt & cam hand, but didn’t even mention the stupidly low seat that decreases visibility over their dash and, by extension, the hood & front of the vehicle.
Just sayin’. We should all be more aware of this too-often lethal geometry born of “cool” laziness. 🥲
Also no way could they be filming with their left hand, the angle is way off unless they’re holding a stick or tripod. It looks like someone in the passenger seat is filming.
They are filming/photographing with their right hand. The image is flipped. Or they are in the most American-looking town in England.
Is there a point to all this judgment or…?
Oh no! The economic reality for young people requires them to sell themselves as influencers to make a living because we don’t have actual, useful employment any more. Better make sure I cast my judgment on those who found some modicum of success doing so, so that the world and I know that I’m better than them! /s
I don’t care what anybody does to make money unless it puts someone else at risk. A car is a method of transportation, but more importantly, a weapon. Focusing on getting the right angle or right clip or whatever for your meme puts other people at risk as you control a 5500 pound piece of metal. My criticism is on the choice of using a moving vehicle as a recording studio.
