# Hypothetical speeding question. **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 17, 2003, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hypothetical-speeding-question/182577 "2003-06-17T23:37:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Purple\_Scottie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a698b9/32.png) [@Purple\_Scottie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Purple_Scottie)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2003, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hypothetical-speeding-question/182577/21 "2003-06-18T15:25:39Z")
I guess I’m one of the lone slowpokes around here. I tend to stick close to the speed limit even during the day (I might go 73 or so in a 70mph zone). At night I tend to slow down a bit more (between 5 to 15 mph less) depending on road conditions to compensate for decreased visual acuity and the increased possibility of there being impaired drivers on the road. ---
**Author:** ![Cheesesteak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cheesesteak/32/3694_2.png) [@Cheesesteak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheesesteak)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2003, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hypothetical-speeding-question/182577/22 "2003-06-18T18:04:30Z")
At night, I’d go with the flow of traffic, if there is no traffic, maybe 80. 90 is about my top, under ideal conditions, I don’t like going quite that fast at night. '98 Civic, it’s pretty smooth at 90-100, but I don’t think it would handle an emergency maneuver well at that speed. ---
**Author:** ![Bippy\_the\_Beardless](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ac8455/32.png) [@Bippy\_the\_Beardless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bippy_the_Beardless)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2003, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hypothetical-speeding-question/182577/23 "2003-06-18T18:18:17Z")
Would depend on visibility, and the distance I need to travel. If visibility is excellent (road well lit, not just ability to see cars with their lights on) and I had a long way to go. I would go 90 mph. If I didn’t have far to go I would chose 79mph. If visibility was an issue, then that would be my over-riding concern. I drive a VW Cabriolet, and it handels very well up to about 80, after which the handeling gets a little worse up to about 90, and feels a bit hairy beyonde 90mph. ---
**Author:** ![rjung](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/45deac/32.png) [@rjung](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rjung)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2003, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hypothetical-speeding-question/182577/24 "2003-06-18T19:31:32Z")
I’ve done 140+ on roads that were _not_ deserted and _not_ assured of being cop-free. Granted, this was in broad daylight – dunno if I’d do that at night, if only for visibility issues. ---
**Author:** ![Fuel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/df705f/32.png) [@Fuel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fuel)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2003, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hypothetical-speeding-question/182577/25 "2003-06-18T23:18:15Z")
I never really answered the question myself. **The OP scenario:** I would drive with my brights on (and contacts in my eyes) going about 115mph in my caprice classic station wagon. When I got near a car I would flash my brights to alert the driver ahead and then turn off my brights and slow down to about 95-100mph with my foot on the brake the whole time passing them. (If I was driving my formula firebird, I would make sure my brights were really good and I would go about 130mph) **During the day w/ light traffic OP scenario:** I would go about 150mph in the formula on the straightaways and slow down for the turns. When cars approached, I would slow WAY down for them. (That car handles high speeds extremely well with my modified suspension and front end and the brakes are phenomenal). During the day in my caprice I would probably max it out at about 125-130 on the straights and slow down for the turns. The reason I would drive so fast is that I HATE DRIVING long distances and _if I can see ahead_, why not???!!! ---
**Author:** ![jesleigh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/58f4c7/32.png) [@jesleigh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jesleigh)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2003, 4:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hypothetical-speeding-question/182577/26 "2003-06-19T04:48:14Z")
Before the Alabama state troopers “reformed” me I rarely got below 100 on the interstate. Since I don’t drive that way reguraly anymore, and realize the danger in it, 90 probably about as fast as I would go now. and plus, not long ago I lost control of my car doing 70, so I’m still a little shacken from that ---
**Author:** ![Beagle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/85f322/32.png) [@Beagle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beagle)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2003, 7:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hypothetical-speeding-question/182577/27 "2003-06-19T07:25:56Z")
Other cars? I’d just tool along at 75-78 MPH in sixth like I always do. I’ve seen too many stupid wrecks. Furthermore, that nets me close to 30 MPG. No cops? Um… Maybe some throttle blips up to 85 or so between groups of cars. But, I like to keep my speed differential down while passing. If I was in Los Angeles I’d do 20 over and swerve in and out of traffic. That’s the law, right? ---
**Author:** ![Caught\_Work](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/919ad9/32.png) [@Caught\_Work](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Caught_Work)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2003, 11:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hypothetical-speeding-question/182577/28 "2003-06-19T11:18:01Z")
180 km/h which is around 111.85199999999999 mph. I only chose this speed, because I’ve done it … once … and it scared the poop right out of me. I’ll never do that again unless I’m in a race car or following \*\*j\_kat\_251 \*\* down the road to Berwick. ---
**Author:** ![badmana](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@badmana](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/badmana)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2003, 1:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hypothetical-speeding-question/182577/29 "2003-06-19T13:39:46Z")
I would seriously see how fast my car can go. It’s _rated_ for 236 Kph (about 135 mph) so if road conditions looked good, I’d drop it to 5th and red line her. I currently drive a new (well, 1 year old) Matrix XRS with tires rated to 260 kph and everything maintained to spec or above. ---
**Author:** ![Gunslinger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/4491bb/32.png) [@Gunslinger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gunslinger)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2003, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hypothetical-speeding-question/182577/30 "2003-06-19T18:31:52Z")
In the pickup ('92 F150, 300ci I6): 85 or so, day or night. It runs out of power and aerodynamics before the handling gets widgey. In the car ('71 Chevy Nova sedan, 307ci V8): Probably 100 or so, just because I can. That’s assuming I get new tires — the current ones have a bit of a balance problem, causing a wicked shimmy between 70 and 80 mph. Sure, it’s ancient suspension technology and 4-wheel non-power-assisted drum brakes, but I know how to use it. I’d definitely want stickier tires, though; a swerve at 70mph with the current narrow, worn tires has a fair chance of becoming a bootlegger’s turn (don’t ask). ---
**Author:** ![racinchikki](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/eada6e/32.png) [@racinchikki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/racinchikki)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2003, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hypothetical-speeding-question/182577/31 "2003-06-20T03:20:17Z")
85 seems to be where my foot falls unless I monitor myself carefully, much to my own detriment. That ticket last January was a real pain. I’ve been a lot better at monitoring myself since. I drive a Jeep Cherokee, anyway, and it wouldn’t really be happy at anything more than that. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hypothetical-speeding-question/182577.md?page=1)