# Is there a term for this sensation experienced while driving? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 6, 2007, 11:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-term-for-this-sensation-experienced-while-driving/414607 "2007-08-06T11:04:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![pool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pool/32/4152_2.png) [@pool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pool)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2007, 11:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-term-for-this-sensation-experienced-while-driving/414607/1 "2007-08-06T11:04:35Z")
Someone told me there was a term for this phenomenon but was unable to tell me what the alleged term was. I’m talking about when you drive at a fairly fast speed say 75 mph for a while and then you make a complete stop and start driving again at say 50 mph. Of course 50 is going to feel much slower in comparison to 75 but 50 is still fairly fast, but now all of a sudden 50mph feels like you are just barely moving. Is there a name for this? ---
**Author:** ![xkcd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/5f9b8f/32.png) [@xkcd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xkcd)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2007, 11:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-term-for-this-sensation-experienced-while-driving/414607/2 "2007-08-06T11:17:24Z")
Reminds me of that x files episode > **[Drive (The X-Files)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drive_%28The_X-Files%29)** > > "Drive" is the second episode of the sixth season of the science fiction television series The X-Files. It premiered on the Fox network in the United States on November 15, 1998. The episode is a "Monster-of-the-Week" story, unconnected to the series' wider mythology. "Drive" earned a Nielsen household rating of 11.0, being watched by 18.5 million people in its initial broadcast. The episode received largely positive reviews from television critics. > The show centers on FBI special agents Fox... ---
**Author:** ![An\_Arky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/87869e/32.png) [@An\_Arky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Arky)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2007, 11:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-term-for-this-sensation-experienced-while-driving/414607/3 "2007-08-06T11:23:05Z")
If you’re driving 50 mph on the same road on which you were just driving 75 mph, then 50 mph _is_ just barely moving, and GET OUT OF THE @##%ING WAY, CAN’T YOU SEE I’M LATE FOR WORK HERE?!?!? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![WF\_Tomba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/d9b06d/32.png) [@WF\_Tomba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WF_Tomba)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2007, 11:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-term-for-this-sensation-experienced-while-driving/414607/4 "2007-08-06T11:25:52Z")
I’ve heard it described as “velocitization”. ---
**Author:** ![Avarie537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/48db29/32.png) [@Avarie537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Avarie537)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2007, 11:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-term-for-this-sensation-experienced-while-driving/414607/5 "2007-08-06T11:45:44Z")
[QUOTE=WF Tomba] I’ve heard it described as “velocitization”. [/QUOTE] That’s the word I remember from Driver’s Ed. ---
**Author:** ![CookingWithGas](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cookingwithgas/32/485_2.png) [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2007, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-term-for-this-sensation-experienced-while-driving/414607/6 "2007-08-06T13:46:04Z")
I was in traffic court once when a lady cited for speeding said she was going too fast because she just got off the highway and hadn’t adjusted to the new speed yet. The judge was not the least little bit impressed. [QUOTE=An Arky] If you’re driving 50 mph on the same road on which you were just driving 75 mph, then 50 mph _is_ just barely moving, and GET OUT OF THE @##%ING WAY, CAN’T YOU SEE I’M LATE FOR WORK HERE?!?!? [/QUOTE] Arlington–yeah, I see this all the time too. 😉 50 MPH on the Beltway, in the fast lane. Talking on a cell phone. Makes me wish for a 007 machine gun mounted under the hood. ---
**Author:** ![Henrichek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/5daacb/32.png) [@Henrichek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Henrichek)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2007, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-term-for-this-sensation-experienced-while-driving/414607/7 "2007-08-06T16:57:04Z")
Here in Sweden we call it speed blindness 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![outlierrn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/outlierrn/32/3005_2.png) [@outlierrn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/outlierrn)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2007, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-term-for-this-sensation-experienced-while-driving/414607/8 "2007-08-06T19:21:08Z")
Our minds don’t have a “home base” to compare velocities to, or anything else for that matter, just relative to recent experiece. If you put your hand on a metal plate that’s 50F then onto one that’s 70F the second will feel warm. If you then place it on a plate that’s 90F and back to the 70F it will now feel cool. ---
**Author:** ![racer72](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/racer72/32/3075_2.png) [@racer72](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/racer72)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2007, 1:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-term-for-this-sensation-experienced-while-driving/414607/9 "2007-08-07T01:25:08Z")
Race car drivers experience this quite often. Race around Daytona at 200 mph then pull into the pits with a speed limit of 55. Even those watching the racing can experience this in a different manner. My cousin works for a NASCAR truck team, he was the gas man till a few years ago when he was punted by a truck during a pitstop and landed 30 feet away. He said after watching the trucks race around the track, they seem like they are just putting along when they drive by on pit road. The pit crews are made aware of this evey race. Even from the stands when I have been at races, it seems like the cars are going a lot slower than they actually are on pit road. ---
**Author:** ![DaveRaver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/daveraver/32/1078_2.png) [@DaveRaver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DaveRaver)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2007, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-term-for-this-sensation-experienced-while-driving/414607/10 "2007-08-07T02:15:59Z")
relativity ---
**Author:** ![Jinx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Jinx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jinx)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2007, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-term-for-this-sensation-experienced-while-driving/414607/11 "2007-08-07T02:26:44Z")
[QUOTE=DaveRaver] relativity [/QUOTE] Or, perhaps, just plain old relative motion? ---
**Author:** ![aktep](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f0a364/32.png) [@aktep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aktep)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2007, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-term-for-this-sensation-experienced-while-driving/414607/12 "2007-08-07T03:22:33Z")
[QUOTE=WF Tomba] I’ve heard it described as “velocitization”. [/QUOTE] I was taught "[velocitation](http://www.sdt.com.au/DRIVINGVISION.htm) " ---
**Author:** ![sinjin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ebca7d/32.png) [@sinjin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sinjin)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2007, 6:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-term-for-this-sensation-experienced-while-driving/414607/13 "2007-08-07T06:19:28Z")
[QUOTE=Henrichek] Here in Sweden we call it speed blindness 🙂 [/QUOTE] Weird, I would have thought you’d have a Swedish name for it.