Wumpus, while I’m not disputing your information, my stats dealt with the Autobahn specifically. German cities have speed limits and crappy drivers just like American cities, and Germany is more crowded than most of the US, so the congestion in the cities probably accounts for more accidents, throwing off the low fatality rate on the Autobahn.
Although it should be said that the Autobahn is cared for much better than the US Interstate system (hitting a pothole at 100+ mph isn’t fun), and has gentler curves and less steep grades. So that probably affects the accident rate too.
The opposite is true. The ‘throughput’ is irrelevant to congestion, because equal numbers of cars are entering and exiting the road at any one time. The sheer capacity for cars on the road is the important factor - and this increases as the speed reduces, due to less space being needed in front of each car. Some sections of the M25 around London have automatic signs which reduce the limit from 70 to 50 at peak times, precisely to enable more cars to fit on the road.
Guess what happened today!
Three lane freeway, 65mph limit, trucks etc, in right line, moderate traffic in center, and me in the left lane doing 70-75. I close on a driver doing just under 65, remain 2 seconds behind for a while, flash-flash. Center lane is now clear for a good 1/4 mile. She won’t budge, so I indicate a lane change and move over. I see her watching me in her mirrors, so I kick it up to 75 and go by her, watching her car and her in her mirror. I go by and move back to the left lane to go by more cars in the center lane. Funny thing-she moves over after I pass. I pretty soon make a safe left exit, which I’m used to 'cause I go that way every day. No problem, no surprises.
I’m a little unsure about this thread because I need more details;
How many lanes, in each direction, are we talking about? Should all drive right on a 3 or 4 lane? That causes bunching, which is not good.
Even on a 2 lane, and on an incline where there are a lot of trucks, should a car jump in and out of the right lane, pissing off (justifyably) truckers?
One lane in each direction, no driveable shoulder, - now there’s a whole different story.
It gets way too complicated for a campaign, and, IMO, for blanket laws.
If you want to speed (and I do) it’s ultimately your problem to find a “safe” way to do so. If you can’t, wait for a time when you can. Don’t expect the law to ease the way for you to break the law.
If you tailgate around these parts, you’ll get the ticket. Not the speed-limit-going-slow-poke.
We’re having a mandatory defensive driving class at work soon. I’ll print some of this up and bring it along. Of course, a lot of you (us) will think the pros don’t know what they’re talking about.
Ok after wading through all of the responses I must ask where this assertion that no other car should be going faster then me comes from? Is there no reason that another car should be going faster than you are?
Scenario:
Criminals break the law, abduction! Law enforcement officers investigate. This leads to a situation where a law enforcement officer is tailing a criminal and doesn’t want the criminal to know he is following him. Being that he is a criminal he tends to speed (no respect for the law and such) and also seeing that the law enforcement officer doesn?t want the criminal to know he is being followed he is driving an unmarked police car and speeding (which is legal). You are now preventing a law enforcement officer from doing his job. Result victim dies and suspect lost. But hey on the bright side I got to do it my way and drive whatever lane I want, feel better now.
I know certain officers who will ticket people for not keeping right.
As a former motorcyclist I pass this little piece of wisdom on, a lot of the people I rode with used to say: Overtakers pass to the left, passing on the right is for Undertakers. As most of the time a highway exit will be on the right and people don?t always necessarily indicate think about it.
Having driven on both European and North American highways I prefer Euro drivers any day.
No surprises that time, but when people like that lady behave that way regularly, it leads to surprises, such as: you don’t know whether she’s just a slow lane-changer or if she doesn’t plan to move, so there’s a risk that when you attempt to go around, she’ll go for that lane too, forcing you to react quickly. Also, if this is the way you’re always expected to pass, you run the risk of the center lane gap closing up due to the slower traffic to the right. This is why convention says that passing happens in the faster lanes, not in the slower lanes.
If the lady simply follows convention, you pass her on the left without wondering what she’s going to do, then you get out of the left lane, and when she comes up on a slower car in the center lane, she passes them on the left and gets back over, too. Everyone wins, everyone drives the speed they want, and nobody drives up anyone else’s ass.
Wumpus - good stuff - thanks. What I found interesting in your links were:
in the first link, I found: **“Educated assumption: There is no correlation whatsoever between vehicle speeds (or speed enforcement) and accident rate in different countries.” **
In the EuroRAP link, I found: "The safest roads everywhere in Europe are undoubtedly the motorways " where, as seaworthy hypothesized in a thread after yours, motorways (or highways and freeways in America) are different that surface roads. Since this thread is meant to speak more to free- and high-ways, this conclusion is insightful.
Again, looking at the research, it seems to suggest that speed is less important than safe driver behavior, and given what has be objectively observed in Europe they do more Drive Right, Pass Left.
**Omnipresent ** you said:
I agree - your opinion counts; thank you for sharing it. It’s the self-righteousness I can do without. Also, one is absolutely entitled to their opinion - I respect that and defend anyone’s right to it. However, I am looking for known research, like what Wumpus found. An individual’s opinion is not as forceful to me as this type of research for this broad safety issue.
You also have surmised, Omni, that perhaps this Drive Right, Pass Left issue just isn’t that important or at least is of a lesser priority than other driving-safety issues. That may be the case - and that is the essence of my OP!!! I am trying to understand if there HAS been any research done that concluded that this is of lesser priority, which is why there have been no awareness campaigns. Or, if a study DID conclude that it is a high priority, what political goings-on have occurred to keep a tight lid on it?
Please note - I am NOT a student, doing research or anything of the sort. I am just curious because of what I have observed on the road (near misses due to unpredictability), and what awareness campaigns I have seen for other driver safety issues. It got me thinking - why not this issue?
