Does doing exactly the speed limit in town make me a jerk?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Jim Prower
  • 110 comments
  • 20,202 views
Jim Prower

Jim Prower

The Big Blue Ford.
Premium
Messages
10,620
Messages
gtp_jimprower
I seem to get this impression from people behind me. I'm having a higher incidence of tailgating than I can remember, and they're throwing ruder gestures, too.

But I'm following the law. They're breaking it. Who's right, here?
 
You are. It's your driving license, not theirs - they've got they're own to lose. Besides, driving at the speed limit knowing I'm annoying people is fun.
 
It's the always drive at 45mph drivers that annoy me the most. Near to where I live there's a 40mph road for about a mile normally I just do 40mph. The reasons being i'm still on double points (young driver) and occasionally the Police setup speed traps on that road. But anyway I normally get a tailback of one,two sometimes more... cars on this road but as soon as I get onto the 60mph road they're miles behind me. Really annoying when I drive back the other way....

And yeah like Roo says it can be funny to drive bang on the speed limit even when your just entering that speed zone when you've got the morons usually in German cars who tailgate you stupidly closely regardless of the speed your doing.
 
Jim Prower
I seem to get this impression from people behind me. I'm having a higher incidence of tailgating than I can remember, and they're throwing ruder gestures, too.

But I'm following the law. They're breaking it. Who's right, here?
Click to expand...

You are, but you're being annoying at the same time. If you like driving the speed limit then go ahead.

edit: Did you GPS-verify your speed?
 
Last edited:
No, it does not make you a jerk. As discussed in the speeding thread, some speed limits are not ideal for the driving conditions and so those who are just obeying the laws are made to appear like a jerk.

If you would obey the speed limit at whatever speed that is then you are doing nothing wrong, but if it does bother many other drivers, then perhaps the law is broken.

 
You're not being a jerk, you're being a law-abiding citizen. It's better to have a clean licence than numerous speeding fines, just ignore the tailgaters.

The one's that are annoying are the one's that drive at a constant speed, they drive really slowly at 30mph in a 60mph zone then carrying on doing 30mph in a 20mph zone.
 
Thanks. I know my speedo is five miles an hour slow (according to my dad's Chevy truck on the drive home from the dealership) so it needs to be re-calibrated...and I can tell, as it seems exactly the right speed.

One of the things that really ticks me off...the people who, in the right-hand (outside) lane, decide to ride your tail instead of overtaking like they have every right to, even if no-one's behind them. Yes, I have had to move over so these people can go on their way.
 
you're not necessarily being a jerk if its a 2 lane road. they can always pass you if they want to go faster. if its a 4 lane road and you're right next to someone doing the same speed as you and not letting anyone by then yes you are a jerk. it ALL depends on the situation. the government cannot define what it means to be a jerk. I hate when people blindly follow the rules assuming that the rulemakers know what's best and impose the rulemaker's own idea of courtesy/morality on everyone.

FoolKiller
No, it does not make you a jerk. As discussed in the speeding thread, some speed limits are not ideal for the driving conditions and so those who are just obeying the laws are made to appear like a jerk.

If you would obey the speed limit at whatever speed that is then you are doing nothing wrong, but if it does bother many other drivers, then perhaps the law is broken.

Click to expand...


These guys are HUGE assholes. the left lanes are meant for passing. Sure, they're following the speed limit but they are not being courteous and thus huge jerks. In some states the guys on the left would get pulled over and ticketed.
 
I usually do 6 over in 30 mph zones if it's early/late, if there's traffic I keep up with it whatever speed it's flowing at (now we're talking a steady stream of traffic with generally law-abiding citizens behind the wheel, so it's usually not too much). Below 30mph I usually do the speed limit because usually there's a reason for it..

I never tailgate people or flash my lights unless they're overtaking in the fast lane on the highway doing the same speed as the guy in the slow lane. I'm really pissed when driving my sunday driver and getting tailgated because I ride a little below the speed limit. If I get tailgated in my daily I just slam the brakes and hope the asshole behind me slams into my car :)
 
Event
These guys are HUGE assholes. the left lanes are meant for passing. Sure, they're following the speed limit but they are not being courteous and thus huge jerks. In some states the guys on the left would get pulled over and ticketed.
Click to expand...

It was an experiment to show how dumb the lower speed limit is on highways. They were going exactly the speed limit so they couldn't have gotten a ticket.

Anyways, I typically go the speed limit unless I'm on the highway where I go with the flow of traffic. I really don't see a need to speed as I already give the government enough of my money.
 
Justin
It was an experiment to show how dumb the lower speed limit is on highways. They were going exactly the speed limit so they couldn't have gotten a ticket.

Anyways, I typically go the speed limit unless I'm on the highway where I go with the flow of traffic. I really don't see a need to speed as I already give the government enough of my money.
Click to expand...

there are laws in some states prohibiting cruising in the left lane if traffic conditions are favorable
 
You are not being a jerk for going the speed limit.

Sometimes, if I find someone tailgating me, I'll brake check them. That always gets them off of me!

Or you could do what my friend does. If someone tailgates him, he'll let that person pass, then he'll start tailgeting that person!:lol:
 
Event
there are laws in some states prohibiting cruising in the left lane if traffic conditions are favorable
Click to expand...

Quite. "Cruising" in the left lane should be punishable by death. And it sometimes is.

astrosdude91
Sometimes, if I find someone tailgating me, I'll brake check them. That always gets them off of me!
Click to expand...

Absolutely, utterly evil.




But sometimes necessary to get some 🤬-holes to back off. Just make sure they're paying attention and don't hit you. :lol:

-

If you're driving within the speed limit, and they're not willing to pull out and go fast enough to overtake you, their problem. Just so long as you give them lots of room to do so.

If it's unsafe, illegal or too difficult to overtake the car in front of you... he's going fast enough.
 
See, I'm one of those people who take the speed limit more as a suggestion. For me, the courteous thing to do is go the speed that traffic goes (or 5 mph over, whichever is faster). If you go slower than the speed of traffic, you put yourself in a slightly more dangerous position and generally impede the order of things by breaking up the way things are and the way that they seem to be working. I'm a bit of an ass driver, but I don't like drivers like you who feel they have to obey the posted speed limit instead of the speed set by everyone else on the road. No offense.

Although I usually throw that all out when there isn't that much traffic and I'm driving through an area where I know cops like to hang out.
 
People who drive the speed limit are ok in my book as long as they stay in the right lane or move over to the right lane when someone is gaining on them.
As someone mentioned, people doing 45 in a 45 then doing the same 45 in a 40 or 35 are annoying as well. What I dislike the most are the people in front of me who increase their speed when I switch lanes to pass them. They then stay the same speed as me til I get in front of them at which point they slow back down to their normal speed. WTF I ask you, wtf?
I realized that no matter how I drive someone will always annoy me. Since then I've become a more relaxed driver and don't let others get under my skin anymore.
 
astrosdude91
You are not being a jerk for going the speed limit.

Sometimes, if I find someone tailgating me, I'll brake check them. That always gets them off of me!

Or you could do what my friend does. If someone tailgates him, he'll let that person pass, then he'll start tailgeting that person!:lol:
Click to expand...

This! I'll diliberately pull over let them go and speed up and tail-gate them back. This is ridiculously un-safe - but I just have bad patience.
 
Idiots who speed up to prevent overtaking deserve to be strapped to the front of a city bus for a day. Then executed. That's one of THE most dangerous behaviors I've seen on the road.

Philly
See, I'm one of those people who take the speed limit more as a suggestion. For me, the courteous thing to do is go the speed that traffic goes (or 5 mph over, whichever is faster). If you go slower than the speed of traffic, you put yourself in a slightly more dangerous position and generally impede the order of things by breaking up the way things are and the way that they seem to be working. I'm a bit of an ass driver, but I don't like drivers like you who feel they have to obey the posted speed limit instead of the speed set by everyone else on the road. No offense.

Although I usually throw that all out when there isn't that much traffic and I'm driving through an area where I know cops like to hang out.
Click to expand...

I don't always drive at the speed limit, but when I do and someone is behind me, I always make sure that I leave a lot of space on my left side for them to overtake.

If I'm uncomfortable with driving faster or am unable to (driving my truck, for example, which has no power, no ABS and no grip, or in the rain... or both), I always leave room for others to overtake, and pull over to the rightmost lane when possible. If I'm stuck at an ungodly low speed because of some mechanical problem, I'll pull off onto the shoulder and put my hazards on.

If there is a "speed set by everyone else", then we're talking about a multi-lane, with at least two lanes going in either direction... and usually the limit is just 10 mph lower than what most people drive at. My hanging out on the rightmost lane going the limit isn't impeding anybody. You'd be in the right honking furiously at me if I were cruising in the overtaking lane, though. :lol:

Again... honestly... if I'm going too fast for you to overtake me... even if I give you all the room in the world, aren't I going fast enough? I used to be impatient... (the brakes on my Sentra used to glow red hot after every highway trip...) and sometimes, I still am. But unless a person is obviously lost and dithering about at half the speed limit wandering from lane to lane like a cow, I just sit back and give them space. If they're driving like a drunken cow... I give them lots of space... :lol: tail-gating a slower car or trying to overtake a car going the limit on a busy two-way street or winding road is often a recipe for disaster.
 
Last edited:
Roo
Besides, driving at the speed limit knowing I'm annoying people is fun.
Click to expand...
It's even more fun (and more annoying to others) in a sports car.

I don't care how fast people go as long as they stay out of the way. In Washington, many drivers seem to go out of their way to impede the progress of others.
X-Power
The one's that are annoying are the one's that drive at a constant speed, they drive really slowly at 30mph in a 60mph zone then carrying on doing 30mph in a 20mph zone.
Click to expand...
There's a 4-lane road near home where, without fail, everyone goes 32 mph in the 35-zone, and continue at 32 mph when the limit drops to 25 mph. I guess they like using cruise control on city streets.
 
You're being a jerk if you're driving at an unsafe speed, no matter what the law says. 35 in a busy town should be the safety-maximum. 45-50 is the threshold for boulevards and car-dominated roads. Anything faster than that is way too dangerous.

Highway driving is anywhere between 60 and 85. I find that anything slower than 55 and you become a chicane.
 
The thing that get's me the most is when people speed where you should never speed! Neighborhoods and school zones. I'll admit, I've done some speeding in my day, but I'll always go at or sometimes below the speed limit in a neighborhood or school zone. But I always see people who do the opposite (my father is one of them). C'mon, think of the children!
 
Eric.
And remember kids, nobody likes a chicane.
Click to expand...

Are you kidding? That's my favorite part of any racetrack! :lol:

If you're going slower than everyone else... simply... pull over.
 
<3 to the people to did that speedlimit vid. It really does show how poorly thought out the laws around here are. At least Americans have less to complain about than the Brits when it comes to the Nanny-state.

On topic: Flow of traffic should take priority over the speed limit imho. Traffic laws are for safety, speedlimits are ignored because they are a gross underestimation of the competence of most drivers. If speedlimits are really that important to you, then just make sure you stay out of the left lane.
 
Mind you... I only recommend a light tap to bring on the brake lights... not a full body-check...
 
Yeah, if someone is tailgeting me, I'm not going to slam on my brakes. I'm not THAT stupid. Just a light tap will get them off. And I'll make that tap with my left foot, so my right stays on the accelerator.
 
astrosdude91
Yeah, if someone is tailgeting me, I'm not going to slam on my brakes. I'm not THAT stupid. Just a light tap will get them off. And I'll make that tap with my left foot, so my right stays on the accelerator.
Click to expand...

i saw someone bump into another guy doing that, the guy behind him was constantly passing cars on a busy road, including mine, and the guy a couple cars in front of me couldn't have it
 
Nope, people obeying the law aren't jerks..

Jerks are those that have modified (lowered) their suspension so that they are unable to maintain a sensible speed through towns because of speed humps... usually "hot" hatches, not able to stick to the speed limits anywhere!!

30mph limit...
45mph>speed hump>4mph>straight>45mph>speedhump>4mph>straight>45mph>speedhump...

Just get a proper car!!!!! And because they've usually got some lame exhaust on it, you get the tin can symphony going up and down through the rev range each time too.

I'm not known for driving slowly either BTW, to be fair if people are tailgating me, they are either more stupid than me, or have much bigger stones... either way, I will often get out of the way if it's easy to do so.
 

Latest Posts

Back