Submitted by smokeythemechanic t3_10adjit in vermont
Anyone else notice a growing trend of people driving below the speed limit like 15 ish mph in the left lane on 89, and in 50mph zones like rt 2, 116, 7, 117, 189, 289 etc? Or more importantly stopping altogether to turn off of those roads in rural residential areas often times also in 50mph zones? Like why would you ever do that with no oncoming traffic or hazards?
I mostly get the ones that don't go 50 but will be between 40-45 with zero chances to pass and then when we get to a 40 they are going 55.. .. it happens so much.
Monopolizing the entire road. One lane or two. 10 miles under speed limit in left lane driving alongside the traffic of the right lane cutting off any possibility of getting by them. Argghhh
It seems like everyone in Vermont wants to drive either 20mph over or 20mph under the speed limit at all times and are adamant that driving that way proves they're a real Vermonter.
Cue the George Carlin quote about maniacs and idiots.
Fair. I don't think my desire to drive the speed limit as a general flow of traffic is unreasonable though, I admittedly am one of the ones going 20 over when I don't have traffic holding me back though.
Yep, this is me. Open roads, open throttle
/thread
It seems like all that people do in this sub is judge what Vermonters do. Keep in mind, some of those bad drivers likely MOVED TO VERMONT from states with far worse drivers.
I'm born and raised here. This is a new thing.
It's not a new thing. Bad traffic has been around forever. I could go on and on about the crazy shit I've seen drivers do, both Vermont and non-Vermont on our roads.
Sorry, I'm not trying to shit on you. I just had to have my morning coffee. ;)
If it’s cold they could be worried about black ice. I know a few spots by me and always drive slower on cold days in those areas. Sorry to anyone behind me lol! Feel free to pass. It’s not worth crashing to gain an extra five minutes in travel time.
This is likely the answer.
In West Fairlee people drive under the posted 35 because the roads are so windy and wet.
Exactly. It's called driving for the conditions and that's something that's in every Vermont Driver's Manual.
Vermont has the oldest population in the country. Lots of old folks tootin' around town.
not sure why you were downvoted.. lol here's an upvote.
I firmly believe that the majority of the people on the road (60-65%) are simply, and completely oblivious to their surroundings. Just not paying any attention. This applies to old people, young people, tourists from out of state, and long-time residents. They often drive in an unpredictable manner, inconsistent with the weather and road conditions, and don't even realize they are creating a hazard or an inconvenience to others. Things of that nature include, but are not limited to:
It sure can be dangerous and infuriating, not just for people who prefer to be driving 10 MPH or more above the speed limit, but for "reasonable" drivers too. I define a "reasonable" driver to be someone who drives decisively and predictably, who attempts to anticipate where they need to position their car to perform turns and other maneuvers, who will slow down if road/weather conditions warrant it, and considers 5-6 MPH over the speed limit to be appropriate when the road is clear and dry (30 in a 25 zone, 40 in a 35 zone, 55 in a 50 zone).
Best comment yet.
- When turning left at a light, they sit at the green light until they can go rather than pulling up slightly to the let the car behind them go straight
- When turning left and looking at a line of cars coming from the other direction turning left, they let the entire line turn left before they themselves turn left.
Most people suck at driving, unfortunately. That's (one reason of many) why building an entire country on the assumption that everyone drives is a shitty idea.
We have lots of old folks and people who are visiting and unfamiliar with the area. I suppose it could be that or they’re stoned. The coming to a near stop before turning seems to be a general Vermont thing since always though.
I grew up here and now at 40, it seems to be new to me, but I also don't know about it really being old timers as it's in 8am work flow traffic I see it all the worst
I thought you were supposed to come to a near stop before turning. Is that not right?
My partner says I take turns way too slowly but that's how I've always done it. I don't totally trust anyone on the road so would rather go a little more slowly rather than get t-boned.
I drive 30 miles on 116 to work and I don't see this too often. I do see the stopping before making the turn thing tho! I see way more people drive out onto 116 from side roads without stopping at their stop sign, then moseying into in front of cars going 55-60mph. And those who pass on blind corners, or with oncoming traffic. Older model green CRV or Rav4 that routinely drives like a totally A-hole at 80mph+ in the Bristol/Starksboro area, I hope you drive off the road before you kill someone.
If you don’t encounter slow drivers you are the slow driver. It’s amazing how when I drive slow with a trailer in tow I never encounter a car I need to pass, but without the trailer doing 15mph faster I pass 2-3 cars in the same 25 miles of road.
I'm a "9 and you're fine" driver, try not to go over 9mph faster than limit (non-interstate). That's 59 on 116. I definitely pass ppl who insist on driving exactly 50.
Why? Is 50 not fast enough for you? I used to get passed all the time on 7 South by people insisting on going 65 on a hilly, winding road. It's insanity and you shouldn't shit on others for wanting to avoid a traffic ticket. I've only ever had one speeding ticket in my whole life and that was almost 16 years ago.
You have a good point. Most commuters on 116 don’t go 50…the commonly accepted speed limit seems to be more like 60. I don’t think cops will pull anyone over unless over 60.
At least you admitted that you are trying to avoid a speeding ticket and not that you think 50 is the limit for safety.
50 is most certainly not fast enough for me in many places that are 50 zones. I drive what feels right to me. I don't necessarily oblige by laws because there isn't much science behind why speed limits are set where they are. I'd be more inclined to follow speed limits if I was confident that they were placed in my best interest.
We’re living in a society. Some speed limits are set with other people’s best interests in mind.
If you're referring to the safety of other's, then you're wrong. Google it. There isn't much of a scientific standard of why speed limits are what they are, and they are definitely not based on experimental data suggesting the chosen speed is the safest.
I’m referring to the idea that people in some neighborhoods will petition their town governments to lower the speed limits for perceived safety reasons. Whether that’s actually effective and scientifically provable is another matter. But in such cases you might not think that was in your personal best interest (although we might argue that point as well).
I'm doing that because I know the street I'm looking for is coming up, but some dickhead always steals the sign and it's not a well-marked road so I don't wanna shoot past it cause the next turn around is like, 200 feet away. Why don't they just name it something other than "Weed Ave" ffs?
Lol that's why the weed Rd sign in Jericho is 25' up a pole.
I was just talking the other day to someone about how it’s a huge pet peeve of mine when people almost come to a stop to make a turn. 🤦🏼♂️
Especially on a country road with no oncoming traffic and good visibility (assuming a left turn in this case). Just put your blinker on, pull into the left lane and decelerate there, and let me go by.
I mean, you all don't want to hear it, but Vermonters suck at driving. This is one of the common behaviors I observe around here. Along with turning out in front of a car going full speed and accelerating so sloooowwwwllly that the other car has to brake significantly.
People in this state drive like there is a foot of snow on the road when its clear as could be. I just pass people and move on with my life. Its easier for everyone.
hate when people cant navigate a right hand turn and stop, fucking turn already!
And if you go 30 in a 50 I will run you over at 60
My #1 complaint in VT is people cutting left turns at intersections, I am amazed my left headlight is still intact considering how many times I've almost been clipped by people who don't know how to make a proper left turn.
The "Vermont Way" to turn left seems to be an abrupt jerk of the wheel to the right first. Next, you slowly easy yourself into the left hand turn like an old man settling into his favorite recliner. If you complete the turn going more than 15 mph on a road posted at 45 mph, you're doing it all wrong.
And/or people entering basically anywhere from a roadway.
The curb break/entrance to the parking area is four car widths/30+ feet wide, you don't need to cut the corner into the people that are exiting. The same with exiting. Treat it like traffic lanes, don't pull up and stop in the middle while waiting to exit. ¯\_( ͡❛ ͜ʖ ͡❛)_/¯
Not saying you do this, but there are also the overhangers, who edge way the fuck out at a stop and make it all but impossible to make a left turn without cutting it super close to them.
I’m from the mid Atlantic. I’ve traded in a life of an endless amount of death defying stunts on the roads to an endless amount of Sunday drivers. I have to constantly remind myself it’s a good trade as I white knuckle the wheel.
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I used to commute up and down I-89 an hour and fifteen minutes each way when I was much younger. Over time I noticed that when I was really pushing it, speed wise, the trip felt longer. I had to pass more cars and it was just a bit more stressful. If I cruised at the speed limit and just listened to the radio or some music I’d often arrive at my exit with that feeling of “oh, I’m here already?”
In my early 20s I’d fly up and down the dirt road I lived on at 50+ mph. Until I hit that deer, that is. Now if I drive that same road I wonder how I could possibly have driven so fast thinking it was just fine.
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Ugh, I have a partner that does that AND doesn't use his 'blinky thing'. Makes me nuts and causes many arguments.
Deserves to have his driving privilege suspended till he figures it out
While not entirely related, I just wanted to throw out some information about EV drivers for anyone not familiar: during the winter we get less range so we might drive more conservatively. I drive the speed limit exactly in my EV because I like getting the best mileage I can because charging away from home in my particular model can take over an hour. Whenever I drive an gas vehicle I might go 5-10 over, but EV driving has mellowed me out. 9 times out of 10 we are not brake checking you, our brakes produce battery power and will automatically engage going down a hill or slowing in order to regenerate power. This especially applies to models that use one pedal driving like Chevy Bolts. I've noticed a lot of road rage since purchasing an EV because of the conservative driving and the brake lights, so I just wanted to spread some knowledge to anyone unfamiliar with EV, PHEV, or Hybrid vehicle operation.
This has nothing to do with driving an EV. I drive an EV every day and use regen appropriately for the conditions and people behind me. Part of having an EV is charging it, if you’re creeping around to save some battery and it’s harming the flow of traffic that’s a problem.
You also don’t have to drive in the one pedal mode on the Bolt. If you’re having problems with braking in front of people consider not using it or getting more practice because you shouldn’t be driving any differently than an ICE car as far as flow of traffic is concerned.
Picked an ironic day to post given the nasty weather and the picture of the car that was obviously going too fast when turning and ended up stopped… off the bank
Yeah after days of dry roads and unseasonably warm weather, I did wait till people legitimately should be slowing down to mention it, but it is a fair weather issue I'm talking about even mid July this was happening.
Perhaps because they regard that as the safe and intelligent way to behave at that particular time and that particular place instead of automatically doing whatever the signs tell them is proper.
I believe that everyone on this thread is the best driver and that all other drivers who are not on this thread are just the worst
Several admitted to being the problem I'm talking about, and why they do it....
Been a long day, sorry for the snark
It's cool, we just actually had a decent conversation here, as opposed to the usual political shit storm every post turns into in a post 2015 world.
I often wonder if slow drivers on their death beds regret the thousands of hours they wasted of their lives driving slow. I know for me the destination is more important than the journey. I do 10-12 over at all times, and get very impatient with people who go under the speed limit. Slow drivers are more dangerous than people who speed, and cause significantly more accidents.
I'd much rather leave the house 5 minutes early and drive 70 than leave late and speed to try to make up time (hint: driving 80 doesn't get you there much faster than the guy behind doing 70).
The faster you go, the more gas you use, so joke's on your wallet.
I think that’s a myth to an extent. Every vehicle has an optimal speed based on aerodynamics, transmission gearing and some other factors. For instance at 65 my truck gets 17mpg on the interstate in VT, at 75 it gets 19 and at 77 it gets 21. I don’t know why, I think it has to do with carrying speed on the small ups and downs we have, so the cruise control doesn’t downshift as much on little hills, but it’s a thing in some vehicles. It also generally rides smoother at 77 than 70, my tires have a small imbalance as the are all terrains and it’s impercievable at 60, but becomes a tiny vibration at 65-73 and then goes away.
And to your point about speed and time it’s dependent on commute. If you are driving 3 miles to work the person doing 60 gets there in 3 minutes and the person doing 45 gets there in 4. That is a small difference working out over a year to 8 hours of extra time in the car for the slower driver, and over a 40 year career 13 days lost. If you extend that commute to 25 miles which is fairly typical in VT it’s 17 minutes a day 71 hours a year 118 days in the 40 year career. That’s 1/3 of a year in a finite life span being wasted just driving slower than is needed. That’s .4% of one’s life they waste.
When you add in all the other non-work driving we all do, that person who commutes 50 miles a day round trip probably drives 350 miles a week. It’s 100hrs a year, if you do that for 55 years which puts age say 20-75 typical driving years, it’s 230 days lost just sitting in the car on the way to the destination. And it grows the more you drive.
I just did out the math, and since age 20 I have driven 410,000~ miles in 15 years. While speeds are not constant I do 10-12 over pretty much all the time, so while this isn’t perfect math it’s close as benefit of that is greater at slow speed in town than at highway speed and a lot of the driving is in towns. If I had gone 15mph slower on those miles I would have at age 35 spent 93 more days in my car than I have.
If you can’t figure out what you would do with 93 days of free time returned to you just by pressing the gas pedal a little more then idk what to say. But it’s not “small” amounts of time when you look at it for a lifetime. With the amount I drive it will be an entire year of my life avoided in the car.
Additionally I think if you were to ask those that know me they would say I am punctual to a fault, very anal about being on time, I just in my time of driving have really nailed down the time it takes to do things in different conditions. Sometimes I get somewhere early, but that’s just more time at the destination (fun if it’s something I want to do, and I can finish sooner if it’s something unfun like work), but I’m never late.
Maybe you're just a selfish fucking asshole.
I mean maybe. Time is finite for us humans. I prefer to not spend extra time in my vehicle. It doesn’t seem unreasonable to expect drivers to go the speed of prevailing traffic and to get out of the way if they can’t.
Really deep man.
It’s not deep, it’s factual and a logic based reason why I don’t drive 10mph under the speed limit. It just give me more time doing what I enjoy. I’d rather not waste an extra 1% of my life in a car. as it is with my current average miles a day, I will spend 3 years of my life in a car just getting to the place I’m going. That’s 4% of all the time I’m on this earth based on average male life expectancy. I’d rather it not be 5%. I don’t know what I will accomplish in that 1% of my life, but I know it will be more enjoyable than sitting in the car.
Except for the fact that you share the planet with other people. People like you ride my ass every single day on my way home while I'm doing 5 over. Your lights blind me, and you put everyone at risk, and then you act like I'm the problem? Glad your time is more valuable than everyone else's but five extra minutes isn't going to affect your night in the slightest. I know you got that Gilmore Girls episode on DVR, it can wait.
I don’t tailgate. I know my passing places well, and use them effectively. If your going UNDER the speed limit, I may ride your ass to get the point across, but otherwise I keep a minimum 4 seconds of following space, which is the rule I was taught in drivers Ed as a kid. If people are tailgating you every day I have a hard time believing you are going 5 over, but if you are, just pull over and let them go by, or speed up. I get out of the way of people who want to go faster than me. I blinker and pull onto the shoulder. Let them go by. No need for me to hold someone up, and pulling over into the shoulder to make it safe for them to pass doesn’t take me any time, effort, or cause me a safety concern (unless it’s a snowstorm)
I don't know which is worse, the fact that you thought about this three days later, or the fact that you think this bullshit helped your cause.
Maybe you shouldn’t think so much. :)
Maybe on their deathbed people who drove too fast will realize they didn’t gain much and will instead wish they’d slowed down and enjoyed the journey.
FinalSagan t1_j43p8q5 wrote
I go through a 40 and then a 30mph zone on my way to work. The amount of people I follow that won’t touch 30mph in the 40 zone and then do 40+ in the 30 zone baffles me. There’s absolutely no consistency in the way some people drive and it fucking terrifies me.