Is traffic moving faster than a few years ago?

[ohiorider]

I decided, although she's a bit tall for me, to take the 1991 R100GS out for a good run today.  By the time I pulled back in the garage, I'd put almost 300 miles on the old gal ....... and she ran just fine.

However, it seemed like I was mixing it up with a bunch of scofflaws who felt 15-20mph over the posted speed limit was ok.  Admittedly, it was a holiday weekend, which probably brought out the stupids.

Is it just me, as I get older, noticing something that's always been there, or do you feel that traffic in general is moving a lot faster today?  It didn't feel safe out there.

Bob

[Chuck in Indiana]

No doubt. I grew up driving old pickup trucks on gravel roads at 65. That's nothing today..

[Tom H]

It appears that you don't drive in So. Cal. 

When it's traffic time, slower than it used to be. Too many people that can't figure out how to drive.

When in between traffic time, there are the really really fast ones in the fast lane and the really slow ones in the slower lanes.

Tom

[Zenermaniac]

I think there’s a whole lot more idiots on the road compared to just a few years ago. It’s getting scary.

[Tom H]

^^ This as well.

Tom

[Beowulf]

I can be minding my own business and some soccer mom blasts by me at 100 plus in a mini van. Crazy stuff.

[sdcr]

I’ve been taking RT. 1 bypass, that splits the state of Delaware, north to south. At some points, it’s a 65 mph limit. Most traffic is running 80-85 all the way. Occasionally, someone will rocket past me at, or near 100.

[AJ Huff]

Here at least it is. It's been covered in the local paper two or three times that when so many people stayed home the last 2 years, people that were out drove much faster. And they continue to.

-AJ

[stubbie]

In this neck of the woods the speed limit on the freeway is 100km per hour. For some reason the traffic will be doing 80kmh ore 90 it's so frustrating when your trying to get somewhere or even trying to get off of the freeway. If your doing 100 and you need to exit you need to try to slow down and squeeze into the traffic doing 80. It's ludicrous. And it's not just the odd 1 or 2 people it's a significant number. You may as well drop the limit to 80 but then the f-wheats would be doing 60 or 70. There is supposed to be a keep left rule unless overtaking in this state but you still get the numpty's driving in the outside lane either 2 slow or whatever they are doing.

[Gliderjohn]

Moved from central KS to ABQ area of NM this last year. In KS most traffic ran about 5-6 mph over the posted limit, especially on interstates. Here in NM most two lanes kind of enforce themselves due to hills and curves. However on the Interstates average traffic runs about 10 over with a significant amount of traffic running 15-25+ over. Recently saw however where the KS highway patrol issued 3,300+ tickets for over 100 in 2021. Don't know what that figure may be in NM.
GliderJohn

[John Croucher]

Yes.

15 over the posted limit is typical in Indiana, Kentucky, Tennessee, Ohio.  Semi's are right up there also.  The bad, drafting with no allowance for emergency braking.  If you leave a safe gap, someone will fill it or tailgate until you move over. 

I found that hitting the right turn signal when a car is coming up on the right to merge left and fill in my safety gap throws them off.

[John A]

Yes.

15 over the posted limit is typical in Indiana, Kentucky, Tennessee, Ohio.  Semi's are right up there also.  The bad, drafting with no allowance for emergency braking.  If you leave a safe gap, someone will fill it or tailgate until you move over. 

I found that hitting the right turn signal when a car is coming up on the right to merge left and fill in my safety gap throws them off.

That would do it, good idea.

[bad Chad]

It’s mostly you Bob.  As the vast majority of people age, they slow down. 

It’s a long process for most.  It begins with retirement,  one no longer needs to be to work on time, no more speeding to beat the clock and goes down hill from there.

[Chuck in Indiana]

^^^ You are FOS Brother..

[chuck peterson]

At the intersection of I-91 and I-95 at the Pearl Harbor bridge has become a death race speed course…posted at 50mph everyone is going 70-80…skid marks spinning into guard rails is common…a woman lost her live on the bridge while coming home from work to pick up her kids

During shutdown of that we shouldn’t mention, the roads were empty and everyone picked up speed by 10-20..no one has slowed back down

I hate interstate so I don’t go there

But I’ve aged to where the speed limit makes since. In a car at the speed limit you don’t have to do anything but let everyone blow past you

Suks, not safe at all

[normzone]

^^^ You are FOS Brother..

Some of both going on, especially here in So Cal ... We traditionally run 20 - 30 mph over the posted limit, and I've been working from home for a couple of years. Got out last week and found I could not go fast enough to satisfy those in a REAL hurry ...

[twowheeladdict]

I decided, although she's a bit tall for me, to take the 1991 R100GS out for a good run today.  By the time I pulled back in the garage, I'd put almost 300 miles on the old gal ....... and she ran just fine.

However, it seemed like I was mixing it up with a bunch of scofflaws who felt 15-20mph over the posted speed limit was ok.  Admittedly, it was a holiday weekend, which probably brought out the stupids.

Is it just me, as I get older, noticing something that's always been there, or do you feel that traffic in general is moving a lot faster today?  It didn't feel safe out there.

Bob

I avoid roads where there is traffic.  I'm in New England and the speed limits here are easily 10 mph slower than the equivalent roads in the southeast.  I went 200 miles round trip to visit my brother and it took 7 hours on back roads.  In Tennessee that would have been 5 hours of riding.

When I started riding the national speed limit was 55 mph, with all the non-interstate roads generally set slower. 

[Stretch]

Traffic on the Interstate up here in Maine has become nuts.

Just Thursday I hopped on I-95 for a few miles near Augusta.
65 MPH zone. Slow lane 70-75. Fast lane 85+, including an
unmarked State Trooper tailgating at that speed.

Merged onto I-95 in Richmond awhile back: 85+ in the SLOW lane!

I frequently clock people - mostly young women - in the fast lane
at 90+. 100+ is not that uncommon.

So yes -  I think people are driving much faster on the interstate.

                                                         -Stretch

[angusmcoz]

Yes. Or it could be that as we/I age we're getting slower. I've had little old blue haired ladies develop S.O.T.S.(sudden onset Tourette Syndrome) when they get stuck behind me driving the posted speed limit. Don't get me wrong, I'm still willing to teach folks about power to weight ratios when they think their tuner is a race car. But lately I would much rather enjoy the day without getting run over.

[nwguy]

I have to ask, what types of roads were your riding on? If interstates or multi-lane divided roads, then yes, that's what I've experienced. I avoid them as much as possible. Give me a lonely 2 lane road instead.

[n3303j]

People are driving faster and more aggressively on all roads.

Used to feel safe bicycling the back roads of New England. That pleasure has been removed by aggressive drivers passing irresponsibly (even when I'm on a motor doing limit +10!)

Highways, I get to use 5th gear on the V11 as 85 has become the new 65.

I haul a trailer to Florida every winter. Right lane and 60 MPH on the cruise control. 1,000 miles and I never catch anyone. Makes for a relaxing drive with limited steering and brake inputs.

It seemed much nicer in Canada 🇨🇦 .

[jcctx]

Maybe ~ but I suspect I have slowed more than I would care to admit????????

[willowstreetguzziguy]

Here in rural south central Pennsylvania, I’ve been riding and driving theses roads for 50 years. In the last five years I occasionally have drivers pass me on a double yellow even though I’m doing 5 mph over the speed limit.

People tailgate more than they ever have in the past.

YES THEY ARE DRIVING FASTER THAN EVER!

IMHO. Society and social conditions have caused people to be Angry, Irritated and Impatient. No one feels they should have to wait for anything anymore.

I don’t see it getting better anytime soon. Society is changing and not for the better.

[dguzzi]

  I think faster yes but also taking crazy chances as well. Passing, tailgating, pulling out, etc.

[slowmover]

I just got off the Bishop Ford Freeway in south Chicago and it is like a Mad Max movie. Insane speeds, cars chasing each other as they weave in and out of traffic with not a police vehicle in sight. It’s part of the general disdain for laws and consideration of others. I’m just glad my car hasn’t been shot yet. Society is breaking down fast. But Defund the Police!

[LowRyter]

yeah they are driving faster and since I drive a red Duc and red sportscar, it seems I have to go slower than everyone else.   

[blackcat]

On I-65 below Birmingham,AL to almost Mobile there is essentially no highway patrol and it's well known so it's as fast you want to go. I've seen people being passed by some nut in the break down lane.

[bad Chad]

Another aspect of it, is modern autos are much better than most were in  years past.   They just go 90 with no fuss.

[Motormike]

Don't know about other states, but just had a friend in Georga stopped for 110 in a 55.  As I understand it, in Fulton County (Atlanta) anything over 100 is an automatic arrest.  So he got to spend the night in jail, the expense of a lawyer, (which didn't do any good, the Judge thru the book at him) get a huge fine (Superspeeder laws) and his insurance will probably triple if they don't drop him completely and force him into the high-risk (ie: high cost) insurance pool.  All-in-all, he's looking at around a 3K tab, fines and legal fees included.  I often wonder how these people that I see on the interstates doing triple-digits get away with it for as long as they do?

[PeteS]

Around here on the expressways you have go 80 in the right lane just to not get run over while cars are flying by in the left lane.
Close to town a lot of 15-20 over. Get out in the country and things are much saner, usually no more than 10 over.

Pete