Back in the 80’s, I was a new driver. Living in New England, unless you have to drive a long distance, you really didn’t need to drive. No kidding, I was 20 before I learned to drive.
So, driving to college, I was in the left most lane, doing the speed limit because I was scared of getting a ticket. I shortly had a car with a Massachusetts license plate tailgating me, the driver making gestures, honking, and shouting. His face was red, eyes bulging, and if he had any risky cell walls in his brain, he was dangerously close to an aneurysm from sheer rage.
He was able to get around me, then tried to slow to about 40 miles an hour. If this was you reading it, I’m getting my revenge by outing your really dangerous behavior!
I simply changed lanes and kept driving the speed limit. He roared past me, unable to keep harassing me.
Why should you drive the speed limit?
Simple math gives you the reasons to slow down. The conversion rate is roughly 1.34 or so… round up slightly to get a more accurate figure. Driving 45 miles an hour is roughly 67 or so feet per second. You need to add reaction time as well. It takes roughly 1.5 seconds to react to anything. At 45 miles per hour, that means that you will have traveled around 105 feet by the time you recognize something has changed, and you must take action.
At 65 miles an hour, the numbers of course are much higher. Its now almost 100 feet a second, and you will travel 150 feet by the time you realize something is wrong and try to react. That’s half a football field, if you need to visualize that.
You’ve gone from one end to the very middle.
At 75 miles an hour, to react to something, you will travel almost 180 feet before you start to react. You’re outrunning headlights at night, and literally by the time you see the broken down car in your lane at that speed you’ve hit it – and probably killed whoever was inside it, plus yourself.
Another Reason to drive the speed limit – and avoid the left lane
Road rage is not isolated anymore, like my incident. In my city, two people have been murdered over road rage. Several others hacked up with knives, others shot. In my case, smart driving and understanding traffic pressures removed the problem (not to mention I was wearing a T shirt extolling Karate, which was visible to him as he passed by me, and probably dissuaded him from trying to turn it into a roadside brawl).
Avoid being a “left lane bandit”. If you drive the speed limit or slower, choose the right lane. Road Rage incidents are up drastically over previous years. You’ll still get to your destination in the right lane! It’s not worth someone shooting you. And they will.
Tailgating and brake checking gets people killed. Don’t do it. Stay in the right lane, listen to relaxing music, drive with a smile on your face, and avoid ANY eye contact with any other driver. Be in your own little world, stay alert, stay safe.
And stay alive.
