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| Isn't it odd that about 90% of drivers believe they are above average drivers? Hmp. Those numbers do not seem to add up. How can 90% > (<50%) ? It cannot. Therefore, the average driver probably believes he or see is a better driver than the rest of the average drivers, who in turn believe the same of the first average driver. In reality they are simply average. Driving home (on Interstate 10) from visiting family at Thanksgiving I saw a lady run over a semi-tractors peeled tread (note: no the complete carcus, but just the tread portion). This piece of rubber probably weighed somewhere between 50 and 75 pounds and was hit by a car (plymoth Neon, sport) doing about 70 or 75 mph. The car skidded off of the road and into the median, almost going into the other lane of traffic. We stopped to help this lady and to make sure she was ok. She was, as was her canine passenger. It is amazing how a percieved safe situation can quickely turn into one of the opposite. I usually drive around 60-65 miles per hour on the interstate. For me it is a relatively comfortable speed and through expeirmenting with various speeds it seems to get decent gas mileage (though not the best... that would be 50-55 mph) , is easier on the engine and other mechanical systems than higher speeds, and keep me from being a target of other cars. While standing in the median I was surprised at how close vehicles get to each other while passing. In my experiences I get really frustrated when people ride my back bumper before passing. Sometimes I want to hit my brakes and watch the person behind me swerve off of the road because they are an idiot, other times I want to switch lanes while they are blindly passing me (aka: relying on me not making any move and leaving little or no margin of error) to see what their reaction would be. However, I do not attempt these acts mostly because it would endanger myself and more specifically the other driver and their occupants (as their poor driving and decision making quickely will get them in trouble). For some reason I tend to drive 5mph under the speed limit and am very accostumed to people passing me. What is interesting is that when I am driving 10 mph over the speed limit, nearly the same amount of people pass me. Driving and Gas Mileage People who often drive substaintally over 60 mph, probably don't check their mileage often (click here for info on how). The manufacturings mileage estimates are NOT at sustained highway speeds of 70 mph, but usually much closer to 55-60 mph. (note for those interested in why you get about 15% less mileage for every 10 mph, click here). Most full size vehicles (pickups, suburbans/yukons/tahoe/blazer, expidition, and any other variants) claim to get about 18 mpg on the highway. This is rarely achieved, because people drive too fast. If one would check their mileage, it is probably hovering closer to 10-13 mpg with some exceptions. In my vehicle I can get about 19 mpg at 55 mph, 17 at 65, 14 at 70 and 9 at 85 mph. Interesting little trend there, eh? Yeah, but you drive slow... you're a hazzard. Technically yes, theroetically no. I am a hazzard driving at 60-65mph on the highway only because the average speed hovers around 80-85 mph, which is exceeding the speed limit. I am therotically not a hazzard, because all of the "above average" drivers, should be able to handle a slow moving obstical (note: sarcasm applies here); I am driving well within the 15mph safety zone of the speedlimit (minimum speed limits). It takes the brain to process a problem about 1/3 of a second. To react more time. So the faster you drive the more time you are spending driving not stopping or avoiding. Say it takes you 1/2 a second to react to something. If you are driving at 60 mph you would have already approached this problem 44 feet. If you are driving at 80 mpg you would have already approached this problem nearly 60 feet. Even if you are a good driver, you are already in trouble! |
| Fast Drivers |