We Won't Drive 55!

[kneedownnate]

I know, in my heart, I would kill myself within a week of getting a modern bike.

No you wouldn't, you're smart enough to control your right hand!

[Trunkz]

You can also die tripping over a shoelace.  The idea is that at slower speeds, less accidents will occur.  In theory, it makes sense, because at 55 mph, the force of impact is lessened, the opportunity to react is greater, and the reactionary forces are lessened as well.  Sure, you can die in an accident at 25mph, but your odds are much greater than surviving an accident at 70mph.  Its just an odds game, crunching numbers.  In the past, it turned out that it didn't make a difference, because people still sped, just like they do today. 

i keep it to the speed limit pretty much all the time, i dont really like going fast... too many white hairs on the road around here. but i do know from personal experience that long drives at 55 suck! your mind tends to drift more and you really dont pay as much attention as you do at higher speeds

[Rocksurfer]

You can also die tripping over a shoelace.  The idea is that at slower speeds, less accidents will occur.  In theory, it makes sense, because at 55 mph, the force of impact is lessened, the opportunity to react is greater, and the reactionary forces are lessened as well.  Sure, you can die in an accident at 25mph, but your odds are much greater than surviving an accident at 70mph.  Its just an odds game, crunching numbers.  In the past, it turned out that it didn't make a difference, because people still sped, just like they do today. 

Having been a professional driver during the 55 speed limit I can personally tell you that it is very fatiguing, I would speed deliberately because it kept me on my toes alert and ready to react. On my bike it was the same but for different reasons. Even though the speed limit was 55 I would always travel faster than the flow of traffic again it kept me on my toes, alert and ready to react plus nobody was coming up behind me for the most part making my attention to the front. Once they raised the speed limit I would do 80 and still have people coming up from behind.

On the other foot I've seen people that don't belong on a bike at all, the one thing that always makes me shake my head is when someone on a bike shoots up the center lane when the freeway or even the street is moving at a good clip. That there is asking to get yourself dumped. Cutting through traffic is one thing but riding between 2 vehicles at speed is stupid.

[abnormaltoy]

No you wouldn't, you're smart enough to control your right hand!

Thanks, but the first series of corners would bring out my inner Kenny Roberts...just before I realized I was really Berney Fife. 

[BLACKDOG]

Having been a professional driver during the 55 speed limit I can personally tell you that it is very fatiguing, I would speed deliberately because it kept me on my toes alert and ready to react. On my bike it was the same but for different reasons. Even though the speed limit was 55 I would always travel faster than the flow of traffic again it kept me on my toes, alert and ready to react plus nobody was coming up behind me for the most part making my attention to the front. Once they raised the speed limit I would do 80 and still have people coming up from behind.

I fully agree.  Thats why I said in theory.    There are a lot more variables that what was considered, and that is also why there was no significant decreases in accidents and deaths, because when they countered one variable, another popped up.
ex: Reaction times are better, but you gotta be paying attention 

[MiniSimp]

Tracy to LA at 80mph = 4 hours
Tracy to LA at 55mph = 6 hours

My commute:
Tracy to San Jose at 80 = 42 minutes
Tracy to San Jose at 55 = 61 minutes

So it won't be so bad for the commute, but the trips to Los Angeles are going to suck ass.

[BikerTrash]

Just bought a 2004 F150 with a 4.6

I have been going 5 under the limit on rural roads and  10 under on interstate just to see what it would do... Not much, driving the speed limit but keeping the RMP under 1600 during acceleration I am gettin 18.9 mpg averaged over 3 tanks. Driving the same but under the limit I am making 19.5... Next week I am trying 20 under the limit on interstate... on second thought I think I will just keep driving the speedlimit and save the time.

[NorCalToy]

i think hte time is worth the single MPG extra most of the time.

[WHITE_TRASH]

My time is worth more than the money to me.  I don't drive my own rigs enough to worry about....  I'd love to get another bike but  in reality I wouldn't ride it enough to justify the expense when my other rigs get better than 23 mpg any day of the week with my driving with my foot on the floor.

[Rocksurfer]

Just bought a 2004 F150 with a 4.6

I have been going 5 under the limit on rural roads and  10 under on interstate just to see what it would do... Not much, driving the speed limit but keeping the RMP under 1600 during acceleration I am gettin 18.9 mpg averaged over 3 tanks. Driving the same but under the limit I am making 19.5... Next week I am trying 20 under the limit on interstate... on second thought I think I will just keep driving the speedlimit and save the time.

Unfortunatly this is exactly what they are talking about, only 1mpg. Times that by all the vehicles on the road and you have a huge savings in fuel/oil. Now sure we've save a bundle over-all but not much per person. Now figure in the lost time at 55 and it just is not worth the savings. On top of that who's going to drive that speed, with that considered there is no savings except when you are under the gun.

[kneedownnate]

Times that by all the vehicles on the road

I could, but wouldn't it be easier to multiply it? 

[Rocksurfer]

 

[kneedownnate]

This is a response from a thread re: a newspaper article about whether or not bikes belong in traffic from a motorcycle forum.  The author lost her son to a motorbike crash and blamed it on the bike and the ease of obtaining a permit rather than point out the bloody obvious fact that he was one of the type of riders that abnormaltoy is referring to.

"so, its the bikes fault that the operator is uneducated and stupid about the matter?

a bike does nothing by itself. the reason people die is because its the 'people' who buy sportbikes for the image rather than for the passion of riding. they don't care to understand how the bike works or why the bike does what it does. unnecessary risks and little riding experience is a recipe for problems.

i have some sympathy for family members of a rider that gets killed, but to blame it on all these other things is simply just masking that the real problem began with the rider him/herself."

[NorCalToy]

uh dude..whers teh article?

[kneedownnate]

Edited, I forgot some words    It was a response by a rider about the article, the part in quotations.  I just thought it was pretty spot on.  When people tell me bikes are dangers I sometimes say "really?  Strange, my bike has never crashed itself sitting on the kickstand in my garage.  It's always taken this little guy who likes doing stupid things!"

[jimbo74]

guns dont kill people... people do