Reckless Driving/Speeding on Freeways

[Poindexter]

Wondering is this a nationwide trend or is just a Southern California thing. Let me make this very Clear. I do not drive slowly. All of my life I typically drove 75 to 80 on the freeways(even when the speed limit was 55). I always felt more in control because I typically did not have to deal with people coming from behind me. These days I can drive 80 and I am being passed every 5 seconds (often by some idiot going about 100 or faster). There used to be a time that I was actually worried about getting a speeding ticket. Now I am like where the heck is the Highway Patrol. It is really crazy out here. Drivers are constantly changing lanes for no reason, going 30 miles per hour faster than the speed of traffic(in all lanes including the slow lane) just to jam on their brakes, changing lanes without sufficient clearance (anytime someone passes me I slow, because I know what is coming next) and of course weaving through traffic. I can't do this at night, but during the day I will not change lanes without making sure that the driver I am getting in front of actually has his eyes faced forward because so many drivers are distracted. I don't think I can drive 5 minutes on our freeways without spotting 5 drivers driving dangerously(and no, speeding does not mean driving dangerously it is how you drive fast).There has to be so many needless deaths on our freeways each year.

Just wondering if others are experience the same elsewhere.

[thaskalos]

If you are going 80 on the freeway...then leave the left lanes to those of us who are in a hurry. Sunday drivers should stay on the right lanes. :cool:

[HalvOnHorseracing]

Wondering is this a nationwide trend or is just a Southern California thing. Let me make this very Clear. I do not drive slowly. All of my life I typically drove 75 to 80 on the freeways(even when the speed limit was 55). I always felt more in control because I typically did not have to deal with people coming from behind me. These days I can drive 80 and I am being passed every 5 seconds (often by some idiot going about 100 or faster). There used to be a time that I was actually worried about getting a speeding ticket. Now I am like where the heck is the Highway Patrol. It is really crazy out here. Drivers are constantly changing lanes for no reason, going 30 miles per hour faster than the speed of traffic(in all lanes including the slow lane) just to jam on their brakes, changing lanes without sufficient clearance (anytime someone passes me I slow, because I know what is coming next) and of course weaving through traffic. I can't do this at night, but during the day I will not change lanes without making sure that the driver I am getting in front of actually has his eyes faced forward because so many drivers are distracted. I don't think I can drive 5 minutes on our freeways without spotting 5 drivers driving dangerously(and no, speeding does not mean driving dangerously it is how you drive fast).There has to be so many needless deaths on our freeways each year.

Just wondering if others are experience the same elsewhere.

Couple of weeks ago there were CHP officers all over I-15 near San Bernardino. I look at the bright side of things. If I'm going 80 and the guy passing me is going 90, he gives me good cover.

If you ever want to go 100, take I-70 between Richfield and Green River in Utah. There is a 106 mile stretch of highway with no gas, food or lodging. And there are hardly any cars on the road.

[oughtoh]

Wondering is this a nationwide trend or is just a Southern California thing. Let me make this very Clear. I do not drive slowly. All of my life I typically drove 75 to 80 on the freeways(even when the speed limit was 55). I always felt more in control because I typically did not have to deal with people coming from behind me. These days I can drive 80 and I am being passed every 5 seconds (often by some idiot going about 100 or faster). There used to be a time that I was actually worried about getting a speeding ticket. Now I am like where the heck is the Highway Patrol. It is really crazy out here. Drivers are constantly changing lanes for no reason, going 30 miles per hour faster than the speed of traffic(in all lanes including the slow lane) just to jam on their brakes, changing lanes without sufficient clearance (anytime someone passes me I slow, because I know what is coming next) and of course weaving through traffic. I can't do this at night, but during the day I will not change lanes without making sure that the driver I am getting in front of actually has his eyes faced forward because so many drivers are distracted. I don't think I can drive 5 minutes on our freeways without spotting 5 drivers driving dangerously(and no, speeding does not mean driving dangerously it is how you drive fast).There has to be so many needless deaths on our freeways eac

Just wondering if others are experience the same elsewhere.

This describes my trip to Las Vegas last weekend perfectly.

[barahona44]

"Anybody who drives slower than you is an idiot and anybody who drives faster than you is a maniac" George Carlin

[Tom]

If you are going 80 on the freeway...then leave the left lanes to those of us who are in a hurry. Sunday drivers should stay on the right lanes. :cool:

Was that YOU?!

Sorry man. :blush:

[Inner Dirt]

I think the big reason is the CHP does not lay in wait in speed traps using lidar. Here in Virginia on I-95, which is the east coast version of I-5 there are multiple stretches of constantly maned speed traps, Virginia State Police sitting in tree lined medians with speed guns, some times one every half mile.
80 in a 70 here can get you a reckless driving ticket. You don't have a lot of excessive speeders to deal with but people weaving all over the place texting and driving and tailgaters are common place. I see a lot of big rigs tailgating and swapping lanes a lot. We don't have speeders just everything else, because the cops do not actually patrol. You can't see someone weaving all over the place if you are sitting by the side of the road.

[Inner Dirt]

If you ever want to go 100, take I-70 between Richfield and Green River in Utah. There is a 106 mile stretch of highway with no gas, food or lodging. And there are hardly any cars on the road.

Haven't been in a dozen years but the route from 29 Palms to I-40 using National Trails HWY to Route 66 is pretty deserted. I think I used that route a dozen times on my Riverside to Laughlin trip and never saw a cop. I never went 100 as my Tahoe won't go past 98.

[chadk66]

I've never seen it as bad anywhere else as socal.

[Boris]

And what's with motorcycles riding on the line separating lanes in SoCal? I saw that constantly regards of how fast the traffic was traveling.

[porchy44]

Wondering is this a nationwide trend or is just a Southern California thing. Let me make this very Clear. I do not drive slowly. All of my life I typically drove 75 to 80 on the freeways(even when the speed limit was 55). I always felt more in control because I typically did not have to deal with people coming from behind me. These days I can drive 80 and I am being passed every 5 seconds (often by some idiot going about 100 or faster). There used to be a time that I was actually worried about getting a speeding ticket. Now I am like where the heck is the Highway Patrol. It is really crazy out here. Drivers are constantly changing lanes for no reason, going 30 miles per hour faster than the speed of traffic(in all lanes including the slow lane) just to jam on their brakes, changing lanes without sufficient clearance (anytime someone passes me I slow, because I know what is coming next) and of course weaving through traffic. I can't do this at night, but during the day I will not change lanes without making sure that the driver I am getting in front of actually has his eyes faced forward because so many drivers are distracted. I don't think I can drive 5 minutes on our freeways without spotting 5 drivers driving dangerously(and no, speeding does not mean driving dangerously it is how you drive fast).There has to be so many needless deaths on our freeways each year.

Just wondering if others are experience the same elsewhere.


Yes, I have noticed the same thing. Recently a guy passed me going 70mph in a 25mph zone, just to turn into Taco Bell.

[JustRalph]

I've never seen it as bad anywhere else as socal.

Lane splitting motorcycles were actually legal in SoCal when I was a cop there. It drove me crazy.....most unsafe thing I think I ever saw.

[jay68802]

My grandparents used to migrate to Arizona for the winter. They drove down from Nebraska every year in their 79 Olds. Every year for six straight years, my grandmother got a speeding ticket in New Mexico at the same speed trap. She was convinced that the Olds got better gas mileage at 80 than at 55.

[Inner Dirt]

Lane splitting motorcycles were actually legal in SoCal when I was a cop there. It drove me crazy.....most unsafe thing I think I ever saw.

It was still legal there in 2004 that I know of. I only split traffic on the freeways if it was going under 20 mph and I probably only went 15 mph faster than the traffic was going. The only incidents I had were people who saw me coming and purposely crowded me. I had a 1000cc sportbike that you could hear coming a mile away.

[chadk66]

Lane splitting motorcycles were actually legal in SoCal when I was a cop there. It drove me crazy.....most unsafe thing I think I ever saw.I saw a guy doing that the other day. I've ridden bikes my whole life, mostly offroad. That is absolutely a suicide attempt.

[Track Collector]

I am on the road a great deal of time these days, and it sure does seem like folks are more aggressive and less polite than they used to be.

I guess it should be no surprise as society as a whole is more selfish, and individuals seem to live in their own personal bubble with very little awareness or concern for those outside that bubble.

[ldiatone]

This describes my trip to Las Vegas last weekend perfectly.
Me too! the 15 is nuts. trucks at least 75. but the "hill" even coming back from victorville on that 2 lane stretch to the 14!