National Speed Limit

[Ban my account ffs!]

I thought everybody out east did that?


(I note you said "fast" lane.  It's not the "lane for going fast", it's the "lane for passing".  One should never be in the left lane (on a controlled access road) unless activly passing somebody.  Regardless of the speeds involved.  I'll stop being a dick now.)

Bah, the left lane is for going fast. If you are in it you should be driving faster than the other traffic, and if someone is coming up behind you going faster you should move over until they pass you and then you may move back.

You guys want really bad driviers, just look at the damn FIBs (ing Illinois Bastards), they drive like maniacs in their horrid state, especially in and around the Chicago area and then crawl like snails once they get into our great driving state. -_-

That is correct... if you are in the left lane and someone comes up from behind, you move over and let them pass. 

In Minnesota it's always the Iowans that get the bad rap.  We call them "Iwegians"...

And believe it or not, Minnesotans are some of the most inconsiderate, aggressive drivers in the nation...

"GOSH DARN IT.. Barb, did you see that guy cut me off?"  "oooh yaaa... boy, that guy sure doesn't know how to drive!"  "Yer tellin' me!"

[dead0man]

No, you shouldn't be in the left lane unless you're passing.  From wiki

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[??????????]

No, you shouldn't be in the left lane unless you're passing.  From wiki

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Correct. When traveling on a three lane highway your right lane is for merging, center for travel and left for passing. That rule applies for cars and private personal vehicles.  The road rules for larger trucks however vary differently.

[Storebought]

No, you shouldn't be in the left lane unless you're passing.  From wiki

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Correct. When traveling on a three lane highway your right lane is for merging, center for travel and left for passing. That rule applies for cars and private personal vehicles.  The road rules for larger trucks however vary differently.

Over the Atchafalaya Basin (I-10 from Baton Rouge to Lafayette), all trucks must keep to the right lane. Of course I-10 is only a four-lane highway, and it's a bridge the entire length. Not much room for driver error.

If the US ever had a 180 mph speed limit, our poster muon2 can move his large hadron collision experiment from Fermilab to I-95 South.

[Small Business Owner of Any Repute]

The general truth about speed limits is that... it's irrelevant what speed is posted on the signs.  Most people naturally drive at a speed which they consider safe, and most speed limits are designed around this fact, using real-world data from drivers.

People were worried when the speed limit was boosted from 55 to 65 that there would be a lot more fatalities because everyone would be driving 10 mph faster across the board.  It just plain hasn't happened, because people didn't suddenly start driving 10 mph faster.

Driving at 55 is a great way to maximize your fuel economy.  But trying to legislate it will fall flat every time.  People don't adhere to ridiculous rules, they ignore them.  Even if there's a $200 fine attached.

Here's the Northeastern breakdown -
Good drivers: New Jersey, Rhode Island, Connecticut
Bad Drivers: Pennsylvania, New York, Massachusetts, (Virginia)
Unimportant drivers: Maryland, Delaware, Upper New England

I guarantee you that there is no significant difference between the average New Jersey driver and the average Massachusetts driver.  Naturally, everyone thinks their states' drivers are better than drivers from other states—its because in-state drivers are familiar with the roads and behaviors of their fellow residents.  I don't expect a driver from Colorado to have any clue what the hell to do when approaching a rotary.

[DownWithTheLeft]

Case and point of what Mr. Moderate said, if you drive 80 MPH on the New York State Thruway around the Catskills to Albany you'll get passed by numerous cars, at 90 MPH some traffic still goes around you.

[Small Business Owner of Any Repute]

Speed Limits are supposed to be designed around what is called the 85th Percentile Rule—that is, the speed limit is to be set such that 85% of cars travel at or below the speed limit, and 15% of cars exceed it.  In fact, about 70% of all cars travel at speeds within the same 10MPH range—the "pace," as its called.

The 85th Percentile is thought to minimize accidents and maximize compliance.

Typically, in the US, speed limits are set below this percentile (typically to raise funds through ticketing).  This artificial lowering does not have an appreciable effect on drivers' speeds—one of the main reasons the nationwide 55 law was scrapped is because no one was following the damn thing.  It was ridiculously out of line with the 85th percentile speed (by more than 20 mph in some of the most scarsely populated segments of western interstate).

[dead0man]

Case and point of what Mr. Moderate said, if you drive 80 MPH on the New York State Thruway around the Catskills to Albany you'll get passed by numerous cars, at 90 MPH some traffic still goes around you.

There is also the Japanese Tourist effect.  You don't notice the jackass from your own state when he makes a jerk move on the highway, but everytime somebody makes a jerk move with an out of state plate it's, "BAH!  Those muckers from Iowa can't drive for sh**t!".