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This morning some "little old lady" was going 30mph maybe slower on the freeway almost at rush hour. A few people might "only" go the speed limit - 60mph. At least she was in the rightmost lane.

The irony is obvious, having put a thread about people being nasty when I was doing the same thing but going 50mph. Freeway speeds have been a topic on several occasions, and sometimes a few flame at hypermilers with the absurd suggestion to drive like the little old lady just mentioned. I would not be on the freeway going this slow. Later on the thought occurred that maybe she does not know the area, suffers from Alzheimers, etc... A few times the eye doctor has dilated my eyes, and I drive back very carefully.

U-Haul drivers are probably the ones I sympathize with most. That and people with an automotive emergency.

While there are a lot more people driving faster than the freeway pack, going a lot slower is also a bad idea.

30mph on an active freeway does seem pretty excessive. It's hard to comment on the hows and whys, but I fully agree that one's negative impact on other vehicles ("getting in the way") should be minimized. I think it's painfully obvious to this community what happens when the differential velocity between one vehicle and the average speed of other vehicles is too large. But it's quite literally a two way street. All too often I'll hear the people driving 10mph, 20mph, or more over the limit complain that the slow driver is the safety hazard. "It's them, not me!" The truth is that it's not just the little old lady driving 30, it's not just the speed freak doing 90. It's the combination of both factors that screw up traffic and make the highways less safe.

I encourage everyone to step outside of the typical "blaming mentality" (general statement, definitely not directing this toward you, DF) that these situations inspire, and ponder: what could be done about it? The stress level of a typical driver is evidence enough of the inadequacy of our road system to deal with human factors such as this. It's possible that a real solution to a problem like this might be found by brainstorming amongst the general public that lives with it every day.

Considering the minimum speed limit on the highway is 45 I agree she was going to slow.

...I encourage everyone to step outside of the typical "blaming mentality" (general statement, definitely not directing this toward you, DF) that these situations inspire, and ponder: what could be done about it? The stress level of a typical driver is evidence enough of the inadequacy of our road system to deal with human factors such as this. It's possible that a real solution to a problem like this might be found by brainstorming amongst the general public that lives with it every day.

"Blame Game" is human nature, but definitely not a virtue.

I momentarily was blaming her, then tried to figure her situation.

Forgot to add I left about 20 minutes later than usual, so traffic was heavier.

Possible tangent: I might link this "I'm busy (and important) (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15808494/)" article again. In our wired age, there is more stress and it rationalizes some behaviors. Some people feel the need to advertise: "I'm stressed - therefore I'm important and entitled to a pass on bullying and rude behaviors.... I understand that you often can't have grace under pressure, but I've suspected some use stress as a cover for unacceptable behavior. In places like Dallas, some professionals drive aggressively out of their lifestyle, regardless of whether or not the pressure is geniune. Kind of embarrasing I go sort of off-topic on a thread I started...

Hi Chuck:

___I am with Tom on this. 30 mph is not even close to the minimum and she would be causing a hazard. 50 is near the bottom edge around here …

___On a similar thought, do you remember the discussion about my way home in Bradlee’s Insight from the Tour De Sol earlier this year?

http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/516/37_MPH_down_Interstate_on_the_way_Home.JPG

___This guy was driving this speed for over 50 miles IIRC. Great for me but not for everybody else! And yes, it was pegged and I was climbing ;)

___Good Luck

___Wayne

I did not read that - need to find it.

I've been guilty of doing 40 on that 141-mile segment the FCD said 98.9mpg, and as slow as 35mph on Hwy287 west of Wichta Falls, Texas.

It's one thing to go these speeds on relatively open roads, but large urban areas such as Chicago, Dallas, Boston, LA, it's at least going to be scary - maybe worse.

Was it the same little old lady featured in this (off-topic but funny) clip?

http://www.405themovie.com/view.asp

Was it the same little old lady featured in this (off-topic but funny) clip?

http://www.405themovie.com/view.asp


That was :cool: :cool: :cool:

Hi Jim:

___I have forgotten about that one and I am glad you linked it. It is so COOL!!!

___Good Luck

___Wayne

I support our little old men and ladys!

They IMO are members of the greatist generations this country has ever produced! Alot of folks get mad at there slow and sometimes lost ways of driving. I never do. I give them a wide birth. and in my heart,,, thank them for doing the hard work they have done in there life time.

I hope the lady got where she was going safe.

I would also say that 30 is too slow for a freeway. One of the things that my driver's ed teacher told us was that going too slow is just as dangerous, if not more so, than going too fast. The speed diferential is WAY too large.

Flashers under 40 ...
.
Trucks in hill country ...
.
Warning surrounding traffic while investigating a problem
or trying to find something ...
.
There are numerous reasons one might be going 30 on a freeway
and is what hazards are for, and she would have been better
using them if she wasn't, but I suspect hypermiling is one of
the rarer causes.
.
_H*