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Boston hoping pledge slows aggressive drivers - worked in other towns (http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2007/06/07/peer_pressure_in_passing_lane/)

http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/501/slow_pledge_car.jpgMatt Viser - www.boston.com (http://www.boston.com) - June 7, 2007

People make pledges of many kinds, to have and to hold, to tell the truth and nothing but the truth; some take vows of poverty or chastity. But as life-changing promises go, here is a whopper: I'll never drive faster than the posted speed limit.

Looking for ways to attack a problem city councilors say draws more complaints than virtually any other, they are proposing that Boston's notoriously aggressive drivers sign oaths swearing they will obey traffic laws at all times. To promote their pledges to back off the gas, those drivers would also affix bumper stickers to their cars urging others to do the same.

Councilor Robert Consalvo -- with support from his colleagues, police, and city officials -- introduced the proposal yesterday in a measure that suggests that motorists should also promise to be courteous to bicyclists and pedestrians.
… http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2007/06/07/peer_pressure_in_passing_lane/

Heck, I'm thinking of writing city counsel and getting a few of those stickers for my car. Anything to let these guys behind me know that I'm traveling the speed limit and don't intend to speed up (and break the law).

Favorite quote:
"People need some sort of monetary incentive," said Jessica Eddy, 22, of Allston. "A cut in insurance, or gas cards, something. I wouldn't just sign up for the fun of it."Well duhh... what do you thing is going to happen you you slow down... You spend less on gas... just like the city giving you a gas card, but your giving it to yourself.

11011011

Heck, I'm thinking of writing city counsel and getting a few of those stickers for my car. Anything to let these guys behind me know that I'm traveling the speed limit and don't intend to speed up (and break the law).

Favorite quote:
Well duhh... what do you thing is going to happen you you slow down... You spend less on gas... just like the city giving you a gas card, but your giving it to yourself.

11011011

monetary incentive? how about not paying for speeding tickets???

I don't even know where to start on this one... It's a good idea in theory, but I just don't think people would do it. There has to be a whole attitude shift. I don't know how to go about getting people to change their way of thinking about driving. It's not race. Driving faster doesn't really get you there that much faster, as I've noticed since I almost always catch up to the people who pass me. There's a level of personal responsibility that people just don't get.

I break the speed limit on down hill glides!

I break the speed limit on down hill glides!

Not only that, but how many of us here come to a complete stop at every Stop Sign?

I'd be happy if everyone would just use their directional signals! (my biggest driving pet peeve by far):mad:

I do speed down hills in a glide. I always make a complete stop at stop signs. and I dont blow off traffic lights. But Im not putting some tacky bumper sticker on my car. :)

psy

There has to be a whole attitude shift.

Change starts with just one person.

From tarabell's sig:
Whatever you do will be insignificant, but it is very important that you do it.
- Mahatma Gandhi

I'm all for getting people to slow down, but that means far more than adherence to numeric speed limits. Tailgating, failure to signal (my pet peeve, I'm with pumaman on this one), unsafe lane changes and failure to pay attention are far bigger problems, especially when the stated problem is "aggressive driving." By the way, following too close is by far the #1 cause of crashes according to a local study, equal to #2 and #3 (improper turns and excessive speed) combined. Ever see a cop pull anyone over for tailgating though? Neither have I.

I'm certainly not putting one of these stickers on my car. If (theoretically) I might roll through a stop sign at 2 mph, exceed the speed limit on a downhill glide, or even take my car out of gear (illegal in Oregon), I'd be breaking the law and look like a hypocrite.

There are other messages I could put on the back of my car that would convey a similar message. About 10 years ago there was a big campaign here to get people to slow down for school zones. You still see lots of cars around here with "SLOW DOWN!" stickers on them. Not sure it has much overall effect, but on an individual basis it does convey the message to road ragers not to expect the car in front to speed up for them.

Sometimes I speed. I like to get up to 40 mph and glide down to 30ish mph - usually in a 35 mph zone. I think I would miss that extra 5 mph.

I voted yes to no speeding. In many cases I'm under the limit even in the city. I have found that a speed range of 21-28 works pretty good for getting high mpg.

We don't need a bumper sticker, just do it. One less person speeding is one less justification for the next person to do it.

I don't even know where to start on this one... It's a good idea in theory, but I just don't think people would do it. There has to be a whole attitude shift. I don't know how to go about getting people to change their way of thinking about driving. It's not race. Driving faster doesn't really get you there that much faster, as I've noticed since I almost always catch up to the people who pass me. There's a level of personal responsibility that people just don't get.

That's a great point, and I just happen to have good story about it too. It's actually kind of sad though. I'm traveling down my usual stretch of road when all of a sudden this Gen III Prius, of all cars :rolleyes:, passes me going a good 5 MPH over the speed limit. No more than 2 lights later I passed the car. The sad part, I was going 3 MPH UNDER the speed limit. He ended up ahead of me a short while later, but only because I was approaching my destination and was coasting there. It's sad that I know the guy is getting far worse gas mileage than me even though his car is actually more FE than mine.

I'm not to enthuastic on bumper stickers - reason being is they tend to be noticed only when you have made a bad example. It still might motivate some to improve their driving, and it hardly costs anything.

The last week or two, I've had some success using the emergency blinkers to hint would be tailgaters to get it over with and pass. :)

Gandhi also said "there is more to life than increasing its speed" Take that, Bostonians. :cwink:

Gandhi also said "there is more to life than increasing its speed" Take that, Bostonians. :cwink:

Unfortunately at about the same time, Eleanor Roosvelt said: "America is all about speed. Bad a$$ speed." :(

Unfortunately at about the same time, Elenor Roosvelt said: "America is all about speed. Bad a$$ speed." :(
ROFL! I made the mistake of drinking water while I read that, and I spit it out of my nose!

Thank goodness I quit drinking soda a few weeks ago.

Oh Nooooooooooooo, I could get CleanMPG sued! :eek:

Eleanor was bad-ass, but maybe not to that degree. :D Deliberate misattribution.

http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Eleanor_Roosevelt

I'm gonna have to be deprogrammed about everything I saw in Tallaedega Nights and Borat. :D