News Rant from YZF600R.com

Rant from YZF600R.com

...I totally agree with this guy.

i completely disagree with most of that. I think that police should start fining for other offenses instead of speeding. I cant tell you how many times i see it every day that police, fire, or abulance drive by with hornes and lights flaring and cars just sit there and drive along side them. Those jackass' need to be ticketed. These are the people who risk their lives every day for our saftey and some people just have no courtesy for them. And they are the people who would try and sue the hospital because they aunt/uncle died in the ambulance because some jackass like themselves cut the ambulace off. (that was kind of a seperate rant).

but as far as speeding. I think speed limits are extremely purposeful. I dont want some 16 year old kid with very limited driving speeds going 85mph down the freeway. Or some 70 year old woman who's forgotten her driving skills. Or just about any woman (no offense to woman but most are careless MOST NOT ALL). So i feel that speed limits are necessary. Sure most of us here on vvt-i could handle speeds of 90+ carefully and safly. Some of us probably do it from time to time right now. But its not us that speed limits are there for its for the person who wouldnt check his blind spot and cut us off at 105, or the guy who gets a flat at 90 and doesnt know the mechanics of a car well enough to understand how to stop the car without getting in every fesable lane of traffic (which is hard no matter who you are). So while i would like to drive in excess of 75 (highest in Oklahoma) i dont feel its safe for myself or everyone else.

germany doesnt have speed limits on highways, but there everyone takes driving very seriously and they have fewer accidents. there driving is a luxury not a nessessity like it is here. police give out tickets for tailgating, cutting people off, and if you flip someone off you can go to jail. They have a highway monitoring system where they watch most stretches of road with a camera. if you be an aggressive or careless driver they will ticket you. there is also a mandatory driving test at 55. 2/3 of the people who take it fail it. they also have a developed public transportation system for those who cant drive. it would be awesome if we had something like that here in the states, but we just cant afford such things cuz we have too many highways and it will cost too much.

its not even courtesy. its the law to pull over and not follow an emergancy vehicle.

just because someone cuts you off at 105 instead of the posted speed limit it doesn't make it worse in the sense where they still made a dangerous maneuver.

what does it matter if some 70 year old woman forgot her driving skills? that could be dangerous to everyone and herself. she should be held accountable for what she does (drive when she knows she is not capable of it or when she finds out she is not and continues). doesn't know the mechanics of the car well enough? once again, drivers error. a car should be properly maintained by the owner/driver and be in good shape to drive. they should understand the car before testing it on the highway with traffic. you are saying it is okay because the person is driving slow (speed limit is slow to you?) so there is no chance of danger. this doesn't make sense to me.
i am intersted to know how fast you drive. if you don't flow with traffic, i am more afraid of you than someone who keeps up with traffic. you stay under the speed limit at all times? does everyone else?

too many highways? last time i checked our highways are overcrowded at peak times and the country has been expanding so much. the plans are to build a lot more highway.

i am pretty sure you do not go to jail for the offense of flipping someone off. there are certain regional hand signals that are the equivalent of flipping someone off in germany. one is waving your hand in front of your eyes. this means a horse with the blinders on. you get a heavy fine for doing that i believe. and for another thing, fines in germany depend on how much you make or have. if you are rich you get a much higher fine so it hurts you the same as a poor person.

I can't remember who pointed this out...but they were spot on IMO.

Driving should be a privilege...

And the standards to get a driver's license in this country need to be a lot stricter. Anybody and their blind mother can get a license here...cause problems...not pay attention...

I love driving...I love riding...but I don't like doing it with others around...because I can't trust them. Some I can...I know them...but 98% of your ordinary everyday jack-ass can't be trusted to even sit behind the wheel without the keys.

Here's another question...if speed limits are so necessary, why do police officers...who obviously have nothing better to do....drive around the highways...at 5-8 mph BELOW the posted limit, just to try and catch people? I drive past cops in my truck between 3-5 mph above the limit all the time...and they don't bother me...why? Because they don't see me as a threat? I see the lady who can't see over the steering wheel as a threat. Why is it so wrong to go above the "posted speed limit," to put her in a position where....if she fucks up...I won't care...she's behind me.

I used the rant to kind of bring up a debate about not just speed limits, but also general driving laws around here.

speed limits were made for a reason, I totally disagree with what's said in that context. I mean I would love to have an autobahn here in Colorado, I mean it would be the best for me at least to speed without limit HOWEVER it can bring consequences that you don't want to be involved in, laws and rules are made for a reason and are meant to be followed. Andy I also agree with what you're saying above, I also do about 4-5 mph above speed limit and cops don't bother me none either and also other than the fact that most cops speed regularly anyways but of course we can't say nothing because we don't have crucial proof but w/e they can speed as long as they don't bother me for going a couple of miles per hr over.

At the root of speeding, it's carelessness. At the root of carelessness, it's a culture that
doesn't give a shit for anyone else, it is so obsessed with the 'me' that it doesn't see the
whole picture. But ethics and philosophy doesn't belong on an automotive board.... much
less in a heated debate such as this one in which emotions may get in the way of the truth.

Problem I have is the driving tests are much too easy. The driving age is much too low,
should be 21. Kids simply aren't mature enough to make good judgments. It's been proven
that the brain is not fully developed until you're an adult, and that part of the brain that
develops last is the one that makes choices.

Speeding is just the act... like rape, for instance. Rape isn't about sex at all. It's about
control, and for whatever reason a rapist is a weak person with low self-esteem. So,
someone who speeds is an arrogant individual with no respect for other people on the
road. I'm not talking about your average 5-15mph over the speed limit. I'm talking about
your asshole teenager who goes double the posted limit in residential area, the one who
weaves in and out of bumper-to-bumper traffic, the one who passes in the right lane when
the left lane is already going over the speed limit, the soccer mom who has the hands-free
cell phone with one hand on the radio and another hand on her SlimFast... oh shit, that
leaves ZERO hands to drive! I hate the way that automakers are stuffing a load of
amenities into automobiles these days. Radios and air conditioning I can see. But keep in
mind that things like cupholders in German domestic automobiles is rare. When they get in
the car to drive, guess what? They DRIVE, and that's pretty much it. What a concept! Driving a car acutally involves paying attention to driving! Like Deebs said,
driving is a privilege, not a right. You don't have a constitutional right to drive.

Driving is simply a way of getting from point A to point B. Of course in America we've
taken automobiles to be reflective of personalities, so much that we can't give up our car
to take the bus to work. Driving has become equated with freedom. Public transportation
isn't as prominent as it is in Germany. I'm not saying I'd easily give up my ride, not matter
how stock or slow it is. They probably would have to pry my Rolla form my cold, dead
hands before I took buses everywhere I needed to go.

Be sensible when you drive. Use logic. Make sure that you have enough room to do your
Initial D maneuvers and enough distance to brake in your 12-second daily drivers. And
don't ask me how the subject of rape came up in my rant, it was just an example. I know
that I am not a saint when it comes to driving. I'll be honest, I'm 18, and I do really stupid
shit in my car. I've had my share of almost near-death experiences. I'm not a sociopath,
and I'm a safe driver more than half the time. I want kids like me off the streets. If it were
up to me, kids wouldn't drive (of course this wouldn't apply to people with their license
already). Sounds like I'm shooting myself in the foot, but kids my age really piss me off.

It feels good to rant again. I haven't done something like this on a message board in about over a year...... I just realized how much I wrote in this post, some of it drifts a bit off topic. But **** it, at this rate, hell if I'm not going to press 'Submit Reply.'

I hate playing semantecs over the internet.

Ethics and phiosophy don't have to do with cars

The definition of an adult is subjective, in the context I'm using it in, it's anyone 21 and over. It's supposed to be the point at which you can make your own decisions. Technically in the US it's 18 - I think that's too low.

I said that was an example, why are you busting my balls, crimes aren't that much different in terms of how they're formulated. In fact, why are you comparing me to a murderer:

I take the bus when I can

I wouldn't give up my car if I didn't have to, right now I don't have to. If it came to a point where it was financially or environmentally retarded to keep a car, then I would give it up. If I lived in a city or if there was an easy commute to places, I would take public transit. It doesn't make sense to keep a car in most cities, the insurance is sky high and the parking is insane.

In terms of unsafe driving, I've never been close to being in an accident, not even when speed was related. I'm talking "dumb stuff in my car" like roasting tires in a parking lot. When I say near-death experiences I am talking non-vehicle related, I don't want to say that I am a saint because I'm not. None of us here are. Everyone's guilty of something but that doesn't mean you can't judge someone else's actions. I would be doing someone a disservice if I didn't lead them on the right track. For instance, if you saw that someone was about to be hit by a car, you wouldn't just stand there. You would do whatever to let them know of the impending danger, even if it was a simple yell to get out of the way.

There's a difference between having to do something and actually doing it. I see people on this board and other boards telling off other users who street race. No one can say they've never done something they regret doing. I'm not justifying my actions just because other people do, but if you're going to crucify me for it, be consistent to others as well.

This was a rant about speeding, so how many people can post in this thread if no one has admitted to always adhering to the speed limit?

what they should do is just make people get their license till 21 lol, that's how it's in my country and man it would suck if a law like that would hit this country. I think they should do it since it shows that most teenagers aren't responsible enough to hold a license... hell I even admit doing stupid crap back when I didn't even have one but I've learned a lot of stuff and I have also learned how to control speeding and other stupid stuff.

colorado has the same laws.. I think its one full year before you can take a non relitave in your car... so we see groups of kids driving together everywhere singly in cars trying to race eachother... btu I do agree that they should be limited in how many people they should be alowed to travel with in their cars

well that could lower the chance of multiple people being killed in a single car, HOWEVER since they're single in cars trying to race each other it'll still put in jeopardy the lives of others.... the problem will always be wreckless driving and mostly cause of teenagers.

Yes! I succeeded in ruffling feathers!

no im saying its slower so it makes its easier to deal with. If you think that every 70 year old woman and man are going to get off the road because they cant even remember to take their medication let alone that they need to turn off their signal then your stupid. But it makes it easier for the rest of us to compensate. Since when do people ever want to admit and take responsibility for their own actions. This post is pointless. Speed limits are great. Sure id be nice to have an autobahn but everyone who set tires on it would be risking lots.

deebs you bitch. lol just kidding, it's pretty pointless arguing over the internet <insert old cliche about the special olympics here> You can't really dropkick someone to the jaw when you're sitting at your computer arguing.

I cant completely agree with that, because lets face it speeding DOES cause problems, especially for example when you put a 16 year old behind the wheel of a Supra. They're simply not experienced enough and the last thing they should be doing is speeding. I think a major problem in America is licensing. People dont get NEARLY enough driver training, experience etc. before getting a license. Furthermore the whole "learners permit / learn from a parent" system is flawed. Great now we have adults who dont know how to drive teaching their teens every bad habit imaginable. (I'm thinking of my mother and my sister here...) I drove with my dad. Ideally I'd love to see no speedlimits, but its simply not practical, and I DO believe that the biggest problem in this country is flat out just not paying attention. Again, I can use both my sisters and my mom as examples. 99% of their accidents fall into the typical "dumb bitch not paying attention" category. Why is eliminating speedlimits not practical? Lets see. First, Old people. Their reaction time sucks and they dont have accident avoidance skills at 20MPH, much less 70 mph. 2nd, look at some of the shitboxes on the road. Do you really want that guy in the rusted out Dodge Omni with no brakes and a muffler hanging off trying to go 90 down the highway to keep with the flow of traffic? 3rd, consider how Americans are on the road. They have no courtesy, everything is ME ME ME and even the most basic rules of the road arent followed. Signalling? HELLO! Not clogging up the left lane with slow drivers...... I could go on and on.

we need speeding limits... Period. Only thing that kept some people from my high school alive was getting a couple tickets and getting their car taken away. I remember riding with a group to a game drivin 80+ down a twisty wet country road, 7 in a 4 Door. Girls in the car made guys drive faster; damn... a lot of us were lucky, and a couple of us weren't.

Everybody here says, "We need speed limits...we need speed limits."



Hell, I've heard from cops...that in the middle of the night, they are MORE likely to pull over cars going exactly the speed limit to catch drunk drivers.

The pace of traffic on the highway from here to New Mexico...and from here to cheyenne is 90. The speed limit is 75. If you go 75....to put it bluntly, you're fucked.

Don't bring teenagers into this...when I was 13-19 I thought I was invincible too. With or without a numbered sign...teenagers are going to hurt and kill themselves in cars. I know that sounds harsh...but sometimes reality is harsh. People inherently are stupid...putting them behind the wheel of a car...simply creates a stupid weapon. O_O

So I ask...

...How many people do you honestly think actually follow the speed limit as it is?

just because he hates doing it doesn't mean he won't do it.

that's BS it doesn't mattter how fast the car is they are still choosing to drive beyond their limits or recklessly.

they may or may not get off the road, but they should.

i didnt read through the whole rant here... but here's what i think...

i think speed limit is there for a reason... but the limits are not reasonable... here in chicago, there's lake shore drive... the limit on that is 45... but people drive at around 50-60 mph which is reasonable enough... (lake shore is a 4 lane highway) and most of the freeway around chicago has a limit of 55... people drive at 65-70 mph on those... i think if the posted speed limit is at a descent speed then i dont see the reason to speed... i was at minnesota once and it was the first time i saw a speed limit of 75... i didnt bother to go my usual 5 over the limit and go 80... i just went 75... and i thought i was going pretty fast...

to summarize(lol) i think if the posted limit is at a descent speed, then where's the reason to go over the limit?

You are right that in many areas the speed limit is Not reasonable

I heard a poll on the radio about 2 weeks ago. 80% of people said they have sped in their life. 20% said they speed regularly. Both those numbers seems low to me, but it represents only a sampling of the population. I'd say 99%, if not all, have sped in their life.

^ Very true. Give "whoever posted the speed limit" (some sort of structural or civil engineer maybe?) anyway, give them the benefit of the doubt and assume that most of the speed limits were logically thought out and fit that specific road (not always true, but bear with me). The flow of traffic is an important point - on the highway, it would be impossible to merge if everyone was whipping by you, even the people in the right lane.