Has anyone else noticed that people seem to be driving slower these days? On the surface streets around my house they are routinely driving 10 miles under the speed limit. I figured I must have missed the memo sent out to tell us all to drive that slow, but I couldn’t seem to find anything about it on Google.
Me: Hey, Google, “did I miss the memo about driving 10 miles under the speed limit?”
Google: Driving Policy & Safe Driver Program – San Mateo County
Me: While it’s interesting that this bay area county classifies driving 10 mph or more under the speed limit as a type of aggressive driving, that seems more like a memo not to drive that slow rather than vice versa. Okay, Google, what else do you have?
Google: I Can Drive 55 | Abby Has Issues
Me: Thanks for the laugh and all, but that didn’t really apply. Come on, you can do better, right?
Google: driver manual – general information – SC Department of Motor Vehicles
Me: I have to say, Google, before I even read this article that I’m feeling like you aren’t even paying attention. I live in CA, not SC, but… let’s see what this is all about: a whole bunch of mumbo jumbo about complying with posted speed limits – nothing about intentionally driving under the speed limit. I’m starting to get a little disappointed in your effort.
Google: NY drivers who speed or gab could pay more | Press & Sun-Bulletin …
Me: Didn’t we already cover this: I live in CA! You aren’t paying attention, and I have to say, you are starting to piss me off. Hey kids, don’t text or talk while driving, and definitely don’t text and talk while speeding. Duh! Alright, I’m giving you one last chance Google. Give me your best shot.
Google: 20mph Speeds Limits Affect Eight Million People
Me: Um… this article is about England and Wales. Google, you have failed me for the last time. Plus it is about reducing speed limits and not about people driving under the current speed limits.
Fail.
So, I didn’t get a memo. Google has no record of the memo. What about the rest of you, dear, faithful readers? Did you get a memo? Have you noticed this trend too and are also wondering why you didn’t get a notification about it?
Maybe I shouldn’t be so curious. We all know what curiosity did to the cat…
Ah, Cyanide & Happiness, so delightfully inappropriate.
Denver didn’t get that memo
Good to know. Wait… does that mean people are driving that way and there just wasn’t an official memo? Or does that mean people are actually driving at or much nearer the posted speed limits?
Here it means that people are still driving like the world is about to end!
You mean it isn’t? Oh, I must have missed that memo too.
Maybe we got a different memo here
As a driver, I notice some people do this, and then there are those who just don’t care what speed they do… shame, either way if people stuck to the correct speed, others wouldn’t want to go around them, or speed because of them.
It will be interesting to see if traffic problems go away completely with the implementation of the self driving cars…. that may be a few years off, but probably not as many as we think.
I certainly didn’t get the memo. I have a memo of my own I’d like to pass out, though.
And that is? Are you going to share with the class?
See, my curiousity really is getting the better of me today.
Odd. In my neighborhood, most people drive 55 (10 mph over the posted limit).
Want to switch?
Not really, but thanks.
Drat. Are you sure?
People in Ohio are awful drivers..the fast and the furious!
As people check in from around the globe it is becoming apparant that we are all just terrible drivers. I guess if that’s just the way it is, no memo had to be distributed.
Over here in my corner of England, I swear most drivers don’t even know what the red & white signs with numbers on, are! Or the well known national speed limit sign, god forbid the white circle with the black bar means 60mph, especially when it’s dark and there’s no street lights!
But no, we didn’t get the memo either.
Okay, thanks for the feedback. This just gets curiouser and curiouser.
Garfield was annoying anyway. Who wants lasagna?
Speeding tickets seem to be costing more and more here each year, so I think it might be that. I can’t afford to drive too fast anymore.
Oh! So, to make absolute sure they aren’t going to get a ticket the drivers are going way under the limit. That’s a very interesting theory – and based on the excessive fees they are tacking on to tickets I think you might have actually hit upon the answer.
It just looks worse because we are used to almost everyone speeding at least 5-10 mph above. I just use an app where others can report speed traps and hope for the best.
Nice!
There is a contributer here on WordPress that posts where speed traps are being reported every Friday and Saturday too. I haven’t gotten into the habit of checking those out before I get in the car, but I don’t often find myself out and about those evenings anymore.
Heh! There is no speed limit here in Mumbai because the traffic is sooooo bad that one can only drive slow.
We should protest! >.>
Google sometimes just doesn’t help btw.
Let me rephrase that – there is a speed limit but we never have to fear that we’ll overshoot it
Oh my! Well… but, in a way I’m okay with that – you are driving the speed that the conditions allow for. In my case there is no one else on the road, it isn’t raining, or snowing, or sleeting, or windy, or anything else (ah, perfect southern CA weather), and they are still driving slow…
It’s getting harder and harder to drive fast with all the other important stuff going on in the car. The texting, the movie watching and the such. We must just be getting worse at multi-tasking.
Okay… now this is another theory that bears merit – they are driving slower because there are more internal distractions. You too may be on to something. Thanks for the input.
That memo was circulating here in Canada, however as it was in MPH we all did the sensible thing. WE spammed it to our American friends, as we prefer going 50 down the streets unless otherwise posted, as going 30 is so 1970s
LOL. Us Americans and our silly miles. The speed limit on the street I’m mostly (complaining) talking about is 55… and the drivers have been going between 40 and 45…
I haven’t notice any changes in Alabama. People still drive like fools.
Another good theory… and one that seems to be getting backed up from around the world – we all just don’t know how to drive.
Well you know that other line that goes with that saying “curiosity killed the cat, satisfaction brought it back”, where I live they drive like maniacs. fast and loose. And we live behind a high school!
Had never actually heard the second part of that! Awesome. And more evidence of bad driving… definitely turning into a universal problem. Interesting that we all experience it differently.
Where I am the speed limit is close to Warp factor 6 and there seems to be some requirement that drivers must be texting.
Oh…and many of our drivers now treat red lights as ‘optional.’
Oh! That’s another good one. I’ve been seeing that optional stopping on red light thing around my house too. So, they are driving slow and failing to stop… though, I guess that’s better than driving at warp factor 42 and failing to stop.
not in my area, in fact, a friend and i almost got run over by a total a-hole who was speeding in the parking lot and when we yelled at him, he said, “f-you bitches!” so not only are they bad drivers, but they are mean!
In San Diego? The biggest little city? No way!!! Okay, I may get called out on this one – but, the people are one of the reasons I was happy to be leaving San Diego… they were mean. (exception to the rule, of course, any tugboat captains, their wives, and their family and friends)
I agree with you…wish more people were like me and hubs (haha)
I saw the reason with my own eyes in my town this afternoon: a pedestrian was in the mid-block crosswalk and a car failed to stop for him. Police cars going both directions pulled the driver over and issued a big ticket. It’s a sting! Can’t stop for pedestrians if you’re going the speed limit…
Ugh… plenty of space out there for everyone, I think pedestrians share some responsibility for looking out for their own safety and using some common sense. Don’t like the idea of “stings,” speed traps, etc… either, but that’s a whole other issue.
To be fair, the locals in this Tourist Town have a dim view of pedestrians in general and this little reminder is a Good Thing.
Fair enough.
Don’t know about you but I still get near miss side swipes and clips when I plow through 880 and 101. Somehow drivers on 280 are a tad sane. Only a tad.
Alas, I have mended my ways. My daughter has converted me into a law-abiding Prius let’s-get-our-mileage-by-the-gallon-up-there driver. I rarely ever go over 65 mph on the freeway these days.
I too have slowed down in my (old?) age and am no longer the speed demon of my youth. However, I do still like to go the speed limit (or as close to it as make sense with the conditions). Understand the concern about side swipes et. al. I’ve even posted before about the sign on my truck (that I can’t seem to find) that says “Cut me off, please!”
Doubt that there was a memo – where I call home they drive slower than they can because
1) They are on the phone.
2) Putting on make up
3) Just too stupid to know what the gears do
4) It’s night and they can’t see. But still drive.
5) just bought their license from the corner cafe.
Driving in SA is a symphony of screeches, horns, brakes and blue coloured air – from all the cursing at the complete and utter fools I share the road with.
It does seem that the roads are full of fools. More than a coincidence, that’s for sure. Thanks for the feedback. #’s 3 and 5 are scary!
You think that’s scary? Try driving in front of a female that’s not even looking at the road, but at her phone while texting. Or one that’s putting on make up while driving at 80 km’s per hour on the highway – that’s scary!!
Have to deal with those almost every day on the way to work. Then on the way home it’s the same with the phone but isntead of putting make up on it’s everyone falling asleep after a long day at work driving into the setting sun.
It would seem that sucky drivers exist in both hemispheres…
So much for me moving someplace else!!
was thinking pretty much the same thing
I didn’t get that memo either!
Hmmmmm… the plot thickens. Thanks for the comment – no clue why I’m just now finding it.
..here in our area in Germany people definitely GOT the memo – because many of them drive about 5 – 10 kilometres below speed limit. May I be honest? Sometimes that drives me crazy
Drives me crazy too!
I won’t pollute your space here by going off on my tangent about driving in general, but let me just say that no, I didn’t get the memo either. And holy hell, people don’t belong on the road.