Michigan Raises Speed Limit to 110MPH

[cegerer]

I didn't see the official annoucement either, but apparently, it's happened. I did about a 250 mile round trip today on the Interstates. As usual, I was doing probably 85 most of the way (speed limit 70) and was passed at least a dozen times by cars doing well over 100MPH! IF these had been drivers with the skill and vehicle to do those sorts of speeds where traffic is light and no lane weaving , I'd be fine with it. I'd just get in behind them a 1/4 mile back and make time.

But these are total idiots in vehicles whose performance envelope peaks at 55MPH and they're weaving across 3 and 4 lanes of traffic to maintain their triple-digit speeds! Almost all were women. The weapon of choice seems to be the slightly banged up Dodge Neon with missing hupcaps .... at least for the under 21 girls. For the married women with the cellphone glued to the ear and their kids 'safely' strapped into their DOT-approved child seats, the weapon of choice is - of course - the minivan. Then there were a few 80's-vintage ChevyLuminaPontiacSTEFordTaurusWhatevers with wobbly wheels and loose fenders (and most likely no brakes). Surprisingly I don't recall any SUV's, although pickup trucks pulling 8-place snowmobile trailers are fairly common in the 95MPH range ......

Anyway, speed enforcement is close to non-existant on Mich Interstates so there's very little chance of these people getting caught. Rant off.

[jbripps]

They must all be chasing those wolverines. Go Bucks!!!

Regards,

[Sonic dB]

What Expressway were you on during these events...75? 94? 96?

jbripps...the bucks will be chasing Wolverines into the endzone next November.

[Oh Haha]

Damn, Curt. You were on the same roads as me today. I had a kid in front of me in a Pontiac 6000, had to be going 85. It was dogtracking so badly it almost took up the whole lane! Oh yeah, he was cool. I take back roads on my daily tours just so I don't have to deal with these idiots too much. In the 911, I just "make room" between them and me

[kaisen]

They ruin it for the rest of us.

[SLO-BOB]

I find this fascinating. You are not the first Michiginite (Michiginian?) to post on this board about speeding minivans. Here in Wisconsin the women with the cell phones are driving suvs at the triple digits. What a geographical oddity.

[cegerer]

Yesterday's adventure was I-69 (Port Huron to Flint) and I-75 (Flint to Saginaw).

[Sarc]

Funny you mention that, down here in 696/275 land 75-85 is the norm, but a couple weeks ago I attended a bathelor party up in Essexville (Bay City) and coudn't believe all the Minivans/SUV/Full Size trucks doing 100+
on I-75; all the while driving with one wrist on the 12-o'clock and the seat reclined back a couple degrees! No wonder I always her stories of major rollovers on I-75. Seem like there's at least one a day.

[kaisen]

Aren't those areas patrolled?

Here in the Minneapolis area and I-94 East all the way to about Baraboo/WI Dells there are troopers ALL OVER. Good luck getting away with 80mph for very long (speed limit 65). I put it on cruise at 77mph and pass more than I get passed. I haven't had a ticket in over 12 years. Rarely do I see anyone doing significantly faster for long stretches. When I do, I'll see them a few miles later having a nice conversation on the side of the road.

On a road trip two years ago, on our way from New Orleans to Memphis, we caught a caravan of cars in northern Mississippi doing 100+ for more than 50 miles. No cops, no hassles, no danger. Just top-down cruising with my wife's hair blowing in the wind and her bare feet, one on the dash and one out the window.

E

[kach22i]

Originally posted by cegerer
Anyway, speed enforcement is close to non-existant on Mich Interstates so there's very little chance of these people getting caught. Rant off.

Last year on I-94 between Ann Arbor and Jackson I decided to do 5 mph over the speed limit so I would not get run off the road by people going 10-15 over.

The cop spots me and pulls out to get me - I slowed down.

The cars that had just passed me were already 1/8 to 1/4 mile ahead alread.

Then this other guy comes up on my tail hugging my a$$. Then he zips around me like I'm standing still - all fustrated that I dare do the speed limt. By that time the cop was right behind me (and him). The cop got out of my lane and chased him down.

Thank goodness for those crazy speeders.

[Oh Haha]

Kach22-
Once in a while it works out for us.

[bryanthompson]

Originally posted by kaisen
...we caught a caravan of cars in northern Mississippi doing 100+ for more than 50 miles. No cops, no hassles, no danger. Just top-down cruising...

I love it when I can find a group of cars that match my driving style. I was on the interstate awhile back and was passed by a group of cars. It was so cool, they slowed down so I could join the group, and we did about 100 for 60 or 70 miles. It was great.

[jyl]

Enforcement on most CA freeways is good enough that I won't cruise more than 10 mph over (65-75 mph), and usually stay in the #1 or #2 (right or next-to-right) lanes. Occasional periods higher, of course, but not for long.

People in less cop-attracting cars blow by me all the time, doing 20 mph over (75-85 mph) or, on certain stretches like the freeway to Tahoe, 90-100 mph. I don't mind seeing well-driven sports sedans doing it, but get irritated seeing vans and trucks and ratty old cars blasting along like that.

Oh well. I did automotive product liability cases for a long time, and I know what the bodies will look like when something goes wrong. They can have it.

Doesn't stop me from wanting one of those Bearcat scanners that detect the repeaters in police cars, though. Knowing no CHP cruiser is clsoer than 1/2 mile would be rather handy.

[kaisen]

My take:

Speed isn't as dangerous as speed differential.

The idiots that do 45-50 thinking they're making the roads safer are just as dangerous as the cell-phone-oblivious doing 80-85 in the next lane. Put them together and you have a 30-40mph differential.

If we all did 85 (or 65, or insert-your-number-here) and ticketed everyone who did more OR LESS than 10% different.....we'd all be safer.

The sad fact is that our Interstate system is SO set up for much higher speeds. I drove from Minneapolis to Sioux Falls today with the cruise set at 79-84, but could have done 100+ safely. Even 120 or so would have been safe most of the way. No traffic.

And on the aggregate, cars are MUCH safer today than they were just a few years ago. I'm not just talking about passive I-already-hit-something safety, but better tires/brakes/aero/steering/etc.

A while back, I had to make time in a 2004 Escalade ESV (Suburban) and hit 120 on empty stretches and the thing was rock steady! It didn't even break a sweat at 100, it could have been happy doing it all day. I'm not condoning doing it on public roads, but the fact that it could safely handle those speeds on empty roads.......we've come a long way since the late eighties.

People driving fast don't bug me unless they're driving inattentively in close proximity to those going 'safely' slow.

E

[cegerer]

I have no problem with 100+MPH speeds either, if it's on relatively empty stretches of highway (altho I'd somewhat disagree that an Escalade is safe at those speeds - try a quick evasive maneuver around a deer for instance ). But these idiots I'm seeing weave in and out of 3 lanes of traffic to maintain these speeds. IT's insanity because many people traveling at 75-80 have no idea they're coming up on them. I'm on the highway nearly every day and not a day goes by when I don't see at least 3-4 cars driving this way. Here's a classic from yesterday: a minivan doing 90+, passing me on the right (I'm in the middle lane) ..... but look close. The guy's got a space-saver spare on the left rear!!!!!!!

[kach22i]

Originally posted by kaisen
My take:

Speed isn't as dangerous as speed differential.

This is correct.

The reason accidents went down when they raised the speed limit (from 55 to 70) is that it raised the speed of the slower cars closer to the mean average speed.

[Oh Haha]

AAAARRRGGGHHHHH!!!!!!
Be careful out there fellas. The sun's out so the morons and dumba$$es are out today. Just went from Bay City to Midland to Saginaw and no less than 5 close calls with stupid MF'ers not paying attention. It is really that hard to do one major task at a time?! One bit#$ cruised right through a 4 way stop as I was just starting out across the intersection. Well , yes, she WAS on her phone!!! Maybe it's me.
I think I attract these idiots.

[Superman]

John, FWIW, my understanding is that Lane 1 is the far left. AKA "passing" lane. Lane 2 is next to it, and if there are three lanes, is also called the "driving lane." Lane 3, if it's the far right lane is AKA the "merging lane." According to the troopers and WSDOT folks I've met with.

[Stanley]

Cegerer, your oviously not paying enough attention to the road signs. On cetain sretches the speed has been raised to 100 MPH in Michigain. hehe

Hacked highway sign tells drivers to go 100 mph

Associated Press
Apr. 8, 2005 08:30 AM

VIENNA TOWNSHIP, Mich. - The message was too good to be true. An electronic highway sign on Interstate 75 in Michigan told drivers: "speed limit 100 mph go go go."

For months, the signboard in Genesee County had been alerting commuters to construction that starts this month. Someone hacked the sign, which is controlled by a computer through a subcontractor.

State highway officials say they're investigating who changed it and how. The speed limit in the area is 70.

Bill Shreck, a spokesman for the Michigan Department of Transportation, says they "weren't amused" by the 100 mph traffic message.

[Oh Haha]

Hey, that's right at my entrance ramp! Must have changed it back before I could see it. Uh, no, it wasn't me that changed it.