evlPanda said...

I don't care if I'm a few minutes late anymore. Everyone's in such a rush to get somewhere to probably do nothing important anyway. It's rare you're truly late for a plane.

60Km trip to work.
@average speed of 100Km/h = 36 minutes
@average speed of 90Km/h = 40 minutes

Who gives a **** about 4 minutes?

...
@average speed of 50Km/h = 72 minutes
= 36min lost per day
= 150min per week
= 12 hrs per month... (that's more than one full working day per month)

it's like your boss tells you you can have one day per month off if everyone works diligently... but then everyone else slacks off and you don't get your day off... and then other workmates tell you, don't worry about it, you don't really need extra day off...


i guess in the end, time is not equally valuable to everyone...

evlPanda said...

I don't care if I'm a few minutes late anymore. Everyone's in such a rush to get somewhere to probably do nothing important anyway. It's rare you're truly late for a plane.

60Km trip to work.
@average speed of 100Km/h = 36 minutes
@average speed of 90Km/h = 40 minutes

Who gives a **** about 4 minutes?

Fuel consumption goes up with speed, it varies depending on the details of the engine, gears etc but the wind resistance component at least must go up with the square of velocity. You could use the best part of a litre of extra fuel cruising at the higher speed. Accelerating up and down changing lanes - even more. That's roughly a dollar saved, tax free, for that extra 4 minutes. More than you'd earn when you get to work for a lot of people.

Trant said...

Gorgo said...
So what's happening? Apart from a total numpty nobody drives that slow just for the hell of it. What is causing the slow speeds?

You just reminded me of an old New Science video where they demonstrate that phenomena

http ://

I can tell you from practice that people hate it when you leave enough space to prevent these sort of waves happening

When I used to drive home from the city I used to leave at least 3 or more car lengths in front of me and often the poor sucker behind me would get pretty steamed up and do whatever it took to get past me... only to find out that the traffic in front of me has stopped.

I think I stumbled across this on a website and I think it was 'traffic wave theory' or something like that. It works, but it does upset a few people around you.

The worst is when there is an accident and people slow down to rubber-neck, and even hours after the accident, the standing-wave in the traffic is still causing the slow down at that point. The counter-intuitive way to fix it is to slow down well before that point and gradually speed up to the desired speed. Of course, everyone else thinks the way to fix it is to drive up fast to the car in front and then brake... which reinforces the standing-wave.

Maverick040, you've hit the nail on the head. I've said for years that some speed camera revenue should be used to finance TV ads reinforcing safe and courteous driving techniques. Keeping left unless overtaking would be the first one, even when it's less than 80 k's an hour. It's just the natural order of things.

In Tassie when you buy a new car the indicators are on the options list not OEM equipment.

Funny how all you so called "good" drivers reckon that you can drive safely at speed. It seems to me that many of the young drivers killed on the road are said to have "loved their cars and were good drivers" nonetheless they perished as a result of becoming stationary from a starting velocity of 100+km/hr. Only a few weekends ago I was woken in the early hours of the morning by the boom of a Holden Commodore containing 2 young males exploding around a power pole, I actually gave a little cheer as it saved me from having to complain to the police about hoons doing hotlaps around our block. They hit the transition from a bitumen road to gravel at 140k and found a post 200 metres on. I now have to drive past the pathetic memorial of flowers and crosses each day.
I am a bad driver. I drive a big arsed landcruiser down that stretch of gravel at less than 60 k and turn onto the dual lane highway accelerating gently up to 75k before pulling into the right hand lane long before my right hand turn as there is no way anyone will have the courtesy to let a right hand indicating vehicle in to the right hand lane. In fact I generally drive the whole 3km trip in the right hand lane lane. As I can swing into the right lane during the left turn because of the traffic lights.
I can assure you that my observations are that most drivers pay absolutely no regard to road/weather conditions and drive at above the speed limit irrespective of road surface, wet roads or sun glare. Trust me I have pootled up to more prangs by vehicles that have earlier overtaken me than I have observed of vehicles that drive with the same regard to safety conditions and economy as I. Yes Australia is full of incompetent drivers but the all drive too fast without regard to what is going on around them.

flooded with incompetent pedestrians if you ask me

My favourite is when someone is doing the right thing and keeping left, said person needs to get in the right hand lane to make a right turn ahead, and ol' mate toss pot speeds up in his Prado to close the gap.....me first me first.
At the end of the day, if everyone were a little more considerate of other road users instead of driving with their blinkers on in la la land, life on the road would be a lot more enjoyable. (same could be said for everyday antics off the road too)

lemo87 said...

ginger pom said...

Anyone using their fog lights when it isn't foggy should have their eyes burnt out...

it sounds harsh but after a few punishments people will soon learn.

I drive with fog lights and parkers on in the twilight. Get over it. They aren't that bright.

Then why turn them on? They're just angled differently to normal driving lights.

What's the benefit over headlights when you're driving at twilight?

[

lemo87 said...



I drive with fog lights and parkers on in the twilight. Get over it. They aren't that bright.

Trant said...

Then why turn them on? They're just angled differently to normal driving lights.

What's the benefit over headlights when you're driving at twilight?

Because they're angled down, maybe not so annoying to other road users? But still lets them know you're there.

evlPanda said...

I don't care if I'm a few minutes late anymore. Everyone's in such a rush to get somewhere to probably do nothing important anyway. It's rare you're truly late for a plane.

60Km trip to work.
@average speed of 100Km/h = 36 minutes
@average speed of 90Km/h = 40 minutes

Who gives a **** about 4 minutes?

What about when u've only got 1hr of light or wind?

I'll say it again... if we removed the idiots (people who cause accidents, open doors on your car, anything that warrants an insurance claim) from the roads there'd be less traffic, we could increase speed limits, and our premiums would be less.

Australians are SLOOOOOOW drivers period.