Lucky nobody shot at them.

“Expose flaws in the system”? “Make people think”? Sounds just a bit pretentious to me. But they’re young and only starting to think for themselves, so they are to be forgiven for that, i suppose.

I don’t know what the laws are in Atlanta (statements of the Atlanta DOT spokesman notwithstanding), but here on the west coast, it is illegal to use the left lanes unless you’re “passing,” even if you are traveling the speed limit.

However what is interesting is the frustration some drivers exhibited. I don’t know how long these students may have been making this Parcheesi move on the freeway, but Americans have become so impatient anymore. I see people weaving in and out of congested traffic, changing lanes every few seconds, endangering all the other people on the roads, just to try to get to where they’re going a few seconds sooner. It just isn’t worth it. If you add up all the seconds you save by doing this, it will never exceed the time you’ll lose dealing with just a single accident (and it’s aftermath of auto repair, insurance claims, accident reports, court appearances, etc.) And you’ll probably shorten your life a lot more (than the time you save) by being so tense and wound-up all the time.

We American’s need to learn to just chill out. We’ll get there when we get there, and no sooner.

Best comedy? I don't think so.

I think this is a bad thing, this movie has some of the WORST sound and video editing I've ever witnessed. It doesn't deserve any bit of attention and they should be lucky no one got hurt from their fiasco. Maybe they should take a trip to a history class and figure out why the speed limit is 55 instead of just bluntly saying "This is stupid and we're going to prove that we're right about it being stupid".

...we did an analysis at the Kennedy School of Gov't at Harvard, over a decadde ago, looking at the double-nickel and raising the speed limit. More people die when the limit is higher, more fuel is wasted, but the time savings in getting to destinations, actually outweighs the costs. Further, it doesn't take great intuition to realize that changing the speed limit to 45 would save more lives, but no one is asking for that. So, what is sacred about 55? Nothing.

The key to safe highway driving is having cars driving closer in speed relative to each other. Having cars drive 75 and some 55 is far more dangerous than all of them driving 70 to 75. It's the variation that is dangerous. Thus, better regulation and training of cars driving 55 in the right, 65 to 70 in the middle lane, and 75 in the far left is far safer than 55 in all lanes.

Why 55 and not 45 or 65? There was a study done and for most cars (Study was done in the 70's) 55 was a magic number for fuel savings, after that speed there was a big drop off in fuel to milage ratio. So it was the best of many compromises. Fuel savings, travel time, life's saved.

I think part of the study was also reaction time of drivers of all ages. Lets face it as we get older we can't react as well as when we are young. How ever being young has it's own bad judgments to make going faster unsafe.

Also 55 is not the limit in a lot of states, only around populated areas. Colorado has 75 for the limit on most roads, Kansas is only 70, personally I think any think under 200 mph is too slow for traveling through Kansas.

Presumably it was because that's what the speed limit was. AFAICT, the idea wasn't to save petrol, it was to see how other drivers would react.

If the law in that state is the same as it is here, what they did was illegal - the inside lanes are for overtaking only, at no faster than the speed limit. So since they weren't, it would appear, despite the interest in the film, that they were breaking the law.

Nice idea though. But inciting road rage can be a little dangerous.

Technically, not a great achievement. Conceptually, however, it is on the money.
The statement in the opening minutes that it is uneven enforcement of the law which is the problem, is what makes the piece interesting. I drive that interstate daily. Drive 75 - no ticket. Drive 80 - get a ticket for going 25 MPH over the limit. Drive the speed limit (even in the right hand lane) - get honked at, flipped off, or run over. Make whatever justifications help you feel better, but it is wink-and-a-nudge enforcement of the 75 MPH acceptable speed that is at issue.
If 75 is acceptable, as it appears to be, make the flippin limit 75 and enforce it consistently.

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Anonymous wrote:
Technically, not a great achievement. Conceptually, however, it is on the money.
The statement in the opening minutes that it is uneven enforcement of the law which is the problem, is what makes the piece interesting. I drive that interstate daily. Drive 75 - no ticket. Drive 80 - get a ticket for going 25 MPH over the limit. Drive the speed limit (even in the right hand lane) - get honked at, flipped off, or run over. Make whatever justifications help you feel better, but it is wink-and-a-nudge enforcement of the 75 MPH acceptable speed that is at issue.
If 75 is acceptable, as it appears to be, make the flippin limit 75 and enforce it consistently.

There is consistency, just not the type you are wanting. As a law enforcement officer (formerly one in the Atlanta metro area) we have to give SOME breathing room when it comes to traffic enforcement to the drivers. Why? Well, first is limitations by statute. GSP (Georgia State Patrol aka God's Special Police)is the only law enforcement agency in the state of Georgia that may issue a citation for speeding violations below 5 mph over the posted speed limit. All others must give at least a 5 mph cushion. Most agencies have their own internal policies setting this cushion at or above the statutory requirement. Partly for public relations, partly for efficiency. Second, if officers didn't give this cushion, they would be pulling cars over non-stop, 24/7/365. Great in theory, but in practice it isn't realistic. Police agencies have traffic enforcement units dedicated to speed enforcement/crash prevention, but they are a small portion of the total officers on the road and they can only stop one car at a time. Effective policing requires that officers exercise discretion and pull over and cite offenders that they feel are most dangerous in order to make the most of their enforcement action. Do I pull over the person doing 20 over, but cruising in the left lane, or the person doing 15 over, but cutting in and out of traffic? Ideally, both but I can effectively and safely only stop one car at a time. Bear in mind that ALL traffic violations are arrestable in Georgia (yes, you CAN be taken to jail to post a bond for speeding) and 25 mph over the posted limit is considered prima fascia evidence of reckless driving in that state. If you are doing 80 in a 55, count your blessings that you JUST got a ticket. That officer could have REALLY ruined your day.

Move to Germany and drive as fast as you like on the Autobahn.

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Anonymous wrote:
Move to Germany and drive as fast as you like on the Autobahn.

That is even becoming more restricted. Lots of areas with speed control.

I believe it is Federal Law that all Interstates in any Metropolitan Area with over 400,000 population must post a 55 mph Speed Limit. But posting it does not mean enforcing it. For example, in Massachusetts, Route 128, which is also Interstate 95 in the Boston Metro Area, is posted as 55 mph. In Work Areas, the limit drops to 45 mph. But the drivers never seem to drive that slow. Enforcement is selective. And drivers drive in the breakdown lane.

I believe that German Drivers have to watch their speeds even where there is no "speed control", because if they have an accident at over 120 kph = 75 mph, then their insurance will not cover the damage.

Cops did this all the time when 55 nation-wide was made the law during the Carter years. Road rage was born.

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nhoro wrote:
I believe that German Drivers have to watch their speeds even where there is no "speed control", because if they have an accident at over 120 kph = 75 mph, then their insurance will not cover the damage.

True story: but for speeds EXCEEDING 250kph / 156 mph.
(thats why german cars are electronically limited at 250)

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nhoro wrote:
I believe that German Drivers have to watch their speeds even where there is no "speed control", because if they have an accident at over 120 kph = 75 mph, then their insurance will not cover the damage.


True story: but for speeds EXCEEDING 250kph / 156 mph.
(thats why german cars are electronically limited at 250)