ABOUT ADS OF THE WEIRD

With Ads of the Weird, MSNBC.com takes a look at some of the oddest, most eye-catching, controversial and just plain interesting advertising out there today. Primary writer Allison Linn covers the retail and advertising industries for MSNBC.com. The Ads of the Weird team is always interested in hearing what ads have caught your attention, whether it's online, on television or in print.


Lead-footed friend late, or overcompensating?

Posted: Tuesday, July 17, 2007 4:59 AM by Allison Linn

 

Gripping his steering wheel and smiling knowingly at the two women on the side of the road, a young guy revs his engine and takes off, leaving nothing but a cloud of exhaust -- and the two women speculating about the size of his, well, you know.

 

The Australian anti-speeding ad campaign plays to the basest of macho-guy insecurities -- what, it implies, is really behind that act of bravado?

 

www.rta.nsw.gov.au

 

Of course, the real message is that speeding is dangerous, not cool, but you’ll see no torn-up cars or bashed-up drivers in this campaign. The Roads and Traffic Authority for New South Wales, which made the public service announcement, says it thinks ads showing injuries and fatalities are becoming less effective.

 

So, instead of playing up the fear of death, this campaign is playing up the fear of being mocked.

 

It’s not just young women that do the mocking, by the way -- an older woman and another group of young guys in the ad also imply, by way of a hand gesture, that there’s a certain insecurity behind the reckless driving.

 

“Speeding,” the tag line reads. “No one thinks big of you.”

 

The campaign is sure to get a giggle, but will it really stop a guy from speeding to show off for his friends, or a girl he wants to impress? Perhaps only if, in real life, people had the guts to tell their friends speeding wasn’t cool -- or to actually go so far as to question their lead-footed buddy’s manhood.

 

Click here to see the ad.

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Comments

Applying my brakes for speeders and tailgaters has been very lucrative.  I've been struck twice and successfully sued the arrogant morons which enabled me to pay off my home, purchase a new vehicle and retire in comfort.

Speeders and tailgaters keep up the good work.  It pays well (for me anyway).

Rich, LA, CA (Sent Wednesday, July 18, 2007 1:16 PM)

I find this very amusing. My husband who is a large man (6'5") drives a GMC Sonoma truck. I always laugh because he looks sooo big in his little truck. When we are out on the road it seems like we see all these kids who just graduated high school in these monstorous trucks and they look so tiny. We always assume they are, "compensating for something" as Shrek would say. I can totally see this ad working in a young market!

Ashlee, Oak Ridge, TN (Sent Wednesday, July 18, 2007 1:39 PM)

It's the difference in speeds that causes accidents not going fast or slow. The major problem is people not paying attention while driving. Drive while you are driving and nothing else. Here in Atlanta we have a major problem with illegal aliens driving with no liscense, no insurance and no clue about traffic laws. They just changed the law to not allow registration for a tag without a Georgia drivers liscense which requires proof of legality or citizenship.
Speed limits are set very low so the government can always collect traffic fines to support the massively inefficent and often corrupt govenment.
Highway driving is done with the wheel and the throttle not the brake. Yes, you must pay attention to drive without riding your brakes as you must anticipate what it ahead of you. Try is some time you'll also get better gas mileage.

commonsense (Sent Wednesday, July 18, 2007 1:52 PM)

In Connecticut there are many left-side off-ramps on the interstates.  I do the speed limit in the left lane when I'm going for that ramp, and speeders go by me on the right at 20-30 mph faster - that's a danger to everyone in proximity.  The left lane isn't just for passing - it's also for exiting the highway in congested areas.  Courtesy is key - drivers should realize that we are a team - it's not a competition.

Cece from Newington, CT (Sent Wednesday, July 18, 2007 1:52 PM)

Even if you're going the speed limit in the fast lane, thinking that you're driving safer than all the other fools who choose to speed, you are actually increasing the risk of an accident. It's extremely dangerous to tailgait on the high way - not moving out of the way just to piss of the person behind you bc you think they're going too fast is moronic. If you have to stop suddently, he's going to crash right into you. So get the hell out of the way and let that speeding jackass pass you. That said, if you see someone going way over the speed limit (and I don't mean 75, I'm talking like 95) and you have a problem with it, don't park yourself in their lane and endanger everyone while he/she tries to get around you - move over, get their license plate if possible, and inform the police. That, to me, is much more satisfying that watching him in your rear-view mirror getting closer and closer just bc you're not changing lanes.

LI - MA (Sent Wednesday, July 18, 2007 1:55 PM)

I juts look at this ad as another in the long line of anti male hate mongering that has become so commonplace these days. And like most good hearted and decent people, I just ignore overt sexism like that.

Will we ever see and ad about women killinmg people becuase they drive and try to aply make up at the same time? Of coarse not, our whole society is based on making women feel good about themselves, usually at the expense of men. yeah right, that's not sexism.

John, NYC (Sent Wednesday, July 18, 2007 2:14 PM)

I agree, I drive very fast.  I am chick, so I am certainly not macho or manly by any means! And I don't fail to yield, stop at sign or lights, I don't cut people off, or anything of that nature.  I just drive fast b/c for some reason it is human nature to always be in a hurry to go no where!

Emily, Waco, Tx (Sent Wednesday, July 18, 2007 2:22 PM)

In the end, those that obey the posted speed limit are in the right and those that exceed it are in the wrong.  Attempting to characterize law abiding drivers as "being in the way" is simple the grasping of straws by those who have no discipline.

Max, Rapid City, SD (Sent Wednesday, July 18, 2007 2:25 PM)

Here's a suggestion for a bumper sticker.  "Go ahead and talegate me.  I need a new car anyway."

Bob Jones (Sent Wednesday, July 18, 2007 2:55 PM)

"get out of the way" is an interesting attempt (by those lacking the discipline to obey the speed limit) to place the responsibility for their own safey on others.

Speed at your own peril, but don't expect others to accomedate you.

Max, Rapid City, SD (Sent Wednesday, July 18, 2007 3:29 PM)

Personally I don't care how fast anyone drives...I tend to go with the flow of traffic except where I know that the speed trap is located...then I am nearer the posted limit...watching everyone fly by....and then I laugh when they're getting a ticket a half mile down the road.....

T D., Houston, Texas Republic (Sent Wednesday, July 18, 2007 3:56 PM)

""No offense but other peoples drive home from work is no more important or pressing than mine." is exactly the type of person I'm talking about. Who are you to say that my drive home isn't important? Maybe it is to me, maybe I'd much rather be home relaxing than being stuck on the freeway behind someone like you... "

The claim wasn't that your drive home isn't important.  It's that your drive home isn't any more important than mine, hers, or anyone else's on the road.

If you need to get there now so badly, leave a little bit earlier.  Speeders, and especially tailgaters, endager the rest of us on the road.

Brian, Portland OR (Sent Wednesday, July 18, 2007 4:29 PM)

>Why should I, a driver who obeys the speed limit, have to "Get out of the way"?

This is your ego speaking.  You are saying, why should I have to change, why shouldn't he have to change?  This is pure ego, and sure to get you into trouble.

You should get out of the way because you want to be safe.  You want to live, you want your passengers to live.

I had a friend once who was ranting and raving about his car being in the shop for a week.  When I asked why, he said he was struck by another car.  He proceeded to tell me that he could have gotten out of the way because he saw it coming, but it was the other driver's fault for breaking the traffic code.  He cussed that driver up and down.  It was quite unattractive.

OK the other driver was at fault, but was my friend being a stupid egotist?  Absolutely.  He was a total jerk and a total idiot, and it was difficult to want to be his friend after that.  He saw it coming, could have avoided it, and let it happen out of pure ego.  Rather than complaining, he should have been thankful to be alive.

Dale, Houston, TX (Sent Wednesday, July 18, 2007 5:06 PM)

I love how the dangerous and reckless drivers are defending their bad driving habits.  This happens everday driving to and from work  I'm in the passing lane passing cars, where the limit is 70, and I'm moving at about 75-80, when some 2-inch wannabe starts tailgating as if I'm doing 35.  Sorry, but if 80 isn't fast enough, move the f*** over and go around...you've already been weaving your way through and cutting people off left and right like a jackass, so why stop now just to tailgate someone who is LEGALLY using the passing lane?  Tailgating is one of THE most dangerous things a driver can do on the highway, especially at speeds of 70-80 mph.

And Mike from Santa Barbara, you are SPOT ON with this assessment:

"...how come the macho boys don't shove slower patrons out of the way in lines at the supermarkets or stores, or breath down their necks, like they do with their vehicles? Answer- they would have to actually face the consequences rather than dash off down the highway."

People are always tougher when they don't have to answer for their assinine behavior.  No one is ever accountable in this country.

SH, San Francisco, CA (Sent Wednesday, July 18, 2007 5:08 PM)

I will start with admitting, in my youth I too drove fast, raced, did donuts, burnouts and the like. However, I wouldnt even have imagined doing it on public streets. And now that iam much older and am aware of the true cost (i.e burning more fuel, tickets, etc) I rarely am the "leader of the pack". I much prefer the slow lane going about the same as the flow.
With that said, I have to agree, its not the speed its the VARIANCE speed. Also self importance and impatience are big factors. In this day and age, no one seem to be aware of thier surroundings and that other people are there. they want what they want and want it NOW, whether you are there or not. I have seen more instances of the "Me and my time are more important than you" just in the past two years than all the years building up.
The "golden rule" seems to come to mind.

DispatchDave, DFW, TX (Sent Wednesday, July 18, 2007 5:09 PM)

"Oh yes - Use an ash tray if you smoke, don't throw your trash out the window."  RJ  KCMO

Amen!!  I'm so sick of people thinking that everyone else should clean up after them!  As far as speeding - I usually travel at up to 5 miles over the speed limit. However, if I need to pass, I get into the passing lane, pass the necessary car, and then GET BACK OVER INTO THE DRIVING LANE.  The passing lane is called that for a reason, people.  Don't continue to drive in it while a line of cars backs up behind you and then give them dirty looks when they pass you on the right.  GET OVER.  There are two lanes for a reason.  

RB Sidney, NE (Sent Wednesday, July 18, 2007 5:15 PM)

The ad shows males driving not only fast but recklessly and compares their need to do so on their lack of endowment. The first example is peeling out from a dead stop at a green light. (Would hate to see what happens if another car runs the red.) The second is the woman almost being nailed by a speeding car and the third is a car careening around the corner at a high rate of speed. Why is everybody commenting about throwing cigarette butts out the window, driving in Germany and special tests for people who are capable of driving fast so they can have a sticker on their car window? Someone is missing the point of the ad—don't drive like a dick because you don't have one.

C. Barnett (Sent Wednesday, July 18, 2007 5:36 PM)

I couldn't agree with you more Brian.  Unfortunately those who lack the discipline to obey the speed limit are even less likely to have the discipline to manage their time and leave a bit earlier.

Dylan, Cottage Grove, MN (Sent Wednesday, July 18, 2007 5:56 PM)

why doesn't someone figure out at what speed no one would be killed when in an accident and then set all speed limits to that level. ha ha even the slow pokes would find something wrong with that. and as far as more people dying from cars than guns lets ban cars while we're at it. again ha ha. i have to agree that BAD drivers are the problem and its not always the speeders...its usually the people who think they're the center of the universe.

skipper (Sent Wednesday, July 18, 2007 5:57 PM)

The problem with speed limits is that they're artificially low. While this doesn't matter so much in some areas, in others, it causes more traffic. If everyone went the speed limit, traffic would, on average, be worse than it is otherwise. That being said, people who choose to drive recklessly (often its those who go too fast or too slow), cause accidents. But 70-75 in a 65? Not a problem.

Josh, Houston, TX (Sent Wednesday, July 18, 2007 6:10 PM)

First off,the outside lane is a passing lane,NOT a driving lane.
Second,looking at all the comments here,whats missing here seems to be a complete
lack of ANY road manners.
Having ridden motorcycles and cars,I totally agree that cig butt throwing out the window is not only littering,if it gets into
the eye of a motorcyclist or into the window of a motorists car,it can be deadly.
But people don`t seem to care anymore.

Murf the Surf.....Fort Lauderdale. (Sent Wednesday, July 18, 2007 6:41 PM)

"...BAD drivers are the problem and its not always the speeders...its usually the people who think they're the center of the universe."

Like the speeders who drive as if they are the only car on the road.

SH, San Francisco, CA (Sent Wednesday, July 18, 2007 6:41 PM)

I personally think I'm a much better driver than 99.9% of the population and I should be allowed to drive as fast as I feel is safe.  I have no problem safely driving 100 mph or more, since I always watch the road carefully, especially when I'm talking on my cell phone or eating a hamburger.
The point is, I'm clearly a much more skilled driver than all the other morons on the road, and I shouldn't have to abide by the same rules that were written for those morons.

Wil, St. Louis (Sent Wednesday, July 18, 2007 7:26 PM)

Figure this one out folks- every morning there is rush hour traffic going northbound into Santa Barbara, as in many parts of the US, and the fastest lane is the "slow" lane, i.e. the right-hand lane. I kid you not. I pass the stalled or stopped traffic by staying in the right-hand lane. By the end of the "trip"- about 5-7 miles of bumper to bumper traffic- I am usually at least a quarter mile ahead of the "fast lane" drivers. This despite the trucks and onramp traffic coming into the right-hand lane. Theory- so many people are in a rush, and believe the fast lane is or should be faster, even with evidence to the contrary, so the left hand "fast" lane has more vehicles in it, hence slower.

Mike Wilson (Sent Wednesday, July 18, 2007 7:53 PM)

Speed limits have far more to do with revenue than safety.  "Speeding" in and of itself almost never causes accidents.  It can make accidents worse, but it usually doesn't cause them.

And yes, statistics prove that the slowest 5% of all drivers have the highest accident rates.

Most accidents are caused by carelessness, and recklessness.  Over 40,000 people a year are killed in traffic accidents in the U. S.

All the speed traps in the world will never make a difference, as long as police officers are nothing more than tax collectors.  Until they turn off the radars and start doing their jobs right, the bloodbath will continue...

Michael W. Gilbert, Paducah, Kentucky (Sent Wednesday, July 18, 2007 8:16 PM)

Completely agree with SH of San Francisco. There is something wrong with the mentality in this country. What makes you speeders think you are the most important people out there and that your adrenaline rush matters more than someone else's life? And if you want to show your macho so much, why aren't you in Iraq or Afganistan?

e (Sent Wednesday, July 18, 2007 8:16 PM)

I speed to get somewhere. Who can see my face and be "impressed" when I am doing 140kmh passing them doing 120kmh?

The antipodean nanny state. I guess they have their social engineers too.

A secular state does not have the mandate to educate moral behaviour.

Once it starts teaching us the ethics of this or that, it is a slippery slope to totalitarianism.

Catch me and punish me. Save the money for the t.v. ads you soulless gliberals.

Kevin G. McDonald (Sent Wednesday, July 18, 2007 9:44 PM)

I think we have lost the topic here.  What do you think of the ad?  Many years ago, I was stopped at a light in the left lane.  A car was in the left hand turn lane and one in the right hand lane. It was really hot and we all had our windows down.  All three cars were being driven by males. When the light turned green, the car in the left lane floored it and peeled out around the corner.  The guy in the car on the right turned his head and said to us "His peepee just got bigger by this much" and held up his thumb and forefinger to indicate about an inch.  

The point:  People with small peepees feel the need for speed.  Those of us with larger equipment don't need to rush!

Doug Conkin, Los Angeles, CA (Sent Wednesday, July 18, 2007 10:10 PM)

I hate to sound sexist, but this add is, and I think they got the wrong sex.  I never really look at other drivers; I am too busy paying attention to the road, but my wife notices. 75% of the time when I complain about a driver behaving dangerously - whether it be speed, inattention, lack of consideration, endangering others... I say "that guy needs to clean up his act...." and my wife tells me it's not a guy, it's a woman.  However, that's not inconsistent with my personal experience with bosses... the best and the worst I've worked for have been women.  Maybe the same is true about drivers.  In any case, it makes me question if they got the target audience right.  As for the speed and lane issue - common courtesy by both parties would eliminate 99% of complaints.  Don't sit on someone's tail, and don't block someone just because they are going fast.  In the gray area between those extremes, react with traffic.  I don't pull over for a speeder if I'm doing the limit and I'm passing cars.  Once I pass I pull over.  If I'm speeding I may come a little close to a car as a signal, but I very quickly back off and ensure a safe distance at all times.  Sometimes you just have to wait.  Chill out with some good tunes and don't sweat it.  As for the commercial...lame, but that's one reason I almost never watch TV (the other being the lousy shows.  I Netflix the good stuff.)

RM, Sup, CO (Sent Wednesday, July 18, 2007 10:56 PM)

The fact is at any given moment - on a freeway - some of the people occupying these "impersonal" objects known as motor vehicles are children and the elderly makes this a no brainer. Obey the speed limit. The 65 mph car you careen into at 80 might have your daughter's or son's best friend in the back seat of it. You want "thrill"?  Rock climb.

WMD, White House, D.C. (Sent Wednesday, July 18, 2007 11:01 PM)

Here there is no speed "limit" although some would argue  other wise we have basic of posted speed.
On the other hand there are at least 4 laws that state, when being over taken, impedeing traffic, having "x" number vehicles behind you. You are to move to right and let them pass, no where in these statues does it state you have right becuase of the speed you are travel you don't have to yield the right of way.

Rich Oregon (Sent Thursday, July 19, 2007 12:20 AM)

Erika in Pa.. I'm from Hazleton and 73.  You think we old idiots cause the problem.  Gov't figures say different. Come to Evergreen Raceway and put your mouth and money on the line! I'm not an ex pro or anything of that nature just a driver since 1953.  Do I speed? At times! The same applies to going slow. Are my reflexes slower than yours? Of course they are. Driving is like riding a bike. It is and ACQUIRED SKILL. I no longer do hand stands on the handle bars but I can still ride.  The same applies to driving and I'll beat your butt on any track!
Ric      

.Ric Betterly. Hazleton, PA Now Fla (Sent Thursday, July 19, 2007 5:41 AM)

We all speed in life, one way or another. The freeway happens to have policew on it watching... Usually vehicles travelling at very diferent speeds are a major issue. One travelling at 55 and another at 85 can cause some issues when a lane change takes place. If you're talking about speeds in excess of 100 or 100% over the speed limit then that is really speeding. Lane hogging is also major safety issue.
Kudos to fast vehicles of all types.
Common courtesy says either get out of the way or stay still so that others can go around you.
Use them, wisely, wait for Saturday or Sunday AM.

JJ NY, NY (Sent Thursday, July 19, 2007 6:27 AM)

Bud, you're a 100 percent correct. People in the US are mostly bad drivers and unaware of their surroundings. If you ride a bicycle and get hit by a car does it matter who was in the right? GET OUT OF THE LEFT LANE people no matter WHAT the speed limit is. There will always be people in a hurry and if you stick to your "rules " by slowing them down they WILL cut you off becuase you're selfish

Lee Northern Virginia (Sent Thursday, July 19, 2007 6:43 AM)

The fact of the matter is this; both sides of this argument are breaking the law.  The speeders are breaking the speed limit and the people who drive in the left hand lanes that are designated as passing lanes are also breaking the law.  Every excuse in the world does not make it right.  I’m pretty sure most of us know what they say about excuses… and they are right they ALL STINK!

To those of you who are speeding – you are breaking the law and it is not your right to do so.

To those of you who sit in the left hand lane not passing – I don’t care what your excuse is, you are not a cop, it is not your job to make people slow down.  You are also wrong.

To those of you trying to make the gas conservation argument – you’re full of BS.  When the speed limit was 55 the government said it will conserve gas if you go the posted speed limit.  Now that its 65 they are saying the exact same thing….hmmmm something smells rotten to me.  It is just an excuse to justify your actions.  There are many other more practical ways that oil conservation can be achieved.

Same goes for the people saying that the slow poke in the left hand lane caused them to have to weave in and out of traffic to get around them….WHAT??  Total BS again.  You are responsible for your own actions.  If you weave in and out of traffic that is your decision.  It is your hands on the wheel and your feet on the pedals.

Living in the U.S. I don’t know that much about Australian culture, but I don’t think an ad campaign like that would do a bit of good here.  Why?  I don’t believe most speeders do it to impress people.  Most speeders drive fast because they like to.  Some drivers (and I’m sure many of us have run into them on the highway) speed because they don’t want you to get in front of them.  They have no other motivation other than to keep you behind them.

D.C.F. (Sent Thursday, July 19, 2007 10:08 AM)

Speed if you want don't if you don't.
I wouldn't mine. I go my way but just don't hit my car cause I won't tolerate.  

Chai (Sent Thursday, July 19, 2007 10:27 AM)

I speed.  I eat.  I smoke.  I change CD's in and out. I make funny faces at people. I don't talk on my cell phone, but I do text page.  Funny thing...I'm alive and well.  So is my car.  So is everyone else who drives with me every single darn day in both rush hours.  Amazing.

Larrisa, Cincinnati Ohio (Sent Thursday, July 19, 2007 10:43 AM)

99% of all accidents are avoidable.  The best way to avoid an accident is to increase your reaction time.  The best way to increase your reaction time is to slow down.  If you are traveling at speeds over 55 mph; regardless of the speed limit, there should be no less than eight seconds between your vehicle and the vehicle ahead of you.  Slow down, maintain space on all four sides of your car but especially in front. Also, you save zero time by speeding when you have an accident(causes everyone behind you to lose time)or if you get pulled over.

Tom, Jax FL (Sent Thursday, July 19, 2007 11:21 AM)

I think that it's amazing that there needs to be a campaign to tell people they are "less macho" to get them to stop driving agressivly instead of telling them that it's dangerous and expensive to drive like a fool. I drive 70 miles a day on mostly highway, and I cruise between 75-80 mph, and yet I still get the tailgaters and the lane switchers doing over 90 EVERYTDAY. There is speeding (like me) and then there is reckless driving (people doing 85+). It's no longer enjoyable to drive, it's like your life is in danger everytime you get in your car. I do think that driving has become a lost art, and that it's more about individual "needs" over the collective. Everyone has the "I'm more important than you so get out of my way" attitude.

Malefeous, Philadelphia PA (Sent Thursday, July 19, 2007 11:27 AM)

"and speed ALWAYS translates into a higher risk of death."

WRONG.  Check the stats on the autobahn in Germany.  It is statistically much safer than American interstates....They can go much faster, but also have more stringent liscense requirements, more logical laws and enforcement, and better road conditions.  Keep blindly believing the BS pumped your way.

Lee Raleigh (Sent Thursday, July 19, 2007 11:41 AM)

I admit, I speed all the time, about 10 mph over the speed limit, and I hate when someone drives slowly in the left lane. If I'm in the left lane and someone comes up behind me going faster than me, I have no problem getting out of his way. It's common courtesy. Not to mention, if they're going faster than me, they'll probably get a ticket! If you're not a cop, don't act like one. II get a ticket, it's my fault. If I get pulled over, you have every right to drive by me with a holier than though look on your face. But if I'm still on the highway, have the courtesy to move over to the right.

Dave, Upstate NY (Sent Thursday, July 19, 2007 11:43 AM)

make cars that go only 45 mph.
hmmmmmm

no brainer (Sent Thursday, July 19, 2007 11:55 AM)

As a former member of the automotive testing community, and someone with a long travel to work, there are a few things that everyone needs to remember...

1. It isn't worth being dead right...   Even though you are right, doesn't mean you should let the wrong person kill you to prove your point.  
2. Speedlimits are the maximum speed you are allowed to drive without risking legal issue, however getting to the speed limit quickly does not have legal problems associated with it. (I know, the judge agreed with me)
3.  If someone chooses to exceed the posted speedlimit, like I often do (I am a habitual speeder in appropriate areas: Interstates and Expressways... Not parking lots or neighborhoods), I am the one going to pay the ticket, not anyone else, so please do not attempt to hinder my forward progess to prove a point.  It usually proves to be a negative experience for the person doing the hindering...


Drive safe...

Me (Sent Thursday, July 19, 2007 12:08 PM)

I agree with both RJ-KCMO and JonB Las Vegas. If you are not passing than why are you in the PASSING lane!! Get a clue you can't be that stupid, can you?

Kelley (Sent Thursday, July 19, 2007 12:08 PM)

In the US if there are more than 2 lanes in one direction, then NO lane is the fast lane.  You can sit in any lane you want.  If there are only two lanes, then the left is the fast lane and one MUST "Drive right and pass left" and "Stay in right lane unless passing".

Dave, Boulder, Colorado (Sent Thursday, July 19, 2007 12:26 PM)

  Does the ad message get across? Perhaps, but it only shows "Exhibition of Speed" types of offenses, not the typical speeding seen on the freeway.
  Just a few thoughts. Traffic and driving would be much improved if drivers would consider these points.
1. Pay attention.
2. Don't do anything that will surprise someone in the lane next to you. (Covers a lot of sins.)
3. If you are passed on your right, consider moving over in that direction.
4. When traffic gets heavy enought, give it up and go with the flow.
5. Pay attention.
  Courtesy helps.
  "Speeding" is a relative thing. Most freeway driving is done above the posted limit and most drivers feel fairly comfortable with that. Posted limits provide two things, a standard by which traffic can regulate itself and a means of (significant) revenue for the state, assessed from violators who are caught. Most of us are violators.
  Fuel economy wouldn't be an issue if drivers would give up the bloated, guzzling vehicles we seem to demand and opt for smaller, lighter and more agile cars affording better mileage at the same or even higher speeds.
  As for small vehicle safety, it is preferable to avoid an accident than to have to survive one. Physical principles work here. A smaller lighter vehicle will do a better job of avoiding the mess. With the advent of airbags that almost totally surround occupants, crash survival in a small car is not the negative it was once.
  Bottom line...matching your pace to the conditions surrounding you is a good Idea.

S Smith, Oceanside, CA (Sent Thursday, July 19, 2007 12:51 PM)

Forget the freeways & highways.  Speeders in rural, residential and commercial areas cause many accidents.  I've seen too may "macho" types of both genders speeding way over the limit on streets that are posted at 25 or 30 mph. Anyone who's had a car drive through their front yard, or worse, can attest to their folly.

Kate, Scranton, PA (Sent Thursday, July 19, 2007 12:52 PM)

"I speed.  I eat.  I smoke.  I change CD's in and out. I make funny faces at people. I don't talk on my cell phone, but I do text page.  Funny thing...I'm alive and well.  So is my car.  So is everyone else who drives with me every single darn day in both rush hours.  Amazing." -Larrisa, Cincinnati Ohio

Count you're blessings. It's unfortunate that you do all this while driving and I hope nothing ever happens to you. But the fact is that speeding and inconsiderate driving is dangerous. My mother and I were hit by a speeder who drove through a stop sign when I was 4. I escaped with minor injuries and my mother with a couple of broken bones. We're lucky to be alive but that was a scary and traumatic moment. I can't remember what I had for breakfast a few days ago but that accident will always be vivid in my mind. Please drive carefully and avoid speeding. It's not only your life you're putting at risk.

NGH, Los Angeles, CA (Sent Thursday, July 19, 2007 1:06 PM)

"Some people enjoy accelerating fast. I am not talking about speeding, but getting to the speed limit quickly. If this was illegal, they wouldn't make street legal cars that go 0-60 in 3.2 seconds."

This falls under "careless driving".  The fines (and insurance hit) is greater than a simple speeding ticket.  Careless driving is a mandatory court appearance in my state.

Really? (Sent Thursday, July 19, 2007 1:15 PM)

My daughter and I have long commented in the same way, like in the Austin Power movie coughing "compensating" when we see this phenomenon.  It's great there is a gesture for it now.  We use it frequently.  Most women are so not impressed by big trucks, big wheels, peeling off the line, etc.  Poor guys ...  they think they are so cool.

AC, Gilroy, CA (Sent Thursday, July 19, 2007 1:33 PM)



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