Miasmatic Review

Relevant speed.

Og of Neanderpundit is regaling us with tales of drivers on his way to work. More specifically about the “Blue Hairs” as he calls them, and the idiots that drive fancy cars that believe it gives them a right to hot rod through traffic. His little tale reminded me of an ongoing annoyance I’ve had for the last couple of months.

As some of you may remember, I tend to have a lead foot. Typically I drive about 10 mph over the posted limit. I’m generally not the fastest car on the road, but I’m definitely not the slowest. I don’t care if people pass me and I don’t mind passing people. Although I do hate it when they whip around me just to slow down. Especially if they are making a turn and come to an almost complete stop. But that is not what I want to talk about.

There is a stretch of road that I travel down every day to work. It’s only about four miles long, but in that stretch the speed limit goes from 30 to 35 to 40 to 45 miles per hour. When I start out on it I’m doing 40 miles an hour and just about everyone is passing me like I’m standing still. Every time the speed limit increases by 5 MPH, so do I. Again I’m generally being passed rather easily. Finally, when I get to the stretch of road that is 45 MPH, I’m doing 55 MPH. However, now all these cars that have been passing me are now being passed by me.

Can anyone explain this to me? I mean I’m still doing 10 over the speed limit. Speeding tickets in the state of Illinois increase in severity based on how fast over the speed limit you are going, not on how fast in total you are going. Thus doing 40 in a 30 has the same fine as 55 in a 45. However, doing 50 in a 30 has a larger fine then 55 in a 45. Why the hell do all these morons not accelerate past 50? I don’t know, but I get annoyed when they start boxing me in and I want to go.