Tips on How to Speed in the USA
(FUN to READ but DON'T DO THIS!)

If you're reading this, you probably have as little regard for speed limits on the open highway as I do. I've managed to speed on almost every highway I've ever been on, and I've never ever been cited for speeding (newsflash: this is no longer true! Check here for details.) It's not that I drive particularly slowly (average about 75mph in a red Jeep Cherokee), nor do I have any advanced technology (my old Nova didn't even come with a cigarette lighter!), it's just that I try to be careful. Here are some tips which, I believe, have allowed me to keep my insurance rates down and my velocity up:

General tips

• ALWAYS KEEP YOUR EYES OPEN. Stay alert! Use your mirrors! I've had some close calls on long trips, when I was tired and not as perceptive. Cops are sneaky, and will drive at night with their lights out, so be sure to look for shadows crossing other cars' head/taillights. Remember, night conditions are not optimal for speeding, since your visibility is significantly impaired!

• KNOW YOUR ADVERSARY. Keep an eye out for folded-in search lamps on the driver's side, large American cars (Crown Vics, Caprices) with fat tires/beefier suspensions. Look for extra high-mounted stop lights. Some states have State Troopers driving Mustangs and Corvettes, but these will usually have lightbars on top.

• KNOW YOUR TERRAIN. Look down the road and think where a cop with a radar/laser gun will lurk. They like to nab you if you're zooming over the top of a hill, because you can't see the cop until you crest the hill. Wide center dividers with nice grassy areas are also favorite cop haunts. Keep an eye out for tire tracks leading in and out of an area, especially if it's a road you use often. Learn where the cops like to lurk.
• FIND A "Rabbit" PATSY. There's usually some jerk on the road in a two-door coupe who has a deep-seated need to race everyone on the road. You can use these nimrods to your advantage. When you see one coming up fast behind you, accelerate a bit so that he has to work to get to you. Let him get side-by-side, you should be in the right lane. He's going to work up a little speed to pass you. Slow down a touch and let him shoot ahead. I swear, I've seen guys like this pulled over, while I just fly on past, smiling. (1 Mar 1996 note: Went to Danbury, CT last weekend via 684 Northbound from White Plains. Played this game with a green Grand Cherokee. Needless to say, the guy blew me off at 85 and kept on cruising. 6 minutes or so later, there he was on the side of the road with a state trooper. I don't think he noticed the road to that point had about 3 cruisers between White Plains and Golden Bridge, but I did. That's why my record's clean.)

• MAINTAIN SITUATIONAL AWARENESS. This is slightly different than STAY ALERT. You need to keep these tips in your mind all the time if you want to minimize your ticket risk all the time. Always know how fast you are going, how many people are ahead of you, how the road feels, how many cars have been pulled over, how many cops you've seen, etc. Don't speed when you're sipping coffee, talking on the phone, or bopping to music.

• CONCENTRATE. Cops catch and ticket lots of the unwary and distracted every day. In addition, I would recommend keeping an eye on how your car is situated in relation to oncoming and following traffic. Try and keep your car out of the line of sight of potential trouble in front and behind. This is best done from the right lane. However, be careful not to ride in the blind spot, because people are ALWAYS switching lanes. I also keep track of "vectors": what direction cars are moving at what speed, where and when gaps will open or close between cars, where and when will I be best placed to put the hammer down. Don't forget to watch for 'christmas lights' up ahead: if a whole bunch of folks are hitting the brakes, either they're stupid morons (There's a curve on the Hutch between exits 22 + 24 north where people just slow down for absolutely no reason), or there's enforcement.

• DRIVE QUICKLY, NOT RECKLESSLY. The reason we need to be so alert while speeding is because we realise that most speed limits are set artificially low, in order to raise local revenue. However, you should obey the proper safety rules of the road, as well as maintain highway etiquette. These include: wearing seat belts, not tailgating, staying out of the left lane except to pass, etc. Vindictiveness and ego-inflation do not belong on the road. Also, signaling lane changes is VERY important, since it will let others know what you're doing. Uncertainty necessarily keeps speeds down. I'm convinced if everybody followed simple right of way laws all the time, we could easily be averaging 10mph more on the highway.

• STEALTH PAYS. A red Porsche will obviously get more attention than a gray Nova. I used to make high speed runs between Buffalo and NYC back in college, driving a battleship grey '77 Chevy Nova. It was totally nondescript, a wonderful V8 speed machine. If you can, try to get a dark car. Black, Navy Blue, Hunting Green are all nice. Cops see brighter colors better, as do most humans. Bright red, white, blue, or green are not wise for speed. Ford's been selling Mustangs in neon yellow, which I would consider probably the most expensive color possible (in terms of police attention)! Also, 4 doors are better than 2. Think BMW 540i, Nissan Maxima, Taurus SHO, Volvo 850 turbowagon. Note: It's been rumored that laser detectors have a hard time working on dark and dirty cars. Cops aim for the license plates (ever wonder why all the states are turning their plates white? VISIBILITY. And like the human eye, the laser detector will sense reflective white best) , so be sure they have a nice layer of diffractive road salt. (13 Mar 1996 note: Keep your car clean! It'll help you see out of the windows, and it'll keep cops from knowing you're not a local..)

What to do when you've seen a cop

• SLOW DOWN! The cop will get mighty pissed if (s)he has to chase your perp ass down, so you might as well take it down to the limit. Get in the right lane. The cop might not be after you, but take it easy for a bit, just in case. Better safe than sorry, as they say.

• EVADE! If you can, try getting off at an exit. Try hiding behind some 18 wheelers. I've avoided police around Elmira, NY by getting off the road and pulling into a gas station. However, don't try to outrun them, that'll just get you into deeper trouble. What to do after you've been pulled over, Eventually, even the most conscientious drivers will get pulled over, for whatever reason. Here are some things to remember about your adversary:

• Have your license and registration ready when they approach your car. Preferably, you have them both together in your wallet or purse.

• They've pulled over lots of folks, and have heard all sorts of excuses. They're trained to detect and see through lies. Don't lie to the officer. If the officer asks you how fast you were going, try to be honest. Controversy!: I've been getting notes on this particular point. Some feel that telling the officer that you didn't know how fast you were going will at least indicate that you weren't intentionally breaking the law. However, considering my personal experience, honesty pays: I once told a trooper how fast I was going (passing somebody between 70-75, he clocked me at 73) and I got off. Another time I told the officer that I didn't know how fast I was going, and I got busted. It's really your decision, so do what you feel comfortable doing. This is probably the most hit-or-miss decision in the process, so you're just going to have to gauge it for yourself.

• Try to be polite, and definitely be respectful. Remember, these folks put their lives on the line each time they pull somebody over. They can't be sure if it's your registration or a concealed weapon you're leaning over to get. Whatever you might feel about the speed limit, just remember that the trooper's just doing his/her job. I managed to convince an officer to give me a "failure to obey sign" instead of "25 mph over the limit" ticket after having been pulled over (while passing somebody). Considering that I'm under 25, single, and male, I have more incentive than anyone to keep points off my license. So far, I've managed to keep it at two non-speeding points in the last 5 years. Also, we may not have long to worry about this: the Feds have stopped holding the states hostage with their highway budget strings! Let's hope that our elected officials have the guts to do their job and listen to the people!

OH! and don't forget! Speed Safely!

The Road to Safety

PLEASE READ THE FOLLOWING:
To rapidly go to any subject of interest on this page...CLICK ON what interests you and then on your BACK button to return back to this location.

On The Freeway Road

To make use of the advantages of freeway driving, you should know how to use a freeways properly. Learn to understand and recognize their unique features. This will help to decrease driving time, make fatigue less severe, and increase your margin of safety.

Freeways are now a way of life and are multi-lane divided highways with limited access from other roads. Because there are no stops or cross traffic, they permit you to travel long distances without stopping, as quickly and safely as possible.

Planning Your Trip

When planning a trip on a freeways, you should know in advance where you plan to go and what stops you will make on the way. Use a map to decide exactly where you must enter and exit the freeway because sometimes if you miss the exit…you are long gone for miles before you can safely turn around.

Check you gas gauge on your vehicle, gas stations are few and far between on a freeway. Get fuel if you do not have enough to reach your first stop. Make sure your car is in good mechanical condition. Check to see that the tires (including a spare in the trunk). Also remember to check the water, again…CHECK THE WATER and oil levels...again...CHECK THE OIL LEVEL.

Because there are so few service stations located directly on freeways, you may be in big trouble if your car breaks down or runs out of gas. Remember, running out of gas is not an emergency situation. If this happens, you may receive a ticket for parking on the freeway.

Entering The Freeway

Entry ramps are provided for getting onto state freeways. These are short, one-way traffic ramps that allow you to enter the freeway easily and safely.

Once you reach the end of the entry ramp you will come to a special acceleration lane. This lane will allow you to increase speed enough to match that of other traffic already on the freeway. Watch for an opening in the nearest traffic lane. When you spot one, merge smoothly into the lane of traffic. Remember to use your turn signal soon enough to allow other traffic to see where you are going so they may adjust accordingly…Drivers on the freeway should allow you room to merge, but DRIVE DEFENSIVELY… you are the one required to yield if they do not. Do not stop on the ramp or in the acceleration lane unless absolutely necessary.

When there is a YIELD sign posted on the entry ramp, and no acceleration lane, entering vehicles must yield to traffic already on the freeway. If necessary, you should stop rather than force your way into the traffic stream. The first thing you should learn to do when using a freeway is to observe the posted speed limits, keep pace with other traffic and stay alert. If you are driving at a speed slower than other traffic, stay in the lane nearest the right side of the roadway.

Cutting in and out of traffic lanes is a very dangerous practice. Choose the lane of traffic moving at the speed you prefer and stay in it. If you must change lanes to pass traffic or leave the freeway…DRIVE DEFENSIVELY… check your path carefully. Make sure it is clear of other traffic, then signal your intent. As always, signals should be made well in advance of making the actual move.

Interchanges

Interchanges are the points where the freeway you are on intersects with another. This design allows vehicles to cross, enter, or leave either highway without interfering with traffic on the other.

Tips for Merging Smoothly

If there are several cars waiting in line and you have not yet entered the ramp, you must do one of the following:

• Join the line and wait your turn.
• Keep going to the next entry ramp.
• Use another route to reach your destination.
Obey the green, amber and red lights on the ramp meter signal as you would any regular traffic signal. Passing through on a red light is not legal.

If there are no cars waiting at the signal, approach it slowly to avoid a sudden stop. If you are in a line of cars, sudden stops can be dangerous. Stay alert.

If you are waiting to enter behind a slow truck, give the slower vehicle additional space to allow him/her to safely merge with traffic.

Make good use of the acceleration lane. Traffic may still be jammed at or near the point where you must merge. To merge safely and without interrupting traffic flow try to get up to freeway speed before merging.

While waiting for the meter signal, watch for emergency vehicles that may have to use the entry ramp. Be prepared to move onto the side so they can pass by.

Most Common Types of Interchanges

Cloverleaf... Designed to allow vehicles to turn off or onto the freeway from four different directions without turning left or crossing other traffic. Uses connection roads with a loop.

Diamond... Designed to allow vehicles to enter or leave the freeway while flowing with traffic. Turns are made after leaving the freeway. Uses four connecting ramps, one for traffic leaving the freeway from each direction, and for traffic entering the freeway from each direction.

Folded Diamond... Also designed to allow traffic to enter or leave the freeway while flowing with traffic. Very similar to the diamond in design with all turns made after leaving the freeway

Motorist Information

Some freeways that go through urban areas have unusually heavy traffic. A number of methods are used to help regulate traffic flow and inform drivers of conditions that may be dangerous. These devices include:

• Ramp meter signals.
• Changeable message signs.
• Lane use control signals.
• Traffic grade signs.
• Traffic radio, television, and telephone.
• Internet
• High-Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lanes.
• Highway Helpers

Ramp Meter Signals

Ramp meter signals are used on many freeway entry ramps in some states. These signals help to reduce traffic jams and accidents. They also make merging onto the freeway much easier.

Ramp meter signals look like regular traffic signals. They are placed at a point which is about halfway through the entry ramp. Normally, these signals are used during peak traffic hours. These signals may control more than one lane of traffic on the ramp. You must obey the signal for the lane you are in. To make sure that the traffic detectors used to activate the signal can "see" you, pull up close to the signal device.Changeable message signs are used on certain freeways to:

• Warn drivers of traffic accidents, stalled vehicles, or other traffic problems
• Provide information on traffic flow conditions.
• Advise drivers that they need to slow down and leave the freeway, or avoid it altogether.

Lane use control signals are used on freeways to warn drivers of dangerous conditions in the lane they are using. They are also used to keep drivers out of lanes blocked by accidents, stalled vehicles, road work, or other problems.

Traffic grade signs are used in some areas to give information on traffic flow conditions on the next section of freeway.

Traffic radio, television, and telephone provides information on metro area driving conditions.

High Occupancy Vehicles

High-Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lanes allow vehicles with two or more people to use diamond and express lanes. The goal of HOV lanes is to use the current freeway system more efficiently and to provide a quicker, more reliable trip to those who carpool.

HOV lanes are generally one lane express..you can't pass, nor can you merge into the adjacent lanes until signs on the highway indicate where you can do so. Merge violations carry stiff traffic violation fine penalites so make sure you are prepared to play follow the leader before you use a HOV lane.


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