How to Encourage Society to Drive at Safer Speeds and Save Gas

[ChewChewTrain]

How accurate are FCDs? Someone here mentioned they weren't accurate, I assume when the math was done after a fill up.

[Draigflag]

It varies, the one in my Honda insight was very accurate, within 1 MPG. The one in my GTi is less so, on average it reads 3.5 MPG higher than actual, but it's still a very useful tool. Of course the pump stations must have a degree of innacuracy too, it's hard to tell unless you take a measuring cylinder there and do some tests.

[14Corolla]

I do drive a little where the speed limit is 75 on the freeway. I do 65.
Although I try not to be a problem to other drivers. I am slower, in general.
I thought about putting a sticker on my car that says:
PLEASE FORGIVE MY SLOWNESS
I'M GETTING 40 MILES PER GALLON

People are often surprised and impressed that a Corolla is getting that kind of mileage. Again, yesterday I got 41.1 . Getting 41.(something) consistently during summer. And 65 on the freeway isn't all that slow.

How can we expect people to think, when as of 2014, 70M Americans were on Legal Mind Altering Drugs.

[Jcp385]

Originally Posted by ChewChewTrain

How accurate are FCDs? Someone here mentioned they weren't accurate, I assume when the math was done after a fill up.

They're really all over the map. I've never had enough time with the wife's van to verify its accuracy, and that's the only car we've had with such a readout.

I have been running an UltraGauge for years now, and before that a ScanGauge, so I've never really missed having such a display built in.

[SteveMak]

You know what proved to encourage people to save gas? High gas prices! When they were at their peak, so were sales of EV, Hybrids, and PHEVs. Ditto with more fuel-efficient vehicles. At least this is true in America and Canada. In the 1970s, the Energy Crisis (severely constrained fuel supply) was instrumental in getting people to save gas. During that era, folks readily accepted speed limit reductions to 55 MPH, and America shifted from buying the traditionally huge gas-guzzling American cars to smaller, more fuel-efficient foreign brands.

Evidently, people can be persuaded to make certain decisions based on financial pressures. Go figure.

[R.I.D.E.]

Son in law drove us down on the beach just north of Corolla (outer banks of North Carolina) yesterday, in his Suburban with 7 people and two dogs on board, at 4 MPG.

I probably got 55 driving there from Williamsburg and back, even with some AC usage and going as fast as the rest of traffic. Included was a 10 mile crawl, where at times we were being outrun by a jogger, but altogether a good day at the beach. Even got to play some chess with the grandson.

[cuts_off_prius]

According to the Solomon curve (aka the crash risk curve), slower isn't necessarily safer in terms of crash risk in real world driving. In fact, crash data suggests it is more dangerous.

If you're looking at pure physics like force of impact, reaction and braking times, then yes slower is safer in a vacuum, as in no other cars around you.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solomon_curve


Keep in mind that the 'average speed' can often be ABOVE the posted speed limit, oftentimes MUCH above the posted speed limit on Interstates, because our Interstate limits are usually set for the sake of politics and revenue, not sound traffic engineering.

I had an idea before and I'm pretty sure it probably exists. Have your live MPG display on a LED screen on your rear window and more people would be aware of MPG. Would be tacky though

[Draigflag]

Yep, driving faster isn't necessarily less safe. The fatality rates on Autobahns are almost half that on US highways, and half of them have no speed limits, you'll regularly see people in performance cars doing 150-200 MPH on them. Most roads only allow overtaking on one side, unlike the US where you can overtake in any lane, which means twice as many blind spots, twice as many safety checks before manoeuvring, and twice as many chances to collide with another vehicle really. Alot of the accidents here are caused by slow drivers forcing those of whom want to make good time or enjoy driving to lose patients and overtake.

[Jcp385]

Originally Posted by Draigflag

Yep, driving faster isn't necessarily less safe. The fatality rates on Autobahns are almost half that on US highways, and half of them have no speed limits, you'll regularly see people in performance cars doing 150-200 MPH on them. Most roads only allow overtaking on one side, unlike the US where you can overtake in any lane, which means twice as many blind spots, twice as many safety checks before manoeuvring, and twice as many chances to collide with another vehicle really. Alot of the accidents here are caused by slow drivers forcing those of whom want to make good time or enjoy driving to lose patients and overtake.

A lot of that will also point towards driver training. Moving to Texas, riding motorcycles, and driving trucks have all given me eye-opening views to the faults of John Q. Driver here.

In a way it's good, as I'm much less likely to resort to road rage or aggressive driving. On the other hand, I regularly see right-of-way violations, lane discipline violations, and a general free-for-all.

[R.I.D.E.]

I remember reading about a German driver on the autobahn that was camera ticketed for following to close. The fine, based on ability to pay, was $35,000 US. Also understand you are not likely to see an ancient poorly maintained, pile of junk going down the German roads anywhere and I have seen some unbelievable examples of cars that were such deathtraps, I refused to even pull them out on the 25mph road next to my shop.

If they incorporated the same stringent regulations here, the liberals would go berserk claiming prejudice against the poor.

2/3rds of my $75 per year motorcycle insurance premium, is for uninsured motorists. I guess they throw the idiot who runs over me and leaves the scene into that category. A long time ago a friends brother was run over, riding a Kawasaki 900. The cops followed the pieces of him and the bike to the lady's driveway. She told them she did not even know she had slaughtered a human being.