So going faster is safer?

[Tonik]

 

It seems like the conventional wisdom is that going a little faster than the rest of the traffic on the freeway is safer. Or maybe no one believes that and I am mistaken on that perception.

Why is that?  Not trolling.

If I am passing people I increase the chance that I will be passing someone and they will change lanes, where as if they are passing me they see me as they approach. I am not talking about going 50 in a 70, but say 70, or 67.

Now, being in the left lane on a busy freeway...I am all over that, gets you away from merging and exiting traffic...you got the left to escape.  But that is a lane choice issue, not a speed issue.

[TimTheAzn]

I will pass people until I get a break in traffic and then sit in that nice open area more often than not. If that "safe space" closes, I move on to somewhere where there are less cars. I just ride around until no cages are around me.

Edited May 5, 2016 by TimTheAzn

[Bad324]

I'm always in the left lane because 95% of the time I'm going passing speeds. I'm very aware of my surroundings because I'm not an idiot so if someone is behind me going faster I move the hell over

Edited May 5, 2016 by Bad324

[Tonik]

5 minutes ago, Bad324 said:

I'm always in the left lane because 95% of the time I'm going passing speeds. I'm very aware of my surroundings because I'm not an idiot so if someone is behind me going faster I move the hell over

I get that, and that is where I am. But are we safer....say in the turnpike where there isnt much merging traffic staying right...going slower so we dont get clipped while passing.

Guess I answered my own question. It depends. I actually do run right on the turnpike.

Edited May 5, 2016 by Tonik

[Ryan_c_F]

My general freeway safety rule is if I can control the time and speed of the pass, it's safest for me. If I let people overtake me from behind with regularity, I am relying on everyone who does so to do so safely... too many cooks spoil the pot, in my opinion. Best to maintain control of your own soup.

[Bad324]

32 minutes ago, Tonik said:

I get that, and that is where I am. But are we safer....say in the turnpike where there isnt much merging traffic staying right...going slower so we dont get clipped while passing.

Guess I answered my own question. It depends. I actually do run right on the turnpike.

in my opinion my driving and commuter riding skills far exceed those of your typical commuter. But my well being doesn't change whether I'm doing 60 or 90 if the other road going individuals lack of skills outweigh my skills.

Basically, you can do whatever you want to be safer but that doesn't necessarily mean one way or the other really is because there is an outside component you can't control

[motocat12]

If you're going faster and someone tries to move into your spot you can be in a new spot before they get there.

[Tonik]

IP nailed it, I knew someone would. You create space around you. And space creates time to react and avoid.

Predictable is also a big part of it as mentioned by our resident Idiot.

Ok, I was trolling a little, but in a good way.

[Gixxus Christ!]

If I'm going faster than everyone else then I really only have to worry about trouble coming from in front of me, right? And I just so happen to be much more likely to see trouble coming from in front of me because that is the direction in which I am looking. 

[Tpoppa]

I prefer to put a
ll jackasses on the road behind me.   The more distance the better.

[jschaf]

Faster is better. It's a lot easier to evaluate what the numbskulls are doing as you approach them from the rear than trying to evaluate using your mirrors.  While commuting I am mostly in the left side of the passing lane going 15 or 20 mph faster than the traffic in the next lane. If someone comes up behind me I get over or speed up to let them travel at their desired speed. If someone is clogging up traffic by being in the passing lane but not passing I filter between the passing lane & the next lane over. It's good to pretend you are invisible to other drivers.

[dustinsn3485]

1 hour ago, CrazySkullCrusher said:

If I'm going faster than everyone else then I really only have to worry about trouble coming from in front of me, right? And I just so happen to be much more likely to see trouble coming from in front of me because that is the direction in which I am looking. 

This has always been my thought as well. It's one less direction I need to have a complete focus of when riding.

 

There's no doubt I'm still checking behind me, but if I'm ahead of the trouble, I won't be involved and if there is trouble ahead I'm paying that much more attention and will avoid it.

[Tonik]

19 minutes ago, Idiot said:

thanks, but I think I prefer "village Idiot"

I was gonna go with that, but it seemed so cliche.

[Wolfman1]

Like others have stated I will roll in the speed lane until an opening with no asshats and I will cruise there.  I would rather be pulling in traffic and passing than worrying about asshats rolling up on me from the rear.

[Helmutt]

18 hours ago, jschaf said:

Faster is better. It's a lot easier to evaluate what the numbskulls are doing as you approach them from the rear than trying to evaluate using your mirrors.  While commuting I am mostly in the left side of the passing lane going 15 or 20 mph faster than the traffic in the next lane. If someone comes up behind me I get over or speed up to let them travel at their desired speed. If someone is clogging up traffic by being in the passing lane but not passing I filter between the passing lane & the next lane over. It's good to pretend you are invisible to other drivers.

 

4 hours ago, Wolfman1 said:

Like others have stated I will roll in the speed lane until an opening with no asshats and I will cruise there.  I would rather be pulling in traffic and passing than worrying about asshats rolling up on me from the rear.

These are my same habits.  10-20 over the rate of other traffic, ride in the left lane, with frequent mirror checks for any dumbshits closing in.   I'm always aware as possible of my surroundings on the roads.   I try to stay out of others' way, if not for safety's sake, then just out of courtesy.   If someone flys up on me, I'll move over or blast away from them until it's safe to merge out of their way.

[jschaf]

& I think I read somewhere that your general safety is directly proportional to tha square of your speed.

[B-Mac]

Drive Defensively by driving Offensively.

[Gixxus Christ!]

43 minutes ago, B-Mac said:

Drive Defensively by driving Offensively.

Best defense is a good offense.

[zx3vfr]

Ride aggressively, snap off mirrors of the numbskulls

[2talltim]

No matter if I'm on a bike or in a car I will keep with the fastest line of traffic or slightly faster and usually in the far left or right lanes. Why? Because if I feel like I'm in control of a situation I'm comfortable. I always run the far left or right lanes because it gives me an escape route on the shoulder usually, hate getting boxed in between car when I'm on the bike using the center lanes. And I prefer the far right lane on the bike even if I have to keep changing lanes to pass slower cars and trucks because there is a slimmer chance of getting nailed by The Fuzz. Other things I do on the freeway is I'll aggressively pass trucks, the less time beside them the better. If you have ever seen first hand I semi tire exploding at speed you will understand why. So i'll quickly zoom around them.

That's how I roll. Not saying it the best or the safest but it works for me and I always make good time on the freeway and (knock on wood) never had a ticket on the freeway either.

[Blitz]

This doesn't apply to the freeway...

But my most recent wreck where the dog walked out in front of me.....my speed was somewhere between 35 and 45 according to witnesses. I think the relatively low speed gave the dog the impression that I was a safe object to walk up to, so he did. Had I been going 70, I imagine he would have just watched me pass. I'd bet, in that specific instance, I would have been safer going much faster. Then again, I broke a collarbone at the low speed. Hate to think what it would have been like had I been going faster.

Edited May 7, 2016 by Blitz

[motocat12]

Most of my time on the freeways the middle lane has semi's, the fast lane has slow drivers passing the semi, and the slow lane is empty aside from the people using it as an actual passing lane.

[JackFlash]

I prefer to keep problems behind me, behind me, and at a rapidly

growing distance.  On the other hand, if noticeable problems are

ahead of me, a quick exit and 3 minute rest on the on ramp tends

to get them far enough ahead of me to make my ride enjoyable

again for a while.

 

.

[zx3vfr]

I either set the pace or follow the pace behind traffic. If I'm setting the pace and someone gets too close I take off and give some distance. 

Edited May 8, 2016 by zx3vfr

[Helmutt]

16 hours ago, motocat12 said:

Most of my time on the freeways the middle lane has semi's, the fast lane has slow drivers passing the semi, and the slow lane is empty aside from the people using it as an actual passing lane.

Exactly.  Or all three lanes have a semi roadblock, running parallel, slowing everyone down.  I hate following or getting stuck next to them too.  I've been known to berm past trucks.  Like Tim said, a recap blows apart at 125psi - if you're next to it or behind it, it's deadly for bikers.  I've seen the aftermath of one that dropped it's tie rod too.  It istantly hooked left and smeared 2 cars into the K-rail.  Unreal the amount of maintenance that a lot of owner/ops neglect.  We see some dumb shit come into the shop that driver's should have common sense enough to fix, but common sense hasn't been common in eons.