ber (11/20/82)
#N:harpo:5700004:000:1263 harpo!ber Nov 20 11:09:00 1982 I'd have to argue that exceeding the speed limit on interstate highways is an 'accepted' breach of the law. State police in NJ set their radar units to alert them to violators driving 69 mph and over. When I lived in PA years ago they set it to 14 mph over the speed limit also. Driving at high speeds on interstates isn't excessive. The most important issue is courtesy. I drive to work down interstate 80. I generally travel during low volume periods. I drive as fast as the conditions permit. If there's traffic in my lane doing 55, then I do 55. If there is no traffic in the left or middle lanes, the road is clear, etc, I'll push it to the limit (which varies between my pickup and my roadster). I almost always pass on the left, this sometimes requires great patience as I wait for the driver plodding along in front of me to realize that he should pull over to the right lanes eventually, but I find NJ drivers suprisingly courteous in that regard if not a little slow about it. Anyway, 55 doesn't save lives, courtesy does. When you think about all the external variables relating to traffic saftey stats (number or drivers, highway modernization, type of autos, etc) you understand why I don't buy the 55 mph mentality. brian redman