Do you speed?

[Nelson Bradford]

Check today’s devotional from Our Daily Bread

http://odb.org/

I, also, do not speed. Which bugs a lot of drivers but I do not exceed the posted speed limit signs which gives me a great liberty and freedom.

In the event you’ve not checked the above link, the first paragraph reads:

Long ago my wife decided that driving within the speed limit gives her a wonderful sense of freedom. She tells me, “I don’t ever need a radar detector. And I never have to slow down when I see a state patrol car or worry about paying a fine for speeding.” Even on long trips when the miles seem to grind slowly along, she sets the cruise control at the posted speed limit and enjoys the journey. “Besides,” she reminds me, “it is the law.”
~~~~

BTW, I receive these devotionals every morning via E-mail, in addition to Reflecting God., http://reflectinggod.com/ - featuring, this week, Scott Cundiff.

Yippee!! 8-)
-neb

[Peggy Gray]

No, I don't. People roll their eyes at me, but I'm not accountable to them anyway. I don't putter along at 30 mph, but I drive the speed limit as conditions allow. Someday I'll surely not be paying attention, and get stopped for going 35 in a 30 or something, but I've so far not had a ticket in nearly 40 years of driving.

I'm mortified by fellow believers who tee-hee as they brag about how fast they drive. Mortified.

[Hans Deventer]

Well, I try to avoid it but it doesn't give me any freedom at all. In fact, it makes me look more often at the speed indicator than at the road, which I don't think is a safe thing. I don't have a cruise control so it's all manual (or "feetual") here.
The worst I've ever seen was on the island of Crete in Greece. It looked like after each half a mile there was another speed limit, often barely visible, and many times, for the life of me, I would not have known what the limit was where I was driving.

[Nelson Bradford]

I also agree with you, Peggy, where you stated: I'm mortified by fellow believers who tee-hee as they brag about how fast they drive. Mortified.

So they saved 10 mins in a normally one-hour drive. So what?

-neb

[Cecil Wallace]

I try to stay within the speed limits at all times. I might stray over by a mile or two on rare occasions, but normally, while on the highway, I use the cruise control.
My last speeding ticket was in May, 1968, so I guess that I'm obeying the speed limits OK.

[Dana Grant]

Well, I don't speed on purpose.......I generally stay within 5 miles of the speed limit. I don't have a problem when I'm on the interstate because I set the cruise and stay right at the speed limit. However, in town when it's 40 or 45 MPH, sometimes I'll look down and see that I'm at 50 or more -- just going along with the traffic. But, no, as a general rule, I do not speed.

Why are we up at this ungodly hour, I'd like to know????

[Hans Deventer]

Why are we up at this ungodly hour, I'd like to know????

I could tell you but somehow I don't think the question was for me

[Dana Grant]

No, it's not ungodly where you are -- but it IS where I am!!!

I woke up at 2 a.m. to realize our daughter is not home yet......I know where she is, but I don't like having her on the road in the middle of the night. One of these days she will understand that, but right now she feels invincible, I suppose......She has a dear friend leaving for college out of state in 5 days, so the "gang" is spending as much time together as possible.

Being the "old" person that I am, I fail to see why they can't spend their DAYS together and sleep like normal people at night.......I'm out of touch, I suppose!!! ha ha ha

So, I'm going to work.

Dana

[Jim Chabot]

Confess [your] faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.

Ok, I'll admit it, I speed. I regularly make the 450 mile trip to my house in Maine and I do exceed the posted speed limit while on the highway. I generally go with the speed of those already on the road which usually places me at 80 for most of the trip. It saves about an hour on that trip, and the police generally do not issue tickets unless you are exceeding 80.

This doesn't make it right, the posted limit is 65, and I am breaking the law.

I am curious if those who do follow the posted limit are aware of the law that prohibits you from impeding traffic. It is also against the law to be in either of the passing lanes when faster traffic is present, one must yield to faster traffic even if they are speeding. Nowadays it seems that there are more drivers insisting on using the center lane to avoid interactions with ramp traffic in the right hand lane.

[David Pettigrew]

I drive four miles over the posted speed limit.

[Gary Creely]

I speed all the time, and on purpose.

However I almost never go more than 10 miles over the speed limit on purpose. This becomes a letter of the law versus a spirit of the law issue. In PA local police can not even issue you a ticket (or one that will stand in court) until you are 10 or more over. 10 miles over is pretty much the culture where I live.

Speeding or not speeding is a matter of safety, and there are a number of instances when doing the speed limit or just below would make you a safety hazard. One place I can think of is the Mass Pike, for some one to go the speed limit or less on that road they better use their flashers.

The reality is the culture of driving in and around northeast cities is rather different than the mid west. I drove limos for 6 years in Boston, and I always enjoyed getting a some mid westerners in the car and hear gasps and seat belts click as I sliced and diced through Boston rush hour traffic.

Since I have been in full time ministry I have made a conscious effort to drive at a reasonable rate of speed, and for me that is no more than 10 over. I hope you are not too mortified Nelson.

[Rich Schmidt]

The reality is the culture of driving in and around northeast cities is rather different than the mid west. I drove limos for 6 years in Boston, and I always enjoyed getting a some mid westerners in the car and hear gasps and seat belts click as I sliced and diced through Boston rush hour traffic.

Evidently those midwesterners never drove through Chicago.

I went through a period during my college years when I felt convicted about speeding, so I didn't speed. At all. Even though we would drive into Chicago regularly (I went to Olivet). There are sections of highway going into Chicago where the posted speed limit is 45 MPH... but most of the traffic is still going 70+. Let's just say that I stayed in the far-right lane... and the people in my car didn't feel especially safe!

Eventually I came to a perspective similar to the ones Jim & Gary have expressed (about creating a hazard, spirit of the law, etc), and now I speed regularly.

[Hal Paul]

It depends, on the highway, I tend to drive with the pace of traffic since it seems more dangerous to me to drive faster, or slower, than what everyone else is doing. I'm much more observant, and often drive slower than, the posted speed limit if I'm in a residential area, because there are too many kids who might run out in front of an oncoming car.

One thing I'm thankful for is that the Federally mandated 55 MPH limit is no longer in effect, 55 MPH is way to slow for driving trips through rural and Western states. I also think it produced a general contempt for posted speed limits among people of my generation who learned to drive under those unreasonable speed restrictions.

[Glenn Messer]

Depends on where I am driving. I have several law enforcement friends who work traffic details regularly. They look for things like erratic speeds (speed up then slow down), frequent lane changes, excessive speed (10+ miles per hour over the speed limit), tailgating, etc. In some locales, such as Boston, Atlanta (I hate having to drive through Atlanta), Houston, Dallas, Chicago, LA, if you are using the interstate system, it is more important to meld with the flow of traffic than it is to watch the posted speed limit. On 2 occasions I have watched wrecks develop as a result of someone driving well below the flow rate of existing traffic in high density, high speed traffic. In both cases someone ran up on the rear bumper of a slower moving vehicle, (probably running the posted speed) swerved to avoid them and hit passing vehicles in other lanes. In such cases it's not a matter of principle, but of lives.

In town and on non-interstate highways I generally run at or near the posted speed limit.

I was once running late to an event that I needed to be on time for. I was traveling on a divided 4 lane highway with little traffic (between Dumas and Amarillo, TX) and I passed a friend who was headed to the same event. I saw them later and they said to me, "You weren't driving the speed limit." I replied, "Yes, I was .... I was driving every bit of it .... and then some."

[Billy Cox]

Check today’s devotional from Our Daily Bread

http://odb.org/

I, also, do not speed. Which bugs a lot of drivers but I do not exceed the posted speed limit signs which gives me a great liberty and freedom.

In the event you’ve not checked the above link, the first paragraph reads:

Long ago my wife decided that driving within the speed limit gives her a wonderful sense of freedom. She tells me, “I don’t ever need a radar detector. And I never have to slow down when I see a state patrol car or worry about paying a fine for speeding.” Even on long trips when the miles seem to grind slowly along, she sets the cruise control at the posted speed limit and enjoys the journey. “Besides,” she reminds me, “it is the law.”
~~~~

BTW, I receive these devotionals every morning via E-mail, in addition to Reflecting God., http://reflectinggod.com/ - featuring, this week, Scott Cundiff.

Yippee!! 8-)
-neb

Count me as one of those who drives with the overall pace of traffic, although I aim to go no more than 10 miles over the limit. This means that at 75 mph in a 65, I regularly have to move to the right lane because someone behind me wants to go 80-90mph. I prefer that they be in front of me instead of behind me.

Safety is more important than obeying signs. Speed limits are the suggested maximum speed, but driving conditions might warrant a different speed...and most times it is dangerous to drive 64 when the flow is more like 70-75.

[Rich Schmidt]

This reminds me of a funny conversation we had while riding in a car with friends not long ago. He was telling us how people in their part of the country seem to get right on your bumper before passing you. His wife said she didn't notice it happening to her.

From the back seat I asked, "Well, it's not like you're driving 5 mph under the speed limit or anything, right?"

He answered, "I go 50."

"And the speed limit is...?"

"55."

At that point my wife and I had to just bite our tongues and try not to laugh while the conversation continued in a different direction. I'm not sure if he saw the connection or not...

[Billy Cox]

I went through a period during my college years when I felt convicted about speeding, so I didn't speed. At all.

...I went to Olivet

'Nuff said.

[Rich Schmidt]

'Nuff said.

Not enough for me to get the joke you're making.

It was actually something a chapel speaker said that got me thinking about it and led to that conviction. Just FYI.

[Susan Unger]

Speeding or not speeding is a matter of safety, and there are a number of instances when doing the speed limit or just below would make you a safety hazard. One place I can think of is the Mass Pike, for some one to go the speed limit or less on that road they better use their flashers.

The reality is the culture of driving in and around northeast cities is rather different than the mid west. I drove limos for 6 years in Boston, and I always enjoyed getting a some mid westerners in the car and hear gasps and seat belts click as I sliced and diced through Boston rush hour traffic.

I had a friend who's only ever lived in the midwest come visit me. I took her for a ride all over the countryside going the "ticket" limit. She's usually a funny person cracking jokes over everything. So, when she started making comments about how I was going to "kill" her, I thought it was another one of her funny moments. But after an hour of hairpin turns and rollercoaster type rides on the hills, she rolled down her window and yelled to passersby that "Susan's trying to KIIILLLLLLLLL MEEEEEEEEE" did I start to think "Maybe she's being serious?" Turns out she thought I was speeding horribly when all it was was that she had never been on our blessed Commonwealth roads. I was so used to driving them that I never saw as a problem until that moment.

But then there is my current street. The natural consequence of speeding on my street isn't really the tickets issued by police. It is the excellent chance that I'll hit a deer or two. They are everywhere on my street. So, I go very under the speed limit on my street.

Then there are the interstates....avoid them as much as I can. It is not even a speeding issue - it is a safety issue. Too many trucks and too many accidents.

[Paul DeBaufer]

No, I do not speed! Its just that the signs are all wrong! I know the speed limit better than the signs.

[Nelson Bradford]

for those of you who admittedly speed, on a regular basis, were you to get pulled over by a local/state/whatever officer of the law, I have one question.

What would your excuse be?

-neb

[Hans Deventer]

for those of you who admittedly speed, on a regular basis, were you to get pulled over by a local/state/whatever officer of the law, I have one question.

What would your excuse be?

We rarely get pulled over. It's usually through camera's and 6 weeks later, you get an envelop in the mail explaining what you did and where.

Pulled over only happens when you're driving way beyond the limit, and I never do that.

My excuses for minor violations is that sometimes you just watch the traffic rather than the speedometer, and you tend to go with the flow (which I always understood as being the best policy for safe driving anyway).

But again, we never get pulled over for these minor crimes.

[Diane Likens]

I set my cruise control at 2 - 3 MPH above the speed limit, pop a Christian music CD in the player, relax and drive. People around me can just speed on up to where the Trooper is handing out tickets if they want to. I prefer to NOT pay speeding fines or increased insurance premiums. But that's just me.

[Hal Paul]

for those of you who admittedly speed, on a regular basis, were you to get pulled over by a local/state/whatever officer of the law, I have one question.

What would your excuse be?

-neb

I think the last time I got pulled over was about 13 years ago on a rural road in South Carolina. I was way over the speed limit and told the officer exactly how fast I was going, he noted that I had Idaho tags on my truck and asked me where in Idaho I was from, and why I was in South Carolina. I told him I was in the Army stationed at Ft. Gordon and that I was from Nampa. He then told me he was also from Idaho, Bear Lake and asked if I knew where that was; I did. We talked about Idaho for a bit, he told me he had been int the Army and his last post was Ft. Jackson, he married a local girl and became a police officer in her home county. He let me go with a warning and told me to slow down.

[Peggy Gray]

A couple more thoughts.

I appreciate the necessity of going with the flow on a multi-lane highway, as opposed to causing an accident. A pastor friend of mine has shared how it disturbs him to be in a position of being "forced" to break the law. I get that. What I can't get my mind around is the concept of a Christian bragging, smirking, winking, about knowingly breaking the law when it's not necessary. "Har, har, har, you wouldn't want to ride with ME then." And we're proud of this?

I'm curious--why do we consider ourselves not to be breaking the law when we drive a couple of miles over the limit? Has the church merely bought into our culture's definition (or lack thereof) of "limit"? There's always a grace period? Everybody else does it? Law enforcement expects it? It doesn't apply to me?

[Larry Parsons]

In our area on I-75 the speed limit is 70 but the state police will allow you up to 15 mph of grace without stop you unless you are driving crazy or they are having a contest to see how many ticket they can give out in a day then you see them on both side of the highway . I remember years ago someone ask Why do all you W.Va Nazarene preacher drive so fast and one pastor said because we are always late. Around here if you go with the flow you will alway be going over the speed limit.
Thanks
Larry

[Paul DeBaufer]

for those of you who admittedly speed, on a regular basis, were you to get pulled over by a local/state/whatever officer of the law, I have one question.

What would your excuse be?

-neb

I wouldn't make an excuse. I would accept the ticket and thank the cop for ding his job.

[Gary Creely]

I'm curious--why do we consider ourselves not to be breaking the law when we drive a couple of miles over the limit? Has the church merely bought into our culture's definition (or lack thereof) of "limit"? There's always a grace period? Everybody else does it? Law enforcement expects it? It doesn't apply to me?

This is very much an exercise in majoring in the minors. Going 5-10 miles over the limit is not big deal, so bragging and winking about such a mundane action is silly. Going 20+ over is usually dangerous and to brag about that is foolhardy.

[Hal Paul]

I'm curious--why do we consider ourselves not to be breaking the law when we drive a couple of miles over the limit? Has the church merely bought into our culture's definition (or lack thereof) of "limit"? There's always a grace period? Everybody else does it? Law enforcement expects it? It doesn't apply to me?

I'm thankful for Grace, otherwise I'd be a slave to the Law.

[Billy Cox]

for those of you who admittedly speed, on a regular basis, were you to get pulled over by a local/state/whatever officer of the law, I have one question.

What would your excuse be?

-neb

I don't know that there is an excuse, although a coworker of mine told a cop that she was speeding to get to the nearest rest stop before she peed her pants. She is far better at lying than I am. Yes, she was lying.

When I *have* gotten pulled over it's because I was driving faster than even *my* limit. (never less than 15 over the posted limit)

[John Kennedy]

Do I speed?
Only when the car in front of me is going too slow.

I drive with the flow. On freeways, if conditions permit, I normally set the cruise on 70-75. I got a ticket a few years ago going to Laughlin on a stretch of highway that was the original Route 66. It's a road where I've often gone 50-60 miles, met one car, and overtaken none. Unfortunately there was a CHP sitting by the road.

I personally think a 55 mph limit there is nonsense, but, having no legal excuse, I offered none.

Most of the Nazarene preachers of my growing-up days drove like the proverbial 'bat outta ........'. Don't know whether it was a professional, denominational, or doctrinal thing.

[Dale Cozby]

I accept God's grace AND the police departments grace as well. I therefore follow the spirit of the law more than the letter of the law. If the posted speed limit is 60 then I will be most likely be driving within 5 mph of that speed on cruise control if possible. Common Grace around here is usually accepted as 10 mph unless it is a school zone, which make some sense to me.

I have only known of one person who has ever been issued a speeding ticket for under 5 mph over posted, and very few for under 10mph. Considering that the flow of traffic(when not jammed up) is culturally and customarily 10 mph over, that is about right.

I suppose that if that grace ever changes to zero tolerance then the custom and practice will follow.

PS My wife got pulled over for driving the posted speed limit once. The officer told her that it was actually a road construction area and the speed limit was reduced by 10MPH but that he was just trying to inform people and not write tickets...apparently the temporary speed reduction sign was not posted properly....

[Hans Deventer]

I have only known of one person who has ever been issued a speeding ticket for under 5 mph over posted, and very few for under 10mph. Considering that the flow of traffic(when not jammed up) is culturally and customarily 10 mph over, that is about right.

I think 99% of the tickets here are camera tickets, and the grace here is 4 km/h = 2.5 mph. That works as follows. For instance, speed limit is 100 km/h (= 62 mph). You drive 108 km/h (= 67 mph). They deduct 4 km and fine you for driving 104 km/h. Which I now know is 23 euros (= $ 30 ). Got one of these the other day because Edwin had borrowed my car and committed this crime. Lovely system.

[Danny Biddinger]

The first time in my life to travel 80MPH (on a dirt road) was with my Nazarene Pastor...(I was age 14 years old)

[John Kennedy]

Don't know whether any of the rest of you ever heard the apochryphal story that used to circulate about the well-known Naz DS and equally prominent Naz evangelist who were driving somewhere together through winding, curving road. The evangelist had his foot in the firewall and when the DS commented about it,the evangelist responded, "Don't worry. God's ridin' with us." The DS replied, "No, I think he got out on the last curve."

Having known both of them AND their driving habits, I always found the tale credible.

[Dale Cozby]

I think 99% of the tickets here are camera tickets, and the grace here is 4 km/h = 2.5 mph. That works as follows. For instance, speed limit is 100 km/h (= 62 mph). You drive 108 km/h (= 67 mph). They deduct 4 km and fine you for driving 104 km/h. Which I now know is 23 euros (= $ 30 ). Got one of these the other day because Edwin had borrowed my car and committed this crime. Lovely system.

Around town we have non-manned radar units that flash your speed as you pass it. They don't write any tickets off them, but just try to get you to slow down. The most common form of radar today seems to be laser units held up like a gun with a scope by the officer.

Right outside and behind my home is a seasonal speed trap. There is a school zone(20mph) but regularly 40mph on a long slow curve so you can't see where they are until you enter the curve but you hit the zone at about the same time, at the far end of the zone is a short wall(5.5ft) that turns into a tall wall(7.5ft). Perfect for a standing officer to hide behind so all you can see is his head at about 500ft but not his car or motorcycle. Even as they pull over cars they have them turn into the area behind the tall wall so the next group of cars can't see the trap full of policemen writing tickets.
kind of sad and funny to see 5-6 cars getting tickets at the same time and more getting pulled over at the same time. Since the kids that attend the school are known to me I can't really complain about the enforcement right? Since school zones are a zero tolerance area the only time it is really bad with speeders is right after school starts for the year but before everyone becomes aware it is school time again and slows down properly.

[Julie Reed]

I try not to speed. However, a couple years ago I was driving through Oak Ridge, TN at night and happened to have a camara catch me speeding which was hard to swallow, especially the price of the ticket!

I know someone else mentioned Atlanta being a hard place city to drive through. My husband and I will drive an extra hour or 2 so we do not have to got through the traffic there.

[Benjamin Burch]

I think we've had this conversation once BC.

I am 23 years old, I am a male, I have facial hair, both ears pierced, and tattoos down my left arm which hangs out the window. Needless to say I am the first guy getting pulled over.

If the speed limit is 65 and I'm doing 75 while some others are doing 80-85 I will be the one who gets issued a ticket.

By the time I was 19 I decided I couldn't afford any more tickets and I stopped speeding. I would only speed when on my 800 mile trip from Bourbonnais, Illinois to Manassas Park, Virginia. Even then I rarely did more than 15 over. I was issued a ticket for 10 over in Indiana and a ticket for 8 over in Ohio. Like I said... I am the guy getting ticket - every time.

I keep my vehicle within 5 miles per hour of the posted speed limit. Every now and then it will reach about 7 if I'm passing or not paying attention. I'm rarely the fastest guy on the road in San Diego and when I am it's only on stretches where, for some reason, everyone drives under the posted speed limit. I have not been concerned about getting a ticket while passing an officer for a few years. No speeding tickets for me now for 2 whole years and counting.

Just to illustrate the fact that I only speed when driving LONG drives (500 miles or more)...

In the last 6 years I've received 4 speeding tickets...

2 in Indiana and 2 in Ohio - both on my trip to college and back home.

I've received zero tickets in 6 years on routine driving.

[David Graham]

Mostly I try and keep to the speed limit, mainly because it is the safe thing to do. Sometimes, however, I wonder if the speed limit has been set too low since the road conditions appear to allow for a faster speed, but nonetheless, I still try and keep to the limit. I do thank God (and Ford) however, for cruise control, since on long trips I can set it to the prescribed limit (e.g. 100 or 110 KMPH) and just enjoy the ride without worrying about "hidden speed cameras" or the local "overenthusiastic Copper" hiding among the trees. Also out here the speeding fines are quite high. I haven't been caught speeding for many years now, but I believe that if you're under 20 KM's over the limit the fine is over $200, and if you are over 20 KM's over the limit the fine is $300 or more depending upon what your speed is.

We also have a point system here, where a driver is allocated 9 points on their open licence and can lose say 2 points for an offence of driving under 20 KM's over the limit. These points are reinstated after a year unless a person has lost their licence in which case the courts then decide if and when you get your licence back. Some people have lost all of their points on a single day just by exceeding the speed limit on a number of locations within a city where they have been caught by speed cameras.

On the other hand if you are driving too slowly on the open road, the police can book you for "creating a public nuisance"; you need to be driving 20KM under the limit for this to occur though.

[Hans Deventer]

I am 23 years old, I am a male, I have facial hair, both ears pierced, and tattoos down my left arm which hangs out the window. Needless to say I am the first guy getting pulled over.

Reminds me how Edwin, going to the California at 17 on his own, was completely screened by the customs both entering the USA and returning home. I guess he also fitted a profile.