DOT promoting EcoDriving!
 

I'm not sure if this is general discussion or something else but I didn't see any information about it posted in the forum already and was SHOCKED when I just found it scrolling through the NYS DMV's site.

Anyway, here it is.

NYS DOT has a site dedicated to trying to show people the advantages of driving less aggressive and pushing a save money for you and the environment for everyone approach.

Here's a poster they seemingly put together with Delaware, NC and Maryland: link

And they even link to a larger US wide iniative with an interesting little CO2 savings calculator, EcoDriver Quiz and EcoDriver Game/Road Sim: ecodrivingusa.com

Maybe DOTs have been doing this for a while and no one will be as shocked as I was, but I wanted to publicly (or at least forumly) praise their efforts and see what the community thought and if anyone had other DMV or statewide initiatives to share.

I really hope it gets at least some average driver's attention, the points about tire pressure and gas cap and important and I always see under inflated tires on the road, I'd say it's more like 30-40% instead of the 25% they report. Along those lines I think it'd be important if they told them to check tire pressure at season change or at least like June and Dec since with colder temps you probably need more air.

Re: DOT promoting EcoDriving!
 

the only thing that will truly limit aggressive driving is to hit them in the wallet via citations. it's too easy to get a licence to begin with, but as a professional truck driver, i see many opportunities to "coach" for more responsible driving.

there's a city here locally that is adding emergency fees to citations in auto collisions. for some, a simple citation is a slap on the wrist, so heavier citations and fees would help.

Re: DOT promoting EcoDriving!
 

I agree 100%

I've had a CDL ever since I was a diesel mechanic, and honestly, I think even that was too easy to get. Licenses in this country should be more difficult to obtain and easier to lose.

Coach for more responsible driving? None of my friends will drive me anywhere anymore. :D

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I doubt people follow a campaign to save fuel but I have a good feeling they'd follow the speed limit if it were enforced more strictly like in the '80s with the "55 saves lives" campaign. Cops didn't let it slide back then, and it was just as much for cutting down fuel consumption as saving lives. The '70s gas rationing was enough to spark a lot of changes in the '80s. I'm wondering how much more oil we consume as a country with speed limits anywhere from 60 to 75 miles per hour compared to what we'd use if it was a federally mandated 55 mph limit. Any ideas?

Re: DOT promoting EcoDriving!
 

I'd just like to see traffic laws (ALL of them) enforced strictly and speed limits raised (and forget 55, on the freeway that's ridiculous here in the crowded northeast, let alone in the long lonely highways in other regions). If the laws aren't right, strict enforcement will get them removed quickly...and if they are right then they need to be enforced. I hate the presumption that everyone has to break the law all the time and the widespread acceptance thereof. I hate the tailgating and bullying. I hate the way all the sheep put themselves in a position to be hassled by the law even further than their traffic violation; the police have an excuse to pull over and search almost every car that goes by.

Yet, for some reason, people who are not afraid of speeding tickets (that cost hundreds of dollars in fines and thousands of dollars in insurance rate increases), aggressive driving tickets, and tailgating tickets...these people are so scared of a cheap, harmless illegal pass ticket that they will never try. Well, that is, unless there's a legal passing zone nearby; then they will pass anywhere but the passing zone. https://www.fuelly.com/attachments/fo...fe577eadb4.png

Re: DOT promoting EcoDriving!
 

I've never seen anyone wait for passing zones. I grew up in NYS and typically you only pass on the double yellow if its clear and there's a tractor or something, but I'm newly in CT and it's insane here. If I'm only going 5 OVER the limit and sightseeing I will surely end up with a line of 10 cars and they will eventually pass on the inside of a tight corner that I would call blind but I guess whatever, getting there as aggressively as possibly is obviously more important.

The other thing, not sure if anyone from CT wants to chime in, but I've only been here 3 weeks and I've seen 10 people run red lights. And I don't mean sped up to sail through, I mean they fully stopped at the red light and then proceeded through the intersection, half the time they're turning left across a busy road that has the greens in their direction. I've never seen anything like it, people sailing through I've seen tons but never have I seen the stopping, looking and running thing. Its to the point I wonder if its some law in CT that you can proceed cautiously through or something.

As for the traffic laws I fully agree, usually its the wife fussing at me for only going 5-10 over the limit, afraid I'll get 'killed' by the people behind me. I mean it'd be 'great', I guess, if the speed limit was 75 or 85 or the 95mph these people go, but its not and I know for a fact that if I followed them I would be the one getting the ticket, its just the way it always is for me. I wish the limit actually meant something just so I wouldn't feel obligated to move out of the way of these people. I also love when you're going 10 over and slowly passing people and then someone has to go to the far right lane to speed around at 90+.

I'm not sure I agree so much about the lower speed for MPG purposes, I mean I can see why its necessary here, but I've traveled at a sustained 100MPH average for 2 hours in Germany with AC blasting and STILL got 40MPG in the loaded BMW turbo diesel station wagon I was driving. Its such a wake up call that you can only shake your head. My German landlord asked what I drove in the US and didn't understand what I meant by a pick-up truck, she thought I was a delivery driver I think, I just could not explain it well enough and I didn't see one pick-up there in 3 months. They also could not believe that it used 15 litres per 100km, for reference the BMW got 6.0l/100km which is about 40mpg.

On a side note I like their motorcycle licensing system better too; (pretty much the same as asia and Australia as well) of graduated licenses starting at only 250cc class and then 500cc, etc as you learn and retest for a bigger bike. They did not believe that 16-18y/os drive 1000cc super sport bikes around here all the time, but were correct that they often have serious injuries or death pretty quickly.

I have definitely been in MA before, about 10 years ago, and although people go WAY too fast there, I've seen a single cop pull over 4 or 5 people. If they're all going 90+ and go over a hill together and he's on the other side he just points at them and they get over and wait in line for their ticket. I've never seen anything like it. I'd compare it to some kind of lottery game or something but I'm guessing these people just don't care about their tickets. Oops you got me, I'm not paying it anyway, I probably don't even have a license. I've known many people that have been driving for years (one was driving for 5 years) with a revoked license. And they keep getting speeding tickets and other violations but rarely get caught for no license, crazy! I doubt the cops even bother now though and I certainly wouldn't expect people to stop.

Re: DOT promoting EcoDriving!
 

The red light thing may be local to that area of CT. I drive in northeastern CT all the time and haven't seen that very often.

Re: DOT promoting EcoDriving!
 

I don't know about the Northeast, but here in Virginia there are certain intersections where a left on red is legal. (From a 1 way, to a 1 way)

Re: DOT promoting EcoDriving!
 

Come to Arkansas saw. Life, and traffic, move a lot slower down here. It's nice, too. ;)

Re: DOT promoting EcoDriving!
 

A BMW 5 series passed me today, totally IN the passing zone. I was amazed. Then it slowed down and matched my speed. I guess the driver didn't want to have to look at my ugly car.

Re: DOT promoting EcoDriving!
 

I was shopping around for insurance today, and I was realizing that I am paying approximately as much per year as a divorced guy with only one vehicle on my policy right now, and none of my kids old enough to drive, as the TOTAL amount that I have cost insurance companies in car accidents..... I pay 295 per year (South Dakota's insurance rates are notoriously high), and I have had one accident where my insurance company paid out 320. I did have another accident, but I wasn't at fault for it, it was a person trying to cross from one parking lot to another across a main street that T-boned me, that one cost me about 3 years of physical therapy and back surgery.

Now, in my opinion, if a person isn't smart enough to know that is illegal, or thinks it is OK to do idiotic things like that while piloting 4500 lbs of death, they have no business being on the road.

Anyways, just random thoughts.... I have been paying for years and years now, just to pay for bad drivers. If I didn't keep the insurance, I would be at fault for any accident I am involved in, regardless of how at fault the other driver is, and if I get pulled over without insurance, that would ruin my perfect driving record, meaning I would be paying even more for insurance.

What a scam. It's no wonder so many people in this country hate bankers.

Re: DOT promoting EcoDriving!
 

I assume that "South Dakota's insurance rates are notoriously high" was sarcasm. I've never heard of rates that low.

Re: DOT promoting EcoDriving!
 

Cow-
Do you have a Cat on your car, I can't remember. Otherwise, the bimmer might have just wanted to not smell your car!

$300 a year for basic liability on two vehicles (93' and 89") as a single guy of mid 20's is what I pay. No at fault accidents but a couple of speeding tickets and several not at fault accidents. I'm running above state minimum with a 100/300/50 plan. I pay twice a year. ($150 each time) It used to be 4 times that when I started driving in high school for just one car.

Passing in a no passing zone is "not recommended" in Maine. The lines are just recommendations, not the law. However, if you have to drive like a nutcase to get back into your lane, they can ticket you for "reckless driving." About the same I guess.
B

Re: DOT promoting EcoDriving!
 

I do have the cat and, amazingly, it still works...my exhaust doesn't stink.

I wonder if I moved to Maine or South Dakota would my rate be closer to $300/year...that would be huge, by my standards that's basically free and I'd no longer worry about insurance when considering buying a car (and I'd probably end up with a yard full of worthless cars that are insured).

Re: DOT promoting EcoDriving!
 

No, that is liability only at the 50,000/100,000/50,000 level. For my explorer it doesn't make sense to carry full coverage since it is basically a beater. I haven't gotten around to replacing any of my other vehicles yet that were destroyed by the flooding, so really, I am only insuring one vehicle and driver right now.

South Dakota has some of the highest rates in the country honestly.... I am a single guy, with no accidents for the past 8 years, and one ticket in the past 10. Since I have started driving, I have been involved in three car accidents, and I was found at fault for only one, after a girl changed lanes to get in front of me, then slammed on her brakes because the car ahead of me was slowing down. That one was 10 years ago.... If I were still in North Dakota, I would be paying about $50 less every 6 months. Some states, I would be paying under $100 for 6 months given my driving history and this level of coverage. My average cost if I were to take full coverage with a $250 deductible on this vehicle though.... around $350 for 6 months.

https://blogs.cars.com/kickingtires/2...insurance.html

Here is 2010, though, you find some lists that are different from others. Rhode Island generally runs pretty high, as does South Dakota. Maine on the other hand.... is almost always the cheapest in the country. South Dakota suffers a little more because of this too, since the median wages here are lower. The basic cost of living is lower, but most things are not cheaper, so really in the end, one does have less money to spend. Either way, I am just disappointed that I pay almost as much a year as I have cost insurance companies in my life.

Re: DOT promoting EcoDriving!
 

I don't know where they got those state average rates, but I'd kill (figuratively) to get your rate for your coverage with your record...I suspect they're way wrong, or there's something skewing the average in SD. Be thankful.

Re: DOT promoting EcoDriving!
 

Yeah, I don't know what that's based on but either way that would mean you're getting a great deal, especially for your state.

I have lived in NY and CT with your same record (no accidents at all for 11 years) and even at state minimums I could not get below $500/year on my primary driver. Now occasional or pleasure vehicles with low miles/year and plus multicar discount allows for 3 cars with reasonable coverage around $800-1000/year, but I cannot get your rate on my primary.

It seems most people I know, regardless or age and record, pay between $50-80/month around here, so I always felt I was doing pretty ok, but your rate is amazing.

Re: DOT promoting EcoDriving!
 

Weird, I haven't paid much more than this since I was under 25 and was still driving like a kid.... And back then, I moved around a lot too....

Those rates, I'm sure are based on drivers with full coverage. I suppose that the amount of farm vehicles that have to be insured commercially skew the rates higher, and I would assume this state doesn't have the best drivers in the country either. But honestly, I have paid less for insurance other places. When I moved to South Dakota, my insurance went up.

Either way, I am still paying for something that I wouldn't even need if other people weren't such crappy drivers and we didn't have laws requiring me to carry it.

Re: DOT promoting EcoDriving!
 

Oh of course, that's probably comprehensive and collision and all that. Those are the ones that would really feel it from accidents and probably cost premiums.

I've never had a car lien or required those so never buy those policies.

Re: DOT promoting EcoDriving!
 

DOT making suggestions w/out consequences is like telling these guys to be careful how they hit w/out using the fines to enforce the rules...https://video.google.com/videoplay?do...13000037702479

Re: DOT promoting EcoDriving!
 

Don't understand why everyone is soooo concerned about traffic behind them. If someone wants to pass, they either can or they can't; I couldn't care less what someone behind me thinks about my speed if they can pass and if they can't, I'll go the SPEED LIMIT but not 1 mph more to appease them.

Re: DOT promoting EcoDriving!
 

A few reasons that affect me...

1. Danger; I am at the mercy of the tailgater's attention span and ability to stop.

2. Love my car: Along with that danger, if someone wrecks my car I won't have it...insurance will never pay to fix it, they'll total it and I'll get a few hundred bucks despite it being a unique car with 100,000+ miles of life left in it. This concern doesn't affect other people as much, of course.

3. Personal space.
https://www.siyumhaseinfeld.com/images/chars/aaron1.jpg

Re: DOT promoting EcoDriving!
 

Not to mention, the hassle of waiting on the side of the road for the state police to show up, file accident reports, calling insurance adjusters, arranging time for the adjusters to inspect your vehicle, etc.

Even though the vehicle is old, you can still get a decent check from the insurance company for repairs. When my Buick was 14 years old, I was rear-ended. The insurance company was going to total the car and give me a check for $900, when I explained that the car had a new engine that was still under a 3 year, 50,000 mile warranty from Buick. After supplying them with receipts totaling over $3,000 that I had paid for maintenance & repairs over the previous year I received a check for $2,000 to repair my car.

Re: DOT promoting EcoDriving!
 

So you presume getting rear ended is an inevitable outcome? I've never been rear ended and I've been on the road a loooong time.

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I've been rear ended several times over the years, and side swiped once. Most often its waiting for traffic to clear to make a turn, and someone will hit me from behind.

Re: DOT promoting EcoDriving!
 

I have been rear-ended at least a dozen times. It hasn't happened in years, since my route changed with a new house and new job. I'm not sure I even know anyone who hasn't been rear-ended who has more than 20,000 miles of driving experience.

Anyway, I might be able to tolerate the risk if I didn't have the personal space issue, but I don't like people driving too closely any more than I like them standing too closely.

Re: DOT promoting EcoDriving!
 

theclencher lives in one of those states where the cattle out number the people and there are only 10 people per square mile. wait a second, i'm in envy!

Re: DOT promoting EcoDriving!
 

Perhaps you should drive through MN before saying that... can you say population explosion and sprawl?

Re: DOT promoting EcoDriving!
 

montana, minnesota...what's the dif? ;)

Re: DOT promoting EcoDriving!
 

forgot you guys have the world's largest debt creator, i mean mall.

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Higher sheep to lonely guy ratio in Montana:D

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Mn is nothing like Montana. Seriously.

Re: DOT promoting EcoDriving!
 

I know, I have lived on the eastern edge of North and South Dakota for the last 10 years.