I just don't care anymore.
 

For past few tankfuls, I've been driving 50 mph on the freeway hugging the far right lane fog line. I just don't care what people think of my driving anymore. Nonetheless, I haven't been shot at once. (maybe 23x with a semi-automatic, but not once. KIDDING!)

Sure. Occasionally, I'll have an impatient yahoo follow closely behind me that will aggressively speed up to go around me but then immediately pulls back into the slow lane to exit the freeway. What kind of thinking is THAT?!

50 mph is an acquired taste. I got use to it pretty quickly.

According to the Cummins MPG Report that I posted a while back, poor aerodynamics doesn't becoming a penalty until above 55 mph. I suppose driving 50 mph offsets any 5 mph headwinds.

Does anyone else crawl, too?

Yeah, when i can! Where we live, though a lot of the roads are sort of two lane, they are fairly narrow, windy and the edges full of potholes. This means overtaking or being overtaken isn't simple, and you often have to pull over for oncoming traffic so as not to risk diving into an 8 inch deep crater at 40 mph.
This means i often have to drive at a pace that isnt inconveniencing the guys behind me - though i won't go faster than is safe or comfortable, i cant drive as slow as i'd like.
The other half of our route is a faster A road, but too busy for safe overtaking so you drive the same speed as everyone.
I also spend most of the time with the missus, who is quick to remark "why are we going so slow...?"!
To really maximise the potential of the Prius, i need to be able to drive at 25 mph for long stretches - this gets the most out of the battery.
I think you can get 3 or 4 miles pure EV at this speed on the straight, but barely a mile if zipping along at 50 mph.
I grew up being told 56 mph was the golden eco speed, so slavishly followed it.
A Scanguage showed 45-50 mph to be better (in that little diesel, anyway).
Slower is safer, less stressful and surely better for the car and your wallet. Sadly a lot of impatient and poor drivers don't agree!

Provided any traffic behind me has reasonable opportunities to pass, I usually putt around under the speed limit. If there are no opportunities to pass, I go the speed limit.

Seems I have a similar outlook to ben I too drive on faster A roads and a mix of small country lanes with poor edges and potholes with poor overtaking possibility
I use open road to drive at the speed I want to eg 50-55mpg and when "forced" by traffic to comply do so grudgingly lol I have to say I used to get annoyed at all the trucks doing 40mpg on A roads but since their speed limit was extended to 50mph its so much easier to sit at a comfortable 50 now without others feeling im the cause of the speed ;-)
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I guess if you're on the highway and there's space to pass then it's not a problem. 50 MPH is kind of acceptable, I'd probably cruise along if it were a rural road. Around here slow inconsiderate tourists cause many accidents by going too slow 35-45 MPH forcing those of us trying to get to work, or get home before our frozen goods defrost, to loose patience and overtake in dangerous places. I get tired of old people, you can see them in thier rear view mirrors, completely unaware of what's going on behind them, it's a whole new level of naivety. Bring on autonomous driving for the old folk!

Yeah. Other slow moving vehicles like big trucks and cars driven by the elderly give me the perfect cover to drive 50mph. "HEY! Don't get mad at me. It's the car in front that's holding us up!" ;)

For sure. The mental health well-being alone makes driving slower worth it.

I go about the speed limit depending on conditions :angel:

wondering if other people have inbuilt negative thoughts to particular cars ???
mine lately is definitely Nissan micra's and their drivers finding more and more of them recently who cant drive, wont indicate, drive too slow and total disregard for speed limits ..eg drive 40 in a 50/60limit then 45 in a 30 limit
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Nothing worse than a boy racer. Barely passed their test, driving too fast, trying to impress their passengers. Will drive so close behind you, should you have to slow or brake an accident is unavoidable. The only time i am tempted to stop and fight another driver is when i have some #$@& tailgating me a cars length behind at 50-60 mph.
Other incidents recently have been elderly drivers nearly driving into me as they failed to understand motorway interchanges - only my constant vigilance allowed me to avoid a collision last month.
Lots of arrogant people wont indicate - slowing the flow at roundabouts or junctions.
On the rural roads i use, you'll get selfish drivers using the full width of the road around blind corners - its people crossing the centre line that means you have to drive at a slower and safer pace.
Two impatient idiots doing that round a blind corner together. ..i've lost track orf the amount of head on crashes that would have occurred if i had taken the same road position as the oncoming vehicle.
Basically, if i didnt have a slower and observant driving style i would have crashed every car i've owned, and most likely been killed- can i just take this opportunity to thank my mpg ocd for contributing to my safety!

Sadly, 2 examples cropped up today. Leaving the village, a black Mondeo charging round a curve, OS tyres bang on the white line. Had I not been on the ball, smashed wing mirrors or much worse.
About 3 miles later, approaching a T junction with a mini roundabout and turning left, I was nearly taken out by a new fiesta. Coming from my left, they decided to ignore the roundabout and simply treat it as corner, which they cut on the wrong side of the centre....had I simply checked to my right and assumed my left right of way was clear, it would have been a head on crash.
They couldn't see me coming due to the corner- not at the speed they were doing, they needed to slow and be prepared to drive on the right side of the road....
I had luckily slowed to check both ways before turning.

Glad you said that, Ruth. Otherwise, the Houston PD would be emailing you a speeding ticket right now. ;)

WOW! Glad you drive alert, Ben. Fuelly wouldn't be the same without having you around. If you won't drive safe for yourself, at least do it for Fuelly.com.

Ha Ha ha! Thanks Doug. All it takes is an argument with a spouse or child, looking for a song or typing in the sat nav as a distraction, and any number of worthless imbeciles are ready to kill themselves and your family without a moments thought.
The roundabout speed wouldn't have been fatal, but I can think 2 motorway incidents and several back road near misses that had the potential to be fatal within the last year alone.
The main road I travel on had 2 very serious (possibly fatal, I ignore the news so as not to be bummed out about stuff) accidents recently, one involving the air ambulance.
I pass at least a half dozen roadside shines in the local area. Do you have those in America?
At the scene of a fatal crash, often a tree missing bark...will be wrapped around with flowers and photos for a long time after the event. Usually on an otherwise long safe stretch of road, except if people were overtaking recklessly....

Well, now that Pokemon Go is available in the UK, you will have one more thing to look out for... Other drivers playing Pokemon while driving.

I don't get it. What's the appeal of that game? Is it a game or what?

Yep. In America we even have shrines on the sidewalk, where someone has been shot, stabbed, or disemboweled on the way to Sunday school.

Ben... Ford Fiesta ??? wasnt me honest ;-)
Glad u keep your wits about ya


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It's a similar story here, tourists from more urban areas flock here in thier millions, used to driving on big open roads, they don't anticipate the dangers and hazards on rural roads. Some 90% of road fatalities happen on roads that aren't motorways, which says alot about how safe motorways are, but also how dangerous other roads are.