[C8]

RACING TO THE RED LIGHT
…or…why are we still speeding?

I have rediscovered something recently- and its depressing: commuting. Having endured a forced march to the suburbs this summer for the glory of my wife’s Barbie dream house I now find I must spend 12 minutes in traffic each day (hey, it used to be one minute!)- thus my re-acquaintance with that most uncivil of America’s social theaters: the freeway.

But it is not the sheer terror and madness of going 65-75 mph in a collapsible box that amazes me so much as it is the complete lack of the effect of high gas prices on driving behavior. It is a well publicized fact that driving slower saves a considerable amount of gas- the public can hardly feign innocence of this. Studies show that driving at 55 mph versus 75 mph can save up to 23% of fuel depending on the vehicle.

http://www.mpgforspeed.com/

This is a considerable amount of money. In fact, the effect of speeding can be figured the opposite way; how much more does a gallon costs due to flooring it. Using our previous figure of 23% that notches a $4 gallon of gas up to $5.21! The high price has also not affected our other wasteful habit- jackrabbit fast starts and fast stops. To top it off, politicians are actually raising speed limits. We are a whole nation racing to the red light.

All this has me wondering what our priorities really are. If high oil prices really lead to economic downturn then we must not really care about discretionary spending, or jobs, that much- at least not enough to stop trying to get to work a whole 85 seconds faster each day. And whatever happened to hypermiling? During the first price shock of 2008, stories abounded of people who had perfected a gas chiseling driving style that boasted savings of up to 40% by methods such as gradual acceleration, drafting closely behind trucks, etc.

http://www.motherearthnews.com/green-tr ... iling.aspx

Today these stories are largely gone, no perky young girls telling America to “pump it up” and save on tighter tires. Why? Well, I have some theories:

1. Acclimation: humans are great at getting used to things- too great in fact. High priced gas has been around so long it has lost its novelty and so temporary money saving behaviors must fade also. But don’t we love to save money? This isn’t satisfying. Let’s try another theory.

2. Accommodation: we have decided to make driving sacrifices in other areas (smaller cars, fewer trips) so we give ourselves back the luxury of wasteful driving habits. I like this theory better- but why not save even more and drive slowly? This theory will not do: we must move on.

3. Class differences: the rich are getting richer, right? So maybe driving is relatively cheaper for them than 2008. I have to admit I see a lot of men in black monster pick-ups in the burbs going pretty fast and these people seem to be able to afford it (and for some reason, the trucks must be black). But MOST of us on the roads still can’t afford it. And its most of us that I still see driving crazy out there. No, there must be a better explanation.

4. Long commutes: too much time is spent going from work to home. People simply must go fast or they will lose out on their lives. America is big! The problem with this is that people seem to go pretty fast on short trips too, and they still engage in jackrabbit driving in traffic when the amount of time gained is miniscule. Plus, people seem to waste a lot of time doing other stupid things. Why each minute you spend reading Peak Oil.com is taking away from driving more slowly and economically (unless you are really smart and are reading this while driving). No, this will not do.

5. Social pressure: we speed because others do around us, its dangerous to go too slow- could cause accidents as faster vehicles have to go around us. I like this theory better, social norms are powerful. But there are a few problems: why is this the norm to begin with? Why doesn’t it change (other norms have changed- think women’s lib)? And most puzzling: why do we drive fast even when driving alone on the road?

6. Adrenaline addiction: we speed because this produces a fear rush of adrenaline (due to increased accident possibility) that has been shown to be addictive in gamblers, etc. Here I think we may have something- speeding is somewhat compulsive and it helps explain another reason….

7. We’re impatient and bored: Driving is boring, waiting is boring (for many), we are socialized to want everything now- get it over with, rush, rush. Tie 6 and 7 together and we have an impatient nation that desires energy independence!!!! (but not if it means coming to work five minutes later)

I am still a hypermiler. I love timing traffic lights, gliding into turns, using gravity to brake with- there is a beauty to it all. But it exasperates some around me who zoom around and, well, race to a red light. Most of all, I love not being stressed out about speed and accidents. But for 10 minutes each day I am on a freeway- and there are slowness limits that cannot be passed without increasing the odds of accidents due to vehicles getting around me- so I don't go too slow. Trapped like a bird in a tornado I burn through the world’s oil supply and my wallet at warp speeds. Why? The norm here, like many places, is to drive 10mph above the limit- whatever that is. So I am going slow just by doing the speed limit (which is too high).

And economists call man a rational animal.

Meanwhile, my legislature is raising the speed limit.

[Beery1]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'G')as is high priced, so why are we still speeding?

[AgentR11]

Gas being more expense than it used to be is not the same as gas being high priced. Even at $4 a gallon, its usage in typical vehicles isn't even the majority of cost/mile.

Gas was extremely cheap.
Gas is now just very cheap.

Get back to me when gas is $20/gal [US$2013].

[Pops]

But we are driving less.




And it looks structural




http://uspirg.org/reports/usp/new-direction

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'I')n fact, younger people are less likely to drive — or even to have driver’s licenses — than past generations for whom driving was a birthright and the open road a symbol of freedom. Research by Michael Sivak of the Transportation Research Institute at the University of Michigan found that young people are getting driver’s licenses in smaller numbers than previous generations.

Online life might have something to do with the change, he suggested. “A higher proportion of Internet users was associated with a lower licensure rate,” he wrote in a recent study. “This finding is consistent with the hypothesis that access to virtual contact reduces the need for actual contact among young people.”

[Beery1]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('AgentR11', 'G')as being more expense than it used to be is not the same as gas being high priced...

[Plantagenet]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Beery1', 'm')any folks making minimum wage are finding that today's gas prices make driving to work too expensive......

[KrellEnergySource]

People are still taking the newer toll roads around Dallas, too, probably because they allow higher speeds than the interstate highways in the area.

The reason boils down to "Why shouldn't I? I'm worth it." There are other things to cut besides things that make my life nicer. We'll skip buying the giant inflatable penguin this christmas...or saving for our kids' college educations. Or caring for our parents.

Why do we still use air conditioners with $400 electricity bills?
Why do we still patronize Starbucks and similar sites instead of using Folgers Crystals and tapwater?
Why do we take long daily hot water showers instead of Saturday night baths?
Why do newlyweds want 3000 square foot homes (As Seen On TV!)

Brian's Theorem of Human Nature: Comfort, once achieved, is rarely given up willingly.

Brian

[C8]

Speeding may be the ultimate in short term thinking. how many people have been in serious accidents or killed because they sped- even when they didn't have to go anywhere?

BTW- how do you post the little avatar next to your name?

[Keith_McClary]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('C8', 'B')TW- how do you post the little avatar next to your name?

[Keith_McClary]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('C8', 'B')ut it exasperates some around me who zoom around and, well, race to a red light.

[Keith_McClary]

This is 1 side of a 4-lane divided, limit 110 kph.

I admit I wastefully went 120 for no good reason. Even though my new Jevonsmobile's display was showing the higher consumption.

[John_A]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Beery1', '
')Because we're the dumbass species - Homo Bardus.

On the other hand, there are a few of us who don't own anything that burns gasoline, so some of us are at least not quite so stupid. I've never owned a car - I drive a bicycle. Hard to speed on a bicycle, although I have done it accidentally on occasion.

[John_A]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Plantagenet', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Beery1', 'm')any folks making minimum wage are finding that today's gas prices make driving to work too expensive......

[ralfy]

Oil saved may be used elsewhere, especially in other parts of the world where consumption is rising in order to meet basic needs.

[rockdoc123]

I should probably point out that speed is less important than weight and efficiency of the vehicle.
As an example I can get way better fuel economy from a Lotus Elise (which is famous for kicking the ass of some kind of high end Ferrari on the test course of Top Gear years ago) driving it at less than full out (say 140 km/hr) than I can from driving a Chevy people mover (van) at pedestrian rates.
It isn't the sports car enthusiasts you need to worry about, it is the soccer moms.

[Tanada]

I think maybe you missed a possible explanation. For many people the economy is scary, either they have lost a job, their spouse has lost a job or they fear they will lose their job. When they get behind the wheel of a moving vehicle instead of being at the whim of forces beyond their control suddenly they are in control of their own destiny. Drive fast, change lanes, blow a stop sign...it is all their decision and if they do it wrong they get the punishment of an accident or a ticket as a result. Even if the result is a negative one it comes about because of what they chose to do. They are in control, not the boss, not the economy, they themselves control their own destiny, as long as they are in the driver seat making the decisions.

[Lore]

Good point Tenada. The liberation of being able to go where you want to go is very addictive. The only difference between ourselves and our dogs while driving is that we keep our heads behind the windshield.

[ralfy]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('John_A', '
')
In the peak oil world, the Beery1 is like...a ROCK STAR!!

Unfortunately, with the trillions that appear to be left in the ground, yet to burn as it were, it might be awhile. But as long as I even need a few gallons a month, those who can use none, thereby directly removing themselves from the "funding of foreign jihadist supporters and the Albertan government" chain.

[C8]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Tanada', 'I') think maybe you missed a possible explanation. For many people the economy is scary, either they have lost a job, their spouse has lost a job or they fear they will lose their job. When they get behind the wheel of a moving vehicle instead of being at the whim of forces beyond their control suddenly they are in control of their own destiny. Drive fast, change lanes, blow a stop sign...it is all their decision and if they do it wrong they get the punishment of an accident or a ticket as a result. Even if the result is a negative one it comes about because of what they chose to do. They are in control, not the boss, not the economy, they themselves control their own destiny, as long as they are in the driver seat making the decisions.

[John_A]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('ralfy', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('John_A', '
')
In the peak oil world, the Beery1 is like...a ROCK STAR!!

Unfortunately, with the trillions that appear to be left in the ground, yet to burn as it were, it might be awhile. But as long as I even need a few gallons a month, those who can use none, thereby directly removing themselves from the "funding of foreign jihadist supporters and the Albertan government" chain.