One thing drivers never seem to agree on: how fast we ought to be driving.
No matter the posted limit, motorists often zip along at the speed of their choosing and curl their lip at anyone going a different pace.
Reader Peggy Jones of Mather posed this question:
"A few of my friends and I were discussing your article regarding posted speed limits. Assuming the road conditions are optimum … , which is the safer driver?"
Driver A, who always tries to drive the speed limit, or Driver B, who tries to drive 10 miles under the speed limit?
To that, we would add another driver out there, Driver C, who drives 10 mph over the limit.
So, who is the safest driver?
The answer is … none of them, of course.
We checked with a private driving teacher we know and with a California Highway Patrol officer, and came up with a fourth type of driver who is safer than them all.
But first, let's explore why Driver A – Mr. Stay the Limit – isn't necessarily a safer driver than the more conservative Driver B or the more aggressive Driver C.
Driver B (Mr. Slo-Go) is definitely not a safe driver in most normal circumstances, our experts say.
That's because he creeps along in his own world, believing he's a good driver, but fails to acknowledge his part in disrupting the flow of traffic.
"A rolling speed bump," driving instructor Glen Munson calls him.
He causes other drivers to hit the brakes, change lanes, and speed around him.
As for the aggressive driver, he runs the risk of getting a speeding ticket at any moment. But he may be considered a safer driver at times than Mr. Slo-Go.
If he's doing 75 on the freeway in the fast lanes, and traffic ahead and behind him is going the same speed, he's probably driving the safest speed for the conditions, even though the posted limit is 65 miles per hour.
CHP officers are quick to say they don't endorse people going 75. But, they also warn people who insist on going 65 mph to stay out of the fast lane on many freeways – for safety's sake, not to mention to avoid road rage.
That brings us to the fourth type of driver, the safest of them all.
Call him Mr. Flexible.
He knows the true speed law is: Never drive faster than is safe for current conditions.
Our experts say that may mean at times going faster than the posted limit, such as hitting the gas to move out of a big-rig's blind spot.
Often, however, with congestion or poor weather, it means going more slowly than the posted limit.
It's not, our experts say, about what you think you can handle; it's about reading the traffic around you and working in unison with other drivers.
"The ideal driver is a person who … is observant of traffic conditions and adjusts speed accordingly," CHP spokesman Mike Bradley says.
Team players, not lone rangers, are safer drivers.
Call The Bee's Tony Bizjak, (916) 321-1059.
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