Question: What are OKC drivers like compared to other cities?

[Plutonic Panda]

Sorry but I had two months of a real world experiment that combined city and highway driving, and the results were too similar to justify speeding.

I've just been driving for a 4 years and that is what I have noticed. I'm sticking to my point and that's that. If you have been in a two month experiment that studied that, that's fine and but my point still remains valid.

[ljbab728]

It happens just as much as these people saying speeding 5-10 over only saves you one or two minutes. That is only based on going on set path with no obstructions and doesn't take into account any traffic lights. I posted a graphic awhile back that explained to differences in speeding.

And then there are the people who don't speed to save time. They just like to drive fast. Hmmm. Who could I be thinking about?

[David]

Here's something I occasionally see on Broadway Extension that just makes me go "huh": emergency vehicles of one sort or another on the right shoulder leading to people in the right lane going four lanes over to the far left to avoid them and then four lanes back once we're past. I admire the caution, but it seems a little excessive.

Doesn't happen too often, but I saw it twice this last week and it made me think of this thread.

[no1cub17]

So why do people slow down to 30 on on 235 N at the 235/44 junction? I get it there's a curve, but on a dry day without precipitation, there's no reason to slow down to less than the speed limit, yet people insist on slowing down to 30 IN THE LEFT LANE. I'm not talking about rush hour when that intersection is a cluster anyway, I'm talking about low traffic times. I'm sorry but this irritates the hell out of me, so you better believe I'm going to pass them on the right and then merge left again if I'm continuing on 77 north. Insane. That curve can easily be done at the speed limit. If it wasn't safe to do so, shouldn't ODOT have put up yellow signs indicating a lower speed limit? But they didn't.

[bluedogok]

So why do people slow down to 30 on on 235 N at the 235/44 junction? I get it there's a curve, but on a dry day without precipitation, there's no reason to slow down to less than the speed limit, yet people insist on slowing down to 30 IN THE LEFT LANE. I'm not talking about rush hour when that intersection is a cluster anyway, I'm talking about low traffic times. I'm sorry but this irritates the hell out of me, so you better believe I'm going to pass them on the right and then merge left again if I'm continuing on 77 north. Insane. That curve can easily be done at the speed limit. If it wasn't safe to do so, shouldn't ODOT have put up yellow signs indicating a lower speed limit? But they didn't.

Because many people seem to be scared by anything other than a straight road. The same thing happens in Austin on I-35 south of downtown around the slight bend to cross the river. It seems like some people just shouldn't be driving.

[TheTravellers]

Sorry but I had two months of a real world experiment that combined city and highway driving, and the results were too similar to justify speeding.

My experiment (not stopwatch timed, but wall-clock timed) has been going on longer than 2 months (for years, actually, if not decades) and I've gotten different results than you have, weird...

[catch22]

Well alrighty then. Mine was stopwatch timed, and I entered in every time.

What's funny is, I was actually hoping for a result that confirmed I was saving time. I got a totally different result than what I was hoping for. Which ultimately has made me a safer driver, use less fuel, endure much less stress, and have increased my punctuality.

Results may vary, I suppose.

[hoya]

So why do people slow down to 30 on on 235 N at the 235/44 junction? I get it there's a curve, but on a dry day without precipitation, there's no reason to slow down to less than the speed limit, yet people insist on slowing down to 30 IN THE LEFT LANE.

If terrorists only killed those people then they'd be a lot more popular. Derka derka derka baby.

[venture]

My experiment (not stopwatch timed, but wall-clock timed) has been going on longer than 2 months (for years, actually, if not decades) and I've gotten different results than you have, weird...

How many speeding tickets or accidents though?

[Plutonic Panda]

And then there are the people who don't speed to save time. They just like to drive fast. Hmmm. Who could I be thinking about?

Couldn't be me.....

[TheTravellers]

How many speeding tickets or accidents though?

No accidents and only a couple of tickets (both in OKC since 2009, never got a ticket in the 12 years I lived in Chicagoland or the 2 I lived in WA), but one was for not stopping at a stop sign (on whatever road it is that connects Wilshire to NW Expwy next to Hertz because I turned right into Hertz without coming to a full stop, which I did pretty much every day because there are almost no cars on that road and it's a right turn) and there happened to be a cop that came around the corner from the other way and saw me one time. The speeding ticket was for turning east on 122nd from May being behind someone that was literally going less than 4 MPH around the corner, so I put my foot down to get around him once we turned and a cop came over the hill right as I did it, was training his partner and wrote me a ticket, even though it was less than 10 over (yes, I know they can write a ticket for 1 over, but they usually don't bother unless it's more than 8-10 over, which I wasn't doing). Now I have a radar detector, so I hope no more tickets. I'm not counting the tickets I got when I was a teenager, most folks have a few from that time in their lives. ;-)

[TheTravellers]

Well alrighty then. Mine was stopwatch timed, and I entered in every time.

What's funny is, I was actually hoping for a result that confirmed I was saving time. I got a totally different result than what I was hoping for. Which ultimately has made me a safer driver, use less fuel, endure much less stress, and have increased my punctuality.

Results may vary, I suppose.

The largest factor, by far, for me has been traffic lights. I use the same routes to and from work (although now I work at a different place and my routes are kinda strange right now), and if I hit every light green, it could take me 15-17 minutes, but if I hit every light red, it could take 25-30. So I basically try to time my driving to get through the most green lights as possible since I usually know how fast I have to go to get through certain ones on certain routes, and sometimes it takes going a few MPH over to do that. If drivers are going 5-10 under and blocking anybody from passing them, then I can miss the next light, then the next, ... That's the main reason I do not like to be in the herd going 5-10 under. Other routes/streets are completely random, though, so nothing can help in those cases.

[catch22]

Of course if you have constant green lights your time will be different.

That's why in a statistical world (where I flourish) the averages are too similar.

If I still had my old spreadsheet is post it. There were days I made up 4-5 minutes of time. I didn't hit any lights due to happenstance, or an aggressive driving pattern. Other days I hit every one of them.

Over 45 trips, the average time for each driving profile was within the minute of the other.

Statistical average. The lower trip times were statistical anomalies. Even on the most conservative driving profile, there were day-to-day variances of minutes due to lights.

But on average, significant time savings were about 1/5 of the same trip, across driving profiles. For example, I found that for each driving profile; 1 out of every 5 trips had a significant time saving of the other 4 trips of the same profile. Traffic lights and uncontrollable circumstances such as traffic or environmental conditions.

[TheTravellers]

Makes sense, and I think we both are pretty close to agreement with each other. I think the difference is that if I see a chance to get ahead of the herd and try to make green lights or see way open lanes ahead on a highway, I will (but not by being crazy and weaving around them and being aggressive), but if I can't, I'll just deal until I do see my chance (if ever), which doesn't sound like your behavior.

[thebigtamale]

The speeding ticket was for turning east on 122nd from May being behind someone that was literally going less than 4 MPH around the corner, so I put my foot down to get around him once we turned

Man this kills me. Why can't people take turns at a decent speed?

[zachj7]

My biggest gripe coming from other states is that many here have no concept of merging. They will slow and sometimes stop right before entering the freeway on the end of the entrance. It boggles my mind at the logic in that. Also another gripe is that many here do not understand the concept of a passing lane. People call it the "fast lane" but really you pass then move over. Simple logical efficient driving. Mostly people just sit there driving slow. Lastly, I do not understand why there are left lane exits. In other cities, having a left lane exit is a last resort if there is no other way to have a right lane exit (usually too urban or not enough room to make right lane exit). Here there are tons of left lane exits when there really shouldn't be which means less efficient driving, more traffic. Overall, OKC drivers are okay.

[venture]

My biggest gripe coming from other states is that many here have no concept of merging. They will slow and sometimes stop right before entering the freeway on the end of the entrance. It boggles my mind at the logic in that. Also another gripe is that many here do not understand the concept of a passing lane. People call it the "fast lane" but really you pass then move over. Simple logical efficient driving. Mostly people just sit there driving slow. Lastly, I do not understand why there are left lane exits. In other cities, having a left lane exit is a last resort if there is no other way to have a right lane exit (usually too urban or not enough room to make right lane exit). Here there are tons of left lane exits when there really shouldn't be which means less efficient driving, more traffic. Overall, OKC drivers are okay.

Merging is always a big one. People don't prepare or look ahead of where they will be in 5 or 10 seconds time, they focus too much on now. If you drive ahead a bit you can time things out so you can merge. Granted there are times where traffic is just bad and you can't merge in and may have to stop.

[Anonymous.]

My biggest gripe coming from other states is that many here have no concept of merging. They will slow and sometimes stop right before entering the freeway on the end of the entrance. It boggles my mind at the logic in that. Also another gripe is that many here do not understand the concept of a passing lane. People call it the "fast lane" but really you pass then move over. Simple logical efficient driving. Mostly people just sit there driving slow. Lastly, I do not understand why there are left lane exits. In other cities, having a left lane exit is a last resort if there is no other way to have a right lane exit (usually too urban or not enough room to make right lane exit). Here there are tons of left lane exits when there really shouldn't be which means less efficient driving, more traffic. Overall, OKC drivers are okay.

Left lane exits are cheaper to build... No bridge needed.

[Plutonic Panda]

Left lane exits are cheaper to build... No bridge needed.

cheap cheap cheap... that is what Oklahoma is built on it seems.

[TheTravellers]

Forgot a couple of other things I've seen mainly in OKC:

Garbage bags (sometimes *black*) for windows. And as a corollary - missing bumpers, parts, headlights, etc. Just a lot of beat-up cars, seems like a lot more than I've seen in other cities that I've lived in (and not just hail damage, that's understandable).

Creeping - stopping at a stoplight, leaving one car length between them and the car in front of them, then creeping up 6 inches at a time while waiting for it to turn green.

[Plutonic Panda]

Forgot a couple of other things I've seen mainly in OKC:

Garbage bags (sometimes *black*) for windows. And as a corollary - missing bumpers, parts, headlights, etc. Just a lot of beat-up cars, seems like a lot more than I've seen in other cities that I've lived in (and not just hail damage, that's understandable).

Yeah, I've noticed people here seem to lack self-pride and don't really spend much on their cars. That is slowly changing though.

Creeping - stopping at a stoplight, leaving one car length between them and the car in front of them, then creeping up 6 inches at a time while waiting for it to turn green.

don't even get me started on that

[windowphobe]

Yeah, I've noticed people here seem to lack self-pride and don't really spend much on their cars.

You won't have to go far to find a $500 car with a $1000 audio system.

[poe]

Overall, I've never had any real issues driving in and around Oklahoma City. Most of the drivers are fairly courteous, in my opinion. You'll see the occasional idiot that doesn't pay attention, but coming from the Texas Panhandle, Oklahoma City is a driver's dream. My fellow Texas Panhandle drivers are...ridiculous.

[Plutonic Panda]

You won't have to go far to find a $500 car with a $1000 audio system.

or $1,500 wheels. I can't tell you how many 2-3k trucks I see that have likely spent over 5k alone lifting the truck, putting on monster tires, and having big black rims

[Roger S]

Ok, have to add a new one as I've seen this happen twice in two days now.

Impatient idiot not happy with the people going 75 in the left lane so they cross three lanes of traffic and use the on ramp accelleration lane to pass on the right and then cut back across three lanes to get back in the left.

It's behavior like this that makes me want to go all kinds of William Foster on people.... Bonus points if you get the William Foster reference without Googling it.