Another Accident on rt 4

[MMDad]

If people traveled "way too fast" there would be a lot more crashes than there are.

There are a lot of crashes in that area, and speed is related to many of them. When people are driving faster than their car or their skill level can handle, speed is a problem. When the road has multiple limited sight lines, speed is a problem.

 

[glhs837]

Well, when I am going 65, and I travel 4 a lot, people are blazing by me. I estimate 80mph. You don't have to crash to drive like an ass/hole.

Ah, the old visual estimation of speed, done from a moving car........ the accuracy of that method is a bit unreliable. Vry few people can accurately judge speed visually.

There are a lot of crashes in that area, and speed is related to many of them. When people are driving faster than their car or their skill level can handle, speed is a problem. When the road has multiple limited sight lines, speed is a problem.

Speed is related to all of them, since if there were no speed there would be no crash. If I'm going 60 and you pull out in front of me suddenly, speed was a factor. but not the cause. Me not stopping to get a cup of caffe was a factor too. The cause was you pulling out, or in this case, driving at me head on. This focus on speed and ignoring of the failure to yield problem is one reason you have so many crashes all along 4. As for that area, look here

https://www.google.com/maps/place/S...2!3m1!1s0x89b779b7c0a9d2e5:0xf73d9aecf203881c

Lots of little entrances, driveways and such. Want to bet that most of the crashes in that area are a result of people entering the roadway in an unsafe manner?

 

[Hank]

Ah, the old visual estimation of speed, done from a moving car........ the accuracy of that method is a bit unreliable. Vry few people can accurately judge speed visually.

I guess I am one of the chosen few.

 

[glhs837]

I guess I am one of the chosen few.

And you have verified your visual estimations with your handy dandy radar gun? Or do you routinely catch up to and pace the "lunatic" just too see how fast they were going?

 

[MMDad]

Lots of little entrances, driveways and such. Want to bet that most of the crashes in that area are a result of people entering the roadway in an unsafe manner?

And lots of limited sight lines, where if someone is expecting traffic to be moving at 60 it seems like there is room to safely enter. When you ramp that up to 75, it's very easy to out drive the sight lines. Sure, the person entering the road did so in an unsafe manner, but if people weren't going too fast the crash probably wouldn't have happened.

I would agree with your general premise that speed does not cause most accidents, but there are places where the road design makes speed a much more critical factor. That stretch of 4 is one of them. Since we know that SHA is never going to fix the problems, the only other way to make it safer is to stop the high speed drivers.

 

[Hank]

And you have verified your visual estimations with your handy dandy radar gun? Or do you routinely catch up to and pace the "lunatic" just too see how fast they were going?

How are you estimating the speed then, Genius? Your handy dandy stats?

 

[glhs837]

And lots of limited sight lines, where if someone is expecting traffic to be moving at 60 it seems like there is room to safely enter. When you ramp that up to 75, it's very easy to out drive the sight lines. Sure, the person entering the road did so in an unsafe manner, but if people weren't going too fast the crash probably wouldn't have happened.

I would agree with your general premise that speed does not cause most accidents, but there are places where the road design makes speed a much more critical factor. That stretch of 4 is one of them. Since we know that SHA is never going to fix the problems, the only other way to make it safer is to stop the high speed drivers.

Distance traveled at 75 vice 60 not all that large, in terms of sight lines, not to mention that the great majority of folks going that speed are going to be in the left lane. The difference in feet per second between 75mph and 60mph is 22 feet per second. and a second is a long time. Now, going 110mph, that''s the sort of speed you can expect people not to visually understand and get wrong, being as it's 161fps. You can stop all the speeders going 11-12 over you want, but until you address the people who think that pulling onto a highway with oncoming traffic is a thing to do with caution, this sort of thing will keep happening.

 

[glhs837]

How are you estimating the speed then, Genius? Your handy dandy stats?

I do pay close attention how many folks are pacing me, falling behind me, or passing me. My goal is to generally never be in a pack of cars. I try to keep myself between packs and so pay attention to what the packs are doing If there's an excessive fast individual, I sometimes will accelerate just long enough to see how fast they are going, then drop back. and I can tell you that my average of about 8-9mph over the limit is a couple mph shy of the average in the left lane, given how often I have to get over to let folks pass. I set my cruise at about 63-64, and while I'm usually passing the traffic on the right, it's not by a huge margin. And anyone doing 55 is causing is huge issue, as they will have people backed up behind them. I'll bet the SHA has a survey on file showing the 85th percentile, and thats it's not 55mph. But it's not 80 either, I'll bet

 

[glhs837]

http://tollroadsnews.com/news/maryland-md200icc-keeps-low-low-speed-limit

Good read.

 

[Hank]

I do pay close attention how many folks are pacing me, falling behind me, or passing me. My goal is to generally never be in a pack of cars. I try to keep myself between packs and so pay attention to what the packs are doing If there's an excessive fast individual, I sometimes will accelerate just long enough to see how fast they are going, then drop back. and I can tell you that my average of about 8-9mph over the limit is a couple mph shy of the average in the left lane, given how often I have to get over to let folks pass. I set my cruise at about 63-64, and while I'm usually passing the traffic on the right, it's not by a huge margin. And anyone doing 55 is causing is huge issue, as they will have people backed up behind them. I'll bet the SHA has a survey on file showing the 85th percentile, and thats it's not 55mph. But it's not 80 either, I'll bet

Well...unfortunately, it sounds like I don't have this Jedi power to estimate speed like you do. I travel Rt. 4 throughout the day and I will stand by my statement. If they aren't going 80 when they fly by, its damn close. Several times, I have had to accelerate to over 70 to get out of the left lane.

 

[glhs837]

No Jedi power, I dont claim to be able to judge another cars speed by just watching it, I judge exact numbers of individuals by pacing, or general by seeing who is overtaking staying the same of falling behind. Overtaking cars and those falling behind, I don't claim to judge those other than "faster or slower than 64". And the speed you need to achieve to get out of the lane has no bearing on their real speed, just speaks to your perception of how fast they are going.

 

[Hank]

No Jedi power, I dont claim to be able to judge another cars speed by just watching it, I judge exact numbers of individuals by pacing, or general by seeing who is overtaking staying the same of falling behind. Overtaking cars and those falling behind, I don't claim to judge those other than "faster or slower than 64". And the speed you need to achieve to get out of the lane has no bearing on their real speed, just speaks to your perception of how fast they are going.

Regardless the speed, folks drive reckless and inattentive down 4.... I witness it every day.

 

[Hank]

And worse on the back roads of Calvert.

 

[glhs837]

Regardless the speed, folks drive reckless and inattentive down 4.... I witness it every day.

I agree with both of those statements.

 

[Roman]

One does not have to be speeding to be involved in a fatal wreck. I do agree with you Hank, that route 4 is sometimes like the Indy 500. I rarely go above the limit, and if I do, it's rarely above 60. I stay in the right lane, and watch people blow right past me.

 

[Hank]

One does not have to be speeding to be involved in a fatal wreck. I do agree with you Hank, that route 4 is sometimes like the Indy 500. I rarely go above the limit, and if I do, it's rarely above 60. I stay in the right lane, and watch people blow right past me.

Same here. I'm in no hurry. You just end up sitting with the same clowns at the next light. Now, when someone tails me in the right lane, I will slow down 5mph and let them no that I am in no hurry.

 

[luvmygdaughters]

Wasn't this the high speed chase where the guy in the white car was driving in the wrong direction on Rt. 4, either north in the southbound lane or vice versa. He was trying to outrun the state police and the chase was actually called off by the police when the guy was headed in the wrong direction. Unfortunately, the driver of the Escape was an innocent victim.

 

[SoMDGirl42]

Same here. I'm in no hurry. You just end up sitting with the same clowns at the next light. Now, when someone tails me in the right lane, I will slow down 5mph and let them no that I am in no hurry.

You are going to let them NO you are in no hurry huh?

 

[garyt27]

Yes, I know that. I was commenting on Vinces sarcasm. However a control device ther could have prevented some in the past.

But this accident apparentley happened before that intersection going north, so a light there wouldn't have done squat for this accident

 

[RPMDAD]

Same here. I'm in no hurry. You just end up sitting with the same clowns at the next light. Now, when someone tails me in the right lane, I will slow down 5mph and let them no that I am in no hurry.

Same here Hank, i am not a big fan of nor do i brake check a car tailgating me, i just slow down 5mph, till they decide to go around me. PS, am normally in the right lane on rte. 4 and only get in the left for passing or if i am getting to make a left hand turn coming up shortly.