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Hawaii Driving Pet Peeves

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  • #46
    Re: Hawaii Driving Pet Peeves

    Okay...after just having come back from driving in LA. I can appreciate the notion of faster and normal speed in one sentence outside of posted speed limits. In Hawaii the speed limits on freeways is typically 55-mph with exceptions on the H3 at 60-mph. With city traffic going anywhere from 25 to 40-mph, going 55 on a 40 can be done at some with some prudence to safety.

    In LA on the 605 however where posted speed limits is 65-mph and traffic routinely going speeds in excess of 75-mph is normal, even at speeds of 80-85 can be prudently safe considering typical speeds of 70-75 mph.

    Put that into the equation where a driver is putting along at 65-mph I can see a clear example of a dangerous situation when average speeds are in the upper 70's.

    In Honolulu however the difference between highway driving at 55-mph and city driving at 40-mph isn't dramatic as opposed to LA driving at 85-mph on the freeways and 40-mph in the city limits. So somone going 55 in Honolulu wouldn't normally see someone flying in from the back at 85-mph. More like 65-mph where a speeding person can negotiate a lane change within enough time to safely avoid a rear end collision.

    I can see how such a statuate must be needed for California freeway traffic where speeds routinely exceed 70-mph. Here in Hawaii 70-mph is considered wayyyyyy to fast due to freeway construction design and prevailing weather conditions. Most people could not drive safely here in Hawaii on the freeways in excess of that speed continously simply because of the strange places our designers decided to put onramps and such.

    But because of the number of onramps and offramps in Honolulu's urban core there is no way one can safely drive 70-plus miles per hour and negotiate lane changes in most areas of the H1 or H2 freeway arteries without slamming into other cars moving around in those respective lanes.

    To drive with the flow of traffic in excess of the speed limits is asking for trouble. Anyone here in Hawaii can tell you that the last car in that group of speeders will be the one tagged, regardless of the flow of traffic.

    From first hand however, if I ever drive again in LA, you do in fact drive within the flow of the traffic. There drivers tailgate at any speed (the 2-second rule doesn't apply in LA on the free). In Hawaii we tend to be more laid back in our driving and even moreso here on the Big Island).

    It is safe to assume for me that Los Angeles automobiles go thru brakes more often than Honolulu drivers simply because of very fast and close driving conditions. You go from very fast (speeds in excess of 75-mph) to 40-mph when traffic backs up in a very short timespan.

    My brother who is almost a lifelong LA resident seems stop and go traffic is when traffic drops down to 30-mph. I tell him at least he's moving. Here in Hawaii, we literally stop for a couple of seconds before moving along at a snails pace of less than 25-mph in a 55-mph section of the freeway for miles and miles! When he's used to driving in excess of 75-mph, I can see how 40-mph in that same area can be viewed as stop and go.

    On the other hand, it was nice to be able to drive 80-mph with a cop (CHP) behind you telling you to speed up or get out of the way. Now that was a highlight of my trip to Los Angeles.

    Bottom line, it's where you live that will dictate how fast "Prudent" is in relation to the driving culture of that region of the United States.
    Life is what you make of it...so please read the instructions carefully.

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    • #47
      Re: Hawaii Driving Pet Peeves

      Thanks for the observation, Craig.

      One of the things that I like to tell people when the topic of driving in Hawaii comes up is the fact that Hawaii is THE melting pot of every part of America and many of the Asian countries. The military alone will provide samples from the urban Los Angeleno to the rural Oklahoma tractor boy. If you get 50 states' worth of drivers, and not to mention Chamorros, Japanese, Philippinos, etc., the driver's culture will clash too.

      Either way, their idea of "safe" may be unsafe to the other driver, and v.v. But the common root cause to a lot of the traffic problems does lie with Hawaii's transportation infrastructure, and how poorly it's been designed and engineered. (FAIL)

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      • #48
        Re: Hawaii Driving Pet Peeves

        Originally posted by bjd392 View Post
        The courtesy factor works both ways. Usually body language between a pedestrian and a driver making EYE CONTACT will notion who's giving who the right to pass. That's when the flow works. Pedestrians should be smart enough to also cross when another one is in the process of crossing (making this pause more efficient).
        Thank you. You phrased that exactly how I meant to and wasn't able to! I didn't mean pedestrians should be allowed to just run right out in the road, but when a driver gives you the eye contact and then goes anyway, you're left jumping back into safety, going . And having to stand there with sacks of groceries in the rain while being sprayed with the backsplash from cars makes me sad.

        Can't think of anything creative this time

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        • #49
          Re: Hawaii Driving Pet Peeves

          Originally posted by surlygirly View Post
          :. And having to stand there with sacks of groceries in the rain while being sprayed with the backsplash from cars makes me sad.
          That's where a bag of rotten tomatoes help.
          Life is what you make of it...so please read the instructions carefully.

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          • #50
            Re: Hawaii Driving Pet Peeves

            Originally posted by craigwatanabe View Post
            Bottom line, it's where you live that will dictate how fast "Prudent" is in relation to the driving culture of that region of the United States.
            :thumbsup:

            Back when I first started my roadtrip, I wanted my friend to drive most of the way up through and out of California because I was too afraid I wouldn't be going fast enough for everyone. Fortunately for her, I butched up.

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            • #51
              Re: Hawaii Driving Pet Peeves

              http://www.staradvertiser.com/s?acti...y&id=196255581

              Driver 8.

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              • #52
                Re: Hawaii Driving Pet Peeves

                One of the most common causes of these sort of crash scenes is the
                behavior known as tailgating.

                It is a basic fact of physics that two cars cannot occupy the same space at
                one time without causing problems..

                My response to tail sniffing tailgaiters is to pull over and let them threaten
                other drivers.

                Keep in mind that a car is a deadly weapon in the hands of a fool.
                Last edited by lensperson; March 21, 2013, 10:25 PM.

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                • #53
                  Re: Hawaii Driving Pet Peeves

                  http://www.khon2.com/2013/06/27/hpd-...ction-offense/

                  Ticket for intersect block.

                  Comment


                  • #54
                    Re: Hawaii Driving Pet Peeves

                    On a recent trip back from Kona to the South side on good old Hwy 11 we were being tailgated by a silver 4 door rental for a couple miles until this guy had enough of us and decided to pass us in a blind curve. One of many...
                    How do I know it was a rental? Because as this As**ole passed us in this curve doing 60 or better in a 35mph zone along with crossing the double line with oncoming traffic I could see the little white bar code stickers in the corner of the windows...
                    The sad part, his two kids in the back seat (about 8-10 years old) were completely oblivious while I could see his wife with her mouth wide open as he barley made it back into our lane before slamming into a pickup head on.
                    pet peeve? More like formidable!

                    I guess he heard the volcano was running low on lava and he better get there quick with his camera or else!
                    BODA

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                    • #55
                      Re: Hawaii Driving Pet Peeves

                      Besides bus drivers making sure they make the trip as slow as possible, why do so many car drivers stop at lights with a minimum average of 2 car lengths between them and the car in front? If you watch long enuf they almost always end up creeping up until it's within reason, so why so scared? I saw nearly an entire block filled with just 3 cars in every lane this morning, all refusing to drive sensibly, probably scared to death. Yet, if you pull in front of them they get quite mad
                      https://www.facebook.com/Bobby-Ingan...5875444640256/

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                      • #56
                        Re: Hawaii Driving Pet Peeves

                        Originally posted by Ron Whitfield View Post
                        Besides bus drivers making sure they make the trip as slow as possible, why do so many car drivers stop at lights with a minimum average of 2 car lengths between them and the car in front?
                        People don't want to be a "close talker" on the road and give other drivers their space.

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                        • #57
                          Re: Hawaii Driving Pet Peeves

                          ...Local people who throw crap like cigarettes out of there car while driving. I give new mainland transplants and tourists a pass just because. But I think we locals should be holding ourselves to a higher standard.

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                          • #58
                            Re: Hawaii Driving Pet Peeves

                            http://money.msn.com/car-buying/late...d-e8020a4a6e0d

                            They play by their own rules.

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                            • #59
                              Re: Hawaii Driving Pet Peeves

                              http://www.staradvertiser.com/news/b...l?id=221362441

                              Is this surprising news?

                              Comment


                              • #60
                                Re: Hawaii Driving Pet Peeves

                                No, not surprising at all. In fact, I quite suspected this was the case.
                                What can be asserted without proof can be dismissed without proof. – Christopher Hitchens

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