Obeying the speed limit as a form of entertainment

created by popabawa

(idea) by popabawa (5.9 y) (print) ? 1 C! I like it! Thu Aug 24 2000 at 7:39:25

Being fined for speeding recently, I've been more than usually aware of the speed limit and sticking to that limit.

As a happy by-product I've discovered the joys of irritating other motorists by obeying the law.

It really is unbelieveable how annoyed and upset people can get at me, well, doing my civic duty. It seems to frustrate them further when I offer a cheery wave in condolance.

I guess it's a control thing, they don't like me making them go more slowly than the'd like.

But, hey, I'm really doing you a favour. You can thank me later.

(idea) by Nene (2.4 y) (print) ? 3 C!s I like it! Thu Oct 09 2003 at 18:45:23

As noders other than myself have also discovered, driving exactly at the speed limit can be a very entertaining thing to do. Let me tell you my story:

Near to where I live (Danderyd, Sweden), there's a pretty long and dull road that goes from, basically, where Danderyd ends to where another place called Sollentuna begins. In-between Danderyd and Sollentuna, there's a residential area, which the road in question runs along the border of. Previously, this road had a dark reputation for being the site of many traffic accidents, because people would cross the road without looking and get run over. As a result, the speed limit was lowered from 70 to 50 kph (from 45 to 30 in mph). However, this lowering was and still is to this day largely ignored by most people who drive on the road in question.

Now, it just so happens that my beloved grandmother lives on the opposite end of this road from me, and so I have to drive it every time I go visit her. As previously mentioned, the road is long and dull, being flanked by tall, ugly fences in order to reduce noise levels, and so, when driving it, I frequently look for other sources of entertainment (see the title of this node). As I mentioned, people like to drive above the speed limit on this road, and many are excessively pissed off when more law-abiding citizens get in their way.

So there I was, driving home from my grandmother's, on a cold and dark thursday night. Suddenly, a pair of headlights rapidly approaching in my rear view mirror drew my attention. Some guy and his wife (both 40 plus) were driving their shiny new Mitsubishi in the same direction I was going and apparently felt it was their God-given right to drive at twice the speed limit. Having previously coasted along at an ambitious 55 kph, I immediately slowed down to 50 (and my car's speedometer is a bit off, so it was probably more like 48). The Mitsubishi driver's response was to drive with his headlights about two metres from my exhaust pipe. One has to wonder if he honestly believed that would encourage me to speed up! 45 kph, and I could almost see the other driver's face turning red.

Now, this is obviously a very childish form of entertainment. I admit that. But hey, I was only following the law; There are reasons why we have speed limits, mainly because of people like the driver behind me who drove worse than my armpits smell after a weekend LAN party. But enough about my armpits. Since I felt I should milk the situation for all it's worth, I started up my trusty MP3 player with a nice bit of brainless happy hardcore techno*. I then proceeded by rocking my head and upper body in tune with the music. Wonderful, like a private disco in my 740. I can only imagine what the Mitsubishi driver and his wife were thinking when they saw it. Of course, even during my upper-body dancing act, I took every bit of care to maintain my perfectly lawful driving style.

Unfortunately, the song as well as the road soon ended, and me and the Mitsubishi couple parted ways. The last thing I saw was the lady in the passenger seat giving me the finger. Can't say I was surprised. I laughed and waved back at her, but somehow, I don't think she got the joke. Anyway, in conclusion, for a more enjoyable drive down a boring road, drive at the speed limit. You'll even do other people a favour by helping them resist the temptations of speed.

* DJ's at Work - Fly With Me (long distance mix).mp3

printable version
chaos

Asshole Race	Speed limits should be higher for motorcycles	Son, do you know how fast you were going?	The Lord is my shepherd; I shall drive like crap
Which way should you move your brush when doing Japanese calligraphy?	intelligent	speed limit	Happy Hardcore
How to get rid of a tailgater	DJ Slut	Imitating a DJ's turntable with your voice	Weird cop story
viscoplasticity	Roninspoon's Army drinking story #1	asshole	LAN party
Last Night A DJ Saved My Life	Sonata	MPH	Dexedrine
Nestoring	Raising the bar	crock pot	The Deeper Meaning Of Liff

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