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this post was submitted on 18 Sep 2023
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Fuck Cars
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One of the problems is that a lot of cars have trouble driving at that speed. It's really difficult to get them to remain at a constant speed under 25 mph or so, which can end up being extremely frustrating for the driver and encourages them to go faster than the speed limit. I realize this is a car design problem, but it's still a problem at present until that is fixed.
Is this a European car thing or a driver skill issue? As an American I’ve never had a problem maintaining slow speeds in any vehicle I’ve driven - manual or automatic.
Edit: I am starting to realize that some drivers are startlingly dependent on cruise control to maintain a target speed.
100% skill issue. @FlyingSquid was self-reporting his incompetence.
I’m so confused by the number of people in these comments who apparently can’t maintain speed without cruise control.
This is almost certainly not a European thing. A lot of people here still drive manually and just idling in 1st gear gives you a steady 7-10km/h... or "walking speed" as used in really dense and mostly pedestrian areas cars are still allowed to use. Idling in 3rd gear is around 30km/h (~19mph).
As an American, I sure have. Including my current Prius which doesn't drive consistently between about 5 and 25 mph. And that was true of my previous Honda Civic as well.
Are these newer models or in poor condition or something? I’ve driven well maintained older Prius, Civic, and Accord vehicles without these issues and I LOVED how the Civic handled all around.
2006 Civic traded in for a 2016 Prius. Maybe you're better at handling a car than other people, but my subdivision is 20 mph the whole way through and I have never myself or been behind anyone who can drive that speed consistently. It's always plus or minus 5 mph, usually wavering between them. I don't think all of the dozens of drivers in this large subdivision are bad drivers.
Presumably it is a skill like all other aspects of driving, and people have little experience doing it.
That still sounds like a design problem if it requires skill to just drive consistently at 20 mph. Why should that require skill any more than driving consistently at 30 mph?
Dude. People manage to do it. If you can't, practice. If that doesn't help you, I don't know what the fuck to tell you except get off the road.
And lots of people don't manage to do it, so what's the point?
It requires skills to drive at any speed.
You actually think it requires skill to drive at 30 mph? Because I was able to do it pretty well the first time I ever stepped behind the wheel of a car.
Yes I do believe it takes skills to safely hurtle serveral thousand pounds of steel through a neighborhood. You must keep the vehicle between the lines, maintain adequate following distance, look for and follow signs and signals, and have a high reaction time for anything that may cause a potential collision like another car, cyclist, or pedestrian. There is a lot of hand-eye coordination, a knowledge base, and physical capabilities required to drive safely. Driving is a skill. It is something someone learns to do through experience like any other skill.
Yup it is a skill and one that studies show people tend to overestimate their abilities with. All the more reason to invest as a society in alternative transportation and heavily cut down on the overall number of drivers behind the wheel.
Now you are moving the goalposts. We are talking solely about driving at a consistent speed. That is something novices can do without a problem at 30 mph.
Driving at a consistent speed requires skills to do it safely. Unless you are exclussively driving under controlled conditions where nobody else has access to use the street, you need a base set of skills.
I can't believe you're actually saying driving 20 mph takes significant skills. That's ridiculous and if it's true, then 20 mph shouldn't be expected of anyone.
Most people don't do a great job of staying at exactly 30, but going up and down a few mph at 20 is way more noticeable than at 30.
I don’t see why it’s a big deal. The streets near me that are 20 mph are all residential streets with stop signs, driveways, and street parking. You’re almost never going a consistent speed for more than couple hundred feet anyway.
You don't have to drive at exaxtly 25, driving below is just fine
Can't enable cruise under 40kph (~26mph). It's a pain.
Why would to need cruise control under 40kph?
The very fact it is signed so low should be a signal to the driver that this is an area which requires an increase in attention paid to surroundings.
Because otherwise you’ll likely end up either speeding or constantly staring at the speedo…
Perhaps that is a driving habit that needs to change? 20mph is a maximum, not a minimum. If you drive with ±3mph variance, target 17.
You answered your own question. So I can concentrate on my surroundings rather then having to try to precisely control the speed of a car that's not in TCC lockup.
You don't have to precisely control the speed, just keep it between 0-20mph. Your speed should be dynamic based on what is coming up anyways. Are you just turning on cruise control from the intersection and leaving it until you brake the next time?
I have never even considered using cruise control on anything other than a highway. Am I the one driving wrong?
No, you are not
You probably don't have the police that we do. They'll book you for quite a small overspeed.
I feel like they can't book you for underspeed?
No, it's just a different style. It's like 1 pedal driving with the brake pedal. It would work particularly well with an electric car where the first part of the brake pedal is regen braking.
Skill issue! I have no problem maintaining low speeds in my car lol. Honestly, for the safety of those around you, please take a driving course so you can safely practice driving at low speeds.
Idling in 3rd gear = ~19mph... driving manually has its benefits.
I envy your commitment to saving fuel. I would be on the gas in 2nd so I don't have to faff around changing down when I hit a hill or have to slow down for whatever reason.