The problem on 81 is trucks, I reckon there’s not much you can do about it. Some trucks go the speed limit or over, some go 5-10 miles under. Some slow down and speed up going up and down grades, some don’t. I know some companies have computers that track the speed on their trucks so drivers go the speed they want them to, for insurance purposes I guess. One truck going slightly faster than another truck takes a long time to pass, especially on even gentle up hill grades. Also many passenger vehicles just stay in passing lane because of the slower moving trucks, which causes its own problems. I would love to know if the volume of truck traffic on 81 is more or less for a 4 lane highway on average. That said, the idiots are almost always in passenger vehicles, not trucks.
Freegards
What causes unsafe conditions is vehicles driving DIFFERENT speeds. As long as everyone is driving about the same speed, traffic flows smoothly and safely. It really doesn’t matter what the speed is, so long as everybody goes about that speed. Speed limits should be set to get the maximum level of compliance and uniformity in speed.
It frustrates me to no end that Illinois specifically sets different speed limits for cars and trucks. Could there be a better formula for an unsafe roadway? Stupid.
>>Some slow down and speed up going up and down grades, some don’t.<<
If one truck is hauling a load of light bulbs he won’t vary much but if the other truck is hauling a full load of heavy product then his speed will vary. Not everyone is a successful owner operator with a large horsepower engine in the truck.