Cities with the fastest drivers

[Plutonic Panda]

What city have you been to or heard of that has the fastest average driving speed? Doesn't have to be purely statistical, just maybe something you've noticed.

I'm guessing it's the biggest cities which leads me to a second question, what is the smallest city or town that has had the fastest drivers you've seen?

[Max Rockatansky]

Phoenix since it doesn't seem to have the grid lock that a lot of other major cities have.  Even the busiest junction at I-10/AZ 51/AZ 202 doesn't really "stop" all that much but rather slows down.  I'm not saying they get the highest terminal speed but for what it's worth that was one city I lived in where I traveled above the speed limit more often than not.

[DevalDragon]

The fastest US city I have drive in was Los Angeles CA. I had a Saturn SL2 as a rental car, and that poor thing couldn't keep up - even in the right lane.

[slorydn1]

Greensboro-Burlington stretch on I-40/I-85

When all the wrecks are cleared, people do 85-90 mph in both directions, until they get up to the next wreck scene which slows them down to a crawl. They make Chicago drivers seem almost polite.

[Brandon]

Detroit.  The limit is 70 on most of the freeways, even within the city limits.  The MSP can be running radar on them, with the flow going past them at 85.  Why?  They're only looking for those doing 100 or better.

[LM117]

I can confirm the I-40/I-85 stretch that slorydn1 mentioned. I'll also add I-440 in Raleigh. The 60mph speed limit signs on I-440 made me cringe. If I'd done 60mph, I would've gotten flattened. Traffic was flowing about 75-90mph. I-540 was much better, since it was less congested.

[Rothman]

Detroit.  The limit is 70 on most of the freeways, even within the city limits.  The MSP can be running radar on them, with the flow going past them at 85.  Why?  They're only looking for those doing 100 or better.

Yeah, Detroit's a good one, from my experience there as well.

[Max Rockatansky]

Detroit.  The limit is 70 on most of the freeways, even within the city limits.  The MSP can be running radar on them, with the flow going past them at 85.  Why?  They're only looking for those doing 100 or better.

Yeah, Detroit's a good one, from my experience there as well.

It was sure easier to get around last year, amazing what a huge population drop will do to traffic problems.  Downtown was actually being almost completely repaved all at once which was surprising but then again it wasn't like there was a huge traffic flow even there.

[8.Lug]

I would most certainly vote for Detroit. My favorite is how people drive during the morning commute. One guy will be going 75 but if he's about to get passed by someone doing 85 - well that's not happening - and all of a sudden it's basically a street-race because 85 guy is damn sure passing 75 guy no matter how fast he speeds up. It's hilarious. It's pretty much like this in all of Michigan though.

[noelbotevera]

Greensboro-Burlington stretch on I-40/I-85

When all the wrecks are cleared, people do 85-90 mph in both directions, until they get up to the next wreck scene which slows them down to a crawl. They make Chicago drivers seem almost polite.

I actually remember those stretches of I-440 and I-40/I-85. You need a sports car if you want to keep up with the flow. It even makes Texas highways or crazy drivers seem like old people. I actually loved going fast on that stretch and I was amazed everyone else was going fast too.

Loved North Carolina.

[vdeane]

I would most certainly vote for Detroit. My favorite is how people drive during the morning commute. One guy will be going 75 but if he's about to get passed by someone doing 85 - well that's not happening - and all of a sudden it's basically a street-race because 85 guy is damn sure passing 75 guy no matter how fast he speeds up. It's hilarious. It's pretty much like this in all of Michigan though.

Sounds like the Thruway.  I once had to accelerate up to 85 (had been going 72) in order to pass a jerk who was originally going slightly slower than me but sped up when I tried to pass.  Took a mile for him to get the picture and resume his previous speed.  It's amazing how many people I pass who suddenly decide they want to go faster, almost always slowing down 10 miles down the road and forcing me to pass them again.  I'm sick of it.

[LM117]

I would most certainly vote for Detroit. My favorite is how people drive during the morning commute. One guy will be going 75 but if he's about to get passed by someone doing 85 - well that's not happening - and all of a sudden it's basically a street-race because 85 guy is damn sure passing 75 guy no matter how fast he speeds up. It's hilarious. It's pretty much like this in all of Michigan though.

As someone who grew up in North Carolina, this brings back memories. This used to piss me off to no end. Most of the people there HATE getting passed. I don't know what the big deal is about getting passed. It ain't NASCAR. I couldn't begin to tell you how many people passed me and I never lost sleep over it. Hell, I remember in high school back in 2005, one guy actually admitted that he deliberately sped up when someone tried to pass him and was laughing about it. How cute. Prick...

My most recent encounter of this behavior was a few months ago when I was heading south on US-29 heading towards Greensboro from Danville and a car was creeping in the right lane. I went to go around him and the S.O.B. sped up. I let him go ahead and got back in the right lane and I'll be damned if he didn't slow down again. Rinse and repeat. He finally got off at one of the Reidsville exits. I hope he knew how to read lips.

[DeaconG]

I would most certainly vote for Detroit. My favorite is how people drive during the morning commute. One guy will be going 75 but if he's about to get passed by someone doing 85 - well that's not happening - and all of a sudden it's basically a street-race because 85 guy is damn sure passing 75 guy no matter how fast he speeds up. It's hilarious. It's pretty much like this in all of Michigan though.

As someone who grew up in North Carolina, this brings back memories. This used to piss me off to no end. Most of the people there HATE getting passed. I don't know what the big deal is about getting passed. It ain't NASCAR. I couldn't begin to tell you how many people passed me and I never lost sleep over it. Hell, I remember in high school back in 2005, one guy actually admitted that he deliberately sped up when someone tried to pass him and was laughing about it. How cute. Prick...

My most recent encounter of this behavior was a few months ago when I was heading south on US-29 heading towards Greensboro from Danville and a car was creeping in the right lane. I went to go around him and the S.O.B. sped up. I let him go ahead and got back in the right lane and I'll be damned if he didn't slow down again. Rinse and repeat. He finally got off at one of the Reidsville exits. I hope he knew how to read lips.

Ah yes, I remember being on I-95 in Fayetteville in the late 90s heading to Florida from Philly and I passed a red Cavalier doing the speed limit, I was running ten over and leisurely passed him on the left, then switched back to the right lane.  The first time he passed me I didn't think anything of it until he slowed down in front of me, the second time he passed me I realized I was being played with, and the third time he made the attempt I put my foot in the firewall and let my T-Bird SC have it's way, laughing at him in my rear view mirror as I pulled away in triple digits and he's desperately trying to catch up. And that was the end of that.

[RobbieL2415]

The NYS Thruway mainline from Albany to Buffalo usually averages 75-85mph with 65mph posted limit.

[7/8]

In my area, the 407 has the fastest speeds. The speed limit is only 100 km/h, but I would say traffic easily averages 120-130. I'm sure I've seen several people go 150, which in Ontario gets your car impounded and your licence revoked for 7 days!

But the 100 speed limit in Ontario is way too low, and we don't have many cops enforcing the speed limits.

[mariethefoxy]

surprised noone mentioned Boston area drivers, people think NY and NJ drivers are crazy, they got nothin on Boston area drivers in terms of speed and crazy antics.

[LM117]

I would most certainly vote for Detroit. My favorite is how people drive during the morning commute. One guy will be going 75 but if he's about to get passed by someone doing 85 - well that's not happening - and all of a sudden it's basically a street-race because 85 guy is damn sure passing 75 guy no matter how fast he speeds up. It's hilarious. It's pretty much like this in all of Michigan though.

As someone who grew up in North Carolina, this brings back memories. This used to piss me off to no end. Most of the people there HATE getting passed. I don't know what the big deal is about getting passed. It ain't NASCAR. I couldn't begin to tell you how many people passed me and I never lost sleep over it. Hell, I remember in high school back in 2005, one guy actually admitted that he deliberately sped up when someone tried to pass him and was laughing about it. How cute. Prick...

My most recent encounter of this behavior was a few months ago when I was heading south on US-29 heading towards Greensboro from Danville and a car was creeping in the right lane. I went to go around him and the S.O.B. sped up. I let him go ahead and got back in the right lane and I'll be damned if he didn't slow down again. Rinse and repeat. He finally got off at one of the Reidsville exits. I hope he knew how to read lips.

Ah yes, I remember being on I-95 in Fayetteville in the late 90s heading to Florida from Philly and I passed a red Cavalier doing the speed limit, I was running ten over and leisurely passed him on the left, then switched back to the right lane.  The first time he passed me I didn't think anything of it until he slowed down in front of me, the second time he passed me I realized I was being played with, and the third time he made the attempt I put my foot in the firewall and let my T-Bird SC have it's way, laughing at him in my rear view mirror as I pulled away in triple digits and he's desperately trying to catch up. And that was the end of that.

Well in my defense, I was driving an old Jeep. I didn't have any birds in my driveway the cage.

[DeaconG]

I would most certainly vote for Detroit. My favorite is how people drive during the morning commute. One guy will be going 75 but if he's about to get passed by someone doing 85 - well that's not happening - and all of a sudden it's basically a street-race because 85 guy is damn sure passing 75 guy no matter how fast he speeds up. It's hilarious. It's pretty much like this in all of Michigan though.

As someone who grew up in North Carolina, this brings back memories. This used to piss me off to no end. Most of the people there HATE getting passed. I don't know what the big deal is about getting passed. It ain't NASCAR. I couldn't begin to tell you how many people passed me and I never lost sleep over it. Hell, I remember in high school back in 2005, one guy actually admitted that he deliberately sped up when someone tried to pass him and was laughing about it. How cute. Prick...

My most recent encounter of this behavior was a few months ago when I was heading south on US-29 heading towards Greensboro from Danville and a car was creeping in the right lane. I went to go around him and the S.O.B. sped up. I let him go ahead and got back in the right lane and I'll be damned if he didn't slow down again. Rinse and repeat. He finally got off at one of the Reidsville exits. I hope he knew how to read lips.

Ah yes, I remember being on I-95 in Fayetteville in the late 90s heading to Florida from Philly and I passed a red Cavalier doing the speed limit, I was running ten over and leisurely passed him on the left, then switched back to the right lane.  The first time he passed me I didn't think anything of it until he slowed down in front of me, the second time he passed me I realized I was being played with, and the third time he made the attempt I put my foot in the firewall and let my T-Bird SC have it's way, laughing at him in my rear view mirror as I pulled away in triple digits and he's desperately trying to catch up. And that was the end of that.

Well in my defense, I was driving an old Jeep. I didn't have any birds in my driveway the cage.

Understood! It was the damndest thing I'd ever had happen to me...apparently he couldn't stand up to my 231 turbo 6 

In any case, the city with the fastest drivers in my experience was in DC on the Capital Beltway; it was not unheard of for folks to run 20-25 over the limit especially the through traffic.

I would say that the Beachline between Cocoa Beach and Orlando is no place for the faint hearted during the AM rush hour, I've run 85 and had people blow past me like I was standing still.

[pianocello]

In any case, the city with the fastest drivers in my experience was in DC on the Capital Beltway; it was not unheard of for folks to run 20-25 over the limit especially the through traffic.

What part? On the Maryland side, I'm lucky to be able to go 10 over the speed limit, and that's in the rare moment when traffic isn't at a standstill. In my experience, there's something about the curves and the words "Photo Enforced" that makes some drivers think "Oh hey, better slow down to 45." Pair that with the fact that people drive too close to one another, and it's a snowball effect that slows down the entire road.

Also, to give my own contribution to the thread, I'm going to put in a vote for the entire state of Michigan.

[DeaconG]

In any case, the city with the fastest drivers in my experience was in DC on the Capital Beltway; it was not unheard of for folks to run 20-25 over the limit especially the through traffic.

What part? On the Maryland side, I'm lucky to be able to go 10 over the speed limit, and that's in the rare moment when traffic isn't at a standstill. In my experience, there's something about the curves and the words "Photo Enforced" that makes some drivers think "Oh hey, better slow down to 45." Pair that with the fact that people drive too close to one another, and it's a snowball effect that slows down the entire road.

Also, to give my own contribution to the thread, I'm going to put in a vote for the entire state of Michigan.

When I lived there in the early 80s it was the Maryland side, I left in '84 and passed thru while visiting family in Philly over the next 20 years.  The last time I was up that way was in 2008 (in three inches of snow), so I'm pretty sure it's not that way now.

[Rothman]

surprised noone mentioned Boston area drivers, people think NY and NJ drivers are crazy, they got nothin on Boston area drivers in terms of speed and crazy antics.

Because there's not many hours of the day where Bostonians can go as fast as they want.

I do remember one particularly crazy driver trying to flip a ewie in the middle Park Street.  And, of course, there's the fun madness that occurs once a Fenway game starts (all lanes and sidewalks lead to Fenway!).

[sparker]

More than just aggregate fast speed, my driving experiences in Boston lead me to believe that 0-60 mph times are more important to them -- especially when they demonstrate that speed in order to block you when you're trying to merge into traffic!  Been there over a dozen times, and it's happened each & every time!

[bassoon1986]

Houston, especially on I-45

[AsphaltPlanet]

I'd add another vote for Detroit.  Particularly the 696.

[hm insulators]

The fastest US city I have drive in was Los Angeles CA. I had a Saturn SL2 as a rental car, and that poor thing couldn't keep up - even in the right lane.

Another vote for Los Angeles, plus they're the most idiotic. Some have mentioned Boston drivers as the most idiotic but they have nothing on L.A. drivers!