Status: Civil Disobedience Prank
In order to demonstrate the stupidity of the 55 mph speed limit, four Atlanta students pulled a dangerous stunt: they all drove exactly 55 mph on the highway, in a line, thereby blocking the flow of traffic and creating an enormous traffic jam.
Check out the video of it. I realize the students thought they were doing something clever, but as I watched the video I found myself getting more and more angry at them. It was like experiencing road rage while sitting behind a computer. I kept imagining the people in the blocked traffic who probably had to get to work, or wanted to get home, and who were instead being held up by these idiots and their road block.
Anyway, their argument — that their experiment proves the absurdity of the 55 mph law — is flawed. It didn't prove that at all. All it proved is that if you form a rolling blockade, it's going to create a traffic jam. It would have had the same effect at 65 mph. Plus, it's definitely against the law to form a blockade like they did. Only the police are allowed to do that. So they weren't actually obeying the law.
I realize that pranks are supposed to be obnoxious and annoy some people. But delaying innocent commuters, and creating a situation in which people could easily have gotten hurt as anger escalated, just doesn't seem quite right to me. Though this is probably the angry driver inside of me feeling that way. (One more thing: at the beginning of the video they misspell the word obedience.)
Update: Some quick googling, and I found the section of Georgia law (
code 40-6-40, section D) that applies to what they did:
No two vehicles shall impede the normal flow of traffic by traveling side by side at the same time while in adjacent lanes, provided that this Code section shall not be construed to prevent vehicles traveling side by side in adjacent lanes because of congested traffic conditions.
So it was illegal, and they made a video of themselves doing it. Not too smart.
Update 2: David Spear, a spokesman for the Atlanta Police Department, has been
quoted as saying that what the students did was legal:
David Spear, a spokesman for the state Department of Transportation, said if the students weren't blocking emergency vehicles and were going the speed limit, "they didn't do a thing wrong." Spear added that the speed limit was lowered to 55 because it saves lives. "In Atlanta, the actual effect of it is we expect the people going 75 to move over so the people going 95 can have the right of way," he said.
So I guess I was wrong. Though I'm still having a hard time understanding how it can be legal, when the code referenced above seems to state that it's not legal.
Comments
Here , here good for them . 75 mph should be the posted limit on all interstates rural in the US . In thje middle of noware and otherwise .
Which is what the road should be posted at . If traffic is heavy people will slow down to accomadate the extra traffic flow . Once the road empties it should be back up to 75 mph .
I've driven on those highways and anything below a 75 mph posted limit is just a money maker for the cities and the state of GA , and has nothing at all to do with safety NOTHING AT ALL !~!!!!!!
So if GA wanted to they could post any highway whatever they wish 55 , 65 , 75 , 80 , 85 or No Speed Limit , it is completely up to the states now and has been for over 10 years .
We accept much tighter restrictions on our personal lives than speed-governers in the spirit of public safety, and with far less statistical surety; why not make it impossible to speed?
1. The first law of driving is really a principle, drive defensively and responsibly. All the specifics, including speed limits, not only flow from that, they come after that. Most state driving statutes start by saying that every driver is first responsible for driving in a manner that is consistent with ongoing road and weather conditions then and there. Any specific posted signs must be interpreted within that context.
2. While that usually ends up meaning "drive slower if the weather or general driving conditions make the legal limit unsafe," I believe it's possible to make a reasonable argument (see the emergency vehicles stuck at the back of the pack argument mentioned in another posting above) that boned-headed adherence could be considered a form of reckless driving. Since they were doing so in multiple vehicles as a group, that could be considered a conspiracy to obstruct traffic (especially emergency vehicles), so the crime could be worse. They wouldn't have to know an ambulance on call was being blocked -- how could they possibly know who was blocked far back in a traffic jam they intentionally caused? -- it's sufficient to show that they intentionally caused a traffic jam which a reasonable person should know would block any potential emergency vehicles.
3. Passing on the shoulder, recklessly trying to break up their blockade would not be legal, but that doesn't make their action right. A common fallacy in these sorts of discussions is to assume that if your favorite villain in the scenario is wrong, someone else must necessarily right. To the contrary, very often both or multiple parties are in the wrong. They would be wrong for blocking traffic (they AREN'T cops, enforcing the speed limit or any other specific statute one cares to obsess over is NOT THEIR JOB), and those breaking the law to pass them would also be wrong. Any judge would be free to exercise a certain amount of discretion in judging the seriousness on anyone's ticketed infractions in this situation.
4. Their political motivation may be interesting, but it is simply a form of civil disobedience, like blocking traffic with a demonstration against a war, abortion, etc. You should be commended for your political sincerity and motivation to uphold the democratic process AS you serve your appropriate sentence, commensurate with the infraction you engaged in. The government's agreement or disagreement with any political content to your message or action should be totally irrelevant to both the decision as to whether you broke the law, and how severe any punishment should be.
There are all sorts of laws out there, and the police must show some common sense in choosing which ones to enforce at a specific time and place. This is a matter of managing their own scarce resources as well as a matter of maintaining their own political legitimacy. Any experienced police officer, chief, or judge will probably tell you so "off-hours." I believe that's the way it should be in a democratic, free society. Police officers shouldn't waste their time with every minor infraction if it takes their attention away from observing the larger situation if it has the potential for more serious crimes being committed or the public peace being disturbed. This is true for traffic management, crowd control, political demonstrations, public security at buildings, etc. Drawing attention to a 55 mph speed limit is like drawing attention to the percieved injustice of jaywalking ordinances in downtown areas. As long as the police aren't making a big stink about it, you shouldn't either.
Living in a free society means being responsible for your own behavior, and not leaving your brain in a law book. Were the police in that area showing undue attention to the enforcement of an unrealistic law while obviously ignoring the enforcement of more serious crimes being committed under their noses? If no, then why choose this stunt? It really proves nothing.
By the way, there were multiple reasons for the 55 mph speed limit being set at that level back in the 1970's. One was to save gas (this was during the Arab Oil Embargo), because the faster you go, the greater the wind resistance your car encounters. Unfortunately, this law, like many of our laws, was put in place without sufficient explanation given to the public as to the rationale behind it. It might have been better recieved if the legislatures and excutives had bothered to publically explain the rationales behind it.
Also, responding to joker...
"these kids are just nerd asses that never got dates in highschool and probably attend college and have no friends. Bunch of fags that take things to seriously."
I now quote from Billy Madison..."Mr. joker, what you've just said is one of the most insanely idiotic things I have ever heard. At no point in your rambling, incoherent response were you even close to anything that could be considered a rational thought. Everyone in this room is now dumber for having listened to it. I award you no points, and may God have mercy on your soul."
And in response to Rick...nevermind...it would just take too long.
1. Two vehicles will always end up traveling side by side on a busy road like i-285 and impede the flow of traffic, if they didn't you'd have people stopping and starting all over the place. Are you trying to tell me you've never driven with a car on one or even both sides of you?!
2. The normal flow of traffic should be doing 55, they're the ones breaking the law if they aren't.
3. Are you saying that people should break the law regarding speeding so that they can uphold the law regarding not traveling next to each other on a road? Doesn't that strike you as a bit stupid? I mean, which law are you supposed to follow? By upholding the law in one way, you break it in another and that only goes to support what these students were saying, that the law can be stupid.
4. What did the students do that was dangerous? Since when was traveling at the speed limit wrong? The only danger comes from idiots who speed and don't take into account the amount of time they need to get somewhere. That van for instance was a prime example of someone who thought that their life was so much more important than everyone elses, that their wanting to get somewhere meant that they could be rude and pushy with other people. It's not just the speed limit that this video comments on, it's the attitude of people in general.
'this is definitly breaking the law. They cant disrupt what everyone is trying to do. Some people are trying to get to work and im pretty sure they got sued by those people for blockading.'
You didn't even think about what to write before your mind exploded onto this screen, did you? Be honest, a mutated monkey exposed to mind numbing toxic waste wrote this for you, right?
One of the points made in video is that there is a posted limit, and then there is the REAL speed limit. If the latter is 20 mph faster than the posted limit, going 5 mph over the accepted speed still gets you a 25 mph/over ticket. It ends up being a guessing game about what the local PD allows, and also invites selective enforcement...legally, there is nothing to stop an officer from ticketing someone who is going with, or even slightly below, the flow of traffic.
We'd be better off with more realistic limits, near zero tolerance of anything over that those limits, and then making use of technology to change speed limits (LED signs, or whatever) as conditions change.
However, this creates a situation for police profiling (on race, age, out-of-state plates, vehicle type, etc) which is unfair and ethically troublesome.
The law is published so that all can read it and know it. Unspoken enforcement 'rules' aren't law, they aren't fair, and they are un-American.
The appeal to the "authority" of the DOT official is irrelevant in terms of whether the law was broken or not, unless they call on him as an expert witness.
"Many people have commented that the difference between the posted limit and the REAL limit is unimportant because they 'know' what it is. "
Here in lies the main problem with posted 55 limit we really don't know what the specific limit at any given time . The posted 55 posted limit is not ever the real enforced speed limit on any road but posted on many roads .
All over the US the interstates highways are designed for at least 75 mph and some are designed to handle 80 mph . Which means 75 or 80 is the safe speed for any given stretch of freeway in the US .
I've driven around Atlanta on the freeways many times and 75 to 80 mph is the normal cruising speed on GA freeways .
We know what the posted limit is 55 mph . But what is the real enforced limit at any given time 60 , 65 , 70 , 75 or 80 mph ???
Had there been an emergency vehicle which was legally able to exceed the legal limit then there may have been a offence of impeding an emergency vehicle, but that didn't happen.
Really successful public commentary pranks are meant to cause inconvenience and this one was highly successful in doing so.
Also to the Atlanta drivers - of course people drive 85 in Atlanta. People drive slowest in the extreme Northeast, where the roads are most crowded and winding. As you drive South and West, civilization spreads out, the roads are more straight - and people drive like Nascar drivers.
As to the issue of the students themselves, if the police department thinks what they did was ok. why are the rest of you still shouting about it?
There are really three different issues being argued here, which have to be considered separately:
1. Whether or not there should be a 55 mph speed limit.
What you decide on this depends on what your priorities are. There is no "right" answer, since either case has its advantages and disadvantages. Faster speeds offer more convenience, and can leave more time for more productive activities upon reaching your destination. Slower speeds are safer. The 55 limit is a compromise between the two, which of course means that it doesn't really fulfill either option. These students didn't really prove anything one way or the other; they just proved that traffic laws haven't really been enforced.
2. Whether the students did anything stupid or unethical.
The students said, "We could have really been hurt" and, "I was pretty sure that I was doing something stupid". So they knew beforehand that they could have caused injuries and damage. On the other hand, they claim to have been doing this all for the public good. Personally, I think that while their stated purpose may be laudable, they chose a poor way of going about it.
This isn't something to be decided by anybody other than the judicial system. They're the ones who interpret the legal code. Even the Department of Transportation doesn't really have any say on this, regardless of what their spokesman says. Various government departments can say whatever they want, charges can be pressed or dropped, various points of law can be brought up, but none of it means anything regarding the legality of the particular incident until the judge makes a decision.
Yes, the students were going at the legally-posted speed while everybody else was trying to go faster, but this doesn't necessarily mean that what the students did was entirely legal, either. Disrupting the normal flow of traffic can be illegal, even if the normal flow itself isn't legal (as a more extreme example, consider that intentionally running over an illegal jay-walker isn't legal, even though he was breaking the law and you followed all the traffic laws regarding speed and suchlike). This is not at all similar to traffic problems caused by an accident, or by an unplanned coincidence of several cars traveling together at the same speed. This was an intentional, planned attempt to disrupt what they knew to be the normal flow of traffic, performed by people who themselves admit that they knew it could have caused harm and damage.
The legal question at hand is whether that intent, or the methods used to implement it, was illegal; it has nothing to do with the legality of what the other motorists were doing. So, if whichever authorities are responsible do bring the students to court, it is up to a judge to determine whether these disruptive activities were actually illegal. I expect, though, that if it does go to court and there is a decision made, it will be that the students were just stupid, not illegal.
"I kept imagining the people in the blocked traffic who probably had to get to work, or wanted to get home, and who were instead being held up by these idiots and their road block."
In other words, you seem to say that drivers have a right to go past the speed limit. But then you admonish the pranksters for breaking the law themselves.
Why do you feel that some people get to break the law while others don't?!
In reality, I'm proud of them. It takes courage to make a statement concerning the absurdity of some laws and it also takes committment and risk to change those laws.
You would not ridicule a certain non-aggressive protestor for holding up the regular, everyday flow of business to change what seemed to be absured laws at the time, nor should you do these students. They used a non-violent message to demonstrate a much-needed statement about the ill-conceived traffic plans in Atlanta. (Which, by the way, have been inefficient for years and have been on the state's agenda for what seems like ages).
I also find the argument absured that they created a "blockade." If the 55mph law was deemed appropriate, then everyone should travel at that rate regardless of where they are on the road. In planned traffic modules, I guarantee that the formation the students encouraged is ideal for the legal flow of traffic.
These students were brave and should be commended for their actions.
All that was demonstrated by these japesters was that people break the law. Themselves included. Wow! Thank god, at last I know......😕
Nothing about speed laws and their supposed irrelevance was proved in any shape or form. Good work, as I'd expect from students with nothing better to do with their time.
Oh, and I'm guessing that you've never been to school past high school yourself -- otherwise you'd know that for almost all college/university students, "free time" is almost non-existent.
Those very same drivers would have been breaking the speed limit without exception on any given day - and without the students supposedly revealing this to us. Who are these new age students? The Law Enforcers? Er, no they're students trying to be clever, and failing abysmally. Are we trying to say, we all, on all occassions, without exceptions, observe all the laws of the land?? Surely not. All that was really proved was there is a method the students used, on the highway, to make people angry. So, people get angry - not a great revelation to be honest is it? The students placed themselves and the other highways users at danger for no good reason. They could have quite easily stood on a bridge/highway ramp and filmed these 'lawbreakers' ignoring the speed limit, and proved their point with far less danger to themselves, and more importantly to other road users. All they did was prove themselves to be hazards on the road, as bad as those lawbreakers they claim to be revealing. Instead of having free flowing, albeit ignoring the lawful speed limit traffic, they created an nonsensical and plainly hazardous traffic jam on a public highway, when in fact, at that time how could they have be certain that further back that jam, there was not a genuine reason for somebody to move quickly through that traffic? They can't, and will never be sure of their pranks full consequences all those miles behind their blockade. It is possible that injured/sick relative or a pregnancy may have been of paramount importance within any of those vehicles.
If the speed limit was 30, people would break it. If the limit was 70, people would break it. So, they made people who wanted to beak the speed limit angry and abusive. Once again I say, no great surprise is it?
Rig said, "Oh, and I'm guessing that you've never been to school past high school yourself -- otherwise you'd know that for almost all college/university students, "free time" is almost non-existent."
Well ignoring the jibe, now I'm one of those lawbreakers who ocassionaly for one reason or another, good or bad, does not observe the speed limit (to my eternal damnation it seems..) and now working, after spending 5 years at Uni. I do not condone speeding - just as I do not condone drug taking. However, I don't need students causing undue distruption on the road, or filming crack users to prove that it is done by some. The very act of this ridiculous stunt I'm afraid proves to me those students had way too much free time on their hands. Sensationalist and irrelevant was my conclusion on their meditation.
Well then, that was their point. If everyone travelled at the posted speed limit, there would be a hazardous traffic jam. They could not have proved that without creating the "blockade" first. They've proved that if you don't want a jam of "legal" drivers like that again, raise the speed limit.
I know that it wasn't the safest of ideas (you can see in the video that they thought so too), but their method had the most impact. There's nothing like a sea of honking cars that would make a city counciller change their mind.
Notice the words: "normal flow" in legal-speak is not referring to the way people normally drive, rather it is refering to the speed limit. These kids were driving at the legal speed limit therefore were not impeding the "normal flow" of traffic. They technically were not in violation of this code.
Let's be real here. When a firetruck or ambulance puts on the blinkers, what do you do? You slow down and pull over. That's what the road shoulders are for (instead of having the firetrucks drive on them). You get off the center of the road to make way for the emergency vehicles, regardless how fast you're driving or how many cars you're driving with. How are these students potentially blocking emergency vehicles? I don't see it.
On the other hand, who hasn't see an accident on the highway, and for miles the traffic slows down JUST TO WATCH? People brake below half the speed limit to entertain themselves with upside-down cars that might not even be on the same side of the road, causing huge blockades for no good reason. Then when common drivers like you and me finall roll to the accident scene we take our share of look too before accelerating back up to the normal speed, making ourselves part of the blame for the blockade. And we accuse these students for driving legal speed?
55MPH is rediculously slow that it is dangenrous to drive at that speed.
The real issue is the 'stunt' pulled. First of all, it wasn't a "stunt" or "prank" it was a PROTEST. A stunt or prank is done with the purpose of annoying people. These kids had no way of knowing that driving the exact speed limit would cause the traffic jam that it did. They had a theory that the 55 speed limit was not being followed or enforced and that if it were, problems would occur. I believe they proved their theory rather well.
The repeated cries from people here saying the students should be punished really shocks me. Punished for what? For pointing out a flawed system? There can be no denial that the system is flawed because either the 55 mph limit is unreasonable or no one is following it. Either way, there is a problem which needs addressing. (as a side note, if all of the traffic had been driving 55, or even a couple of miles over/under, there would have never been a jam, simple science proves that)
Citizens have not only the right but the DUTY to stand up and protest laws that are unfair or unequal. I applaud these students for there ingenutiy and success at proving their point (even if it is missed by most).
To all of you who think "these kids had NO RIGHT to be out there causing problems," I recommend a reading of Henry David Thoreau's "Civil Disobediance." Martin Luther King, Jr. found it quite enlightening.
Had it not been found out or disclosed that these three vehichles were driving in tandem, there were no laws broken. The most malicious violation committed by these teens was their obvious open show of enjoyment in a well planned experiment. Everyone in an automobile has the right to drive in any lane on a highway at the posted speed. The only violation would be a truck using the left lane (except for passing) which we all know they have been doing for years.
The other (and larger problem) is the resistance of local law officials to compassionately work with the public in making changes when a problem is identified instead of feeling as though we are attempting to usurp their athority. Enforcing laws is the easiest part, working to change those laws that are antiquated, outdated, or flawed is the real job. Most people who stick their necks out to identify a need for change or improvement are merely asking for the help & assistance of those that we rely on to make change.
The unfortunate part of this act is that all it seemed to do was cause a mass outpouring of irritated civillians............ nice job guys. Keep trying & good luck!
There are some details that were left out or incorrectly stated in the news stories, and which, arguably, settle the question of legality.
First, while there is a GA code section that prohibits driving abreast and interfering with the flow of traffic, the kids tried to maintain a staggered formation, and for the most part succeeded. Technically, that would not violate the code section cited by our webmaster.
Second, there is a more specific GA code section that deals with interfering with the flow of traffic, failing relinquish the left lane, etc., but it specifies that this applies only to vehicles traveling below the speed limit. By normal rules of construction, this would mean a vehicle moving at or slightly above the speed limit may hold its lane.
Third, although it does not bear directly on the legality of what they did, it is worth noting that everyone inovolved had been instructed, reminded, and reminded again to put spread the word if they saw or heard any indication that an emergency vehilce, so that the drivers could immediately begin to move the right lanes.
Four, although some stories said the kids drove the entire I-285 perimeter, during rush hour, they actually drove past only a few exits, and at 11:00 AM, an non-peak time. They were more interested in making a point than in ruining anyone's day, and, besides, we all DREAM of being able to drive at the speed limit during an Atlanta rush hour.
I think with car technology today (ABS braking and suspension to mention a couple)it is comfortable and managble to operate in the 70 - 80 mph range. Frankly I am afraid to drive much slower than 80 in the left lane.
The bottom line is "show me the money" that state and local police are really after. When getting a ticket it is the usual public safety pitch when they hand the citation to you. Alpharetta is a good example of rountine "predatory" speed traps with 6 - 10 police vehicles on 400. In the mean time, thieves are cleaning electronics out of cars at North Point Mall, great police work guys. Make revenue while citizens cars are getting wiped clean of PC's, stereo's, phones, iPODS and anything else these social thugs can get a hold of.
My motto, keep it under 100 and conduct a random act of kindness when you have the chance.
They were doing 55 MPH just like they were supposed to. I see no problem with that. They slowed down all of the other cars to the speed limit. This caused everyone behind them to get mad, but only because they normally did about 75. If all the cars always did exactly 55, the blockade would not have caused any change in the traffic flow. However, the drivers behind them could not get speeding tickets, so they should have been grateful.
They were in congested traffic, so the "two abreast" rule does not apply.
If they got 500 more students and created blockades all along the highway, the traffic flow would improve considerably.
They did not block emergency vehicles. If an emergency vehicle came, they would have let it by. This would require them to speed (see below) but, AFAIK, you are allowed to speed to let an emargency vehicle through.
To let the cars behind them through, they would have to speed, because it's impossible to pass another car without speeding or the other car slowing down. The other cars could not slow down, so one of them would have to speed. Therefore, they were legally required to stay where they were.
So, what they did was perfectly fine.
No two vehicles shall impede the normal flow of traffic by traveling side by side at the same time while in adjacent lanes, provided that this Code section shall not be construed to prevent vehicles traveling side by side in adjacent lanes because of congested traffic conditions.