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
I don't know that they were breaking any laws, though, if they obeyed all other traffic rules and were careful of hazards. They were just jerks.
However, they're just a bunch of punks. What did James Dean say when asked what he was rebelling against (movie reference).
Admitably, I cant hear the sound of what they're saying on the video, but yes, watching their facial expressions and joy at annoying hundreds(thousands) of people is very frustrating. They seem less interested at making a point and more interested at being public nuisances.
But, I do agree with the message they were trying to say. Speed limits are set by bleeding heart politicians, not for practical reasons.
Originally from Australia, I'm used to waves and waves of speed cameras (manned and unmanned) to catch you and fine you. Your chance of getting caught is high.
Here in Canada now, I've gone past police cars doing 20km/h over the limit and they dont seem to care. In fact, everyone speeds if the weather is right.
So, as long as police discretion is used the way it seems to be for me now(you are only stopped if you're driving 'dangerously' over the limit) then I dont think the laws should be changed.
Until, of course, they run low on budget and go on a ticket drive to raise money, then I'll switch sides.
If they slowed down traffic, the slowed it down to 55, the legal limit. If a city or state WANTS people to be allowed to drive 75, it should make the speed limit 75 and enforce it as such. Excessively low, unenforced speed limits are hypocracy, and sometimes hypocracy needs a good kick in the ass.
The one thing I would have done differently would be to have some plan in place to make sure an ambulance or fire engine could get through. Like maybe "spotters" with cell phones driving a mile or two back.
You're probably thinking of the scene in "The Wild Ones," where Marlon Brando plays a biker gang leader. Somebody asks Brando's character, "What are you rebelling against?" and he answers, "What have you got?"
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 they were breaking the law.
Was this prank great? Yes. Was it dangerous? Yes. Should it be repeated? No. Does it show the hypocrisy of speed limit enforcement? Yes.
I once read that the quickest way to see the legalization of many recreational drugs would be to enact random drug testing as a requirement for carrying a driver's license. So many people would be at risk of failing, the law would have to change. I believe the same thing applies here.
Although I'm personally not a fan of automated photo ticketing systems, they would solve the problem. If everyone who exceeded the speed limit on that highway received a ticket, the speed limit would be 75MPH within a month.
All that said, the risk of death in an automobile accident dramatically rises with an increase in speed. There are lots of reasons this happens but lower speed limits save lives. Its hard to dispute.
The study can be found at the R&D site for the Department of Transportation:
http://www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/departments/nrd-11/aggressivity/980908/980908.html
The basic idea is that a 10,000 pound (Gross Vehicle Weight Rating) SUV moving at 75 MPH has four times as much momentum as a 2,500 pound passenger car moving at 75 MPH. Thus, the SUV in this scenario packs a lot more potential energy, is much more likely to cause an accident and any accident it is involved in is much more likely to be deadly. Therefore, the SUV would be required to reduce its speed.
Actually, the new law would require heavier vehicles to travel at lower speeds, and would actually enable drivers of lighter vehicles to travel faster than current limits.
The expense of implementing this would be supported by "wear and tear" taxes on the heavier vehicles, since they cause degradation of roads, bridges etc. at a faster rate.
What I would have done different, however, would have been to have the cars travel in a staggered or diagonal line, still not allowing room to move between them, but *technically* not side-by-side.
I might have added bumper stickers saying "Honk if you think the 55 limit sucks"
Then again, had I been one of the unwitting participants in the crowd behind them, I probably would have been the white van...
A) They can't be "blockading" traffic. To blockade means to impede. To impede you must keep drivers from being able to freely travel at the legal posted limit. If you are already travelling the legal posted limit, then drivers adhering to the same posted limit cannot, as governed by the rules of physics, pass your vehicle.
B) Any driver who passes them is, by definition, breaking the law.
I see a whole host of infractions on the video - tailgaiting, unsafe lane changes, unsafe passing, and speeding to name a few. And none of them by the students. Instead of screaming about what the students did (kudo's to them, by the way) why isn't the media screaming for a bunch of cops to be scouring the video and sending tickets to everyone who intentionally broke traffic laws to unsafely go around four drivers adhering to the posted legal limit?
But is that true? Aren't you allowed to exceed the speed limit while passing? (I'm actually asking, because I don't know.)
Call me impatient, but it would be very time consuming to pass someone going 50 in a 55 zone if you couldn't. And if it were on a road with one lane going each direction at 35, how would you pass someone going 30 without risking head-on collisions?
go look: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0810948214/103-9849153-1115824?v=glance&n=283155
Not a very good book, but there is a scene exactly like this in it.
Yes what they did is irritating, but I have to agree that they were doing the legally posted limit. I think a court would have to decide if this constitutes obstructionism since it's generally only applied to people driving under the limit. But I also agree that it was extremely dangerous and should never have been done, regardless of the point they meant to make.
However, the statute in question reads:
(a) Upon all roadways of sufficient width, a vehicle shall be driven upon the right half of the roadway, except as follows:
(1) When overtaking and passing another vehicle proceeding in the same direction under the rules governing such movement;
(2) When an obstruction exists making it necessary to drive to the left of the center of the highway, provided that any person so doing shall yield the right of way to all vehicles traveling in the proper direction upon the unobstructed portion of the highway within such a distance as to constitute an immediate hazard;
(3) Upon a roadway divided into three marked lanes for traffic under the rules applicable thereon; or
(4) Upon a roadway restricted to one-way traffic.
This is a eight-lane highway, so I'm not sure what, exactly, that means to the law. I'm just drawing a blank on a three-lane highway.
How this entitles others to break the law is beyond me, but people get aggressive when they're behind the wheel.
I'd wager it would be found illegal because I really don't think the authorities would find the even-though-they-were-preventing- anyone-from-passing-them-they-were-doing-the-speed-limit argument convincing.
Wikipedia even has an entry about the MIDAS system used to control traffic flow in this way:
M25 - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M25_motorway
MIDAS - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Motorway_Incident_Detection_and_Automatic_Signalling
While driving through the state a few years back, I must say it was fun to actually travel in my truck at a high speed without worrying that a state trooper would pull me over.
Regardless of if they were obeying the law or not, it was a stupid way to prove a point and caused many problems. They should have at least allowed people to pass them in some way, especially if they were an emergency vehicle.
Flip the coin on your 'what if' scenario. What if one of those cars stuck in traffic held a terrorist on his way to commit a suicide bombing at an Atlanta-area mall? What if these humble students foiled his plan by unknowingly ensnaring him in an unexpected traffic jam?
What if your cell phone blabbling and swerving caused a cascade of brake lights that turned rush hour into a crawl? At the front of the wave, you'd never even know it was your fault...but it was. And, because of you, that mother of two didn't make it to the hospital and died.
Get real.
What they did was legal. What they did proves a point. Despite its legality, I have little doubt that they would lose a first and possibly second round in court. But, if they wanted to pursue it, they would without a doubt win in the end.
Personally, I've always felt that the term 'speed limit' should be changed to read 'Maximum Safe Speed'. Gets the point across a bit better, I think. Though you know some idiot - probably in my home state of California - is going to sue after getting in a lower-speed accident on the basis that they thought it would be completely safe.
I've always had used cars, two of them VW bugs, and those things can hardly go over 60 if I REALLY tried.
So let's say the speed limit is 75 now, what about all the cars thatn can't reach that fast or the people who can't handle that speed?
Some may not give a shit about their lives but who came along and decide certain people should drive faster then anyone else and possibly endanger other people's lives?
Okay, let's say let's take it all away comepletly, 0 speed limit, people can drive as fast as they want.
Then what if some people comes along and decide we SHOULD have speed limit and pull a same stunt and all drive down the highway going 15 mph, what then?
I'd also like to say that driving on the shoulder or in the grass for an emergency vehicle is not always such a good or safe idea. It slows down our response time and makes things a little more dangerous for the fire truck and the crew inside. Weight constantly shifts around due to the water inside the tank. Driving halfway in a ditch and getting stuck or rolling over would not be a fun experience for the fire dept. If we cant get there in a safe and efficent manner, then we can't help our public.
I understand how you feel Aaron, but "what if" your house was on fire and we couldnt get there because of something like this? You'd probably be upset, right? Regardless of the fact that they were driving the speed limit, they have no right to endanger other people's lives or property by purposly causing a traffic jam.
Regarding the total gridlock scenario...emergency responders are also allowed to use the lane of opposite flow of traffic to arrive on scene, however, this is very dangerous and should not be done unless you are passing. On a highway/freeway this is sometimes impossible. Also, the trucks on scene probably caused the gridlock. When there is an accident on a street, we usually set up our fire trucks in a way to block the lanes close to the accident with the fire truck, thus keeping the emergency area safe. Dont want a firefighter getting hit by a passing motorist when he/she is trying to help someone. This has happened before in the past, and that is why we now block the lanes with our trucks. Hopefully there's a way for traffic to go around us, but if not, it's ok because safety is the main issue here.
If they were'nt causing a traffic jam, then no one would have to break the law to pass them.
I guess he meant people passing on the left were to break the speed limit? Whether or not he was being legit with me, or just filling his quota for the day....a cop told me to break the speed limit when passing.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2005/10/19/MNG3NFAOF11.DTL
As mentioned previously, slowing down can increase the number of cars that can 'fit' on the road, and can actually deacrease congestion.
Apart from emergency vehicales - what the hell is the rush? Is it such a huge deal to leave a few minutes earlier? As far as commercial vehicles are concerned, you won't be impeding them, as most will have speed limiters so they can't exceed the speed limit.
Well, someone's life is in danger, that's what the rush is all about. Yeah, sure, let's just stroll on over there after lunch. It's only someone's life, right? They'll get another one, I'm sure!
"Is it such a huge deal to leave a few minutes earlier?"
I dont know if this was directed towards emergency responses, but if it was, its clear you dont work in such a type of job.
An emergency can happen at any time and any place. There is no option to "leave a few minutes earlier" When the call comes in - you go NOW!
"Yeah, someone's house is going to catch on fire in 30 minutes! Let's leave early and get there before it happens!" Yeah, right. Not going to happen.
The whole reason to "rush" to the scene of the emergency is to get there as soon as possible. It is an emergency, after all.
Throw the book at these idiots...
Has anyone considered what would have happened if this thing wasn't planned and four cars just happened to all be travelling at the speed limit in four lanes? Would you say they were breaking the law? They weren't deliberately setting out to impede traffic, but it may have happened.
And I think it's quiet ridiculous that you people think 55 miles an hour to be slow. Thats almost 90kms an hour. 75 miles an hour is 120 kms an hour. In most states in Australia, 110km/hour is the maximum speed allowed on any road, even when crossing the Nullabor and that's a bloody long way.
I think you people need to just slow down a bit and enjoy life before it slips away from you.
In my opinion, public roadways are not the place for any sort of demonstration. If one of the people who had gotten fristrated and passed on the shoulder had suddenly encountered a broken down vehicle or worse yet, a person walking down the shoulder this incident would have turned into a tragedy rather than the ridiculous and moronic "demonstration" it was.
I f***ing hate the way that drivers - unlike people in almost any other context - seem to believe they have a god-given right to break the law.
Besides, I don't think they ended up proving anything other than their own stupidity.