Are you a friend or foe?
Recently, I was on a panel and one of the subjects discussed was split speed limits. California has had split speed limits for as long as I can remember, and yet, per miles traveled, California is one of the safest states to drive in. How can that be when trucks run 55 and cars can run 70?
Back when we first started as drivers, we were in a speed limited truck. Almost always, the peddle was to the metal except in California and Ohio, and we disliked those states. Fuel mileage was not a concern; it was how many miles can we make every day, and those states slowed us down. Then we bought our first truck.
Once we started paying for fuel, and we did not have a speed limited truck, it was funny how fast our attitude changed. Now all of a sudden, we started seeing a different picture. Was it always worth driving the speed limit, or could we slow down and still make our delivery time? Now the speed limit signs did not rule the speed the truck was driven; our brains kicked in, and we looked at the whole spectrum. Many times, driving faster did not mean we could get unloaded earlier.
Once we started driving slower and paying a lot less for fuel, we realized that the split speed limits did not mean much. The stress was a lot less, and at the end of the day, we were still relaxed and refreshed. Fighting traffic and slower drivers did not irritate us. We also have not been rear-ended by vehicles going faster than us, and they tend to go around us instead of trying to go through us.
So, when the subject came up about split speed limits to me, it was a moot point. How many people all drive the same speed unless they are all stuck in a traffic jam and driving five miles per hour?
My friend, who represents a group that opposes split speed limits, and I had a lively discussion that was very civil, and in the end, we both agreed to disagree and walked away from the panel discussion, still friends. That, to me, is a true friend, one where we can agree to disagree and move on to a different subject.