Driving in Michigan is not for the faint of heart. Many times, you’ll see a sign that says “STAY RIGHT EXCEPT TO PASS”, but we all know that lane is meant as a suggestion rather than a rule. If you don’t want to get run down by someone going 80 who is passing everyone, get out of the way.
⬇️GRAND RAPIDS’ 10 MOST HATED INTERSECTIONS⬇️
The right/middle lane(s) are more comfortable for those who drive within the state limits of 55-70 MPH. However, technically everyone is meant to be going the speed limit, but even in a state where some areas the limit is 75, it seems like everyone is going over.
So, how are the speed limits set, and should they changed?
How MDOT Sets Speed Limits
If you’ve driven around the Midwest, you’ll notice the speed limits vary from state to state. According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), Illinois and Indiana both have urban highway limits of 55 MPH, Minnesota and Ohio’s limits are 65 MPH and then there’s Michigan sitting at a speed of 70 and 75 in some places.
The reason that Michigan’s limits are higher than other states is that Michigan drivers all drive fast. The Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) and the Michigan State Police (MSP) jointly work together to set speed limits based on the 85th percentile speed of drivers on any given stretch of road.
If 85% of drivers are driving at 55 mph on one road, then that’s the speed they set for that road. Or, on freeways like I-75, MSP and MDOT acknowledged that 85% of drivers were going over the speed limit, so they raised the limit to 75 mph. MSP and MDOT know that people speed, so the overall goal is to keep traffic going in a safe and controlled measure.
In my driving course, I was taught to “go with the flow of traffic”, meaning that sometimes it is safer to speed a little if everyone is speeding or vice versa rather than hold firm to a speed limit and become an unsafe obstacle on the road. The MSP may not endorse this sentiment nor are we endorsing this, but being safe on the road is the goal.
These Are The Most Dangerous Intersections In Grand Rapids
We asked Redditors over on the r/GrandRapids subreddit what they considered the most dangerous intersections in Grand Rapids to be. Here are their results.
Michigan’s License Plates From 1920 To Now
License plates have been a mandatory part of vehicles in Michigan since the early 1900s. The state has gone through many different designs over the years, not including the many university and special cause plates that are available for purchase. With a new law bringing back these designs, the roads will look very different going forward. Here’s what you could expect…