You won't see a MH flying down the road weaving in and out of traffic anyway. Some of them look a little old to be driving such rigs with absolutely no extra credentials, though. If driving a cycle or truck requires something special, so should a motorhome
Maybe so, but what about for a travel trailer, 5th wheel, truck camper.........where does it end? Surprisingly enough talking to other RVers a motorhome is easier to drive than a truck pulling a travel trailer.
If you look around at the travel trailers being pulled you would be SHOCKED to see what some people will hook together. I saw a Silverado SS hooked to about a 22' Extreme toyhauler, the poor SS was on its back tires, every bump just about sent the front end off the ground, I don't think the guy made it above 25 mph.
TTs are notorious for sway and an inexperienced driver can cause a major wreck by not knowing what to do. Thankfully our truck and TT are fairly well matched, they sit level and pull beautifully, but we also paid attention to what we bought, ran the numbers, and didn't just take the dealer's word for it. We aren't even very long when compared to some of the other RVers out there........I think our total length truck and trailer is around 48' or so. Still makes getting into some campgrounds a challange.
Where does it end? Maybe with a weight or length limit. There has to be a point where the average car driver is incompetent driving a larger vehicle. It's kind of scary that I could go out and drive some gargantuan MH right now, as I would be awful in it.
I once saw an Exploder towing some huge boat, same deal - front wheels were almost off the ground. I felt sorry for the thing.
> First was a woman in a CRV who was eating pretty furiously while driving, and almost rear ended me. I actually braced myself to be hit, but she stopped in time. These little SUVs are too often driven in this manner by careless people I will refrain from profiling more. Then I was driving on I90, and was in my exit only lane preparing to leave the road. A clueless looking gent in a prev gen Corolla cuts me off to get into the lane, then proceeds to go 30 in a 40 once we are off the highway. When the road finally widens and I get around him
Don't you agree that many other drivers also could use driving courses? I believe many people like myself could drive motorhomes and long trailers, but I would want a knowledge course to hear how to do it, althought I already believe I could.
But many other drivers of CRVs with cellphones need to learn how to drive.
That does no apply to those riding on the shoulder, which is usually about 15 feet wide. I don't ride my bicycle faster than traffic on most roads, and that's why I stay to the right when I'm riding. Why isn't the interstate the same? I figure if you have all those wide open spaces which are common to Interstates, have at least two very wide lanes, and a very wide shoulder on each side of the road, and you can't check the side of the road before pulling off, then you shouldn't be driving a car. It's quite ridiculous, the laws we put up with. Here's another different Interstate story. I was driving home from my girlfriend's house late at night one night and I was very sleepy. At one point I actually dozed off while driving over a hill on the Interstate. Whoa!!! So, like a reasonable, intelligent driver, I immediately pulled off the road onto the shoulder, and wayyyy over to the right of the shoulder as I usually do. I fell asleep and woke to a cop banging on my window with a flashlight. He told me the shoulder was for emergencies only. I told him I fell asleep. He told me I should have driven up the road and found an exit. I said,"I was asleep! That's not an emergency???!!!" Moron...I have little respect for cops. What a bunch of morons. If I'd crashed trying to get to that exit they would have told the news,"He should have stopped and pulled over".
"How does what you say make what I said not true?"
Hey...just got in from a long day of funerals. To answer your question, I think I was replying to a remark that you made which said you cannot be cited for driving 20 miles an hour under the speed limit. I was using the bicycle law, which is the same law drivers use, that says if you are obstructing traffic you must move to the right to let drivers pass. This is why bicyclists ride (or should ride) to the right side of the road. They are usually riding slower than traffic. In driver's ed they told us bicyclists use the same traffic laws as automobiles do. They are treated as slow drivers.
Oh, certainly. I'll admit that there are plenty of things that I could stand to learn, as could all of us. I am sure I could drive a MH too, but it scares me that I could legally do so right now, with no training or proof of competence.
One thing I am perfecting now is back-in parking. Now that I live in an apt with underground parking, I am parking to protect my car, which means as close as I can against the concrete pillar bordering my spot. 8 times out of 10 now, I can whip it back and be within an inch of the mirror on the first try.
I am a cyclist...been doing it since 1979, have been a competitor since 1988, raced in about 200 races, and have ridden well over 100,000 miles. I had many reservations with cycling friends in Yorktown, Virginia whom I used to ride with. It's hard to talk to other riders when in single file so on the rural roads we'd usually double up (ride side-by-side) to talk and then when a car approached, the rear rider would yell up the line,"Car back!" The problem was, every time I'd yell (I rode in back a lot), the riders in my group would often ignore me or take their own sweet time to thin out. It really pissed me off and I addressed it a number of times to numb stares. I'm a driver too (we probably all are) and I told them they need to respect the drivers if they want to receive respect. I got little response. I almost missed my start time on a bicycle race once because my moron cyclist colleagues were warming up, eight-abreast! I couldn't get my car around them. I wanted to drive over them. It's very difficult to find good roads to ride on if you do 100-250 miles a week. This is partly why I complain to no end about cyclists not being allowed on Interstates. You have gigantic roads with lots of space that a cyclist could ride on, safely, even two or three abreast without getting in anyone's way. They could restrict it to rural interstates (I wouldn't want to ride on Interstate 64 through St. Louis anyway!). It could be restricted to a point...no races, for example, would be very reasonable. So now I am restricted to narrow roads with short lines of sight and drivers who sometimes drive as fast as they do on the interstate. If I was you I'd pass on the double line for a cyclist. You don't have to go completely into the oncoming traffic and you can get around a cyclist extremely fast, so I would say go for it. Since I'm hating cops right now, there's another pet peeve. I can see a cop giving you a ticket for passing a cyclist over a double line and yet ignoring people who speed like animals. My first ticket was for...get this...parking against the flow of traffic. It was in suburbia. Almost no traffic. What kind of moron cop is that bored??? I almost got a ticket for riding through a stop sign in Texas once...only thing is, I was riding on a large shoulder and turning right onto a road with a large shoulder and didn't even enter the intersection or cross the stop sign. The dumb cop wouldn't back down so I just let it go. He gave me a warning. Where is this moron when dangerous drivers are out? Eating doughnuts?
The average traffic cop should be watching for vehicles which look dangerous (instead of bothering people who quickly pull off to the side of the road because they fell asleep). I think this is where the discretion and attentiveness of a traffic cop comes in and he/she needs to pull those over.
I'm not sure I said it well when I backed up your point. I mean that a lot of the careless drivers on their cellphones, having fun in their car and inattentive are dangerous. They need a refresher course on driving methods and responsibilities. They would be the last ones to think so.
OTOH a lot of older drivers take an AAA and AARP course just to refresh themselves and maybe learn some places to be extra careful in how they drive where older people make more mistakes. And some don't realize their slowness is a hazard.
yesroh: It's very difficult to find good roads to ride on if you do 100-250 miles a week. This is partly why I complain to no end about cyclists not being allowed on Interstates. You have gigantic roads with lots of space that a cyclist could ride on, safely, even two or three abreast without getting in anyone's way. They could restrict it to rural interstates (I wouldn't want to ride on Interstate 64 through St. Louis anyway!). It could be restricted to a point...no races, for example, would be very reasonable. So now I am restricted to narrow roads with short lines of sight and drivers who sometimes drive as fast as they do on the interstate.
As someone who also enjoys bicycling, I disagree. Letting cyclists on interstates is a bad idea. At exit and entrance ramps...what happens when the cyclists are traveling on the shoulder, and a vehicle wants to either enter or leave the highway? Does the vehicle slow dramatically and wait for the cyclists to pass?
The last thing drivers need to face on limited access highways is a vehicle slowing to a crawl and waiting for the cyclists to clear the exit ramp entrance. Meanwhile, vehicular traffic is coming from behind at 70-80 mph.
Someone already addressed the safety issue, that being a bike going 20-30 MPH on a road where traffic is going at least 70 MPH. Even on the shoulder you still have to cross the flow of traffic as it enters and leaves the interstate. That is why there is a law that states a minimum speed on the interstate and a law that says vehicles that cannot maintain the speed cannot be on the interstate.
2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D
To answer your question, I think I was replying to a remark that you made which said you cannot be cited for driving 20 miles an hour under the speed limit.
Actually I said you CAN be cited for going under a posted minimum speed.
2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D
I'm not sure what you are talking about. The shoulder on my interstates I've seen is about 15 feet wide. You could put two cars on there side-by-side and still fit a bicycle there. If the cyclist stays on the shoulder and only enters the roadway when absolutely necessary I don't see any problem. There are some exit/entry ramps which would be tricky, but to categorically say 'no bicycles' is extremely narrow minded in my opinion. There were long stretches of interstate in Iowa which I used to ride on and never had to cross paths with another vehicle. In light of what I wrote earlier about my disdain of irresponsible, rude cyclists, I suppose it would depend on the maturity of the cyclist. I myself would have no problem with getting in anyone's way in a rural stretch of interstate. I know some states allowed cyclists on their interstates (as of 1986). On a rural stretch of Interstate (there are thousands of miles of these) a cyclist would hardly be noticed at all. Unless you have a large number of cyclists in a pack you'd hardly be noticed. The alternative is forcing us to ride narrow side roads where there is no room and we are a major obstruction.
An entrance/exit ramp would not have a minimum speed. You can't be doing 65 miles an hour when you enter and entrance ramp as well as you can't maintain 65 miles an hour all the way up an exit ramp. There are certain areas which might be tricky, and an experienced and aware cyclist could easily handle these. There are huge stretches of Interstate out there with hardly any traffic or entrance/exit ramps and bicycles are not allowed. I think that is very unrealistic. In a rural setting a bicycle would hardly be a problem. If a cyclist is stupid and gets in the way, he/she should be ticketed just like a motorist.
Today I was in the fintail, being tailgated by a CRV-type driver (i won't stereotype more, but you know what I mean) who was driving a Hyundai Tucson. She was tailgating because apparently I wasn't going too slow to get behind, yet not slow enough to pass (I was going maybe 5 over the limit, and was the only car on the 4 lane road). She had an aggravated look on her face as we got into an exit only lane...then at the last moment she realized she didn't want to be in that lane, and veered over. I hope she rolls the thing into a ditch. All I could do was shake my head at her glare. These little SUVs bring out the worst in some people, as larger SUVs do in others.
I think a lot of older people are as clueless about their lack of skill as younger phone blabbers. Riding with my grandpa was always an experience later in his life, and my dad is getting to the point where he just flirts with the limit now, traffic flow be damned (he's approaching 70). Kudos to those who take refresher courses on skill and responsibility - really, we all should. But they are a small minority.
An entrance/exit ramp would not have a minimum speed.
While techinqually true one would presume that at the time one enters the exit ramp from the interstate or enters the interstate from the entrance ramp one is going at least the speed limit. Most times I am doing the speed limit before I hit the end of the ramp and I sure as ..... don't want to slam on my brakes just because some guy on a bicycle decides to cross it as I am entering the interstate.
Its simple bikes are not allowed on interstate highways, mostly for safety reasons, deal with it.
2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D
I know better than to say anything about slow left lane drivers here, but some that I saw on 17 between San Jose and Santa Cruz take the cake. (It's a curvy two-lane-each-way highway with turns that have yellow "suggested speeds" of 40mph and 45mph.)
The worst were mostly pickup trucks. Some had a lot of stuff in the back - and one was shedding cardboard boxes into the left lane. Another had a giant dog walking around the bed at 55mph. Those weren't the slowest; some drivers were taking those turns at 30mph in the left lane.
All the passing on the way back (northwards) - and I'm not exaggerating - was on the right. The right lane had about 20% of the cars in some stretches.
The only drivers who I'll immediately condemn were the ones in the left lane with loaded trucks and unrestrained dogs. And the one with things falling out of his pickup bed... I can't think of many things more dangerous than that on a curvy, densely trafficked road.
Yes, but it's usually not a problem unless there is a strong wind which you are leaning into. Sometimes if there's a strong sidewind, you end up leaning the bicycle into it to balance. It's the only way to stop the bicycle from being pushed across the road. If a car passes the wind momentarily stops, causing the leaning bicycle to move one way or another. It's not necessarily a dangerous situation if you are experienced with riding. On an interstate it's never been a problem. For one thing, the shoulders are so wide you don't often feel the other vehicles and if you do, you have a lot of room to move. Also, the shoulders don't usually drop off into a ditch. This is another problem on narrow roads...the side of the road will sometimes drop off into a ditch so you absolutely cannot go off the road or you'll crash badly. The interstate is definitely safer than any two-lane road I've ever been on. I've been riding for 26+ years and I always seek out roads with wide shoulders and long lines of sight, like the interstate.
I still do not agree. A bicycle would be far less likely to enter the lane of traffic on an interstate than any other roadway. I have a divided highway near my house which is technically not an interstate but has the same qualities...an entrance ramp, dual lanes, and extremely wide shoulders. The only time I cross the traffic is when I do my turn-around to head back. I am not any more of an obstruction, actually, far, far less of an obstruction on that road than on any other road I ride. If you had to be going the speed limit to be on the shoulder, then you wouldn't be able to park on it. And how often do you cross the lane of traffic on an on/off ramp? In a rural area it would be quite doable to have cyclist on the interstate. If I come up to an entrance/exit ramp, I simply check to see the road is clear. At 20-30 miles an hour I can cross that lane in less than half a second. I think if the traffic authorities want to get that picky about their interstates they need to look at how much trouble their drivers are causing. They let drivers get away with crazy, wreckless, dangerous driving but are afraid a lone cyclist or two on a 20 pound bicycle, taking up about 1/11 of the space of a mid-size car on a huge shoulder which is rarely used will disrupt the harmony of their interstates. It's just not true. Frankly I'm getting tired of having to ride my bicycle around all the cars parked on the shoulder of the highway near my house. I wish they'd stop obstructing me. Of course...I'm loving the fact that gas prices are out of control and people are crying for mercy. I still ride a bicycle which uses no gas. Deal with it.
I think we're done with the bicycle discussion. Let's get back to talking about the cars please.
On that note... what is it about turn signals that people either don't use them, or leave them on??
I came to a stop sign today and there was a car approaching from my left. Residential neighborhood witha bunch of driveways and a side street not too far from the one I was on. I saw the car coming, and before he got to the first side street, he turned on his turn signal... but since he didn't slow down much, I waited. He passed the side street, passed 5 or 6 driveways, passed the street I was on, and turned into the second driveway past me.
While I'm appreciative of the attempt to signal his intention, it really didn't do any good except to freeze me in place while I tried to decipher what the heck he was going to do. After you've passed a half dozen place that you COULD have been signaling a turn for, *I'm* not going to beleieve that signal until your car actually turns off!
I'm silly enough that if I accidentally turn on my turn signal, I'll make the turn to try and avoid confusing folks.
Hi pf flyer: Be thankful your moron actually used his turn signals. Most morons rarely if ever use their turn signals, though I've seen several morons already in an "exit only" lane use their turn signals to let drivers behind them know that (with all due sarcastic tone) their lane was curving off the road. WHY NOT USE THE TURN SIGNAL WHEN CHANGING LANES AS YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO, NOT WHEN YOU'RE ALREADY IN A LANE???!!!?!&#%#$%$@^
Driving up and down the entire eastern coast it seems that Baltimore is the epicenter of this type of mronic turn signal usage, though I suppose it's better than the devout morons not using them at all, who are also prevalent in the Baltimore area.
Thanks for listening, AND for using your turn signals - properly. Deanie
I'm not sure there IS an epicenter for weird turn signal use... or any other type of bad behavior behind the wheel. Sure, there are differing styles of driving in different regions, but the inconsiderate drivers seem to be pretty universal. :P
When I was growing up in Pittsburgh, the standard line was that Ohio drivers were terrible. I'm sure people in Ohio said the same about PA drivers. Inconsiderate/clueless/just plain bad driving is universal, and probably always has been.
Now when you're talking about other countries, then things can be different. I'd hate to drive in Rome, for example.
to be in the US instead of some other countries. I have been watching reruns of the amazing race lately, and watching the taxis and buses in some of the countries, it makes our cities look sane.
Drivers don't take driving seriously. Police don't take driving seriously. They do lip service to traffic control and then you can see what they really think when a cop flies past you at 100 miles an hour with no siren or blinkers on. Most cops don't signal either, from what I've seen. Automakers advertise cars based on power and speed, far more than any reasonable person would need unless they wanted to grossly break the law. It's a society of speed and wreckless drivers and no one wants to spoil the party and say enough is enough. The biggest joke is the radar detector, a device which serves no other purpose but to allow a person to break the law and not be caught. There are no lawful uses of the automobile's radar detector, yet in many states they are still legal. This decreases the effectiveness of our traffic cops, allows dangerous drivers to more easily speed, and makes our lives more dangerous and causes us to spend more money on traffic control. Yet...they are still legal.
As I've said before, I'm a cyclist (I'll probably have this pulled because I said that). After riding for 26 years and knowing just how dangerous and automobile can be, I think I'm more sensitive to dangerous drivers. When I'm out there in my spandex, on my 20 pound bicycle, trying to get out of the way of the 3000-4000 pound steel projectile rushing past me, I've come to appreciate the fear of being hit. I think everyone could benefit from trying to ride a bicycle for a while. For people who never experience that, they will never appreciate just how dangerous an automobile can be until it's too late. If you pick up a cellphone and swerve only a foot, you can kill a person instantly. Is it worth it?
I agree. Some of us (including myself) obey traffic laws as well or better than most drivers. Unfortunately I have to put up with drivers who don't want me on the road, and don't like me because they had to deal with other cyclists who ride like they are still in Kindergarten. I hear ya. One bad cyclist puts us all in danger. I lived in eastern Virginia and the drivers there were pretty bad. However, in the area I did my cycling, I rarely ever had any problems on the bicycle. I was polite, the people saw me all the time, and the drivers seemed to respect the fact I was predictable and obeyed traffic laws. I got more grief from drivers when I was driving my car. Like everywhere else, people are offended if you don't want to exceed the speed limit for them so they don't get stuck behind you going the speed limit. How dare I obey the law!
Now I resent that inference that all Ohio drivers are terrible... In Ohio we always said it was the Indiana drivers... Do NEw Jersey drivers say PA drivers are all bad?
Most bicyclists also own cars, so they DO pay for the roads. The government got 25,000 miles worth of gas revenue from my car. If you ban cyclists you'll also have to ban walkers, runners, cats, dogs, etc... And if you want to really claim the road, you'd lose. Automobiles have only been terrorizing roads since the late 1800's. They really belong to walkers, horses, and cyclists since...ohhh...sometime before Christ. Forcing everyone to drive would be a racket to drum up more government revenue through increased gasoline usage and would do irrevocable damage to conservationists who actually do something to reduce fuel usage. But I think that's another forum. The problem with cars is the same problem we have with bicycles. People treat them as toys and don't respect the danger they are in and put others in when they operate them. Closed courses are worse. I stay off bicycle paths because the people on there are even worse than the cyclists on the road. It's anarchy. And unless the closed courses run parallel to the roads, commuting by bicycle would be nearly impossible. A bicycle takes up about 1/11 the amount of space as a car, and based on the traffic movement rates in some of the gridlocked cities, a traffic flow of bicycles would be able to move faster than automobiles. We take 1/11 of the space. I blame police for not enforcing the laws, just like they don't enforce laws for automobiles. I have very little respect for them. If you enforce the laws for the offenders, then the rest of the responsible public would not have the 'burden'.
I'm not sure there IS an epicenter for weird turn signal use... or any other type of bad behavior behind the wheel. Sure, there are differing styles of driving in different regions, but the inconsiderate drivers seem to be pretty universal.
Actually, Phoenix is the epicenter for red-light running. I'm not joking, Phoenix has the highest rate of red-light runners in the nation and it is far more dangerous than a missed turn signal. You would not believe the number of cars that will go through an obviously red light around here. I have seen up to 5, yes you heard that right 5 cars go through a red signal. That is both dangerous and rude! Not only could they get hit from some leadfoot they are crossing in front of, the are preventing people who have a green light from going and holding that traffic up.
There are no lawful uses of the automobile's radar detector, yet in many states they are still legal.
I disagree. As someone who has been ticketed for something I didn't do, sooner or later I will be getting a radar detector. There is nothing unlawful about knowing when a police officer is around you and knowing when you should be on your absolute best behavior.
I would also agree. Police have very wide discretionary power/s. This of course is good and bad. So in fact probable cause can really mean just about anything. In fact you can be stopped almost for ANY reason. Of course if the stop is really for not much, to make it look according to hoyle, they are free to find anything they want. Don't like it? See ya in court. Officers actually make more money testifying in court and probably get free donuts. This is much more gentel duty. Such beats facing real criminals. It also probably decreases the chances of getting shot at also. Needless to say if I were a cop, Id like court duty: make mine glazed.
Here's an easy example. You can be stopped for any and all of the below. Do you think a normal person can see the license plates at normal following distances? So can normal persons see the specific month tag? Also can the current years registration NUMBERs be seen? Do you as a motorist KNOW that tag number? I have 5 cars, do you really think I have each tag number memorized? Do you have a scratch on your car door? Bumper? Well you must have been involved in an accident?! Did you report it? What is the case number, etc. etc.
Just remember the Miranda drill. There is NO phrase that says " the truth will set you free" !? How that notion gets confused with "anything you say CAN and WILL be used against you in a court of law" is really beyond me.
Balderdash! This isn't the Soviet Union or even the Deep South during the Jim Crow era.
Radar detectors are for evading the law so you think you can get away with outrageous speeds.
If you keep within a reasonable range of the speed limit, you won't get stopped on the highway. Everyone knows this. Most places allow about 9 mph above the limit on the highway. You can even go faster if you're "going with the flow."
Small towns could be a different story, but any fool knows to obey speed limits in small towns if you are from out of state.
There are plenty of bigger fish to catch that are going well above 9 over at any given moment.
The only times I've been stopped were for doing something semi-suspicious. The first was in college when I borrowed a friend's Bug and did a practice run late at night to the local airport in Athens, GA to make sure I knew how to get there. (I was working a summer job at the Univ. of GA).
When I came back, I was doing some practice backing and turning in a UGA parking lot (at low speed), and when another car came along, I took off along what turned out to be a dead-end road on the campus. A security cop started following me, and when I turned around at the end of the road in another parking lot, he stopped me. I gave him some line about being from out of town (true) and not knowing my way around the campus (partly true). He asked for my license but not the car's registration. Good thing, because I don't even know if the latter was in the car!
The second time I was in a church parking lot after dark with the hood up and a flashlight trying to locate the source of an infernal clicking sound from the blower motor of my VW Rabbit. I thought it was a stuck leaf (later the blower motor burned out entirely; it was a bad relay). A local cop drove up and questioned me. I showed him my registration and told him what I was doing, so that was the end of that.
"but any fool knows to obey speed limits in small towns if you are from out of state" Doesn't that prove his point?
I quit using radar detectors after laser was introduced. My eyes seem to work better than my detectors ever did. They just give a false sense of security. To speed professionally you have to pay attention to your terrain. Don't crest hills or round blind corners to fast and you can usually drive quite quickly.
Balderdash! This isn't the Soviet Union or even the Deep South during the Jim Crow era.
Radar detectors are for evading the law so you think you can get away with outrageous speeds.
I'd say blather dash to your balderdash! I did not even remotely refer to the Soviet Union or deep south during the Jim Crow era.
Sure, I respect your opinion that YOU feel radar detectors are for evading the law etc. I would disagree. That is a bit like saying you have a car that can go over 55 mph and so your car is made and focused on going outrageous speeds etc.
Radar detectors in reality are a mixed bag. If one does not put its role in perspective it can be used as a crutch. The majority of the time my sight patterns and pictures are far ahead of what the radar detector can make me aware.
Of course they are worse than useless for a highway patrol without a radar gun!!!!
If anything if they were going to cut you a break, most will hand out the ticket on GP if you have a radar detector, while unfair, it is understandable from the officers point of view.
Every once in a while, I encounter a bicyclist driving on a rural or suburban road at night and without adequate reflector(s) or lights. This is very dangerous and inconsiderate to motorists. A motorist seeing the bicyclist at last instant may swerve ending up in opposing lane of the road. There have been instances over the years, reported in local newspaper, where night bicyclists have been killed or severely injured and the motorist is not at fault. The poor motorist then has to live with this tragedy over the years.
One wonders if bicyclists should be banned from riding at night on any public road. Come to think of it, perhaps bicyclists should be banned from any street or road with a speed limit higher than 25 MPH. Bicyclists and bicycle clubs can plan their routes on 25 MPH suburban or small town streets. If they have to go on a 30 MPH or higher speed road to transition to the next 25 MPH segment, they should walk their bikes on the shoulder or sidewalk and far off the pavement. Given all the discussion on this board about safety hazards presented by motorists going too slow on interstates, a bicyclist going 10-20 MPH on a 35, 45 or 55 MPH road is far more dangerous to all involved. They present a far greater hazard than a 15-20 MPH differential between motor vehicles on the interstate.
Not aware that bicyclists have to have a registration or license to drive on public roads. Bicyclists that use public roads don't pay any taxes (through bicycle ownership) such as fuel tax to enjoy the priviledge of using the road. Many states and communities spend taxpayer money to build bicycle paths for bicyclists for safety. This is primarily where the bicyclists should do their activity.
"I actually once saw someome do that and it irritated the heck out of me. I hate litterbugs. I followed from a distance and saw where they lived. I went there the next evening with my dog's refuse and promptly left it on their front porch with a note. I doubt they learned a lesson, but it sure made me feel better."
HAHAHAHHAHAH! I sure hope the person wasn't visiting the mother-in-law's house!!! :P
2018 Subaru Crosstrek, 2014 Audi Q7 TDI, 2013 Subaru Forester, 2013 Ford F250 Lariat D, 1976 Ford F250, 1969 Chevrolet C20, 1969 Ford Econoline 100
"Surprisingly enough talking to other RVers a motorhome is easier to drive than a truck pulling a travel trailer."
Absolutely. "Bumper" mounted trailers can be terribly dangerous if proper precautions are not followed, and even then they can cause problems in emergency situations. Class A motorhomes are wonderful to drive - the only requirement being that you have a good awareness of the size of the vehicle and its edges. I drove my father's 36' class A down a hillside residential neighborhood (one of those neighborhoods with one lane roads and cars parked on both sides. I needed to pick up a bunch of stored junk from a friend's house and ended up having to parallel park it when I arrived.... with about 24" of space front and back. I had no problem with it, but when I finally dismounted from the vehicle (I was 19 at the time), the owner of the BMW in front of my motorhome about fainted he was so certain I was going to crush his baby! He actually thanked me for driving the rig so well, then politely asked me not to bring it back.
While the stigma that RVs are often among the slower vehicles on the road is much deserved, the notion that they are driven by ill-prepared drivers is, for the most part, hogwash. Watch out for those oversized travel trailers though! :surprise:
2018 Subaru Crosstrek, 2014 Audi Q7 TDI, 2013 Subaru Forester, 2013 Ford F250 Lariat D, 1976 Ford F250, 1969 Chevrolet C20, 1969 Ford Econoline 100
There is a length limit. If I recall correctly, it is a combined total of 60'. While it would be appropriate to have a competency exam for such vehicles, I would estimate that 90% of primary RV drivers on the road today would pass. A lot of those rental RV drivers probably wouldn't though! :sick:
An exam doesn't test for responsibility, and that's the main problem with any licensed driver. Look at motorcycles and passenger cars... .they have an exam for that and yet we all see morons driving them irresponsibly every day....
2018 Subaru Crosstrek, 2014 Audi Q7 TDI, 2013 Subaru Forester, 2013 Ford F250 Lariat D, 1976 Ford F250, 1969 Chevrolet C20, 1969 Ford Econoline 100
So you only obey the law when a cop is around. When I was a child I only obeyed my mother when she was around. Then I grew up, saw the wisdom of her guidance, and behaived on my own.
Understand please I grew up in Indiana. My grad school roomie at Oxford used to talk about how Indiana drivers were just like SW Ohio drivers only more so! Some of the rural folks on both sides of the border hadn't realized turnsignals and gas pedals had a purpose.
I've been driving for 19 years. I was never pulled over for doing the speed limit. I don't know what town you all live in but as someone else said, they have better things to do than to try and trump up a charge on an innocent motorist. They would have no problem at all finding speeders in my town. I don't have a radar detector. I don't need one. If I am speeding and I'm pulled over I will admit my wrong doing, pay the ticket like an adult, and move on. I have my self respect.
Power isn't used SOLELY for exceeding the speed limit. In some states the speed limit is 70 or 75 miles an hour. It takes power to accelerate and merge into traffic that is going 75 miles an hour. If you are doing it with a full car load or driving up a hill it takes even more. A radar detector in an automobile has no other function but evading the law.
I've been up to over 51 miles an hour on my bicycle. 25 is too low. I also have lights on my bicycle so powerful that I sometimes get flashed by other drivers at night because my headlight is so bright.
If I use your logic, automobiles need to be banned from the road. Think of how many automobiles kill people. They also pollute.
They drive like they're in NYC during rush hour, zigging and zagging to get ahead in traffic, not using their signals, cutting you off...only think is, where I live, you aren't in a big city. It's a medium sized city (118,000 people). It's called Evansville, Indiana. Avoid it unless you want to see what happened to Jethro and Elly Mae.
Comments
Maybe so, but what about for a travel trailer, 5th wheel, truck camper.........where does it end? Surprisingly enough talking to other RVers a motorhome is easier to drive than a truck pulling a travel trailer.
If you look around at the travel trailers being pulled you would be SHOCKED to see what some people will hook together. I saw a Silverado SS hooked to about a 22' Extreme toyhauler, the poor SS was on its back tires, every bump just about sent the front end off the ground, I don't think the guy made it above 25 mph.
TTs are notorious for sway and an inexperienced driver can cause a major wreck by not knowing what to do. Thankfully our truck and TT are fairly well matched, they sit level and pull beautifully, but we also paid attention to what we bought, ran the numbers, and didn't just take the dealer's word for it. We aren't even very long when compared to some of the other RVers out there........I think our total length truck and trailer is around 48' or so. Still makes getting into some campgrounds a challange.
I once saw an Exploder towing some huge boat, same deal - front wheels were almost off the ground. I felt sorry for the thing.
Don't you agree that many other drivers also could use driving courses? I believe many people like myself could drive motorhomes and long trailers, but I would want a knowledge course to hear how to do it, althought I already believe I could.
But many other drivers of CRVs with cellphones need to learn how to drive.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
Here's another different Interstate story. I was driving home from my girlfriend's house late at night one night and I was very sleepy. At one point I actually dozed off while driving over a hill on the Interstate. Whoa!!!
So, like a reasonable, intelligent driver, I immediately pulled off the road onto the shoulder, and wayyyy over to the right of the shoulder as I usually do. I fell asleep and woke to a cop banging on my window with a flashlight. He told me the shoulder was for emergencies only. I told him I fell asleep. He told me I should have driven up the road and found an exit. I said,"I was asleep! That's not an emergency???!!!" Moron...I have little respect for cops. What a bunch of morons. If I'd crashed trying to get to that exit they would have told the news,"He should have stopped and pulled over".
Hey...just got in from a long day of funerals.
To answer your question, I think I was replying to a remark that you made which said you cannot be cited for driving 20 miles an hour under the speed limit. I was using the bicycle law, which is the same law drivers use, that says if you are obstructing traffic you must move to the right to let drivers pass. This is why bicyclists ride (or should ride) to the right side of the road. They are usually riding slower than traffic. In driver's ed they told us bicyclists use the same traffic laws as automobiles do. They are treated as slow drivers.
One thing I am perfecting now is back-in parking. Now that I live in an apt with underground parking, I am parking to protect my car, which means as close as I can against the concrete pillar bordering my spot. 8 times out of 10 now, I can whip it back and be within an inch of the mirror on the first try.
It's very difficult to find good roads to ride on if you do 100-250 miles a week. This is partly why I complain to no end about cyclists not being allowed on Interstates. You have gigantic roads with lots of space that a cyclist could ride on, safely, even two or three abreast without getting in anyone's way. They could restrict it to rural interstates (I wouldn't want to ride on Interstate 64 through St. Louis anyway!). It could be restricted to a point...no races, for example, would be very reasonable. So now I am restricted to narrow roads with short lines of sight and drivers who sometimes drive as fast as they do on the interstate.
If I was you I'd pass on the double line for a cyclist. You don't have to go completely into the oncoming traffic and you can get around a cyclist extremely fast, so I would say go for it.
Since I'm hating cops right now, there's another pet peeve. I can see a cop giving you a ticket for passing a cyclist over a double line and yet ignoring people who speed like animals. My first ticket was for...get this...parking against the flow of traffic. It was in suburbia. Almost no traffic. What kind of moron cop is that bored??? I almost got a ticket for riding through a stop sign in Texas once...only thing is, I was riding on a large shoulder and turning right onto a road with a large shoulder and didn't even enter the intersection or cross the stop sign. The dumb cop wouldn't back down so I just let it go. He gave me a warning. Where is this moron when dangerous drivers are out? Eating doughnuts?
OTOH a lot of older drivers take an AAA and AARP course just to refresh themselves and maybe learn some places to be extra careful in how they drive where older people make more mistakes. And some don't realize their slowness is a hazard.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
As someone who also enjoys bicycling, I disagree. Letting cyclists on interstates is a bad idea. At exit and entrance ramps...what happens when the cyclists are traveling on the shoulder, and a vehicle wants to either enter or leave the highway? Does the vehicle slow dramatically and wait for the cyclists to pass?
The last thing drivers need to face on limited access highways is a vehicle slowing to a crawl and waiting for the cyclists to clear the exit ramp entrance. Meanwhile, vehicular traffic is coming from behind at 70-80 mph.
Someone already addressed the safety issue, that being a bike going 20-30 MPH on a road where traffic is going at least 70 MPH. Even on the shoulder you still have to cross the flow of traffic as it enters and leaves the interstate. That is why there is a law that states a minimum speed on the interstate and a law that says vehicles that cannot maintain the speed cannot be on the interstate.
2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D
Actually I said you CAN be cited for going under a posted minimum speed.
2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D
There are some exit/entry ramps which would be tricky, but to categorically say 'no bicycles' is extremely narrow minded in my opinion. There were long stretches of interstate in Iowa which I used to ride on and never had to cross paths with another vehicle.
In light of what I wrote earlier about my disdain of irresponsible, rude cyclists, I suppose it would depend on the maturity of the cyclist. I myself would have no problem with getting in anyone's way in a rural stretch of interstate. I know some states allowed cyclists on their interstates (as of 1986). On a rural stretch of Interstate (there are thousands of miles of these) a cyclist would hardly be noticed at all. Unless you have a large number of cyclists in a pack you'd hardly be noticed. The alternative is forcing us to ride narrow side roads where there is no room and we are a major obstruction.
There are certain areas which might be tricky, and an experienced and aware cyclist could easily handle these. There are huge stretches of Interstate out there with hardly any traffic or entrance/exit ramps and bicycles are not allowed. I think that is very unrealistic. In a rural setting a bicycle would hardly be a problem. If a cyclist is stupid and gets in the way, he/she should be ticketed just like a motorist.
I think a lot of older people are as clueless about their lack of skill as younger phone blabbers. Riding with my grandpa was always an experience later in his life, and my dad is getting to the point where he just flirts with the limit now, traffic flow be damned (he's approaching 70). Kudos to those who take refresher courses on skill and responsibility - really, we all should. But they are a small minority.
And in small cars, whenever I pass or am passed by a larger vehicle, I get buffetted around a bit. Do bicycles suffer the same effect?
While techinqually true one would presume that at the time one enters the exit ramp from the interstate or enters the interstate from the entrance ramp one is going at least the speed limit. Most times I am doing the speed limit before I hit the end of the ramp and I sure as ..... don't want to slam on my brakes just because some guy on a bicycle decides to cross it as I am entering the interstate.
Its simple bikes are not allowed on interstate highways, mostly for safety reasons, deal with it.
2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D
The worst were mostly pickup trucks. Some had a lot of stuff in the back - and one was shedding cardboard boxes into the left lane. Another had a giant dog walking around the bed at 55mph. Those weren't the slowest; some drivers were taking those turns at 30mph in the left lane.
All the passing on the way back (northwards) - and I'm not exaggerating - was on the right. The right lane had about 20% of the cars in some stretches.
The only drivers who I'll immediately condemn were the ones in the left lane with loaded trucks and unrestrained dogs. And the one with things falling out of his pickup bed... I can't think of many things more dangerous than that on a curvy, densely trafficked road.
The interstate is definitely safer than any two-lane road I've ever been on. I've been riding for 26+ years and I always seek out roads with wide shoulders and long lines of sight, like the interstate.
If I come up to an entrance/exit ramp, I simply check to see the road is clear. At 20-30 miles an hour I can cross that lane in less than half a second. I think if the traffic authorities want to get that picky about their interstates they need to look at how much trouble their drivers are causing. They let drivers get away with crazy, wreckless, dangerous driving but are afraid a lone cyclist or two on a 20 pound bicycle, taking up about 1/11 of the space of a mid-size car on a huge shoulder which is rarely used will disrupt the harmony of their interstates. It's just not true. Frankly I'm getting tired of having to ride my bicycle around all the cars parked on the shoulder of the highway near my house. I wish they'd stop obstructing me.
Of course...I'm loving the fact that gas prices are out of control and people are crying for mercy. I still ride a bicycle which uses no gas. Deal with it.
On that note... what is it about turn signals that people either don't use them, or leave them on??
I came to a stop sign today and there was a car approaching from my left. Residential neighborhood witha bunch of driveways and a side street not too far from the one I was on. I saw the car coming, and before he got to the first side street, he turned on his turn signal... but since he didn't slow down much, I waited. He passed the side street, passed 5 or 6 driveways, passed the street I was on, and turned into the second driveway past me.
While I'm appreciative of the attempt to signal his intention, it really didn't do any good except to freeze me in place while I tried to decipher what the heck he was going to do. After you've passed a half dozen place that you COULD have been signaling a turn for, *I'm* not going to beleieve that signal until your car actually turns off!
I'm silly enough that if I accidentally turn on my turn signal, I'll make the turn to try and avoid confusing folks.
Be thankful your moron actually used his turn signals. Most morons rarely if ever use their turn signals, though I've seen several morons already in an "exit only" lane use their turn signals to let drivers behind them know that (with all due sarcastic tone) their lane was curving off the road. WHY NOT USE THE TURN SIGNAL WHEN CHANGING LANES AS YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO, NOT WHEN YOU'RE ALREADY IN A LANE???!!!?!&#%#$%$@^
Driving up and down the entire eastern coast it seems that Baltimore is the epicenter of this type of mronic turn signal usage, though I suppose it's better than the devout morons not using them at all, who are also prevalent in the Baltimore area.
Thanks for listening, AND for using your turn signals - properly.
Deanie
When I was growing up in Pittsburgh, the standard line was that Ohio drivers were terrible. I'm sure people in Ohio said the same about PA drivers. Inconsiderate/clueless/just plain bad driving is universal, and probably always has been.
Now when you're talking about other countries, then things can be different. I'd hate to drive in Rome, for example.
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
Police don't take driving seriously. They do lip service to traffic control and then you can see what they really think when a cop flies past you at 100 miles an hour with no siren or blinkers on. Most cops don't signal either, from what I've seen.
Automakers advertise cars based on power and speed, far more than any reasonable person would need unless they wanted to grossly break the law. It's a society of speed and wreckless drivers and no one wants to spoil the party and say enough is enough. The biggest joke is the radar detector, a device which serves no other purpose but to allow a person to break the law and not be caught. There are no lawful uses of the automobile's radar detector, yet in many states they are still legal. This decreases the effectiveness of our traffic cops, allows dangerous drivers to more easily speed, and makes our lives more dangerous and causes us to spend more money on traffic control. Yet...they are still legal.
After riding for 26 years and knowing just how dangerous and automobile can be, I think I'm more sensitive to dangerous drivers. When I'm out there in my spandex, on my 20 pound bicycle, trying to get out of the way of the 3000-4000 pound steel projectile rushing past me, I've come to appreciate the fear of being hit. I think everyone could benefit from trying to ride a bicycle for a while.
For people who never experience that, they will never appreciate just how dangerous an automobile can be until it's too late. If you pick up a cellphone and swerve only a foot, you can kill a person instantly. Is it worth it?
I lived in eastern Virginia and the drivers there were pretty bad. However, in the area I did my cycling, I rarely ever had any problems on the bicycle. I was polite, the people saw me all the time, and the drivers seemed to respect the fact I was predictable and obeyed traffic laws.
I got more grief from drivers when I was driving my car. Like everywhere else, people are offended if you don't want to exceed the speed limit for them so they don't get stuck behind you going the speed limit. How dare I obey the law!
Now I resent that inference that all Ohio drivers are terrible...
In Ohio we always said it was the Indiana drivers...
Do NEw Jersey drivers say PA drivers are all bad?
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
And if you want to really claim the road, you'd lose. Automobiles have only been terrorizing roads since the late 1800's. They really belong to walkers, horses, and cyclists since...ohhh...sometime before Christ. Forcing everyone to drive would be a racket to drum up more government revenue through increased gasoline usage and would do irrevocable damage to conservationists who actually do something to reduce fuel usage. But I think that's another forum.
The problem with cars is the same problem we have with bicycles. People treat them as toys and don't respect the danger they are in and put others in when they operate them.
Closed courses are worse. I stay off bicycle paths because the people on there are even worse than the cyclists on the road. It's anarchy. And unless the closed courses run parallel to the roads, commuting by bicycle would be nearly impossible. A bicycle takes up about 1/11 the amount of space as a car, and based on the traffic movement rates in some of the gridlocked cities, a traffic flow of bicycles would be able to move faster than automobiles. We take 1/11 of the space.
I blame police for not enforcing the laws, just like they don't enforce laws for automobiles. I have very little respect for them. If you enforce the laws for the offenders, then the rest of the responsible public would not have the 'burden'.
Actually, Phoenix is the epicenter for red-light running. I'm not joking, Phoenix has the highest rate of red-light runners in the nation and it is far more dangerous than a missed turn signal. You would not believe the number of cars that will go through an obviously red light around here. I have seen up to 5, yes you heard that right 5 cars go through a red signal. That is both dangerous and rude! Not only could they get hit from some leadfoot they are crossing in front of, the are preventing people who have a green light from going and holding that traffic up.
I disagree. As someone who has been ticketed for something I didn't do, sooner or later I will be getting a radar detector. There is nothing unlawful about knowing when a police officer is around you and knowing when you should be on your absolute best behavior.
Here's an easy example. You can be stopped for any and all of the below. Do you think a normal person can see the license plates at normal following distances? So can normal persons see the specific month tag? Also can the current years registration NUMBERs be seen? Do you as a motorist KNOW that tag number? I have 5 cars, do you really think I have each tag number memorized? Do you have a scratch on your car door? Bumper? Well you must have been involved in an accident?! Did you report it? What is the case number, etc. etc.
Just remember the Miranda drill. There is NO phrase that says " the truth will set you free" !? How that notion gets confused with "anything you say CAN and WILL be used against you in a court of law" is really beyond me.
Radar detectors are for evading the law so you think you can get away with outrageous speeds.
If you keep within a reasonable range of the speed limit, you won't get stopped on the highway. Everyone knows this. Most places allow about 9 mph above the limit on the highway. You can even go faster if you're "going with the flow."
Small towns could be a different story, but any fool knows to obey speed limits in small towns if you are from out of state.
There are plenty of bigger fish to catch that are going well above 9 over at any given moment.
The only times I've been stopped were for doing something semi-suspicious. The first was in college when I borrowed a friend's Bug and did a practice run late at night to the local airport in Athens, GA to make sure I knew how to get there. (I was working a summer job at the Univ. of GA).
When I came back, I was doing some practice backing and turning in a UGA parking lot (at low speed), and when another car came along, I took off along what turned out to be a dead-end road on the campus. A security cop started following me, and when I turned around at the end of the road in another parking lot, he stopped me. I gave him some line about being from out of town (true) and not knowing my way around the campus (partly true). He asked for my license but not the car's registration. Good thing, because I don't even know if the latter was in the car!
The second time I was in a church parking lot after dark with the hood up and a flashlight trying to locate the source of an infernal clicking sound from the blower motor of my VW Rabbit. I thought it was a stuck leaf (later the blower motor burned out entirely; it was a bad relay). A local cop drove up and questioned me. I showed him my registration and told him what I was doing, so that was the end of that.
Doesn't that prove his point?
I quit using radar detectors after laser was introduced. My eyes seem to work better than my detectors ever did. They just give a false sense of security. To speed professionally you have to pay attention to your terrain. Don't crest hills or round blind corners to fast and you can usually drive quite quickly.
Radar detectors are for evading the law so you think you can get away with outrageous speeds.
I'd say blather dash to your balderdash! I did not even remotely refer to the Soviet Union or deep south during the Jim Crow era.
Sure, I respect your opinion that YOU feel radar detectors are for evading the law etc. I would disagree. That is a bit like saying you have a car that can go over 55 mph and so your car is made and focused on going outrageous speeds etc.
So do you have a car that can exceed 55 mph?
Of course they are worse than useless for a highway patrol without a radar gun!!!!
If anything if they were going to cut you a break, most will hand out the ticket on GP if you have a radar detector, while unfair, it is understandable from the officers point of view.
One wonders if bicyclists should be banned from riding at night on any public road. Come to think of it, perhaps bicyclists should be banned from any street or road with a speed limit higher than 25 MPH. Bicyclists and bicycle clubs can plan their routes on 25 MPH suburban or small town streets. If they have to go on a 30 MPH or higher speed road to transition to the next 25 MPH segment, they should walk their bikes on the shoulder or sidewalk and far off the pavement. Given all the discussion on this board about safety hazards presented by motorists going too slow on interstates, a bicyclist going 10-20 MPH on a 35, 45 or 55 MPH road is far more dangerous to all involved. They present a far greater hazard than a 15-20 MPH differential between motor vehicles on the interstate.
Not aware that bicyclists have to have a registration or license to drive on public roads. Bicyclists that use public roads don't pay any taxes (through bicycle ownership) such as fuel tax to enjoy the priviledge of using the road. Many states and communities spend taxpayer money to build bicycle paths for bicyclists for safety. This is primarily where the bicyclists should do their activity.
HAHAHAHHAHAH! I sure hope the person wasn't visiting the mother-in-law's house!!! :P
Absolutely. "Bumper" mounted trailers can be terribly dangerous if proper precautions are not followed, and even then they can cause problems in emergency situations. Class A motorhomes are wonderful to drive - the only requirement being that you have a good awareness of the size of the vehicle and its edges. I drove my father's 36' class A down a hillside residential neighborhood (one of those neighborhoods with one lane roads and cars parked on both sides. I needed to pick up a bunch of stored junk from a friend's house and ended up having to parallel park it when I arrived.... with about 24" of space front and back. I had no problem with it, but when I finally dismounted from the vehicle (I was 19 at the time), the owner of the BMW in front of my motorhome about fainted he was so certain I was going to crush his baby! He actually thanked me for driving the rig so well, then politely asked me not to bring it back.
While the stigma that RVs are often among the slower vehicles on the road is much deserved, the notion that they are driven by ill-prepared drivers is, for the most part, hogwash. Watch out for those oversized travel trailers though! :surprise:
An exam doesn't test for responsibility, and that's the main problem with any licensed driver. Look at motorcycles and passenger cars... .they have an exam for that and yet we all see morons driving them irresponsibly every day....
I agree.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
I was never pulled over for doing the speed limit. I don't know what town you all live in but as someone else said, they have better things to do than to try and trump up a charge on an innocent motorist. They would have no problem at all finding speeders in my town. I don't have a radar detector. I don't need one. If I am speeding and I'm pulled over I will admit my wrong doing, pay the ticket like an adult, and move on. I have my self respect.
A radar detector in an automobile has no other function but evading the law.
I also have lights on my bicycle so powerful that I sometimes get flashed by other drivers at night because my headlight is so bright.
If I use your logic, automobiles need to be banned from the road. Think of how many automobiles kill people. They also pollute.