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CA state law firmly states that the only folks that can enforce the law ARE sworn officers, specifically highway patrol, sheriff, etc etc.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
A couple of times.
Some of us are great for our insurance companies - 20+ years without a claim, but rates that go up because of the occasional speeding ticket. And I already know that I control that by driving slower, just an observation on my part.
About driving in and out of lanes I saw a guy once in his 96-97 Accord who was in the same pack of traffic with me once. This guy was trying to pass every car. The funny thing was is he would only be like one or two cars in front me each time he passed a car either in the right lane or left lane. I don't know what people's problems are sometimes. I saw this girl in her 01-02 Honda Civic Coupe once came onto the roadway than she tries to pass every car and she's not moving anywhere that I'm not moving. Like the 96-97 Accord driver she wasn't gaining that much ground in the pack of traffic I was in. I was in the left lane and she was weaving in and out of traffic. All this was weaving in and was on RT 22(2-3 lanes of that section of the road.)
I don't get people don't try to weave in and out. Just go with the faster lane. In most cases its the left lane that is moving faster. If somebody is moving at 50 mph and the person in the slow lane is miving about 40 mph stay behind the 50 mph person. Don't try to weave in and out and pass both. You can get somebody killed.
I wonder if the bright xenon lights irritated him. I find they bother me even though both cars have the auto dimming mirror. The old type that just used the surface reflection for the night setting cut the light down more.
If you were in the left lane, your low beams are aimed slightly to the right to avoid blinding oncoming cars. Thus your low beams may have been aimed into the mirrors of someone in the middle lane. If you had a load in the trunk, or your lights are up a little, the xenons are very irritating, from behind or oncoming...
Another irritating light is the jaguars and auroras with those bright lights to the rear meant for fog. I just turn my high beams on from behind and hope it irrirates the heck out of them, since those bright lights are aimed back at me.
I just saw another car last night with built in brighter rear running lights that are irritating. It might have been a maxima. The light is a part of the rear running, turn cluster.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
Recently, I was driving on I-95 on a dark and rainy morning, and I ended up running over some piece of debris that I never saw and got a blowout. What was really maddening about it was that it was my third flat tire in a little over a year. And I only drive about 7,000 miles a year, so it's not like I'm tearing up the roads.
The other two flats were slow leaks that came from running over nails, and I was able to patch them. But the blowout forced me to get a whole new tire.
Another time, a stray muffler in the road punctured the spot where my oil was stored, and I had to keep putting more oil into my car just to get it to the mechanic without burning out the whole engine.
I wish people would keep their cars in better order to prevent this stuff from being all over the road.
I don't think he's "bullying" people driving in the left lane if they are not passing anybody, and are blocking the lane. Lack of lane discipline is a big detriment to safety on the roads, in my opinion, and these people don't have a right to impose their choices on other people.
Making multiple lane changes in and out of the left lane just so a few people who speed excessively can travel without the lower class interefering with their right to use the autobahn lane is a danger. I agree with that also. Trying to travel in the left lane and having to change in and out of the middle lane, each time adjusting my speed to the middle lane is a hazard.
Seriously, how the person uses that left lane has a lot to do with the reaction of the car that they label as LLC that may be going a bit over the limit and passing middle-laners. You run up behind me at 85 as if you're going to hit me, flash youf signal stalk brights (a favorite of past BMWs) demanding 'your lane' gets a negative on quicker than safe reaction. You come up and moderate as you get within 500 feet or 300 or 200 and clearly move up safely, I'll look for the quick place in the middle lane or I speed up a couple and get to a place -- if traffic in the two right lanes is not filled up.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
If they're coming up fast behind me and I'm not in the leftmost lane and I'm already going at the limit or beyond, I will do nothing with the expectation that they should pass me on the left.
If someone comes up behind me, maintains a safe following distance but flashes me, I'll get out of the way.
If someone comes up behind me right up to my bumper at 70mph with a car in front of me and cars to the side of me, I'll tap the brakes to slow down and put more space between me and the car in front of me, so that if the car in front of me brakes I'll have more time to slow down gracefully and reduce the risk of Mr. Tailgater rear-ending me. Usually Mr. Tailgator interprets this as vengeance or mind games but that's really his problem... my problem is my paranoia about interstate pileups after having been in a couple so I take following distances very seriously.
I think it's important to show consideration where possible. However I think it's equally important for all parties to understand that no driver has a *right* to drive faster than the legally posted limit just because he or she feels like it, and if the driver has a problem with that limit, he should take up his angst and frustration with his local publically elected officials--NOT with fellow drivers who drive at the limit.
I also have absolutely no interest in showing any level of consideration or generosity to people who tailgate. If you want to speed, flash your lights. If you want to speed, change lanes. If you want to speed, write to your congressman or congresswoman. Don't ride someone's bumper (especially with no regard to the traffic in front of the person you're harassing) and risk the lives of others. It's an ugly situation for all parties involved when Mr. Tailgator discovers that his brakes weren't as good as those of the car in front of him.
The worst is when you see some big SUV within a car length of a Porsche 911 at highway speeds. "Stupidity is an elemental force for which no earthquake is a match."
It's eerie to think that some people subconsciously are valuing the expediancy of their trip to the mall more than they value the life of their son or daughter.
The light up ahead is red, and you slow down, flash the person waiting to get out of a driveway to move out, again without coming to a stop, and the guy behind gets on the horn? - WHY?
The little old lady is an optimist, so she was sure she could make it across when she stepped off the curb. Light changes, and she's caught out there. You stop, and toss the flashers on. The bonehead pulls around you, gives you the finger/horn combo, and blasts off to wait for you at the next light. WHY?
The right lane is usually much slower with trucks and autos.
Notice I'm not going the speed limit, usually 5-9 over.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
As to the right lane, here it's usually trucks at 60 and cars with them. The middle and left lanes are occasionally used by trucks for passing and speeding above their 55 limit.
I believe different traffic patterns in different parts of the country may give me different perception of this problem than others see.
In MI away from Detroit, the two lane interstates work well. The drivers on MI 23 expect to move ahead out of the left lane when anyone shows up behind them. They give an out-of-stater or slower LLC about 30 seconds to check the mirror and move on, then they budge closer but politely do it. I've learned to like driving in nonDetroit Michigan.
In Ohio at vacation times some of those same drivers become the evil twin and drive much more rudely here and on south through KY and TN.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
mark156
ny54016 - re the buick, probably what you are driving has something to do with it. others are jealous.
imi - isn't the speed limit in mi 75 on some highways? other states are slower, so the same speed you are used to driving in mi, may be way over the limit in other states. the other drivers are not used to driving at that speed. imo.
Problem is people with that attitude, those who will notice you there and move over when you approach slowly and stop way back and wait patiently, are in the minority. Sorry, it just does not happen that way. Normnally your average driver just isn't paying that much attention to what's going on behind him. If nothing surprising or drastic is happening behind them, they're ignoring what's going on back there. If you play Mr. Nice guy and slow down to their speed and wait 5 car lengths back, they dont even realize you're there or if they do, they see that you're not doing anything out of the ordinary and assume that must mean you have no desire to pass and you're perfectly happy to be stuck behind them doing 54mph as traffic piles up behind you. So they dont move over until you get rude about it and make them despise you.
Today coming back from the King of PRussia mall I noticed an interesting phenomenon. I come up beind
A VW PAssat doing about 54-55 in the left lane almost perfectly matching speed with the car next to him, with no car in front of him for at least a quarter mile. So I do tried my 'wait patiently' bit and of course he does absolutely nothing. Finally after awhile he edged past the car to his right and left just enough of a gap that I could fit through and pass on the right. But of course he was not moving over and allowing me to do things the easy way.
So I made my pass on the right, got in front of him, and all of a sudden once I got in front of him in the left lane I decided I felt like going maybe 3-5 mph slower than him. So I gradually slowed to about 50 mph. I mean, by most peoples' logic here, I was perfectly within my rights since according to some theories as long as you're not breaking the speed limit you can sit in the left lane all day if you feel like it.
And surprisingly, the guy gets mad at me and starts making angry gestures with that bewildered 'why would you do a thing like thaT?' look on his face. Im just honestly trying to figure out what justification he had for being mad. HE obviously felt he had no need to move over since he was obeying the speed limit, and I made the same assumption that if it was OK for him to do that then he wouldn't mind if I was in front of him going just a tiny bit slower than he was, that he'd just happily signal and pass me on the right or slow down to match my speed. But for some reason even though he didn't mind doing it to others he didn't seem to like being on the receiving end of Left Lane Blocking.
If so, been there.
Was the speed limit 65 or 55 where you met the VW.
2 or 3 lane road?
If you're talking Philly, there I found drivers to be above average in courtesy last summer. (No I didn't LLC.)
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
Unfortunately, there are many drivers out there:
1) who are simply oblivious and don't pay attention to how they can be considerate to others given a particular traffic scenario. My dad would be one of these, though surprise surprise, he is actually getting better despite his age.
2) who are so bitter and cynical that they have given up on expending any energy or effort towards helping others on the road. I know a couple of these people too. They just plow ahead and totally ignore everyone else as if they have blinders on. Are there five cars about to merge from the right who would greatly appreciate your lane change? Who cares; I don't even see them...
I hope I never allow myself to slip into either of these catagories.
Keep right EXCEPT to PASS.
Slower traffic keep right.
It is more like: Keep left EXCEPT these are the following exceptions...
ME slow? I keep left! ...
It's not as easy to merge into and out of the middle lane when there is a medium amount to large amount of traffic on a 3-lane interstate.
That requires making a lane change, risk of overlooking someone, using turn signals to do so safely, adjusting speed to middle lane speed, trying not to irritate the middle lane driver in front of whom you just moved, eliminating their safe following distance.
Yeah, everyone ought to get out of that leftlane so the people who own it should be able to use it without bothering with driving their vehicle, like following distance, speed, etc.
The attitude that "everyone else keep right" so the high-speeders can use their lane is why I keep the area Ohio State Patrol numbers in my Onstar and cellphone.
Come on! You're supposed to share the highway.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
or maybe their kid is wailing high enough to knock one's senses out. It happens, like a kid saying "Momma, i have to go to the bathroom" right on the middle of I-95. What happens next? Bam!!! momma is speeding and weaving trying to get to the first exit.
I think if peeing by the roadside was made legal, as it is in many countries, these kind of incidents would be reduced.
A good reason why high-speeders should use the right lanes!! There is a certain utility to most folks keeping left!
BTW, anybody ever see "Rat Race"? There was a funny, if nasty scene in it with Jon Lovitz and his family in a minivan, one of the kids screaming that she had to go to the bathroom, and him refusing to stop.
If it is not, YaY!!!!
Ah... you're probably right... either I was imagining things or he was off his rocker...LOL
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We gotta keep this quiet. IVe been using the right lane to sneak past slow poke LLCs for a few years now whenever the opportunity happens to arise. My biggest fear is after awhile the Left lane campers will figure out how IVe been sneaking past and start moving into the far right lanes to continue making my life more difficult.
"Come on! You're supposed to share the highway."
Go tell that to the selfish left lane campers who want to impose their own speed on me.
Yeah, everyone ought to get out of that leftlane so the people who own it should be able to use it without bothering with driving their vehicle, like following distance, speed, etc."
I don't get it - you end by saying that people who want to use the left lane for passing slower traffic are trying to "not bother" with driving - do you really think it takes less skill to drive faster rather than slower? Of course you have to pay attention to following distance etc, not to mention looking out for the person who suddenly pulls out to make a pass without looking first. And before this ending you point out how "challenging" changing from left to middle apparently is - that using turn signal, glance right thing is a killer!
I appreciate when people allow you to enter into traffic from a parking lot, onramp when traffic is slow etc, and signal/wave my hand as a thanks to them.
For all right lane passers- I do it too, so I guess it is becoming less of a secret
Mark
These sound like the normal challenges involved in driving a car. If you're too lazy to be willing to do these things every now and then maybe you shouldn't be driving.
These sound like the normal challenges involved in driving a car. If you're too lazy to be willing to do these things every now and then maybe you shouldn't be driving. "
I would agree! Also it is one good, of many good reasons why the law stipulates keep right except to pass and or slower traffic keep right.
I think also that LLCing serves as a defacto speed limiter. I bet if one looks at the ratio of tickets given for speeding vs LLCing, the numbers and ratio and % would be FAR weighted in favor of speeding tickets.
Also there is a decided lack as to statistics of the fatalities and injury and collision loss due to LLCing! So in the eyes of the enforcers of the law LLCing is almost a non issue.
Here is an easy one. In CA the law stipulates that if you go so slow as to impede traffic, keeping 5 cars impeded is the legal signal for having to use a turnout! So how many folks do you think get ticketed for this offense? I bet % wise it is insignifcant, even though it is done every day all across America.
I see LLCs. They bug me. It happens. Sometimes I'm even held up by them twice a week.
However, today, on the way to work in the rain driving (in spite of that) at the speed limit in the second-from-the-right lane on a four lane 70mph highway, I was tailgated by THREE separate trucks. THREE. In one 30 minute drive. There were cars in front of me (which the various truck/SUV drivers could see since my car is so low), there were cars to my left and there were cars to my right. And I was driving at the speed limit in inclement weather on the right.
I THINK I HAVE A RIGHT TO NOT BE HARASSED ABOUT THIS!
But no matter, Mr. or Mrs. Four Wheel Drive will ride my bumper with about a car's length anyway.
It's not only as inconsiderate as a LLC, but it's also far, far more dangerous. I know that I have better brakes and tires than the person behind me. I know that if something happens ahead that requires that I hit the stop pedal, Mr. Tailgate is going to rear end me at highway speeds in the rain. And if I slow down to mitigate the risk to myself (which I think I have a right to in the rain in the right lane) Mr. I-Hate-LLCs-and-Slow-Drivers is going to get upset and might take it personally.
This bugs me a lot more than LLCs. Not only that, but it's at least an order of magnitude more common - this is something I deal with several times a day.
And yet, I find it frustrating that on every board or discussion, it's always about LLCs holding up speeders. What about tailgating? What about the pile-ups and deaths that tailgating (and failure to follow a proper following distance REGARDLESS of driving circumstances) causes every day? Isn't this more deadly? Isn't this more serious? Isn't it more common? If so, then how come nobody really talks much about it? Is it because the number of parties guilty of this is so much greater?
Sometimes from the right lanes you can see a LLC and a convoy of frustrated people behind him or her. What's interesting is how behind every LLC are a dozen tailgating drivers, each riding each other's bumper out of frustration. Yes, the LLC is the root cause in this situation but isn't the rote tailgating a consideration as well? Is it realistic to believe that all these people who are tailgating would stop if the LLC sped up? Isn't it more realistic that if someone's tailgating a LLC, then they're likely to tailgate at other times when they are feeling impatient?
I truly believe that considerate driving involves being considerate even when others [knowingly or unknowingly] are not. It means using turn signals even if the person in front of you may not. It means using safe following distances even if the person in front of you might be going slower than they should.
Given the multiple lane situation I think some of it comes from the perspective of what it means to : 1. keep right except to pass 2. slower traffic keep right.
Unless your state laws say otherwise, in multiple lane situations, if you are in the extreme right hand lane, you are not required to keep MORE right! All other lanes, the above law applies. I would agree that what I am saying is very rarely followed!
So for example, if I don't want to be concerned about those following me, wanting to pass, I follow a tractor trailer. VERY few people want to cut directly behind a fully loaded tractor trailer. For me the tractor trailer serves as a linebacker so to speak! The upshot is the guy in back wants not only to pass me but also the tractor trailer in front of me! I follow at 2-3 mississippi seconds and know that if the truck panic brakes I will stop way short of him!
1)Run up behind them, flash my brights, tailgate them, and wait them to finally realize my right to that lane and move over one or two lanes on the interstate
2)Move over into the middle and/or right hand lanes, speed up to substantially over the limit (once past where I knew the Patrol cards like to sit), and gain much more distance on the LLCers than I would have gained sitting on their rears as the 2nd or 3rd car in a row, and got where I was going 5 minutes sooner than if I'd tried to play the power role and enforce my right to be in the left-hand lane
#2, of course. Traffic was medium and rain was medium.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
I've nearly been hit by someone from the right lane moving to the middle as I've moved from left lane to middle. They did not have a turn signal on that I could see, and many, no most, drivers on that interstate don't check for someone from the other lanes making the same lane change also. I like the turn signals on the mirrors and the ones visible on the sides of cars for just that ability to know someone else is lane-changing also -- in the 10% of times they are used!
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,