Posted on 08/23/2010 8:31:53 AM PDT by Responsibility2nd
My peeve — on single-lane roads with passing lanes, the people who drive really slow on curves and non-passing sections, and then accelerate to 10mph over the limit where the road is long and straight enough to pass.
I know that it is likely they are simply driving as fast as they feel safe, and aren’t purposely trying to prevent people from passing. (You know that type, they wait until you are halfway past them and then they speed up to make it hard for you to get by). But it’s still anooying.
Whenever I see someone passing, I slow down to make it easier for them.
Also annoying — people who pass you in a passing lane, and then drive slower than you were driving.
My “I was a bad driver” story.
I was driving into Dallas. About 20 miles out. Some old lady on a cell phone was doing about 60 in the fast lane. Traffic was backing up behind her. People were passing her in the middle lane, but not very well.
When I finally did get past her, I moved in front of her in the left lane. Braked to about 50. That freed up the middle lane real fast. I figure about 20-30 cars zoomed past us. Most probably thought I was the a-hole responsible. But in a matter of moments, the heavy traffic zoomed past us - all lanes cleared out. And I kicked it up to 75 again.
I know I’m not supposed to be a traffic cop, but what I did worked.
You wouldn't have that problem if you stayed out of the PASSING lane while driving.
Here is a list of people I have pulled over for speeding, only to escort them to their destination:
1) Daughter rushing to hospital for parents in car wreck;
2) Woman in labor at 25 weeks;
3) Teenageer in college rushing to hospital when Father had heart attack;
4) LRAFB airman about to miss a unit movement due to traffic;
5) LRAFB officer and his wife hauling ass to get to the closest bedroom after his 2 year deployment in Iraq.(best escort ever);
6) Finally, I let a driver go when I saw him come over a hill going 15 over in the driving lane.....followed by another driver whom was in the passing lane going 55 in a 65.
Driver told me that that person just frustrated him and had bottled up traffic for an hour going up Arkansas Hwy 7 (single lane mixed with double lane (passing) zones). I let that driver go. Too bad that was 1998. In 2003 Arkansas passed a law making it illegal to drive in the passing lane when traffic present......
It is not your perogative to enforce or interpret the law for you to exercise. Thats a CLEO's job. You should do everything in your power to have a safe trip for yourself and for your fellow drivers, including moving over into the driving lane and use the passing lane to pass.
Ooh - also - the folks (usually seniors), who see you driving along, yet quickly pull out in front of you from a gas station or parking lot.....then drive much slower than you.
I really enjoyed driving in Texas. A lot of their roads had really large shoulders, and I regularly found that Texans would actually pull over ONTO those shoulders to let faster moving cars pass. I felt like I was in heaven.
Unlike Florida, where people would make left turns from the far right lane, among other things.
stop 3 car-lengths behind the one in front of them.
I found this to be common in Houston. And it was always the women drivers in the left turn lanes.
2. Go first at an intersection when you were there first
You snooze you lose. What's more annoying is four drivers at a four-way stop staring at each other trying to figure out who gets to go first.
3. Beep when you don’t instantly start after a green light
When the light turns green, go. Don't screw over the person 5 cars back that has to sit through another light cycle because you aren't paying attention.
4. Tailgaters who easily could go around you
Stay out of the left lane unless you're passing someone.
5. Don’t pay attention at traffic lights
See #3 above.
6. Lane changers
In general, or is there some specific behavior attached to this?
9. Tailgate when you’re behind someone else.
As opposed to "regular" tailgaters?
10. Wave you through a stop sign even though they were there first.
Yes, nice people are such a pain!
That's awesome! :)
To be fair, that wasn’t stated at first. And it assumes that it is impossible to move safely into the right lane, where as one poster noted, the driver would likely have no problem moving out of the left lane to make it to their exit, so it seems the complaint that it isn’t “safe” to move over is somewhat contrived.
If I truly thought it was impossible to move over from the left lane to the center lane, I’d get off the highway, because otherwise you are saying you are going to be stuck on the highway.
I get annoyed when there is a gap in a lane, and you signal to move over into the lane, and the people in that lane speed up to cut you off from the gap.
The car ahead of you in the left lane passing it has their cruise control set at 65.00 mph.
Miles of open road ahead and a 3 mile pack behind You starting 1 inch from your rear bumper.
My first experience of driving in Texas included this friendly gesture. I didn't know about it. I was approaching a slower-moving vehicle from behind, was about ready to pass and had my signal on to get out into the oncoming lane, and the gentleman moved over onto the shoulder. Having never experienced this before, I immediately wondered what was in the road that he was moving over to avoid. Nothing there, he was simply being nice. That was my experience for my six months at Goodfellow, AFB in San Angelo, TX. It still makes me want to go back.
I really enjoyed driving in Texas. A lot of their roads had really large shoulders, and I regularly found that Texans would actually pull over ONTO those shoulders to let faster moving cars pass. I felt like I was in heaven.
___________________________________________
I’m a Texan. And that was the norm. But not anymore. That is now illegal. You can get a ticket for that.
Go figure.
I couldn’t agree with him more. If you are in the left lane and someone behind you wants to go faster than you - move out of the way.
I am normally in complete agreement, however, southern Georgia
and Florida during “the season”, that would be when there are two lanes both full of folks going South to FL and you are exceeding the speed limit by a goodly amount.
If you allow yourself to be pushed into the right lane, by the insensitive go faster who merely wants to gain the one safety space you have given yourself between the car/suv ahead of you while you are traveling at the speed of heat, you will likely be in Ocala before you have an opportunity to regain the left lane.
NY plates are some of the worst offenders.
If people really thought about that, they would realise that it would go equally as smoothly if everybody did that same thing, but at the merge point. It cracks me up when people merge at the sign that says "lane ends in one mile", and then get mad that other people keep driving in the merging lane. Although I think it might help if they could indicates that the two lanes merge TOGETHER, rather than having to say that one of the lanes ends. That "lane ends" panics people into getting out of the lanes. Which reminds me, I get annoyed by people who are driving in the ending lane, keep passing people way past the merge point, and then keep driving as if they own the lane, daring the people in the merged lane to get hit by their car - which usually is some huge pickup truck that could run them over.
By the way, for someone who was in law enforcement, you seem to care little about speed limits and why they exist in the first place. Also, your examples like the woman in labor, etc., are not what I’m talking about. I’m referring to drivers who exceed the speed limit routinely. I’m not trying to enforce the law, but I do insist that tailgating is foolish and dangerous when someone in the left lane is merely waiting for a SAFE opportunity to reenter the right lane and let the fool by.
I live in Fairfax, VA. We have third world driving, slow traffic, and too many women drivers. There is no culture in driving since we live in a changing resident area. We have the habits of India, China, Japan, and every other third world driving mess. We have people who believe the left lane is the slow lane. We have Asian women who are driving for the first time in the lives at age 60. We have illegals who don’t respect the law at all. I grew up in a rural area. There was a set culture of driving. We don’t have that here. The horn is your friend.
I go out of my way not to drive these days. I’ll be 56 tomorrow. Never had a major accident. A few dents in parking lots while parked. This from a guy who spent over 30 years calling on clients all over south Texas. I’m one of those defensive drivers that hangs back and gets the big picture. I know, really boring. Our son however totalled 3 before he was 21. I finally convinced him that a car is a tool ... not a skateboard. My wife doesn’t drive due to her CP so I do all the driving. I saw my first fatality up close when i was 10. I remember that one like it was yesterday. The latest was a good friend a few years ago. I figure i’ve used up all my good chances over the last couple million miles.
I have seen one driver try to use a rest stop as a passing lane. I was behind the vehicle on I-35 northbound in northern Iowa. Vehicle was observed making multiple vilent lane changes, so I was on the phone with the State Police dispatcher. The driver then pulled off at a rest stop, blew through, and somehow wound up just behind me. At that point I could read the plates to the dispatcher. Passed me again, continued to make lane changes. The dispatcher asked me to safely follow the vehicle, stay on the line, read off mile markers, and exit when the vehicle exited. The staties must have been really interested in this one.
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