Left-lane highway hogs could see fines double for failure to move over (NJ)

Newark Star-Ledger via NJ.com ^ | June 26, 2013 at 4:33 PM | Mike Frassinelli

[Olog-hai]

Left-lane hogs, beware.

You could be charged double for failing to keep right under a bill passed Monday by the Assembly.

Motorists who clog the left or center lanes instead of using them to pass another vehicle would see fines increase from between $50 and $200 now to between $100 and $300. The bill calls for $50 from each violation going toward signs reminding motorists who enter New Jersey about the state’s stay-right law.

“On behalf of road rage, I move the bill,” said Assemblyman Gilbert “Whip” Wilson (D-Camden), a co-sponsor of the measure, which passed 69-7.

Aside from drinking and driving, failure to keep right is perhaps the most hazardous action on roadways, said Assemblyman Declan O’Scanlon (R-Monmouth), also a co-sponsor. …

[Washi]

Despite the numerous signs saying "Keep right except to pass" here in Colorado, most people still don't know that it is not only good driving etiquette, but state law that you keep to the right.

I think it's a matter ignorance for most, but ego for some. Nobody wants to drive in the "slow lane".

We need to change the terminology. It shouldn't be "fast lane" and "slow lane", it should be "passing lane" and "non-passing lane". And, we should be able to hose down cars that hang out in the passing lane with paintballs if they don't move over.

I just got back from Germany, where they take this stuff seriously. You don't want to be traveling slowly in the left lane when that Audi station wagon approaches at 225 KPH from out of nowhere.

[Washi]

Arrogant assholes who drive too fast are a MAJOR cause .I wish all you bragging about speeding would get daily tickets!

Left lane hog for sure.

Do you have a condescending sign in your rear window that says "If you are passing me, you are speeding!"?

You secretly voted for Obama, didn't you?

[Albion Wilde]

If Owe’Malley wanted to do something useful for a change, he would champion this law in Maryland. Especially on route 70.

[Albion Wilde]

I put those type of “blockers” in the same category as the left lane folks since, when I’ve tried to pass such folks on the right, most of the time they speed up. Some outright flooring it to prevent me from getting ahead of them.

You're never supposed to pass on the right. It is inherently dangerous, since the driver is on the left of the vehicle and you therefore enter the other car's blind spot. Also, cars in any other lanes are supposed to be given the leeway to pull over to the right when they signal without being cut off from behind.

I agree that some people seem to make a great sport of not giving your signal any courtesy and trying to keep you from moving to the lane you signal for, whether left or right. But doing it on the right is extremely dangerous.

[Albion Wilde]

Nah — Baltimore has the worst drivers anywhere. And I’ve driven in Italy.

[cyclotic]

A few years ago, I was stuck behind a lane camper running next to a heavily loaded semi maxing at 50 in a 65. I bided my time, then gave a quick flash of the headlights which were ignored. I flashed again. Finally the lane camper hardcore leftist driving a car with teachers union bumper stickers moved over and grabbed her phone.

My wife asked what she was doing. I told her she was calling the police so I obliged her by pulling in front to give her a good view of my license plate.

Of course, I did not get pulled over.

[Rebelbase]

“The greatest hazard to navigating are the New York drivers”

Or in the town where my father lives. Coming back from breakfast out one morning he drove 35-40 on a 55 four lane for 8 miles.

[ken in texas]

LOL. I don’t drive fast enough to run cover for anyone, probably going only 1 or 2 mph faster than the car in front.

[mikey_hates_everything]

"If someone wants to drive 85 in the left lane and has to slow down to the legal limit of 65, that’s just too bad."

Hopefully you will never be in a position of trying to get a family member to a hospital in an emergency and get stuck behind someone like yourself. That would just be too bad for you, wouldn't it?

[hoosierham]

Many times I have been unable to move right because the self-important speedsters are passing me on the right at well above the speed limit.

And no I didn’t vote for obama or clintoon.

Drive like hell,you’ll get there.

[Hoffer Rand]

I have always assumed these people, driving in the left lane AT the speed limit, believed they were teaching the rest of us a lesson.

My sister says it's a civic duty, similar to jury duty. You get a letter in the mail, telling you it's your week to drive 5 mph under the speed limit in the left lane. Some people take their civic responsibilities very seriously.

[hoosierham]

If even one out of a hundred going 85 in the 65 zone has a legitimate reason for doing so,I am shocked.

HINT:not planning ahead for the time required to drive to your destination reasonably does not constitute an emergency.

[hoosierham]

On behalf of “road rage”...

How about ticketing the aggressive jerks who believe they are too special to observe the speed limits ?

[hoosierham]

You know what ,PAL?

If I’m going the speed limit and you pass me on the right,you deserve a speeding ticket,AND another ticket for unsafe passing.

[newnhdad]

“Many times I have been unable to move right because the self-important speedsters are passing me on the right at well above the speed limit.”

Those damn kids and their speedy fast cars and rock and roll, hippity hop music are going to be the devil of us, and another thing, get off my lawn...

[Hoffer Rand]

My grandmother had a dear friend who did the same thing. She was pulled over on I-70 about 60 miles east of Denver for being in the left lane and driving very slowly. She told the cop she needed to be in the lane, because she was going to turn left when she got to Denver.

[dfwgator]

. She told the cop she needed to be in the lane, because she was going to turn left when she got to Denver.

"I knew I shoulda taken that left turn at Albuquerque."

[PieterCasparzen]

I have driven with family members to the hospital in an ambulance.

NJ drivers very very often DON’T get out of the way.

EVERY FREEKING DAY I say, “if you were on the way to the hospital that would be differnt”.

50 cars on my way to work on NOT ALL GOING TO THE HOSPITAL.

NJ has a percentage of drivers WHO WOULD RUN OVER THEIR OWN GRANDMOTHER just to get to the store 5 minutes faster.

I have seen WAY too many NJ drivers practically run the elderly off the road.

Maybe the guy being run off the road is sick or has some car problems.

Why is it no one cuts the guy being run off the road a break.

Why do people keep making excuses for obnoxious aholes that feel ENTITITLED TO CONSTANTLY DRIVE AT 90.

I drive between 70 and 75 in a 65.

That’s because a 4-point ticket starts at 15 over, which is 80 in a 65.

Having a 4-point ticket means that the most you can do is get it knocked down to 2 points, but you’re still getting the ticket.

That’s why LE does not bother with 2-point tickets, i.e., less than 80, the prosecuter can’t back off from 4 to 2 points. If you’re nice and respectful and talk to the prosecuture ahead of time when you get to court, and you’re lucky, and you were nice to the police, you can get a break. But you’ll still have to pay some kind of ticket.

Now, if I’m doing 72, I’m already over the limit by 7.

The whole way to work, jerks want me to drive 85 to 90.

If I do - they TAILGATE. Tailgate at 90 in heavy traffic.

If I pull over and let them pass, they slow down to 75.

I know this because I’m always watching my speedometer, and if they get up in front of me about a few hundred yards, then they stay that same distance from me for miles, that means they’re going the same speed I am.

So they don’t really want to drive 90 with no idiot in front of them. They want to push somebody else. Maybe they think that person will get the ticket if they’re caught.

Mind you, this is all on roads that I’ve driven for 25 years and I know exactly where the police sit. But you can never be sure if they’re there on any given day or how far ahead they can clock you. So at a certain point, I gave up on being stressed out all the way to work, trying to speed then slam on the breaks if I saw the cop. After enough tickets, you grow up and leave for work a few minutes earlier. On the way home, no everyone is not going straight to the hospital from work, you learn that getting home 5 minutes faster is not worth weaving in and out of traffic at 85.

Most highways in NJ, during heavy rush hour, have significant what I call “lane inversion”, where the left lane is the slowest lane. This is because of traffic patterns - and the fact that most people never figure out that if they just change to the right lane in advance, they can keep right on gliding along instead of slowing to a standstill in the “fast” lane.

If there’s an emergency light behind me I get over.

If I see someone flashing their own lights, I get over. I assume they’ve got an emergency.

Guess what - no one has ever flashed their lights. They’ve never made any sign or gesture, “hospital”. They never looked frantic. They were just typical NJ swearing and looking impatient and nasty. Probably because Rt 80 has a couple exits for “hospitals”, and the jerks did not take those exits.

Hospital my @ss.

Maybe 10% of the people on the road in NJ at any given time are going to the “hospital”. Right.

[mikey_hates_everything]

“HINT:not planning ahead for the time required to drive to your destination reasonably does not constitute an emergency.”

How do you know what is going on with the person behind you who wants to pass? I doubt that you think ambulances or fire trucks should have planned ahead if they come up behind you. If you don’t indirectly cause further injury or death to someone you delayed medical assistance due to your impeding traffic, one day they might be armed or use their vehicle as a weapon and take you off the road for good. If you don’t think that can ever happen, hog the left lane on LA area freeways for a while. That’s the place where trends start. I don’t race, I stay with the flow and I’ve never been the victim of anyone else’s road rage, but I’ve seen it happen plenty here in DC to left lane hogs. Not worth the hassle.

[PieterCasparzen]

If I’m going the speed limit and you pass me on the right,you deserve a speeding ticket,AND another ticket for unsafe passing.

That's funny. I'm in NJ. You're "allowed" to go about 7 over, no problem, better to be 5 over to be safe. So, I do about 72 in 65. But on a 3 lane highway, the right lane is plain dangerous because MANY people, when merging (cars already on the road legally have the right of way, there is no legal "right" to merge), drive like they're dragging a heavy load. Dawdle along. So you'd constantly have to switch into the middle lane or break hard if you're in the right lane. Middle lane a lot of times goes less than the speed limit. Sometimes more, sometimes less. NJ drivers mostly keep a somewhat constant speed, but there are about 30% maybe that have psychological problems that simply want to be "in front" of other people. So if you're going 72 in the middle lane, you see them coming in the middle lane catching up to you. They pass, then pull in front, then, instead of continuing on faster than you, if no one's in front of you, they slow down slower than you're going. They just wanted to "catch up". So you pull into the left lane, pass - they pick up speed to try to prevent you from passing. Finally you zoom up to about 80 to 90, get in front of them and go back to 72. They catch up, the cycle continues. You simply can't maintain a constant speed in the middle lane. You'll come up behind many people doing 60 or less in a 65 in the middle lane. It's the lane of mental torture and dangerous passing. People usually wait until they're at their turnoff to get into the right lane. Many times there are people all clodded up in the middle and right lane at an exit, as they all try to funnel into a single lane off ramp from those two lanes. Mind you, there are semis barreling down on them. It's always fun. I get over way early, and leave 2 car lengths in front for some jerk to cut in, or to leave room in case a truck can't stop in time and smashes into the back of the line. Truckers almost always drive exactly the way I drive, except many of them confine themselves to the middle lane. I always cut them a break and let them out to pass, etc. NJ car drivers have not a clue what they do to trucks; sitting in their blind spot, force them to slam on brakes, etc. Once you drive a truck you know that getting going again after slamming on brakes is a lot of shifting and wasted fuel.

In NJ, where the weak are killed and eaten, however, it's actually "socially acceptable" to pass on the right. The theory is if you can do it, go for it. You have to constantly be on the lookout 360 degress, so you keep glancing in the rearview and "usually" see people coming up fast from behind. Many NJ speeders know exactly what I'm doing (72 in left lane, middle lane disaster, etc.) and the polite thing for them to do is just pass on right. You see experienced speeders checking their mirrors to pass, not mad at all. They know they're "pushing it", and as long as they don't force me to slam on my brakes, I could care less what they do, they're on their own.

Many NJ drivers do not have 360 awareness. They simply drive, often without even signalling they change lanes. You get so you can read the "car language" and know what dumbass move they're going to make. You always need an "out". If everyone slams to a stop, and the truck behind you loaded with Oxygen, or gasoline, jacknifes and continues moving in the same direction but sideways, exploding in a ball of fire, you need to know which way you can dart to simply avoid the whole mess and drive on to work. This is why one should never cruise alongside trucks. The guy in the lane to the right of him may cause him to go into the lane where you are.

Oh, the other good one: if you're in the middle lane cuz it's clear enough that not many are playing "the game" so you can just drive... you'll see people come up on you from miles back, in the left lane. They close on you steady and fast, about 15 to 20 mph faster than you. So if I'm doing 72 they're in the 80's. Many of those folks will get up to you then hover in your blind spot, just off your tail in the left lane, without passing. Slooowwwly pass. If there's no one in front of you, they slow down. Maybe get into the middle lane. Then slow down in front of you.

NJ driving is a pain. Very few maintain a constant speed except the truckers. Few watch their speedometer or instruments at all. If their coolant temp goes up, they don't know until there's smoke coming out from their hood. Constantly pull out in front of people. Especially if there is no on behind the oncoming car. Could have waited just 5 seconds, then had miles of clear to pull onto the road, but no. Have to cut the oncoming car off, then drive real slow. Make him slam on his brakes. "Hey, I have a right to be on the road, he'll just have to slam on his brakes."