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EDITED: Left lane law on US-Highways (NOT INTERSTATES)
- Thread starter MatthewLTL
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For a person like you that goes 60 in a 40? NOPE YOU SLOW THE **** DOWN! there is no EXCUSE or reason to speed! PERIOD! You get behind me riding my ass and/or honking and/or flashing your lights i will slow down and call your plate into the police as you speed by cutting off several cars to get around me and i WILL lay on the horn too
I will not flash or honk at an ignorant like you. I'll pass you on the right and goodbye.
You do realize people like you help increase road rage. It is easier and safer to just move over. Then he wouldn't pull a stupid maneuver to pass you and possibly cut you off because he is angry vs waiting until it is safe to go back in the left lane.
It isn't your job to police speedsters. By doing so you are another danger on the road. Not only by going slower than the speed of traffic in the left lane, but by your action out of slowing further down when you encounter someone that wants to pass you.
What is safer? Everyone going 80 MPH in a 70 MPH or you going 70 MPH because its the speed limit? The people going 80 MPH is safer because there is no difference in speed. That's the flow of traffic. Where you're the unsafe one because you are going 70 MPH. Everyone has to go around you, etc. Where if everyone was going 70 MPH, the lone person going 80 MPH is the dangerous one. What may be the legal speed limit, doesn't mean its the safest speed.
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I would like to see you try! US-14 and US-63 are nose-to-nose traffic you wouldn't be able to pass unless you cut somone off to do it.
Changing lanes is a dangerous thing and as i said in a past post, you get in the lane you NEED otherwise you'll never get it later because people will not let you in.
I got the SPEED Limit it's not me "Policing" anything. I will NOT break the law and speed because the person behind me has a lead foot. DRIVE THE LIMIT it won't kill you!
And changing lanes won't kill you.
If changing lanes makes you so uncomfortable, stop driving period.
Also considering the issues you had with your cars( brakes, etc), I am surprised you consider changing lanes unsafe where driving with no brakes for three weeks and then drive it to the repair shop is perfectly okay because you don't want to pay the $20 to have it towed......
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When people drive like its the Indy 500 uh YEAH it is unsafe to change lanes! Has nothing to do what lane you are in you get passed either way and it pisses people off when they can't pass (oh, bo-ho have to drive the limit. Oh the audacity!)
I did not drive the car 3 weeks with no brakes, the brakes blew out when i was coming home i was less than 1 block from home. it sat there for a month until i limped it to the shop. $20 tow? More like $80.
I don't know if it's the law or not in Texas, but we have signs posted all along the interstate stating the left lane is for passing only. I irks me something fierce when some dumb ass camps in the left lane so that NOBODY can pass. I-45 between Houston and Dallas we get to cruise at 75mph, but there is always some asshat camping the left lane at 70.
Just last week, what should have been a 3 hour trip turned into a 4 hour ordeal because a couple idiots were driving side by side (@65mph. SOB, the limit is 75. GFTO of the passing lane) along the interstate.
I only use the left lane for passing. Dunno if it's the law, but it's good driving etiquette. Remember, when driving in Texas, the LEFT LANE IS FOR PASSING ONLY!
Just last week, what should have been a 3 hour trip turned into a 4 hour ordeal because a couple idiots were driving side by side (@65mph. SOB, the limit is 75. GFTO of the passing lane) along the interstate.I only use the left lane for passing. Dunno if it's the law, but it's good driving etiquette. Remember, when driving in Texas, the LEFT LANE IS FOR PASSING ONLY!
If someone had appeared "out of nowhere" and you'd killed them, is that the excuse you'd have offered in court?
"I wanted to see how fast I could get in a residential road" and "I wanted to show off to my girlfriend"?
Anyone who thinks that kind of behavior is OK should be banned from the roads.
I ain't movin for ****. As someone who got their permit two weeks ago I hate changing lanes. Plus no one other than you would classify some going the speed limit as a slow driver.
Plus no one other than you would classify some going the speed limit as a slow driver.
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I ain't movin for ****. As someone who got their permit two weeks ago I hate changing lanes.
Then get comfortable changing lanes or stay to the right. That simple.
Changing lanes is safe, if done properly. Part of driving is planning ahead, if you need to make a left turn start looking for a chance to get to the left lane about a mile before the turn. Put the signal on when you need to make a lane change, if traffic is moving slowly, find a small spot to start nudging your nose over and SOMEONE will get the message. Sometimes you just need to be aggressive but not the screaming and gesturing kind of aggressive. I can't stand riding with my dad on the highway and he wants to make a lane change but "nobody will let him", yet he doesn't hit the signal until he actually starts changing lanes. News flash, they don't know you want to until you indicate!
Yes, forcing people in the passing lane to go exactly the speed limit is called POLICING. There's a general allowance of 10 MPH over the limit, then you start hitting ticket territory. Obviously that wouldn't apply in a school zone. If you're not keeping up with other traffic and you're getting passed on the right, you should be in the right lane. Now, passing lane/not passing lane are different on interstate vs. local "highways" as you describe. The roads you describe might not be bound by "keep right except to pass" but it's still a courtesy.
Are you also one of those that will speed up a little bit on a 2-lane road when someone starts passing you? I can't STAND those that go EXACTLY the limit when passing isn't allowed and speed up more when it is allowed, I actually had someone honk at me once when I passed them.
Honking at someone for passing you is ALSO illegal then. If they passed you illegally let them deal with the consequences but if your idea of "illegally" is "over the speed limit but in a legal passing zone" let it go.
I admit, I've done my share of honking and gesturing. Most recently I was stuck in a lane that was blocked by someone that was pulled over by a cop. Once I saw that, I put on my signal and everyone in the other lane just kept going by even though it was OBVIOUS my lane was blocked and my signal was on. They all had tunnel vision and just kept rolling. It got to a point where this person that was 4-5 cars back when I initiated my signal just kept rolling past me and I stuck my hand out the window open-palm and indicated I needed/wanted to be over while honking at those ignoring everything.
You sound like a young person that's just learning the rules of the road. The BIGGEST one is to take care of yourself and let the chips fall where they may. Yes, you need to be vigilant and observant of what is going on around you but let the POLICE deal with POLICING speeders and law-breakers, it's NOT your job to do.
Sounds like I-87, that road has "Keep right except to pass" posted ALL OVER between Albany and NYC. I was on that road coming home from vacation last year. I saw a woman, with no other traffic in front of her and going the speed limit, actually pull to the left lane FOR NO REASON. Maybe that was MatthewLTL's mother and he got this "I'm going to police the speeders" mentality from her?
People driving "like it's the Indy 500" is more of an exception(talking weaving in and out of traffic going faster than even those going 10 over). Yes, some people do it but the vast majority of the people going 10 over on the highway (I'm talking interstates here) can do it safely, and it's even more safe to just roll with the flow of traffic than to turn yourself into a rolling roadblock by trying to play policeman.
I ain't movin for ****. As someone who got their permit two weeks ago I hate changing lanes.
As a new driver, do what you feel most comfortable with as you're just learning. I was that way, once. 20 years later, I've learned to just go with the flow. However, as a new driver you should also know that you should keep right and plan ahead for any lane changes or turns, that was something that was stressed in driver's ed.
I ain't movin for ****. As someone who got their permit two weeks ago I hate changing lanes.
Either get used to changing lanes, or stay off multi-lane roads. I would also classify someone going the speed limit in the left lane a slow driver.
Whether you like it or not, people are going to speed. Rather than trying to be a vigilante by parking your ass in the left lane at the speed limit, you can do your part to make the road safer for everybody else by staying to the right.
OP, get out of the lane. All you will do is cause an accident. Many accidents are caused by excessive speed. Also, accidents are caused by slow drivers in overtaking lanes and general dithering. In short, go with the flow of the traffic or get out of the way. I wonder if you are one of those drivers who says, "I've never been in an accident, but I've seen plenty in my rearview mirror"?
I live and work in an urban and suburban area.
If I'm on a limited access highway and my destination is several miles ahead, I will drive in the left lane. The right lane ends up occupied by people entering and exiting the highway (and there are MANY), and I don't want any part of it. If I'm driving 70 mph in a 70 mph zone and the person behind me wants to go faster, they can go around me - and if I want to go faster than the person in front of me, then I will go around him. It's simple and it works.
If I'm on a limited access highway and my destination is close, I will try to stay in or near the right lane, since I will need to be there to exit.
If I'm on a road trip away from an urban area, with few people entering and leaving the highway, I will drive in whatever lane has more room in front of me, left or right.
Any other type of road, I'll drive in whatever lane seems to be moving the fastest, unless I'm approaching a turn I need to make.
If I'm on a limited access highway and my destination is several miles ahead, I will drive in the left lane. The right lane ends up occupied by people entering and exiting the highway (and there are MANY), and I don't want any part of it. If I'm driving 70 mph in a 70 mph zone and the person behind me wants to go faster, they can go around me - and if I want to go faster than the person in front of me, then I will go around him. It's simple and it works.
If I'm on a limited access highway and my destination is close, I will try to stay in or near the right lane, since I will need to be there to exit.
If I'm on a road trip away from an urban area, with few people entering and leaving the highway, I will drive in whatever lane has more room in front of me, left or right.
Any other type of road, I'll drive in whatever lane seems to be moving the fastest, unless I'm approaching a turn I need to make.
Part of learning to drive is that you need to learn to "deal with" changing lanes, as others have said.
When I first moved to Louisville, I would hop on I-65N to go home and then get on I-64E to go home. Up until very recently(3 weeks ago or so) the ramp from 65N to 64E shot you out into the leftmost lane(1960s designed intersection). In the space of about 1/2 mile, I would have to get across 3 lanes of traffic so that I could get to the exit I needed to take to go home. At that time of day, it is bumper to bumper. All I could do was put on my turn signal and wait on people to let me over-whch they did.
Fortunately, with the reconstruction of the interchange, taking the ramp from 65 to 64 shoots me right into the lane where I need to be.
Again, part of being a good driver is learning how to deal with the traffic and just "go with the flow."
I had a nice long drive on I-64 this morning(about 60 miles), and I doubt I could tell you how many times I changed lanes. I was going 70-75mph, and often passed slower moving vehicles(particularly semis on hills), changed lanes to give a cop who had pulled someone over more space, and got in the left lane approaching a few onramps to give people merging some more space(a lot of the ramps along this particular stretch of road are very short).
On a side note, I find being lectured about driving the speed limit from someone who steal's a business's WiFi, pirates software, and drives a vehicle unfit to be on the road a bit ironic.
When I first moved to Louisville, I would hop on I-65N to go home and then get on I-64E to go home. Up until very recently(3 weeks ago or so) the ramp from 65N to 64E shot you out into the leftmost lane(1960s designed intersection). In the space of about 1/2 mile, I would have to get across 3 lanes of traffic so that I could get to the exit I needed to take to go home. At that time of day, it is bumper to bumper. All I could do was put on my turn signal and wait on people to let me over-whch they did.
Fortunately, with the reconstruction of the interchange, taking the ramp from 65 to 64 shoots me right into the lane where I need to be.
Again, part of being a good driver is learning how to deal with the traffic and just "go with the flow."
I had a nice long drive on I-64 this morning(about 60 miles), and I doubt I could tell you how many times I changed lanes. I was going 70-75mph, and often passed slower moving vehicles(particularly semis on hills), changed lanes to give a cop who had pulled someone over more space, and got in the left lane approaching a few onramps to give people merging some more space(a lot of the ramps along this particular stretch of road are very short).
On a side note, I find being lectured about driving the speed limit from someone who steal's a business's WiFi, pirates software, and drives a vehicle unfit to be on the road a bit ironic.
Too freaking bad. If you're apart of the slower traffic, learn to let people merge, or move over when there is faster traffic behind you.
Rules of the road dictate slower traffic is to stay to the right. Not your personal preference of how you don't want to deal with people entering the highway or you should force faster traffic to go around you.
There is nothing more likely to cause road rage than driving in the left lane at the speed limit. My experience of driving in the US is that no one is going to flash you or use their horn they just pass on the right. It just seems to be the norm in the US, it took me a while to get used to it. If the Op really want to upset other drivers and be the most unpopular person on the road then he is going about it the right way.
Speaking of passing on two lane roads...
As I said, I don't generally do it. The vehicle in front of me has to be going pretty darn slow for me to do it-about the only thing I will pass is a tractor or a truck pulling a double tobacco wagon.
With that said, if people want to pass me, I do my best to make it easy for them. I've been known to pull off(in a safe place) when someone is riding my tail. If I see a person pull out to pass me, I will wait until they are over in the left lane and then hit my brakes so that they get around me faster. I do it because I want them to spend as little time as possible in the(dangerous) left lane.
As I said, I don't generally do it. The vehicle in front of me has to be going pretty darn slow for me to do it-about the only thing I will pass is a tractor or a truck pulling a double tobacco wagon.
With that said, if people want to pass me, I do my best to make it easy for them. I've been known to pull off(in a safe place) when someone is riding my tail. If I see a person pull out to pass me, I will wait until they are over in the left lane and then hit my brakes so that they get around me faster. I do it because I want them to spend as little time as possible in the(dangerous) left lane.
Yes, it's very rare to see someone flashing their lights and even rarer to use the horn. You will get passed on the right and that is it.
This sounds like very dangerous driving. Do not forget the person that pulls out to pass you probably has somone else behind him. When you hit your brakes unnecessarily it is probably going to force that person to do the same when he sees your stop lights. The person who has pulled out to pass has made a judgement that it is safe to pass and you have no part to play in that process.
It is threads like these that I am glad it is becoming cost prohibitive to get a private pilots license. I don't have to share the skies with even more idiots......
Would people here saying they are being legal by driving the speed limit( key word here is legal, not safe) also not make radio calls at uncontrolled fields because they don't feel like it? Will they enter the pattern any way they want because they don't feel like wasting time maneuvering for the proper entry? Those things may be perfectly legal( no radio calls at uncontrolled fields, entering the traffic pattern in the none recommended way), but it doesn't mean they are being safe.
One of my moms friends husbands got into a mid-air collision because one person was not making radio calls and the plane was in his blind spot and they collided.
Would people here saying they are being legal by driving the speed limit( key word here is legal, not safe) also not make radio calls at uncontrolled fields because they don't feel like it? Will they enter the pattern any way they want because they don't feel like wasting time maneuvering for the proper entry? Those things may be perfectly legal( no radio calls at uncontrolled fields, entering the traffic pattern in the none recommended way), but it doesn't mean they are being safe.
One of my moms friends husbands got into a mid-air collision because one person was not making radio calls and the plane was in his blind spot and they collided.
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