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People! When you're merging onto the expressway...

Rhonindk said:
Then again Az does have some of the worst drivers I have ever run across in the US.
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I think that's a combination of things. The old Wild West, recent urban expansion and immigration from states with less stringent driving laws.

Arizona has a history of rejecting regulation, even when it benefits the common good. Urban expansion is a recent thing if you take a long view of history. The section of the 10 Freeway from Avondale past the Deck Park tunnel did not open until August 1990. Arizona is still building freeways right now.

And we've had a lot of people coming from states where they learned to drive on farms or wide open roads. They do not appear to be used to stop signs or red lights. Phoenix is the red light running capitol of the USA. It doesn't help that Arizona's own driving laws also seem to be stuck in the 1960s.

I learned to drive in California, where driving is often mistaken as a right and not a privilege. Urban planning and up to date driving laws tend to make better drivers, although that's just my opinion.

California has the anti-gridlock law where you cannot block intersections or road entrances or exits when stopped. Arizona does not have that. Consequently traffic is every man for himself and signs must be posted if a local government wants to prevent traffic from blocking an intersection.

It took several years after I moved here in 2000 before Arizona finally got with it and changed accident procedures. Up until that point the law stated that at any accident you left your vehicle where it stopped. So, two people with a minor fender bender in the fast lane would be forced by law to remain there until the cops cleared them to move their cars. Great stuff during Monday morning rush hour traffic.
 
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eyoungren said:
I think that's a combination of things. The old Wild West, recent urban expansion and immigration from states with less stringent driving laws.

Arizona has a history of rejecting regulation, even when it benefits the common good. Urban expansion is a recent thing if you take a long view of history. The section of the 10 Freeway from Avondale past the Deck Park tunnel did not open until August 1990. Arizona is still building freeways right now.

And we've had a lot of people coming from states where they learned to drive on farms or wide open roads. They do not appear to be used to stop signs or red lights. Phoenix is the red light running capitol of the USA. It doesn't help that Arizona's own driving laws also seem to be stuck in the 1960s.

I learned to drive in California, where driving is often mistaken as a right and not a privilege. Urban planning and up to date driving laws tend to make better drivers, although that's just my opinion.

California has the anti-gridlock law where you cannot block intersections or road entrances or exits when stopped. Arizona does not have that. Consequently traffic is every man for himself and signs must be posted if a local government wants to prevent traffic from blocking an intersection.

It took several years after I moved here in 2000 before Arizona finally got with it and changed accident procedures. Up until that point the law stated that at any accident you left your vehicle where it stopped. So, two people with a minor fender bender in the fast lane would be forced by law to remain there until the cops cleared them to move their cars. Great stuff during Monday morning rush hour traffic.
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and we can never forget Sun City :eek:
 
I thought the rule is: unless otherwise indicated by a sign, the default is yield to the car to your right. So on a highway merge, it is usually the car merging that is to the right, so it has right of way and the one on the left has to yield do it. If you don't want to yield to those merging, then move over one lane.

I very well may be wrong. There may be a more specific highway merging yield rule. But I'm pretty sure I'm correct about the default being yield to those to your right.
 
oneMadRssn said:
I thought the rule is: unless otherwise indicated by a sign, the default is yield to the car to your right. So on a highway merge, it is usually the car merging that is to the right, so it has right of way and the one on the left has to yield do it. If you don't want to yield to those merging, then move over one lane.

I very well may be wrong. There may be a more specific highway merging yield rule. But I'm pretty sure I'm correct about the default being yield to those to your right.
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“Traffic on the freeway has the right of way. There is no law that requires a driver occupying the right lane on the freeway to move over, slow down or take any other action to let a merging vehicle on the freeway.”
 
Rhonindk said:
“Traffic on the freeway has the right of way. There is no law that requires a driver occupying the right lane on the freeway to move over, slow down or take any other action to let a merging vehicle on the freeway.”
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Is that a quote from a state rulebook?
 
Rhonindk said:
“Traffic on the freeway has the right of way. There is no law that requires a driver occupying the right lane on the freeway to move over, slow down or take any other action to let a merging vehicle on the freeway.”
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What goes around, comes around.
 
Rhonindk said:
The there is merging onto a highway like the 405.
View attachment 818669
More like wedge and creep :eek:
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I don't know how people do it. I get up at 4am and I'm out the door by 5am and the 10 west is completely stopped, every day. Even the 210 west is completely stopped (Near Ontario Airport).

Thankfully, I'm going east so I have a nice empty freeway where most people are doing 85+ all the way up to the high desert.

It goes without saying that they must not be teaching entering traffic at speed of traffic anymore because it happens all the time. Then again, people driving like they're the only one on the freeway cause a lot of the traffic so it's self causation (in which we all suffer).

Had to take the 10 to UCLA this last weekend. Was shocked at the traffic.

Thankfully my wife takes the train into LA and I'm going the other direction.
 
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oneMadRssn said:
Is that a quote from a state rulebook?
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Washington, California, Arizona, Texas, Virginia.
It is also listed as the standard for highway driving.
Some States may differ but I was unable to find one that did in a quick search.
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BigMcGuire said:
I don't know how people do it. I get up at 4am and I'm out the door by 5am and the 10 west is completely stopped, every day. Even the 210 west is completely stopped (Near Ontario Airport).

Thankfully, I'm going east so I have a nice empty freeway where most people are doing 85+ all the way up to the high desert.

It goes without saying that they must not be teaching entering traffic at speed of traffic anymore because it happens all the time. Then again, people driving like they're the only one on the freeway cause a lot of the traffic so it's self causation (in which we all suffer).

Had to take the 10 to UCLA this last weekend. Was shocked at the traffic.

Thankfully my wife takes the train into LA and I'm going the other direction.
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One benefit living out in Ventura - traffic is not as bad. Usually. Then again I work from home the majority of time. :D
 
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I would just say in general that nowadays everyone feels like they own the road. Nobody looks at who's around them because "my" routine and "my" day is most important. I attribute this to the "rat race" we're all in nowadays. Everyone is more stressed and any little thing on the road will set them off.

I'll admit that even I'm guilty of this and I can see a huge difference in road etiquette from, say, 15 years ago to now.
Definitely paying more attention is important. Cell phones aren't helping with this. I see tons of people texting or talking on their phones while driving, even now when so many campaigns are warning against doing this.

It's a combination of factors. We all make mistakes and nobody is a "good" driver, but paying more attention on the road and showing a little more kindness toward one another would go a long way. Not to mention leaving 5 minutes earlier so you're not constantly stressed because you need to get somewhere fast.

Sorry if I went a little too broad with regard to the topic at hand; just wanted to get that out there.
 
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oneMadRssn said:
I thought the rule is: unless otherwise indicated by a sign, the default is yield to the car to your right.
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I think that rule applies to unmarked intersections, and has nothing to do with merging onto an expressway whatsoever. Like I said in the OP, people seem to forget what they were taught when learning to drive.
 
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Gregg2 said:
I think that rule applies to unmarked intersections, and has nothing to do with merging onto an expressway whatsoever. Like I said in the OP, people seem to forget what they were taught when learning to drive.
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At least here in CA, the concept of OTHERS seems to be lost. Slowing down to 40mph in the fast lane cuz I gotta have a cellphone texting conversation in the middle of the freeway? Check. Entering the freeway at 30mph? Check. Do 65mph in fast lane when everyone else is doing 85+ and no one is in the lanes to their right. Check. Slam on brakes to find out why CHP decided to pull over someone? Check. Light traffic? Do anything possible to get to lane that seems to be .0008% faster than your own lane? Check.

OK I'll stop. This is turning into a rant. But I think you hit it. People forget, lose the ability to think of others.
 
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BigMcGuire said:
At least here in CA, the concept of OTHERS seems to be lost. Slowing down to 40mph in the fast lane cuz I gotta have a cellphone texting conversation in the middle of the freeway? Check. Entering the freeway at 30mph? Check. Do 65mph in fast lane when everyone else is doing 85+ and no one is in the lanes to their right. Check. Slam on brakes to find out why CHP decided to pull over someone? Check. Light traffic? Do anything possible to get to lane that seems to be .0008% faster than your own lane? Check.

OK I'll stop. This is turning into a rant. But I think you hit it. People forget, lose the ability to think of others.
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Soccer mom in an H2 talking on phone, yelling at kids, putting on makeup, and eating while changing lanes without signalling. Coffe cup was in there somewhere ... Though lately it has been Escalade or similar ... :eek:
 
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So let me add my two cents to this one. (This is good.)

So you are in the right lane coming up on slower or merging traffic and spot a fast mover catching up in the left lane. So the usual would be to reduce speed to avoid hitting the slower traffic, let the car pass in the left lane, then pull into the left lane behind them and pass the slow/merging traffic in the right lane. Simple, right?

Now, for work I drive a big white Dodge Durango with state plates and an agency logo on the door.

What inevitably happens to me is this. The car in the left lane going 85 in a 55 suddenly comes to the realization that they are just starting to pass a state vehicle that looks a whole lot like a cop! So they do the most rational thing - jam on the brakes and sit behind me until they can decide who I am!

So now, they're sitting right in my blind spot (the blind spots on the new Durangos are huge, BTW!) and I'm either on the bumper of a semi or have a line of traffic merging in around me that I can't get away from. Meanwhile they decide that they should pass me at 56. If I were a cop, I would have had them for felony speeding coming up behind me, but in their mind, somehow passing me at 56 would make it all good for them. So they finally get up beside me, get a good look at the agency logo, laugh at themselves, and punch the warp drive. And it usually happens that the quick glimpse I get as they streak out of site reveals that it's an out-of-state vehicle...

And this seriously happens two or three times a day... And it was worse when we had stripes on the cars!
 
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hawkeye_a said:
Too often when trying to merge, with my turn-signal on indicating my intention to merge, the other driver speeds up on purpose blocking me.
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Drives me crazy. In Texas it's like they have been educated to do this. Seriously there are times in which I am at the right speed, right distance (heck even a long distance like four cars worth), and as soon as I put my blinkers on the guy behind me (on the next lane) steps on the pedal that not even Ayrton Senna, and flashes his lights.
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Rhonindk said:
Soccer mom in an H2 talking on phone, yelling at kids, putting on makeup, and eating while changing lanes without signalling. Coffe cup was in there somewhere ... Though lately it has been Escalade or similar ... :eek:
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I-20.
Car.
60mph.
Woman.
Cat on her left shoulder.
Reading a book.

beat this. As of today I still don't know if I am more concerned of the book or the cat.
 
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yaxomoxay said:
Drives me crazy. In Texas it's like they have been educated to do this. Seriously there are times in which I am at the right speed, right distance (heck even a long distance like four cars worth), and as soon as I put my blinkers on the guy behind me (on the next lane) steps on the pedal that not even Ayrton Senna, and flashes his lights.
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I-20.
Car.
60mph.
Woman.
Cat on her left shoulder.
Reading a book.

beat this. As of today I still don't know if I am more concerned of the book or the cat.
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LMAO!!!! That wasn't a black cat and a grimoire by any chance? :D
In a Tesla?
 
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yaxomoxay said:
Drives me crazy. In Texas it's like they have been educated to do this. Seriously there are times in which I am at the right speed, right distance (heck even a long distance like four cars worth), and as soon as I put my blinkers on the guy behind me (on the next lane) steps on the pedal that not even Ayrton Senna, and flashes his lights.
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Yup. Texas here too. A friend told me thats why he stopped using his turn-signal, which brings me back to people not using turn-signals when switching lanes...which is pretty dangerous.

Pretty fragile egos to do this kind of stuff on purpose. Probably all they have going for them is the satisfaction of inconveniencing a stranger eh. /end-rant
 
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Rhonindk said:
Yes. Usually.
Then again when I was in MS/HS the predominate landscape consisted of crops.
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I wanted to stop by to see it. Pretty cool actually, even if Pluto is like 30 miles outside of town???.

I grew up in eastern Iowa so I know fields of corn and soybeans for as far as the eye could see.
 
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