Posted on 01/27/2005 6:08:40 AM PST by devane617
Aggressive driving along Interstate-75 appears to be more problematic than ever.
"We're seeing the problem of road rage increasing," said Florida Highway Patrol Trooper Norman Parks, who has been patrolling the interstates for almost 15 years.
"It's scary to drive down here," said one driver.
"Weaving, tailgating, cutting people off," said another driver.
"When you get all of that, it can pose real problems," said Parks.
That's why Florida Senator Mike Bennett is pushing for the Road Rage Reduction Act to be made into law. It's designed to reduce the amount of people in the left lane.
"We have a lot of people in the state of Florida who unfortunately, drive in the left-hand lane and block traffic," said Bennett.
Signs in the median advising people to only use the left lane for passing don't seem to be working.
"We need a better tool to specifically deal with this issue," said Parks. If the bill gets passed, there will be more signs like these and bigger ones.
If the bill gets passed, you'll not only see more signs and billboards on the roadways warning drivers to stay out of the left lane, but greater enforcement of that.
"We're trying to figure out a way to increase traffic flow and prevent citizens from accidents and road rage," said Bennett.
Bennett says the Department of Highway Safety's involvement is key to the bill working. If the bill passes, the department will be required to work with the Florida Highway Patrol to educate the public about the new law through an awareness campaign.
I have to agree, nothing ticks me off more than being stuck behind someone going slow in the left lane. I don't speed like I used too but I do go about 3-4 mph over the speed limit just to keep me from sitting in a group of cars. Another thing is the PPl who refuse to adjust their cruise control and will sit in the left lane riding side by side with the car in the right lane refusing to touch the gas pedal and move around them.
Oh, and the trucker who jumps into the left lane at the bottom of a hill and rides all the way up next to another trucker. Hmmmm, maybe I should just quit driving.
I'm all for this bill (now that I've read it). I couldn't believe that FL didn't have a law against poking along in the left lane. I wrote my legislator two years ago about this and he said he totally agreed with me (having to drive up I75 to Tallahassee often) and said he'd look into it.
Then he got busted for DUI. I figured the karma wasn't right so I dropped it :-)
A fairly basic rule.
If you are in a land, and you notice people passing YOU on the right, then you are causing a traffic hazard.
Even if YOU are not able to get into the left lane.
It's about time someone, somewhere started addressing the real problem with "aggressive drivers" - the passive, complacent drivers who are the root cause of the whole mess!
GTF outta the left lane, dumbass!!!
And truckers - you idiots get your heads outta your asses too! You can't pass another truck going up a hill - why even try? You do not own the damn road and you don't have the right to force your big, bulky slowness on the rest of us. I don't care what contribution you're making or how many taxes you pay!
QUIT BLOCKING TRAFFIC -- ALL OF YOU!
land = lane
Everyone should drive on the autobahn at least once.
There you learn what the left lane is for, and should you decide to ignore the flashing lights in your mirror, you will quickly have a large Mercedes or Porche inches from your rear bumper, even though you might be travelling at 100 MPH.
Needless to say, people quickly learn the purpose of the left lane.
Of course, I-95 from Miami to Jupiter you don't have the space to be aggressive, as you just sit in traffic.
They have signs in Indiana KEEP RIGHT EXCEPT TO PASS.
"In your opinion, was his anger at me justified?"
That guy was an idiot, friend. Ignore assholes like him. He'll get his eventually -- when he plays that crap with someone like me, who has no problem whatsoever handing someone a chunk of their ass if they want to escalate it after my response to them!
Oh, it'll get brung!
Nope, because...
1. You were doing almost 10 MPH over the limit.
2. You were not in the far left lane.
If I were the driver approaching you from behind, I feel the impetus would be on me to go around you in another lane.
Poster #19 has the correct answer. If they stay in the middle lane people are constantly getting right in front of them while there are people behind them. If they are in the far right lane they have to worry aboutpeople entering and exiting the freeway. So they feel safe in the far left lane. They dont worry about you getting on their bumper and if you pass them and cut over they can just tap the brakes and they once again have a clear road in front of them.
I think I can explain that one. The roads that get a lot of travel get a build-up of oil and grime that becomes extremely slippery at the beginning of a light rain, especially if it's the first rain in a while. Once it rains for a little bit, or starts raining hard, the gunk washes away.
Anyhow, the road gets just like glass for a short time. I spun my Jeep in a complete circle once in just those conditions, and I was only going about 20 mph.
I agree, the autobahn is a thrill. If you are in the left lane, and if you can even barely see a car a mile behind you in your rearview mirror, you'd better get to the right in .0001 seconds or that Porsche will be in your trunk. I do believe that we Americans are the slowest drivers in the world. Not the worst, as anyone who has driven in the Middle East knows, but the slowest.
George Carlin
There are two kinds of drivers: Maniacs and Assholes. A Maniac is anyone who drives faster than you. An Asshole is anyone who drives slower than you.
Why won’t this asshole get out of my way! Look at that maniac go!
It's a "fairly basic rule" until you give it some thought.
If I'm going 75, I'm passing traffic on my right that is going 65. So, I'm passing, and don't have to "keep to the right" as you say.
The problem only arises when somebody comes barreling up on me, going 85, wanting me to clear out of his way. I will do that, eventually, but only when I'm pretty sure I have the room to get over to the right, and then back into the left lane, without getting stuck in the right lane.
Another time under similar circumstances a co-worker came up behind me and blew his horn. I slowed down. When he blew his horn again I slowed down to the speed limit. He was really upset with me. I told him that I thought he was trying to warn me that I was exceeding the speed limit. We didn't have further conversations for quite a while.
Oh, and try I4 on a reasonable day. Between the "Rolling Roadblocks" and the construction, it's a nightmare. From 80mph to a dead stop in a 1/4 mile...
I find that driving in the right lane has its own set of dangers. People merging into very heavy traffic cause many accidents (Yield? WHAT Yield?), and it's safer to let them have as much room as possible to get into the flow of traffic safely. This is a lot easier with a 3 lane road, of course.
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