Posted on 12/10/2008 8:53:48 AM PST by Smogger
In these days of longer commutes and simmering tempers, nothing seems to set off already-testy motorists like the left-lane camper -- the guy or gal who drives in the passing lane and bars faster drivers from easily passing. Web sites have cropped up to educate other drivers, or to vent. There's a (somewhat painful) YouTube song called "Keep Right."
Even bigwigs get frustrated. Pennsylvania Gov. Edward Rendell, weary of having his limo slowed down by such left-lane pokies, ordered an aide to have the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission install signs a few years ago reading "Keep Right, Pass Left. It's the Law."
And now some states are cracking down on left-lane campers, both to keep traffic moving and to tamp down the road rage that goes from zero-to-60 faster than ever before.
That's not just a pretext. Last year, a driver was arrested on Interstate 79 outside Pittsburgh after allegedly brandishing a semiautomatic pistol at a driver who was on his tail.
(Excerpt) Read more at articles.moneycentral.msn.com ...
Wrong again, dude (or dudette). My sister got a ticket for riding in the left lane, and was travelling over the speed limit at the same time.
You aren’t correct on very many matters, are you?
I am amazed everytime I travel in that state. It is like a local sport.
An understandable situation.
A tailgating chain at 70 mph isn’t the brightest thing I’ve ever read about.
The state issues each driver a license, to drive his or her own car. Leave the driving of other cars to those driving them.
Bottom line. If you are in the left lane and you are impeding the progress of other drivers, then you are an insecure A-Hole who needs to grow up and find a new, and less dangerous way to feel powerful in your daily life. Whatever excuse you want to use, if you do this on a regular basis, you are a little person trying to feel powerful, and you prove it every time you drive slow in the left lane.
All interstate highways.
I did like the waving thing in Texas.....very cool.
In KS, you get one-finger waves. Here, on the country roads, they flat give a full wave.
Really neat.
My negative things only apply to the interstates and city driving.
People in the country are incredibly respectful.
You can relate to this freeway story........
I see a car coming down an onramp about to enter the freeway. There is a guy on a Harley behind him. (the guy has shorts, no shirt and sandals)
Well, they both attempt to merge over at the ramp to enter the freeway when the motorcycle goes over first, then passes the guy.
Can you imagine that? He passed the guy while the guy was still on the ramp. And the guy was coming over too. He had his signal on and everything. He was attempting to get on the freeway when motorcycle that was behind him got on first and passed him.
That told me right there alot about that motorcyclist.
First if all, he’s never been down, or else he wouldn’t be dressed like that.
Secondly, he hasn’t been riding long... never had the crap scared out of him by doing stupid stuff like that. He’s one that will have to learn the hard way.
In Massachusetts the speeding fine is double if you are over 10 mph, so the Staties don't get as big a bang for the catch if under 10.
Oftentimes, the posted speed limit has nothing whatsoever to do with the speed of traffic.
On US-3 from Nashua down into Massachusetts, the speed limit is 55 miles per hour, but the prevailing speed of free-flowing traffic on this road, which is 10 lanes across in some places, is essentially identical to that on I-93 which has a speed limit of 65mph.
LOL.
I-20 is a major east west highway - many of those people you are claiming are Texans are traveling through the State.
We used to be pretty good before all of the immigration kicked in. :o)
You said — “It is all a game, in the long run. I’ve passed many blockers on the shoulder. You want to do it safely though.”
Yeah, it’s a game, all right. You can tell “what kind of game” the driver ahead of you is going to play, and if you figure it right, then you can “head him off at the pass...” You’ve got to think ahead to do that, though.
I can usually see someone speeding up, when I come up behind them, and attempting to cut me off with a line of cars that are on the right side — but up ahead for a ways. Usually they’ll try to do it slyly and just gradually speed up.
I know they’re trying to trap me behind them, by the time we get up to the line of cars on the right, so he won’t have to pull over to the right....
So, I usually *gun it* and pass him on the right, before he even knows I’m passing, and then I’m around him... LOL... You can see what these guys are going to do before they do it... :-)
—
However, I remember one time an old couple were driving in the left lane of a three-lane freeway and they weren’t going that slow, but they were impeding traffic in the passing lane. So, a pick-up truck came up behind them and honked and blinked the lights (I was in one of the right lanes), but the old couple wouldn’t budge or move out of the lane, and the truck couldn’t pass on the right, because it was full of traffic.
So, I saw the truck edge up closer and closer to their rear bumper and then finally, he slightly bumped and tapped them. When he had made contact, he gunned it and he *actually pushed them out of the way*.... LOL...
When they felt themselves being pushed from behind, they pulled over quickly then... :-)
My favorite episode on a highway was a guy in the left lane trying to get past a semi so he could pull back into the right lane. Before he had gone very far, a State Patrol cruiser (with no lights or sirens going) pulled up right on his bumper and started tailgating. The poor slob didn’t know what to do. In order to pass the truck, he would have needed to break the speed limit - and with the Patrol car on his butt, he didn’t want that option. The truck in the right lane caught on after a while and slowed down, enabling the driver with the cruiser on his butt to pull into the right lane. The trooper’s car then roared off into the sunset . . . again, with no lights or siren.
Race is as big as a tree. The reason he drives slow is there isn't a car powerful enough to go 70 with him in it. The reason he doesn't get out of your way when you fast approach from the rear is because his right shoulder blocks the view of his rear view mirror.
Race, the problem is you never know why someone is speeding down the road. It could be an emergency and as Beelzebubba said, it is just courteous to move aside if you can do so safely. I get angry if someone is buzzing up behind me as well, and I don’t drive slowly either, but it isn’t worth my life, or the life of anyone else for me to block their access. If they want/need to speed, then I let them - as I said earlier, they are “bait” for any Troopers ahead of me.
You said — “Why does Texas have so many left exits? There are some odd things about this state....I recall very few left exits in KS since the highways were built to make sense.”
There are left exits in Oklahoma, too... In Oregon they never had left exits. I’ve always thought the left exits were weird (also the left entrances...).
It looks like it is out of a science fiction book. It actually reminds me of the “freeway of the future” in the GM exhibit in the 1939 worlds fair, but with about 20 times more cars on it.
The sheer number of cars is stagering.
Yeah, it has really slowed down, though no real layoffs yet.
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