Move over, slowpoke

Washington Times ^ | Friday, August 2, 2002 | Eric Peters

[Old Professer]

As a certified "old-fart" I would like to inform you that that California law has been in effect ever since the original "Grapevine" highway opened back in the 30's.

[AfghanAirShow]

You may think you're doing a good thing, but you're not. I suppose you meant "stay right beside somebody in the passing lane to make it difficult to pass that person on the right"? If that's what you do and you stay in formation with someone in the fast lane and force traffic to tailgate and pile up behind the two of you, then you are doing a boneheaded thing and you are the problem. Unless you're a cop it's not your job to enforce ANYTHING, period.

[aristeides]

We disagree. I think that, by preventing people from passing on the right, I'm contributing to safety.

Even if I'm wrong, I'm subjecting myself to danger for the sake of a principle. Is that wrong?

[aristeides]

Unless you're a cop it's not your job to enforce ANYTHING, period.

The fact that something may not be my job doesn't mean that it is not my duty. Are you one of those people who think that anything the police do not prevent, people have a right to do, and that any non-policeman who complains about a violation is a mere busybody? Don't you see how this exclusive reliance on the law is precisely our society's problem?

[BADROTOFINGER]

Among the worst are the husband and wife old fart duo in the newer model luxury car that insist on passing you in the left lane (fine, nothing wrong with that), then cutting in front of you and dropping to 5 mph under the speed limit. You then have to pass them, speed up a bit to make some distance, then resume travel in the right lane. Then Mr. Old Fart somehow feels that he has been showed up, so he proceeds to speed to catch up to you and start the whole damn thing again. I have had this happen to me more times than I can count driving through Washington State on I-90. If I had a cell phone I would call 1-800-22-DRUNK on them, but I dont care to pay for the stupid things...JFK

[AfghanAirShow]

Your duty, everyone's duty, is to stay out of everybody else's way as much as possible so that everyone gets to wherever they're going in one piece. Your duty is not to try and enforce the rules of the road, no matter how noble you think the cause is. Any time you do anything that requires one or more other drivers to react to you and change their speed or direction you are increasing the chances of a collision and the safety of everyone is affected. Sometimes this can't be helped, such as when you slow down to make a turn, but when it's being done to prove a point or to make people behave then it's just stupid -- sorry, but it is. You're causing an unsafe condition in traffic to 'teach' people not to do some other unsafe thing.

[aristeides]

It's the people who try to pass on the right who are creating the danger, by violating the rules of the road.

[aristeides]

And you're ignoring the fact that one of my objects is to try to get the slowpoke out of the left lane, which is what created the problem in the first place. You would have me ignore the problem, instead of trying to do something about it. Is that responsible?

[AfghanAirShow]

You said it yourself; you are trying to force people to tailgate the clueless driver in the left lane to get the blocker out of that lane -- what makes you think that someone so oblivious (or hardheaded) as the left lane hog is going to get your 'message' or that of the tailgater and have some sort of epiphany and suddenly see the error of their ways and do it right from then on? Nope, what's happening is that you're facilitating a dangerous situation (tailgating) because you're trying to teach somone else how to drive, and that makes you the problem as far as I'm concerned.

[aristeides]

Usually those left-lane hogs are such chickens that they will back out once they realize they are putting themselves in danger. But the only way to get them to realize that is to put other people, including myself, in danger. I'm willing to do that, because I believe that that danger is smaller than the danger from wholesale passing on the right.

[AfghanAirShow]

"But the only way to get them to realize that is to put other people, including myself, in danger."

Pretty much what I've been saying all along about your behavior, except that for some reason you think this is a good thing. That's where you and I will just have to disagree I guess.

Last word's yours if you feel the need...

[aristeides]

The alternative is to tolerate passing on the right, which, as I have said, I regard as more dangerous. The fact that much of the danger I cause in trying to prevent this danger is imposed on myself I regard as honorable.

I take it you would have me do nothing, and simply tolerate passing on the right. I cannot see how that would be anything other than dishonorable.

[aristeides]

It troubles me how any experienced driver can fail to realize how much danger allowing passing on the right adds to the hazards of driving.

[Vicki]

I drive the speed limit or 5 miles over. I don't mind getting over the to let people pass and most generally stay in the right lane.

What drives me crazy is when people are tailgating me in the right lane. I feel like they want to shove me off the road. I travel a two lane road quite a bit. I usually go 5 over, but I still have idiots that insist I go faster. There is a police station on this road and lots of cops going back and forth. I don't want to get a ticket by accomodating these rude people. I have even pulled over to let them speed by.

Another thing I have noticed lately is how mad people get when you want to make a right hand turn. Again I go the speed limit, turn on my blinker well in advance and try to slow down to a minimum to safely navigate the turn. Honking horns and gestures. I feel like I've committed a sin by making them slow down a little so I can can pull into my neighborhood. Most drivers are mean and rude.

[MP5SD]

When you pass me and then immediately pull back over in the right lane directly in front of me, you're forcing me to tailgate you.

I live in the land of gravel roads and if I pass you I go WAY down the road before you move over, so as to save you chipped or broken windshield. If I don't have to come over in front of you for anyone else I won't. Just decency.

[MP5SD]

We have our share of them on I5 in the Central Valley of California, and they will do everything from flipping you off to pacing the car in the other lane. They enjoy the power to hold up a mile of other traffic.

WOW! That is exactly what happened to me a week ago on vacation just south of Stockton. I'd never seen that many retards in the left lane NOT going the speed limit in my life. I think it really is an ego trip for them.

[1rudeboy]

I don't see what the fuss is all about, really. The shoulder is available for passing as long as you are familiar with it and watch-out for the odd casualty.

[leeharvey75]

It's liberal PC because someone blocking the left lane while toeing the established government and insurance industry line ('speed kills') seems to think they know better what's good for you than you can choose for yourself. And by the way- I haven't noticed any posts on this board related to the amount of money insurance companies, not just municipalities, make off of trumped up speeding fines...

The long and short of it is that a speeding ticket is issued for an absolute and objective 'violation' of the law- There's no arguing the fact that 75>65=Ticket. The more left lane laws we see the more you'll notice lawyers specializing in defending the cretins who violate them. After all, who needs personal responsibility and good judgement when the ATLA has your back?

My motto when driving: You don't need to drive like you're in a hurry, but you should always drive like the guy behind you is.

[Neanderthal]

Wow. I was waiting almost three years for a reply on that.