Gives you a little glimpse into the mindset of those idiots who think it's their god given right to clog up that lane, though, doesn't it?

---

The devil made me do it the first time, second time I done it on my own - W

Yeah, I mis-typed. Got me there; good one! And yet....I still know to stay right unless I'm passing. Pro tip....they have helpful signs along the highway to only use the far left lane for passing to remind you if you forget. Maybe look for those next time you think you are a special snowflake that gets the passing lane all to himself?

---

___________________________________________________
Taco cat spelled backwards is....taco cat.

Crank also rides his bicycle well within the lane on Hwy 1 aka PCH.

Indeed. And what's even dumber, is the morons who hang in the left lane until the last second, and then cut across 3-4 lanes of very heavy traffic to get to their exit. Happens multiple times every day.

---

___________________________________________________
Taco cat spelled backwards is....taco cat.

Ha! No, I'm a bike lane only guy*, except for when there's no bike lane. In that case I'm as far to the right as I can get.

*I also stop for all stop signs, lights, etc. I do everything I can to increase/improve motorists' opinion of and respect for cyclists.

---

War is god

The # 1 factor in driving safety is predictability, so everyone has a good idea what everyone else around them is doing and can act accordingly; all the explicit rules are basically a means to that end, so we're all reading from the same sheet of music as it were... but when you have situations where the vast majority of drivers are uniformly breaking a rule (such as speeding), then it's better to go w/ the flow rather than be the exception even if it's following the letter of the law. Put another way: regardless of what the number is on the speed limit sign, if you're doing something different than the rest of the cars around you (like going significantly slower, as evidenced by multiple cars ending up deciding to pass you on the right), then you* are the problem.

* - the royal 'you,' not anyone here in particular

As for tailgating, there are a couple of nuanced caveats I'll throw out there... Whatever the prescribed 'safe' following distance is for a given speed, the relative mass/performance of the vehicles absolutely matters. I'm willing to follow a large truck fairly closely in my dinky Honda cuz I can stop a lot faster than the much heavier vehicle, but not the other way around when I'm in my truck following a smaller vehicle. I'd also offer that when approaching a passing lane on a 2-lane hwy, maintaining a super large gap behind the car in front of you screws all the cars behind you by effectively shortening the passing lane in order to close that extra gap when it's their turn to pass, so I'll close that distance a little more in anticipation of a passing opportunity than I would during a normal cruising stretch. There's nothing I hate more than following some fuddy-duddy for miles at 45-50mph on a 2-lane hwy and then suddenly we get to a passing lane and I punch it to 75 and can't make up any ground. Those fuckers should be shot.

I'm definitely laughing at you now. You should just stop.

---

War is god

Have a nut, laugh your ass off. All I know is that I can understand fairly simple concepts that you seemingly can't comprehend. You may also want to go back through the thread and figure out which one of us is in the minority here....it ain't* me.

*I threw that out as a bone for you as it seems that since you can't win the argument on its merits, you'd rather resort to nitpicking grammar. Go ahead, burn me again!

---

___________________________________________________
Taco cat spelled backwards is....taco cat.

I learned to drive in Jersey. People bag on Jersey drivers, but man, I'd rather be among aggressive, keyed-in drivers than what I ran into when I moved to South Carolina, which was basically oblivious, unpredictable drivers. It's like the difference between a NASCAR race, and a highway full of tweeners who took their parents' cars for a joyride.

DC beltway traffic is congested but generally easy to navigate. I commute in the fast lane almost exclusively, as it functions as a high-speed train that runs at a uniform speed, 15mph above the limit, with rare exception. No one's trying to push their way through and force people to the right because of it's inherent efficiency.

---

The devil made me do it the first time, second time I done it on my own - W

Aaaand, I'm moving on. Consider this the LavRoom version of a driver (me) giving a friendly wave and smile to a road rager (you), thereby diffusing the situation so that each of us may simply continue on down the road of life unimpeded by the other. (Try not to get too worked up over the little things that don't really matter in the bigger picture.)

---

War is god

I know you want to think of me as a road rager, but it isn't the case. I don't tail gate and I don't drive aggressively. I move over when others want to pass me. I move go the right lane when I'm not passing. In short, I don't think that the left lane is my lane, and all others can suck it (you).

---

___________________________________________________
Taco cat spelled backwards is....taco cat.

Actually people like that are the real life versions of the internet troll. Except in real life they cause actual accidents.

As satisfying as it would have been to those around them, that cop unnecessarily put lives at risk and violated two rules they are meant to enforce vs the one they interrupted.

The jam scenario you refer to is caused by people travelling at unsafe distances to the car in front and unable to absorb speed changes without hard braking. It occurs more often where speed differentials are greater (greater speeds rather than slower speeds). Digressing as only I can, have you ever been in those jams and tried rolling along with subtle braking rather than closing down the gap quickly then braking to a standstill? Everyone behind you keeps moving and it's much less stressful. Unfortunately you leave even the slightest gap and the lane hoppers think it's the path to freedom and block it up immediately!

People seem to think that highways are magical places where the other lanes have infinite capacity to absorb all traffic but for them. It doesn't work that way. The capacity of the carriageway is maximised when all lanes are utilised with people doing similar speeds at safe distances. It's the people accelerating into gaps or right up to people in front, then braking, that ultimately cause the shock waves you allude to. If people actually adhered to limits then this conversation doesn't take place.

Greater utilisation of all lanes gets more people to their destination faster. It's undeniable. I'm a highway engineer. I've seen my fair share of studies and contributed to them. Unfortunately people fail to look outside their own world. That lane should should sit vacant for their exclusive use.

Thank you for posting this. I was going to post something similar.

---

Suffer Well.

Yes, most definitely sure. What causes accidents? Not having enough time to brake and avoid a collision. A product of speed and space (time to react). People can blame a slower driver all they like, but only the individual controls that safe space between them and the car in front. Who cops the penalty for rear end accidents? The car behind.

It all sounds great in theory (keeping this lane free), but it really isn't as simple as many keep trying to say. The 2nd, 3rd etc lanes don't have unlimited capacity to absorb everyone getting out of their way.

The frustrations are created due to speed differentials. Yes some people drive below the limit but not to the same extent as those driving over the limit. So these differentials are caused more by speeders. We (speeders) are the ones leading to our own demise. In an ideal world there shouldn't be a need to overtake but people are too wrapped up in their own importance and have to get to their destination before anyone else.

I agree with you that there are numerous examples of people being there without reason. But as volumes increase, that lane becomes required to maintain capacity. If people actually adhered to limits there wouldn't be a need to pass. For better or worse, these generally are not autobahns. We have to draw the line somewhere.

Yes saying provocative dress leads to rape is as ridiculous as saying a lane hog caused me to have an accident. I am in total control as to how much space I leave in front and how quickly I change speed or lanes. I can't blame someone else. It is my actions, not theirs, that caused the accident.

Yes, to be clear, I'm not talking about when there is simply too much traffic and the left lane is required just to handle things. I'm talking about when there is ample room to move to the right, and yet people refuse to do so. That is dangerous, stupid, and as illegal as speeding.

---

___________________________________________________
Taco cat spelled backwards is....taco cat.

So who decides how fast people can go? In the States it's meant to be governed by that sign with a number in a circle, not the individual. It's a black on white (regulatory) limit, not black on yellow (advisory) one. It seems there's a linear relationship between how fast people drive and how much they complain about this issue.

And who decides whether or not they belong in the left hand lane? It is also a regulatory limit in pretty much every state. You seem to be saying one offense (blocking the left hand lane) is ok while speeding is not.

---

___________________________________________________
Taco cat spelled backwards is....taco cat.

Here's a clue - when no one else agrees with you ... it's you!

I'll give ya props - when you are wrong, you ride that wrong all the way down. Good on ya. You got gumption! But, you are still wrong ...

---

If there are no dogs in Heaven, then when I die I want to go where they went. - Will Rogers

Emery's Third Coast Triathlon | Tri Wisconsin Triathlon Team | Push Endurance | GLWR

Or the mindset of those who think they can drive whatever speed they like and damn anyone who gets in their way? Why are you more special than everyone else?

Read my posts. Not once do I say I like to sit in that lane for no reason. On the other hand many freely admit to driving at whatever speed they choose.

Stepping back for a second, I think I've found a topic that invokes more vitriol than politics. Approaching that of guns!

BINGO!

People who drive slowly in the left lane are individuals who have been beaten down by life and, in this brief moment in time, feel like they have control over something and can exert that control over others.

---

If there are no dogs in Heaven, then when I die I want to go where they went. - Will Rogers

Emery's Third Coast Triathlon | Tri Wisconsin Triathlon Team | Push Endurance | GLWR

It's not a black and white issue. There are people who appear on a crusade to police traffic by maintaining the speed limit in the passing lane, without regard to open lanes to their left or the bottle neck they're creating. You flash your lights once, briefly, and they ignore you. You flash twice, they ignore you. They pump their brakes to back you off. Eventually, in nearly every occurence, they get passed on the right, which is the most dangerous of the available options.

Those people are idiots. There's no getting around it (see what I did there?)

---

The devil made me do it the first time, second time I done it on my own - W

That was freakin awesome!!!

---

If there are no dogs in Heaven, then when I die I want to go where they went. - Will Rogers

Emery's Third Coast Triathlon | Tri Wisconsin Triathlon Team | Push Endurance | GLWR