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southernnaturelover, no I agree with that, in fact I believe it is a law here in NJ as well. Safety for Police officers I believe is paramount and I would never speed by them in the right lane if they had someone pulled over. My problem is that everyone regardless of what lane they are in slows way down. Ive see four lane highways where people in the left lane hit there brakes because a cop has someone pulled over on the right shoulder. Thats an accident waiting to happen and I just dont get why people do it. They are busy....they are not going to stop what they are doing to go get someone else.
Quote:
Originally Posted by southernnaturelover
Here in Alabama, if a cop has someone pulled over, traffic MUST move over to the middle or left lane, it's the law. If its a two lane rural road, traffic in the right lane must slow to 45mph. They enacted this law a couple of years ago because several troopers had been hit.
Same here in NC, but as mm66 said above, the reaction goes far beyond giving the LEO some room for their safety. I can't count the number of times I've sat in 20 MPH traffic for half an hour only to find one LEO sitting behind a stopped car, with all lanes of traffic going slow.
Quote:
Originally Posted by whiteboyslo
Just like folks who stop at the end of an escalator.........
Mike
...or in an entry doorway, or with their cart sideways in a grocery store, or at the end of an on ramp, or, or, or...
Just like folks who stop at the end of an escalator.........
What about the folks who insist on coming to a dead stop immediately upon walking into a store, or a bank, or...virtually any commercial location? There have been times when I had to LOUDLY say "excuse me" several times in order to get past some befuddled soul who continued to stand like a statue in an entry doorway, trying to figure out what to do.
This is one of my pet peeves when on foot, but when it happens while driving, it could much more than an annoyance. It could be fatal.
...or in an entry doorway, or with their cart sideways in a grocery store, or at the end of an on ramp, or, or, or...
Whoops!
I just noticed your post, above.
I have to assume that these are the same folks who back up on expressways if they miss their exit.
Because, if they miss their exit, they will just fall off of the edge of the flat earth, I suppose...
I have to assume that these are the same folks who back up on expressways if they miss their exit.
Because, if they miss their exit, they will just fall off of the edge of the flat earth, I suppose...
More than once, I've had someone try to squeeze past or cut me off near an exit that I assume they need. I am not stepping on the brake at 65mph and getting rear ended just so you can get to your exit at the last minute. Take the next one. If there's no one behind me then yeah, I'll let off the gas so you can get over or I'll speed up so you can cut over behind me, but in traffic, you definitely should have thought about getting over sooner. Thankfully I've never seen someone back up on the shoulder to hit an exit, but many a time I've seen someone jump over and come within inches of the jersey wall separating interstate from exit because they tried to get over and realized someone was in the way already on the exit.
How about those annoying car drivers that like to stick in blind spots of semis and tailgating them? Lord help them if a tire blew (especially the super single tires)...most likely the car will be heavily damaged and most likely an accident with injuries. I've seen it happen.
Or perhaps those dense car drivers that like to cut off trucks because of the fact that we cannot go as fast as they can? As many driver ed cars I am seeing on the roads now, these new teen drivers don't even need a driver license until they can prove that they can drive safely around the big rigs. Because I promise you once they get that plastic that says they can drive, all of the rules go out the window...
How about those annoying car drivers that like to stick in blind spots of semis and tailgating them? Lord help them if a tire blew (especially the super single tires)...most likely the car will be heavily damaged and most likely an accident with injuries. I've seen it happen.
Or perhaps those dense car drivers that like to cut off trucks because of the fact that we cannot go as fast as they can? As many driver ed cars I am seeing on the roads now, these new teen drivers don't even need a driver license until they can prove that they can drive safely around the big rigs. Because I promise you once they get that plastic that says they can drive, all of the rules go out the window...
Your comment leads me to this: because of needing a car to get around in most of the US, a license seems to be a personal right instead of a personal privilege. The drivers exam and training is a joke when compared with other countries like Germany or France. And the introduction of smart phones and infotainment centers adds to the distraction.
I have to assume that these are the same folks who back up on expressways if they miss their exit.
Because, if they miss their exit, they will just fall off of the edge of the flat earth, I suppose...
I've copied this and plan on suing for plagiarism. Whoops indeed. No excuses. Your confession will go a long way towards my retirement fund.
Yes, probably the same people who stop at an intersection because they weren't able to merge to turn right, sitting there with their blinker on, just asking for someone to rear end them at speed.
Quote:
Originally Posted by cubssoxfan
Your comment leads me to this: because of needing a car to get around in most of the US, a license seems to be a personal right instead of a personal privilege. The drivers exam and training is a joke when compared with other countries like Germany or France. And the introduction of smart phones and infotainment centers adds to the distraction.
It should be treated as a privilege to be earned, but many think they are owed a driver's license. Look at some of the posts here and you'll see people whining about the license testing being soooo difficult.
I think I can sum this up as "anything unpredictable is unsafe on the highway."
- Failure to properly use lanes, such as not using the passing lane just as a passing lane
- Weaving
- Failure to signal
- Failure to maintain a steady speed
- Driving at a speed that is considerably different than others (generally too slow)
- Being distracted
- Passing in no-passing zones
- Tailgating
- Driving inappropriately for the weather conditions
There are a few other things as well that are a pain in the butt, such as road rage type activities, truck drivers who fail to adequately secure their loads, and people who have poorly-maintained cars that belch oil smoke or super-rich diesel exhaust and stink up the air.
You are basically asking to get rid of stupid people. So that isn't going to work.
One think I will disagree with you though. The left lane is for passing. That doesn't mean you have to be going 80 to use it. If someone is in the right lane going ten miles under the speed limit, it is perfectly acceptable to go 5 miles below the speed limit to pass them. The problem is when they forget to move over.
Here in Alabama, if a cop has someone pulled over, traffic MUST move over to the middle or left lane, it's the law. If its a two lane rural road, traffic in the right lane must slow to 45mph. They enacted this law a couple of years ago because several troopers had been hit.
It's a stupid law. The cop is forcing hundreds, maybe thousands of drivers to CHANGE LANES, the principal cause of accidents. If there are only two traffic lanes, he is forcing every driver to slow down AND move over into the fast passing lane. If the cop needs to issue a ticket, he can use his external speakers to order the offending driver to proceed to the next exit and pull off. Or pull far enough over to the side to be well clear of the traffic.
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