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I commute about 100 miles a day and I have done so for many years. I also take a lot of road trips when I am not working. Most of this time it is all highway driving and I have noticed, in my opinion anyway, that slow drivers are probably the #1 cause of traffic. I have a horrible commute on the way home everyday and most of that horribleness could be avoided if everyone drove in the appropriate lanes.
If you want to drive the speed limit then stick to the middle or the right lane. If you want to go under the speed limit, stick to the right lane. If you want to go over the speed limit stick to the left lane. Most traffic I approach on the highway is due to slow drivers that want to hog all three lanes. SOme of us have places we would like to be so please move over if you notice a line of cars behind you and no one in front of you, thats a little clue that you may be driving to slow.
I dont understand, if i see someone coming up on me I assume I am going to slow, so I merge into the next lane to let them go by. WHy is this concept so difficult to understand? People think that because they are going the speed limit that they are going fast, well they arent. You are the ones causing the traffic.
Theoretically, should the fast lane ever really slow down? WIth the exception of accidents and the occasional right lane on ramp. If people stuck true to the fast lane and used it for what it was I think traffic would flow much better. Lack of turn signals, lack of paying attention, lack of speed when merging into the fast lane are just some of the reasons that traffic slows down in the fast lane.
It also kills me when a cop has pulled someone over and all 3 lanes slow down....really...is he going to forget about the guy he just pulled over, hop in his cruiser and pull everyone else over? Again, a cause of traffic. Its fine for the slow lane to slow down out of respect but no other lane needs to.
Just a pet peeve of mine and I think there is a lack of experience on the roads these days which contributes to the unneccessary traffic.
If you want to go over the speed limit stick to the left lane.
No, no, no! Do not stick to the left lane no matter what. The left lane is for PASSING slower traffic. When finished passing, get out of the left lane, regardless of speed. That's the real solution to the problem. I know you said that later, but it contradicts the quoted part above. I'm just pointing that out. I am in full agreement with you other than that.
Yeah, good luck with that. [sarcasm] Remember, in America, it's our right (and, apparently, our responsibility) to go whatever speed we want in whatever lane we want, consideration for others be damned. Oh, and that sign that says 'slower traffic use turnouts'? Yeah, that doesn't apply to me either. [/sarcasm]
All of that makes sense. None of it will work, because people are stupid en masse. Every day I come across people who simply do not think about what they're doing. They just drift through life oblivious to what is happening around them.
At least I am not the only one that feels this way. vmaxnc, as far as oblivious.....how about theose people that blatently do something (cut you off, swerve into you, brake for no reason), and you get up next to them and look over to give them a dirty look and they have no idea that they just did something wrong. At that point its obvious that they have no idea where they are because they dont even look over, they are just playing with their hair, or their phone, etc. These are the people not only causing traffic, but causing accidents. It really sucks when a normally 40 minute commute turns into and hour and a half commute because of people that dont know how to drive.
Love to see someone post on here defending the way they drive and why they enjoy causing traffic and accidents.
At least I am not the only one that feels this way. vmaxnc, as far as oblivious.....how about theose people that blatently do something (cut you off, swerve into you, brake for no reason), and you get up next to them and look over to give them a dirty look and they have no idea that they just did something wrong. At that point its obvious that they have no idea where they are because they dont even look over, they are just playing with their hair, or their phone, etc. These are the people not only causing traffic, but causing accidents. It really sucks when a normally 40 minute commute turns into and hour and a half commute because of people that dont know how to drive.
Love to see someone post on here defending the way they drive and why they enjoy causing traffic and accidents.
The most recent stupid driver move happened Sunday. I turned right onto a main road here. I'd jumped out in front of the traffic that was just pulling away from the new green light, so I rolled into the gas so as not to jam them up. I knew I was making a right turn into a parking lot almost immediately, so I braked late. As I (safely and without backing traffic up) turned into the parking lot, the old woman who'd turned into the lot in front of me just stopped. She was deciding which way to go, as 20 cars going 45 MPH were coming up on the half of my car that was still in the road. I had nowhere to go because I was right behind her. So I got to feel the wrath of the drivers as they screeched to a stop behind me. The old lady had no idea what she had caused or what was happening behind her. She sat there for at least 10 seconds, scanning the lot behind her giant sunglasses, as a dozen cars locked up their brakes and blew their horns. NEVER stop as you enter a parking lot.
It also kills me when a cop has pulled someone over and all 3 lanes slow down....really...is he going to forget about the guy he just pulled over, hop in his cruiser and pull everyone else over? Again, a cause of traffic. Its fine for the slow lane to slow down out of respect but no other lane needs to.
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.
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.
The most recent stupid driver move happened Sunday. I turned right onto a main road here. I'd jumped out in front of the traffic that was just pulling away from the new green light, so I rolled into the gas so as not to jam them up. I knew I was making a right turn into a parking lot almost immediately, so I braked late. As I (safely and without backing traffic up) turned into the parking lot, the old woman who'd turned into the lot in front of me just stopped. She was deciding which way to go, as 20 cars going 45 MPH were coming up on the half of my car that was still in the road. I had nowhere to go because I was right behind her. So I got to feel the wrath of the drivers as they screeched to a stop behind me. The old lady had no idea what she had caused or what was happening behind her. She sat there for at least 10 seconds, scanning the lot behind her giant sunglasses, as a dozen cars locked up their brakes and blew their horns. NEVER stop as you enter a parking lot.
Just like folks who stop at the end of an escalator.........
The most recent stupid driver move happened Sunday. I turned right onto a main road here. I'd jumped out in front of the traffic that was just pulling away from the new green light, so I rolled into the gas so as not to jam them up. I knew I was making a right turn into a parking lot almost immediately, so I braked late. As I (safely and without backing traffic up) turned into the parking lot, the old woman who'd turned into the lot in front of me just stopped. She was deciding which way to go, as 20 cars going 45 MPH were coming up on the half of my car that was still in the road. I had nowhere to go because I was right behind her. So I got to feel the wrath of the drivers as they screeched to a stop behind me. The old lady had no idea what she had caused or what was happening behind her. She sat there for at least 10 seconds, scanning the lot behind her giant sunglasses, as a dozen cars locked up their brakes and blew their horns. NEVER stop as you enter a parking lot.
I had an old lady pull out in front of me a few weeks ago. I was coming around a curve at about 45mph, she pulls out of a parking lot into a main road (3 lanes each direction) and just stops. I didn't think my Jeep could stop that quick, I stopped about a foot away from her car, horn blaring. She looks around with a lost look, then pulls across the other 2 lanes into traffic. I swore she was going to get t-boned, but everyone managed to stop, fair amount of rubber left on the road. I don't think she had any idea that there was anyone else on the road with her.
My general pet peeve on the highway is people putting along in the middle lanes, but also people who can't speed up and merge. Get up to speed BEFORE you try and merge...don't try and slide onto an interstate doing 30mph below the speed limit. With few exceptions, the merge lanes are long enough to speed up, there's absolutely no excuse. If your car can't make highway speed for whatever reason, stay off.
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Do not stick to the left lane no matter what. The left lane is for PASSING slower traffic. When finished passing, get out of the left lane, regardless of speed. That's the real solution to the problem. I know you said that later, but it contradicts the quoted part above. I'm just pointing that out. I am in full agreement with you other than that.
