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Last spring I was driving back from Washington DC to NJ. We were trying to beat a minor snow fall, which was predicted to drop 1/2" of snow. On the stretch of 95, or some iteration of it, about 15 minutes north of DC, it was raining lightly. I was in the second to left hand lane doing 65-70. As we are coming over a hill, I move into the left lane to pass a car ahead of me doing maybe 60. A young woman in the left hand lane was doing somewhere around 40 (according to the police officer), in the left hand lane of a 5 (maybe more) lane highway where the rest of the flow of traffic was doing much closer to 60-65. I was just barely able to get into the right lane and the 18 wheeler behind me nearly jack knifed and did end up running her off the road, into the shoulder, than the median. It was only due to the fact that traffic was light that this was not a massive, multi-car accident. I stopped half a mile up, called the police, and while I was grateful everyone was mostly okay, it did stink that ultimately had to go back to court down there twice as a witness for the trucker since she sued him!
But we were not speeding (the trucker nor I), we were not driving inappropriately for the conditions, we were following the law and the flow of traffic. This woman toodling along in the left hand lane almost killed multiple people and then claimed in court that she thought staying right except to pass was a "suggestion".
So yes people, if you refuse to get out of the left hand lane when you are driving slower than others, you risk lives.
They say driving is a privilege. Well, I say we need to up the ante and make it even more difficult. Right now it's basically "fog a mirror" and you get to drive. As a pilot I think it needs to be much . . . MUCH . . . more difficult for people to earn the privilege of killing others while propelling a multi-ton projectile at high speed in close proximity to others. I don't think most drivers are qualified to operate a scooter.
The trooper above needs to read the case law that I posted earlier (in which the trooper who made the arrest was suffering from the same lack of understanding of the COMPLETE law as the trooper above UNLESS the trooper quoted above was referring to a SPECIFC stretch of highway that has been designated as left lane passing only AND has the correct signage as required by statute for such stretches). That case law was released within the past few weeks and states what the law REALLY is quite clearly. The ONLY time, in Texas, that it is "the law" that the left lane is a passing only lane is when it has (a) been officially so designated by TxDOT AND (b) the signs required by statute have been clearly posted - and there should be such a sign after each entrance, if you read the whole thing, in order for there to be a violation by someone driving in the left lane and not passing.
"It's the law" is way too broad an excuse for wanting someone to get out of your way if they are driving the speed limit, because it isn't always, or even usually, in Texas. It's going to be interesting, if the troopers in question are enforcing this law on a stretch of road that doesn't have the proper signage, to see how this case law impacts the disposition of those cases. Might end up with Houston law enforcement having to take a remediary course in the traffic laws.
How about the laws of common sense and common courtesy? I suppose you need a law to tell you to let people out of an elevator before you try to get in?
How about the laws of common sense and common courtesy? I suppose you need a law to tell you to let people out of an elevator before you try to get in?
Drivers that are constantly passing other drivers are statistically stupid people. We did a study on this in one of my psychology classes at UCLA. There was a huge difference between those drivers that said "get out of my way," and those that said "you're not getting anywhere any faster, and you're endangering your life as well as others."
It's funny because it's so true. Drive down south and people drive like animals; however, if you go to a state like Vermont or Main, you'll find that people don't drive like idiots for the most part.
The trooper above needs to read the case law that I posted earlier (in which the trooper who made the arrest was suffering from the same lack of understanding of the COMPLETE law as the trooper above UNLESS the trooper quoted above was referring to a SPECIFC stretch of highway that has been designated as left lane passing only AND has the correct signage as required by statute for such stretches). That case law was released within the past few weeks and states what the law REALLY is quite clearly. The ONLY time, in Texas, that it is "the law" that the left lane is a passing only lane is when it has (a) been officially so designated by TxDOT AND (b) the signs required by statute have been clearly posted - and there should be such a sign after each entrance, if you read the whole thing, in order for there to be a violation by someone driving in the left lane and not passing.
"It's the law" is way too broad an excuse for wanting someone to get out of your way if they are driving the speed limit, because it isn't always, or even usually, in Texas. It's going to be interesting, if the troopers in question are enforcing this law on a stretch of road that doesn't have the proper signage, to see how this case law impacts the disposition of those cases. Might end up with Houston law enforcement having to take a remediary course in the traffic laws.
Drivers that are constantly passing other drivers are statistically stupid people. We did a study on this in one of my psychology classes at UCLA. There was a huge difference between those drivers that said "get out of my way," and those that said "you're not getting anywhere any faster, and you're endangering your life as well as others."
It's funny because it's so true. Drive down south and people drive like animals; however, if you go to a state like Vermont or Main, you'll find that people don't drive like idiots for the most part.
Statistically stupid?
I call bs. What exactly was your design? Your positive and neg controls? Your p value.? What test did you use? And who and how big as your sample size?
Because based on real research there is a positive correlation with iq and getting traffic tickets (things like speeding) while there is a negative correlation between iq and fatal accidents.
Meaning smart people are more likely to speed but less likely to kill anyone doing so.
How about the laws of common sense and common courtesy? I suppose you need a law to tell you to let people out of an elevator before you try to get in?
Common sense, right? Same way do you need a law to tell people (who are in rush BTW) in the back to stay and let the ones in front exit first?
I call bs. What exactly was your design? Your positive and neg controls? Your p value.? What test did you use? And who and how big as your sample size?
Because based on real research there is a positive correlation with iq and getting traffic tickets (things like speeding) while there is a negative correlation between iq and fatal accidents.
Meaning smart people are more likely to speed but less likely to kill anyone doing so.
There was a positive correlation with lower levels of education and self admitted aggressive driving habits. This was 27 years ago, so you'll have to forgive me for not remembering all the details. But I will educate you on the fact that real Statistics can't be based on IQ levels because less than .5% of the population has ever actually taken an intelligence quotient test. Also, Saying that smart people are more likely to speed but less likely to kill anyone doing so is absolute nonsense, as speeding is the #2 cause of all traffic fatalities in this country. There is not a positive correlation between traffic tickets and being intelligent as well. In fact, it's quite the opposite.
I'm guessing you don't work in the insurance business LOL
Now slow down before you cause an accident kid!
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