Drivng: KEEP RIGHT EXCEPT TO PASS (Boulder: dangerous, legal, safe)

[jazzlover]

Colorado mountain roads have numerous places where there is an uphill passing lane. It is there to provide a place for vehicles that can maintain the speed limit to pass slower moving vehicles. That is all it is for; it is not a second driving lane--and every one of them is marked with a sign stating:

KEEP RIGHT EXCEPT TO PASS

So, for all of the tourists (who at least have some excuse for maybe not understanding this) and Coloradans (who ought to know better) who apparently think the passing lane is another driving lane, let me translate this legal concept (it is not legal to drive in the passing lane unless you are passing another vehicle) and the apparently confusing language on the signs into to more understandable verbage:

UNLESS YOU ARE PASSING ANOTHER VEHICLE, KEEP OUT OF THE PASSING LANE.

I'm sick and tired of seeing umpteen near misses (along with a few heartbreaking crashes--some with fatalities) on mountain roads because more than a few morons can't understand just exactly what a passing lane is for.

If there are any Colorado State Troopers reading this, WILL YOU PLEASE START TICKETING PEOPLE WHO ARE BREAKING THIS LAW!

End of rant.

[ryanek9freak]

A-to the MEN Jazz!! God that is one of my biggest pet peeves. Makes you want to bring a whole new meaning to the words "Road Rage"

[sterlinggirl]

Absolutely!!!!

[ColoWeb]

Originally Posted by jazzlover

Colorado mountain roads

Not only it applies to Colorado mountain roads but all interstates have the same law.

[FoRuMRideR420]

[rybert]

Damn Texans.

[DOUBLE H]

Absolutely. I've logged probably a half million miles driving in the mountains. This is at the top of the list of my rants as well. Thanks Jazzlover!

[Neditate]

I really hope people read this. It's one of my pet peeves (right up there with the idiots yakking on their cell phones)! Happens all the time in Boulder Canyon. People will not move to the right lane in the passing zones. Big signs telling them to keep right except to pass. There must be a lot of illiterate drivers. They are lucky I'm not a road rager.

[jkcoop]

Here's another one....the pullovers all along the mountain roads, so that those who are slowing up the traffic can do just that....PULL OVER.....to let others pass.

There seems to be a lot of people who don't think THEY are the ones that are slowing things down. If you look in the rear view mirror and there is a line of cars behind you and no one in front of you, then YOU are the slow one. Pull over!!!!

It's so dangerous because people get impatient, then start trying to pass in areas they shouldn't because they can't take going behind someone any longer who is going 40, riding their brakes the whole way down.

[winglady]

About the pullouts -- remember that if you are tailgating someone who is going a tad slow for your tastes, you may be making it much more difficult for them to pull over to let you pass.

I've been on the receiving end of that several times. I'm driving the speed limit or slightly faster on a mountain road, but see that one or more vehicles have come up behind me. I start looking for a place to pull off to let them go by, but sometimes a vehicle is so close behind that I'm afraid if I slow down to pull onto a small, gravel-strewn pullout, they're going to hit me. And if I don't slow down, I'm not going to be able to pull off without rolling my car!

So, give the "slow" vehicle the benefit of the doubt and stay a safe distance behind them so it is possible for them to let you by!