Driving Too Slow Now Getting People Tickets in Idaho (car rental, fit in)

[JD59]

No slowpokes in the left lane.

Idaho police are starting to enforce a new law targeting slow drivers hanging out in the passing lanes of highways. Two drivers have been cited as of July 27 for driving too slowly in the left lane since the law took effect July 1, the Idaho Press reported Monday.

Driving Too Slow Now Getting People Tickets in Idaho

[self-made]

That's great. Go Idaho!

[Sandpointian]

I do not mind. I would like to see first offenders getting a mulligan.

[dcisive]

This is good news. Now if they would do the same for the annoying truckers that block left lanes and often don't or can't even pass. That is as if not MORE annoying. GOOD truckers know better.

[ragnarkar]

We need this in Texas too

[Shaner]

Love it. Tired of flashing my lights at cars doing 10 under in the fast lane and getting the finger. thrown back at me.

[ScottStielow]

The State Police in Washington State last Summer started enforcing the slow speed driver in the speed lane, and later on
the people who camp out in the fast lane. I was there last September on Vacation when this started. We got the warning at the Car rental company, at the Airport when we landed.

[pnwguy2]

In Washington it is actually against the law to use the left lane except for passing. Of course, in the Seattle area that point is moot.

In Idaho this is more about safety than inconvenience. As in traffic moving at 80 MPH (in most rural areas), and someone trying to pass at 65. This creates a hazard, pure and simple.

As for truckers, some may not know that many truck companies put speed meters on their trucks, which in some cases prohibit truckers from going over a certain speed. As I understand it, they can be fined bigtime for exceeding the metered speed. So perhaps don't blame the drivers, blame the truck companies.

[cleosmom]

Originally Posted by dcisive

This is good news. Now if they would do the same for the annoying truckers that block left lanes and often don't or can't even pass. That is as if not MORE annoying. GOOD truckers know better.

Considering I used to be a CDL driver (Commercial Driver's License), one of the issues that leads to your "annoying truckers" is the split speed limits.

Here in Idaho they clearly don't allow trucks to go 80 mph and for good reasons. However, if more four wheelers would use common sense and courtesy it would help all the way around.

You get both good eggs and bad in both classes of drivers

[banjomike]

There's another potentially dangerous slow-speed problem here. In Idaho, it's perfectly legal to drive a tractor, a combine, or any other implement with rubber wheels on any of our highways, including the Interstates, as long as the implement is narrow enough to fit in one lane and is properly badged with the triangular reflective warning signs.

Tractors are not designed for speed. The fastest one can go on any highway is about 40 mph, and even that speed can be very dangerous for the tractor, as they're not built to roll down a paved highway. Modern implements all have built-in warning flashers, but even then, their slow speed, especially on an Interstate, isn't often noticed by drivers who are unaccustomed to seeing them on the highway.
By the time a lot of drivers realize how slow one is going, it's often too late to hit the brakes and avoid a rear-end collision, especially when a driver has pulled into the fast lane to get around a string of cars that are following the implement. They are all looking for a hole in the traffic to get around the implement.
When a driver who likes to take chances gets in a line like this, he often finds himself right behind the tractor going 80 mph with nowhere to get around and not enough room to slow down.

Running into the back of a big tractor is about the same as running into the back of a loaded semi. Except the tractor driver is almost certainly going to die in the collision along with the driver of the car.

Farm owners are very aware of the dangers, and when they can, they will often try to drive on the shoulder of an Interstate, but that's not always possible. And unfortunately, over the years, a lot of the secondary 2-lane country roads that once were primary agricultural routes have been closed off or abandoned due to the lack of their use now. So there are stretches of Interstate where an implement must be driven on to reach the destination now.

On those stretches, farmers usually try to move their implements at night, when the traffic is much lighter, but the night time presents just as great a risk of rear-ending if a car is going too fast. Or a semi. The reflective signs may be legal, but they are ineffective when the speed is too fast for any oncoming vehicle approaching from behind.

So during the growing season, any driver in Idaho who is traveling through farm country must be on the lookout at any time, day or night, for these implements.

Another thing to watch out for on all our 2-lanes is livestock. While livestock is fenced off on the Interstates and a loose cow is illegal on one, the livestock still have the right of way on all our other highways.

Folks who know about deer aren't always wary of cattle, I've learned, and hitting a deer is bad, but is often more survivable than hitting a cow who weighs over twice as much. On a night with no moon, a black Angus cow will be invisible if they don't look at your car and you catch their eye reflection.
But if you see one cow out on the range by the side of the road, be smart and slow down. A lot. Where there's one cow, there is always more of them close by, and they tend to move around during the night time the most often when on open range with no fences.

Both are a fact of life here.
Never take either for granted, because both implements and cattle can be on our roads at any time of the year, at any time of the day or night.

This includes all our Interstates.
Whenever I see a herd of cattle next to an Interstate, I always look at the fence next. Never trust an Interstate fence to always hold a cow. When in doubt, slow down, heads up, and be patient. They are all easy to get around, so any slow speed spent in waiting for a good time to pass will only be momentary. And a lot more pleasant than a trip to the hospital or a body shop.