Maryland Drivers = Aggravation! (Baltimore, Glen Burnie, Hagerstown: college, live in, law)

[JacksonJeep]

I'm not a native Marylander. But since moving here over a year ago I have nothing but frustration with the driving habits here. First let me say that the State Police lack a total control over the roads. I very rarely see them out patrolling or shooting radar. And even if I do, they are well seen by everyone ahead of time so they can react. Anyways I see far too many people talking and texting on their cell phones. Even if they're not Maryland drivers (mostly WV, VA, & PA drivers), they should not be using their cell phones while driving in Maryland. Also I once heard on a radio station that cars in Maryland don't come with turn signals. Must be true because no one uses their turn signal here. Whether they're making a turn of changing lanes no one uses that quick little blinker! Apparently they don't teach about it in Maryland driving tests. As for the left lane... it is for passing, stay out of it and to the right if you're not passing someone. At the same time don't tailgate or push people to go faster than the speed limit. Going 10 over is excessive enough. Someone seriously needs to implement driving assessment programs down here! Just my rant...

[Me007gold]

Originally Posted by JacksonJeep

At the same time don't tailgate or push people to go faster than the speed limit. Going 10 over is excessive enough. Someone seriously needs to implement driving assessment programs down here! Just my rant...

That's a pretty big contradiction right there. So you only want people to drive in the left hand lane when they are going as fast as you, any faster is excessive? How about follow your own advice and move over.

[JacksonJeep]

Originally Posted by Me007gold

That's a pretty big contradiction right there. So you only want people to drive in the left hand lane when they are going as fast as you, any faster is excessive? How about follow your own advice and move over.

I do actually stay over in the right lane majority of the time. What I'm saying is I usually end up passing slower drivers in the right lane because they didn't keep right like they should. But then I may also be driving the speed limit or 10 over in the left lane, passing someone in the right hand lane and some idiot will get on my butt and when I do get over they'll speed up to probably over 80. Maybe if you drove in the section I drive in you would understand a bit more. I just wish there was more police enforcement here like there is in other states.

[smitity]

Hate to dull the rant, but everytime you move to a new state, you'll complain about the drivers and how bad they are. They can't handle X weather condition, they don't do Y and Z, etc etc etc.

I did it, you're doing it, and just about everyone who has moved to (or even visits) a new state has done it.

So lets just all agree that no matter where you go, no one knows how to drive properly.

[P47P47]

Originally Posted by JacksonJeep

As for the left lane... it is for passing, stay out of it and to the right if you're not passing someone.

While I wish that more people would practice the lane discipline of "slower traffic keep right", there is nothing in the Maryland highway code restricting the left lane of a multi-lane road to passing only, nor is a driver prevented from passing a slower car on the right, which is good for when some left-lane bandit is blocking faster traffic by not moving to the right where they belong.

[tgs_bg]

Originally Posted by JacksonJeep

I'm not a native Marylander. But since moving here over a year ago I have nothing but frustration with the driving habits here. First let me say that the State Police lack a total control over the roads. I very rarely see them out patrolling or shooting radar. And even if I do, they are well seen by everyone ahead of time so they can react. Anyways I see far too many people talking and texting on their cell phones. Even if they're not Maryland drivers (mostly WV, VA, & PA drivers), they should not be using their cell phones while driving in Maryland. Also I once heard on a radio station that cars in Maryland don't come with turn signals. Must be true because no one uses their turn signal here. Whether they're making a turn of changing lanes no one uses that quick little blinker! Apparently they don't teach about it in Maryland driving tests. As for the left lane... it is for passing, stay out of it and to the right if you're not passing someone. At the same time don't tailgate or push people to go faster than the speed limit. Going 10 over is excessive enough. Someone seriously needs to implement driving assessment programs down here! Just my rant...

Let me address a few things here. First of all I take it you are not from the east coast originally, as there are plenty of states over here that are by far worse than MD.

OK, the state police, they are by far way too understaffed to deal with a lot of the problems on the road today. I used to work closely with the Glen Burnie barracks and they might have only 3 or 4 guys working the road at any given time -- and they cover Anne Arundel's portion of I-695, rt. 295, rt. 100, rt. 32, rt. 50 and all of I-97. I now work more with the College Park barracks and they are just as understaffed or even worse. There is little time to do traffic enforcement as they are getting constant calls for accidents or other traffic related incidents. If you live in Hagerstown like your profile suggest then you might see them even less enforcing traffic because all of those barracks out west are full-service barracks, meaning not only are they responsible for the major roadways, but they also share the calls for service with the county and municipality police departments.

In regards to talking/texting while driving, it is against the law, however, it's what's called a secondary violation, meaning police cannot stop you solely on the fact you are talking/texting -- there has to be another violation involved. If you want it changed I suggest writing a letter to congress.

Turn signals law are another complicated law to enforce. You are not lawfully required to use your turn signal when changing lanes. You are also not lawfully required to use your turn signal if you are in a designated turn lane. You are only required to use your turn signal when changing directions in a non-designated turn lane.

Clear as mud, right? Oh, and if you want to see some bad drivers, take a trip to NJ.

[Richard Martin]

Originally Posted by P47P47

While I wish that more people would practice the lane discipline of "slower traffic keep right", there is nothing in the Maryland highway code restricting the left lane of a multi-lane road to passing only,

This is correct. In most instances there is no fast or slow lane. They are all travel lanes. If a 2 lane road gets over crowded they will usually build more lanes. Just because there are now 4 lanes instead of 2 doesn't change the lane status. If you see a sign on the roadway that says "Slower traffic keep right" then you have fast and slow lanes.

Originally Posted by JacksonJeep

Also I once heard on a radio station that cars in Maryland don't come with turn signals. Must be true because no one uses their turn signal here. Whether they're making a turn of changing lanes no one uses that quick little blinker! Apparently they don't teach about it in Maryland driving tests. As for the left lane... it is for passing, stay out of it and to the right if you're not passing someone.

Read what I wrote above about the multiple lanes of traffic.

As much as I hate to see people change lanes without using a turn signal, there is often a very good reason they do this. Traffic in many parts of the Baltimore Washington area is often very heavy. Now what I'm about to tell you may be wrong, but it's just the way it is. On too many occasions I've seen people attempt to change lanes. They'll see an opening, put their signal on, and then the jackwad in that lane sees their attempt to move over, and they close the opening so the car trying to get over can't. I have had this happen to me countless times. It is far easier just to move over without signaling.

[MDguy99]

I've probably been driving for more decades than most of these posters have been alive. My question is: what is this whole thing with the left lane being the "fast" lane. Is the speed limit not a LIMIT? How is it okay to routinely go much faster than the speed limit? We're not talking about a quick pass in front of a slow driver. People routinely travel the left lane entire strips going well above the SL. Officers should simply patrol this lane since you're expecting everyone in it to go above the speed LIMIT. If the speed limit is bull**** and it's okay to go faster in the left lane, they should simply set the REAL speed limit and post it. Never understood this.

[selhars]

It is far easier just to move over without signaling.

And if you get hit it's the other guy's fault. How inconsiderate.

But your reasoning is the exact reason that, especially when I'm driving in DC (on NY Ave say) -- even though I am driving in a clear open lane, going past a long line of cars (that are stopped at a light or waiting for their lead car to turn left)...I have to slow down to a creep, even though my lane is wide open....

...because some inconsiderate joker or trifiling jacka$$ will just out of the blue pull out of his lane and into mine. Did this person see me? NO Did this person SIGNAL? NO.

Why should I have to slow to a crawl in an open lane because an a##h0le just decides he's going to do something unsafe? And pulling in front of another car, that's right up on you and driving past in an open lane is UNSAFE!

Turn signals are on cars for a reason. People who don't use them are too stupid to know that you use them to protect YOURSELF, so other drivers know what you might be planning to do.

And BTW -- signaling means you'd LIKE to get over, NOT "I'm COMING OVER no matter how close you are to me, I'm FORCING my way in." The signaling driver is still supposed to YIELD. HELLO!

[MDguy99]

Originally Posted by selhars

And if you get hit it's the other guy's fault. How inconsiderate.

But your reasoning is the exact reason that, especially when I'm driving in DC (on NY Ave say) -- even though I am driving in a clear open lane, going past a long line of cars (that are stopped at a light or waiting for their lead car to turn left)...I have to slow down to a creep, even though my lane is wide open....

...because some inconsiderate joker or trifiling jacka$$ will just out of the blue pull out of his lane and into mine. Did this person see me? NO Did this person SIGNAL? NO.

Why should I have to slow to a crawl in an open lane because an a##h0le just decides he's going to do something unsafe? And pulling in front of another car, that's right up on you and driving past in an open lane is UNSAFE!

Turn signals are on cars for a reason. People who don't use them are too stupid to know that you use them to protect YOURSELF, so other drivers know want you might be planning to do.

And BTW -- signaling means you'd LIKE to get over, NOT "I'm COMING OVER no matter how close you are to me, I'm FORCING my way in." The signaling driver is still supposed to YIELD. HELLO!

Thank you for this. I don't understand where people get the (unsafe) entitlement attitude. Rules are rules, laws are laws, you cannot just make up what YOU want and drive anyway you please because you think it makes more sense to YOU.