PA Drivers rated as some of the most unintelligent. (Pittsburgh: living, transportation)

[nynjmapa]

Originally Posted by Hopes

If you're being passed while you're in the left lane, it's because YOU are ignoring the law first. Pennsylvania law mandates drivers to remain in the right hand lane unless they are merging or traveling at a speed greater than the traffic flow. Anyone who is being passed while they are in the left lane is traveling slower than the traffic flow.

Nothing annoys me more than to be behind someone in the left lane, waiting for them to pull over to the right lane so I can pass, only for them to remain endlessly in the left lane traveling at a slower speed than traffic flow. Will I pass you? You bet! And I'll do it darn fast so you GET THE MESSAGE that you are putting yourself in danger.

How on earth can you judge someone for abusing the 'don't pass on the right' law when you are abusing the 'stay in the right lane' law? That's illogical!

For the record, I stated PA drivers abuse the left lane is for passing only traffic law. In this context, I was hoping to convey that PA drivers tend to stay in the left lane regardless if passing or not. In a sense, this is abuse of the left lane, which should be used for passing only.

Perhaps this was not expressed clearly or typed with the appropriate verbiage in my initial post. For which I offer many apologies, as my original post appears to have ruined your day judging from the use of bold font, capitals, and use of the word darn in your reply.

[JoeLeaphorn]

Originally Posted by Hopes

How on earth can you judge someone for abusing the 'don't pass on the right' law when you are abusing the 'stay in the right lane' law? That's illogical!

There is no "don't pass on the right" law. Specifically, the law says:

(a) General rule.--The driver of a vehicle may overtake and pass upon the right of another vehicle only under one of the following conditions:

(1) When the vehicle overtaken is making or about to make a left turn, except that such movement shall not be made by driving off the berm or shoulder of the highway.
(2) Upon a roadway with unobstructed pavement of sufficient width for two or more lines of vehicles moving lawfully in the direction being traveled by the overtaken vehicle, except that such movement shall not be made by driving off the roadway.

(b) Limitation.--No passing movement under this section shall be made unless the movement can be made in safety.

Bottom line: You can pass on the right. You shouldn't camp in the left lane. But speeding is illegal in either case.

[ditchdigger]

(b) Vehicle proceeding at less than normal speed.--Upon all roadways any vehicle proceeding at less than the normal speed of traffic at the time and place and under the conditions then existing shall be driven in the right-hand lane then available for traffic,

.... may overtake and pass upon the right of another vehicle only under one of the following conditions:.....

(2) Upon a roadway with unobstructed pavement of sufficient width for two or more lines of vehicles moving lawfully in the direction being traveled by the overtaken vehicle,...

Soo, it's illegal to pass somebody on the right, if they're in the left lane, moving at less than the normal speed of traffic, cause that's unlawful...

(Obviously, I'm just being facetious, but that's the way the laws read, if you read them literally...)

[Awesomo.2000]

Driving in Idaho is horrible. They are the most worst drivers in the nation. They drive with no balls. Notice that all the places with big cities are typically at the bottom. Places where everybody has to drive aggressively. All the rural places where it is pickup trucks going off to get their weekly rations at the country store are at the top.

What a stupid study. I should have went into Journalism so I could make lists all day long with skewed facts as backup. It would be easy:

-Top 25 cities with nothing to do but post on the internet.
-Top Towns that offer hookers with the best bang for your buck!
-Top 30 cities for ones who really love Jesus

I could go on and on. Forbes magazine, I live in Pittsburgh, meaning I am unemployed. Want me to make lists for you?

[Awesomo.2000]

Where the Worst Drivers Live- Yahoo! Autos Article Page

Oh, there is the list you guys are all arguing about btw.

It really comes from GMAC insurance ratings. Meaning in Idaho, South Dakota, Utah, Wyoming are at the top. Why? Because less people, less city driving, less accidents, lower insurance cost.

New York, New Jersey, Florida are at the bottom. Bigger cities, more traffic, more accidents, more stolen vehicals = higher insurance cost.

BTW, allow people to make Pittsburgh lefts. When you don't I get ticked off.

[Cory045]

Some ramps are too short to get up to the proper speed and the truck drivers never move over. There is this one ramp that goes on to I-70 around New Stanton that actualy has a stop sign. I think people are afraid of what I call "the tunnel monster" or something b/c it is true about riding their brakes. I think that the construction also hurts this. Just as you get used to going somewhere using a specific road then they do sonstruction. Penn Dot is the worst of ALL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[JoeLeaphorn]

Originally Posted by Cory045

Some ramps are too short to get up to the proper speed and the truck drivers never move over. There is this one ramp that goes on to I-70 around New Stanton that actualy has a stop sign. I think people are afraid of what I call "the tunnel monster" or something b/c it is true about riding their brakes. I think that the construction also hurts this. Just as you get used to going somewhere using a specific road then they do sonstruction. Penn Dot is the worst of ALL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Some. You are being generous. The highways around Pittsburgh are poorly designed and cost compromises have left them largely ineffective. As examples:

1. Merging from Ohio River Boulevard onto 279 North or Route 28 you have to merge on the left hand side using a short ramp on a right hand curve then cross two lanes of traffic (to get to 28). What idiot designed this?

2. Merging on either the Ft. Duquesne or Ft. Pitt bridges frequently involves a significant percentage of the traffic on the left wanting to be on the right and vice versa.

3. The 279 North HOV lane merges almost directly across from the Perrysville ramp meaning that cars on 279 North have no place to go if they want to yield (not to mention that they should have continued the HOV lane to Cranberry where it is really needed).

4. You can't currently go from Route 28 Southbound to I 279 North without exiting 28 and going through two traffic lights, a right hand turn, and two more traffic lights (this was left out due to cost considerations).

5. Entering 28 North from Millvale is crapshoot.

It is almost as though the civil engineers designing these roadways took a look at what was on the paper and said "this looks ok" without actually modeling vehicle traffic.

Arrggghh!

[Copanut]

Originally Posted by JoeLeaphorn

Some. You are being generous. The highways around Pittsburgh are poorly designed and cost compromises have left them largely ineffective.

It is almost as though the civil engineers designing these roadways took a look at what was on the paper and said "this looks ok" without actually modeling vehicle traffic.

Arrggghh!

I think you have to take into account the topography of the area. It is so easy to build highways in Ohio and Indiana where it's flat. Not so much in this area.

I will say, however, that the worst all time "merge lane" I have ever seen is the ramp closest to the Fort Pitt Bridge heading South, you are entering the highway practically blind onto the fast lane. And yet, those people think they have the right-of-way!

[LiveinPA]

Originally Posted by COPANUT

I think you have to take into account the topography of the area. It is so easy to build highways in Ohio and Indiana where it's flat. Not so much in this area.

I will say, however, that the worst all time "merge lane" I have ever seen is the ramp closest to the Fort Pitt Bridge heading South, you are entering the highway practically blind onto the fast lane. And yet, those people think they have the right-of-way!

Pgh has some of the worst on ramps I've ever seen. It's literally like, "hey, you need to go from 0-65 in about 30 feet". Oh, and there's a gigantic concrete divider making it a blind merge as well. LOL

[aveojohn]

Originally Posted by Mugatu

I agree 100%, I'm sure Pittsburgh skews the whole state towards the bottom. As someone that moved up here from another state, I can tell you that Pittsburghers do things on the roadway that I've never seen anywhere else.

1. Slowing down or stopping on the on-ramps when merging onto a highway. This, more than any other, makes my blood boil. It's so dangerous! Learn to merge correctly!

2. Not turning on red when there is no sign prohibiting it. Do Pittsburghers not realize that it is legal to make a right on red as long as long as there is no "no turn on red" sign?

3. General timidness on the roads. Pittsburghers love to drive 5mph below the speed limit and stop to wave a whole caravan of cars in from the side streets. Just move, will ya? Some of us don't want to be on the road all day.

1-Yes, I agree this is dangerous, but given that most of the on ramps around the Burgh are very short, it doesn't give you much time to merge. 2- Right turn on red is an option, the law states that you don't have to turn right on red. 3- I have nothing to compare this with, since I don't travel out of state often and am a life time resident.