why don't people get over when driving on the highway? (Phoenix: how much, live in)

[Bungle]

There are no laws on sidewalks, escalators, hiking & biking trails, etc...but it's just common courtesy to always allow room on your left for those moving faster than you to pass. I personally view our roadways and freeways the same and treat them as such. If some want to camp out in the left lane so be it. You'll just get passed on the right.

[JGMotorsport64]

Originally Posted by Bungle

There are no laws on sidewalks, escalators, hiking & biking trails, etc...but it's just common courtesy to always allow room on your left for those moving faster than you to pass. I personally view our roadways and freeways the same and treat them as such. If some want to camp out in the left lane so be it. You'll just get passed on the right.

False

Originally Posted by new2colo

There is no fast lane in the Phoenix area. There is no law on urban area freeways that you need to keep right except to pass. With traffic volumes here people aren't going to squeeze in the right lanes to allow people to fly by at 90 MPH. You'll get to where you're going. If you're in that much of a rush, you should have left where you're coming from earlier. People here are not going to kowtow to law breakers just because they want to speed. It's funny how many times I actually end up ahead of people who are weaving in and out of lanes trying to get around slower drivers.

B. On all roadways, a person driving a vehicle proceeding at less than the normal speed of traffic at the time and place and under the conditions then existing shall drive the vehicle in the right-hand lane then available for traffic or as close as practicable to the right-hand curb or edge of the roadway, except when overtaking and passing another vehicle proceeding in the same direction or when preparing for a left turn at an intersection or into a private road or driveway.

28-721 - Driving on right side of roadway; driving on shoulder; exceptions


There is a law under the Arizona Revised Statutes Sect. 28-721(b).
Translated, you travel in the right most practicable lane at travel speeds and you are then exempt to pass to the left when overtaking a car traveling in front of you in the same lane to their left. Notice the phrasing 'less than NORMAL speed' not the limit but the rate of travel at the time and place.

You guys are the problem. The policy reason behind it is safety and efficiency. You have a larger blindspot on your passenger side, allowing people to pass you to your right is more dangerous for you to not see another car and for them to rear end you for ignoring the law. It is a documented fact that passing to the driver's side of a vehicle (especially trucks) is many times over safer and more efficient for traffic flow.

[Mister-A]

Originally Posted by Bungle

If some want to camp out in the left lane so be it. You'll just get passed on the right.

The problem is that this creates a much more dangerous and chaotic traffic situation. In addition to visibility issues, now you've got people who are legitimately attempting to pass slow traffic passing on the right as well as the left, accelerating into the slower-moving lane, etc.

This one isn't a "live and let live" thing. Even if everybody can see everybody else, at highway speeds, miscalculating has the potential to kill or maim multiple people, not to mention blocking lanes with damaged vehicles, so now nobody is getting where they're going at any speed.

Not trying to be harsh, I just see several ornery people yelling at the clouds about how they're going to drive the way they want to drive rather than the way they are supposed to drive, and it's frustrating. I don't think this behavior should be encouraged with a "so be it".

In fact, it convinces me that the police should consider aggressively identifying drivers who are impeding traffic in the left lane and ticket them repeatedly until they finally get the message. With the rise of automated license plate readers, it should be easy for law enforcement to develop an alert system that checks the left lane for repeat offenders who can be pulled over, to the right, hopefully across several lanes of faster-moving traffic so they can get a taste of their own nuisance.

I always assumed that people who do this just don't know it's wrong. It never occurred to me that they're proud of it. Let's put points on licenses for it and press the issue until America's left lanes are so wide open and clear that they can be redesignated as "autobahn lanes".

Or DPS could just periodically run something like this through the left lane at exactly the speed limit, as a "pace car":

[ScottsdaleMark]

JG, sounds like you then need to complain to DPS about their lack of enforcement of this law. Until people start getting ticketed for this type of behavior, I doubt they'll change their stripes. At least passing on the right is legal, so one can just go around safely when someone's moving too slow and won't get over.

[Valley Native]

Originally Posted by new2colo

There is no fast lane in the Phoenix area. There is no law on urban area freeways that you need to keep right except to pass. With traffic volumes here people aren't going to squeeze in the right lanes to allow people to fly by at 90 MPH. You'll get to where you're going. If you're in that much of a rush, you should have left where you're coming from earlier. People here are not going to kowtow to law breakers just because they want to speed. It's funny how many times I actually end up ahead of people who are weaving in and out of lanes trying to get around slower drivers.

Mister A and JGMotorsport already posted the precise Arizona law which states that a person driving at a slower rate of speed than the regular traffic flow needs to be driving in the right lane. This law applies to all of Arizona, including the urban freeways. State law for speed is prima facie, which basically translates to reasonable & prudent. While it's unlawful to excessively drive over the speed limit, it's also unlawful to be camping out in the left lane & driving holding up the flow.

Leaving earlier doesn't solve the problem of slow drivers, or other types of traffic annoyances. The fact is that if you're in the left lane driving slower than the normal flow, you're breaking the law. The problem is DPS is not enforcing this law all that much ... so in the meantime, if you are one of those drivers who purposely drives slower than the flow in the left lane, knock yourself out. Just realize that there are many people who WILL aggressively cut you off. Worse yet, there are some maniacs out there who carry weapons and won't hesitate to use them over any traffic annoyance. Don't allow yourself to be a victim!

[Magnum Mike]

Originally Posted by new2colo

There is no fast lane in the Phoenix area. There is no law on urban area freeways that you need to keep right except to pass. With traffic volumes here people aren't going to squeeze in the right lanes to allow people to fly by at 90 MPH. You'll get to where you're going. If you're in that much of a rush, you should have left where you're coming from earlier. People here are not going to kowtow to law breakers just because they want to speed. It's funny how many times I actually end up ahead of people who are weaving in and out of lanes trying to get around slower drivers.

Overall, if you are driving slower than the flow of traffic or the posted speed limit in the left lanes, you are causing problems to others behind you who want to drive faster, and out of courtesy, stay over in the right lane.

[Magnum Mike]

Originally Posted by Valley Native

Mister A and JGMotorsport already posted the precise Arizona law which states that a person driving at a slower rate of speed than the regular traffic flow needs to be driving in the right lane. This law applies to all of Arizona, including the urban freeways. State law for speed is prima facie, which basically translates to reasonable & prudent. While it's unlawful to excessively drive over the speed limit, it's also unlawful to be camping out in the left lane & driving holding up the flow.

Leaving earlier doesn't solve the problem of slow drivers, or other types of traffic annoyances. The fact is that if you're in the left lane driving slower than the normal flow, you're breaking the law. The problem is DPS is not enforcing this law all that much ... so in the meantime, if you are one of those drivers who purposely drives slower than the flow in the left lane, knock yourself out. Just realize that there are many people who WILL aggressively cut you off. Worse yet, there are some maniacs out there who carry weapons and won't hesitate to use them over any traffic annoyance. Don't allow yourself to be a victim!

Hi Valley Native, there is a little known fact about our roads in the Phoenix area, on freeways and surface streets, if you drive 10-15 MPH over the limit, you won't get pulled over, it's only when there's a speed trap and a law enforcement officer waiting to catch people driving with excessive speed, like 20 MPH faster than speed limit.

I'm not sure if those people who drive slower than the flow of traffic in the fast lanes know exactly what they're doing, whenever I pass them on the right, they seem to be oblivious to the problems they're causing behind them. DPS and other law enforcement agencies here will not enforce the laws that pertain to the minor offense of driving slower than the speed limit, unless they cause an accident. I know in other less populated areas, in Arizona and other states, they will issue citations to such drivers for hindering/impeding the flow of traffic.

[FloppyRunner]

So we've established in this thread that you can post a link to pretty straightforward legislation, and people will not only fail to acknowledge it, but literally deny that it exists.

Nice.

[Bungle]

Originally Posted by JGMotorsport64

False


You guys are the problem.

For what it's worth (maybe my post was poorly worded) but I don't agree with anyone camping out in the left lanes. I don't do it...I don't think anyone should do it but people do and will always continue to do so. What I was saying is that if they're going to do it I'll just find a way around them.

[New Horizons]

Bring it

Originally Posted by Valley Native

Worse yet, there are some maniacs out there who carry weapons and won't hesitate to use them over any traffic annoyance. Don't allow yourself to be a victim!