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Just had a little adventure driving home saturday after Thanksgiving. We were heading northbound on I-95 in South Carolina. The speed limit there is 70/45 (45 in the minimum speed). We were on cruise control going about 74 in the right lane. Cars were passing at 80+ on the left. Everything's going great. I notice there is a car in the right lane a great distance in front of us. He looks to be driving slow. I start planning to move left to pass him. I have to wait for the car passing me to finish passing before I can get over. Then I become aware that we are getting closer to the car much quicker than normal. Finally, we get close enough to tell he has his hazards on and he's going way below the minimum of 45. Of course, by the time I figured this out, I have to slam on my brakes super hard! I realize that I'm not going to be able to stop in time. I get ready to whip around him on the shoulder. He seems to see us and jerks the car toward the shoulder too, but then he changes his mind and stays right where he is. I go right ahead and release my brakes and coast around him, half on the shoulder, half on the grass, because I could not be sure he wouldn't still go for the shoulder. We rolled right around him, still going 40 or so, pulled right back on the freeway andf kept right on going. I yelled some obscenities, and the rest of the trip was fine. My question is, what in Sam Hill makes people think that putting the hazards on makes it okay to drive 30 mph, or whatever speed on the highway they want? I hope they pulled over and called a tow truck. I didn't see any news about a fiery crash in SC, so I guess they're okay.
What he was doing was probably legal. It's unlikely you could have known if he was traveling 40 or 45 mph. Since you were going much faster.
You OTOH were admittedly speeding, driving too fast for conditions, illegally passing on the shoulder, and probably driving recklessly. And we have only heard your side of the story. Honestly you sound like a road-rager .
Late comer to this discussion, but I'll have at it anyway.
Slow moving vehicles on an interstate are a hazard, no doubt.
Shoulders are NOT intended for extra-slow moving vehicles.
Hazard lights are intended to warn other vehicles of hazards. If I were driving the slow vehicle, I'd sure as heck use them.
Stopping on the shoulder and calling for a tow rather than limping to the next exit would not necessarily have been safer. In all likelihood it would have been more of a hazard. If you can limp to the next exit at 30, limp. (We had a funeral in town just yesterday for a tow truck driver who was struck [by a drunk driver] while hooking up a vehicle on the shoulder of the road. In addition to being cited for DUI and hit and run, that driver was also cited for failure to slow down and change lanes when approaching the flashing lights.)
The OP should have disengaged his cruise control and slowed much sooner. This is obvious from the outcome. I'm glad it turned out alright for everyone, but I'm a little disappointed that the OP doesn't seem to recognize his fault in this near-collision. Damned cruise controls! I'm as guilty as the next in hesitating to disengage them... like it's so hard to hit the "resume speed" button! BUT IT'S STUPID!
The OP nearly stuck the slow-moving vehicle for only one reason. He didn't want to slow down (from his over-the-limit-speed). He's the one primarily at fault here, even if all was exactly as he describes.
That's why I'm a lot harder on the OP than on the other driver.
I will drive on a freeway/interstate with my hazard lights on if there is either an extreme weather hazard which reduces visibility such as a blizzard/whiteout or a severe thunderstorm. Otherwise I don't see the point.
I will drive on a freeway/interstate with my hazard lights on if there is either an extreme weather hazard which reduces visibility such as a blizzard/whiteout or a severe thunderstorm. Otherwise I don't see the point.
Perhaps that's the custom where you live. I'm not aware of anyone who does that. To me, that would be hazardous in itself. If you're driving in extreme weather, so is everyone else on the road. You shouldn't have to turn on your hazard lights to warn others, "Hey, look out for me!" Flashing lights are distracting to others. Use them only to call attention to your vehicle -- I'm stopped, moving slowly, got a wide load, etc.
I will drive on a freeway/interstate with my hazard lights on if there is either an extreme weather hazard which reduces visibility such as a blizzard/whiteout or a severe thunderstorm. Otherwise I don't see the point.
those are proper uses for the flashers, along with driving in fog as well. low visibility conditions should require that one use their emergency flashers.
People read the situation wrong. I saw the car from way back, but the hazards were not very visible in the morning sun. It was not obvious he was going so slow until there was no time to react other than what I did. I was paying full attention. You guys weren't there. The guy was driving something like 30 mph in the regular lane of the freeway. Yes, there was something he could have done. Pull off on the shoulder. The shoulder was pretty nice, he could have driven on that if he had to. The fault was his, and his alone.
You said he was going 40 when you illegally passed him on the shoulder. Now you say 30. Admit that you have no idea how fast he was going. You said "I become aware that we are getting closer to the car much quicker than normal". In other words you miscalculated. Thats doesn't make your opinion about his speed very credible.
I still don't get the logic of driving with your flashers on just because its raining (or snowing). Are you trying to communicate that you are a hazard in bad weather? I took a defensive driving class in the 80s and they specifically taught not to do this.
I've seen flashers used effectively in bad weather. Example, several times I have been driving over mountain passes in whiteout conditions. I couldn't see a damn thing. I was just following the tail lights of the car in front of me. Suddenly the driver in front of me turned on his hazard lights. I had no idea what was going on. But I immediately reacted by slowing down and turning my flashers on too. All the cars came to a stop. Turned out that some of the cars up ahead had failed to negotiate a hairpin curve, and were off the road. Everyone had to get their cars tuned around in the right direction again. Then we were off, and the same it would happen all over again farther down the mountain.
Personally I will use my flashers anytime when I'm driving really slow in near zero visibility conditions. I want to use every tool at my disposal to make my car as noticeable as possible. I will also use them in rapidly deteriorating weather conditions, to warn drivers behind me that I'm going slow down. It's just a nice way of telling other drivers to slow the f down. Because some people just wont get it otherwise.
I used defensive driving training, found the "out" path and took it. I never came close to losing control, or even really close to the other car. I gave it an extra wide space by partially coasting on the grass.
You sir are a total complete n00b. No defensive driving training program anywhere would ever teach a maneuver like that. Once you are off the pavement you stay off the pavement until you slow down (almost stop) then gently steer back onto the road. Its a miracle that you didn't lose control and kill yourself and other people on the road.
RUNNING OFF THE PAVEMENT - If your wheels drift off the pavement onto the shoulder of the road, do not yank the steering wheel back. Ease your foot off the gas pedal, and brake gently. When your vehicle has slowed down, check for traffic behind you, then steer gently back onto the pavement.
You did not do anything close to that. Passing another vehicle off the shoulder of the road is not a legitimate "out" path. it's just reckless driving.
I have learned people think if your hazards are o. You can do whatever you want on the road.
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I took a defensive driving class in the 80s and they specifically taught not to do this.
You sir are a total complete n00b. No defensive driving training program anywhere would ever teach a maneuver like that. Once you are off the pavement you stay off the pavement until you slow down (almost stop) then gently steer back onto the road. Its a miracle that you didn't lose control and kill yourself and other people on the road.
