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So where I live in Virginia, about 90% of people will hog the left lane and not move. They will slow down and do exactly 65 or a bit less and the person in the middle lane will often play that game too.
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Here is what happens:
Person A hogs up the left lane and does the exact speed limit or below the speed limit even when it is clear in front of them.
Person B tailgates person A but hits their brakes every few seconds.
Tailgating is dangerous and in my experience is usually ineffective in accomplishing anything except inspiring road rage. My standard practice when I encounter a left-lane slowpoke* is to maintain a safe following distance, then I flash my high beams. If the driver isn't part of the small fraction who know what that means, then I honk at the slowpoke. Believe it or not that works on a good chunk of drivers. If they're still clogging the left lane, I pass on the right at the earliest opportunity.
Keep right except to pass is a rule that needs to be followed, but when that rule is already being violated I have little choice in the matter. As for passing on the right on highways with 3+ lanes in each direction, it is not something you should do. "Slower traffic keep right" improves traffic flow on 6 lane roads as much as it does on 4 lane roads. On wider freeways there are more lanes intended for through traffic (i.e. traffic that isn't passing) so not mandating "keep right except to pass" makes sense there. However, just because something is legal doesn't mean you ought to do it. If you're not exiting soon and you're on a multi-lane highway and going faster than the lane to your left, you should move to the left if you can.
As for exceeding the speed limit when passing, that is actually a sensible thing to do on a two-lane rural road. Passing on those roads is very different from normal passing, since you are passing in the lane where opposing traffic has priority. For safety reasons it is best to minimize the time you are in that lane and complete your pass as fast as you can while maintaining full control of your vehicle. This can create situations where you are at very high speed for a brief time. A personal example is one time when I passed a car that was going 48 mph on a road posted at 55 mph. I decided to pass him and I reached a peak speed of 75 mph before completing my pass and decelerating to 58 mph. As it was I completed my pass just before I saw a car approaching about half a mile away. As it was it was no problem, but if I had executed a much slower pass me and that car would have been too close for comfort. I'm sure similar stories play out on roads worldwide every day.
*This assumes that it is feasible for the slowpoke to move to the right; sometimes congestion prevents one from moving to the right even if one wants to. In that case I just maintain a safe following distance.
If you camp on left lane, you deserve to be flashed at, honked at and cursed at. Jersey drivers are the worst for wanting to control other people's lives.
CA is just as bad. My gawd when I first starting driving about 20 years ago people would camp in the fast lane going 60.
Keep right except to pass. It's such a simple concept. It's sad how stupid many drivers are these days. I wish we had a lot more police busting these ignorant idiots, they would do more for highway safety and traffic flow than any other single act.
I generally flash my high beams.....within 5 miles, they get the hint.
Now, when I'm in the left lane and someone is tailgating me and I cannot go faster because of cars in front of me, I generally hit the brakes.....scares the crap out of them, but they usually get the hint!
Ill take the following to close ticket and tap your bumper. I have a dash cam, and watching you get a reckless ticket or get hauled away in cuffs is very satisfying.
I'm one of the few that will admit it but there are times when I do tailgate. But, you will never find me holding up one single car on the fast lane.
Usually, it never scares the crap out of the tailgater. I often use that as a tactic to show you down enough to were I can easily pass you and be on my way.
That's all about minimum speed. What about maximum speed? Where does it say in the MN traffic code that five miles over the limit is specifically allowable when passing? (Which, of course, means they don't know what the word "limit" means, which is sort of scary, but that's another issue.)
Where does it say in any state statutes that the upper speed limit only applies in specific lanes and not in others?
How do you interpret the law when there are speed limits but the law also says we can pass and does not mention speed limits? Unless the law says you can speed while passing, then its not illegal. The speed limit laws don't mention passing either. Therefore, no laws says I cant speed to pass.
In fact, many states want you to pass quickly, and safely, as possible, and if you are trying to pass somebody going 5 under and you not breaking the speed limit, you will have a very long and unsafe pass.
Ill take the following to close ticket and tap your bumper. I have a dash cam, and watching you get a reckless ticket or get hauled away in cuffs is very satisfying.
I'm one of the few that will admit it but there are times when I do tailgate. But, you will never find me holding up one single car on the fast lane.
Usually, it never scares the crap out of the tailgater. I often use that as a tactic to show you down enough to were I can easily pass you and be on my way.
Back when we were young punks when tailgaters came up my buddy would hit the brake and the gas at the same time to mess with them. Another friend a serial tailgater finally rear ended some person minor damage. He got humbled when he had to pay the deductible and his rates went up.
The only excuse for tailgating or driving closer than 2 car length is in So Cal if you give the car a 2 car length some idiot is trying to cut in front of you at 80mph no joke.
I often have the dilemma where I am passing trucks going 65 mph (speed limit 70). I'm driving 70, and I am passing other cars. I don't want to speed up as it hurts my gas mileage, and the line of trucks is endless. To go back to the right means that I will have to drop my speed to 65, or even slower as trucks go up hills. Next, somebody driving 80 or 90 comes up behind me flashing his lights, tailgates and flashes the finger. Should I have to burn gas to get out of his way, or slow to 65 to move over to the right, where I will probably get stuck for a long time? If someone is politely hanging back I will take a chance and move over when I can, or speed up a little. If they are tailgating me I am quite likely to slow just a bit more, still passing, but slower. If they really start acting like jerks I'm likely to match speeds with a truck for a while. That's a bad move, but I really get angry that someone who is breaking the law is demanding that I let them.
Of course there have been plenty of times when I have been the speeder, most of us have. Its frustrating for both. As I age I speed less and less, and I have mellowed a lot.
If everyone would drive nearly the same speed we would all get to where we are going quicker and safer (especially in city traffic). Traffic would flow so much better. However, it is pretty common for people to feel like they will never get where they are going unless they are passing other cars, or they feel more powerful doing so. Speed does kill, but not so much as a difference in speed!
Many years ago I had a persistent tailgater on a country road. I tapped my breaks, speed up, slowed down.... nothing worked. She was talking to someone in the passenger seat, turning her head while she flapped her big mouth. Frustrated, I waited until she turned her head back to look at me and I hit the brakes hard. She slammed on her brakes, and jerked the wheel. Her car went off the road and slide sideways in the field.... thankfully she did not hit anything or turn over. I would have felt really bad if she had. I might still hit my brakes, but not that hard. I do not want to cause an accident no matter how much someone deserves. it.
What drives me nuts here in the Seattle area, is that there are lots of semi trucks going through Seattle on I-5 all the time. Much of I-5 is only 3 lanes (not counting HOV), and those slow moving semis camp out in the center lane. So here they are going 5 under the limit, in what seems like a parade all the way through the city, making it really hard to pass people if you are in the right lane, or to get over to pass on the right when stuck behind a left lane hog. It really bogs down traffic, I wish the truckers would get the hint and follow the "slow traffic keep right" idea!
How do you interpret the law when there are speed limits but the law also says we can pass and does not mention speed limits? Unless the law says you can speed while passing, then its not illegal. The speed limit laws don't mention passing either. Therefore, no laws says I cant speed to pass.
In fact, many states want you to pass quickly, and safely, as possible, and if you are trying to pass somebody going 5 under and you not breaking the speed limit, you will have a very long and unsafe pass.
Oh, Lord, are you really putting forth this argument?
The speed limit laws apply to all lanes at all times unless there is something within the statutes that specifically states otherwise. Which is to say, the reality is, unless the law says you can speed while passing, then it's NOT LEGAL.
Anyone who really believes what you said above shouldn't be on the roadways in any state.
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