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"Contributing" means it was simply a factor. Given that, if all parties involved are not moving, no accident can happen, speed is always a factor in an accident.
Another dodger of the fact of speeding being poo--pooed in favor of the speeders new enemy, the distracted..Attempting to educate the rest of us in the proper usage of the term "contribute" only serves to muddle the conversation, but then again, isn't that the job of most "legal eagles??
What I read here was "I'm right and everyone else is wrong no matter how much actual evidence they have to support their position."
Driving safety sure as hell isn't a case of one factor being "over" the others. It's all about whether drivers understand the overall attention to our hwy laws that usually makes for a safe driver as opposed to an unsafe driver. Are you going to tell me that speeding isn't a huge factor in the massive pileups we see every day on American freeways? This wasn't about which factors are more or less the cause of accidents, this was a discussion of the notion of left lane traffic as a sacred place to go like hell and be justified in doing so.
I think you're attempting to raise the issue of distracted driving to the level where it should be a higher consideration for enforcement over all other types of unsafe driving. I see this all the time, where people want to have their own version of what should be legal as opposed to what is actually illegal. Let's just say that in my view the speeders are just as dangerous when they drive at excessive levels of speed when considering the amount of traffic around them. What I think isn't the issue here anyway, you will most likely drive in the manner you're accustomed to regardless of how I see things.
In that case , the guy in the Camaro (?) clearly caused the accident. That being said, being boxed in right next to an 18 wheeler isn't the safest place to be. Especially in a smaller vehicle that might not be seen. A tire could fail on the truck , he could swerve , etc. Again, not a safe place and the guy in the truck blocking the lane is causing it.
Myself personally, I would have backed completely off , and got behind the truck until I could pass.
Something was up in that video though, because most truckers would have slowed down and let the guy around. The fact they had that dude boxed in alludes to the Camaro driver being the problem.
My point was---it's the law in most states, but speeding is also considered an equal if not greater infraction, you wouldn't be one of those cherry pickers when it come to the law would you...
Driving safety sure as hell isn't a case of one factor being "over" the others. It's all about whether drivers understand the overall attention to our hwy laws that usually makes for a safe driver as opposed to an unsafe driver. Are you going to tell me that speeding isn't a huge factor in the massive pileups we see every day on American freeways? This wasn't about which factors are more or less the cause of accidents, this was a discussion of the notion of left lane traffic as a sacred place to go like hell and be justified in doing so.
I think you're attempting to raise the issue of distracted driving to the level where it should be a higher consideration for enforcement over all other types of unsafe driving. I see this all the time, where people want to have their own version of what should be legal as opposed to what is actually illegal. Let's just say that in my view the speeders are just as dangerous when they drive at excessive levels of speed when considering the amount of traffic around them. What I think isn't the issue here anyway, you will most likely drive in the manner you're accustomed to regardless of how I see things.
You stated that speeding is the number one cause of traffic accidents. That was refuted by numerous articles with studies from respected publications. You then stuck your fingers in your ears and went "nah, nah, nah, I'm right and you're wrong because I say so."
I'm not trying to raise any issue other than you seem to have a problem accepting facts and data as opposed to relying on your feelings on a matter, and raise that to any one browsing the thread as they consider how much weight to give to your input.
In that case , the guy in the Camaro (?) clearly caused the accident. That being said, being boxed in right next to an 18 wheeler isn't the safest place to be. Especially in a smaller vehicle that might not be seen. A tire could fail on the truck , he could swerve , etc. Again, not a safe place and the guy in the truck blocking the lane is causing it.
Myself personally, I would have backed completely off , and got behind the truck until I could pass.
Something was up in that video though, because most truckers would have slowed down and let the guy around. The fact they had that dude boxed in alludes to the Camaro driver being the problem.
If you watch the whole video you'll see the guy in the pickup was an equal-opportunity jerk. I started the video at 1:42 because it got to the point quicker, namely that yes, people CAN do something about it if you push their buttons hard enough and it's little consolation that you were "right" when they're prying you both out of your cars with Jaws of Life. "The other guy started it" doesn't give you higher ground when everyone's safety is at stake. Road raging is stupid whether you're the one who cast the bait or the one who took it.
Normally around Atlanta, traffic is so bad that the left lane is never open and speeds are always below limits during the lengthy rush hours.
However when open the left lane is definitely not a safe place to be if you are not speeding.
What? Just went through there at rush hour in 75. I was going 70 and getting blown off the road. Yes, all lanes were bumper to bumper but moving at or well above speed limits.
Here is what you don't get. Not everyone in the left lane is speeding. Believe it or not, some people do drive below the speed limit. Get two of them together doing 5 under, blocking both the left and right lane and they are now impeding the flow of traffic. In most cases, especially when I'm on rural northern I-75 it happens innocently. Sometimes it might just be for a short time, so not big deal. Both drivers sort of just zone out, and pace each other, not realizing they are blocking people that just want to do the speed limit. Sometimes though it can be a pain. For instance, pulling a trailer. I do between 3-5 mph over when towing, it puts my diesel in the sweet spot where it gets the best mileage and isn't lugging the motor. I get caught behind two guys like that and it really is a pain, I loose momentum and if I'm in a hilly area it really becomes a pain in the ass and then I start impeding traffic. If the guy in the left only paid attention I could easily slide on by in your so called "death" lane and traffic maintains a nice smooth flow.
Look, I'm not advocating for left lane driving, it is the passing lane here in Wa state as well as most states. What I am referring to is the fact of those who are camped in the left lane and speeding way above the limit, a virtual train of bumper hugging morons totally incapable of determining the safe following distance. I've seen times of driving upstate Minnesota where no speed seems fast enough for the idiots who follow too close in the RIGHT lane and THEN jump in on the left lane only to be a foot off the guy in front of them. And, in Wa state the left lanes of our freeways are always filled with speeders. Truckers attempting to pass one another are the worst offenders for blocking both lanes of the freeway here. We have very little "rural" four lane roads here.
I'm trying to get others to admit that speeding is not a good idea for the reason of our highways being overcrowded and dangerous, even AT the limit. I drive a route over i5 in Wa to visit relatives, a span of over a hundred miles, in that distance I routinely see people driving like idiots, and yeah the distracted idiots are out there in droves, but the most deadly accidents are caused by the same people who seem to think they can pick and choose the laws they will obey.
Following too close in the left lane at high speeds is a constant threat to all traffic here, but---the left lane drivers for the most part, feel they are in the right as long as they are passing traffic, regardless of how they are driving. The usual deadly wrecks here in Washington happen in the left lane and is caused by speeding and following too close. The chaos of that kind of stock car crash element spills out to the middle lanes and then all hell breaks loose. Diesel RPM problems aside, you like others will drive as you please, and if it's any comfort you won't see the likes of me in your way..I'm a right lane driver.
Let's say the speed limit is 75. I'm doing 81 in the left lane and passing a line of cars... it's gonna take a few minutes.
I don't care if you feel entitled to go 90- you're just gonna have to wait til I get around them.
Yeah, I know it's technically illegal. So is going 81 in a 75. So is going 90 in a 75. All of us break traffic laws every day. Why should I care about your pet peeve?
This is typically how I approach it. I have no idea if the person behind me wants to go faster. If I'm passing cars in the right hand lane, I'll stay in the left until I've quit passing cars.
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