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I'm starting to have a much more enjoyable ride these days on the 4 lane 25 mph street just outside the condo complex where I live. This is because the street lights are timed for 25 mph, so going that speed I don't have to stop as much, or wait at lights as long.
This has all been prompted by having a tracking device on my car that now and for the next 3 months tells my insurance company exactly how fast I am going, how many hard stops I make, how far I go, and how many jack rabbit starts I make from a standstill. I may even get a further discount on my insurance based on the result from zero to as much as 30 percent.
I'm not loving the big brother aspects but it has calmed me down and given me time to reflect on the big hurry I used to be in. Of course it's not always about being in a hurry, sometimes you may like to speed it up a little to appreciate how well the sports car handles in the twisties, but that will have to wait until next Spring.
Blue Ridge Parkway in NC. Winding roads that we were not familiar with. Logging trucks that drive fast because they know the roads. It took a couple of times, but I figured out that the areas that show up every so often on the right side are there for a reason. They're not real big and covered with white rock iirc. As soon as you see one you hit the turn signal, and whip into it. Let the semi(s) pass and pull back out.
That was a beautiful and scary trip.
Familiar with it.. Very similar up in the Cashiers area of NC as well and heading from Asheville into Gatlinburg, TN.
Most of them I've seen even have signs saying "Passing area ahead".. And I've never noticed a-hole drivers on those roads.. I'm sure they happen, I just haven't seen them. People seem to be calmer when they know they will be able to pass within the next 2 to 3 miles or so.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Harry Hemi
How does that law work down there?
Is it only citing people blocking the left lane doing under the speed limit, or while theyre riding the speed limit and the actual flow of traffic is going 10 mph above it?
The way the law is written.. If you were doing 10mph over and you didn't get out of the way of someone coming up doing 50mph over.. YOU could get a ticket. Georgia has taken the stand that the left lane is for passing and passing only, dammit.
Good or bad, I won't weigh in on it, just.. That's what it is.
Apparently reading the OP is difficult for some. I've been saying the same thing as you, but then someone else throws out something about the left lane.
There's a reason that I don't start many threads here.
If they see you, Oh yes, they will disagree with the decision if you are deliberately causing congestion and antagonizing other drivers. And you'll get cited for whatever they want to cite you for.
Oh, come on. No they won't. If I'm in the right lane or the single lane and there's no way to get out of the way and I'm going the speed limit or a safe speed for the current conditions, no police officer is going to cite me for "antagonizing" the tailgater behind me.
It seems that some people just don't bother to understand the details of the thread and prefer to fantasize about their own pet scenario which has nothing to do with the topic.
Slowing down to a safe speed for current conditions (e.g. someone too close to avoid rear-ending you if you have to suddenly stop) is not passive aggressive behavior. It's annoying to the tailgater, but not at all harmful to them. They can easily resolve the situation by either backing off, or passing.
If someone's not too close behind, close but not kissing my rear bumper, I'll make a sincere effort to move out of the way, often pulling over to a complete stop when possible -- goal is not to block them but to just get them off my tail.
If they are kissing my bumper in an obvious and obnoxious attempt at bullying, they have crossed over the line and I will slow down, and no patrol officer is going to disagree with that decision. In fact I have a dash cam that records rear view activity and will show it to an officer who will undoubtedly agree that the other driver was breaking the law. Tailgating, by the way, is illegal in most places and you can get ticketed for "following too closely". Tailgating is not "passive aggressive", it is breaking the law. Just like burglary or assault. Illegal.
I didn't say it was passive aggressive. I said it was aggressive aggressive. Just keep going at the speed limit is passive, but not aggressive, on a two lane road.
Familiar with it.. Very similar up in the Cashiers area of NC as well and heading from Asheville into Gatlinburg, TN.
Most of them I've seen even have signs saying "Passing area ahead".. And I've never noticed a-hole drivers on those roads.. I'm sure they happen, I just haven't seen them. People seem to be calmer when they know they will be able to pass within the next 2 to 3 miles or so.
The way the law is written.. If you were doing 10mph over and you didn't get out of the way of someone coming up doing 50mph over.. YOU could get a ticket. Georgia has taken the stand that the left lane is for passing and passing only, dammit.
Good or bad, I won't weigh in on it, just.. That's what it is.
Hmm, I've never seen those signs on the BRP. Probably because there are plenty of scenic overlooks to pull over on, either for the "slow" driver or the tailgater. Most of the speed limit on the BRP is 45 mph with some 35 mph areas. It's a place for tourists to enjoy the views and can be intimidating for some of them. I don't expect them to drive over the speed limit. There aren't many passing zones at all between Asheville and Brevard
Most residential 25 mph zones are that slow due to being in neighborhoods or downtown where there are many pedestrians. I sure hope you don't hit some kid crossing the street because you feel like you should be able to drive 40 in a 25 because it's a "stupid-slow crawling grandma speed". Because you will be held 100% responsible, even if the kid runs out unexpectedly. All because you feel you have a right to go faster.
It's not true for all roads. When it's in a school zone for instance, I will most certainly drive the limit or very close to it. And driving alongside a bunch of slow/parked cars in case someone jumps out. I use my judgment. I am a human and can be aware of my surroundings and can read potential dangers or blindspots. I'm not a robot just doing 15 over at all times. It sucks that there are people on both sides of the spectrum - speeding blindly or obeying the limit blindly.
You know, everyone should routinely watch Youtube videos involving dashcams and crashes. It keeps you honest in your decision-making and wary of everything that could happen. But in no way is the speed limit a big factor in avoiding crashes. Many are simply a result of stupid decision making or inattention. Here's a good channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuP...oO5JQyg/videos
When I move in March, I'll be going down a two lane curvy road for 12 miles between my new place and town.
Daytime, especially weekends in nice weather, this road is something else. It will have bikes, people walking along side/on it, and lots of traffic. There is no shoulder and sometimes houses are built up to within 5 feet of the edge of the road. Kid you not, one side of the road is water all the way in and the other side is hill. On the rare occasion there is a spit of land between the road and the water, someone will build a house on it. Garages and mailboxes are typically on the other side of the road from the houses (the hill side) and people are always walking across from one side to the other. If someone is having work done, garbage picked up, or mail delivered, there isn't anyplace for a large vehicle to park, so they usually park half over the lane, whatever lane they've picked at that time.
All this is to tell you that when you speed down this road - and it is a road that you can do 45 or 50 on if you push it - you run the risk of hitting any of those. You can drive it fairly fast at night because there's no traffic or people on it at all then, but you run the risk of slamming into a deer or a raccoon or even a bear.
I'm aware that I don't have to pull over unless I have 5 or more cars following me, but generally I pull over into someone's driveway to let someone behind me pass. I won't do it if there is a curve ahead, in case they half pull out into the other lane to get by me (sometimes people have to do that to get by). I won't put myself or my car at risk to pull over if I can't find a spot right away. But most of the time I do get over. It doesn't bother me, takes a couple seconds, and gets a jerk off my back end.
When I'm in a hurry to drive the road, I try my best to remember how I feel when someone tailgates me. I also try to remember what just happened to me last week: I'm coming down the road (this is in broad daylight, by the way) and just thinking I could speed up a little when I see a car coming towards me in the other lane, very slowly. The reason is because he has a deer prancing down the road in front of him. I slow down because I can see where this is going (I attract both crazy people and crazy deer) and sure enough, as our two cars almost start to pass, Bambi makes a quick U-turn and starts trotting down the road in front of me going in my direction now. I suppose it goes without saying both the other driver and I were laughing our heads off.
After a while I get tired of deer herding and in a straight stretch, I decide to honk my horn and get my little friend off the road and up the hill. But it's a good reminder of what can happen. Had I been going faster or not slowed down, I would now be paying for the repair of my front end and Bambi would have gone to that big meadow in the sky.
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