Life Left-lane Slowpokes Drive you Crazy? - Page 8

**Lzen** · 04-04-2012, 02:57 PM

http://discover.aaa.com/default.aspx...iving/Monthly&

The words ‘move over’ – even if readable in the rearview mirror – may not mean much to them, but a ticket might. Some states are cracking down. In these days of longer commutes and simmering tempers, nothing seems to set off already-testy motorists like the left-lane camper – the guy/gal who drives in the passing lane and bars faster drivers from easily passing. Web sites have cropped up to educate other drivers, or to vent. There’s a (somewhat painful) YouTube song called “Keep Right.”

Even bigwigs get frustrated. Pennsylvania Gov. Edward Rendell, weary of having his limo slowed down by such left-lane pokies, ordered an aid to have the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission install signs a few years ago reading “Keep Right, Pass Left. It’s the Law.” And now some states are cracking down on left-lane campers, both to keep traffic moving and to tamp down the road rage that goes from zero – to – 60 faster than ever before. That’s not just a pretext. Last year, a driver was arrested on Interstate 79 outside Pittsburgh after allegedly brandishing a semiautomatic pistol at a driver who was on his tail.

You could get a Ticket ~ Some states didn’t allow left-lane lingering but didn’t enforce the law. Now they are. At the start of last summer, the Washington State Patrol began pulling people over for violating the state’s left-lane law, which prohibits “impeding the flow of other traffic.” This is a real big hot-button topic for the public at large right now; there’ve been a lot of complaints from drivers who’ve had to deal with left-lane campers. So far authorities have been gentle with the $124 ticket; the drivers stopped were given verbal warnings. Last year, news outlets reported that Oklahoma was bolstering enforcement of its left-lane law as well.
Oklahoma Highway Patrol reports that they deal with the left-lane drivers going too slowly weekly; they’ve issued more warnings than tickets. Insurers haven’t gotten aggressive yet; but this kind of ticket has the potential to raise rates. Any moving violation that applies points to a driver’s record could affect that driver’s car insurance rates. And because left-lane driving would be considered as such an infraction, this would be taken into account when reviewing a driver’s policy.

What’s the law in your state? The laws vary widely. A few states – for instance, Kentucky, Maine, Massachusetts and New Jersey – permit use of the left lane only for passing or turning left. Georgia, Colorado and Louisiana follow the Uniform Vehicle Code, requiring drivers to keep right if they’re going slower than the speed of traffic. Wyoming prohibits blocking the far left lane of a highway “for a prolonged period,” though it adds that the traffic should be “at a lawful rate of speed.” In Arkansas and South Dakota, vehicles don’t have to stay right. Alaska, Maryland, North Carolina and Ohio vehicles can drive in the left lane so long as they’re moving at the speed limit.

Florida is trying to join in: Lawmakers reintroduced a Road Rage Reduction Act in 2008, requiring motorists to stay out of the left lane on interstate highways except when passing. It passed the legislature in 2005 but was vetoed by Gov. Jeb Bush, who questioned whether it was based on sound research.

It’s no wonder drivers can be confused and often frustrated.
One of my biggest Pet Peeves – One of those exasperated drivers in your rearview mirror might be Eli Dozier. “That’s one of my biggest pet peeves in the world, is when people stay in the left lane. They’re not passing, they’ve got people behind them, trying to go around, and they just cruise,” says Dozier, 31, and a stay-at-home dad. “It’s probably the most uncourteous thing you can do,” he says, adding that it’s “obviously” unsafe. “I’m a fast driver,” Dozier allows. “But if I’m not passing, I don’t use that left lane at all.” So what’s a frustrated motorist to do?

Dozier heard in a chat room about some windshield decals that said “Slower Traffic,” with an arrow pointing to the right-hand lane, printed backward in large letters for reading in a rearview mirror. “And so I immediately ordered one. I jumped on it.” He loves the thing. “Most people, its just inattentiveness” that keeps them in the passing lane, Dozier says. “Most people, when you pass them, they’ll give you a wave, they’re thankful” for the reminder.

At lease, he says, women tend to be. Men sometimes take Dozier’s sticker as an affront and will retaliate by slowing down, he says. There have been some middle fingers, some choice words. And then, Dozier says, “I have been known to show them how good the back of my car looks.” At very close range. Which only exacerbates the situation. Overall, through, both he and his wife are delighted with the results, he says. They recently bought her a Dodge Ram 1500 with a quad cab and they’ve ordered a decal like his for it.

Pennsylvania authorities also find that reminders do work. “Anecdotally,” says Carl DeFebo of the Turnpike Authority, “you do see a lot less people . . . enjoying the weather” in the passing lane since 25 signs went up on the turnpike in recent years. It probably helps that “sometimes our police will actually enforce this,” DeFebo adds, handing out warnings or tickets that add up to $108.

Courtesy Counts – The creator of those stickers, J.A. Tosti, is also director and founder of Left Lane Drivers of America. “What we’re seeking to do is raise awareness,” he explains. Tosti said aggression only aggravates other drivers. For him, response to the decal on his car has always been positive and pleasant – in large part because he is a patient, non-tailgating driver. “It’s amazing how effective the stickers are,” he says. “On one trip from Portland to Seattle, I felt at time like I was sweeping the left lane with a broom.” A faster, more courteous – well-swept – highway? Sounds like something most folks could live with.

Defending the driving – But not everyone agrees with those who tell them to get out of the way. “The left lane is for passing . . . not a license to speed till you kill someone,” wrote a contributor to Motor Trend’s blog. “Grow up. If I’m in the left lane doing 65 while the speed limit’s 80, I’ll move over. But if I’m doing the speed limit, and someone decides he’s Mario Andretti … he/she can go around me and break the law further up the highway.”

Washington state law says it is a traffic infraction to drive continuously in the left lane of a multilane roadway when it impedes the flow of other traffic. There is a misunderstanding, a lot of people think that if they’re going at or near the speed limit they don’t have to get out of the lane. And the left-lane driving debate goes on.

**alnorth** · 04-04-2012, 10:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Brock

It should be obvious that the outlier here is you.

Given that I pass far, far, far, far, far more people than pass me...

no. You are the outlier. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but you are the one who needs 3-4 lane highways.

tmw4h5 · 04-04-2012, 10:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by alnorth

Given that I pass far, far, far, far, far more people than pass me...

no. You are the outlier. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but you are the one who needs 3-4 lane highways.

With this dude the entire way.

This thread is full of tards who think that they own the highway.

Brock · 04-04-2012, 11:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by alnorth

Given that I pass far, far, far, far, far more people than pass me...

no. You are the outlier. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but you are the one who needs 3-4 lane highways.

If it was a 3 lane highway, you'd still be the dipshit in the left lane.

**Easy 6** · 04-04-2012, 11:02 PM

Pull right when it is safe to do so, Al... dont feel unduely rushed, but at the safest & soonest opportunity, pull over... its not a big deal & its the right thing to do, period.

Dont be a dick.

Brock · 04-04-2012, 11:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tmw4h5

With this dude the entire way.

This thread is full of tards who think that they own the highway.

Another guy who needs a glass belt buckle.

Bump · 04-04-2012, 11:04 PM

now that I don't take any highways to work, it doesn't bother me much. But the new thing is, when everyone is stopped at a red light and you have people going straight on one side and people that want to go left on the other, and there is no green left turn arrow, those people turning left somehow think that they have the right away and just go left when the lights turn green and almost cause an accident because the people going straight know that they actually have the right of way. Drives me ****ing crazy, been seeing this a lot more lately.

**morphius** · 04-04-2012, 11:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tmw4h5

With this dude the entire way.

This thread is full of tards who think that they own the highway.

That is exactly what you are doing by claiming the left lane is yours because you are going fast enough...

tmw4h5 · 04-04-2012, 11:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Brock

Another guy who needs a glass belt buckle.

Again, makes no sense.
When did it become the norm for adults, mature adults, to drive 20 over the speed limit? I thought we were over that whole "I GOTTA GO FAST, I JUST GOT MY LICENSE" phase?
If I'm driving 10 over, I'm not going to swerve from lane to lane to compensate for the jackass behind me who wants to drive in excessive, ridiculous speeds on a highway that is already cramped.

Maybe you guys should try to manage your time better?

**TrebMaxx** · 04-04-2012, 11:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by scott free

Pull right when it is safe to do so, Al... dont feel unduely rushed, but at the safest & soonest opportunity, pull over... its not a big deal & its the right thing to do, period.

Dont be a dick.

I agree with this. Don't be a dick about it. I try to not go 10 over the speed limit. But if I am passing a slower motorist and someone comes flying up on me I will look ahead to see if there is any LE. If there isn't I will accelerate a bit to get around the slower motorist in the right lane a little more quickly and let the guy in the left lane go on his way. Sometimes it provides satisfaction when you pass them later while they are pulled over by the popo!

tmw4h5 · 04-04-2012, 11:09 PM

Also, I'd like to add that if the right lane is open and somebody comes up on my ass, I will get over -- but I'm not going to go through excessive means of slowing down/speeding up/slowing down/speeding up to make speed demons happy.

Trying to go lane to lane over and over and over is usually not the safest thing to do.

**Bugeater** · 04-04-2012, 11:17 PM

Everyone should die. Then I'd have the roads all to myself.

**pr_capone** · 04-04-2012, 11:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tmw4h5

Also, I'd like to add that if the right lane is open and somebody comes up on my ass, I will get over -- but I'm not going to go through excessive means of slowing down/speeding up/slowing down/speeding up to make speed demons happy.

As someone who enjoys putting the foot down... that is all I ask. If the lane is open, move over. If you are keeping pace with the car next to you, move over. Otherwise, I am happy to wait for you to find a spot you are comfy with to make the lane change.

Now, if you never move over and I am able to switch to the right lane, get in front of you, and safely change back over into the left lane... I'm probably giving you the one finger salute as I make my lane change.

**pr_capone** · 04-04-2012, 11:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bugeater

Everyone should die. Then I'd have the roads all to myself.

I have this taped to the monitor on my desk at work. Seems like it suits you as well.

**morphius** · 04-04-2012, 11:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tmw4h5

Also, I'd like to add that if the right lane is open and somebody comes up on my ass, I will get over -- but I'm not going to go through excessive means of slowing down/speeding up/slowing down/speeding up to make speed demons happy.

Trying to go lane to lane over and over and over is usually not the safest thing to do.

I think most of us are talking about interstate driving in the midwest, not rush hour driving.

tmw4h5 · 04-04-2012, 11:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pr_capone

As someone who enjoys putting the foot down... that is all I ask. If the lane is open, move over. If you are keeping pace with the car next to you, move over. Otherwise, I am happy to wait for you to find a spot you are comfy with to make the lane change.

Now, if you never move over and I am able to switch to the right lane, get in front of you, and safely change back over into the left lane... I'm probably giving you the one finger salute as I make my lane change.

Oh, totally understandable.

04-04-2012, 02:57 PM
Lzen Banded Join Date: Feb 2001 Location: Oz Casino cash: $-569308	Left-lane Slowpokes Drive you Crazy? http://discover.aaa.com/default.aspx...iving/Monthly& The words ‘move over’ – even if readable in the rearview mirror – may not mean much to them, but a ticket might. Some states are cracking down. In these days of longer commutes and simmering tempers, nothing seems to set off already-testy motorists like the left-lane camper – the guy/gal who drives in the passing lane and bars faster drivers from easily passing. Web sites have cropped up to educate other drivers, or to vent. There’s a (somewhat painful) YouTube song called “Keep Right.” Even bigwigs get frustrated. Pennsylvania Gov. Edward Rendell, weary of having his limo slowed down by such left-lane pokies, ordered an aid to have the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission install signs a few years ago reading “Keep Right, Pass Left. It’s the Law.” And now some states are cracking down on left-lane campers, both to keep traffic moving and to tamp down the road rage that goes from zero – to – 60 faster than ever before. That’s not just a pretext. Last year, a driver was arrested on Interstate 79 outside Pittsburgh after allegedly brandishing a semiautomatic pistol at a driver who was on his tail. You could get a Ticket ~ Some states didn’t allow left-lane lingering but didn’t enforce the law. Now they are. At the start of last summer, the Washington State Patrol began pulling people over for violating the state’s left-lane law, which prohibits “impeding the flow of other traffic.” This is a real big hot-button topic for the public at large right now; there’ve been a lot of complaints from drivers who’ve had to deal with left-lane campers. So far authorities have been gentle with the $124 ticket; the drivers stopped were given verbal warnings. Last year, news outlets reported that Oklahoma was bolstering enforcement of its left-lane law as well. Oklahoma Highway Patrol reports that they deal with the left-lane drivers going too slowly weekly; they’ve issued more warnings than tickets. Insurers haven’t gotten aggressive yet; but this kind of ticket has the potential to raise rates. Any moving violation that applies points to a driver’s record could affect that driver’s car insurance rates. And because left-lane driving would be considered as such an infraction, this would be taken into account when reviewing a driver’s policy. What’s the law in your state? The laws vary widely. A few states – for instance, Kentucky, Maine, Massachusetts and New Jersey – permit use of the left lane only for passing or turning left. Georgia, Colorado and Louisiana follow the Uniform Vehicle Code, requiring drivers to keep right if they’re going slower than the speed of traffic. Wyoming prohibits blocking the far left lane of a highway “for a prolonged period,” though it adds that the traffic should be “at a lawful rate of speed.” In Arkansas and South Dakota, vehicles don’t have to stay right. Alaska, Maryland, North Carolina and Ohio vehicles can drive in the left lane so long as they’re moving at the speed limit. Florida is trying to join in: Lawmakers reintroduced a Road Rage Reduction Act in 2008, requiring motorists to stay out of the left lane on interstate highways except when passing. It passed the legislature in 2005 but was vetoed by Gov. Jeb Bush, who questioned whether it was based on sound research. It’s no wonder drivers can be confused and often frustrated. One of my biggest Pet Peeves – One of those exasperated drivers in your rearview mirror might be Eli Dozier. “That’s one of my biggest pet peeves in the world, is when people stay in the left lane. They’re not passing, they’ve got people behind them, trying to go around, and they just cruise,” says Dozier, 31, and a stay-at-home dad. “It’s probably the most uncourteous thing you can do,” he says, adding that it’s “obviously” unsafe. “I’m a fast driver,” Dozier allows. “But if I’m not passing, I don’t use that left lane at all.” So what’s a frustrated motorist to do? Dozier heard in a chat room about some windshield decals that said “Slower Traffic,” with an arrow pointing to the right-hand lane, printed backward in large letters for reading in a rearview mirror. “And so I immediately ordered one. I jumped on it.” He loves the thing. “Most people, its just inattentiveness” that keeps them in the passing lane, Dozier says. “Most people, when you pass them, they’ll give you a wave, they’re thankful” for the reminder. At lease, he says, women tend to be. Men sometimes take Dozier’s sticker as an affront and will retaliate by slowing down, he says. There have been some middle fingers, some choice words. And then, Dozier says, “I have been known to show them how good the back of my car looks.” At very close range. Which only exacerbates the situation. Overall, through, both he and his wife are delighted with the results, he says. They recently bought her a Dodge Ram 1500 with a quad cab and they’ve ordered a decal like his for it. Pennsylvania authorities also find that reminders do work. “Anecdotally,” says Carl DeFebo of the Turnpike Authority, “you do see a lot less people . . . enjoying the weather” in the passing lane since 25 signs went up on the turnpike in recent years. It probably helps that “sometimes our police will actually enforce this,” DeFebo adds, handing out warnings or tickets that add up to $108. Courtesy Counts – The creator of those stickers, J.A. Tosti, is also director and founder of Left Lane Drivers of America. “What we’re seeking to do is raise awareness,” he explains. Tosti said aggression only aggravates other drivers. For him, response to the decal on his car has always been positive and pleasant – in large part because he is a patient, non-tailgating driver. “It’s amazing how effective the stickers are,” he says. “On one trip from Portland to Seattle, I felt at time like I was sweeping the left lane with a broom.” A faster, more courteous – well-swept – highway? Sounds like something most folks could live with. Defending the driving – But not everyone agrees with those who tell them to get out of the way. “The left lane is for passing . . . not a license to speed till you kill someone,” wrote a contributor to Motor Trend’s blog. “Grow up. If I’m in the left lane doing 65 while the speed limit’s 80, I’ll move over. But if I’m doing the speed limit, and someone decides he’s Mario Andretti … he/she can go around me and break the law further up the highway.” Washington state law says it is a traffic infraction to drive continuously in the left lane of a multilane roadway when it impedes the flow of other traffic. There is a misunderstanding, a lot of people think that if they’re going at or near the speed limit they don’t have to get out of the lane. And the left-lane driving debate goes on.
Posts: 42,470

04-04-2012, 11:02 PM	#109
Easy 6 pie is never free Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: the drivers seat Casino cash: $-62225	Pull right when it is safe to do so, Al... dont feel unduely rushed, but at the safest & soonest opportunity, pull over... its not a big deal & its the right thing to do, period. Dont be a dick.
Posts: 98,379

04-04-2012, 11:04 PM	#111
Bump YOU take YOUR seat Join Date: Nov 2007 Casino cash: $-1544895	now that I don't take any highways to work, it doesn't bother me much. But the new thing is, when everyone is stopped at a red light and you have people going straight on one side and people that want to go left on the other, and there is no green left turn arrow, those people turning left somehow think that they have the right away and just go left when the lights turn green and almost cause an accident because the people going straight know that they actually have the right of way. Drives me ****ing crazy, been seeing this a lot more lately.
Posts: 38,145

04-04-2012, 11:09 PM	#115
tmw4h5 Starter Join Date: Sep 2011 Casino cash: $10015349	Also, I'd like to add that if the right lane is open and somebody comes up on my ass, I will get over -- but I'm not going to go through excessive means of slowing down/speeding up/slowing down/speeding up to make speed demons happy. Trying to go lane to lane over and over and over is usually not the safest thing to do. __________________ Something funny, though.
Posts: 454

04-04-2012, 11:17 PM	#116
Bugeater The Maintenance Guy Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Renovated Bugeater Estate Casino cash: $3992680	Everyone should die. Then I'd have the roads all to myself.
Posts: 70,546