Left-lane drivers: speed up or get a ticket...

[Jeff_in_Atl]

http://www.9news.com/news/article.as...7674&catid=339

[Joe 1320]

Regradless of how things are ultimately worded, what I find disgusting is the response of the average John Q. Slowpoke. These self appointed keepers of the speed who won't move over even when they are clearly holding up everyone else, have the attitude that they have every RIGHT to drive however they wish and to hell with everyone else. They aren't going to move over and that's the end of the discussion.

It's the attitude and upbringing of these genetic misfits. There is no courtesy anymore, I'll bet it's the same mentality as the grumpy old man who won't give his seat on the subway to the pregnant woman standing right in front of him. The same mentality as the President of the Homeowner's association who feels the need to drive his golfcart though the neighborhood every morning to check for any code violations and report his next door neighbor for watering his lawn on the wrong day.

It's all about "ME" and screw the rest of the world.


Very sad where society is headed.

[Performin Norman]

Regradless of how things are ultimately worded, what I find disgusting is the response of the average John Q. Slowpoke. These self appointed keepers of the speed who won't move over even when they are clearly holding up everyone else, have the attitude that they have every RIGHT to drive however they wish and to hell with everyone else. They aren't going to move over and that's the end of the discussion.

It's the attitude and upbringing of these genetic misfits. There is no courtesy anymore, I'll bet it's the same mentality as the grumpy old man who won't give his seat on the subway to the pregnant woman standing right in front of him. The same mentality as the President of the Homeowner's association who feels the need to drive his golfcart though the neighborhood every morning to check for any code violations and report his next door neighbor for watering his lawn on the wrong day.

It's all about "ME" and screw the rest of the world.


Very sad where society is headed.

Amen. And they think it is their job to teach everyone a lesson.

[Jeff_in_Atl]

I watched a guy who works where I do going up a 3 lane highway with the cruise set on 55 in the fast lane. He does it every day. His S10 4 banger was slowing down to about 52 up hill and 58 downhill. He was always beside someone in the center lane. We were coming up to a point where the road split. The left lane went left and the right lane went right and the center lane had a choice. This guy about 4 cars back got aggravated and went from the left lane to the right lane passing the whole line. The first vehicle in the center lane was a dump truck. The guy goes flying up the right lane and at the last minute cuts off the dump truck to go left at the split.

I got to work and approached the guy and said hey if you are not passing someone would you mind getting out of the fast lane. He comes back I am 64 years old and been driving a hell of a lot longer than you. I said just because you are older doesn't mean you are better. and you might want to think about it because you pissed off some guy who then did something stupid and if it had been an accident I would have told the cop it was your fault. I then said you know you never know who is driving around with a gun in their car like I do and might shoot you, not like me, for being a jerk. Is it really worth it to be a jerk on the road and I walked off.

Believe it or not I saw him a couple of days later and he was in the far right lane. I actually got through to him. I couldn't believe it but there was someone who got shot in Atlanta for driving in the fast lane not passing.

[MN6WS6]

Playing devil's advocate here, but if the old man was going 55 and the speed limit is 55, then he is technically right. That's what people don't seem to understand, that whole speed limit aspect of the equation. It's not a speed recommendation. But cops let people get away with 60, sometimes 65 in a 55. Why even have the law if you don't enforce it?

If I was a cop, I would keep all my equipment tuned up and paperwork to a T. I'd park on the side of the road and write tickets all friggin' day long for anything 4mph over and up. That is past the "gray" area for tire wear or mechanical error. I'd be the most hated cop on the planet, but it wouldn't matter to me because it is the law. It's not my place to judge whether it's right or wrong, only to enforce it. Around here, I'd make enough money to where the city would buy me a Lamborghini cop car within my first year.

[Joe 1320]

Playing devil's advocate here, but if the old man was going 55 and the speed limit is 55, then he is technically right. That's what people don't seem to understand, that whole speed limit aspect of the equation. It's not a speed recommendation. But cops let people get away with 60, sometimes 65 in a 55. Why even have the law if you don't enforce it?

Fine. Let's play for a moment.

Who is to say the old man is driving 55? His speedometer? What if it is off by 5 mph because the cheap old geezer purchased tires that were shorter than recommended becuase they cost less? Does the old geezer have the "RIGHT" to now drive in the left lane even if traffic is backed up behind him like a funeral? If the guy had any common sense, he would get out of the way and let faster traffic pass. The old man isn't a traffic cop nor should he attempt to act like one. Failure to move over is ignorance to the ideas of defensive driving and common sense.

Most every driver's education class or defensive driving school taught by state law enforcement agencies or schools educates drivers in identifying hazzardous situations as well as identifying hazzardous drivers. In every instance, they teach you to remain in control and to position yourself so that the hazzard is in front of you. You are in control of stopping where someone else might not and run right smack into you. If you come up behind a drunk or impaired driver, you are safer if they are in front of you. If a crazy driver comes up from behind, pull over and let them get ahead of you. You are much safer that way. Many states even give you a hint with traffic signs that don't say "Slower moving traffic keep left". Notice how it doesn't say "Use any lane you feel you have to right to use", what they say clearly is "Slow moving traffic keep right" Slow is a relative term and not speed specific. Here's a hint for the speed sense impaired: If others are attempting to pass you, you are moving slow in comparison to other traffic.


It's not about who is right, it's more about courtesy to your fellow man. Here is a puzzle: You walk into a Burger King, and go up to the counter. Now you can't quite decide exactly what you want...... a mother and her 3 year old come up behind you and you overhear them, they know what they want. Do you still sit there mulling things over and hold up the pair behind you? I would hope that you would let them go ahead of you, regardless that you are in the right.... you got there first.... everyone else can go to hell and wait. The line at burger king is no different than the line of traffic. The real difference is that at Burger King, you are face to face. In vehicles, many people all of a sudden feel seperated from a face to face meeting and the true crap attitude takes over. Then things get much more dangerous.


Am I passionate? you bet. Two years ago, a self proclaimed keeper of the speed decided that he didn't want a shiny mint condition TransAm to pass him. Never mind he pulled out on a two lane rural highway when he should have waited, I had to slam on the brakes to avoid plowing the back of his trailer. He proceeds to accelerate up to roughly 40mph in a 55mph zone and stay there. A mile ahead, when traffic was clear I was able to attempt a pass. I say attempt because the bastard pulled left into the oncomming lane to block my pass. The next pass attempt put my car into the trees and me in the hospital having emergency surgery to repair my left hand plus it left me unable to walk for a month. Thank god I'm still alive because the tree that cut though the car almost cut me in two.

I'm done playing. If others are wanting go faster than you, so what? Get over it and get the hell out of the way. It's safer and much less stressful.

If I was a cop, I would keep all my equipment tuned up and paperwork to a T. I'd park on the side of the road and write tickets all friggin' day long for anything 4mph over and up. That is past the "gray" area for tire wear or mechanical error. I'd be the most hated cop on the planet, but it wouldn't matter to me because it is the law. It's not my place to judge whether it's right or wrong, only to enforce it. .

God help the residents if you become the president of the Homeowner's Association.

[Black97]

Don't even get me started. I hate people driving in the fast lane if there's no other traffic. So you get up behind them and they don't move out of the way. After a while I pass them on the right, breaking the law and most of the time people pull over into the right lane once I passed them. What's up with that?

I tried hitting the lights, honking and almost pushing and only after I pass they move . Some of the ones that didn't move I used to pull in front of them and slowed down and gave them their own medicine. Some got it and moved over while others just stayed behind me even at slower speed.

When I worked outside Tulsa I found that lots of people had a left turn coming up 10 miles down the road so they wanted to be and stay in the left lane come hell and high water. You never know you could miss your turn.

Hey I admit I always drive a couple of miles over the speed limit but if somebody pulls up behind me no matter what car it is, I'll pull over the next chance I get.

[Jeff_in_Atl]

Most states have a law that says keep right except to pass. If the old geaser isn't passing one while doing 55 in the left lane he is breaking the law.

[MN6WS6]

I did say "devil's advocate" on purpose. I'm not saying that I drive that way, or that I think it's ok to drive that way, just taking the old man's point of view. My personal opinion is that the PIT maneuver ought to be legal under certain circumstances for the general public to perform on each other. I'd also like to see all cars equipped with police-style push bumpers so you could bump-draft people so they'd get the hint to speed up or move out of the way. I'm no saint when it comes to getting a little hot behind the wheel.

On the homeowner's association joke, luckily I do not now, nor will I ever, live in a neighborhood with one. Sorry, but you will not tell me what I can or cannot do on property that I am buying. I won't put up with it.

One of my coworkers has all kinds of problems with the homeowners association in his neighborhood. Unfortunately for them, he was the first person in the neighborhood, and he did not join the association when they decided they wanted one, so when they try to say something, he tells them how it is. The last instance he told me about was when two members of the association were stopped in the middle of the road (blocking traffic both ways) when he pulled up. He waited for about 30 seconds, then yelled out the window for them to move. One of them said something like "we're talking" or some other smart-aleck remark. So he put his Glock on the dash and said "Conversation's over!"

[FroSSty]

So he put his Glock on the dash and said "Conversation's over!"

Slightly extreme but I bet it worked...

[Joe 1320]

On the homeowner's association joke, luckily I do not now, nor will I ever, live in a neighborhood with one. Sorry, but you will not tell me what I can or cannot do on property that I am buying. I won't put up with it.

It's PITA to a point. Deed restrictions that communities put in place are designed to keep the place from getting trashed and values going down. It's a double edged sword. In my neighborhood, you cannot park RV or trailers on the property (and that includes boats), No work/business trucks with lettering (can be secured in the garage though), no unauthorized structures like storage sheds, they are to be single family dwellings (not 4 families sharing the same place) and failure to adhere to the rules can result in fines and liens attached to the property. Harsh, but it does help keep property values up. I've seen more than one neighborhood go down the toilet because of the lack of deed restrictions. I've also seen varous little Hilters that run around with nothing else to do but look for every infraction like watering the lawn on the wrong day. It's sad.

[Wild Willy]

The thing that bothers me the most about the 'left lane bandits' is they will tell you how they are making the road safer by forcing everyone to obey the speed limit- what they fail to realize is that they are backing up traffic for miles, increasing road rage and bad driving, and making the normal, safe movement of traffic next to impossible- the REAL safest way to drive is to 'go with the flow'- if there is nobody in front of you for a half mile, and ten cars behind you riding your bumper, you are holding up traffic- move over or speed up- period-

On the other hand- If I am in the passing lane, 20 or 30 feet behind some idiot who either is too stupid to realize that he is blocking traffic, or too self-righteous to care, it does no good to tailgate me- I can't speed up. Won't do you or me any good if you ride 10 feet off my bumper, so save yourself some aggravation-

[Jeff_in_Atl]

"Lead, follow, or get the hell out of the way!" Dale Earnhardt.

[Joe 1320]

I've thought about it and I think I should post two final things. First, an apology for perhaps coming off too strong. The subject has become a catalyst with me and normally I stay more neutral. The second.....


well.....


I don't find the need to speed in the left lane, I usually stay in the right lane.





Besides...... it's gotten to be a whole lot faster than the left.