Ron_H

You all know who you are. You get stressed out and frustrated by the left lane pokes who insist must remain in that lane at all costs.

Well, now you have the chance to vent your frustration by directing it toward an effective remedy, and without utilizing the "one finger salute"! <img border="0" alt="[icon501]" title="" src="graemlins/icon501.gif" />

Here is a constructive way to begin ridding our country of this scourge:
May 19, 2003

Dear NMA supporter,

The press release listed below kicks off our formal campaign to promote lane
courtesy on our highways. This is the first in a series of five releases we
will be sending out between now and the end of June. Each release will deal
with a separate facet of lane courtesy.

The theme for this campaign is, "Do the RIGHT Thing!" (Courtesy of our
Massachusetts State Chapter Coordinator Ivan Sever and NMA Member Bill
Stinnett). We are designating June as "Lane Courtesy Month."

We want this first release in the hands of the press before Memorial Day
weekend. The press is always looking for holiday travel topics and we're
hoping they pick up on our lane courtesy theme. If you can copy and
distribute this release to your local newspapers, radio, and TV outlets it
should greatly expand our impact. Even if this arrives too late for
Memorial Day weekend, please distribute the release to all possible outlets.

This project is being funded by your contributions to the National Motorists
Association Foundation. Thank you for your financial and personal support.

Sincerely,

James J. Baxter
NMA President

Do the RIGHT Thing!
June is Lane Courtesy Month

FOR RELEASE: May 16, 2003
For More Information, contact:
Eric Skrum, NMA Communications Director, 608-849-6000

With summer just around the corner and visions of vacations dominating
Americans' thoughts, our highways will experience a dramatic increase in
traffic. To enhance the travel experience for motorists, the National
Motorists Association (NMA) has designated June as Lane Courtesy Month and
is kicking off the campaign with the slogan "Do the RIGHT Thing!"

Lane Courtesy, also called Lane Discipline, has a powerful influence on
highway safety, traffic flow, and congestion. Arguably, its effect is more
important than speed limits, traffic enforcement, or any other attempt to
control driver behavior. Ask almost any motorist what most raises their ire
when using major highways and the answer will be "failure of slower traffic
to keep right or yield to the right when faster traffic approaches."

The concept, or ethic, of lane courtesy evolved in the United States with
the development of the Interstate System. However, the concept of slower
traffic yielding to the right for faster traffic has its origins in the
older system of two lane highways. Almost all states have a provision in
their traffic law that requires slower traffic, upon being signaled by a
following vehicle, to pull to the right to allow the faster traffic to pass.

Prior to 1973, rural speed limits reflected typical travel speeds.
Consequently, slower vehicles were not driving the speed limit and there was
no rationale for deliberately blocking the progress of faster traffic. The
55 MPH National Maximum Speed Limit changed all that.

After 1973, there was a serious disconnect between speed limits and the
actual speed of traffic. There was also a total breakdown in lane courtesy.
The slower traffic that would normally stay in the right hand lane could now
linger anywhere on the highway, in any lane, and still be traveling at the
legal maximum speed of 55 miles per hour. This counter productive process
was reinforced over a period of 21 years, influencing a whole generation of
new drivers.

In 1995 the 55 MPH National Maximum Speed Limit was repealed and several
states raised speed limits to put the limits more in concert with the
reality of highway travel. However, the almost quarter century habit of
wallowing anywhere on the highway did not disappear with the advent of new
speed limit signs.

The lane courtesy ethic must be reinvigorated, promoted, and recognized for
the contribution it can make toward safer, faster and more enjoyable travel.
We hope the NMA's "Do the RIGHT Thing!" campaign and declaring June as "Lane
Courtesy Month" will reawaken interest and support for this incredibly
important and positive traffic safety concept.

###

This is the first in a series of five releases on the importance of lane
courtesy. For more information concerning "Do the RIGHT Thing!" and other
highway safety tips, please visit our site at <a href="http://www.motorists.org." target="_blank">www.motorists.org.</a>

The National Motorists Association (NMA) was established in 1982 to
represent the interests and rights of North American motorists. It operates
at the national level and through a system of state chapters. The NMA is
supported through the contributions of individuals, families and small
businesses. For more information about the NMA, call 608-849-6000, Email us
at nma@motorists.org, or visit the NMA web site at <a href="http://www.motorists.org." target="_blank">www.motorists.org.</a> <img border="0" alt="[bigbye]" title="" src="graemlins/xyxwave.gif" />

Randy M

More often than not it is a minivan driver exhibiting this behavior. Completely oblivious to anything outside of their capsule on wheels, they will continue to clog the flow of traffic with their slow speeds and inability to get out of the way of anybody on any stretch of road. They think they are 'doing the right thing' by driving slow. Unfortunately law enforcement and their insurance agent will agree with them. It really is a silly world we live in. Common sense is not too common I'm afraid.

Ray Calvo

</font><blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana,Tahoma,Helvetica">quote:</font><hr /><font size="2" face="Verdana,Tahoma,Helvetica">More often than not it is a minivan driver exhibiting this behavior. </font><hr /></blockquote><font size="2" face="Verdana,Tahoma,Helvetica">Hate minivans, but can't quite agree with this - it's minivans, SUVs, pick-um-ups, and all brands of cars. With and without a freakin' cell phone stuck to their ear. With and without other people in the car. Just a universal sickness that the police do nothing about (by the way - ever seen a trooper on a multi-lane highway who ISN'T driving along in the left lane - even when the road is totally open in front of them?)

cmoss

It's not a "one-finger-salute," it's "half-a-peace-sign."

BTW minivans are why I keep the "Peacekeeper" in the glove box.

Ron_H

Chris:
Did you ever sell that beautiful Targa you had and I wanted? <img border="0" title="" alt="[Wink]" src="wink.gif" />

James_J

Yes! I hear you...except in the UK of course, we have right lane hogs. Also, plenty of middle lane hogs on three lane roads.

In the UK, it's illegal to overtake on the "inside", so therefore these idiots can cause big tailbacks and the police don't seem to do anything about it.

sy308

This is also called the "Wyatt Earp Effect". For the international readers, Wyatt Earp was a famous law enforcement figure of the late 1800's who fought a famous gun battle with citizen deputies known as the "Shootout at OK Corral" in Arizona. Hence, many drivers in the US now feel enforcement of driving speed laws fall on their shoulders when police are not present. Personally, I have noticed drivers tend to get out of the way when I am following in the Porsche, but almost never move when I am driving other vehicles. I call this the "Moses Effect". I am sure other drivers have seen this too and this can be an effective way to combat lane discourtesy. Otherwise, there is not much one can do about lane courtesy, except move to Germany where "rechts fahren" is the law. Good luck.

RJT

Our "left lane bandits" are the blue hairs. We moved to the #6 destination in the country to retire to. It's absolutely beautiful here but the average age is about 90! Always in a Cadillac with Handicap license plate. I'm sorry but I thought a Handicap plate meant that you are allowed to park closer to a business in designated spaces. Not here, it means you can pull out in front of oncoming traffic, make left turns into WalMart from the far right lane, and stop antwhere in the middle of the road to figure out where you are!!! I have love and respect for older people, I'm getting closer to there everyday, but there comes a time that you should not be behind the wheel. But who decides and dictates when that time is? Is it after a wreck that hurts innocent people? Usually.
I can't point the finger just at seniors though. I saw a contractor, male, mid 30s in his pick up, driving down the middle of the double yellow, cell phone pinned to his ear using his shoulder, blue print open held with both hands, telling someone how to do the job!!!
If we had drivers training like they do in places like Germany, PASS ON THE LEFT, DRIVE ON THE RIGHT, we would have alot less traffic problems.

GratefulJED

I remember growing up there were signs all along the highway that said "slower traffic keep right". Those signs are now gone probably due to political reasons. I agree that more driver training would be in order, like "that mirror on the windshield should be positioned to see the traffic behind you and not for looking at yourself and the side mirrors are to help you execute lane changes". Personally, I get behind the offending car and put my left blinker on to help them wake up and smell the coffee. I think that works pretty good because most of the time those morons are just not paying attention. The one finger salute never worked so I don't use it anymore!

Seljan

I've noticed a huge increase in the number of *professional*drivers--18wheelers hogging the passing lane.Nothing is more annoying!
Makes me wish i had saved a few of the M72 LAWS I played with during my military years..

Ade - C4 91

Sorry guys, but New Zealand drivers beat you all and are at the absolute pinnacle of fast lane hogs, which in NZ is on the Right.

Although I love NZ, there is absolutely no way to drive over the limit in the fast lane there, it's always completely congested, BUT the slow inner lane is usually empty. Since there are not undertaking laws - driving fast in the slow lane is usually the way to go.

I think it's an arrogance thing - "I'm going to drive in the fast lane because I'm the best - regardless of what speed I'm travelling, and regardless of how many people are piled up behind me" - It's very irritating and very irrational.

Unfortunately I've noticed an increasing tendency in the UK for this behavior - but at least when you flash your lights here they tend to move over, in NZ they would slam the brakes on to scare you.

Ade.

grouchy

My wife was pulled over and chewed out by an Indiana state policeman for driving in the passing lane. "Left passing, right driving!" was mentioned a few times.

He wanted the guy going over 90mph in front of us.

If you honk the horn at people around chicago, they will stop. Flashing the lights doesn't always work either.

chris walrod

I agree, you can flash your lights and that just makes them drive slower. Just this morning I counted five people in 45 miles of driving SEVERELY holding up the passing lane. This just boils my blood to no end....... I get SOOOO mad when this happens. Several times a day in Socal...

Robert Henriksen

I know people who do think they're vigilant traffic cops, enforcing the speed limit in the left lane. Rather than argue that line of thinking, I try & point out that moving out of people's way is just... good manners.

Driving like I'm at a party, or any other gathering of people on foot, face to face, has done a lot to make me more courteous to other drivers.

Pete in DC

a trick I admired on the autobahn (from my Renault, watching a 7 series thunder up behind) - left turn signal on - works from time to time. Prob is it gets annoying to the signaller after a while....