Why dont most drivers pull into the right lane?
02-01-2008, 09:37 AM
#16
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Lately here in Pittsburgh it has gotten so bad that on my way to work the left lane is completely filled with cars and the right lane is empty... usually as far a I can see. I think the use of cell phones puts everyone on autopilot and they do not look in their mirrors or think about driving. It drives me crazy that I have to do all of my passes on the right. Having driven in major cities like boston and chicago I think the drivers in those cities are more aware of the rules because of extremely aggressive drivers pound it into you that you need to move over. In pittsburgh the population is very unaggressive so no one knows that you need to move over because even if you want to pass somebody in the "fast" lane doing 60, the person trying to make the pass will hang back about 5 car lengths and the person that should move over just sits there and says to himself "He doesnt want to pass just go my speed". Every day I see one jerk being passed on the right by 20 cars in a row and when the passes are done they just continue in the left lane. CLUELESS!!!
02-01-2008, 09:41 AM
#17
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Just yesterday I experienced something similar to what 2ndof2 described in Post#1
An American muscle car (F.M.) in front of me in the left lane, not passing anybody (right lane lane clear).
I stay behind for a while (reasonable distance- I hate tailgating), I flash once, then a few seconds later I flash twice - no reaction whatsoever, no change in speed (ca. 10k below posted limit) then I decide to cautiously pass on the right (an offence here) but as soon as I come level with him, he roars into action - I guess he had waited for that all along, I let him disappear in the distance with his cheap satisfaction...
I had my daughter with me and was not going to race on the streets with this guy.
I guess bad driving is common in many places. I remember that in northern Europe it was not that bad though.
An American muscle car (F.M.) in front of me in the left lane, not passing anybody (right lane lane clear).
I stay behind for a while (reasonable distance- I hate tailgating), I flash once, then a few seconds later I flash twice - no reaction whatsoever, no change in speed (ca. 10k below posted limit) then I decide to cautiously pass on the right (an offence here) but as soon as I come level with him, he roars into action - I guess he had waited for that all along, I let him disappear in the distance with his cheap satisfaction...
I had my daughter with me and was not going to race on the streets with this guy.
I guess bad driving is common in many places. I remember that in northern Europe it was not that bad though.
02-01-2008, 09:58 AM
#18
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I'm convinced that most of the time people are just oblivious to what is going on around them. How often do you see a line of people pass someone in the left lane and they still don't move? When I look back at these people they are looking straight down at the road in front of them or are on their cell phones.
As inconvenient as it would be, I firmly believe that every five years we should take a written test and a driving test. I have nothing against old people, but age takes its toll on reaction times, eyesight, and often cognitive abilities. There are many people who are no longer fit to drive and yet manage to get behind the wheel everyday.
Add the boy racers to the mix and the road becomes a very dangerous place to be.
As inconvenient as it would be, I firmly believe that every five years we should take a written test and a driving test. I have nothing against old people, but age takes its toll on reaction times, eyesight, and often cognitive abilities. There are many people who are no longer fit to drive and yet manage to get behind the wheel everyday.
Add the boy racers to the mix and the road becomes a very dangerous place to be.
02-01-2008, 10:01 AM
#19
Weathergirl
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Nevermind the left lane on highways, when I was driving in Greece, people would literally pull half onto the shoulder to let you pass on two lane roads. The courtesy was unbelievable. Think about that the next time you're stuck behind a minivan on a double-yellow line road.
02-01-2008, 10:13 AM
#20
Three Wheelin'
yes they are that oblivious, or they think they are driving fast enough to stay there. Part of the reason we have such strict driving rules, we just don't buy into the right or common sense way to drive as a society.
02-01-2008, 10:43 AM
#21
Race Car
Here in TX, things are a little different. In the city, people use the left lane as everyone describes and it drives me nuts. But on the 2 lane country roads, the cars and trucks actually pull over to the shoulder while moving to let you pass them! What a courtesy! Only problem is that they often throw up crap from the road, so you have to move fast. I have only seen this in TX. And they usually wave as you drive by...
02-01-2008, 10:47 AM
#22
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Nevermind the left lane on highways, when I was driving in Greece, people would literally pull half onto the shoulder to let you pass on two lane roads. The courtesy was unbelievable. Think about that the next time you're stuck behind a minivan on a double-yellow line road.
Here in TX, things are a little different. In the city, people use the left lane as everyone describes and it drives me nuts. But on the 2 lane country roads, the cars and trucks actually pull over to the shoulder while moving to let you pass them! What a courtesy! Only problem is that they often throw up crap from the road, so you have to move fast. I have only seen this in TX. And they usually wave as you drive by...
02-01-2008, 11:10 AM
#23
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I don't mean two seconds later, not even one second, I mean green + honk at the same time! THAT should be a misdemeanor, if it's misdemeanor to silently flash high beams to get slow people out of fast lane where they don't belong.
02-01-2008, 11:14 AM
#24
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speaking of slow road hogs... you've got fast lane hogs and then watch out in the slow lane you have these folks who insist on 55mph even when speed limit is 70....
http://www.drive55.org/
The world will come to an end if 55mph-ers decide they want to hog the fast lane too, to make a point.
http://www.drive55.org/
The world will come to an end if 55mph-ers decide they want to hog the fast lane too, to make a point.
02-01-2008, 11:21 AM
#25
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In NJ there are signs all along the highway that states "Pass Left/Keep Right" and for the most part they are ignored.
This happens on large 6 lane highways where there is very little traffic. Everyone spreads out and blocks all lanes as they go along at the same pace
I have even passed left lane hogs while pointing to the sign out of the window.
02-01-2008, 11:50 AM
#27
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I'm sure there are many reasons why people stay in the left lane, drive slow, don't use turn signals, etc. IMO part of it is many people put themselves first and feel they have a "right" to drive where they want. My son and I have an acronym for this sort of driver, NDI, non-driving idiot.
02-01-2008, 12:35 PM
#29
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I imagine this has been discussed before but I don't get it. If you passed the written driving test you had to know the book says the left lane is for passing or faster moving traffic. So why won't people yield to faster cars behind them? I understand if the cars on the right are going much slower and moving right means they will have to slow down (especially if they are already going at a pace somewhere north of the speed limit), but it seems that most of the time even when the drivers in front of me pass the slower cars on our right they don't bother moving to the right. What is it? Laziness? Ignorance? Arrogance?
I tend to sit behind patiently for 30 to 60 sec on average then give em a quick double-flash of my high beams (not aggressively)....but I tend to get a little more aggressive if they just ignore this and usually wind up signaling right, grabbing a different gear and blow by them. Occasionally I throw a porcupine quill at them.....just makes me feel like I incite some ill will when I do this but WTF? Are most of the people here in the USA that frickin' oblivious? My friend, a 997 owner and a former european resident said if people didn't move over on the autobahns they'd wind up getting themselves a Merc-AMG enima with no lube.
I tend to sit behind patiently for 30 to 60 sec on average then give em a quick double-flash of my high beams (not aggressively)....but I tend to get a little more aggressive if they just ignore this and usually wind up signaling right, grabbing a different gear and blow by them. Occasionally I throw a porcupine quill at them.....just makes me feel like I incite some ill will when I do this but WTF? Are most of the people here in the USA that frickin' oblivious? My friend, a 997 owner and a former european resident said if people didn't move over on the autobahns they'd wind up getting themselves a Merc-AMG enima with no lube.
02-01-2008, 01:03 PM
#30
I think there is some validity to this...I know some people smugly think to themselves..."if he wants to go faster, he can go AROUND me"...personally, I move over regardless of how fast I'm going...I've been well above 80 and stepped aside. The other thing is the Porsche engenders different responses from people There are those who enjoy seeing a 911 doing what she was born to do, and others who are envious and loathe the car and you because you have the ability to own and drive one. In street slang, these are known as "haters." Then you have the plain ole' dumb, F'ing morons, who don't have a clue and need directions on how to boil water. The tool who wants to race is less frustrating to me than the imbecile.
+1 on the folks from the Lone Star State!
+1 on the folks from the Lone Star State!
Here in TX, things are a little different. In the city, people use the left lane as everyone describes and it drives me nuts. But on the 2 lane country roads, the cars and trucks actually pull over to the shoulder while moving to let you pass them! What a courtesy! Only problem is that they often throw up crap from the road, so you have to move fast. I have only seen this in TX. And they usually wave as you drive by...
Last edited by FLYT993; 02-01-2008 at 01:13 PM. Reason: Edit