What’s A Safe Highway Speed?

How?

You believe it is selfish for me to want to drive at my chosen speed, but it's OK for other people to want to force me to drive at their chosen speed?

Keep in mind I've never said that slower traffic is not allowed to pass. All I've said is that they should give it some gas and get out of the way and not camp out in the left lane.

 

“You believe it’s selfish for me to want to exceed the speed limit, but not selfish of other people to remain at the speed limit when it inconveniences me?”

 

Cute.

But, this isn't about me specifically. It's about all drivers respecting the rules of the road. Nobody is forcing anyone to drive in the left lane. They choose to pull over there to pass. If they're not over there to pass, they have no business being over there.

Why do you believe slower traffic should have the right of way in all lanes?

 

Here. This is from a driver's education website:

"On two-lane roads, the left lane should generally be used only when you're passing a slower car driving in front of you; when the road is crowded and both lanes are in use, don’t use the left lane if you're driving more slowly than traffic. On roads with three or more lanes, make sure you match your speed to the traffic flow in your lane, and be ready to yield to faster moving traffic by moving to the right if necessary"

https://driversed.com/driving-information/driving-techniques/use-of-lanes/

 

This is not the hill I intend to die on. You’re right Bassguy. I’m wrong. You win. I like you. Let’s remain friends.

 

I don't even know if we really disagree here. Or, at least not to the extent that it would seem. I think a lot of this is a misunderstanding.

I don't expect people to swerve out of my way the second I come up behind them. I said earlier that if people are in the process of passing, I will give them space and resume my speed once they finish passing.

My issue is with people who camp in the left lane when they are going the same speed, or hardly any faster than the people in the right lane. At some point, just get back in the right lane if you're not going to pass.

 

I always enjoy your input around here. I'm definitely not trying to make enemies. I'm just stubborn.

 

Haha, this is why I quit responding after saying my peace yesterday. I realized I may as well talk to my wall about it. People are set in their ways because they've justified their behavior to themselves

 

That said, it's been wonderfully entertaining to read. I say stop playing nice and burn some bridges! Muahahahaha

 

Boy, I remember when SNL was good!

One of my favorite things about spending weekends with my Dad as a kid was watching SNL, SCTV, and police squad.

 

As am I, and I've continued the debate in my head because there's still a lot swirling around but I'm not trying to win a contest. Unless it's a baldy contest, in which case I win <--that's for Captain Spalding because I now know he hates emojis

I never watched SNL live, usually reruns. Chris Farley and Adam Sandler days were hilarious. Sometimes I feel like the crazy guy living under a bridge in a van down by the river.

Never heard of police squad but watched a lot of Cops back in the day. And Unsolved Mysteries (I still remember the 800 number in case I come across sasquatch), and Hogan's Heroes, and Carol Burnett. All of those were before my time but still entertaining.

I continue the tradition - some of my little ones favorite shows are scooby doo and star wars movies from the 60's-80's.

Although I do like how a lot of kids shows these days have a focus on STEM rather than the slapstick looney toons I grew up with. My kid is definitely smarter than I was at that age

 

Agreed, except when your in the line tying to pass the slow vehicle, and some ass hat comes flying up on the right and forces their way in, but that’s another rant.

 

https://youtu.be/VY14zcUM9SI?si=2BaiKmS8eDYt9Twd

 

Would you say... it grinds your gears? This is why I hate the adaptive cruise control on the JGC and glad I don't have it on the 4runner. I don't use it because it leaves a reasonable "safe" distance but it's way too much room when in a lot of traffic. I used it once and it kept slowing me down, to the point I was like 10 mph under the speed limit, because I had three people pass me on the right and cut into that large space as I waited in line.

I had to turn the shit off and manually close the gap to an "unsafe distance" to keep from getting cut off so I could finally get around

 

Can’t forget

https://youtu.be/YHyW0N5f7zQ?si=eG2Zqr704adK66U2

 

It does more than grinds my gears, it blows my dam gasket. It’s like when 2 lanes are merging into one and someone goes around and forces their way in.

 

The elegance of the zipper method is lost on many. Traffic doesn't need to slow down and get as bunched up as it does if everyone just paid attention and followed the rules (not necessarily laws) of the road

 

The early days of Sandler and Farley were some of the best I ever watched! Especially when they still had Phil Hartman and Dana Carvey.

This was a memorable sketch from back then:

https://youtu.be/993nvsfwvnY?si=WtjVrWVwyLGW-bhZ

 

Yeah, half of the people think they're doing everyone a favor by merging early, and then people in the lane that remains open try not to let anyone in at the merging point. Pure stupidity.

 

Well, I'm the person who merges early because there have been signs for the past five miles, at every interstate entrance (so nobody has an excuse unless they aren't paying attention), that the lane is going to end. If everyone merged before the lane ran out when there is an open space, traffic wouldn't back up.

But then you have the assholes who drive in the lane they know is going to end until the construction barrels force them over, stopping traffic - and you have even bigger assholes who have already merged that decide to get back into that lane that they see is ending just to get a few more cars ahead, forcing their way over and causing an even bigger backup. When I see people change lanes into the lane you can clearly see is being forced back into the pileup I want to run them off the road into the jersey wall

 

A lot of times they now have signs that say stuff like "merge ahead" and then there will be a sign with an arrow saying "merge here" or whatever, and then people don't want to let others merge, even though they followed the directions.

The only way it really works is if everyone waits, and then people take turns and let each other merge at the proper place. When you merge early, the next guy just hammers down trying to get a few cars ahead.

 

So I've seen "merge ahead" signs but they are usually accompanied with a picture or words that either the right lane or left lane is going to end. I prefer some of the signs I've seen recently that just say "alternate right of way" and show a picture of the zipper method, although apparently some people just don't get it.

I don't mind leaving space to let someone in - but I do mind leaving space to let someone in who had time, space, and warning that they should have done something differently had they paid attention

 

If you are talking about a zipper merge, people are supposed to use both lanes up until the merge. Now, if there is no traffic, there's no reason to go around someone, but in heavy traffic, people should be using all the lanes available for the full length that they exist.

 

Indiana and Missouri are the worst offenders for left lane camping. Ohio, Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota and Kansas people usually move over.

In Oklahoma the Troopers will ticket you.

 

The most important thing to know is that on I-94 at the State Fairgrounds, you absolutely can count on the rightmost lane being the best place to be during rush hour traffic - even with the merge. All the other lanes end up unnecessarily backed up because people don't understand how the road is designed apparently.

 

Let's not be nice, they aren't left lane overlanders - they may like the name.

We should shame them and call them left lane losers - it's catchy

 

That's funny how you pick up on things. I used to come work in the north shore area and commute back to Greendale, and you were always better off in the left lane until the Marquette, and then moving to the right up until around Howard Avenue and then moving back to the left.

I swear, this was consistently the best strategy!

 

I'm in Wisconsin and I move over. Most of the people I know seem to get it, also.

I've only been through Missouri a few times, so I haven't noticed a pattern. But, definitely Indiana. And, in Georgia and northern Florida it sometimes seems like the lanes are reversed. Illinois is mostly crazy people. Kentucky hasn't been bad.

Strangely, I've had more backups in Chattanooga than Nashville driving through Tennessee. Tennessee is also the only place I've ever set my cruise at over 90. It wasn't for a very long time, though. I was just trying to keep up!

 

I've seriously driven through Nashville at rush hour a few times and didn't think it was bad. The worst traffic I've hit has been in Chattanooga and Atlanta, aside from a few exceptional situations in Wisconsin.

Are Bucees the huge ass gas stations I've seen in western Tennessee? Or, maybe it was Alabama.