Obeying traffic laws is becoming hazardous

[SMSgt]

The most white-knuckled drive I ever took was from West Palm Beach to Miami. Not once did I get under 80 (lot of 65mph zones) and that was the traffic slow-ups. Eighty-five to ninety was the norm.

Number two on my list is driving through Atlantic at any time other than 3 AM. The drivers there are no better, just slightly less suicidal.

Stupid laws in FL- Bear with me.

Due to a rash of drunken/distracted drivers plowing into emergency vehicles on the side of the road, FL passed their "Move Over" law, requiring to either move over (out of the righthand lane or slow down to 55 mph. Sounds good, presuming the drunk/distracted drivers even see the emergency vehicle--the source of the problem. Didn't solve it though, so lawmakers decided to up the game.

In their infinite wisdom, FL expanded the law to include any vehicle on the side of the road. It's going to cause more wrecks than prevent. Picture this: you're following a semi in rush hour traffic on I-95 through WPB. No one is doing under 75. Even though you maintain a safe distance behind the semi, 15 vehicles are on your rear bumper, knowing it will get them to their exit two seconds faster. Suddenly the semi shifts to the next lane and you see thee broken down vehicle/wrecker/fire truck/roadside assistance truck/vehicle of your choice on the roadside. There is no room nor time for you to safely change lanes, so in compliance with the new law, you slow to 55. Meanwhile the 15 cars behind you are slamming on brakes and piling up. Now there are 16 cars on the side of the road. Still--no law makes the drink or texting driver look up to see they are drifting off the side of the road and into a parked vehicle. Thank Heavens our lawmakers took action!

 

[LVSteve]

Living where I do now is a piece of cake. Little traffic and most everyone stays close to the speed limit. When I went back to Colorado, I drove Hwy 85 in Wyoming. The first 150 miles there were 17 LEO's checking speed. I got stopped for doing 70 while passing a slow truck. Long open space, no vehicles in sight, no solid line for a couple of miles. Got a ticket for speeding. Got told to wait for a passing lane so I could pass w/o speeding. Money grubbing State anyway.

I'd have likely gone to jail because I was taught to pass in the British Class 1 LE style, even though I was never in that camp. You pull out and use all the acceleration of the vehicle until past the slower vehicle(s). The velocity achieved is irrelevant, it's all about the minimizing the time on the wrong side of the road, no matter how clear it may look.

 

[venomballistics]

Yeah ... It's coming to the point out there where survival may outweigh legal compliance.
Motorcyclists have largely transitioned to this, leveraging speed to essentially run away from everything.

 

[Chuck24]

I live in a rural area. The local town(?) has a few developments outside it. Whilst on the way home I frequently find my rear view mirror filled by some tailgater trying to push me faster so they get home maybe 30 seconds sooner. I've found if I keep to the speed limit they generally back off. If they don't, there's a couple of interesting turns I go through at the same speed while they jump on the brakes (don't know how to go around corners).

My own personal beef is the idiots who cruise along in the left lane. Not a car in sight but they're in the left lane. This really peeves me when, if they were in the correct/right lane, I could pull out from another road. A few years back, the legislature decided to join most of the country and make the right lane the travel lane unless passing (or very heavy traffic). Wish it was enforced.

Around here the left lane has become the Amazon and dump truck lane. They come up the ramp and go directly to the left lane before they are even close to the posted speed.

 

[ladder13]

 

[venomballistics]

I feel compelled to applaud when someone actually DOES this

 

[ladder13]

I feel compelled to applaud when someone actually DOES this

You would wait forever around here.

 

[Doug M.]

I don't like getting stopped, and apparently my practices are good because it is well over a decade since I was.

I use my cruise and set it to stay out of trouble. On I-90, I set it to what I call "threshold of trooper"; a couple of troopers told that is still very fast. LE morale is down to staggering levels because of the BS folklore about cops. WSP is grossly understaffed and can't hire (mostly their own fault; their abuse of employees is well known). Most troopers are so busy running to disabled vehicles and crashes that enforcement is a side issue; I've been told of 10 hours shifts that never involve enforcement.

The entitled attitudes referred to above apply to virtually all laws, and the hatred for LE makes it unpleasant to enforce anything. Traffic fatilities in this state are the highest they have been in 33 years according to recent articles. I do my best to avoid the worst drivers and let them pass me. Often they pass at such high speeds that they rock my 4700 pound Ascent in their little cars.

Impaired driving is off the charts. I don't care one way or another about pot generally, but the trend since de-criminalization is toward high levels of poly-substance impairment.

 

[Mike SC Hunter]

Getting old but I am still a good driver I like to think. When I am driving down a two lane highway I run around 4 or 5 mph over the speed limit. However tailgaters pile up behind me and pass with little regard for no passing zones. When I drive a 4 lane highway I stick to the right lane again running a bit over the speed limit. People rock my car blasting by me. If I pull out to pass if I don't kick it up to 90 I get the tailgaters again. When pulling up to a stop sign if I stop for more than 1 second someone behind me blows their horn. People seem to think that I should hit my brakes when they pull out in front of me rather than waiting until the road is clear. What my dear old dad used to say is "this country is going to hell in a hand basket". I f he was still alive today I don't think I could print what he would have to say

"going to hell in a hand basket"...........TAKE NOTE........It's already there.

 

[venomballistics]

You would wait forever around here.

My hands are not at all sore here either

 

[LVSteve]

Due to a rash of drunken/distracted drivers plowing into emergency vehicles on the side of the road, FL passed their "Move Over" law, requiring to either move over (out of the righthand lane or slow down to 55 mph. Sounds good, presuming the drunk/distracted drivers even see the emergency vehicle--the source of the problem. Didn't solve it though, so lawmakers decided to up the game.

The lack of observation and forward planning by the majority of drivers is appalling. During my driving lessons in the UK I was continually told that observation and anticipation based on what you see as the keys to being a good driver.

Had another great example of this last night in a construction zone on a freeway. Remarkably, the contractors had a sign out in plenty of time warning of the right lane (mine) was going away. Check mirrors and find two vehicles creeping up behind, about 200-300 yards back. Fine, signal left, and move over in plenty of time. Why? Because if I don't I run the risk of those coming from behind trapping me as the lane goes away. How much of this Vegas "sport" is deliberate or through lack of forward planning I've yet to determine. So, to avoid having to either accelerate or brake harshly, I get into position early. I'm the vehicle in front, so I'm the one who gets to set the stage.

PSA: If that last sentence gives you heartburn, 1) check your local traffic laws and 2) if after checking you still have heartburn, your local DMV will be happy for you to return your license.

Apparently, planning ahead didn't suit either of the people behind me. Now we are far enough up the road to see the cones beginning to close off the right lane and a HUGE flashing set of arrows indicating move left. The first joker gunned it and passed on the right. The second one continued creeping up, moved out from behind me when very close and, OMG!, the right lane goes away, so he had to duck back left.

Had this maroon missed all the previous signs? Had they read them and then their goldfish attention span forgotten the signs? Are they terminally myopic such that they could not see the flashing arrow sign? I don't which/how many of these applies, but I cannot call what they were doing driving.

Here's some shocking news for many drivers: there is a world that affects you beyond the tail lights immediately in front and beyond the light and stop sign you can see. Taking a good look at it and acting and what you see can make your journey much smoother.

 

[Rustyt1953]

I never was afforded the luxury of attending the Mount Olympus Driving School so I learned to just swim with the rest of the salmon.

 

[LVSteve]

Can you believe they changed the law on that for left turns in Nevada? We have many three lane surface streets, so if you are required to "establish" in lane one after the turn, then it is impossible to legally enter many lots on the corner from a left turn.

 

[venomballistics]

I never was afforded the luxury of attending the Mount Olympus Driving School so I learned to just swim with the rest of the salmon.

It works ... Till you find yourself surrounded by carp

 

[Rustyt1953]

It works ... Till you find yourself surrounded by carp

I am one with the bottom feeders.

 

[LVSteve]

It works ... Till you find yourself surrounded by carp

We see what you did there.

 

[zeke]

Am old and easy to entertain. if bored will go the speed limit through town playing bumper bingo. Follow too close behind my bumper and win a prize.

Having almost been run over several times walking my dog, have decided to be civilly disobedient. The county hwy through town has speed limit of 25, but it steps down abruptly from 55 just north of me.

Fortunately the State/County Police have decided to enforce the traffic laws occasionally, while the local police chief is trying to grow his hair as long as possible and staying out of site during the tour pest holidays.

We have only had several serious accidents this weekend, and a traffic light system knocked over at major intersection. Tomorrow most of them go home.

 

[coltle6920]

Morrison,Colorado...Well known in the past for speed traps. They're at it again on steroids. Ten thousand tickets at $40 a pop in a two week period.

To be fair it's a small town with some tourism and they're trying to protect their residents/visitors. Heck,they even posted signs well in advance to warn drivers of the photo radar.

 

[coltle6920]

One thing that ticks me off is when you have a lane closure for construction that has been going on for months. We're told to allow traffic to blend in like a zipper where the closed lane ends.

I say screw it...Let them get in line like the rest of us. I'd bet that 99.9% of the traffic on this road travels it daily. You know there's a closure ahead but you're better than everyone else. I've seen many drivers that barge into line rather than wait to be let in. It can be aggressive at times.

I have found that while not scientific but rather a visual observation that a lane of traffic moves better if in a straight line. The stop and go for letting others move over can be the difference of catching another red light and sometimes more.

 

[LVSteve]

One thing that ticks me off is when you have a lane closure for construction that has been going on for months. We're told to allow traffic to blend in like a zipper where the closed lane ends.

I say screw it...Let them get in line like the rest of us. I'd bet that 99.9% of the traffic on this road travels it daily. You know there's a closure ahead but you're better than everyone else. I've seen many drivers that barge into line rather than wait to be let in. It can be aggressive at times.

I have found that while not scientific but rather a visual observation that a lane of traffic moves better if in a straight line. The stop and go for letting others move over can be the difference of catching another red light and sometimes more.

The "zipper in" thing does not work in the US because everyone tailgates, at least by the standard I was taught. As a result drivers have to slow for the car merging in unless they like their following distance measured in angstroms.