How many left-lane slowpokes have been fined under new Va. law?
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Anonymous
Once you have finished passing the person in the right lane, move back over to the right lane. Don't be an a$$ and sit in the left lane for any reason. |
Anonymous
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The critical factor to think about here is respecting the FLOW OF TRAFFIC. Many variables account for why a strict 55 MPH is not the SOLE factor to driving safely. For example, different odometer readings, increasing quantity of cars on the road making it harder to keep a certain flow (imagine 2 people walking around your kitchen table vs. 10). Good driving assesses the environment, and supports everyone driving safely. This may require going 10 miles above the posted speed limit, or 10 miles below. But never wavering from the posted speed limit is just as dangerous, because it takes away the ability to drive defensively.
Let's take a hypotheical example. 10 cars are on a 4 lane road, all going exactly 55 MPH with the legal amount of distance between them. Suddenly, there is a huge tire flat in the middle of the road. What do you do? Speed up, or slow down? Usually, the safest thing to do is try to pass the object cautiously, passing where there is not as much congestion, and speeding up once you do that might give more distance for moving cars, and allow more reaction time for others to navigate too. This assumes all of the factors that are rarely present though: all 10 drivers doing the same speed, following ALL laws - not distracted, not following too close or going too fast or too slow. In reallity, how you respond on the road to a situation like this depends on the ENVIRONMENT. Is there a safe shoulder for other drivers behind you? Are you being tailgated by an 80mph speed demon? If you slow down, and move left/right, will it cause a nother car behind you to brake suddenly and also react in a way that you can't measure? The speed limit is there not as a singular law for driving. It is just as important to follow the laws that protect other drivers, broken down cars on the side of the road, etc. Also, there are so many laws (eg. not crossing a BOLDED line), YIELDING vs STOPPING when merging, etc. that when people only follow a few laws it creates a huge shit show on the roads. It's frustrating. The best you can do is drive defensively, to protect yourself and others, that may *sometimes* require speeding up or slowing down to pass, allow distance, account for driving conditions, etc. |
Anonymous
| AND USE YOUR DAMN SIGNALS |
Anonymous
EXACTLY. True on all points. I don't understand why people down here just don't get this basic driving etiquette. It doesn't have anything to do with who is speeding or not. Just move over after you are done passing. |
Anonymous
+ 2, I am from NoVa and I completely agree with this. I hate how most of NoVa drivers operate. |
Anonymous
Have you read this whole thread? Do that and watch the YouTube video someone linked. All will be explained to you. |
Anonymous
If you are following the speed limit (or the speed of traffic), why do you need to pass other cars? I just don't understand the whole point of passing except in rural areas where maybe you want to pass a very slow truck on a 2-lane road. Why do you need to pass in an built-up area? |
Anonymous
If you don’t understand that some cars may want to go faster than other cars on a highway with multiple lanes I’m not sure you should be driving at all. And definitely not in any left lane anywhere. |
Anonymous
We don't yet have self-driving cars, so no car wants to go faster than any other car anywhere. Some drivers certainly want to go faster than other drivers. Some of those drivers want to go faster than the law allows. |
Anonymous
Not PP, but people can pass another car for any number of reasons: - The road is clear ahead of them, with no congestion, so I speed up to give distance, then slow down to drive without as much congestion - They have too much physical damage and they are risky to drive behind - They brake too much - They swerve in lanes as if they are distracted on their phone - They don't keep a steady pace of driving (speed up, slow down, speed up, slow down) - They have a bumper sticker that annoys me or I have wanted to go faster than them. Maybe there is an urgent matter I am attending to, I am trying to make it to the hospital before a loved one passes away. Maybe I am late to pickup from pre-school, and I am willing to risk a ticket for going a little faster than normal. Who knows any reason why someone goes faster than another? Why does it matter to you? What matters is that you read the road, use good sense, and follow the rules of the road. |