+1 on all counts.
I tend to stay in the right lane, and I am frequently passing the vehicles that insist on driving slower than the prevailing speed, while occupying the middle and left lanes. I refer to the right lane as my private passing lane.
And, there are some folks who believe that it is illegal to pass on the right. Perhaps that is true in some states, but in my state and the neighboring ones, passing on the right is legal, as long as it is a multi-lane road and you don’t use the road shoulder for passing.
I actually had to correct the woman who was conducting an AARP Safe Driver course, many years ago. She didn’t believe me until I showed her the appropriate verbiage in the state’s Driver Training Manual.
The left lane or the right lane can be faster or easier to pass, middle too. Pokey drivers and dummies on phones are the bane. Trucks (not semis) sometimes drive the left lane when they shouldn’t be. I thought it used to be illegal but probably not anymore. Too many people lack common sense. I wouldn’t want to drive for a living. And now standards for truck drivers are going to be loosened due to the shortage. Don’t be surprised if you see a 16 year old manning a semi … and a five foot tall policeman.
Most states it’s illegal for Semi’s to be in the Left lane on a highway that has 3 or more lanes. It’s fine for 2-lane highways. Some states (like NY) this rule also applies to buses. That’s not the case here in NH and MA.
I believe semi drivers can only go in the left lane to pass a vehicle. and only on a 2 lane road. if its 3 lanes they would have to stay in the 2 right lanes. but I could be wrong.
Depends on the state, in FL semis are free to use the left lane in most areas, there are a few areas that they are restricted and that is clearly posted.
IMHO, one source of congestion are trucks that are equipped with governors. Two trucks governed at 68 MPH, one has an actual speed of 67, the other has an actual speed of 68, the 68 MPH truck will pass the slower truck, but at 1 MPH difference it takes a ling time.
Again, IMHO, truck drivers should be paid by the hour, not mileage.
Got a ticket in Chicago for driving my F100 pickup in the left lane! 10 over is normal on the interstates I drive on, except when you are lucky to get to 35mph!
Where I have travelled is just as relevant to the discussion as where you have travelled. You keep implying that speed limits have no bearing on the speed that the average driver travels. Which is just plain…silly.
How do you have an inside track on conversations black families have with their children or on “cop citizen” talk unless you’re black? Or a cop? Or both? Because, surprise! There are black cops.
Good that there’s potential danger for the cop because they pull a guy over to tell him he’s got a broken taillight? That seems a little telling of your opinion of law enforcement. Plus it’s just plain old morally wrong, political beliefs aside.
You ADMIT that you don’t drive the speed limit. Many speed limits are based on safety. If the driver feels safe driving at a higher speed, then they do. I-93 north of Boston the speed limit is 65. Average speed (when there isn’t a lot of traffic) is about 80. Driving through Boston the speed limit is 55. And people do drive slower. Not because of some arbitrary number, but because driving through the tunnels and narrow road makes it less safe. You lower the speed limit north of Boston to 55 people will still drive 80. When I moved the New England the speed limit was still 55. Average speed on I-93 north of Boston was 80. Speed limit was changed to 65…Average speed limit is still 80.
I was driving when states lowered the speed limit to 55. Average speed limit went down for a while. Mainly due to rising gas prices. When prices stabilized…speeds were right back up to 70+ on many NY highways.
Yes, I do admit that. But I do drive slower in an area with a lower posted limit than I do in a higher one, for fear of possibly getting a ticket. As do many other drivers. I’ve said this many times.
“You lower the speed limit north of Boston to 55 people will still drive 80”
Write a few tickets and that will stop. If the speed limit is never enforced, there is no point having it.
And we’re not talking about just your area. If the speed limit was reduced nationwide, do you not think that the average speed travelled nationwide would be reduced? I do.
Just reply to the whole post already or at least read it. I said this in the same post:
And we’re not talking about just your area. If the speed limit was reduced nationwide, do you not think that the average speed travelled nationwide would be reduced? I do.
It was actually a question for you. A question you seem reluctant to answer. You’d rather divert to “your area” vs “my area”, etc. So, I’ll put it out there again, cut and paste from my own post for the umpteenth time:
If the speed limit was reduced nationwide, do you not think that the average speed travelled nationwide would be reduced?
I don’t think so, and I would probably ignore it anyway if the reduction was simply to conserve gasoline. I pay for it when I fill up, and we’re not in a critical shortage right now.