In how many of those cases is the left lane loafer driving below the posted speed limit?
If a police officer is going to give a left lane loafer a ticket for holding up traffic doing 67 on 65, then they would need to give a speeding ticket or warning to hundreds of drivers in the area at the same time. 2 MPH over is legally a written warning here.
The ā90 was the last year of the version that first came out in 1977, a very old design by ā90. One plus, it did have a TBI V8, so better than the carbs that came before.
No, itās a different kind of violation. Itās called impeding traffic and doesnāt really have anything to do with the speed limit and how fast youāre going. Around here, the left most lane is considered a passing lane. Youāre not supposed to continuously drive in that lane. And especially not impede others by blocking them from passing. You could be doing 75 in a 65 and still get cited for impeding traffic. Maybe even two citations if itās being done maliciouslyā¦
From some of the THP officers I have talked to (vehicle in for service) they said no matter the speed if you are holding up 4 or 5 vehicles (donāt remember exact #) in the left lane (with the other lane(s) open) they will ticket you⦠Iāve never had that issueā¦
What state? I can not imagine any LEO giving for a written warning for 2 MPH. A law we had prior to 2025 was four way flashers could only be used when stopped. A lot of people ignored the law, used them in the rain. LEOs would not write tickets, after all the LEO would get wet. So what did the state do? Made it legal to Tuen on your four ways any time you wanted.
On the other hand, crossing from Florida into Georgia on I75, drop below the speed limit, every ramp has a county mountie, town cop, or a smoky just waiting for Floridians.
I imagine that stopping a Flashy, Red Muscle Car with a Loud Exhaust might have a different outcome than a Family Station Wagon with Suit Cases on the Roof Rack, and Screaming Kids in the Back Seatā¦
In the first example the police officer might issue a couple of tickets, while in the second example the police officer might offer an apology for stopping and delaying themā¦
Makes sense, theyāre supposed to be hazard flashers anyway. They should be used to indicate some hazard exists as a warning to other motorists. Around here, people will briefly turn them on when expressway traffic comes to an abrupt halt ahead. Or if youāre experiencing some issue and traveling at less than the prevailing speed in order to get a safer spot to pull over.
Not long ago, I experienced a primary brake failure. There was no place to safely pull over so I put on the hazards and crawled to a place that wouldnāt be a death sentence to abandon ship. The number of people incensed over the brief inconvenience was astounding. People blaring their horns, passing unsafely rather than wait 10 seconds to go around when it was safe to do soā¦I see someone aware and caring enough to turn on their hazards, I give them a wide berth and exercise extra careā¦
The followingg is my opinion. I oppose use of four way flashers when moving with the possible exception of speeding in order to seek medical attention.
Rain is not a hazard. Rain, in Florida, is common. Neither, when I lived in Minnesota, would I consider snow flurries a hazard. In mountain driving got caught in pea soup fog, thankfully the vehicle I was following just used regular lights, not flashers. Question: in Florida, the āMove Overā law requires moving left for any vehicle on the shoulder, with their four ways flashing. Would, if behind a vehicle doing 70 in a 70 zone that has their four ways on, do you move left? Yes, sarcasm.
On some vehicleās, four way flashers override brake lights and turn signals. That is why I would never use them. I understand there are some states where legislators were confused and require the inappropriate use of four way flashers . In those states, might be best to turn on your four ways all the time.
Another law that is rarely enforced, when raining turn on headlights. According to Florida law (FS 316.217), drivers must use headlights during rain, smoke, or fog, particularly when windshield wipers are in use. Headlights are required to increase visibility from sunset to sunrise, during twilight, or when visibility is low. Daytime running lights are insufficient; manual low beams are required.
I recently adopted the habit of deploying hazards through a construction site, especially where an entire traffic lane is blocked off. But only within 100 feet approach of the flagger or cones.
Hazards are turned off as soon as I pass the other flagger or cop, or the last cone.
Clarification: The above refers primarily to local access roads.
Maryland law requires other drivers to move at least one lane away from the stopped car or slow to a reasonable speed. In the right lane, that is about 10 mph below the speed limit. It would probably be the same if the vehicle is stopped on the left shoulder.
Rain and snow by themselves do not necessarily constitute a significant hazard condition. Iām describing situations that one might not expect to encounter while driving. What if the vehicle is partially disabled but able to limp along, should they have to stop in order to turn on their hazards? How else do you alert someone to the situation ahead? Wouldnāt driving at 5mph in a 50mph zone constitute a hazard?
I donāt see the distinction between excessive speed being OK for their use but not excessively slow travel under duressā¦either way, the vehicle is not travelling at a speed consistent with expectationsā¦
In most of those laws, the operative word is stationary:
The Move Over Law, outlined in Section 7C of the Massachusetts General Laws, requires drivers to take specific actions when approaching stationary emergency, maintenance, or recovery vehicles with flashing lights on highways.
The limping vehicle I agree with, in fact in the 70s I did do that. The inappropriate use of flashers I do not like. That is how the law was changed, to allow misuse of flashers.
Certainly agree that using them for situations that do not rise to the appropriate level of hazard just diminishes their effect when truly needed. Like how car alarms became almost useless due to over exposureā¦
Back in the '80s, I was helping a guy to jockey a bunch of cars around on a very busy street. For a brief time, I had to double-park his Chevy Celebrity, so I put the 4-way flashers on. He went ballistic, and I couldnāt figure out why he reacted that way until he explained that he thought those warning lights were a āone time onlyā device, sort of like a road flare.
He had been driving that car for several years, and had also owned other cars with 4-way flashers, and he had no clue about their actual functioning.
Now that is funny.
First car I had with four way flashers was a 67 Catalina. Waiting in front of a theater to pickup some people I decided to try them. Pontiac, in their infinite wisdom, had you push in to turn on then pull knob out to turn off. Of course they chose a plastic know, immediately stripped when I pulled on it. Canāt remember how I turned them off, but found something that worked.