Yes, unfortunately…
Fortunately, it is legal to pass them on the right (in NJ), so I don’t even have to change lanes as I blast past them.
Drive the way you think you should in the Boston area during rush hour. Let us know where to send the flowers. I’ll start a pool on how long it takes before you’re run off the road.
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… or even on the Mass Turnpike, as you drive across the state!
The aggressiveness of Massachusetts drivers is incredible.
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On the interstate the other day both lanes were empty but a semi was in the left lane for about five miles until I saw him/her move over in my mirror. I don’t know if I may in Minnesota but I went by him in the right lane anyway. I sped up to minimize my time beside him.
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+1
It’s always a good idea to blast past the folks who are driving below the speed limit (or below the prevailing speed on that highway) in the center or left lane.
Those drivers are so clueless that they just might finally decide to do the right thing–by moving to the right lane–just as you are passing them on the right. The less time that you are exposed to left lane or center lane road hogs, the better.
Virginia law allows drivers to pass on the right when the vehicle ahead has its left turn signal on. A driver performing a left turn typically has to wait for oncoming traffic to clear. This can result in the left-turning driver having to make a complete stop in the middle of the road.
Otherwise, passing on the right is prohibited when crossing the center lane or shoulder to pass. You cannot use an exit ramp, shoulder, or lane designated for parking or turning to pass on the combined highway/intersection space. If you are on a two-lane highway, passing is only permitted on the left.
However, if the Left Lane is an HOV Lane, to use that lane for passing, you must have the minimum required number of people in your car… And a Pregnant woman counts as only one person… A baby in a car seat counts as a separate person. A baby in your belly stupidly does not. (and that last statement is on the DMV Web Site…
I can’t tell you how many extreme close misses I’ve at the I-90/I-84 merge by extremely aggressive drivers.
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This begs the question:
On a road where someone is turning left from a travel lane, why are drivers, who are not turning, in the left lane to begin with?
Even though I’m doing 32mph in a 35 on the Post Road in Fairfield county, I end up passing someone who was doing 45 but then had to slow down, or come to a complete stop, stuck behind a left turner, because I’m in the right hand lane.
They were driving faster than me, but I ended up making better time going just below posted, in the right lane.
I was riding my bicycle on a residential street when someone parked on the right opened their door to get in. I moved to the left to avoid the door. Just after I moved to the left another car parked on the other side (left) of the road moved from the parking spot to the road lane, and began honking aggressively at me, yelling for me to get out of their way. I stopped & we had a little dustup about who was at fault. I said he was, b/c he isn’t allowed to drive his car into the street from a parking spot when the lane is already occupied. He said I was, b/c I was on the wrong side of the road. I said I was allowed to drive temporarily on the wrong side of the street in order to safely to pass by obstructions.
Smart move, the driver of the car is acting aggressive, and you stop to confront him.
Guess you’re lucky he didn’t feel threatened and start shooting or run you over.
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While avoiding confrontations is always my preference, ever since a couple of Kindergarten incidents I’ve always found I get best results to never shy away from bullies.
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I haven’t ridden a bike for 20 years but I think the smart thing to do would be to stop until the obstruction to straight and level flight was removed. Failure to see the obstruction does not give the right to move out of the designated bike lane. When I rode I always was anticipating activities around parked cars. Another stupid idea of creating bike lanes on busy roads.
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IMHO, he who has the bigger vehicle (can do more damage to you then you to them) Always has the right away… I don’t care if you are riding a pedal bike or a motorcycle or in a H1 Hummer…
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Valid point. In fact I’ve discussed this w/the folks here who decide where the bike lines should go. I told them I think it is better to route bicycles to parallel residential streets rather than on the busy commercial-area streets. However the vendors with storefronts on the commercial streets don’t seem to agree w/this bike-land re-routing idea, and you might expect the results, more and more bike lines on the commercial streets… lol .
Bicyclists should be able to make their way down a busy street without any guidance. First, we had to yield to pedestrians in crosswalks, now we have to recognize the rights of bicyclists, what next?
That would be as practical as placing a wildlife crossing in a more convenient location. Painting bicycle lane lines on a street where no bicyclist ride will not improve public safety.
On online forums, I see people preach the road rules day and night as if they’re in church but I’ve never seen in real life where someone is actually following the rules of the road. I was driving 70mph today on an interstate that calls for 65mph speed limit and I was the only one on the freeway going slower than everyone else.
On local roads, and when I’m making a left turn into a driveway, cars illegally pass me on the right by traveling on the shoulder of the road.
This is why I don’t normally partake in discussion about road rules, as I’m confident no one really obeys the rules of the road.
Isn’t that what you just did ?
The keyword here is “ normally “.
“ Normally” is an adverb that means something is what usually happens or what you usually do.
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The one thing bicyclists do that gets me,
There’s a road in Seattle, 2 lanes each direction with a 2 way left turn lane.
They ride their bike in the right hand lane slowing traffic down, (yes I know it’s legal for them to be there).
But when traffic comes to a stop because of a stoplight, they jump up onto the sidewalk and keep going (not legal to do) passing more cars, at the intersection if no cars are coming they cross it (running the red light) and get back into the right hand lane.
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+1, sort of…
Yesterday, on I-287 and the NY Thruway, I had my cruise control set for 72, and some other cars were still passing me as if I was standing still. The theoretical limit is 65, but I think that there were a whole lot of cars moving at 80+. The prevailing speed was probably 72-74 mph, but some people were exceeding it by a LOT.
Luckily, I only encountered one car driving under the limit. That nervous Nellie merged onto the NY Thruway at 32 mph, thus endangering everyone one around him.
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