NJ: Left-lane highway hogs could see fines double for failure to move over

[CrypticVillain]

Going back to my neighborhood, the exit is a two lane road that goes down to 1.  Right lane has to merge into left, but if they go- one, then one, then one- traffic will flow.  Inevetibaly, some jackass always "bumper hugs" the car in front of them and won't let someone in. Defiantly won't let anyone in.  I guess that one space makes them the king of the road or something.

Man, I hate that. I'm like IT'S ONE SPOT, is it really that serious.

 

But what is worst than that is when you are trying to let somebody merge and the idiot isn't paying attention.

There are three kinds of drivers in this world.

 

Bad drivers.  Crazy driver.  And me.

 

Just a light joke for hump day.

 

Um just saying. my record speaks for itself. Been driving for 8 years. No speeding tickets, no accidents....

 

But if we are talking camera tickets....

[The Sisko]

In Germany if you try and PASS on the right (i.e from the center lane) you will get a ticket

Traffic flow works best if the left lane is fast, as fast as the flow of traffic wants it to be and gets progressively slower as you go to the right

You should NOT be passing from the far right lane, and you should not be PASSED in the far left lane. If someone comes up from behind you in the left lane going significantly faster then you are, GTFO of the left lane. It is that simple. If they are speeding a cop will pull them over, however slowing down the left lane is extremely dangerous

Bravo NJ

[insert applause smiley here] I had the opportunity to drive on the Autobahn a while back and oh my freaking God was it sweet. Not as much because I could go flat out but because people consistently used the left lane as it's supposed to be. Not aggravating someone in the left lane while trying to pass is simply a matter of judging the speed of the other cars behind you in the passing lane and being willing to go as fast as necessary to complete your pass and get back over. OTOH when someone is obviously using the left lane to pass and they're a little slow about it, I'm not bothered. It's the left lane hogs that will cause me to stroke out one day.

I just hope GA gets moving on this soon.

[zoony]

I would support the death penalty here

[chipwhich]

Artmonk's post is funny, he is one of those people. 

 

Stay out of the left lane.

 

My brother in law got pulled over by a state trooper in Annapolis on route 50.  No ticket was issued, not sure there is a law in MD but he gave my brother in law an earful for driving 55 in the left lane.

[twa]

Am I the only one that thought this was about livestock?

[Mr. Sinister]

While we're talking about other traffic offenses: can't stand when idiots come to a stoplight and are turning right, yet wait for the light to turn green when there is no traffic coming. Unless it says you can't turn on red, then DON'T SIT THERE!

 

It's that, and people who don't realize the difference between a left green, and a left green arrow, and that you're supposed to yield to oncoming traffic on the first one, and not roll through like they'll just magically disappear, instead of hitting you.

 

As for merging, that's probably terrible everywhere, whether it be people who fly, trying to race (causing me to have to yield to them, instead of the other way around), or the people who merge at 3 mph. What I've always typically done is observe the traffic as I'm approaching the merge lane, and generally stay patient and pick my spot and then hit it, instead of forcing the issue, or being too timid.

 

Also, I don't like when people beside you in a lane that is about to end, act like they are about to run off of a cliff, and try to force their way over when there's like 2000 feet left . I always slow down and let them over anyway, but a lot of them don't even try to use their turn signal. Then like someone else mentioned, there are the people who you allow to merge, giving them plenty of room, but end up scratching our head as they seem oblivious to the fact that you're letting them over, and wait until the last minute.

 

And then there are the crazies that hit the gas, instead of falling in line in the single lane merge. You always have to keep a look out for that, as well as having to get a little dirty and force someone into letting you over when it's a little crowded, and they either aren't paying attention, or are assholes, and just don't want to let anyone over because they had a bad day.

[NoCalMike]

People who cruise in the left lane are annoying.  Half the time I can't tell if they are just oblivious to the long car build up behind them or if they are almost proud of the fact that they are "controlling" the flow of traffic.

 

I also understand the disdain for people who drive like crazed bats out of hell.  You go to pass on the left but some idiot has decided to weave across 4 lanes of cars at a crazy angle, even though you have your signal on and have started ever so slightly to get over to pass a car.

[Special K]

Failure to keep right is the most hazardous action on roadways next to drinking & driving?  Sounds like this assembleman is a dick head speeder who thinks the left lane is for "fast" people. 

 

I hate drivers like that, had one come up behind me yesterday, I went to pass a car in the center lane, got into the left going 10kmh (6mph-15kmh over would get me a ticket) OVER the speed limit, the douche behind me rolls up around 40kmh (25mph) over my speed, barely manages not to hit me because he was texting, then has the nerve to cut me off and scream at me.

 

Left lane is for passing, not drving fast, and in fact it's those idiot drivers who want to drive fast in the left lane that cause all the problems, if someone is not driving as fast as they are in that lane, the slower driver is deemed an idiot, while the faster driver changes lanes like a mad man "trying to get to the front" (of what? traffic?) without using their signal. 

 

If people would just be more curtious on the road instead of treating every other car like the enemy, traffic would not be nearly as bad.

Why did you get in front of a guy going that fast?  If he's going that much faster than you, you stay right, let his dumbbutt make his pass and hopefully get a ticket sooner or later down the road, then make your necessary passes.  

[Special K]

Colorado has this law.  I was glad they had it when I lived there, but I didn't see it cutting down on the number of moron drivers sitting in the left lane going the speed limit, not passing anyone, not paying attention to the people behind them trying to get past them, etc.

 

As a funny sidenote, while heading to a meeting, I was driving on a secluded river road in what I later found out was a speed trap county and got pulled over for driving in the left lane...even though there was no car within eyesight, for at least a few miles, lol.  I had just moved to CO at that point and had no clue about the law; whenever I'm driving on winding, secluded roads, especially a river road with cliffs, sometimes I will go into the other passing lane to make my turns less sharp.  Got hosed that time though.  What a jackass cop, especially seeing my CA plates and having no freaking cars passing us in the 10 minutes it took him to write my ticket.  Can't say I ever saw people getting pulled over for that on the main interstates though...

[The Sisko]

Am I the only one that thought this was about livestock?

 

That's what happens when you live in a state where even the HOA's own livestock. 

 

People who cruise in the left lane are annoying.  Half the time I can't tell if they are just oblivious to the long car build up behind them or if they are almost proud of the fact that they are "controlling" the flow of traffic.

 

Depending on how long s/he does this, when I do eventually pass them I get back into the left lane in front of them and slow down to about 50 mph until they figure it out.

[Special K]

Am I the only one that thought this was about livestock?

 

That's what happens when you live in a state where even the HOA's own livestock. 

 

>People who cruise in the left lane are annoying.  Half the time I can't tell if they are just oblivious to the long car build up behind them or if they are almost proud of the fact that they are "controlling" the flow of traffic.

 

Depending on how long s/he does this, when I do eventually pass them I get back into the left lane in front of them and slow down to about 50 mph until they figure it out.

 

Why would you do that?  Doing crap like that could piss off the wrong person at some point.  

 

Have to say I'm impressed at the number of people who put so much thought into messing with other drivers when they get ticked off.  I guess I'm just a different personality type; I don't really feel like continuing dysfunction when something annoys me...and I sure as heck don't have time to slow down to 50 mph to make a point to someone who probably will never "get" the point I'd be trying to make 

[NoCalMike]

The problem with traffic laws on the whole is that they are randomly and selectively enforced to where it seems like the worst offenders are no more likely to be pulled over and ticketed then the guy going just a little over the speed limit.

 

Now of course this doesn't include folks who are obviously being hazards such as drivers under the influence or what not, but when it comes to speeding, running red lights, lane violations etc etc etc....I've seen cops pull people over for going 5-7 mph over the speed limit while other folks are zooming right by them at a faster speed.  It almost seems to come down what mood the highway patrol is in.

[Bubble Screen]

Just thought of another thing I can't stand: I'm on the highway and I will look and see a faster car approaching me when I'm in one of the middle lanes. Why do so many idiots feel the need to get within a few inches of your bumper in order to change lanes? Wtf is the point in that? Again, I'm not talking about when I'm in the left lane. Just, in general. Makes no sense to me.

[China]

Am I the only one that thought this was about livestock?

 

That's what happens when you live in a state where even the HOA's own livestock. 

 

>People who cruise in the left lane are annoying.  Half the time I can't tell if they are just oblivious to the long car build up behind them or if they are almost proud of the fact that they are "controlling" the flow of traffic.

 

Depending on how long s/he does this, when I do eventually pass them I get back into the left lane in front of them and slow down to about 50 mph until they figure it out.

 

 

So it was you in the video.

[RichmondRedskin88]

Left lane is the fast lane.  Simple as that.  If you can't handle the speed in that lane then you should move on.  I hate ones going slow in the left lane.  You cause others to slow down or find ways around you.  I have no problem with people staying in the left lane as long as they maintain a appropriate speed.  If you are blocking people you need to get over though.  

[ncr2h]

Why are there speeding laws, and then laws that punish you if you don't speed?  It's one or the other, buddy.  Or are they trying to tell us is that the left lane is for those going 55, while the right lane is for those going under 55?

[HSW]

Why are there speeding laws, and then laws that punish you if you don't speed?  It's one or the other, buddy.  Or are they trying to tell us is that the left lane is for those going 55, while the right lane is for those going under 55?

Nobody has ever gotten a ticket for not speeding.  Going way under the posted speed limit is just as dangerous if not more so than speeding.  According to your logic folks would be able to drive 20 MPH on a 55 MPH road...

[TTViper]

Why are there speeding laws, and then laws that punish you if you don't speed?  It's one or the other, buddy.  Or are they trying to tell us is that the left lane is for those going 55, while the right lane is for those going under 55?

Nobody has ever gotten a ticket for not speeding.  Going way under the posted speed limit is just as dangerous if not more so than speeding.  According to your logic folks would be able to drive 20 MPH on a 55 MPH road...

There was a woman in MD earlier this year who was ticketed for traveling below the speed limit ( i believe in the left lane as well)  I don't remember what the court ruled.  She made a big fuss over it, because she is an idiot.

[grego]

I commute on a 2-lane highway to work every day, and this is absolutely my biggest pet peeve. One "cruiser" in the left lane can completely eff up the flow of traffic for miles.

The only thing worse is when the slow left lane driver is holding up a line of about ten cars behind him, then some douche driving a souped up import with primer all over it and a dumb muffler that makes it sound like a lawnmower comes up on the right and cuts someone off, as if the person in the left lane can do anything about it.

I saw this happen three months ago. I was right behind the car being cut off. I have no idea how the car didn't actually hit him. The cut off car proceeded to attempt to exact revenge a minute later, doing the same thing to the idiot driver, nearly causing a horrible accident. They were literally trying to run each other off the road.

It was surreal.

[Bubble Screen]

Why are there speeding laws, and then laws that punish you if you don't speed? It's one or the other, buddy. Or are they trying to tell us is that the left lane is for those going 55, while the right lane is for those going under 55?

I think we just outed another left lane hog.

[TheGreatBuzz]

What we really need to do is re-evaluate speed limits.  Now I admit I routinely go 10-15 mph over the limit.  But all these people need to remember that the speed "limit" is a maximum limit, not a minimum.  So are the police handing out tickets to these people in the left lane that are going above the limit?  They are breaking the law after all.  Let's make the speed limits more realistic and enforce them.  Then worry about who is going to slow in what lane.

[Bubble Screen]

What we really need to do is re-evaluate speed limits. Now I admit I routinely go 10-15 mph over the limit. But all these people need to remember that the speed "limit" is a maximum limit, not a minimum. So are the police handing out tickets to these people in the left lane that are going above the limit? They are breaking the law after all. Let's make the speed limits more realistic and enforce them. Then worry about who is going to slow in what lane.

It's always sort of been an unwritten rule that if you are in the left lane, then you should be going faster than all other lanes. And in some states it's the law that you yield to faster traffic.

I think the reason it is this way is to make traffic flow easier. It only takes one idiot going slow in the left lane to completely screw up the flow of traffic. Common sense tells you that the more cars you have bunched together, the bigger the risk there is of accidents.

If the left lane is blocked by a slow driver, then it results in other drivers having to constantly change lanes. That also leads to more drivers cutting others off, etc.

It just boggles my mind every day seeing so many clueless drivers on the road. People just have no common sense. Of course there are the ones that want to play traffic cop, too. However, they're just too stupid to realize that THEY are the real problem.

I seriously wish every state would adopt the law that NJ has. And not only adopt it, but enforce it. Would solve a lot of problems.

[skinfan2k]

See this stuff doesn't work in highways like 495 where there is so much traffic.  

[RansomthePasserby]

See this stuff doesn't work in highways like 495 where there is so much traffic.  

Yeah, once the highway reaches capacity, this is pretty much useless.

Left lane hogs and people who don't travel all the way down the merge lane before merging into heavy traffic are my two pet peeves while driving. 

[No_Pressure]

Raising the fine doesn't solve the problem. My driver's test in Maryland consisted of driving 25 mph towards a stop sign, stopping there, making a left turn, parallel parking, making a 3 point turn, driving at 25 mph back to another stop sign, making a right turn, and pulling back around to the DMV office.

 

I don't care if the signed off time with parents or instructors supposedly covers highway driving. Nobody is forced to show that they understand merging onto a freeway, following at a safe distance, passing on the left and cruising on the right. I know people who failed the driver's test I mentioned above, and did so multiple times. We certify these idiots capable of driving a car anywhere in any conditions based off of what? Driving 25 mph, being able to press the brakes, and parallel parking? Afterwards we act astonished when they cruise in the left lane matching the 55 mph governed truck and stacking up a line of cars a mile long behind them who all want to go faster.

 

I must say I love posts like the one of the first page where he got into the left lane to pass and some driver who wanted to go much faster came speeding up on his bumper. I don't ever drive stupidly enough to tailgate someone, but I have frequently come up quite quickly on somebody who is just cruising in the left. If they're making a pass, I just hold back and allow them to finish the pass.

 

If this were Germany I'd feel angry, but with speed limits I find it difficult to get mad that someone who may already be breaking the speed limit while passing another driver isn't doing it as quickly as I'd like to. Usually these drivers move back to the right after their pass and I go along my merry way. Everyone is happy. Sometimes they don't move back over, or rather than actually passing the other driver, they match their speed- almost as if their only wish in life was to trap me there behind an impenetrable wall of traffic for as long as they possibly could. I watch other drivers engage in dangerous behavior in this instance. Passing on the right, passing on the shoulder, tailgating at 65 mph while honking the horn and flashing their lights. We've all probably seen it. I don't do that. I have a countdown...

 

If they unnecessarily block me for 10 seconds after passing, or simply while cruising, I begrudgingly pass them on the right. If I'm trapped, I'm just stuck there and rather than pulling a foolish and dangerous move I'll just wait for the asshole to eventually either pass another vehicle or get the **** out of my way. I find that most of the danger comes when someone way up the line is in the left pulling some of this ****. I'm trapped about 10 cars back and in spite of the fact that I'd love to speed, I cannot without dangerously passing a bunch of people. Some guy comes rolling up on me, usually at a lower speed than I'd cruise at, but still faster than my current speed, and he starts tailgating and flashing his **** at me like I'm the slow one. Then I watch as he pulls dangerous move after dangerous move on innocent drivers caught in the slowdown so he can get to the front and reach the open road once again. This is the danger left lane squatters don't ever realize. The trouble they're inadvertently causing for safe drivers when an asshole shows up at the back of the line.

 

Why do they do it? Well I think its a lack of driving ability and education on road laws, but there is also the sense of correctness and the feeling that they're making society a better place. In reality they're taking a bunch of crazy people and intentionally rattling them up on the principle that "they shouldn't get rattled up". Well of course they shouldn't, but they will. Let's live in reality here. It's a lot easier to get the **** out of their way, send them 10 miles down the road, and allow them to act as speed trap bait for you.