My first experience as a road rage victim

[VinnieVOL]

Nonsense.  In all cases I was going well over the speed limit.  It's not like I was doing 55 in a 70 or anything.  I fly past people in the right lane all the time and if it's wide open and people want to go more than the 10-15 mph over the limit I'm already doing, they can get their asses over into the right lane.  I don't even think twice about it myself, I'm just glad there is room to pass them.

That's how I see it.   

Thanks for the confirmation.

[VinnieVOL]

Sure, you can go around them in the right lane. But moving over is generally considered a matter of courtesy, something that is unfortunately in short supply in our society today.

I call it "interstate etiquette".

[PirateVOL]

Sure, you can go around them in the right lane. But moving over is generally considered a matter of courtesy, something that is unfortunately in short supply in our society today.

He'd get run off the road in Germany, and rightly so.

[BanditVol]

Let me clear something up.  Normally I do observe the right lane conventions.  That may not be 100% clear.

If I am going the speed limit or even 5 over, I am in the right lane.  It's only when I go exceptionally fast that I stay in the left lane.

Generally traffic is heavy, and so to switch back and forth from right to left would be stupid.  Thus I consider myself, in traffic, to be permanently passing people.

I don't think anyone has any issues with the above.

On rare occasions, I have the road to myself and I am going 10-15 mph over the limit in the left lane.  Sometimes I do switch to the right, sometimes not.  My logic for staying in the left lane is that eventually I will pass someone and there is no one behind me, so why bother. 

If I am IN TRAFFIC and going 10-15 mph over the limit, and someone comes up behind me, then I do get over, if I am able. And it is courtesy.

I'm really only talking about pretty rare cases where I am going really fast, elect to stay in the left lane, and then someone comes up behind me VERY FAST.  Like to suddenly show up in my rear view mirror they would have to be at least doing 95 mph.  If I see them coming, I get out of the usually.

So it's a very specific situation where the road is empty, I am already going fast, and someone approaches at NASCAR speed so fast I don't even really have time to notice them. 

That happens occasionally, but in those cases the person should pass on the right.  I do this myself all the time.  I approach cars in the left lane going 75 when I am going 80-85.  I can sit behind them and wait for them to move, or I can go around.  I go around.

It's so much easier than waiting for them to move.

Thus if I am going 80-85 on an EMPTY ROAD, and someone approaches very rapidly from the rear and FLASHES THEIR LIGHTS AT ME, that person is a complete ahole and there is no way I am moving right.  Because I encounter that same situation at least a dozen times every time I drive to Knoxville and it's so much easier just to go around.

Hope that clears it up for everyone.  I agree you should be in the right lane most of the time, but I make an exception for an empty road when I am driving fast, and often I go into the right lane anyway.

I posted this a bit more succinctly and colorfully a while ago but I self-deleted, lol.  I have been posting a lot on a war game site where such language is the norm and I got confused about what site I was on.

TRO does prefer we keep this to a family discussion.   

[BanditVol]

He'd get run off the road in Germany, and rightly so.

No, I would be running people over.  The only thing keeping me from going 120-130 mph now is the long arm of the law.   

[RockinGrannyVol]

Nonsense.  In all cases I was going well over the speed limit.  It's not like I was doing 55 in a 70 or anything.  I fly past people in the right lane all the time and if it's wide open and people want to go more than the 10-15 mph over the limit I'm already doing, they can get their asses over into the right lane.  I don't even think twice about it myself, I'm just glad there is room to pass them.

That's how I see it.   

Does not matter how fast you are going, if someone is going faster, get your butt over!!!  Don't expect them to pass on the right!

[GreggO]

I once had a retired trooper tell me that every investigation with someone going the wrong direction on an interstate, the violator was in opposing traffic's left lane; especially at night. 'Nuff said for me.

G

[BanditVol]

Does not matter how fast you are going, if someone is going faster, get your butt over!!!  Don't expect them to pass on the right!

If I see them coming I usually do.  But the "etiquette" among those who tend to drive fast is to just pass on the right.  Almost every time I see someone coming up behind me they are in the right lane and passing me well before they get to me and I do the same when I am the faster car coming from behind.   That's just how it usually goes down. 

[BanditVol]

I once had a retired trooper tell me that every investigation with someone going the wrong direction on an interstate, the violator was in opposing traffic's left lane; especially at night. 'Nuff said for me.

G

Okay, but what does this have to do with the topic of whether you should always be in the right lane on a four-lane highway, if possible? 

[Creek Walker]

But the "etiquette" among those who tend to drive fast is to just pass on the right. 

Who taught you highway etiquette? 

You know those signs that say "SLOWER TRAFFIC KEEP RIGHT"? Yeah, they're there for a reason.

[BanditVol]

Who taught you highway etiquette? 

You know those signs that say "SLOWER TRAFFIC KEEP RIGHT"? Yeah, they're there for a reason.

What do you mean by "slower"?  If you're going 10-15 mph over the limit already and someone behind you still expects you to get out of their way, it can be argued that they are the ones with the problem.  This at least is how I feel when I approach someone from behind myself.  The thought is that if I want to drive way over the limit and break the rules, I shouldn't have any expectation that they will follow the rules either.

But for the record, if I see someone approaching from behind and closing the gap rapidly I usually do get over to the right no matter how fast I am going.  I typically am the fastest guy on the road though.  I have been from Chat to Ktown many times and never been passed at all.   But if I don't see them coming and they want to get around me and the right lane is wide open...no big deal, IMO. 

They certainly shouldn't be stupid and flash their lights at me, lol.

[Quasi EVol]

I just dropped my daughter off at school and I'm driving down a busy 4 lane road, cars bumper to bumper.  I am in the left lane, but both lanes are going the same speed. Guy behind me in a Civic starts  flashing his lights trying to get me to go faster and starts tailgating me dangerously. Now understand that I can't go faster, there are cars in front of me.This goes on for a minute until we get to a light in which he abruptly pull to the other lane next to me, GETS OUT OF HIS CAR, and starts flipping me off and yelling obscenities. Now I am not a hot headed person, so I just kinda looked at him like "you're an idiot". Other cars started honking at him, so after a tirade of about 30 seconds after which the light turns green, I drove off, and I saw him get in his car in the rear view and drive off. I think I did the right thing.

Smart move.  I've twice dealt with road trolls by pretending to yell into my cellphone while craning my neck at them like I was making a description to a 911 operator.  Both times they both quickly turned onto a side road.  Being raised in Texas, I consider every other driver to be armed (which probably isn't far from the truth) and use non-confrotational strategies.

[Quasi EVol]

What do you mean by "slower"?  If you're going 10-15 mph over the limit already and someone behind you still expects you to get out of their way, it can be argued that they are the ones with the problem.  This at least is how I feel when I approach someone from behind myself.  The thought is that if I want to drive way over the limit and break the rules, I shouldn't have any expectation that they will follow the rules either.

But for the record, if I see someone approaching from behind and closing the gap rapidly I usually do get over to the right no matter how fast I am going.  I typically am the fastest guy on the road though.  I have been from Chat to Ktown many times and never been passed at all.   But if I don't see them coming and they want to get around me and the right lane is wide open...no big deal, IMO. 

They certainly shouldn't be stupid and flash their lights at me, lol.

They could be from Missouri.  I don't know if it's still the law there, but for decades the left lane were for passing only & state troopers wrote tickets for it regardless of the traffic situation.  One of my coworkers got nailed for it by a police airplane (who contacted ground units) of all things!

[RockyMtnVol]

What do you mean by "slower"?  If you're going 10-15 mph over the limit already and someone behind you still expects you to get out of their way, it can be argued that they are the ones with the problem.  This at least is how I feel when I approach someone from behind myself.  The thought is that if I want to drive way over the limit and break the rules, I shouldn't have any expectation that they will follow the rules either.

They certainly shouldn't be stupid and flash their lights at me, lol.

If yer not passin', git over in the right lane, ya dumbass!  Geez..... 

[Volznut]

Smart move.  I've twice dealt with road trolls by pretending to yell into my cellphone while craning my neck at them like I was making a description to a 911 operator.  Both times they both quickly turned onto a side road.  Being raised in Texas, I consider every other driver to be armed (which probably isn't far from the truth) and use non-confrotational strategies.

we're supposed to be adults, non-confrontational is the only way to go IMO. Your other options are getting arrested or shot.

[VinnieVOL]

If yer not passin', git over in the right lane, ya dumbass!  Geez..... 

LOL   

[VinnieVOL]

we're supposed to be adults, non-confrontational is the only way to go IMO. Your other options are getting arrested or shot.

Agreed.  Just walk away and be the better man (like you did in your situation).  Nothing good comes from escalating the situation.

For me, a good check for myself is to think "what would I want my son to do"

A lot of times we adults think we're going to make a point or "teach someone a lesson" but the scary truth is there are a lot of unstable people out there and one could easily end up dead over such a seemingly minor thing.  I would tell my son "just diffuse the situation any way you can, it's not worth losing your life".  But there are still times I need to take that same advice.

[Volznut]

Agreed.  Just walk away and be the better man (like you did in your sitsituation).  Nothing good comes from escalating the situation.

For me, a good check for myself is to think "what would I want my son to do"

A lot of times we adults think we're going to make a point or "teach someone a lesson" but the scary truth is there are a lot of unstable people out there and one could easily end up dead over such a seemingly minor thing.  I would tell my son "just diffuse the situation any way you can, it's not worth losing your life".  But there are still times I need to take that same advice.

Vinnie, I could not agree more.. I have practiced martial arts for about 20 years now, and my older daughter has been doing it for 4. I hope neither one of us ever get in a fight or serious physical confrontation. One of the first things we learn to do in martial arts is to avoid confrontation. Fighting should always be an absolute last resort.  

[Black Diamond Vol]

I would've run him the fizzle off the road and then gotten out of the car and whooped his ass.  Why?  Because that's what winners do.  And I'm just a big, hairy, American winning machine.  Nobody can touch my stuff.  I get up every morning and I piss excellence.  If you aint first, you're last. 

[RockinGrannyVol]

If I see them coming I usually do.  But the "etiquette" among those who tend to drive fast is to just pass on the right.  Almost every time I see someone coming up behind me they are in the right lane and passing me well before they get to me and I do the same when I am the faster car coming from behind.   That's just how it usually goes down. 

No 'etiquette' is to get over --- you are the type driver than can cause road rage.  HA!  :)   A HUGE pet peeve of mine...not only are you breaking the law in most states, you simply are being rude.  JMHO..

[RockinGrannyVol]

LOL   

 

[BanditVol]

If yer not passin', git over in the right lane, ya dumbass!  Geez..... 

The point is, I am almost always passing.  Learn to read dumass!!!!  Geez..... 



 

To all of you who think you can tell me how to drive....it ain't gonna happen.   

[Creek Walker]

Did you just call a lady a dumbass? 

[RockinGrannyVol]

Did you just call a lady a dumbass? 

I don't think RockyMtnVol is a lady -- or is she/he?   :)

[Creek Walker]

I don't think RockyMtnVol is a lady -- or is she/he?   :)

  Oops. I read that post and Bandit's reply and thought it was you. Must've been the "Rock" that threw me off.