Although I have several pet peeves, yesterday my parking lot pet peeve was cranked up. Why must some folks drive so damn fast in parking lots. Sitting in their one ton protective shells, they zip about unaware of children or cars backing out of spaces. Ugh, drives me nuts.

Oh and LLCs. On a two lane interstate, they get in the left lane and camp there. Oblivious to other cars, driving at some poky speed, enjoying controlling traffic. They have no power walking around outside of their cars in their daily lives, but oh let's camp out in that left lane and they are all powerful. And of course it works, 'cuz I'm all worked up about it. Suffering at their mercy.

Truck drivers generally are excellent drivers and often courteous. Just once in awhile two jackasses will slow down side-by-side and block both lanes. That will toast my britches too.

I just think the normally powerless, become empowered driving a car. They become bold and brave sitting in the driver's seat of a car or just gawd awful oblivious to their surroundings.

 

the problem is enforcement: the next time you see a cop in traffic and notice another driver crossing 3 lanes of traffic to make a turn, or failing to yield while pulling out in front of traffic, or cutting people off, see if the cop does anything. he/she will not, probably because the cop is busy texting, but he /she will pull over the person doing 56 in a 55mph speed limit because their radar tells them to.

 

Driving on the autobahn in Germany was one of the most enjoyable experiences I've had on vacation. It works with such precision and everyone follows the rules and it makes the driving experience amazing. The fact that you can go as fast as you want in certain sections in the left lane is Pretty cool but all your senses have to be on high alert. The coolest part was that nobody would pass on the right. That has to be one of my biggest pet peeves....when your in the middle lane and someone floors it and passes on the right instead of the passing lane.

 

There is no rule, implicit or explicit, in the US that says we can only pass on the left. Without strict enforcement of this, passing on the right is okay as idiots will park on the left. Sorry but you are going 80 in the left lane doesn't mean you can park there if the car behind you wants to pass. I say if you aren't the fastest car on the left, move over

 

enforcement of these left lane dawdlers as i call them should have a much bigger place than the actual speeding itself. it was already said in this thread and it's been said elsewhere too but the autobahn works because everyone adheres to the rules and nobody ever uses the left lane for traveling in, only passing. if i were a cop i'd make it my mission to pull over people hogging the left lane.

 

But the other driver in the lane over also is doing the same and both of you cannot be in the same empty spot Be careful my friend In an obstacle race you run in your own lane, not the next lane.

 

Great post, someone get this guy a cookie!

 

The main problem, though, with the left-lane rule is that so many people want to go substantially faster than the posted speed limit, even if it is simply too fast for conditions.....in other works, "**** the law, I'm going to drive as I please or just not use common sense." While I agree that those in the left lane should move to the right if they are holding up traffic and/or if there is an opening in traffic, that alone is not an excuse for speeding. One does not have a legal right to speed just because one happens to be in the left lane, impatient, and/or decides to show contempt for the law. Speed limits are set by traffic engineers, usually for good reason...and not just to collect revenue. Of course, in Germany, there are some stretches of road with no speed limit at all...but even those areas are shrinking because of increasing traffic congestion.

Now, I'm not saying that one has to just sit there and nail the limit, like on cruise-control...leeway is built into speed-enforcement for a number of reasons, and most police, radar/laser, or speed-cameras won't bother you if you are within 10 MPH or so of the posted limit. But too many people simply think that the left lane is a race-track, and IMO they are as bad or worse than Grandpa or Grandma plodding along at 40 MPH.

 

A coworker's father lost his license for a few months because he failed to move over on the Autobahn. We need a law like that over here to take care of the LLCs.

In no particular order:
The brain dead - Wake up! Drive at least the speed limit. Use your signal. You're not the only driver on the road. And for God's sake, save the sightseeing for the sidewalk.
The fossils - There comes a time to give up driving, hopefully before you hurt or kill somebody. That includes yourself.
Psycho moms in minivans/SUVs-Do you really drive like that with your kids in the car?! It's called child endangerment.
The impatient ones - Speeding, cutting across lanes, running lights, illegally passing, disregarding signs - all for the sake of saving a few precious seconds.
The drunk or impaired (drugs, cellphone, etc.) - The epitome of selfishness. Get over yourself.

 

 

Depends on how fast the guy behind his father was going (or wanted to go). Over here, unlike Germany, we don't have roads without formal speed limits....and one does not have an automatic right to drive as fast as they please, even if they are in the left lane and blocked by slower traffic in front of them. Of course, sheer common sense and/or prudence sometimes dictates that, legal or not, you move to the right for some nut-case behind you just to avoid a road-rage incident.


Agreed. unless the road is too slippery, too congested, or with close-by construction going on, in most cases, the left lane is for the speed limit.


With today's drivers, phones and texting seem to be a bigger distration than sightseeing.


True, but today's better medical care and treatment have, on the average, greatly extended that time from what it once was.


Psycho moms in minivans are (usually) the result of Psycho kids.

Absolutely. Couldn't agree more.

 

that plus the cellphone crap and the one azzhole that wants to go 70mph on a 45mph road -

I really just hate driving anymore.... just give me the self-driving car and be done with it.

 

I forgot to mention 3-lane surface roads where the light turns and all 3 cars think it is fine to go exactly the same speed and drive next to each other (usually under the speed limit) so no one else can go around. Not to mention the fact that they are all in each other's blind spots or could have to swerve for road hazards or (less likely) blow a tire and they will just crash into each other all at once.

Second part is this. Everyone is driving up to 3 stoplights. There is one empty lane and a driver that has been poking along behind another car decides to rush up to the only empty lane. Then when the light changes he/she goes exactly the same slow-*** speed as the driver he/she was behind. Why do they feel they need to occupy an empty lane when they were perfectly fine trailing another slow vehicle up the that point. Just pure stupidity.

 

Can't agree more. There are many times on the freeway that I have had to move over to the right lane and fly across two lanes just to get in front of the ******* that is going too slow in the left lane.

 

Exactly. The German standard may be unique because their take on driving is that it's a skill. North America treats it as a free-for-all where anything goes as long as local law enforcement is not around.

In my burg where redneck goofiness is on display all day and in all ways: eg. high brow lady in a Nissan CUV pulls out of a side street in an urban neighborhood and promptly speeds up behind me to get to know me better. This as I'm doing just under the speed limit to the red light at the intersection about four blocks ahead.

It's a speeding and get-outta-my-way epidemic that is unenforced because cops don't like doing traffic duty - not sexy enough.

Tougher standards for licensing for sure. The price of entry needs to be higher in terms of skill.

Look to the aviation world - you'll see why pilots are strictly controlled in how they fly and what they fly. Not advocating that for car drivers but you know some aspects wouldn't hurt.

Lane discipline, speeds, car control, tailgating and aggresive road behaviour, distracted driving. These are all issues leading to all of this.