I was driving on a divided highway, 2 lanes in each direction. Speed limit is 55, most drivers seem to do 60.

I was driving, I was on CC doing 57-58 and I come up to two cars, both on CC doing 55 sharp. There was no way to pass. there was a stop light, I was hoping one of them would accelerate faster, but guess what, it's like they did this on purpose. They were accelerating at the same rate, and once they reached 55, Cruise Control again. This went on for about 5 minutes or more. Meanwhile cars started piling up behind us. I was in the right lane now, the car next to me in the left lane started flashing the lights. Nothing happened.

Finally, at one stop light, the car in the left lane made a left and then traffic started to move faster in the left lane.

Is this behavior OK?

Is going the speed limit okay?

Is that the question??

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This is what's called being a jerk or being completely oblivious to your surroundings. No, this is never OK.

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"So be proud to be a decent American instead of just a w'anker whipping up fear!" - Michael D. Higgins, President of Ireland

impeding traffic is a ticketable offense in some municipalities
especially as the left lane is a passing lane not a travel lane for a++holes

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what davester and billb said...

OK ? No.
Illegal ? Depends on your state and local laws.
Definitely worthy of at least a bird.

They should both have been traveling in the right lane. Very likely that the left hand car was a nervous driver who felt compelled to prepare for the left turn by moving to the left lane way too early, and once in the left lane was too nervous to drive faster than the speed limit.

Of course, it might have been an unmarked police car that had decided to enforce the speed limit.

I have a feeling we had a discussion years ago about a similar topic. This is the sort of thing that drives me to distraction. I sometimes overtake people who are in the middle lane of a 3 lane highway and then abruptly (not so much as to be dangerous) pull into the slow lane, which is where they should have been in the first place if they'd been taught how to drive properly!
Most people it seems are either oblivious to those around them, or are just too rude to care.

it is completely dependent on the number of lanes and the amount of traffice occupying those lanes. the left lane is not exclusively for passing if there is sufficient amount of traffic that will use both lanes in order to keep traffic flowing at a reasonable rate. people automatically assume the left lane is for passing but that is only true in an "ideal" situation and most roads do not have "ideal" situations anytime other than 1-5am.

If you see posted signs which say "Keep right except to pass", then the driver in the left lane was definitely breaking the law.

passing lane

<<Massachusetts (General Statute 89-4B),[citation needed] New Jersey, Maine, Illinois, Pennsylvania, and others, make it illegal to fail to yield to traffic that seeks to overtake in the left lane,[citation needed] or to create any other "obstruction" in the passing lane that hinders the flow of traffic. >>

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Perfectly legal as long as they were doing the speed limit.

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Saint Cloud, Minnesota, where the weather is wonderful even when it isn't.

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Speedy
Perfectly legal as long as they were doing the speed limit.

Not in MA, and the other states listed by billb's wikipedia quote. There are probably many other states in addition to those where a citation for obstruction of traffic could be given out. The fact that the driver in the left lane was doing the speed limit does not make it legal. In fact, drivers have been cited for obstructing traffic in situations as described in the OP, used the "I was driving the speed limit" argument, and lost their court case when they fought the ticket..

I think the left turn is a mitigating factor, plus, is this really what you want to spend your time worrying about?

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In fact, drivers have been cited for obstructing traffic in situations as described in the OP, used the "I was driving the speed limit" argument, and lost their court case when they fought the ticket..

That sounds interesting,do you have an actual example of this?

I will point out that I've experienced a few 'traffic calming actions' in the past... two state troopers driving EXACTLY the speed limit in both lanes of an interstate. Producing a moving convoy at least five miles long, filled with frustration and annoyance.

Personally I think they did it just so they could pull off, and have their buddies pick up everybody blasting by at 80 two miles down the road.

It certainly seems to be much more common ( a practice ) on non-limited access highways.

Preparing for a left turn three miles ahead there buddy ?

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August West
I think the left turn is a mitigating factor, plus, is this really what you want to spend your time worrying about?

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In fact, drivers have been cited for obstructing traffic in situations as described in the OP, used the "I was driving the speed limit" argument, and lost their court case when they fought the ticket..

That sounds interesting,do you have an actual example of this?

To your first comment I would mention that from his post the drivers were doing this for miles. The left turn would be a mitigating factor if the person in the left lane was there for a reasonable distance in advance of the turn, several miles is not reasonable.

As for examples, I have read of a few in the past. Also had an acquaintance who was cited for this back in the '80's, he lost. The judge specifically stated the creation of an obstruction to the free flow of traffic created an unsafe condition that outweighed his defense. He also brought up the traffic regulation requiring drivers of slower moving vehicles to pull over to the right to allow faster ones to pass, noting that there was no speed limit exemption in that rule. Then he finished off by telling my acquaintance that he was lucky the citation had not been for the more expensive "driving to endanger" infraction that could have been used.

what people seem to forget in general is that many highways/freeways were developed in the time of farm equipment using the roads, or other slow, heavy vehicles. this is not including the interstate system developed during the '50s and '60s, of course.

today, commercial rigs over a certain weight are banned from using any left lane except to pass slower traffic but they must not stay in the left lane. talk to any good trucker and they will give you the rules of the road. I have family members who drive for a living and also know my share of law enforcement personnel and one would never, ever be cited for driving the speed limit in MA in the left lane if there is sufficient traffic to occupy both lanes of a two lane road. multi-lane roads are another story.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/27/2012 09:09AM by mrbigstuff.

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Speedy
Perfectly legal as long as they were doing the speed limit.

What state are you in?

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Speedy
Perfectly legal as long as they were doing the speed limit.

funny that someone calling himself Speedy would say that.

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billb
impeding traffic is a ticketable offense in some municipalities
especially as the left lane is a passing lane not a travel lane for a++holes

yes, it is. Washington State is no more than 5 vehicles behind you. What speed you are going relative to the posted limit isn't mentioned.

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Racer X

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billb
impeding traffic is a ticketable offense in some municipalities
especially as the left lane is a passing lane not a travel lane for a++holes

yes, it is. Washington State is no more than 5 vehicles behind you. What speed you are going relative to the posted limit isn't mentioned.

Well, the 5 vehicle thing is for highways, but I'm sure you know that. Also, the HOV lane is exempt.

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I'll have to check the Washington State Driver's Guide. The older kid has one because he recently got his learner's permit.

I looked it up on Access WA, read the RCW's... oh, and I mean the HOV lane is exempt from the "keep right except to pass" bit, not sure about the 5 cars bit.

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M A V I C

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Speedy
Perfectly legal as long as they were doing the speed limit.

What state are you in?

Minnesota. And I am a professional truck driver.

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