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Slow Drivers cause majority of accidents--BS

Discussion in 'Prius v Main Forum' started by efusco, Jul 20, 2011.

  1. fuzzy1

    fuzzy1 Senior Member

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    :confused: I have never lived in a state where this was legal. Even the radio news during this evening's commute reminded drivers of the $124 fine for camping in the left lane. Not that it is enforced much.

    But I don't get the hell out of the way of road ragers who demand I drive above PSL in the slow lane. I call 911.
     
  2. KK6PD

    KK6PD _ . _ . / _ _ . _

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    While I totally agree with you, if you are doing 65 in the far right two lanes, your cool! You should have read the ration of grief I got for that stance.....
    Your not alone bro!
     
  3. 2k1Toaster

    2k1Toaster Brand New Prius Batteries

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    As long as you are going the speed limit, it is a gray fuzz area. Tickets can be handed out for going the speed limit and impairing traffic or too fast and speeding. You can't negotiate speeding, but you can negotiate impairing traffic because you were doing the legal limit.

    But I agree completely, that if you are on a multi-lane road, and you are not in the passing lane (far left here, far right in the UK) then do as you please along as it is above the posted minimum. Here there is a special number for reporting "aggressive drivers" which I think would be more appropriate than calling an emergency. I would say 911 calling is a gross misuse of the system to report an aggressive driver.
     
  4. fuzzy1

    fuzzy1 Senior Member

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    Truck speeds are capped at 60 mph thoughout this state. While we have few 'trucks', and plenty of 18-26 wheel 'cars', I've always been able to find some trucks obeying their limit as a condition of continued employment. They make handy screens, drawing the attention of fast drivers away us smaller fry.

    While this may be cool with you, I've been surprised at the number of posters here who insist even driving the higher car PSL in the right lane is unacceptably slow. And not all of them hail from SoCal.
    Why negotiate something written directly into state law?
    For the two out-of-state truckers that used the rearmost tire of their trailers to try to push my car off the multilane highway, when I wasn't far enough over the PSL in the right lane, this was most certainly not a misuse of 911. Both predated any special aggressive driver number.

    We have had numerous aggressive driver crashes that occurred after police were already en route due to multiple 911 calls. None of the reports represented these as misuses of 911.
     
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  5. Insight-I Owner

    Insight-I Owner 2006 Insight-I MT + 2011 Prius

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    Try what I described earlier:
    "It is very helpful to pop on the hazard flashers and ease over towards the right side of my (right) lane when a semi is coming up behind me. I do it when the truck is WAY back, 1/3 mile or more, so it usually has plenty of time to find a slot to move one lane to the left. Then, unless it's a dump truck dribbling pebbles, I flash my headlights as soon as they are clear of me to move back into the right lane.

    What this does is to keep traffic flowing smoothly past me. Cars can see the truck moving over so they move over too.

    Drivers engrossed in conversations on their handheld cells sometimes get trapped behind me, but I have no sympathy for them." Lots of truckers are blabbing away on their handheld cells. Like everybody else. Except that truckdrivers are supposed to be keeping 83,000 lb vehicles under control.

    I absolutely agree that slower drivers like me should almost never use the left lane. And that no matter how fast someone is driving in the left lane, they should move into a lane to the right if anyone going faster approaches them from behind.

    In the 'going slow" discussion, it's important to keep clear whether one is referring to the left (fast) lane or the far right (slow) lane.
     
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  6. billnchristy

    billnchristy Active Member

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    Upstate NY was very strict about the left lane. I really wish it was that way here.
     
  7. Politburo

    Politburo Active Member

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    The cause of aggressive drivers is aggressive drivers, period.

    Several vehicles to go around some idiot on a cell phone this morning, doing 55 in the left lane with the right lane completely open. While it was annoying, none of us felt the need to tailgate, go off on the shoulder, or do anything stupid. We just went around and went on our way.

    The absolute worst (aside from texters) are those who will tailgate you for daring to leave a gap between you and the vehicle ahead, and there is solid (moving) traffic on the road. My favorite is when they expend a bunch of effort to pass a couple cars (weaving, tailgating, etc.), and then you end up behind them on the exit ramp.
     
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  8. Michgal007

    Michgal007 Senior Member

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    It's not easy to drive erratically in Ohio and not get a ticket. Highway patrol everywhere. Most drivers go at the posted 65 mph. Rarely you see someone above 70 mph. If someone is going over 70, there are mostly from out of state, and most probably you will see them in a few minutes on the side of the road. I like it. ;)
     
  9. cyclopathic

    cyclopathic Senior Member

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    it is pretty typical picture in the Washington DC, never enforced. People claiming left lane, just b/c they have to make left turn 14 traffic lights down.
     
  10. flareak

    flareak Fleet Captain

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    wowwww just hearing about this gives me a headache.

    These people really need a huge :hurt:
     
  11. billnchristy

    billnchristy Active Member

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    I think bluetooth should be a requirement and it lock out the phone when activated so you can only access through the vehicle.

    We specifically paid extra for Sync in our Ford so we could have hands free cell after experiencing the goodness from the Prius.
     
  12. DaveinOlyWA

    DaveinOlyWA 3rd Time was Solariffic!!

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    well i for one, envy the UK.

    around here, most accidents are caused by carelessness, recklessness, alcohol and drugs and those far far outnumber slow drivers around here
     
  13. billnchristy

    billnchristy Active Member

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    Ya know...we all stand here high and mighty and say it is the idiot aggressive drivers fault but wait until you are there. I am totally against driving like an a-hole, I leave a 2ish car gap between me and the next guy whenever possible and I generally do around 5 over.

    Today I am leaving Publix and this minivan was in the left turn lane (they have one of those divider systems that spits you in the direction you want to go. He is inching out so I cannot see if someone is coming while I want to turn right...good thing I waited as he swings out and turns right so now I am stuck behind him.

    He then proceeds to go 35 in a 40 and brakes all the way down hills so he maintains about 30 when going down. I look back and there is about 4 cars trained up behind me.

    Not only that but as another car approaches in the opposite lane he tended to drift towards them...sometimes crossing the line by about 3 feet.

    I fought the urge to make an illegal pass which would have been an aggressive move that is so frowned upon here but this dude was unsafe and I would rather break 10 laws to get away from him than obey them and be killed by his idiocy.

    Luckily when I got to my turn he kept dawdling straight and I didn't have to do anything stupid.

    On top of that it was a minivan so I couldn't see around him.
     
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  14. DaveinOlyWA

    DaveinOlyWA 3rd Time was Solariffic!!

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    its funny that when on the road, we assume the right to drive as we see fit without the slightest regard for anyone else on the road.
     
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  15. DaveinOlyWA

    DaveinOlyWA 3rd Time was Solariffic!!

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    lol
     
  16. billnchristy

    billnchristy Active Member

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    I actually knew a girl in high school that got a ticket on I-10 for going under the posted minimum.
     
  17. DaveinOlyWA

    DaveinOlyWA 3rd Time was Solariffic!!

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    interesting story. what was the posted "minimum?"
     
  18. billnchristy

    billnchristy Active Member

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    40 I believe. She had one of those old Citreons like in scarface...ahh, there it is. The DS...not sure it could do over 40.

    [​IMG]
     
  19. wick1ert

    wick1ert Senior Member

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    Don't forget that the OH TP was upped to 70. I was the "fast" car for the most part doing 75 last month when I was on it. Always have seen more patrol cars on the short stretch of the OH TP I've been on compared to the 300 miles on the PA TP.
     
  20. wick1ert

    wick1ert Senior Member

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    I heard of someone getting a ticket for obstructing traffic, despite going OVER the PSL before. I can't remember who told me, but apparently they were in the left hand lane when they got the ticket.