Road Construction/My Hazard Flashers my new Best Friends!

I think we'd all agree that no one likes to be tail gated.
Some notes on the threads that have been posted.
Tapping your brakes is a no no, not only because the person behind you may not see your brake lights come; but because unless you have reason to slow or stop you just can't hit the brakes!
Move to the left to let trucks go by, nope you can't pass on the right so the truck is in the wrong if he does and may very well us you as the excuse if it gets stopped. If they want to be stupid and ride your bumper then they really don't care about saving fuel, let them go around!
Hazards on while moving at speed, another no no, not to have them on unless traveling 40 mph or below, or you have an emergency. And for god sakes please don't use them in the rain or snow, the other drivers know it's raining or snowing! They become a distraction to others on the road with you!

 

The only two speeding tickets I've ever received were both for "simply keeping up." One was in Michigan, the other Ohio.

Tom

 

I think we agree that "keeping up" is against the law technically, and you can garner a ticket for it. But impeding traffic, in most states, is also against the law, and is potentially making the roads unsafe for others, while making Prius drivers look like asses.

Just use your brains people. A fraction of a mile better gas mileage is not worth causing a big rig to wreck while trying to pass you, or pissing off a red-neck who could do god knows what to you for pissing him off...

 

Not in Illinois (on a multi-lane interstate) as long as I'm driving at the posted speed limit or as fast as reasonable for given traffic conditions.

Perhaps not, but I'm not willing to drive illegally and increase my risk of a $375 ticket, increased insurance costs, and potential injury to myself and others due to reduced available reaction time (including risk of $10,000 fine and 14 years in jail) just so someone else can drive illegally. I'll do everything I legally can to get out of their way and let them choose their own risk tolerance, but I won't let them force these risks on me.

 

SparrowHawk60,

If signs are posted in a construction zone requiring trucks to use the left lane of a 2 lane northbound side of an interstate expressway, and one of those trucks is driving at 50 MPH where the posted maximum speed is 55 MPH, can cars legally pass on the right at 55 MPH, or is the truck forcing the entire expressway to travel at 50 MPH for the entire 14 mile construction zone?

Is the entire construction zone forced to keep pace with the slowest truck?

Being a construction zone, there are frequently slow moving construction trucks (less than 40 MPH) entering and exiting the construction area.

Is the entire construction zone of the interstate expressway required to match the speed of these trucks, since passing on the right isn't allowed?

Actually, I thought I saw somewhere reliable that passing on the right is allowed and legal on multi-lane interstate expressways. I'll have to check up on this and get back to you.

Assuming that passing on the right is legal on a multi-lane interstate expressway, is is proper to move to the right into what has become an ad-hoc passing lane in order to allow trucks to pass on the left since they aren't allowed in the right lane? If doing so will impede the flow of traffic in the right lane, is it proper to continue to impede the flow of traffic in the left lane and force the trucks to slow down to the speed limit until the end of the construction zone?

 

I'm with the majority here....

I've been able to do 65 mph on I-95 South to Jacksonville, going to work (I work an odd shift 1 pm - 9:30 pm and 6 am to 4 pm one day a week) but I use the city streets and head up US-17 (it parallels I-95) back home doing anywhere from 30 mph to 50 mph depending on the speed limit. I've been able to increase the mpg from 49 to 53 doing this and just increasing my time to get home from work by about 10 minutes (which is OK as it's a good way to wind down somewhat as I am driving home).

In most cases, the drivers in their automobiles, and/or the truck drivers are passing me on the interstate highway since I'm also in the far right lane, and I'm not impeding traffic on the three-lane interstate highway as I drive to work. Going home I'm on four lane streets and divided highways until the most northern portion of US-17 in northern Jacksonville, where its a two lane road. There going 50 in a 60 mph zone doesn't really bother most traffic as they pass me doing 60 mph. No flashing headlight, horns, the middle finger or colorful metaphors from the other drivers. It's so peaceful.

 

I think 60mph is a pretty good limit. 55 was too slow. 70 is just way too fast. Does anyone remember why/when the limit was raised to 70?

BTW, there's a stretch of highway north of San Antonio (not I-35) with a posted limit of 80mph. Good Lord! Wish I'd taken a photo of it, but I was whizzing by so fast (not 80mph though) that I didn't have time...

 

I'm not sure what it has to do with the feathers on your butt, but the "If" wasn't a question of encountering something that I'll never encounter. The "If" was a question of what to do in a situation I encounter at least twice a day 7 days a week for the past 14 months.

Which is as good a reason as any to keep my speed under the posted limit of 55 MPH in the construction zone in my part of the world.

It seems you are not paying attention to what I am saying. In the 14 mile stretch of road construction I am referring to, signs are posted REQUIRING TRUCKS TO STAY IN THE LEFT LANE. My question refers only to this special circumstance.

Since the trucks are required to use the left lane, and the trucks in general seem to prefer to keep their speed below 65 MPH (many keep their speed around 60 MPH), many cars that want to travel at 70+ MPH turn the right lane into a passing lane. What is the proper way for me to maintain speeds at or below the posted speed limit? Do I keep right (since you indicate that slower vehicles are to keep out of the left lane) and impede the flow of traffic attempting to pass the trucks? Do I keep left (since the vehicles in this lane are driving slower) and impede the flow of the trucks (which cannot pass since they are required to stay in the left lane). Do I bounce back and forth between lanes attempting to clear out of whichever lane the nearest vehicle is in so they can pass in their current lane?

 

Here ya go:
Image:Texas 80 mph speed limit unveiling.JPG - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

I think if would be interesting to hear from some different Highway Patrols from different states and see what their perspective is, ie: blocking traffic, going too fast, etc.