People need to learn that the left lane should be for passing only...that would help congestions. Plenty of people figure that if they're going 70, that the left lane is theirs, but that's not the case. When I'm going 85, I merge back into the right lane, even if there's nothing ahead in the left. I'd say about 90% of my slowing down on the interstate is as a result of people who think the left lane is the 'fast' lane and not the 'passing' lane.
I live a few miles South of Wisconsin. Around here, it's the "Cheese Lane". I'm not sure what it is, but as soon as Wisconsin cars cross into Illinois, they migrate to the left lane, regardless of speed, and sit there for miles, if not days. IL enacted a law this year outlawing this behavior: if you are in the leftlane but not passing anyone, you are required to get over. But I've actually seen police cruisers riding the left lane in a group of other cars riding the left lane. I know it's "illegal" to pass on the right, but I shouldn't HAVE to pass on the right.
I once got pulled over in Missouri on the way across country for driving in the left lane. I had no idea that is was just for passing. I fortunately was going the speed limit and only got a warning. I would guess that you would get a ticket going 85 no matter what lane you were driving in. Besides, going 85 has got to be really bad on your mpg. Jeff
Exactly...it's not passing on the right that should be illegal, it's staying in the left. Passing on the right is entirely variable. Is it illegal to pass in the right is someone's go 20 on the interstate? Getting over into the right lane is a much easier, standard act to police.
Once upon a time there were a bunch of ambitious individuals who went off to college and spent a ton of money getting an education so that they could become civil engineers. They are highly qualified people (except maybe in certain parts of New York City) who have very extensive knowledge about transportation safety and function. These educated people came up with this thing called a speed limit. If a vehicle is traveling faster than this speed it has a great probability of not being able to react in time to a hazardous situation. The result of such a scenario would most often result in great damage to people and property. This is especially true at night where a driver's ability to see far enough down the road is greatly decreased. Though chaos cannot be controlled, the rules set in place by professionals who understand roadways and their hazards are the next best thing we have. I highly recommend following them to the best of one's ability and constantly observing how to gain better situational awareness to the system.
625 ILCS 5/11-704 (a) The driver of a vehicle with 3 or more wheels may overtake and pass upon the right of another vehicle only under the following conditions: 1. When the vehicle overtaken is making or about to make a left turn. 2. Upon a roadway with unobstructed pavement of sufficient width for two or more lines of vehicles moving lawfully in the direction being travelled by the overtaking vehicle. 3. Upon a one-way street, or upon any roadway on which traffic is restricted to one direction of movement, where the roadway is free from obstructions and of sufficient width for 2 or more lines of moving vehicles.
Many of the nation's interstates (residential/urban areas are a different matter) were engineered for much higher speeds than the current posted limit -- in fact they were designed to be alternate landing strips for aircraft in case of war by Eisenhower. Those of you approaching geezer status like myself are old enough to remember when the national speed limit was set to 55 not for safety but for fuel economy. A speed limit of 70 was moderate for an interstate and many highways in the West/Midwest had no speed limits at all. I believe that the PA Turnpike was originally designed to be an American Autobahn and briefly had no speed limit.
Some of Highway 101 between San Francisco and L.A. has a posted top speed of 70 mph. Most of the signs are posted at 65, and a few 55, when you come closer to a congested area. The 70 mph speeds were in very rural, non-populated areas. Jeff
Don't forget that the German Autobahn has a better safety record than the American interstate system.
I can't imagine the amount of traffic is much different between the two, if not worse in Germany. Germany has a bunch of people in a much much smaller area than the US. From what I've picked up, it has more to do with a much better concept of how to properly use lanes, since you absolutely cannot be in the left lane when someone could be barrelling down you at a hugely high speed.
Amen, I LOVED driving the autobahn. Everyone was predictable. If you were going slower than the traffic behind you you got into the right hand lane. If you were going faster than the car you were overtaking they pulled over for you....it was fast, but organized and predictable and everyone (so it seemed thought I hate to use absolutes) played by the 'rules'. In aviation they use a term "situational awareness"--paying attention to and reacting appropriately to everything going on around you. On US roadways there is a severe paucity of situational awareness....and not to excuse road rage, I think that is a serious cause of much of the frustrations drivers feel when driving...I know it is for me. I couldn't care less if someone's driving over or under the limit, as long as they pay attention to what's going on and do as much as possible to avoid disrupting the smooth flow of traffic.
I'm no road rager by any means, but I also get frustrated on highways when people do stuff like block up the lanes. It's tough because you extend that courtesy to everyone, but then plenty of people don't extend it to you.
My experience of Autobahn in Germany was on a taxi from airport to hotel, with a quite hilarious driver topping 93-95 mph, I did not feel very easy. In USA (I was in upper NY state) I was very happy about the absence of traffic outside big towns. Here in Italy roads are normally very crowded, speed limits are 31 mph in town, 56 mph outside town, 90 mph on motor roads.
Evan, nice use of the word "paucity". Though I would have expected you to go with something more like, "...eximplify a hebetude for situational awareness..."
using the freeways as alternate landing strips is a myth. the german autobhan has a higher density of traffic then the US does. also when figuring actual miles traveled, the accident rate in rural areas is MUCH higher than congested urban freeways. one of the tricks the autobahn used was to never have long straight stretches of highway. gently curving one way and then the other helped keep drivers alert. sleeping at the wheel is the number one cause of accidents in the US. drunk driving is #2. as you can guess, neither have anything to do with congestion. and as for getting pulled over for being in the left hand lane when not passing, its too bad you didnt get a ticket, since THAT would have been against the law.
http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/infrastructure/rw00b.htm You'll find a little myth debunking right there. I think part of it might have always had to do with the fact that planes have been known to land on interstates from time to time.
Go the speed limit and the idiot driver's get pissed and ride your arse - go over the speed limit and you give the cops what's called "probable cause". I opt to go the speed limit and stay out of the fast lane - if they ride my but I hit the windshield wiper fluid and they get a shower for being too damn close.
Or you could speed whenever you spot someone going faster than you can can tail him so that when the cops go for the speeder, they get him. :mrgreen: If you're one of those people who always gets caught for speeding, you're in the front of a pack of people like me. :mrgreen:
