LIE- Why am I tailgaited at 70 in the HOV?

Wisdom of our local highway columnist here in San Jose (Mr. Roadshow, San Jose Mercury News): if it's safe to do so, move over and let the jerk by. It's aggravating to be an enabler like that, but better than having him plow into you if you have to do a panic stop.

If there's nowhere to go, nothing you can do about it, so chill. Or you could slow down a bit and force him to go around. Though I don't think Mr. Roadshow recommends that.

Don't your HOV lanes get patrolled? Blasting by on the shoulder is outrageous; love to see some justice visited there!

 

In general traffic is moving fast enough in my area that I do not even go into that lane because people assume it the super fast lane and I'm not one to try and hold em up. In times when traffic is stopped or moving very slowly then I will use the HOV lane but I'm not going to go any faster than 5mph over the speed limit and if there is nowhere for me to pull over safely then the person behind me can just deal with their own anger issues.

 

Some tailgaters might not know your Prius is actually allowed in the HOV lane with just one person?

More likely though, they are just being obnoxious and selfish. BTW, does LIE mean the Long Island Expressway in your topic? I don't know the HOV rules there.

 

Hi Jen,

If in fact your speed attracts an obvious negative aggressive response from other drivers 1/3 of the time, then I fear you are traveling too slow for prevailing traffic. If you are not inclined to proceed at the prevailing speed in the HOV lane, perhaps you should take your time and creep along in the slow lanes?

Yes, your speed may be legal, but if the HOV is only one lane wide and traffic behind you is impeded then my guess is that you may eventually end up in an accident. Such an accident may not be your fault, but it will still be troublesome if it happens.

 

I have to say, sometimes driving in the HOV lane scares the hell out of me. I've had numerous incidences when some A-hole suddenly jumps in the HOV lane in front of me or the car in front. Thank god for ABS brakes. If the traffic is at a standstill I drive much slower so I can stop if necessary. I also drive with the high beams on (daytime). If there's no traffic, I don't generally drive in the HOV lane because some of those people drive waaaay too fast. I'm no grandma driver, but man oh man.

 

And here I thought the HOV lanes were to facilitate vehicles with extra passengers
at a minimum speed of 45 MPH during times of congestion... not a race track.

I do not use or have the chance to use HOV lanes but from this thread I am picturing
cars going 30 MPH in congested traffic while others in the HOV lane are going 70-80
MPH.

sounds like an accident waiting to happen as a vehicle destined for the HOV lane
tries to make their way to the lane from the ramp that they got on the highway from.

 

It's not just there.... I've had 18 wheelers on my bumper at 70 mph in other lanes (and I wasn't in the Prius, so it couldn't be that) and they're totally tail gaiting. What the heck. It's just nuts sometimes. Comments.... hmmm, remember you're in charge of your car even though others want to "take over". If you're keeping up with traffic "stay cool" otherwise maybe pull over and let'em by if they're that pushy.

 

Yes, your picture is pretty accurate with respect to rush hour traffic in Orange County, say on I-405. In southern CA, there are two sets of solid double yellow lines that mark off the carpool lane(s) from the other lanes. Entrance and exit from the carpool lanes is only allowed at certain defined spots.

Meanwhile in northern CA, I understand that drivers can freely enter/exit the carpool lanes wherever they can. So there's more chance of a surprise if a driver miscalculates the necessary clearance to change lanes, given the big difference in lane speeds.

 

People is stupid!

 

This happens nearly every day on 80-West in SF Bay Area. It's extremely frustrating, and I can't tell if it's just because I have a Prius, or if it's just because I exist (though I do find it's worse when I have my bike on the bike rack on the back of the car - no idea why this is so upsetting to some people). It's usually a single occupant vehicle who has no right to be there in the first place, but the lane isn't patrolled, so these people get away with it constantly. If the traffic is moving well in the other lanes I won't use the HOV lane, until traffic slows and is going slower than I want to go. If I'm able to move over and let the person get ahead of me and merge back in, I will. If not, I just let them suffer. I figure, I'm going faster than the traffic in the other lanes, and usually 5+ miles over the speed limit. If that's not fast enough for them, life is so tough, isn't it? Poor babies! I do worry for my safety, sometimes. It happens in the other lanes, anyway, so which is worse?

 

O noes, whatever will we do. The HOV lane isn't patrolled. Someone call the FBI.

 

One thing that I constantly hear on the radio traffic reports after dark in Los Angeles: "...someone is changing their tire in the HOV lane."

This is startling in its stupidity. Talk about a quick way to get dead! Sheesh!

 

Down here we have the Fasttrack thing...its 2 lanes in the center of I-15. In the morning its routed to go south and in the afternoon to go north. It is fully contained for i think 15 miles, no entry or exit. Its an HOV lane and also a pay/toll lane with a transponder installed in your vehicle...usually you will see 1 or 2 SDPD motorcycle officers in between the guardrail breakups and 2 or 3 Highway patrol officers riding in the lanes themselves...almost everytime they pass by, someone gets caught.

 

I carpooled for years (pre-hybrid). The HOV lane is not a "fast" lane nor is it a passing lane. And there is no requirement to break speeding laws in the lane. If someone wants to pass you, the passing lane is on the immediate right. There is no need for a car legally in the HOV lane to have to make a potentially dangerous move in order to accommodate a lawbreaker.

 

I really hate that! In the carpool lane I continue at the speed limit and don't move over until I'm ready to get out of the lane. In any other lane (freeway or side street) I slow down bit by bit. If they want to speed they can go around me. I'm not going to speed- and I could never go fast enough to satisfy them anyway. If they want to speed they can go around me and blow past that cop in front of the car next to me, and see what he says about it. heheheheh

 

Sounds like a good reason to carry a pistol in the car! My wife wants to know of missiles can be mounted facing backwards!

 

Everyday we drive up & down the 'managed' HOV lane on I-75 in north Dallas. "Managed" here means the lane is protected by a fence that only allows you in and out at designated points many miles apart. So once you've entered you're stuck there until the next exit point.

The speed limit in the HOV lane is 60. I usually go between 65-70, depending on the pace of traffic. And I always keep a healthy distance from the car in front of me (usually at least 10 car's length) because if something were to occur you don't have a choice of changing lanes to avoid collision. And there have been quite a few accidents in the HOV lane since it was opened last December. Apparently lots of crazy Texans still don't know how to use the HOV lane properly yet.

Anyhow, I too have noticed some really aggressive drivers who think the HOV lane is a race track. They would ride my tailgate without any room for error. It scares the hell out of me since my baby sits in the back. But I'm not going to speed up either because I need enough distance to slow down and stop in case something happens up ahead. What a pain in the tail, I tell you.

Where do these idiots come from anyway? Is there a factory somewhere that keeps churning them out?