Which driver is "in the right"?

[Your Star]

Vehicle one has the type of driver in it that drives other drivers into road rage, and he is in the wrong. It doesn't say, if you're going close to the speed limit, it says very specifically "Slower," we was slower, he's in the wrong unless he is in the process of passing an even slower vehicle. That's not indicated in your scenario so I'm assuming it isn't so. That said, driver #2 should just pass on the right and be done with it.

But if someone wants to ridiculously speed, that's their problem. I travel in the left lane a lot because I drive generally 5-10 over the speed limit, and I pass a lot of slower cars. But if someone wants to go 20-30 MPH over the limit, I'm not going to accommodate them.

 

[Winchester]

If one isn't passing stay in the right f'ing lane. :lol: The left lane is the passing lane... at least around here. I really hate (mostly) out of state drivers who think they can just cruise in the left lane.

 

[Summerwind]

But if someone wants to ridiculously speed, that's their problem. I travel in the left lane a lot because I drive generally 5-10 over the speed limit, and I pass a lot of slower cars. But if someone wants to go 20-30 MPH over the limit, I'm not going to accommodate them.

In this scenario, apparently it is indicated that these are the only two on the road. Granted, I will often get my panties in a twist and refuse to move over as well for essentially the exact same reason, even if I and he/she are the only one's on the road. However I do realize that it is me being a bitch (not in a good way), and both illegal and righteously stupid.

 

[Winchester]

But if someone wants to ridiculously speed, that's their problem. I travel in the left lane a lot because I drive generally 5-10 over the speed limit, and I pass a lot of slower cars. But if someone wants to go 20-30 MPH over the limit, I'm not going to accommodate them.

See... your exactly the type of driver we hate in Montana. :lol:

 

[Winchester]

Interesting Map.

Left-Lane Passing Laws: A State-By-State Map

 

[justabubba]

If one isn't passing stay in the right f'ing lane. :lol: The left lane is the passing lane... at least around here. I really hate (mostly) out of state drivers who think they can just cruise in the left lane.

but it's so much more empty [/s]

 

[Winchester]

but it's so much more empty [/s]

It is. But I really hate passing on the right because, unless passing, virtually all people cruise in the right lane. One never knows if the driver isn't paying attention and will pull back over into the driving lane when one is passing on the right.

 

[NonoBadDog]

Two vehicles are traveling down a two-lane highway. Vehicle #1 is in front and is travelling at 53 MPH. They come to a passing lane. There are two signs for the passing lane.

View attachment 67192358 View attachment 67192359

Vehicle #1 stays in the left lane and continues at 53 MPH. The driver of Vehicle #2 wants to travel at 65 MPH, and wants to pass Vehicle #1, but the driver of Vehicle #1 refuses to move to the right lane.

Which driver is "in the right"?

Some points...

- The driver of Vehicle #1 is obeying the posted speed limit.

- The driver of Vehicle #1 is not moving to the right lane as directed by the other sign, and is hence hindering Vehicle #2.

- The driver of Vehicle #2 wants to speed and technically break the law.

Discuss & vote.

Disclaimer: Please note this question is not about how easy it would be for Vehicle #2 to just pass on the right.

This is why I have a big bumper on my truck.

 

[justabubba]

It is. But I really hate passing on the right because, unless passing, virtually all people cruise in the right lane. One never knows if the driver isn't paying attention and will pull back over into the driving lane when one is passing on the right.

i believe drivers such as V1 have a personality defect. they don't have authority elsewhere in their lives to effect any control. this is their one opportunity in life. being able to jam up traffic to go their slower speed must get them off

what is potentially more amazing is that they will pop up and acknowledge their dickish behavior - with pride

and that twenty-something with her foot in the floorboard driving a round bozeman ... she got it honestly. her first car was an E30; had to get it chipped to slow down its ability to accelerate. hope somebody out there teaches her how to drive in snow

 

[NonoBadDog]

i'll add one more thing, never tailgate the driver in front of you to get them to move over!

Is bumping them considered tailgating?

 

[CanadaJohn]

Two vehicles are traveling down a two-lane highway. Vehicle #1 is in front and is travelling at 53 MPH. They come to a passing lane. There are two signs for the passing lane.

View attachment 67192358 View attachment 67192359

Vehicle #1 stays in the left lane and continues at 53 MPH. The driver of Vehicle #2 wants to travel at 65 MPH, and wants to pass Vehicle #1, but the driver of Vehicle #1 refuses to move to the right lane.

Which driver is "in the right"?

Some points...

- The driver of Vehicle #1 is obeying the posted speed limit.

- The driver of Vehicle #1 is not moving to the right lane as directed by the other sign, and is hence hindering Vehicle #2.

- The driver of Vehicle #2 wants to speed and technically break the law.

Discuss & vote.

Disclaimer: Please note this question is not about how easy it would be for Vehicle #2 to just pass on the right.

Firstly, I'd state that in Europe, where the vast majority of people actually know how to drive and are mindful of other drivers on the road, it is illegal to pass on the right. It is also illegal to drive in and block the left lane.

That said, the driver of vehicle 1 is an asshole and a prime example of what is principally wrong with driving specifically but also life, in general, in North America. In our "me, now" society, where far too many people are only concerned with their own interests, to hell with anyone else, selfish assholes like the driver of vehicle 1 will block and inconvenience everyone else on the road simply because he can. This driver is a prime example of why some people started to get shot on Los Angeles freeways.

One final comment I'd make is that while speeding may be illegal, it's not an absolute. Speeding, as an offense, is entirely based on the flow of traffic in any particular situation. You will not be pulled over and charged with speeding unless your actions put others on the road in jeopardy. It may not be well known, but it's also illegal to disrupt the normal flow of traffic even if you're driving within the posted speed limits. It can be far more dangerous to be driving 40 mph in a posted 55 zone than it is to be driving 65. Depends on what everyone else in the traffic flow is doing. I'd also note, whether it's posted or not, it is a legal requirement to drive in the right hand lane unless passing a slower vehicle. More people should know and obey this requirement and there'd be far less tension on our roadways.

I will note, as an aside, that I've noticed here in Toronto that Asian driving schools have been training young and new drivers to immediately get into the left lane. I don't know what the reason is, other than perhaps to drive the rest of us insane so that they can take control of the country in the long run. I consider it a Chinese ploy to send all their very worst drivers here as part of this plot.

 

[CanadaJohn]

But if someone wants to ridiculously speed, that's their problem. I travel in the left lane a lot because I drive generally 5-10 over the speed limit, and I pass a lot of slower cars. But if someone wants to go 20-30 MPH over the limit, I'm not going to accommodate them.

You shouldn't be on the road. You're exactly the type of driver who's costing our economy untold $billions in traffic congestion and lost productivity and you're also increasing pollution, if you're interested.

What makes you think your special brand of speeding is more worthy than the poor bugger or dozens of poor buggers stuck behind you who want to drive faster?

 

[Cardinal]

Two vehicles are traveling down a two-lane highway. Vehicle #1 is in front and is travelling at 53 MPH. They come to a passing lane. There are two signs for the passing lane.

View attachment 67192358 View attachment 67192359

Vehicle #1 stays in the left lane and continues at 53 MPH. The driver of Vehicle #2 wants to travel at 65 MPH, and wants to pass Vehicle #1, but the driver of Vehicle #1 refuses to move to the right lane.

Which driver is "in the right"?

Some points...

- The driver of Vehicle #1 is obeying the posted speed limit.

- The driver of Vehicle #1 is not moving to the right lane as directed by the other sign, and is hence hindering Vehicle #2.

- The driver of Vehicle #2 wants to speed and technically break the law.

Discuss & vote.

Disclaimer: Please note this question is not about how easy it would be for Vehicle #2 to just pass on the right.

When the right lane is occupied and it is not rush hour traffic, then the left lane is for passing only. If you are not passing, then you are committing the offense known as "team asshole." It is not the driver's prerogative to determine whether or not the car behind him is allowed to pass past the barricade. The driver in the passing lane creating the barricade is not in a position to judge if the car behind him has a legitimate emergency. If the driver behind him wants to speed at 65 mph then it is the jurisdiction of a cop to pull him over and determine any legitimacy for speeding.

 

[blackjack50]

Veh 1. Veh is speeding. Beh 1 isn't slow traffic per law.

 

[Your Star]

You shouldn't be on the road. You're exactly the type of driver who's costing our economy untold $billions in traffic congestion and lost productivity and you're also increasing pollution, if you're interested.

What makes you think your special brand of speeding is more worthy than the poor bugger or dozens of poor buggers stuck behind you who want to drive faster?

Because cops let my speeding go; I've never had a ticket. While there is a line one should not cross and that is what the drives who want to drive 20-30 over the limit are doing. I'm driving at a safe speed that keeps up with the vast majority of traffic. People who go over that much are a danger to the public and should not be accommodated for. If everyone was driving that way I'd see your point, but it's the asshole who want to drive 30 over that is in the minority and is a danger to not only me, but everyone else on the road.

 

[Manc Skipper]

Here we drive the other way round, so I reversed R and L. Like the rest of Europe, passing on the inside is frowned upon. We call it "undertaking" with due cause. We actually have a law against sitting in the middle lane of a three-lane motorway. So both would be wrong (Though our speed limit on the test road would be sixty)

Motorist becomes first convicted of hogging motorway middle lane - Telegraph

 

[Cardinal]

Because cops let my speeding go; I've never had a ticket. While there is a line one should not cross and that is what the drives who want to drive 20-30 over the limit are doing. I'm driving at a safe speed that keeps up with the vast majority of traffic. People who go over that much are a danger to the public and should not be accommodated for. If everyone was driving that way I'd see your point, but it's the asshole who want to drive 30 over that is in the minority and is a danger to not only me, but everyone else on the road.

Regardless, if you have the capability to let them pass (i.e. it's not rush hour) then you let them pass. It's not your place to determine the legitimacy for their speeding.

 

[Dirt Racer]

Driver 2 should pull up next to Driver 1 and door the hell out of him. Then proceed on at 55 mph.

 

[Your Star]

Regardless, if you have the capability to let them pass (i.e. it's not rush hour) then you let them pass. It's not your place to determine the legitimacy for their speeding.

If they want to go at a dangerous speed, they can pass me.

 

[blackjack50]

I will note vehicle 1 is wrong for not moving over. But veh 2 doesn't have an excuse to speed lol

 

[Ikari]

Two vehicles are traveling down a two-lane highway. Vehicle #1 is in front and is travelling at 53 MPH. They come to a passing lane. There are two signs for the passing lane.

View attachment 67192358 View attachment 67192359

Vehicle #1 stays in the left lane and continues at 53 MPH. The driver of Vehicle #2 wants to travel at 65 MPH, and wants to pass Vehicle #1, but the driver of Vehicle #1 refuses to move to the right lane.

Which driver is "in the right"?

Some points...

- The driver of Vehicle #1 is obeying the posted speed limit.

- The driver of Vehicle #1 is not moving to the right lane as directed by the other sign, and is hence hindering Vehicle #2.

- The driver of Vehicle #2 wants to speed and technically break the law.

Discuss & vote.

Disclaimer: Please note this question is not about how easy it would be for Vehicle #2 to just pass on the right.

While the second vehicle is speeding and can be ticketed for such, Driver 1 is in the wrong. Driver 1 isn't a cop and playing Road Warrior will only serve to make traffic and tempers worse. Slower traffic keeps right.

 

[Cephus]

I say vehicle #1 because they are the one following the law. 53mph is not significantly slower than the speed limit. Nobody should be driving faster than 55mph in this scenario. Vehicle #2 is entirely in the wrong no matter how you spin it.

 

[CanadaJohn]

Because cops let my speeding go; I've never had a ticket. While there is a line one should not cross and that is what the drives who want to drive 20-30 over the limit are doing. I'm driving at a safe speed that keeps up with the vast majority of traffic. People who go over that much are a danger to the public and should not be accommodated for. If everyone was driving that way I'd see your point, but it's the asshole who want to drive 30 over that is in the minority and is a danger to not only me, but everyone else on the road.

If you're in the left lane and there are cars behind you trying to get by, you're a danger to the flow of traffic and have great potential for causing an accident if the drivers behind you have to change lanes in order to get around you. Passing slower traffic at 10 mph over the speed limit is fine, but then get back in the right or middle lane, depending on the size of the highway if there are other cars trying to get around you. Moseying along in the passing lane at 10 mph over the speed limit while others are trying to get past you is no different than going 10 mph below the speed limit in the same situation. You're an impediment to the traffic behind you and it appears you're only doing it out of spite because you can. It's not your role as a user of the highway to police what other drivers are doing - police yourself only. If you follow the rules of the road, what other drivers do wrong shouldn't affect you.

 

[radcen]

The answer: Technically, both are "in the wrong". Both are breaking the law.

Someone mentioned how the driver of V1 would be prone to be prideful of what they're doing, and this is true and common. They will often say with sanctimonious pride, "I'm obeying the law/speed limit.", inferring that they're the 'good person' for doing so and the other person is a reprobate for wanting to be a law-breaker. What they generally don't know is that they are also breaking the law by not moving to the right. Most people are unaware that sign colors have legal meaning. White signs with black lettering are regulatory signs and carry the weight of law.

Link: http://www.trafficsign.us/oldmutcd/1978/2b-regulatorysigns.pdf

Here's how it breaks down: Driver 1 is obeying the speed law, but is breaking the law regarding moving to the right for anyone who wants to pass. The speed of the other vehicle is completely irrelevant. Driver 2 wants to obey the passing law, but is breaking the speed law.

The passing law is almost never enforced, btw, but it is still technically the law.

In state where these laws are on the books, obviously, which is most states. Your mileage may vary where you live.

 

[radcen]

Passing on the right is generally considered not safe. Especially when passing vehicles with limited vision such as large trucks.