Which driver is "in the right"?

[radcen]

Which doesn't seem to be the case in this particular example. Generally, driving faster than the flow of surrounding traffic is more dangerous too.

No doubt. So it would stand to reason that doing both would only compound the potential danger.

 

[betuadollar]

The question is not what is legal, but what is "right." In most states, the slower moving vehicle must move to the right. With the left designated as a passing lane. New York permits us to also pass on the right but we are not permitted to speed up when doing so. Other states allow vehicles to speed up when passing. If the question is who is wrong, vehicle one is clearly wrong because state law requires that he move right. At 53 mph he is violating the law if he remains in the left lane.

 

[Summerwind]

Wrong!!

It is ALWAYS much more safe to obey the rules and conventions of the road. The roads would be dramatically safer if we could accomplish 3 goals:
1) have people stop overestimating their own ability- use the slower lanes
2) have people follow the conventions- change lanes more frequently
3) have people stop being distracted- especially voluntary distractions that can wait

Which says nothing regarding passing on the right which is not recommended but when the extra lane(s) are available, not illegal or blatantly against the rules. It's much more so against the rules for a slower vehicle to stay in the left lanes.

 

[HonestJoe]

Vehicle 1 is wrong, he's disrupting traffic by going slow in the right lane. If he were going the speed limit he'd be in the right.

Something of a side point but it’s a speed limit, not a speed target. If it wasn’t for so many drivers treating them as the latter, they’d probably have been raised.

 

[Harry Guerrilla]

I agree. I'm not talking about when the flow of traffic is faster than the speed limit, I'm talking about when it's just one asshole who wants to drive like a madman and endanger everyone.

In that situation sure.

 

[Absentglare]

Which says nothing regarding passing on the right which is not recommended but when the extra lane(s) are available, not illegal or blatantly against the rules. It's much more so against the rules for a slower vehicle to stay in the left lanes.

I didn't say it's against the rules, but it is less safe. The better we adhere to our conventions, the more predictable other drivers are, the better in sync we are, the better our flow control operates, the fewer accidents.

Passing on the right doesn't fix the problem, the slow person needs to move over otherwise other slow drivers who properly use the slow lane end up screwing with the system of driving a half circle around an inconsiderate driver.

 

[matchlight]

You always have to move to the right to let other vehicles pass, whether they are speeding or not. Drivers are not supposed to take it upon themselves to enforce the vehicle code against other drivers.

 

[faithful_servant]

please, not this
hope you are not driving according to the traffic BEHIND you

If the car behind me is following too close, then they are putting my safety in jeopardy. Since I can't adjust their following distance to match my speed, I adjust my speed to match their following distance. I always drive according to the traffic conditions and that's just another traffic condition to contend with. Fortunately, this only happens a couple times a year and most of the time the driver backs off pretty quickly or passes me. I'm not going to allow another driver to put me at risk any more than I have to and I'm not going to drive faster just because some dumbass decides that 65 in a 55 is too slow for him.

 

[TurtleDude]

the second vehicle is in the right because his alleged violation of the law has yet to happen

end of story.

 

[Lord of Planar]

You could say technically that neither driver is "in the right," but the one driver impeding the other is definitely in the wrong.

There is not correct answer of the four choices in my opinion, so I chose what I consider the closest. Driver 2 is in the right.

 

[Lord of Planar]

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

I just slow down when people do that. I'm usually in no hurry.

 

[mtm1963]

I just slow down when people do that. I'm usually in no hurry.

i've done that too but it has a tendency to piss people off.

 

[Absentglare]

If the car behind me is following too close, then they are putting my safety in jeopardy. Since I can't adjust their following distance to match my speed, I adjust my speed to match their following distance. I always drive according to the traffic conditions and that's just another traffic condition to contend with. Fortunately, this only happens a couple times a year and most of the time the driver backs off pretty quickly or passes me. I'm not going to allow another driver to put me at risk any more than I have to and I'm not going to drive faster just because some dumbass decides that 65 in a 55 is too slow for him.

I loathe all spiteful driving, like slowing down and then speeding up when they tries to pass you, which is not what you're describing.

You're free to pull over and let any crazy drivers stay firmly in front of you where they can no longer crash straight into you. I think this is a good policy.

Trying to pace other drivers can quickly escalate to spiteful driving if pride/egos/moods start to get in the way.

Just want to be clear again, i'm not disagreeing with you, it makes me very upset that other drivers let priorities other than safety take precedence.

 

[Lord of Planar]

i've done that too but it has a tendency to piss people off.

Too bad. When they invade my area of safety, I want to minimize the impact if I have to slam on the brakes.

 

[cAPSLOCK]

Neither is in the right. It is common driving courtesy to stay to the right and leave the left lane open for passing, regardless of your speed. Vehicle 2 isn't in the right because he is speeding. But that has nothing to do with what vehicle 1 should do.

Bingo. This is the only correct answer.

 

[jamesrage]

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.

I would say both are wrong,Driver 2 is way more wrong seeing how is driving ten miles over the speed limit. Driver one would only be technically wrong because two miles is hardly a difference between 53mph and 55mph.

 

[Pollycy]

Technically, both are probably "in the right".... Nevertheless, where you run into these "Slower Traffic Keep Right" signs is usually in places where an extra lane has appeared for both vehicles. Personally, I ALWAYS get in the right-most lane unless I really need to pass a vehicle in front of me, or unless that vehicle is really going very slow. When you drive in Germany, you learn these courtesies.

 

[Moderate Right]

I didn't vote because I don't think there was enough information to vote. As someone pointed out, #2 could just pass on the right with no problems, so what's the big deal with the question? Another observation is that even though #2's intentions were to speed at 65 MPH, legally you can't hold someone's intentions against them. In other words, he was only going around 53 - 55 at the time of the question because they had just reached the increased lanes. He couldn't have been going much faster than that if he was behind the guy moving at 53 MPH so you can't judge his intentions before they happened. He is only breaking the law at the point where he is actually speeding and he hadn't gotten to that point yet.

 

[Bodi]

i've done that too but it has a tendency to piss people off.

I slow down too... and then speed up when they try to pass, then box them in if possible, all the while acting like an ignorant idiot with no clue until they finally get a pass... they drive by honking, flipping me off screaming and I look like, uh, what, me? and then I point at them and laugh my ass off.

 

[Bodi]

Too bad. When they invade my area of safety, I want to minimize the impact if I have to slam on the brakes.

I just want to piss them off... if they are angry I win.

 

[WorldWatcher]

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.

Your link is to signage and does not pertain the the conditions described. One sign is a Speed Limit sign and the other is an advisory for slower traffic to keep right. Neither prevent passing.

The road you describe is a two lane highway, meaning that the traffic is going in the same direction in both lanes.

It is permissible and legal to pass slower traffic on multi-lane highways on the right when traffic is in the same direction.

Chapter 6: Passing | New York State DMV
Is it really illegal to pass a car on the right? Can I get ticket? Ask @Commuting Larry | NJ.com
http://forums.officer.com/t94861/ht...ection=veh&group=21001-22000&file=21750-21760
CA Codes (veh:21750-21760)


>>>>

 

[CLAX1911]

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.

I have to say driver 1 is in the wrong. Driver 2 isn't speeding because he is in a car driving under the speed limit. He can't drive any faster. Further he could drive faster without breaking the law.

Driver 1 is completely in the wrong disobeying regulatory signs, driver 2 is not.

 

[Lursa]

Driver 2 moves to right lane and drives any speed he wants, hopefully the speed limit which is still faster than the slow Driver 1 in left lane.

If Driver 2 passes Driver 1 in left lane, so be it. And no one says he has to get in front of Driver 1. He just keeps driving. There's no 'passing' by changing lanes. Nothing illegal at all. And if, as is likely, he's still in front when passing lane ends, he gets in front of other Driver 1. He certainly wouldnt be required to slow down and let Driver 1 get in front of him.

(example without any other cars involved, as posted in OP)

 

[EdwinWillers]

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.

V1's driver is in violation of the traffic law governed by the "Slower Traffic Keep Right" sign - which is as binding as the speed limit sign is binding, regardless of how it may be enforced.

V1's driver is "hindering" V2's driver, regardless whether they are in a state in which traffic laws prohibit passing a vehicle on the right or not. Posted general safe driving practices discourage (and in some cases prohibit) passing on the right because it is a safety issue, the vehicle in front having less visibility (steering wheel being on the left in this country) of vehicles to their right than they do with vehicles on their left.

V1's driver is also guilty of reckless driving. Most reckless driving laws cover BOTH "deliberate" reckless driving and inattentive driving. Deliberately being reckless we all get: speeding, swerving, tailgating, etc. But not seeing the sign requiring them to move over, seeing it but it not registering for whatever reason, not remembering the law to move over, not seeing the driver behind them or their presence not registering is inattentive driving and therefore reckless driving - and fwiw - just as deliberate a violation of the law as doing it willfully.

V1's driver is also being a jerk. Whether willfully or not, they're being a jerk.

V2's driver is doing nothing wrong. They may want to drive faster, but until they actually GO faster, they're doing nothing wrong. In fact, in NOT taking advantage of the driving lane on their right to pass the reckless jerk in V1, they're being everything the violator in V1 isn't.

 

[Mr Person]

Well, we don't have information on how much traffic there is, and the amount of traffic does play heavily in whether there is a driving in the passing lane violation.

The speed limit is 55, but going under the speed limit isn't a civil violation.

The other driver may want to go 65, but wanting something unlawful isn't a crime. Doing something unlawful is.