Common Courtesy/Rules of the Road

[TheDutchGun]

Here in Ontario, I believe there is a rarely enforced law that says you have to move over for faster moving traffic. There's also a law requiring you to change lanes in order to let merging traffic on the highway.

 

[Kansei]

| PASSING LANE| TRAVEL LANE | SLOW VEHICLE LANE |, where does the HOV lane fit in then? when its not rush hour i mean. Does it become the passing lane? or no...

there's no HOV lanes in Rochester.. only a million people here, not big enough to need them I guess.. and those signs are in CT, which I don't think has a city with over 200k people so um yeah.. there's usually only three lanes when it's going up over a big hill or a mountain, and then only because a slow vehicle lane is needed.

 

[Kansei]

Here in Ontario, I believe there is a rarely enforced law that says you have to move over for faster moving traffic. There's also a law requiring you to change lanes in order to let merging traffic on the highway.

and from my experience driving from Rochester to toronto quite a few times and even the occasional Rochester - Toronto - Montreal trip, the traffic tends to move quite swimmingly on the QEW. good stuff, I wish CT or NY had a law like that.. not all that many states here are strict about the law

 

[TheDutchGun]

and from my experience driving from Rochester to toronto quite a few times and even the occasional Rochester - Toronto - Montreal trip, the traffic tends to move quite swimmingly on the QEW. good stuff, I wish CT or NY had a law like that.. not all that many states here are strict about the law

I'm sure you've driven through or near St. Catharines before then. That would be my hometown. Overall on Ontario highways, the traffic is generally really well behaved. Commuter traffic sucks though as I'm sure it does everywhere else.

 

[Olestra]

edit

 

[Olestra]

You have got to be kidding!?! Everyone else is an asshole, but you are brake-checking and blocking ???? Who's the asshole in in the situation you described? Don't bother to respond to that, it was rhetorical.

Thanks to Kansei, I was able to read the laws regarding this subject in Virginia. Nowhere does it say anything about the speed limit, as in "should said douche-bag be driving at or above the posted limit, SDB shall not be required to yield.

The bottom line is: No matter what speed you are driving, be it 40, 60, or 160, if you are being overtaken, you should yield and move over.

You are the problem

Hehe. The problem is the guy flooring his SUV only to brake on my bumper. That's what I'm talking about, not everyone but ppl riding right up on your bumper.
I was passing 2 semis, already above the limit, in a matter of seconds, I would have been able to pass and move over. He basically wanted me to out of the way instantly.
I rarely brake check/block. Normally, I'm courteous - I'll maintain my speed or push up a little more just to get over but not this time. Especially if the guy is flashing his lights and swerving like a mad man. Like Kansei, I felt like stopping my car and pulling up the E-brake. As I said in my post, if someone's an A-hole, I'm going to be one back.

Please don't compare the autobahn to a normal highway/freeway. The autobahn has no speed limit. I'm not going to travel up to someone's insane speed just so I can let him pass and risk getting a ticket/impounded.

One of the things mentioned that I hugely agree with is, yes I compromised my safety. I did realize that immediately after. But in the moment I was too pissed off at this guy trying to threaten me with hitting my car off the road.

 

[Hikaru9]

Hmm... -_-a

As I said in my post, if someone's an A-hole, I'm going to be one back.

I won't call anyone an a-hole, but I believe the above statement makes you basically the equal to the others previously described. ^_^;;

One of the things mentioned that I hugely agree with is, yes I compromised my safety. I did realize that immediately after. But in the moment I was too pissed off at this guy trying to threaten me with hitting my car off the road.

Indeed! Feelings of payback won't mean much if someone actually gets hurt. I'm sure I'd be very upset if I were in a similar situation, but self-control is something that takes lots of practice.
*^_^*

 

[SeminoleMan]

Please don't compare the autobahn to a normal highway/freeway. The autobahn has no speed limit.

80% of the autobahn has a speed limit by the way. The same awareness and etiquette required to drive in the unlimited sections is expected in restricted areas as well.

It's actually an excellent comparison because it has a larger disparity in speeds than the U.S and Canada and they don't have these problems. A few simple rules make it possible: Trucks are restricted to the right-lane, faster traffic only in the left lane (flashing and turn signal on means you better move your ass), and you pass as fast as possible before getting back in the travel lane because someone else is likely to be closing in much faster than 20mph on your bumper.

If safe and purposeful travel is what your looking for you'd be hard pressed for a better example.

 

[Evo Scooter]

Actually being singled out was a good thing... the rest of us got bunched into "you're a bunch of senseless jerks who drive like aholes"

Well that's better. Unless that means I'm the only sane guy in the asylum. Now I'm lonely.

PS all tailgaters should be shot, stabbed, hung from a tree and beat like a pinata until they are dead. Yes, I had one of those days.

 

[tsunami]

my gf tailgates like a mofo... drives me so nuts..we argue about it all the time... she pretty much drives as fast as the person in front of her and if there is no one in front of her she pretty much accelerates until either i yell at her or she gets behind some one else... i have no idea how she doesn't have more speeding tickets then she does.

 

[Foolish]

You know what bugs me even more than slow left lane drives? Ambiguous drivers.

Last night, coming home from Atlanta, I'm on a 4-lane divided highway (two in each direction) with a 65 MPH speed limit. Conditions are cold but clear, very little traffic. I'm loping along with the cruise control set at 74-ish, and two cars are a ways behind me, gradually catching up. One of them, a big white Lincoln, pulls along side of me in the left lane, and then......nothing! Doesn't pass, doesn't drop back, just sits there, next to me, for like a mile. There are 3 cars in the 1000 yards of dark country road that I can see, and this ASSHOLE has to sit next to me! ARRRRRRGHH!! WTF??? Pass me and get on with your evening or drop back and give me some room. If a deer runs out in to the road, or there's some road debris in my lane, or a car is broken down not quite all the way on the shoulder I can easily switch lanes to safety on such an abandoned road, unless, for example, some nitwit in a Lincoln is sitting there next to me for no reason. He pulled along side, then dropped back 1/4 to 1/2 a length, then forward some, then back, clearly changing speeds at random, since this whole time I'm on cruise at my rock-solid 74MPH. Finally, I got sick of him, got on it, blasted away from him at about 90 until I had a 100 yard lead, then stuck it back on cruise at 74.

I'm just saying people need to "drive like they mean it". While some might think I'm talking about aggressive driving, I'm just talking about making steady, consistant moves, so that others can predict your actions instead of being wishy-washy and making us all wonder what dumb move you're going to pull next. So, drive like you mean it, for all of our sake!

 

[kokemon23]

You know what bugs me even more than slow left lane drives? Ambiguous drivers.

Last night, coming home from Atlanta, I'm on a 4-lane divided highway (two in each direction) with a 65 MPH speed limit. Conditions are cold but clear, very little traffic. I'm loping along with the cruise control set at 74-ish, and two cars are a ways behind me, gradually catching up. One of them, a big white Lincoln, pulls along side of me in the left lane, and then......nothing! Doesn't pass, doesn't drop back, just sits there, next to me, for like a mile. There are 3 cars in the 1000 yards of dark country road that I can see, and this ASSHOLE has to sit next to me! ARRRRRRGHH!! WTF??? Pass me and get on with your evening or drop back and give me some room. If a deer runs out in to the road, or there's some road debris in my lane, or a car is broken down not quite all the way on the shoulder I can easily switch lanes to safety on such an abandoned road, unless, for example, some nitwit in a Lincoln is sitting there next to me for no reason. He pulled along side, then dropped back 1/4 to 1/2 a length, then forward some, then back, clearly changing speeds at random, since this whole time I'm on cruise at my rock-solid 74MPH. Finally, I got sick of him, got on it, blasted away from him at about 90 until I had a 100 yard lead, then stuck it back on cruise at 74.

I'm just saying people need to "drive like they mean it". While some might think I'm talking about aggressive driving, I'm just talking about making steady, consistant moves, so that others can predict your actions instead of being wishy-washy and making us all wonder what dumb move you're going to pull next. So, drive like you mean it, for all of our sake!

+1
Haha, I was reading your post and cracking up, I HATE when people do that!! Especially if I'm on cruise and I have to get off because of them!

 

[BKK Jack]

Hehe. The problem is the guy flooring his SUV only to brake on my bumper. That's what I'm talking about, not everyone but ppl riding right up on your bumper.
I was passing 2 semis, already above the limit, in a matter of seconds, I would have been able to pass and move over. He basically wanted me to out of the way instantly.
I rarely brake check/block. Normally, I'm courteous - I'll maintain my speed or push up a little more just to get over but not this time. Especially if the guy is flashing his lights and swerving like a mad man. Like Kansei, I felt like stopping my car and pulling up the E-brake. As I said in my post, if someone's an A-hole, I'm going to be one back.

Please don't compare the autobahn to a normal highway/freeway. The autobahn has no speed limit. I'm not going to travel up to someone's insane speed just so I can let him pass and risk getting a ticket/impounded.

One of the things mentioned that I hugely agree with is, yes I compromised my safety. I did realize that immediately after. But in the moment I was too pissed off at this guy trying to threaten me with hitting my car off the road.

The autobahn IS a highway/freeway, so why can't you use it in a comparison. We are talking more about drivers and less about the roads on which they drive. The real problems, as I see it are twofold:

1. Poor driver education and lax licensing standards. Just about anyone can get and retain a license in the U.S. Driver's Ed is a joke, and testing is just about as laughable.

2. No enforcement of "slower traffic keep right" laws. It's much easier for Officer Bagadonuts to sit there with a radar/laser and nab speeders than to go after the people causing congestion through inconsiderate/illegal driving habits. A radar/laser ticket is more likely to stick, because it is objective. The officer is not required to testify in court his reasons for citing the offender beyond saying his equipment said the offender was traveling xx in a yy zone. Basically it's a money machine for the municipality.

Consequently more and more people are driving worse, and no one is yanking them off the road. The media likes to sensationalize the resulting frustration as "road rage", and some jurisdictions have adopted "aggressive" driving laws to try to combat the symptom while ignoring the disease. I wouldn't get so frustrated and angry, and wouldn't dream of having twin fixed forward firing M2 machine guns, if that car would just move over and let me by.


I saw on Jeopardy last night that the Mayor of San Francisco authorized summary executions for looters after the earthquake in 1906. Those were the days!

 

[Hikaru9]

...Consequently more and more people are driving worse, and no one is yanking them off the road. The media likes to sensationalize the resulting frustration as "road rage", and some jurisdictions have adopted "aggressive" driving laws to try to combat the symptom while ignoring the disease. I wouldn't get so frustrated and angry, and wouldn't dream of having twin fixed forward firing M2 machine guns, if that car would just move over and let me by.

Reminds me of one of my favorite game series of all time, Twisted Metal. I'd love to have a homing missile mounted on my car. lol~

Run of the mill aggressive driving that satisfies the elements listed above is punishable as a class II misdemeanor, meaning a maximum penalty of 6 months in jail, a $1000 fine, and a 6 month suspension of your driver's license. Additionally, the court may require that you attend an aggressive driving program. However, if the evidence at trial proves that the aggressive driving was done with the intent to injure another person, the charge becomes punishable as a class I misdemeanor, just like reckless driving, meaning a maximum penalty of 12 months in jail, a $2500 fine and 6 month license suspension.
-> quoted from Virginia Criminal and Traffic Law Blog

I couldn't agree more. They should 1. increase the minimum driving age 2. put more emphasis on road etiquette in driver's ed programs 3. make obtaining a license more difficult like some of the European countries, so that people will hopefully realize that driving an automobile is not a God-given right, but a privilege. Politicians might act on something if more people start shooting guns at each other on the road. (get those bullet-proof windows) -_-;;

 

[BKK Jack]

I agree, but another element of this problem is, thanks to Eisenhower and the oil and rubber companies in bed with him, mass transit in this country was effectively eliminated in the 50's. Although some major metropolises (metropolii?) are rediscovering it, the car is and probably always will be king. I lived in Thailand for six years, and could have easily done without a car that entire time. I wasn't in the U.S. for twenty-four hours before I was at the dealership.

With the sense of entitlement most people here have, the distinction between "right" and "privilege" has been blurred to virtual extinction.

 

[Rainman]

I agree, but another element of this problem is, thanks to Eisenhower and the oil and rubber companies in bed with him, mass transit in this country was effectively eliminated in the 50's. Although some major metropolises (metropolii?) are rediscovering it, the car is and probably always will be king. I lived in Thailand for six years, and could have easily done without a car that entire time. I wasn't in the U.S. for twenty-four hours before I was at the dealership.

With the sense of entitlement most people here have, the distinction between "right" and "privilege" has been blurred to virtual extinction.

Two very good points. It is amazing that people can't see this.

R

 

[meha11]

I agree, but another element of this problem is, thanks to Eisenhower and the oil and rubber companies in bed with him, mass transit in this country was effectively eliminated in the 50's. Although some major metropolises (metropolii?) are rediscovering it, the car is and probably always will be king. I lived in Thailand for six years, and could have easily done without a car that entire time. I wasn't in the U.S. for twenty-four hours before I was at the dealership.

With the sense of entitlement most people here have, the distinction between "right" and "privilege" has been blurred to virtual extinction.

Excellent point.

Here's something else ive been thinking about. I live in Houston and the population here is over 2 million, I think its fair to say that there would be about 1 million cars, probably more.
We are all bitching about other drivers (me included) and im sure they b**** about us too. Heres why.
We all have a bad day from time to time, lets say that everyone has 1 bad day on the road every 6 months. 1,000,000 cars divided by (365/2) days is 5479 bad drivers on the road at any one time in Houston alone.

Some people should have their license taken away because they just cant drive, but I like to think most people can most of the time and maybe they are just having a bad day.

Yes, im at work now and i got bored but there may be just a little truth to this.

EDIT. forget all that. i think all 5000 of those no driving S.O.B's were by me today. i'm waiting to turn left and all the traffic stops at a red light blocking the road, not one of those wankers thought to leave a gap for me to go through. thats just F.ing rude for no reason, i would happily shot everyone of them if i thought i could get away with it.

 

[Jaysanooch]

I'll share my experience but I need to confess that I have an extreme case of road rage which has gotten a little better as I get older. Plus, I chose to work nights now cause there's less people on the road which helps situation also.

Many years ago, there was these 3 cars cruising below 55mph in the left lane. I tried to fight my road rage but when I saw they weren't going to move.....I just flipped!!

They were all at about a 3 car distance from each other so I floor my Iroc Z and I passed them like a slalom cones. This stupid move involved me going on the left shoulder once, inches from the wall, dust flying everywhere.

Really really dumb I know, I haven't done anything stupid like that ever again. Let's just say I looked in my rear view mirror and they all moved to the middle lane.

It's common sense, common courtesy....whatever, MOVE THE F&#% OVER!!

 

[Jaysanooch]

Here in Ontario, I believe there is a rarely enforced law that says you have to move over for faster moving traffic. There's also a law requiring you to change lanes in order to let merging traffic on the highway.

Those 3 cars had Ontario plates!!!!!!!!!!

 

[TheDutchGun]

Those 3 cars had Ontario plates!!!!!!!!!!

Hey I didn't say everyone was perfect. Besides, Montreal is literally hell on earth to drive in.