LJMartin

The speed limit is set so that a 90 year old women driving a 1984 Honda with 14 inch tires and drum brakes can drive relatively safe. If cell phones were banned in cars and they all had 15.5 inch brakes with 6 pot calipers and electronic aids up the whazoo the speed limit would be a lot higher.

brogan

I've been tailgated in the center and right lanes. I put my hazards on and they usually back off. If someone tailgates me in the left lane I pull over at the next opportunity. Why should I impede them? I'm going my way, let them go theirs, right?

Johnny Rad

Arc light speaks the truth.

Move over people! Mirrors have a purpose. Use 'em.

El Cid

1984 Hondas had disc, not drum, brakes.
Regardless, speed limits are set for average driver (that's you and me both), road conditions, amount of traffic, average vehicles, etc.
Tailgating/following too closely is both unsafe and illegal.

LJMartin

I'm not the average driver. My car exceeds the capabilities of 90% of the cars on the road. I don't talk on the phone, I don't text and I don't have lengthy conversations with my passengers. I don't tailgate a person unless they have had the opportunity to pull over and didn't. The difference between you and me is if I want to go over the speed limit I pay the price through speeding tickets or accidents. If you back up traffic causing people to dart in and out of lanes at 70 MPH trying to get past you and they have an accident because of you, you drive on your merry way oblivious to the havoc you caused.

El Cid

Regardless of your car's capabilities, YOU are an average driver. Based on your comments, you may even be a worse than average driver. As I said before, speeds are based on many, many considerations.
You should NEVER tailgate as it is dangerous and illegal. Flash your lights and back off.
Speeding is not something you "pay the price for;" it is a dangerous and illegal activity. No one has EVER had an accident because of my driving - I would have seen it in my rearview mirrors.
As for people darting "in and out or lanes at 70 MPH," never seen it happen behind me-and I would have noticed it as I frequently check my rearview mirrors.
As I said before, I generally drive 5-9 MPH over posted limits on highways when it is safe to do so. Never exceed speed limits when 45 or below as these are in congested or residential areas.
BTW, I am a certified defensive driving instructor.

hyperion667

is this going to turn into a "well I one up you....." thread?

El Cid

I'm done. Happy and Safe Motoring!

LJMartin

Nope I'm done. We all have are own opinion on what is worse. In a perfect world everyone would keep right if they were slower traffic (if you have more than one car behind you, you're slower traffic) then a lot less people would tail gate.

ttoE550

When tempted to tailgate, I remember my days commuting on the Mass Pike outside of Boston. I commuted close to the time of the shift change for state troopers. Troopers headed back to the station to go home were, I believe, required to pass only on the left, allowed to use their flashers, and forbidden from using their sirens in a nonemergency. What would happen nearly every day is the trooper would get stuck behind some camper in the left lane, tailgating with lights flashing. This would go on for miles, the camper completely oblivious to what was behind. You'd know when the person finally saw the trooper because they would suddenly jerk the steering wheel and often brake. I'm not exaggerating about it happening nearly every day.

One trick I learned is that if there is a rumble strip, drive over it and flash your lights. This wakes most people up and they'll get out of the way.

LJMartin

Ok, I think I should clarify my position on this matter. Tailgating is dangerous and illegal and for the most part I don't condone it. I'm just saying that the left lane sitter is perhaps more of a danger than the speeder doing 10-15 MPH over the speed limit and should be ticketed for that behavior. Second my view point comes from the relatively sparsely populated Midwest. I'm sure that they do not fit in well with the moving parking lots you find in the larger metropolitan area's of our country. Now I'm done, sorry about the rant.

jimnan

If you are in the let lane, who is the moron?

L1Wolf

I didn't think it would cause such a uproar when I started this thread. As I mention in my original post, it was a single lane road with no shoulder so pulling over was not an option. There was an occasional driveway but being in the dark on a back country road it's hard to see them until you are right on them. In addition there were at least 5-6 cars in front of me that I was maintaining a safe distance behind yet the jerk behind me thought it was a good idea to sit on my bumper for miles on end even when he/she had at least two opportunities to pass. We were driving around 60mph in a 55mph zone so it wasn't like we were going that slow either. By the way, the road did turn into a two lane road after a light. With this idiot still behind me I proceeded to safely pass several cars in front of me (changing lanes several times) and set the cruse control at 63 in a 55. The idiot got stuck in the pack of cars I passed and eventually disappeared in my rear view mirror.

I think too many people believe the road belongs to them when in fact, we all share the road equally. Even when you are isolated in your vehicle you should treat others with respect and understanding. That includes the idiot in front of you who is driving 10 under while putting on makeup and smoking a cigarette.

By the way, if you choose to drive reckless and have an accident due to someone blocking your way it's not anyone's fault but your own. You cannot control the actions of others but you can control how you react to them. Doing an unsafe act because someone else is doing something stupid is beyond stupid...it's just crazy!

Rob CL

All of the theory and conjecture is moot. The rules of the road are quite simple. The folks who refuse to give way, generally cause more danger by forcing other drivers to pass on the right, etc.

pamiboy

1+ to that.

FlyFisher

exactly!

El Cid

If you are doing the speed limit and vehicles in other lanes are not, you have every right to be in the left lane. If you are doing 5 MPH over speed limit, you have every right to be in the left lane.
There is no "right" to violate the law and drive over the posted limit and to require others to move for you or for them to break the law so you can.

beerj

- and complain about taigating .

v12driven

One option for dealing with tailgaters is to take a driving lesson from Mr. Eddy / Dick Laurent in David Lynch's Lost Highway.

Notice he's driving a wicked 450 SEL 6.9L with aftermarket supercharger!

noka

Great movie clip in post above!! I think that was Robert Loggia driving. I like him as an actor but never saw that movie. It's on my list now.

It would be great if people drove here using the same rules as e.g. Germany. When I go there for business, I appreciate the higher speeds one can go, but regardless, the rules are simple and most people obey them (unlike in the US). Many highways ('autobahn') are often 4 lane, two each way (sometimes 6). If you want to travel 'at speed' in a no-limit section you stay to the left. If you want to travel slower, you stay to the right. You can only pass on the left (not the right as is allowed in some states such as Mass, which I think is unsafe). If you tailgate, you can be ticketed. If you flash your lights at a driver going too slow in front of you, you can be ticketed. If you impede traffic in the left lane without moving over, you can be ticketed. I believe these rules are correct (but someone can correct me if I am wrong) and they are strictly enforced. Once you understand the rules, you realize it just makes sense and then driving is so much easier and enjoyable for everyone.

Update: Having said that, I now realize that my comments are not relevant to the OP's comments since he was on a single lane road, and in that case maybe only a well-placed bolt of lightning might help

v12driven

Yes, that is Robert Loggia. I've always enjoyed his acting. He plays the underworld gangster types with such aplomb and this film must be the pinnacle of his career, what with being associated with master auteur David Lynch and all!

At the very least, this scene is a must see, especially for an MB or AMG enthusiast!

Even in this one clip, there are so many memorable lines like the comment about "one thousand four hundred horsepower" or when he mentioned that the engine is "beautiful, smooth as s#!% from a duck's a$$" after the kid fine-tunes it. Definitely priceless.

hyperion667

bravo!!!

Rob CL

Wrong... This type of thinking is the primary issue. If you're not passing, you shouldn't be in the [left] lane to begin with.

v12driven

It certainly seems counterintuitive, but it looks like many states have 'keep right' laws:

http://www.mit.edu/~jfc/right.html

In Virginia for instance, most interstates have "Slower Traffic Keep Right" signs along with a seemingly contradictory form of lawlessness apparently written into the law & enforcement policy as listed on the above website & in the state code: "46.2-842.1 requires vehicles in the left lane to yield to faster traffic; State Police say this applies even when faster traffic is speeding."

El Cid

With today's highways, even interstates, you can't get all the cars into one or even two lanes. The 1950's theory of using left lane for passing only has long since become inoperable. Too many cars for too few lanes.
I have never heard of anyone getting a ticket for driving the speed limit in the left lane, not even in Virginia and I lived there at one time and travelled there often using I-95 and I-85.