Lane discipline on the UK's motorways is pretty poor too.

It is amazingly common to find someone bumbling along in the centre lane of a 3 lane carriageway, oblivious to people having to pull out across every lane to overtake them...

 

Plus the "if you've flashed me I'm definately not moving now.." attitude.

Sunday evenings are definately the worst. In the UK there seems to be this idea that the middle lane of the motor way is for cars and the inside lane is for slow vehicles..... I wish people would read the Highway Code and realise that there's no such thing as the "Slow Lane".....

I've seen miles of traffic jammed up in the middle lane with nothing on the inside lane. In the UK it's illegal to undertake a vehicle unless there's congestion (i.e. stationary traffic). Now I'd never undertake a car (Where's that whistling smilie.... )

 

This is really a pet peeve of mine. In Europe lane discipline is pretty good. It needs to be because passing on the right is generally illegal (I know it is in Germany) but contrary to many peoples belief it is NOT illegal in the US (unless some states have laws to that effect that I'm not aware of). Here In TN, there are signs every few miles along the Interstates that read "slower traffic keep right". They don't qualify that by saying "slower traffic at or under the speed limit keep right". Since "slower" is a relative term I take that to mean that if I am overtaking another car he must by definition be going "slower" than me and should pull to the right, regardless of his speed. BUT, people won't do it. I used to get behind and flash my lights like crazy but now I just give up and pass on the right. Then I pull immediately back in front of them and point vigoursly to the right with my finger while my wife yells at me to stop that.

Another thing, have you noticed that on 3 lane roads almost nobody drives in the right lane. In some cases the right lane can be the "fast lane". My theory is that people won't drive in the right lane because they are constantly having to pull left to accomodate traffic entering the Interstate. But that's because MOST IDIOTS DON'T KNOW HOW TO ENTER AND MERGE!. Another pet peeve. They don't accelerate on the entrance ramp and try to merge with 70 mph traffic going 50 and it disrupts traffic. AARG!

 

last night this happened to me twice:

i'm coming up behind an SUV, and at abour 4 carlength i flash my lights. right lanes are empty, we're in the left lane. He slams on his brakes. Then i downshift a gear swoop around him and then show him what a REAL brake slam looks like of course then he flashes his lights at me but by that time i'm gone and he's had the scare of his life. usually followed by me seeing him move over in my rear view.

and every time i tried to move over a lane, the person three carlengths back just HAD to speed up to try and block me what are people's problems these days? Once I got off the main highway (85S for you locals) and onto 17 (twisty mountain highway) things were better...at night people on that road are courteous enough to change speed to give you room if they don't have the ability to change lanes.

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Rick Hesel
[B]This is likely not to work here in the US because so many drivers are totally oblivious to what's going on behind them.

 

Just a question. Has anyone out there ever driven the stretch of I95 S between the DE-MD border and the Baltimore Tunnel? It's a 3-lane stretch of highway through about 40 miles worth of nothing.

Well, there are signs every few miles that say "Trucks use right two lanes." Well, I think these MD'ers have interpreted these signs to mean "Trucks use right two lanes, cars use left lane only! Under all circumstances! No exceptions!" As unsafe as it is, I usually followed a semi at about 75 or 80 mph in the right-most lane as we flew by everyone else.

I've taken the I-95 corridor all the way from NJ to Miami, FL and this is the only place this occurs. Any of you MD'ers care to defend yourselves?

- Honer

 

My wife gives them an ugly look & flips them off!

 

We have a section of IH 35 between Austin and Dallas/Ft Worth like that. Everyone drives in the left lane thinking they are the fast cars. I notice when I blow by in the right lane, they tend to move over.

 

I usually find people move out of my way when I'm obviously going much faster than they are. If they refuse to move out of the fast lane, then I usually pass them on the right real quick then jump back into the left lane the instant my rear will clear their front to make my point clear.

 

I actually didn't know about this letty system. I was always taught to flash the high beams if you wanted the driver to get over. It doesn't matter anyway, since most drivers in LA could care less. They either don't know what the high beams mean, or they just don't want to get over.