Slow drivers in the left lane beware..... (1 Viewer)

[Jason Kirkpatri]

I had forgotten about that. I (now) remember seeing nightime as well as daytime speedlimits when I was younger. There were black signs with white numbers (for night) and white signs with black letters (for daytime).

 

[Philip_G]

No, they didn't. They were white on the top that said SPEED LIMIT in black letters, and the bottom half was black with NIGHT 55 (or 65) in white letters.

The state didn't replace every sign in the state, rather put a big sticker over the lower half.

 

[Jason Kirkpatri]

Oops, sorry Philip. I live in Canada, not the States. But my memory might not be so good!

 

[Lew Crippen]

I bow to your superior memory Philip.

The point I was trying to make is that there were signs. Even in Montana. And there were speed limits. Again, even in Montana, unless you were driving a car in the daytime in non-congested areas.

 

[Philip_G]

the point is, what did they look like in the 70s? I've not seen them. did they exist?
I remember what they looked like in the 90s because I have one in my garage.

 

[Jason Kirkpatri]

For some reason, I find this absolutely hilarious!

 

[Philip_G]

college + bordom + drunk buddies = an interesting night of shimmying wood posts on secondary roads with a leatherman tool. :b

 

[Joseph S]

It's at least in Oklahoma... heading to Texas. It's 75 or 70mph, then 60mph, then 50mph 5 feet later, then 35mph 2 feet later. Then it goes back up. They can get you at both ends speeding up or down. This happens over and over again. Thanks Yahoo and AAA.

I agree with Ohio as well, specifically US 80/90.

 

[Jeff D Han]

Thanks, Joseph.

I'm never in that part of the country, so I won't
have to worry about those revenue generating cops.

I have heard the same things about Ohio that others
here have posted. It's funny that I was in Columbus
a month ago, and I was driving to Kentucky, going
south on RTE 23, and I think the drivers there have
been well-trained by the state's reputation- nobody
was exceeding the speed limits.

 

[Yee-Ming]

For me, it was when we were staggering back to our dorm, we came across a stop sign where the top rivet had either rusted through or popped out, so the sign was hanging upside down. When we went over to have a look and fiddled with the sign a bit, the bottom rivet gave way as well and the whole thing dropped off. One of the guys then decided he wanted it, so we hauled it back to his room...

 

[JonZ]

Yesterday there was a guy driving 60 in the left lane, where left lane traffic usually goes 65-80(or more).

He wouldnt no move over, no matter how many people got on his ass,honked their horn, or flipped him the bird (3 I saw).


Its a major interstate here in NY and Ive actually seen peopel throw things out their windows at people who wont move over after theyve gotten past them.

Is it such a inconvenice to simply move over and let traffic pass?

What I hate though is when someone gets on ur ass when your already speeding to move over into the right but cant yet.
And they act like your intentionally not moving over. I had a guy get so close to me recently I let off the gas and went down to 55. He backed up, I sped up to almost 75 to be able to move into the right lane, becuase of the line of cars in that lane.

 

[Brian Perry]

How are these laws worded? It sounds as though they say "failure to yield" but don't mention anything about the actual speeds in relation to the limits. As such, I think they would not withstand a court challenge by anyone doing the actual speed limit. (Not counting, of course, letting emergency vehicles pass.)

Let me state that I am in full agreement with any law that would implement more of the "German" or autobahn system, and that I get frustrated with those "only" going the limit in the left lane. I just don't know how you can be ticketed for doing the posted limit, unless the rules of the road are changed. In other words, it sounds as though you would get a ticket for failing to allow others to break the law. (Unless these new laws are meant only for keeping the true slowpokes, such as those doing 45 in a 55, out of the left lane. However, those cases are relatively rare in my experience.)

 

[MarkHastings]

This is why I'd be opposed to raising the speed limits. While I think most people can do 75mph without incident, there are too many new/young drivers that shouldn't be going that fast.

 

[george kaplan]

The exact wording is going to vary from location to location, but regardless you're not going to be able to defend blocking traffic in the left lane by using the excuse that you were going the speed limit. These laws certainly do not say "don't impede the flow of traffic in the left lane unless you're already going the speed limit" or "left lane for passing only unless you're already going the speed limit".

Quite simply speed limit laws are completely independent of laws regulating other behavior in the left lane. The fact that you are obeying millions of laws (you're going the speed limit, you're buckled up, you have a valid registration and license, you're not smoking marijuana, you're not robbing a bank, you're not littering, etc., etc.) in no way removes your responsibility to obey another law that says you can't hold up traffic in the left lane, or be there unless your passing, or whatever it says.

Similarly, the fact that others are breaking a different law, doesn't allow you to break that one. You have to yield to the traffic behind you. If they are speeding, they can get pulled over for that, but that doesn't give you the right to disobey the other law.

Driving legally on the road means obeying hundreds of different traffic laws, and there is no excuse to break some because you are obeying others, or other people are disobeying some.

 

[todbnla]

I hate left lane suicide drivers, my next pet peeve is the guy pulling a trailer of some sort in the middle lane doing 40 mph, WTF!!!
SLOWER TRAFFIC KEEP TO THE RIGHT already!!!

 

[Steve Schaffer]

I can remember a cross-country car trip my family made in 1958. We had a new Buick Super, a 4600lb behemoth with 300hp, drum brakes all around, and supersoft floaty suspension. The speed limit on the Oklahoma and Will Rogers turnpikes was posted at 85mph, in retrospect distinctly unsafe for the American cars of the time.


These were toll roads and one got a time stamped ticket upon entering and leaving the turnpike. There was no speed enforcement on the turnpike itself, but if the exit time stamp indicated you'd averaged over 85mph since entering you were given a speeding ticket at the exit tollbooth.

 

[AjayM]

They said "55". Remember that back then the states were essentially being blackmailed into posting the double nickle in order to get highway funds. When those rules went away/changed is when we saw states up speed limits.

However in MT, the "charge" for driving/speeding 56-99mph was a $5 fine for some "not being enviroment friendly" type wording, that's assuming that you were in the middle of nowhere without inclement weather, etc, etc (essentially anywhere that said "reasonable and prudent").

 

[Philip_G]

We're talking before the enforcement here.

the energy conservation tickets have already been discussed.

 

[AjayM]

Which "enforcement"? The good ol' double nickle has been around since the first "oil crisis" in the early 70's when they made the whole federally mandated speed limit thing which was tied to highway funding (those rules were relaxed later on and then done away with).

I'm also assuming you're asking what the speed limit signs said.

Andrew

 

[Philip_G]

re-read the conversation leading up to where you jumped in.