Our Community is 940,000 Strong. Join Us.


Slower traffic keep right


Igovert500
08-28-2006, 07:45 PM
I encountered one of the bigger idiots on the highway yesterday. I'm driving my brother to college 3 hours away, then planning to go see my girl and her new nephew an additional hour away (stay for 11 hours) and drive back in time for Monday morning. Except we are running 2 hours late because of unrelated issues. So we get on the highway, and I'm making decent time, but still irritated that I'm driving 8 hours round trip to now see my gf for 9 hours (most of which we'll be sleeping) and I havn't seen her in 6 weeks.

Halfway up, speed limit is 65mph, and I approach some idiot driving between 50 and 55 in the right lane. At first I guess he's trying to get right and all the tractor trailers are preventing him. So I give him a few miles to move right. But after a few opportunities, he is still in the left lane doing 10 under. I now have about a half mile of traffic behind me, backed up. At this point I'm like, alright it's time to get the hint and move, so I creep up a bit closer to him. Still nothing for another mile or 2. So at this point I move up alot closer, I'm tailgating him hoping he will look in his rearview and get the hint. I tailgate for a half mile to a mile...nothing. We are still doing 15 under on the highway and he is passing up opportunity after opportunity to move over.

Now I'm in a weak 4 cylinder too, so while there are opportunites for him to move right, they aren't really long enough for me to pass on the right (something I don't even like to do, but am now considering because of this idiot) I back off his tail a bit to give him some room, hoping he will finally move over. We pass one more opportunity, and he doesn't. So at this point, it's been 8 or 9 miles of this nonsense, traffic is severely backed up behind me. I can hear a few honks. So I flash the guy my brights.

He LOCKS up his brakes, now at this point we are in an area with no shoulders, so an accident means bad news for cops/ambulances...and this moron locks up his brakes. I hit mine quick enough to start a car length or so behind, but it was a mess behind me. The Cherokee following me swerved off the road to avoid me. There was a mile of cars and trucks and 18 wheelers behind me, undoubtedly somebody had to have crashed. So then after locking up his brakes, this idiot starts driving 30mph in a 65, to annoy me. Yeah it worked. I lay on the horn. He finally moves right and I pull even and give him a few choice words, pointing back to the potential 50 car pileup he could have caused. The middle aged prick starts yelling at me, so I just accelerate, pissed off. Sure enough, starting with the Cherokee and then the next 4 or so cars, all pull up even to him and make it obvious they aren't pleased with his driving, by way of both verbal and non-verbal communication and what looked like a Mcdonald's milkshake.

Whoever wants to flame me for tailgating and flashing highbeams...so be it, but I didn't do it immediately, i gave him plenty of opportunities, it got to the point of ridiculous before I did either. I personally think a brake check on a freeway and then doing half the speed limit is by far more dangerous, especially in the area we were in.

vinnym86
08-28-2006, 08:10 PM
yeah, i had a rant about this about 2 months ago, i know exactly how you feel:
http://www.automotiveforums.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=587069

2ltGTT
08-28-2006, 08:13 PM
yea its not just fast drivers who cause accidents... everybody should know that if you are going slow move over to the slow lane......................

skibum1111
08-28-2006, 08:21 PM
He's lucky no one shot him.

bluevp00
08-29-2006, 05:13 PM
A lot of states have laws about going slow in the left lane, I wish more police would enfore it though. It would create a lot less traffic jams and needless to say reduce accidents.

G-man422
08-29-2006, 05:30 PM
10mph under!? Thats crazy. I were you i would have given him a little nudge, lol.

andrrewdamien
05-15-2012, 09:04 AM
For driving safely you have to obey all traffic rules. Firstly you have to keep your vehicle in right side and just have to be patient in slow traffic zone as you can not go any faster in that situation.

Add your comment to this topic!