I find it more stressful to drive slowly and have cars pass me or tail me than it is to drive a little faster and approach traffic myself.
I have had this conversation with my mother in law a thousand times - she finds driving stressful so she slows down more, causing more vehicles to pass her and pressure her. If she would just go a little faster, driving would be easier and less stressful.
God, people like your mother in law need to lose their licence. If you get nervous driving in anything but terrible road conditions (where nerves are a good thing) then you shouldn't be driving. If you feel "pressured" and get anxious while simply crusing the speed limit then simply don't drive.
I'll take the guy going 140 over the scared driver going 90 and driving erratically any day of the week. At least the guy going 140 is predictable. You know hes going to weave through gaps in traffic to get ahead of whatever idiot is clogging up the left lane. You have no idea what the spooked driver is going to do. I've seen some ridiculous things happen when bad drivers get scared.
Also not all speed limits are equal. Most confident drivers drive what ever they feel is safe or whatever their acceptable speeding ticket risk is, which ever is lower. 100 on the windy bits on Deerfoot? Yeah I can buy it. Probably won't see me going much faster than 120 if its wide open and no issue doing the speed limit in traffic. 100 on Stony? Go #### Yourself. That road should have no speed limit damn it. Put a barrier in the median and get rid of all speed limits on that road. Its completely straight, exits are sparse and there's nothing around it. I'd go 300 km/h if i had a car capable of it. If the Germans can do it, why are the drivers in this country so incapable of doing it? The unrestricted parts of the Autobahn are a lot more windy and narrow and busy then Stony, yet they can pull it off.
I'd go 300 km/h if i had a car capable of it. If the Germans can do it, why are the drivers in this country so incapable of doing it?
Training, culture, and infrastructure?
How many Canadians do you think would pass a German driving exam? And is there any reason to believe Canadians who drive faster would do better on the exam?
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Because in Germany, you actually need to be a competent driver to get a license, and it costs a lot so not every person who can press the gas and turn at the same time gets a licence. Stricter testing and required driver education would solve a lot of problems. Currently our driver "schools" provide insufficient training, and that includes professional drivers.
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People weaving through traffic aren't predictable. There isn't anything safe about passing on the right. Now the person who was in the left-lane, maybe passing someone themselves, can't move back to the right-lane, or if they didn't realize that Weavy-McWeavyCar just did this idiotic maneuver will end up causing an accident.
Nobody cares if you want to do 140 or whatever, but if you feel so strongly about it, just honk or flash the high beams if somebody is staying in the left-lane for longer than necessary. There is no need to weave in and out off traffic.
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How many Canadians do you think would pass a German driving exam? And is there any reason to believe Canadians who drive faster would do better on the exam?
It's just crazy to think that different people with different training in different situations driving on different roads can't be like... totally the same. WHY?
People weaving through traffic aren't predictable. There isn't anything safe about passing on the right. Now the person who was in the left-lane, maybe passing someone themselves, can't move back to the right-lane, or if they didn't realize that Weavy-McWeavyCar just did this idiotic maneuver will end up causing an accident.
I don't disagree at all and its super annoying but still more predictable than a panicky person on the road, especially off the highway.
I hate how these threads always become so polarized. Maniacs vs grannies. We all know that's not the vast majority of highway driving. Nobody is defending maniacs and nobody is defending grannies. What it comes down to, is that if you are taking so long in the left lane, that people start passing you in the right lane, then you're doing it wrong. That's pretty much it. If the right lane is too full to move over into, then it's too trafficky to justify a left lane/right lane concept. But under normal conditions, and moderate traffic, just be courteous and keep right except to pass.
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Originally Posted by Enoch Root
However, with respect to the bolded statement, how do you reconcile that with countries where people -safely ad consistently - drive more than 200 kmph (and sometimes significantly more)?
Well, I reconcile it exactly as per the below, in your same post, that I've bolded the relevant part of:
Quote:
Originally Posted by Enoch Root
Obviously, where there is a speed limit, it is not safe for ANYONE to drive at a speed that is substantially higher than the limit.
I'm not even sure what your argument is in this thread. It seems to be "we need some system of dealing with people that drive really fast that doesn't depend on them not driving really fast". Well, training the majority of people that don't drive superfast seems harder than training a minority that does, so if you're already sure we can't teach the minority out of their bad habits, it would seem to follow that you also can't teach the majority out of theirs. And yet you propose we somehow do the more impossible of these things as if the rest of us just don't get your point...
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Well, I reconcile it exactly as per the below, in your same post, that I've bolded the relevant part of:
I'm not even sure what your argument is in this thread. It seems to be "we need some system of dealing with people that drive really fast that doesn't depend on them not driving really fast". Well, training the majority of people that don't drive superfast seems harder than training a minority that does, so if you're already sure we can't teach the minority out of their bad habits, it would seem to follow that you also can't teach the majority out of theirs. And yet you propose we somehow do the more impossible of these things as if the rest of us just don't get your point...
I hate how these threads always become so polarized. Maniacs vs grannies. We all know that's not the vast majority of highway driving. Nobody is defending maniacs and nobody is defending grannies. What it comes down to, is that if you are taking so long in the left lane, that people start passing you in the right lane, then you're doing it wrong. That's pretty much it. If the right lane is too full to move over into, then it's too trafficky to justify a left lane/right lane concept. But under normal conditions, and moderate traffic, just be courteous and keep right except to pass.
Look here now, I know what I know, and I know what you know and ergo all highway drivers are obstacles in my path.
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I travel the QEII quite often and I see this crap , in the video, all the time. Am I a magnet for the guy that's unable to maintain a consistent speed?
On the QEII, I use cruise at 121 km/h and when I see a fast mover behind me when I'm about to pass I cancel my cruise, resume when it's safe to do so, and initiate my pass. As well, when I am engaged in a passing maneuver and I am blocking traffic I will increase my speed to get out of the way, then resume my 121 km/h.
This spring I drove 3500 kms in 5 European countries...they certainly do have it down to a science. I had a rental MB A180 AMG and the cruise was excellent, it went up single km/h increments when tapped up once, and when it was tapped twice it went up 10km/h. Great for over-taking. I rarely used the accelerator pedal.
I travel the QEII quite often and I see this crap , in the video, all the time. Am I a magnet for the guy that's unable to maintain a consistent speed?
On the QEII, I use cruise at 121 km/h and when I see a fast mover behind me when I'm about to pass I cancel my cruise, resume when it's safe to do so, and initiate my pass. As well, when I am engaged in a passing maneuver and I am blocking traffic I will increase my speed to get out of the way, then resume my 121 km/h.
This spring I drove 3500 kms in 5 European countries...they certainly do have it down to a science. I had a rental MB A180 AMG and the cruise was excellent, it went up single km/h increments when tapped up once, and when it was tapped twice it went up 10km/h. Great for over-taking. I rarely used the accelerator pedal.
In that case, and ones like it, where a driver is staying right but has inconsistent speeds, I think it is pretty obvious that the issue is they aren't using cruise control. It is natural to match speed of other cars and/or have inconsistent speeds. And when you have cruise on that variance can see, really annoying. I've also heard of some cars that have large variances even with cruise turned on.
I know some people that never use it no matter how long the trip.
Part of the problem is Alberta highways have level intersections, even the QEII (ridiculous that it is named that now). Whereas the Interstate system and 400s in Ontario only have overpasses and exits on the right. The only highway in Alta. like that is the #1 west of the city.
But I don't think the fast lane etiquette is taught that well in driver's ed here. I remember when I took it the instructor mentioned it once, but didn't make a big deal of it.
I was just in Montana for a week and never encountered a left lane hog on the Interstate once. I think it's more ingrained there.
I travel the QEII quite often and I see this crap , in the video, all the time. Am I a magnet for the guy that's unable to maintain a consistent speed?
On the QEII, I use cruise at 121 km/h and when I see a fast mover behind me when I'm about to pass I cancel my cruise, resume when it's safe to do so, and initiate my pass. As well, when I am engaged in a passing maneuver and I am blocking traffic I will increase my speed to get out of the way, then resume my 121 km/h.
This spring I drove 3500 kms in 5 European countries...they certainly do have it down to a science. I had a rental MB A180 AMG and the cruise was excellent, it went up single km/h increments when tapped up once, and when it was tapped twice it went up 10km/h. Great for over-taking. I rarely used the accelerator pedal.
Oh man, this happened to me on Saturday. Some cow passed me 3 times and slowed down, to about 100km/h. The final straw was when she passed me and changed lanes with less than 2m between us. I layed on the horn, changed lanes and stepped on it. When I looked at her she looked really embarrassed. I stayed on the gas until I couldn't see her anymore. I didn't want her dangerous ass anywhere near me.
That's what pisses me off most, people who think they have a right to put your life in danger, either through ignorance of their horrible driving, or over aggressive driving. I do what I can to put distance between myself and them. That includes if I look over and see someone on their cell phone. Stay the f#@k away from me.
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My biggest take away from the VOX video is that slow left laners don't know they're doing anything wrong. We need better awareness and education.
Same with escalefters.
Not to derail the thread, but the Shell building has some great signs running the entire length of both their escalators indicating to stand on right, and walk on left.
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Oh man, this happened to me on Saturday. Some cow passed me 3 times and slowed down, to about 100km/h. The final straw was when she passed me and changed lanes with less than 2m between us. I layed on the horn, changed lanes and stepped on it. When I looked at her she looked really embarrassed. I stayed on the gas until I couldn't see her anymore. I didn't want her dangerous ass anywhere near me.
That's what pisses me off most, people who think they have a right to put your life in danger, either through ignorance of their horrible driving, or over aggressive driving. I do what I can to put distance between myself and them. That includes if I look over and see someone on their cell phone. Stay the f#@k away from me.
Not to derail, but I find that when people are changing speeds a fair bit, it is often because they are distracted - whether it be conversation, texting or whatever.
Not to derail, but I find that when people are changing speeds a fair bit, it is often because they are distracted - whether it be conversation, texting or whatever.
Bingo. That lady was texting or eating yogurt or something, almost certainly.
Anyway, as far as left lane driving goes, I've always lived by one rule: If the car behind me is closer than the car in front, I will look to get back over when safe. If the car behind is close enough, even if I haven't finished passing everyone in the right lane yet.
I do recommend that this thread be submission to the 2016 Thread of the Year contest. Reading this threat was... surreal? Fascinating? I dont quite know what word to use.
