Left lane bandits!

[seeker_two]

We still move over here. Still wave.

Folks in the left lane dont bother me. I assure you that when I get ready to go around....theres nothin you can do at that point, but I get it done and move on.

Ive had one wreck in the last 30 years.

Rainin, comin home from flying into waco. 05'... been in the shit in NewOrleans. Had my slacks etc on and my badge on my belt. Went to pass a LideIndustries truck with tanks on it, rainin, and realized I hadnt seen an oncoming car. Went to duck back in and realized the guy behind had sped up to cut me out. Hit the brakes HARD to fall back behind him and he also hit the brakes hard to match. This opened a gap behind the Lide truck so I hit the gas HARD to tuck in. As I went to pull in I looked back and he was coming hell bent for election up on my quarter so I couldnt pull back over.

....about this time the oncoming car passed me....on their shoulder.

Hit the brakes HARD again....realize a SECOND car is oncoming now...as I slip in he is getting out of sync with me and just falling back so I hit the gas hard again and pull ahead to the gap once again...another oncoming car....danger close...I check back to pull over and the guy is running wide open to get back next to me and is diving towards my side.

Didnt want to risk the next car passing and Id had enough, Ill leave the rest to your imagination. His day went downhill from there.

Cops wrote me a ticket for illegal lane change and sent me on my way

Yep.....a typical day on Hwy 84.....

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[oldag]

Decades ago. Rush hour in Houston. Entrance ramp at Westheimer onto 610 South. Woman with NY license plates sees all the traffic on 610 and comes to a complete stop right at the end of the ramp, rather than speeding up a little and merging in. I floored it and went around her, as did everyone behind me. She is probably still sitting there today, waiting for a nice big opening to enter 610... Ain't no way anyone was getting onto 610 then from a dead stop without getting rear ended.

 

[oldag]

Love it when those "pass me and I'll speed up" idiots do that when I am driving the Camaro SS.

 

[Jigo23]

Wow! And I thought it was just me being a crotchety old fart! LOL
Texas DID used to be a great place to drive in, very knowledgeable, skilled, and courteous drivers...so what happened?!
Seems like things got worse when they quit having formal Drivers Ed courses in HS? Or is it the large influx of folks moving here from other places? I’m sure distracted driving plays a part. Not sure but it’s gotten awful!
Also, I would be interested to see statistics on accidents caused by people driving too fast vs people driving too slow. My money and my Challenger STR8 392 says it is driving too slow

 

[avvidclif]

Entrance ramps. Back in the 80's a friend went to Oregon (IIRC) for his high school reunion. He drove and when he got there was on a new limited access road they had just opened going to his destination. At the end of every entrance ramp was a stop sign??? He was floored and talked about at the gathering. Turned out one of his classmates was the design engineer and had them put there. Boy did he get an earful.......

 

[Sam7sf]

what happened?!

Same thing that happened nation wide. Same thing I don't know how to put it into words and why we have more shootings and higher crime rates. People are just out for themselves. Someone looking down on us is shaking their head.

 

[busykngt]

My favorite was in the Dallas area - especially US Hwy 75 (Central Expressway) - when they first created the HOV lanes. I guess it’s not really funny as I’m sure some people were killed or VERY seriously injured.

They installed these little plastic posts to “separate” the HOV lane from the rest of the roadway. These posts were flexible and designed to bend and spring back into position (if ran over).

It doesn’t happen often now, but in the early HOV days, some drivers would get ‘fed up’ with the congestion and slow moving traffic and decide to cross over into the HOV lane. Naturally a lot of those drivers had absolutely no appreciation of the relative “closing speed” (& distances) between a car going 60+ mph and a car going maybe 5 mph (pulling into the HOV lane). There were some tremendous impacts!! (I actually watched that happen one day in the south bound lane - I was in the north bound lane as it took place coming at me - thank goodness for the concrete barrier).

 

[TheDan]

Same thing that happened nation wide. Same thing I don't know how to put it into words and why we have more shootings and higher crime rates.

It's got a word... pussification

 

[easy rider]

It's got a word... pussification

The introduction of cellphones didn't help the situation either.

 

[Southpaw]

If I can't get over F them. Many of them don't understand that they have to yield not the other way around.

I hit the on ramp as fast as I can go. It is easier to slow down than speed up.

Same here.

 

[Jigo23]

My favorite was in the Dallas area - especially US Hwy 75 (Central Expressway) - when they first created the HOV lanes. I guess it’s not really funny as I’m sure some people were killed or VERY seriously injured.

They installed these little plastic posts to “separate” the HOV lane from the rest of the roadway. These posts were flexible and designed to bend and spring back into position (if ran over).

It doesn’t happen often now, but in the early HOV days, some drivers would get ‘fed up’ with the congestion and slow moving traffic and decide to cross over into the HOV lane. Naturally a lot of those drivers had absolutely no appreciation of the relative “closing speed” (& distances) between a car going 60+ mph and a car going maybe 5 mph (pulling into the HOV lane). There were some tremendous impacts!! (I actually watched that happen one day in the south bound lane - I was in the north bound lane as it took place coming at me - thank goodness for the concrete barrier).

Oh I HATE 75! Avoid it like the plague. Just 2 weeks ago I saw 2 wrecks happen that exact same way on 635 when traffic had backed up in the regular lanes and two vehicles decided to cut over into the express lane...IDIOTS!

 

[TxStetson]

Yeah, what I forgot to explain, had he been speeding up there would have been no problem at all getting on for the both of us.

All day today I accelerated as fast as possible to stay out of your way.

Ungrateful!!

 

[easy rider]

All day today I accelerated as fast as possible to stay out of your way.

Ungrateful!!

Yes, but that didn't stop you from getting in the left lane.

 

[Shady]

meh I will take a slow merger over an idiot that does not know how to use the center turn lane by pulling into it then slowing down over waiting till they get to the driveway/intersection then slamming on the brake and pulling into the turn lane.

Or the ones turning left and have to wait for all 4 lanes of traffic to be clear and not just the first 2 and pull into the center turn lane then merge right.

 

[Shady]

or the ones that cant figure out the yield on green left turns lol

 

[benenglish]

I hit the on ramp as fast as I can go. It is easier to slow down than speed up.

Part of the reason it's important, as someone here has posted, to actually look at the other cars and not make assumptions is that "as fast as I can go" varies greatly.

I used to know a lady with a diesel VW Rabbit. She planted that accelerator on the floor early and held it there when getting on the freeway. She did her best. That POS, however, had all the acceleration of a 6th grader on a bicycle hopped up on two cans of Jolt cola. Published 0-60 times were over 20 seconds and if they had any wear it wasn't unusual for them to take over half a minute. It tried its best but it was still the kind of car everyone hates to see trying to get on the freeway.

That was the only car I ever rode in that scared me solely because it was too slow.

 

[Dawico]

Or the ones turning left and have to wait for all 4 lanes of traffic to be clear and not just the first 2 and pull into the center turn lane then merge right.

The center turn lane isn't a merge lane. I am pretty sure it is illegal to use it as such.

 

[pronstar]

The center turn lane isn't a merge lane. I am pretty sure it is illegal to use it as such.

I was never sure, and have used it to merge on occasion.

Glad I looked it up...illegal for sure.

https://www.news-journal.com/featur...cle_b73a4990-4960-5579-bbb7-13fa3e7d01f7.html


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[easy rider]

The center turn lane isn't a merge lane. I am pretty sure it is illegal to use it as such.

From what I have heard, and no, I'm not quoting law, you can turn into the center lane, but not use it to accelerate or use as a lane to drive in.

 

[Coiled]

That was the only car I ever rode in that scared me solely because it was too slow.

I wonder if I knew her brother.

Back in HS I entered my 1st and only motocross race all the way out at Rio Bravo. 2 bikes, 2 fuel jugs, 2 guys + misc. items loaded in his pickup and he had to downshift for every . single . 610 overpass. You guessed it, a Rabbit diesel p/u .. lol. Gawd that thing vibrated horribly!

Being a newb and unfamiliar with class starts, I missed the start of my 2nd heat cuz I was pissing on a tree. Screw it! I paid my money and wanted to play so I gave the proper hand signal as I merged with traffic.