Another Rant Thread

i believe the law in colorado is on highways of 65 mph or more it's illegal to be in the left lane unless passing

doesn't always help tho
65mph in the the left lane on I-70 or 25 is a death wish...the nearer to Denver, the higher the chance of a mortal coil exit.
 
As usual, no one seems to give a whiff about speed limit. Not a rant, but pet peeves are experienced when I am stuck in the left lane but at the speed limit (due to dense traffic) and some a$$hat rides my bumper. The other is experienced when I am flying down the interstate in Montana at the 80 mph speed limit and many vehicles (some of which don't even appear road-worthy) flash by as though I'm parked, flashing by at autobahn-like speeds!
 
My wife loves to camp in the left lane. It drives me insane. Worst drivers on the planet...easy...Florida. So many violations of every type you can't even keep track.
So does mine... I drive most of the time... but when she drives, she lovesss that left lane. I do this not so subtle look over my right shoulder to see if there's anyone there. If she misses it, I'll do it again. She usually goes back to the right lane. Not sure if she's caught on to it yet, because she hasn't said anything! I think it's a subconscious thing that she notices me look then looks and merges over!
 
As usual, no one seems to give a whiff about speed limit. Not a rant, but pet peeves are experienced when I am stuck in the left lane but at the speed limit (due to dense traffic) and some a$$hat rides my bumper. The other is experienced when I am flying down the interstate in Montana at the 80 mph speed limit and many vehicles (some of which don't even appear road-worthy) flash by as though I'm parked, flashing by at autobahn-like speeds!
The last time I had to take a defensive driving course with an actual instructor rather than a computer video, someone told the instructor that he felt that as long as he was going the speed limit, he was fine holding up traffic in the left lane. The instructor said that although he was obeying the law by diving the speed limit, he would be breaking the law by impeding traffic. By impeding traffic, he would be creating a more dangerous situation that the people speeding and therefore more likely to be the one sighted for an infraction.

The guy I saw get pulled over was, at first, speeding as was I a couple of hundred feet behind him. A sheriff deputy pulled onto the freeway in front of me and behind the other guy and immediately got in the left lane. To me it appeared that the cop was in a hurry but the guy in front of him saw him and immediately slowed down to the speed limit, matching the speed of the guy next to him in the right lane. The two of them formed a rolling roadblock going the speed limit down the freeway. The deputy was patient for a couple of miles but soon had all he could take and on came the lights.
 
Issues arise with trying to stop the primary violator (lead vehicle holding others up). Quite often the line of cars in the left lane is so long that trying to get to the vehicle in the lead is impossible.
Sure you can turn your emergency lights on but experience shows this is more dangerous because some people panic when there’s a Cop behind them with lights on.
No real traffic stop issues when it’s only one vehicle in the left lane.
 
The instructor said that although he was obeying the law by diving the speed limit, he would be breaking the law by impeding traffic
1. I clearly pointed out dense traffic was the reason stuck in the left lane ... 'could not merge right due to dense traffic. (But still going maximum established legal speed limit.)
2. So you seem to be saying that exceeding the speed limit is okay, and further implying the driving instructor says it's okay.

I get the impeding traffic concern, as well as the legal speeding for short duration of passing a vehicle travelling under the maximum speed limit.
Like I said ... no one seems to give a whiff about speed limit. Your training example seems to reinforce that.
If that world is the acceptable norm ... then why the hell pay for all those signs, for the radar, for speeding ticket pads, and all that goes into attempting to get motorists to drive at the legislated, legally established, posted, and half-a$$ed enforced maximum speed limits?!
 
Where an interstate allows it, some people get creative and pass left lane campers by driving on the left shoulder. Have seen that a few times on an interstate in the Portland area (which on the roads has been the wild west for a few years).

Last time was a just few months ago -- 3 interstate lanes with a wide lefthand shoulder. A BMW driver (surprise?) got tired of following someone in the left most lane, so they swerved as far left as they could go and punched it.

All kinds of crap/junk on that shoulder but I assume he was rocking run flat tires.
 
I have lived I all major regions of the US, from CT to GA to IN to CO to WA with a few other states in between those, along with Italy, UK and Germany (and having driven all over Europe as well) and can say that drivers in CO are BY FAR the worst as a group I have encountered. Stopping at the end of an on ramp instead of merging, going straight from an on ramp to the left (usually 3rd) lane, riding in the left lane BELOW the speed limit, having NO IDEA how to drive in any kind of inclement weather....on and on.

Add to that (and this is coming from me as a former LEO) CO police agencies seem absolutely un interested in anything remotely having to do with traffic. The only time I have see tickets being issued in and around the Springs is when they run a "targeted enforcement" ( cars or motos lined up with one LEO shooting radar). There is a law here in reference to the left lane obstruction....NEVER enforced. Snow or even a forecast of POTENTIAL snow? They are on "accident alert"-meaning they will NOT take any accident reports or work the scene unless there is injury. Shiz, when I was on the road I spent half of the winter working accidents......

For good measure, a law from Germany we need here........Anyone operating truck (box truck and above) caught in the left lane on the Autobahn is subject to arrest. I would modify it here to say any truck in the left lane when there are at least 3 lanes should be subject to HUGE ticket ( at least $1000) or a misdemeanor summons. From the Springs up through the Gap it is not uncommon to have trucks engaged in virtual rolling road blocks for miles and miles.
 
Illegal in plenty of states, just never enforced. Of course they see a cop behind them and move over...but a regular vehicle...nope, you flash them, you ride them and they just give you the finger or break check you.
 
I have lived I all major regions of the US, from CT to GA to IN to CO to WA with a few other states in between those, along with Italy, UK and Germany (and having driven all over Europe as well) and can say that drivers in CO are BY FAR the worst as a group I have encountered. Stopping at the end of an on ramp instead of merging, going straight from an on ramp to the left (usually 3rd) lane, riding in the left lane BELOW the speed limit, having NO IDEA how to drive in any kind of inclement weather....on and on.

Add to that (and this is coming from me as a former LEO) CO police agencies seem absolutely un interested in anything remotely having to do with traffic. The only time I have see tickets being issued in and around the Springs is when they run a "targeted enforcement" ( cars or motos lined up with one LEO shooting radar). There is a law here in reference to the left lane obstruction....NEVER enforced. Snow or even a forecast of POTENTIAL snow? They are on "accident alert"-meaning they will NOT take any accident reports or work the scene unless there is injury. Shiz, when I was on the road I spent half of the winter working accidents......

For good measure, a law from Germany we need here........Anyone operating truck (box truck and above) caught in the left lane on the Autobahn is subject to arrest. I would modify it here to say any truck in the left lane when there are at least 3 lanes should be subject to HUGE ticket ( at least $1000) or a misdemeanor summons. From the Springs up through the Gap it is not uncommon to have trucks engaged in virtual rolling road blocks for miles and miles.
People know how to drive in Germany...I love driving there...
 
i believe the law in colorado is on highways of 65 mph or more it's illegal to be in the left lane unless passing

doesn't always help tho
Tell that to the tourists driving on i70 westbound… cops could pay for another patrol car with just one seasons’ worth of tickets ha
 
Tell you guys a little secrete. I spent 30 yrs driving 49 states and Canada and real important thing I learned was drive to protect myself. Ya need to pay attention to pretty much everything but most importantly to where you are in relation to everything. Once ya get the hang of it, it's easy but the erks still trip your trigger, they just don't involve you in their stupid wreck.
 
I set it at ten over and stay left. If you want to try for a ticket you can go around. You will not be appreciated for causing traffic while you're pulled over getting that ticket, however.
 
drivers in CO are BY FAR the worst as a group I have encountered.

preach GIF
 
i would say it's more nuanced with colorado driving.

it's not that are drivers are necessarily bad or incompetent in all cases, it's that colorado drivers are without a doubt the most impatient and reckless group of drivers quite possibly in the country. forbes ranked us the no. 3 worst state for road rage incidents.

its unreal how many time's i'll be passing people in a left lane at 15 mph over the speed limit and someone will get right on my ass flashing their lights like i need to get out of the left lane. that person is the bad driver.

i think it's because we're probably one of the single most stressed out population centers in the nation. nobody can get anywhere on time, 50% of the people on the roads moved here within the last 5 years, there is construction on every major artery 365 days a year, the air quality is shit like 300 days a year, and nobody can afford living here anymore. it's actually pretty understandable that everybody wants to kill each other for something as innocuous as going 1 mph under the speed limit.

the funniest part is EVERYONE thinks they're not the bad driver. the reality is that every single person is a bad driver sometimes and just because you witnessed one persons rare bad moment you think you're the God of the roads. everyone sucks at driving sometimes, as soon as people realize they're also someone who sucks at driving sometimes all this crap will just continue to get worse.

gawd i fuggin hate driving in this state.
 

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