Get out of the fast lane!!

[VINMAN]

Sometimes our NJ State Troopers make me proud!

Love this move!

(harsh lanquage warning..)

[pwd72s]

Love it! One thing I've noticed with my Bullitt Mustang. Cops in Oregon use Mustangs in various colors as undercover pursuit cars...it's amazing how slower traffic moves to the right for me...far more than they ever did in the 911. Hell, with the 911, I'm sure I experienced purposeful blocking.

So, you look in your mirror, see this...

[Paul_Heery]

That was great!

[masraum]

Well, the kids in the car are idiots, but the move by the cop WAS beautiful.

[Heel n Toe]

The downside of that is that the officer was doing some aggressive tailgating... setting a very poor example for anyone who saw it.

If you're gonna be a LEO, you should at least be aware of the laws of physics... if something had happened in front of the LLB and its driver had to hit the brakes, the LEO would've looked pretty stupid.

The LEO could've accomplished the same end without the tailgating.

[MattKellett]

.... and yet how many times have we heard about highway patrol riding someones ass, for them only to speed up to get out of the way and then being given a speeding ticket!

[Taz's Master]

Originally Posted by pwd72s

So, you look in your mirror, see this...

I'm sure we're all used to seeing that in our mirrors.

The left lane is for passing, the signs which indicate that slower traffic keep right should be enforced as strictly as those which read Speed Limit.

[Heel n Toe]

Originally Posted by MattKellett

.... and yet how many times have we heard about highway patrol riding someones ass, for them only to speed up to get out of the way and then being given a speeding ticket!

I've never heard of it happening, but any time a LEO comes up behind me at a significant speed differential, I immediately put my turn signal on and get out of his way ASAP. If the next lane over is jammed, I don't speed up much more than about 5-8 over... and somebody in the next lane usually sees the situation and lets me over.

There's never an excuse/reason for aggressive tailgating. It's just wrong and it endangers lives whenever it's done because it creates the potential for a multi-car, multi-lane pileup.

If you don't believe me, just ask an intelligent, conscientious LEO... they've seen it all too often.

[m21sniper]

Originally Posted by masraum

Well, the kids in the car are idiots, but the move by the cop WAS beautiful.

+1

But what kids aren't idiots?

[masraum]

Originally Posted by m21sniper

+1

But what kids aren't idiots?

Good point, about 99.99%....

[john70t]

Originally Posted by Heel n Toe

I've never heard of it happening, but any time a LEO comes up behind me at a significant speed differential, I immediately put my turn signal on and get out of his way ASAP.

You heard it here.
In my youth, I was driving from Mi to the far east coast(right lane) and came up on a truck doing 50-52mph in a 55mph.
-I went aound him, and he sped up to 60-65.
-A car which had been way behind me decided to speed up and tailgate agressively while I was passing the truck.
-I accelerated further and got to the right.
-The car pulled up next to me, and the unmarked NYSP officer inside pulled me over.
-An $85 ticket for a tired teenager who was following the rules of the road. Un-contestable.

[Heel n Toe]

Originally Posted by john70t

-An $85 ticket for a tired teenager who was following the rules of the road. Un-contestable.

Technically, when you hit 65, you were going 10 over, right?

I'm sure most of us here have encountered "the idiot who didn't want anyone to pass him/her," but unless there's a law I don't know about that allows one to go 10 over if the idiot speeds up, in a case like this, an LEO isn't really overstepping his bounds, IMO.

[MattKellett]

Originally Posted by Heel n Toe

I've never heard of it happening, but any time a LEO comes up behind me at a significant speed differential, I immediately put my turn signal on and get out of his way ASAP. If the next lane over is jammed, I don't speed up much more than about 5-8 over... and somebody in the next lane usually sees the situation and lets me over.

There's never an excuse/reason for aggressive tailgating. It's just wrong and it endangers lives whenever it's done because it creates the potential for a multi-car, multi-lane pileup.

If you don't believe me, just ask an intelligent, conscientious LEO... they've seen it all too often.

This is the place I've heard about it happening!

Likewise if a CHP or similar was trying to come through, I'd make sure I got the hell out of the way. But what do you do if you're suddenly tailgated with someone riding your ass? I think I'd just speed up my over taking to let them through - bit of a bugger if it's an unmarked cruiser trying to trick you into a ticket. I have no personal knowledge of this happening, only what I've read on Pelican.

[john70t]

You're right Heel 'nToe.
I suppose I should have just gently decellerated back to the legal speed limit until it became safe and prudent to move to the right.

During rush hour traffic, there might be many cars illegally passing me in the right lane. A few miles of cars in fact.

But I'll hold the course.
'cause that is the law.

Thanks for the reminder, I'll try to remember to do that everytime I'm in the left lane!

[Porsche-O-Phile]

Originally Posted by pwd72s

The left lane is for passing, the signs which indicate that slower traffic keep right should be enforced as strictly as those which read Speed Limit.

That will only happen if the fines for tailgating are raised to match or exceed those of speeding (or better still if speeding fines are lowered to match or be less than those for tailgating).

Ultimately the whole charade is about revenue and money, so that's what needs to be modified.

[Heel n Toe]

Originally Posted by john70t

You're right Heel 'nToe.
I suppose I should have just gently decellerated back to the legal speed limit until it became safe and prudent to move to the right.

During rush hour traffic, there might be many cars illegally passing me in the right lane. A few miles of cars in fact.

But I'll hold the course.
'cause that is the law.

Thanks for the reminder, I'll try to remember to do that everytime I'm in the left lane!

I realize there's no perfect solution/answer to every situation like this, but the one variable that is wrong, stupid, and puts lives in danger every time it happens is tailgating.

[911pcars]

When you drive faster than someone in the fast lane, there will be a time when you're closer than advisable. Sometimes flashing the headlights and even honking won't dislodge the interloper from abandoning his strip of land.

The perp was lucky he/she wasn't ticketed for obstructing traffic.

The kids were lucky they weren't ticketed for being obnoxious.

Sherwood

[Heel n Toe]

Originally Posted by 911pcars

When you drive faster than someone in the fast lane, there will be a time when you're closer than advisable.
Sherwood

B.S.

When you are approaching a left lane bandit, you always have the option of not pulling into that closer-than-advisable zone.

It's a choice... and it's always an ill-advised one that endangers lives.

The LLB may be in the wrong, but as soon as you pull into that zone, you are even more wrong.

[Superman]

Originally Posted by 911pcars

The perp was lucky he/she wasn't ticketed for obstructing traffic.

Nope. Nobody gets tickets for that. Everyone knows it, too. In fact, the only citations issued, virtually, are for speeding. As a consequence, driving in the wrong lane, failing to signal, waiting until 200' before your exit to diagonally cross six lanes at once......common practices.

[Drisump]

Originally Posted by Superman

Nope. Nobody gets tickets for that. Everyone knows it, too. In fact, the only citations issued, virtually, are for speeding. As a consequence, driving in the wrong lane, failing to signal, waiting until 200' before your exit to diagonally cross six lanes at once......common practices.

Agreed..... in general, with their inaction, the authorities approve of this type of driving. They train drivers to think of the left lane as a "passing only" lane but do not enforce this rule. Honestly, I wonder if those drivers know what "passing" is ( many of us I'm sure, have observed the "twenty miles pass", that is to say "passing" a loosely strung row of three cars over twenty miles) or they no longer remember what they were taught. Going to be driving in Italy in a couple of weeks, I haven't driven there for over 30years... as I recall, the police there take a dim view of left lane "sauntering". Should be interesting.