I’ve been following this advice myself, but maybe with a bit of an ulterior motive… Being the second fastest car on the road, maybe a mile or two back from the fastest car on the road means they get pulled over and I don’t.
(On a more serious note, I get my speed fix on the race track now. I’ve matured enough to realize speeding on public roads isn’t worth the risks, especially when there’s others on the road that could be affected)
What catches the trooper’s eye and gets you pulled over is doing all those lane changes if you want to be the fastest. That’s what is unsafe. Otherwise, they aren’t too concerned about the actual speed as long as the traffic is flowing smoothly.
This strongly depends on both the area and the individual officers. And sometimes your skin colour, unfortunately. Also the condition of your vehicle, like a new porsche might be allowed to get away with a higher speed than a rust-bucket (or, on the other hand, that new porsche might attract more attention and/or envy).
“Or the stolen vehicle with no plates and a trail of illicit drug smoke, dragging a gas station hose, shooting a firearm out the bloody windows, while your hostage is screaming.”
Any lanes to the left are for overtaking, and you move back to the right after passing.
Of course it depends on how heavy the traffic is, but if you’re not willing to move faster than the cars on your right, CHANGE LANES.
People driving in the middle lane when there’s nobody on the right are a pet peeve of mine.
Edit: pasting this below, since people seem to be unaware of the actual rules.
Edit2: This is UK, flip left with right for almost every other country.
The highway code, the official rules for road use in the UK, reads:
(General Rules, 160) “keep to the left, unless road signs or markings indicate otherwise. The exceptions are when you want to overtake, turn right or pass parked vehicles or pedestrians in the road”
(Motorway lane disciple, rule 264): “Keep in the left lane unless overtaking. If you are overtaking, you should return to the left lane when it is safe to do so (see also Rules 267 and 268).”
Many other EU countries have the same rules. I wouldn’t know about America.
Don’t believe this is true. In scenarios where there are three or more lanes, the middle lane is used for cruising. The right-most lane is for entering/exiting traffic.
The laws are different for the US, where middle lane hogging is generally not illegal. However, all states stipulate that you must keep in the right lane unless overtaking, which is similar in spirit. Annoyingly, all but Florida then add an exception to this rule for highways with three lanes or more.
Middle lane hogging is mainly outlawed in the UK, who have correctly recognised it as being incredibly dangerous and a curse of congestion by preventing other people from overtaking.
The highway code, the official rules for road use in the UK, reads:
(General Rules, 160) “keep to the left, unless road signs or markings indicate otherwise. The exceptions are when you want to overtake, turn right or pass parked vehicles or pedestrians in the road”
(Motorway lane disciple, rule 264): “Keep in the left lane unless overtaking. If you are overtaking, you should return to the left lane when it is safe to do so (see also Rules 267 and 268).”
Many other EU countries have the same rules. I wouldn’t know about America.
Yes, these situations exist in Europe too, where we have a “drive in the rightmost lane”-law. For example the ring of Antwerpen has the rightmost lane almost exclusively reserved for on and off ramping. It’s a 4 lane highway, if I remember correctly.
So I was taught that undertaking is technically not illegal but it’s bad practice, hogging the overtake lanes when there’s nobody on your left is the actual offence. (UK before anyone driving on the incorrect side says anything). But yeah there’s still a reasonable speed to keep at on main roads in most conditions.
I find that people driving in the middle when the right is clear are often just anticipating an upcoming on/off ramp where they know that things can get bunched up if there are cars that don’t need to be there.
You know what’s a needless lane change? When I come behind you and have to cross 2 lanes to overtake you, because you’re totally zoned out and never saw me coming, and then I have to move back 2 lanes again instead of 1.
MOVE RIGHT jackass. If changing lanes on an empty highway is too challenging for you, maybe you shouldn’t be driving on one.
It’s not challenging, needlessly (as in nobody is behind you trying to go faster) is just that, unnecessary. The whole point is that you move over if someone is behind you.
People swinging back and forth to left and right even though there’s nobody behind them on the left most lane just causes a hazard for others without any benefit. I think it’s just their mind going “well someone said it’s for overtaking only so I must move back to the right” without really thinking it through.
And good drivers pay attention to stuff happening around them. If you as a rule are zoning out, I have bad news for you lol
I try to drive in the rightmost lane where I can maintain my desired speed without needing to weave back and fourth, unless someone is coming up behind me, in which case I’ll reduce my threshold for moving to the right to let them by, unless they are driving aggressively enough that I think there’s a high chance they’ll pass on the right after I’ve passed someone but before I’m far enough ahead of whoever I just passed to move over.
Oh one more exception for if the right lane is clear but there’s an onramp with cars, I’ll leave them the right lane to merge into and move over once I’ve passed them. I’ll also avoid cruising in front of semis if I can.
This is how lanes should be driven in. If I’m passing someone in the left, and I see someone screaming up behind me, I’ll usually try and speed up, get over to clear the lane, and then resume where I was at. I don’t cut anyone off, ideally the person passing doesn’t catch me before I get over, and life goes on with minimal interruptions.
Too many people go on autopilot and are completely unaware of other traffic around them. I’m consistently watching mirrors, traffic around me, and for animals deciding to cross the the road. It’s not no work, but it’s where everyone should be at when driving.
What highways are there with a 100mph+ speed limit? I’d love to visit.
I thought the highest in the US was 80mph, which means at least 30mph over. I thought you could start getting your vehicle impounded and get reckless driving charges at that point. It’s a little more than common speeding
I have seen an 85 mph speed limit on a 2-lane highway in Oklahoma. It was cool because I was in a fast car and I could go as fast as I wanted to (about 90).
Doing the speed limit while cruising in the middle lane is the proper way to travel in the United States, or just going with the flow of traffic. Being predictable is safe.
If the road you’re on has a 80 MPH speed limit however, and people are doing 90-100 in the left lane (+10-20) it is exceedingly difficult to pass someone without temporarily going high speeds yourself.
But for real, if someone is tailgating you at speed the right move really is to ease down slowly. Because if you have to stop quickly at speed, they’re going to catastrophically rear end you. Slowing down steadily lowers the stakes and may induce them to pass you and harass someone else.
That’s my two lane strategy. I use cruise everywhere I go, and I consistently go a little over the speed limit, usually about 10% of the posted amount. That’s not enough for some people and they tailgate. I will immediately set my cruise to the speed limit, and if they don’t back off, I will gradually get slower and slower. I don’t break check, but if there is a hill, I will ride the brakes all the way down as to not accidentally exceed the speed limit.
No it’s not. It’s safety conscious to keep space in front of you because you will need to reduce speed at a slower rate so the asshat behind you doesn’t slam into the back of you.
That’s heavily dependent on context. Oftentimes each person commenting in these threads has a different situation in their mind.
If they’re on your ass on a multi-lane highway and there’s plenty of space for them to pass you AND you’re in the designated lane for slow traffic (eg, right-most lane in the US) then it’s not rude at all. Encourage them to get off your ass and in the meantime, you’re giving both of you more time to react in an emergency.
If you’re on a two-lane road (ie, one lane per direction) I get wanting to slow down below the speed limit, but really, you don’t know whether that person has a friend bleeding out next to them while trying to get to a hospital, or maybe they are at the boiling point for a road-rage incident with a gun in the glovebox. I maintain a safe speed and if I get to a passing zone, I make a point to slow down for them to make an easier pass.
10 over on left lane (right for UK) while the other one is free? You’re the entitled speed police asshole. He’s the dumb tailgating idiot.
10 over the other way around? You’re doing nothing wrong. He’s still the dumb tailgating idiot.
I don’t condone assholery on the road, but it’s still my license and my fine if I’m speeding up for a tailgater. So if the right lane has slow traffic and I’m overtaking on the left, I’ll stick to whatever speed on or above the limit that I consider safe. Unless the tailgater has blue lights flashing, I’m not obliged to do a damn thing.
Sure. But if you have no one in front of you, and a line of people behind you, you’re the asshole, even if you’re going 10 over. Move over and let them by.
The implication is that there is someone in the right lane that they are passing. Without running that person off the road, getting over has to wait until the pass is complete. Tailgating that person isn’t going to make that faster, just more dangerous, and if you’re doing it to me I will slow down, so it will also take longer.
Don’t drive like an entitled cunt, and these issues just magically don’t happen to you. I’ve never tailgated someone and had to deal with them slowing down, brake checking, or literally anything else, because I don’t tailgate people like an asshole.
This is true as long as they’re not actively passing traffic to the right (assuming 2 lane highway). If they are driving in traffic and actively passing cars on the right then anybody behind should not be tailgating.
No, I’m the person that lets them pass because I don’t presume to know why they’re in such a rush. Maybe pregnant wife or medical emergency. Or maybe just a dick… don’t know. Don’t care. I’m not the speed police.
The problem isn’t that you are rewarding anyone anything. You are causing traffic and safety hazards if you are forcing someone to pass on right when it’s the law in most states to use the left lane as passing only.
nobody forces someone to do anything. they CHOOSE to pass illegally in addition to speeding illegally.
i’ll eventually move over when it is safe.
and when you react during this period like a douche and roof your car from behaving like a child, guess who’s going to show up at your mva? this guy, dressed like the first responder I am. guess who’s going to remind you I have dashcam footage of your overreaction and behavior?
If I’m going at or above the speed limit then one can pass if that’s not fast enough. If they can’t pass for whatever reason: that’s their problem, not mine
- Just about every truck owner who pulls the above mentioned shit.
Bonus points for lifted, extra big wheels, and whatever other shit country music suckered them into buying. Meanwhile their truck bed has no scratches, or is covered, and the truck itself only has seen the highway. They don’t own a truck - they own a clowned up SUV and a testosterone deficiency.
So your solution to someone tailgating you while in the driving lane is to pull over into the passing lane and slow down to let them pass? Real genius…
There’s a reason for those “slower traffic move right” signs. People drive at different speeds - if the people behind want to go faster than the people in front, it’s their responsibility to let them pass, so long as there’s a safe space in another lane to do so.
Yes yes there are, but they aren’t there to appease criminals who can’t follow the rules.
Rules for thee but not for me!
There are minimum speeds laws as well, and those roads are where the slower traffic move right signs are. You are extremely unlikely to find them in city and not on highways.
They are designed because of mainly 3 types of people on the road.
traffic that is too heavily loaded to accelerate quickly enough to maintain speed due to dynamic road conditions. Typically large commercial transport and vehicles towing or hauling something.
Older vintage/classic/non-passenger vehicles that can’t or shouldn’t be traveling at the speed limit, but ARE still legal to drive on those roads
Vehicles experienced pronlems but are still drivable.
Easy fix, go 10 mph under. If they are still a dick, keep slowing down
I’ve had a much easier life following a super easy rule for highways:
Left lane: Passing/Fast
Middle lane: Cruising
Right lane: Exit/Slow
If I’m in the left lane doing 110 MPH and there’s a pickup truck right on my ass, I’ll signal and go middle lane and just cruise for a bit.
9 times out of 10, I’ll see that exact same pickup or other car on the right shoulder with a state trooper writing him up.
It’s happened so often in my life, it’s made me believe in “instant karma”. Just let them pass.
“Never be the fastest car on the highway” is a pretty good rule for avoiding state troopers.
I’ve been following this advice myself, but maybe with a bit of an ulterior motive… Being the second fastest car on the road, maybe a mile or two back from the fastest car on the road means they get pulled over and I don’t.
(On a more serious note, I get my speed fix on the race track now. I’ve matured enough to realize speeding on public roads isn’t worth the risks, especially when there’s others on the road that could be affected)
What catches the trooper’s eye and gets you pulled over is doing all those lane changes if you want to be the fastest. That’s what is unsafe. Otherwise, they aren’t too concerned about the actual speed as long as the traffic is flowing smoothly.
This strongly depends on both the area and the individual officers. And sometimes your skin colour, unfortunately. Also the condition of your vehicle, like a new porsche might be allowed to get away with a higher speed than a rust-bucket (or, on the other hand, that new porsche might attract more attention and/or envy).
“Or the stolen vehicle with no plates and a trail of illicit drug smoke, dragging a gas station hose, shooting a firearm out the bloody windows, while your hostage is screaming.”
But that’s not as concise.
Nah, you still good bro as long as you are moving smoothly with the traffic.
Right lane is for cruising.
Any lanes to the left are for overtaking, and you move back to the right after passing.
Of course it depends on how heavy the traffic is, but if you’re not willing to move faster than the cars on your right, CHANGE LANES.
People driving in the middle lane when there’s nobody on the right are a pet peeve of mine.
Edit: pasting this below, since people seem to be unaware of the actual rules.
Edit2: This is UK, flip left with right for almost every other country.
The highway code, the official rules for road use in the UK, reads:
(General Rules, 160) “keep to the left, unless road signs or markings indicate otherwise. The exceptions are when you want to overtake, turn right or pass parked vehicles or pedestrians in the road”
(Motorway lane disciple, rule 264): “Keep in the left lane unless overtaking. If you are overtaking, you should return to the left lane when it is safe to do so (see also Rules 267 and 268).”
Many other EU countries have the same rules. I wouldn’t know about America.
Don’t believe this is true. In scenarios where there are three or more lanes, the middle lane is used for cruising. The right-most lane is for entering/exiting traffic.
https://www.drivesafeonline.org/traffic-school/highway-safety-and-lane-discipline/
The laws are different for the US, where middle lane hogging is generally not illegal. However, all states stipulate that you must keep in the right lane unless overtaking, which is similar in spirit. Annoyingly, all but Florida then add an exception to this rule for highways with three lanes or more.
Middle lane hogging is mainly outlawed in the UK, who have correctly recognised it as being incredibly dangerous and a curse of congestion by preventing other people from overtaking.
Who, what, why: What’s wrong with middle-lane hogging? - BBC News - https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-2278498
KEEP RIGHT TRAFFIC LAWS IN ALL 50 STATES CHART (00214405).DOC - SLOWER-TRAFFIC-KEEP-RIGHT.pdf - https://www.mwl-law.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/SLOWER-TRAFFIC-KEEP-RIGHT.pdf
The highway code, the official rules for road use in the UK, reads:
(General Rules, 160) “keep to the left, unless road signs or markings indicate otherwise. The exceptions are when you want to overtake, turn right or pass parked vehicles or pedestrians in the road”
(Motorway lane disciple, rule 264): “Keep in the left lane unless overtaking. If you are overtaking, you should return to the left lane when it is safe to do so (see also Rules 267 and 268).”
Many other EU countries have the same rules. I wouldn’t know about America.
Yes, these situations exist in Europe too, where we have a “drive in the rightmost lane”-law. For example the ring of Antwerpen has the rightmost lane almost exclusively reserved for on and off ramping. It’s a 4 lane highway, if I remember correctly.
So I was taught that undertaking is technically not illegal but it’s bad practice, hogging the overtake lanes when there’s nobody on your left is the actual offence. (UK before anyone driving on the incorrect side says anything). But yeah there’s still a reasonable speed to keep at on main roads in most conditions.
I don’t know about associated punishments, but the highway code is clear.
Rule 267: […]Overtake only on the right.
Rule 268: Do not overtake on the left or move to a lane on your left to overtake.
It goes on to clarify that, in heavy traffic, the left lane could be moving faster and that keeping up with the flow is OK.
I find that people driving in the middle when the right is clear are often just anticipating an upcoming on/off ramp where they know that things can get bunched up if there are cars that don’t need to be there.
I cruise in the middle lane because the right lane is full of idiots with cars more powerful than mine but somehow going 10 under the speed limit.
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A bit stupid to move back if nobody is behind you tbh. Needless lane changes.
You know what’s a needless lane change? When I come behind you and have to cross 2 lanes to overtake you, because you’re totally zoned out and never saw me coming, and then I have to move back 2 lanes again instead of 1.
MOVE RIGHT jackass. If changing lanes on an empty highway is too challenging for you, maybe you shouldn’t be driving on one.
It’s not challenging, needlessly (as in nobody is behind you trying to go faster) is just that, unnecessary. The whole point is that you move over if someone is behind you.
People swinging back and forth to left and right even though there’s nobody behind them on the left most lane just causes a hazard for others without any benefit. I think it’s just their mind going “well someone said it’s for overtaking only so I must move back to the right” without really thinking it through.
And good drivers pay attention to stuff happening around them. If you as a rule are zoning out, I have bad news for you lol
I try to drive in the rightmost lane where I can maintain my desired speed without needing to weave back and fourth, unless someone is coming up behind me, in which case I’ll reduce my threshold for moving to the right to let them by, unless they are driving aggressively enough that I think there’s a high chance they’ll pass on the right after I’ve passed someone but before I’m far enough ahead of whoever I just passed to move over.
Oh one more exception for if the right lane is clear but there’s an onramp with cars, I’ll leave them the right lane to merge into and move over once I’ve passed them. I’ll also avoid cruising in front of semis if I can.
This is how lanes should be driven in. If I’m passing someone in the left, and I see someone screaming up behind me, I’ll usually try and speed up, get over to clear the lane, and then resume where I was at. I don’t cut anyone off, ideally the person passing doesn’t catch me before I get over, and life goes on with minimal interruptions.
Too many people go on autopilot and are completely unaware of other traffic around them. I’m consistently watching mirrors, traffic around me, and for animals deciding to cross the the road. It’s not no work, but it’s where everyone should be at when driving.
Let them be the cop bait.
This is assuming the person isn’t tailgating you in driving lane refusing to pass you, because that happens constantly…
What highways are there with a 100mph+ speed limit? I’d love to visit.
I thought the highest in the US was 80mph, which means at least 30mph over. I thought you could start getting your vehicle impounded and get reckless driving charges at that point. It’s a little more than common speeding
I have seen an 85 mph speed limit on a 2-lane highway in Oklahoma. It was cool because I was in a fast car and I could go as fast as I wanted to (about 90).
Doing the speed limit while cruising in the middle lane is the proper way to travel in the United States, or just going with the flow of traffic. Being predictable is safe.
If the road you’re on has a 80 MPH speed limit however, and people are doing 90-100 in the left lane (+10-20) it is exceedingly difficult to pass someone without temporarily going high speeds yourself.
You do not need to be passing people if they’re already going 100mph…
But for real, if someone is tailgating you at speed the right move really is to ease down slowly. Because if you have to stop quickly at speed, they’re going to catastrophically rear end you. Slowing down steadily lowers the stakes and may induce them to pass you and harass someone else.
That’s my two lane strategy. I use cruise everywhere I go, and I consistently go a little over the speed limit, usually about 10% of the posted amount. That’s not enough for some people and they tailgate. I will immediately set my cruise to the speed limit, and if they don’t back off, I will gradually get slower and slower. I don’t break check, but if there is a hill, I will ride the brakes all the way down as to not accidentally exceed the speed limit.
That’s just plain rude
No it’s not. It’s safety conscious to keep space in front of you because you will need to reduce speed at a slower rate so the asshat behind you doesn’t slam into the back of you.
It’s literally safer than someone on your bumper going 80 mph (as long as you’re not in the fast lane).
That’s heavily dependent on context. Oftentimes each person commenting in these threads has a different situation in their mind.
If they’re on your ass on a multi-lane highway and there’s plenty of space for them to pass you AND you’re in the designated lane for slow traffic (eg, right-most lane in the US) then it’s not rude at all. Encourage them to get off your ass and in the meantime, you’re giving both of you more time to react in an emergency.
If you’re on a two-lane road (ie, one lane per direction) I get wanting to slow down below the speed limit, but really, you don’t know whether that person has a friend bleeding out next to them while trying to get to a hospital, or maybe they are at the boiling point for a road-rage incident with a gun in the glovebox. I maintain a safe speed and if I get to a passing zone, I make a point to slow down for them to make an easier pass.
Rude, safe, who’s to say.
Easy fix, move over and let them by.
Lemme just pull into this lane of oncoming traffic real quick
Assumed highway. Many people think they’re the speed police. “I’m going 10mph over, that’s good enough for everyone.”
While the actual speed police said you are already over the limit
god I don’t understand speeding
Exactly… I’m breaking the law by 10mph so that’s good enough for everyone. This other guy that wants to break it by 15mph is a total asshole.
You’re not an asshole for going faster, you’re an asshole for tailgating
Situational awareness is key.
10 over on left lane (right for UK) while the other one is free? You’re the entitled speed police asshole. He’s the dumb tailgating idiot.
10 over the other way around? You’re doing nothing wrong. He’s still the dumb tailgating idiot.
I don’t condone assholery on the road, but it’s still my license and my fine if I’m speeding up for a tailgater. So if the right lane has slow traffic and I’m overtaking on the left, I’ll stick to whatever speed on or above the limit that I consider safe. Unless the tailgater has blue lights flashing, I’m not obliged to do a damn thing.
Yeah you are, you’re endangering yourself and those around you by traveling at an unsafe speed.
Sure. But if you have no one in front of you, and a line of people behind you, you’re the asshole, even if you’re going 10 over. Move over and let them by.
You sound like that asshole
No, I just move over and get on with my life instead of rage that someone behind me wants to get somewhere faster.
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Removed by mod
You do understand the concept of a speed limit, right?
The implication is that there is someone in the right lane that they are passing. Without running that person off the road, getting over has to wait until the pass is complete. Tailgating that person isn’t going to make that faster, just more dangerous, and if you’re doing it to me I will slow down, so it will also take longer.
Don’t drive like an entitled cunt, and these issues just magically don’t happen to you. I’ve never tailgated someone and had to deal with them slowing down, brake checking, or literally anything else, because I don’t tailgate people like an asshole.
This is true as long as they’re not actively passing traffic to the right (assuming 2 lane highway). If they are driving in traffic and actively passing cars on the right then anybody behind should not be tailgating.
no.
Not sure why all the down votes. Most states it’s the law the left lane is passing only.
So you’re the tailgating truck driver in this meme?
No, I’m the person that lets them pass because I don’t presume to know why they’re in such a rush. Maybe pregnant wife or medical emergency. Or maybe just a dick… don’t know. Don’t care. I’m not the speed police.
Lol, no, we don’t reward selfish pricks
The problem isn’t that you are rewarding anyone anything. You are causing traffic and safety hazards if you are forcing someone to pass on right when it’s the law in most states to use the left lane as passing only.
Driving a consistent speed on cruise control isn’t doing that, dumbass, it’s the guy riding your ass and trying to speed who’s made a hazard
Show me the gun I’m using to threaten them into this, or explain how I make their wheels change direction
Also: one lane roads exist & are way more common than multi lane roads for this kind of incident
nobody forces someone to do anything. they CHOOSE to pass illegally in addition to speeding illegally.
i’ll eventually move over when it is safe.
and when you react during this period like a douche and roof your car from behaving like a child, guess who’s going to show up at your mva? this guy, dressed like the first responder I am. guess who’s going to remind you I have dashcam footage of your overreaction and behavior?
Being an undeputized speed police sounds more selfish to me. I control everyone’s speed. I am god.
If I’m going at or above the speed limit then one can pass if that’s not fast enough. If they can’t pass for whatever reason: that’s their problem, not mine
Bonus points for lifted, extra big wheels, and whatever other shit country music suckered them into buying. Meanwhile their truck bed has no scratches, or is covered, and the truck itself only has seen the highway. They don’t own a truck - they own a clowned up SUV and a testosterone deficiency.
So your solution to someone tailgating you while in the driving lane is to pull over into the passing lane and slow down to let them pass? Real genius…
No reason to move over if you are already at the speed limit. If you are over you should slow down.
There’s a reason for those “slower traffic move right” signs. People drive at different speeds - if the people behind want to go faster than the people in front, it’s their responsibility to let them pass, so long as there’s a safe space in another lane to do so.
Yes yes there are, but they aren’t there to appease criminals who can’t follow the rules.
Rules for thee but not for me!
There are minimum speeds laws as well, and those roads are where the slower traffic move right signs are. You are extremely unlikely to find them in city and not on highways.
They are designed because of mainly 3 types of people on the road.
traffic that is too heavily loaded to accelerate quickly enough to maintain speed due to dynamic road conditions. Typically large commercial transport and vehicles towing or hauling something.
Older vintage/classic/non-passenger vehicles that can’t or shouldn’t be traveling at the speed limit, but ARE still legal to drive on those roads
Vehicles experienced pronlems but are still drivable.
We don’t have those here, going over the speed limit is illegal and if caught a few times you are banned from driving
Where that? I would love if more people had their licenses revoked in my area
Every time the circlejerk assumes the worst out of comments like these.