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National Boards => General Highway Talk => Topic started by: OCGuy81 on January 21, 2022, 12:48:37 PM

Title: The worst vehicle to be stuck behind?
Post by: OCGuy81 on January 21, 2022, 12:48:37 PM
If passing isn’t an option, what’s the worst vehicle to be stuck behind?
Title: Re: The worst vehicle to be stuck behind?
Post by: thspfc on January 21, 2022, 12:53:20 PM
A farm tractor.
Title: Re: The worst vehicle to be stuck behind?
Post by: jakeroot on January 21, 2022, 12:54:45 PM
Absolutely a school bus, the average speed would be so low compared to a slow-moving truck.
Title: Re: The worst vehicle to be stuck behind?
Post by: OCGuy81 on January 21, 2022, 12:56:41 PM
A farm tractor.

Oh damn! Hadn’t even thought about that! 😂
Title: Re: The worst vehicle to be stuck behind?
Post by: formulanone on January 21, 2022, 12:56:45 PM
Trucks that drop pebbles; Staying back 300-500 feet behind it is not realistic, but it at least allows someone else to get in front of you and deal with the worst of it...

Truck carrying chickens: smelly and constantly messing up my windshield.

Title: Re: The worst vehicle to be stuck behind?
Post by: BlueOutback7 on January 21, 2022, 12:58:20 PM
I was once stuck behind a Bobcat doing 15mph in a 35. I ended up cutting through a neighborhood to get around it. There was also a time where I was behind a Jeep Grand Cherokee towing a trailer.
Title: Re: The worst vehicle to be stuck behind?
Post by: OCGuy81 on January 21, 2022, 01:00:40 PM
I feel in the Pacific Northwest, semi trucks are the worst. They really struggle to make it up almost any incline.
Title: Re: The worst vehicle to be stuck behind?
Post by: webny99 on January 21, 2022, 01:01:50 PM
A farm tractor.

At least in most cases, tractors use the shoulder so traffic can at least get past.

I'm with jakeroot... a school bus would be my pick because if you do get stuck behind one, you are properly stuck unless you find a detour.

Title: Re: The worst vehicle to be stuck behind?
Post by: plain on January 21, 2022, 02:54:47 PM
My pick would definitely be farm equipment. While school buses are indeed a pain, most of the time they eventually turn off somewhere. Getting stuck behind a tractor or something on a rural road however is an absolute pain in the ass, especially when they refuse to pull off when possible to let the traffic behind them pass. This is especially true when said rural road is a busy 2-lane stretch. Some of the worst I've seen was on US 33 in VA, US 40 in NJ, and US 522 in WV.
Title: Re: The worst vehicle to be stuck behind?
Post by: webny99 on January 21, 2022, 03:23:04 PM
My pick would definitely be farm equipment. While school buses are indeed a pain, most of the time they eventually turn off somewhere. Getting stuck behind a tractor or something on a rural road however is an absolute pain in the ass, especially when they refuse to pull off when possible to let the traffic behind them pass. This is especially true when said rural road is a busy 2-lane stretch. Some of the worst I've seen was on US 33 in VA, US 40 in NJ, and US 522 in WV.

Now I'm curious if farm equipment using the shoulder is as common elsewhere as it is around here (rural Western NY). I've rarely seen it cause an issue for long stretches... although almost all our state routes have proper shoulders and good sightlines, which might not be true elsewhere.
Title: Re: The worst vehicle to be stuck behind?
Post by: jakeroot on January 21, 2022, 03:27:29 PM
I'm with jakeroot... a school bus would be my pick because if you do get stuck behind one, you are properly stuck unless you find a detour.

True, although I was mostly going with the OP's premise of "passing not an option". If it were, I might pick the semi option as they are longer and not easy to see around. I have definitely overtaken school buses in-between stops, but overtaking a big truck can be a bit harder.
Title: Re: The worst vehicle to be stuck behind?
Post by: Mapmikey on January 21, 2022, 03:35:42 PM
i've certainly been stuck behind farm equipment but in general these are brief delays.

the absolute worst for me has been coal trucks in WV or TN.  you can be stuck for many miles going 20 mph because they can't carry hills and the roads have nowhere to make a pass and few if any places to pull off to the side if the dumptruck driver were so inclined.
Title: Re: The worst vehicle to be stuck behind?
Post by: JayhawkCO on January 21, 2022, 03:39:45 PM
RV towing a vehicle in the mountains.
Title: Re: The worst vehicle to be stuck behind?
Post by: GaryV on January 21, 2022, 03:43:50 PM
My wife says RV's should be restricted to their own roads, so the rest of us can keep driving at normal speeds.
Title: Re: The worst vehicle to be stuck behind?
Post by: thspfc on January 21, 2022, 03:59:57 PM
A farm tractor.

At least in most cases, tractors use the shoulder so traffic can at least get past.

I'm with jakeroot... a school bus would be my pick because if you do get stuck behind one, you are properly stuck unless you find a detour.
The roads immediately near where I live are narrow two lane 45 MPH farm roads except with elevated traffic due to surrounding subdivisions. The biggest tractors clog up their full lane plus a chunk of the other one. You have to wait for a flat stretch to pass them. At busy hours, a dozen cars might be following a tractor going 20 MPH.
Title: Re: The worst vehicle to be stuck behind?
Post by: 1995hoo on January 21, 2022, 04:19:12 PM
I once got stuck on US-501 near Brookneal, Virginia, behind a truck that was hauling some sort of wood chips and its rear doors were not secured, so the chips were coming out of the truck almost like a blizzard. I should have just pulled off the road and waited 10 or 15 minutes before continuing, but I was stubborn and simply backed off a ways to try to minimize the annoyance.

I don't find farm tractors to be the most annoying because I will pass them over a double yellow line as long as I'm not on a blind curve or a hill. webny99 mentions tractors being driven on the shoulder, but there's not always a shoulder available. I once got stuck behind one in this general area east of Charlottesville (https://goo.gl/maps/ZamcikLm1XRZCfn89) and I couldn't really pass over the double yellow because I was perhaps fifth on line behind the tractor. Its driver was waving people to pass when he could see it was clear, but at least one driver wasn't willing to do it, presumably because of the double yellow line. The fact that I was starting to have to take a massive leak just made it that much more annoying.
Title: Re: The worst vehicle to be stuck behind?
Post by: BlueOutback7 on January 21, 2022, 04:24:28 PM
Some other ones that are annoying :

Horse trailers - Only because being behind one with the windows down on a warm day with the smell of horse poop coming out the back.

Oversized load trucks - They drive dangerously slow on the highway because they’re always pulling houses or something.
Title: Re: The worst vehicle to be stuck behind?
Post by: SkyPesos on January 21, 2022, 04:33:39 PM
All vehicles with an orange triangle on its back.
Title: Re: The worst vehicle to be stuck behind?
Post by: hbelkins on January 21, 2022, 04:37:23 PM
i've certainly been stuck behind farm equipment but in general these are brief delays.

the absolute worst for me has been coal trucks in WV or TN.  you can be stuck for many miles going 20 mph because they can't carry hills and the roads have nowhere to make a pass and few if any places to pull off to the side if the dumptruck driver were so inclined.

Tennessee (and Kentucky) not so much, but West Virginia is good for having truck turnouts on a lot of its state roads in the coalfields. They aren't very long, but they provide ample opportunity to pass slow-moving trucks trying to climb a hill.
Title: Re: The worst vehicle to be stuck behind?
Post by: OCGuy81 on January 21, 2022, 04:59:21 PM
Some other ones that are annoying :

Horse trailers - Only because being behind one with the windows down on a warm day with the smell of horse poop coming out the back.

Oversized load trucks - They drive dangerously slow on the highway because they’re always pulling houses or something.

I’d add triple trailers to the list, though I seldom see them off of the interstate.
Title: Re: The worst vehicle to be stuck behind?
Post by: jakeroot on January 21, 2022, 05:02:32 PM
[The tractor] driver was waving people to pass when he could see it was clear, but at least one driver wasn't willing to do it, presumably because of the double yellow line.

Interesting, I would think most drivers would know that you can pass over a double yellow as long as there is an obstruction, which a very slow moving vehicle (less than half the limit?) would certainly qualify as.
Title: Re: The worst vehicle to be stuck behind?
Post by: CtrlAltDel on January 21, 2022, 05:35:15 PM
A truck passing another truck at 0.02 miles per hour.
Title: Re: The worst vehicle to be stuck behind?
Post by: Takumi on January 21, 2022, 05:47:35 PM
I once got stuck behind a combine on a very remote back road. It took up both lanes of the road so it was impossible to pass.
Title: Re: The worst vehicle to be stuck behind?
Post by: BlueOutback7 on January 21, 2022, 05:50:33 PM
There was a time when I was on a road trip and we were on I-87 southbound in New York and we’re behind someone in the fast lane who was going the same speed as the semi next to him. New York and Connecticut are known for left lane campers.
Title: Re: The worst vehicle to be stuck behind?
Post by: 1 on January 21, 2022, 05:52:42 PM
New York and Connecticut are known for left lane campers.

Very surprised about Connecticut. Greater Boston is known for being one of the few areas in the US without people going slowly in the left lane. If you try to go 55 in the left lane, you will get run over.
Title: Re: The worst vehicle to be stuck behind?
Post by: Big John on January 21, 2022, 06:00:09 PM
Semi trucks with a speed governor and very slow to accelerate.
Title: Re: The worst vehicle to be stuck behind?
Post by: MinecraftNinja on January 21, 2022, 09:52:16 PM
Snow plows.
Title: Re: The worst vehicle to be stuck behind?
Post by: oscar on January 21, 2022, 10:13:44 PM
I once got stuck behind a combine on a very remote back road. It took up both lanes of the road so it was impossible to pass.

In north Texas, I wound up behind what looked like a wide 16-row combine. (Earlier that trip, I rode in my uncle's 12-row combine while it was harvesting his corn field, so I could tell that the one in Texas was wider.) It took up the entire paved shoulder, its own travel lane, and much of the opposing travel lane. Fortunately, other traffic was light, and I didn't have to wait long to safely pass the combine. Still, he was going slow on a 2-lane state highway with a 75 mph speed limit, and I was in a hurry that day.
Title: Re: The worst vehicle to be stuck behind?
Post by: LM117 on January 21, 2022, 10:52:01 PM
A farm tractor.

At least in most cases, tractors use the shoulder so traffic can at least get past.

I wish that was the case in my area. Here, the people driving the tractors don't give two shits how long the line is behind them. They're gonna stay right where they are, come Hell or high water. They have a very MFFY attitude.

In eastern NC, where I grew up, it was the opposite. The farmers were usually very good about pulling over on the shoulder long enough for traffic to pass if they see a line forming behind them.
Title: Re: The worst vehicle to be stuck behind?
Post by: NWI_Irish96 on January 21, 2022, 11:08:14 PM
A truck loaded down with manure
Title: Re: The worst vehicle to be stuck behind?
Post by: Bruce on January 22, 2022, 01:58:32 AM
Open bed truck full of gravel.

Should really be illegal, but no one enforces anything.
Title: Re: The worst vehicle to be stuck behind?
Post by: TempoNick on January 22, 2022, 03:06:47 AM
FedEx Truck.

They're governed trucks hog the left lane. I hate FedEx drivers.
Title: Re: The worst vehicle to be stuck behind?
Post by: DandyDan on January 22, 2022, 05:20:44 AM
Last September, I was in my dad's original hometown on the way to a relatives house. I got stuck behind a school bus as it was climbing a hill on a curvy highway with oncoming traffic. After we reached the top of the hill, there is a section of highway with houses on each side and every house had a child who had to be dropped off at their driveway. It would eventually get up to speed, but there was always oncoming traffic and just when there was a break in oncoming traffic, the bus had to drop someone off again. I then had the curse of having to turn exactly the same direction the bus was turning. Eventually, the bus turned, but I think it turned a 10 minute trip into at least 20.
Title: Re: The worst vehicle to be stuck behind?
Post by: epzik8 on January 22, 2022, 07:53:32 AM
Tractor-trailer
Title: Re: The worst vehicle to be stuck behind?
Post by: SectorZ on January 22, 2022, 08:05:03 AM
Subaru Forrester.
Title: Re: The worst vehicle to be stuck behind?
Post by: BlueOutback7 on January 22, 2022, 08:12:12 AM
Amazon vans.
Title: Re: The worst vehicle to be stuck behind?
Post by: MikieTimT on January 22, 2022, 08:48:33 AM
A house or mobile home being moved.  They will stop for eons trying to navigate intersections or tight corners.
Title: Re: The worst vehicle to be stuck behind?
Post by: Rothman on January 22, 2022, 09:56:21 AM
Subaru Forrester.
Left lane Prius.
Title: Re: The worst vehicle to be stuck behind?
Post by: jakeroot on January 22, 2022, 01:26:37 PM
Subaru Forrester.
Left lane Prius.

Never quite understood that stereotype. Prius drivers always seem to be the guys flying up the left lane going 30 over. After all, if you drove a car that weak, you'd end up flooring it all the time too.
Title: Re: The worst vehicle to be stuck behind?
Post by: formulanone on January 22, 2022, 05:23:44 PM
A house or mobile home being moved.  They will stop for eons trying to navigate intersections or tight corners.

^ This.

It makes the two semis micro-passing seem worthy of applause, because at least you're moving. God forbid if one of the home-moving vehicles bottoms out on a bump or road camber in the intersection...might as well pull up the parking brake or find a way to make a U-turn...
Title: Re: The worst vehicle to be stuck behind?
Post by: 1995hoo on January 22, 2022, 05:50:49 PM
A truck loaded down with manure

Especially if your name is Biff.

Any time I’m behind something either smelly or badly polluting (like a diesel bus blowing dark exhaust), or if I’m at a red light near someone who’s smoking a cigarette and holding it out the window, I turn on my climate control's recirculation feature. It helps if you do it soon enough.
Title: Re: The worst vehicle to be stuck behind?
Post by: tolbs17 on January 22, 2022, 08:21:31 PM
I'll go with trucks with trailers, especially with cut logs. When they hit your car, it would be really bad!

School buses drive 45 mph in North Carolina, they should be 55 mph, because them going 45 is risky especially on a busy highway, overall increasing delays.
Title: Re: The worst vehicle to be stuck behind?
Post by: Rothman on January 22, 2022, 08:24:45 PM
Subaru Forrester.
Left lane Prius.

Never quite understood that stereotype. Prius drivers always seem to be the guys flying up the left lane going 30 over. After all, if you drove a car that weak, you'd end up flooring it all the time too.
The FB group content indicates much to the contrary.
Title: Re: The worst vehicle to be stuck behind?
Post by: jakeroot on January 23, 2022, 10:37:14 AM
Subaru Forrester.
Left lane Prius.

Never quite understood that stereotype. Prius drivers always seem to be the guys flying up the left lane going 30 over. After all, if you drove a car that weak, you'd end up flooring it all the time too.
The FB group content indicates much to the contrary.

still pictures don't really capture speed.
Title: Re: The worst vehicle to be stuck behind?
Post by: CtrlAltDel on January 23, 2022, 10:48:31 AM
Snow plows.

It's better than being in front of them, in my experience, especially if it's really coming down. At least when you're behind them, you get a cleared road.
Title: Re: The worst vehicle to be stuck behind?
Post by: jeffandnicole on January 23, 2022, 11:08:14 AM
Snow plows.

It's better than being in front of them, in my experience, especially if it's really coming down. At least when you're behind them, you get a cleared road.

Numerous times, during a snowfall, a car will pull out in front of me while I'm driving a plow because they didn't want to get stuck behind me. Then they realize how bad the conditions are, and wind up driving slower than I was going, so now I'm stuck behind them at a slower than ideal speed to plow.  They can try to pull over, but that means I need to go around them, not getting the lane cleared the way I want, and they're facing the possibility of getting plowed in by me.

After a storm, when we're doing cleanup work (Getting the remaining slush out of the lanes, clearning shoulders, etc), that sucks much worse to be behind a plow.
Title: Re: The worst vehicle to be stuck behind?
Post by: 1995hoo on January 23, 2022, 11:14:20 AM
I’ve occasionally gotten stuck behind plows that double as salt trucks, meaning they’re essentially dropping rocks all over the place. I hang well back from those, and that seems to infuriate some people around here–they’ll tailgate, blow their horns, weave back and forth, flash their lights, etc. I say, fuck you. Why should I get a bunch of pits and chips in my car's paint job from bouncing rock salt just because you think you’re in a hurry? Don’t like it, go around me and mess up your own car.
Title: Re: The worst vehicle to be stuck behind?
Post by: -- US 175 -- on January 23, 2022, 11:22:12 AM
A rock hauler/gravel truck, or somebody with disability license plates.
Title: Re: The worst vehicle to be stuck behind?
Post by: KEK Inc. on January 23, 2022, 11:28:37 AM
Any left-lane cruising idiot.  Even if you're going 30 over, don't travel in the passing lane. 
Title: Re: The worst vehicle to be stuck behind?
Post by: JKRhodes on January 23, 2022, 12:45:28 PM
As the parent of a small child, I don't mind school buses at all. In fact, I take on a sort of fiduciary duty to watch the kids get off safely and make sure other drivers aren't being stupid.

Semi trucks have a bit of a standard when it comes to predictability. While annoying, I've come to accept them as a necessary evil in the product movement of our supply chain.

With a non-pro vehicle towing a trailer (I'm thinking utility trailers with flip up gates mainly) it's always questionable how well the load was secured and whether or not the person driving the rig is going to act like a complete douche. So they get my vote as the worst.
Title: Re: The worst vehicle to be stuck behind?
Post by: hbelkins on January 23, 2022, 04:44:53 PM
somebody with disability license plates.

What's your rationality behind that?

My dad lost his left leg in the Korean conflict, had a handicapped parking plate, and drove just as good as anyone else on the road. You weren't in any danger or being held up if you were behind him.
Title: Re: The worst vehicle to be stuck behind?
Post by: TheHighwayMan394 on January 23, 2022, 04:54:01 PM
A farm tractor.

At least in most cases, tractors use the shoulder so traffic can at least get past.

A lot of times farm equipment is too large to be confined to the shoulder (especially on rural roads that often have narrower or no shoulders), such as the further discussion about combines. However, these vehicles usually don't travel very far so you don't get stuck behind an individual one for more than about a mile at most.
Title: Re: The worst vehicle to be stuck behind?
Post by: mgk920 on January 26, 2022, 08:16:26 PM
Big rig cattle trucks, especially northbound loads on I-41 here in the Appleton, WI area while they're en route to Packerland Packing in Green Bay, WI.  Those drivers are maniacs!

Also dump trucks that are randonly dropping rocks and glops of mud.

Mike
Title: Re: The worst vehicle to be stuck behind?
Post by: HighwayStar on January 27, 2022, 11:32:09 AM
Subaru Forrester.
Left lane Prius.

Never quite understood that stereotype. Prius drivers always seem to be the guys flying up the left lane going 30 over. After all, if you drove a car that weak, you'd end up flooring it all the time too.

Prius drivers are those morons that do 50 in a 20 zone, but on the interstate where it is posted 80 they only do 70. They also don't accelerate if they can help it, preferring to let gravity get them back up to speed.
Title: Re: The worst vehicle to be stuck behind?
Post by: HighwayStar on January 27, 2022, 11:33:21 AM
My worst would be an SUV, where the morons driving slam on the brakes before every curve because they know that top heavy obese excuse of a vehicle will roll over if they don't.
Title: Re: The worst vehicle to be stuck behind?
Post by: US20IL64 on January 27, 2022, 11:49:50 AM
Semi-trucks next to each other blocking 2 or 3 lanes. Some go real slow and others are riding your rear bumper.    :confused:
Title: Re: The worst vehicle to be stuck behind?
Post by: Henry on January 27, 2022, 12:00:57 PM
Based on all my travels, it would be a semi truck or any other large vehicle like a bus. Stay in their blind spots for too long, and you're asking for trouble.
Title: Re: The worst vehicle to be stuck behind?
Post by: MikieTimT on January 27, 2022, 12:10:21 PM
A house or mobile home being moved.  They will stop for eons trying to navigate intersections or tight corners.

^ This.

It makes the two semis micro-passing seem worthy of applause, because at least you're moving. God forbid if one of the home-moving vehicles bottoms out on a bump or road camber in the intersection...might as well pull up the parking brake or find a way to make a U-turn...

Out on interstates, they're inevitably wide loads as well, so take up more than a lane by themselves.  I remember being behind one evacuating Biloxi, MS northbound when I was a kid after our vacation on the beach got cut short by a hurricane warning for Hurricane Elena.  We had the honor of being the front of a very long string of evacuation traffic for well over a dozen miles.  The rear pilot vehicle kept cutting my dad off when trying to pass.  He ended up faking one direction and going the other to get around, then flipping him off and throwing his sub sandwich out the window onto the windshield as he sped by.  As it turns out, mayonnaise isn't removed by wipers very well, it's more of a smear, so the rear pilot ceased to run blocker and had to pull over to clear the windshield and traffic starting working its way around the convoy.  I generally don't condone road rage, but plugging up an evacuation in progress isn't exactly consideration inducing.
Title: Re: The worst vehicle to be stuck behind?
Post by: HighwayStar on January 27, 2022, 12:18:36 PM
A house or mobile home being moved.  They will stop for eons trying to navigate intersections or tight corners.

^ This.

It makes the two semis micro-passing seem worthy of applause, because at least you're moving. God forbid if one of the home-moving vehicles bottoms out on a bump or road camber in the intersection...might as well pull up the parking brake or find a way to make a U-turn...

Out on interstates, they're inevitably wide loads as well, so take up more than a lane by themselves.  I remember being behind one evacuating Biloxi, MS northbound when I was a kid after our vacation on the beach got cut short by a hurricane warning for Hurricane Elena.  We had the honor of being the front of a very long string of evacuation traffic for well over a dozen miles.  The rear pilot vehicle kept cutting my dad off when trying to pass.  He ended up faking one direction and going the other to get around, then flipping him off and throwing his sub sandwich out the window onto the windshield as he sped by.  As it turns out, mayonnaise isn't removed by wipers very well, it's more of a smear, so the rear pilot ceased to run blocker and had to pull over to clear the windshield and traffic starting working its way around the convoy.  I generally don't condone road rage, but plugging up an evacuation in progress isn't exactly consideration inducing.

The fact that he was assaulted with a sandwich...I hope it was something barely edible like subway. 
Title: Re: The worst vehicle to be stuck behind?
Post by: MikieTimT on January 27, 2022, 12:25:48 PM
A house or mobile home being moved.  They will stop for eons trying to navigate intersections or tight corners.

^ This.

It makes the two semis micro-passing seem worthy of applause, because at least you're moving. God forbid if one of the home-moving vehicles bottoms out on a bump or road camber in the intersection...might as well pull up the parking brake or find a way to make a U-turn...

Out on interstates, they're inevitably wide loads as well, so take up more than a lane by themselves.  I remember being behind one evacuating Biloxi, MS northbound when I was a kid after our vacation on the beach got cut short by a hurricane warning for Hurricane Elena.  We had the honor of being the front of a very long string of evacuation traffic for well over a dozen miles.  The rear pilot vehicle kept cutting my dad off when trying to pass.  He ended up faking one direction and going the other to get around, then flipping him off and throwing his sub sandwich out the window onto the windshield as he sped by.  As it turns out, mayonnaise isn't removed by wipers very well, it's more of a smear, so the rear pilot ceased to run blocker and had to pull over to clear the windshield and traffic starting working its way around the convoy.  I generally don't condone road rage, but plugging up an evacuation in progress isn't exactly consideration inducing.

The fact that he was assaulted with a sandwich...I hope it was something barely edible like subway.

It was indeed.
Title: Re: The worst vehicle to be stuck behind?
Post by: tmthyvs on January 27, 2022, 12:34:46 PM
In the canyons coming through the front range foothills (like US 34 through the Big Thompson canyon), it has to be the driver who's being extra cautious, but thinks the slow vehicle pullout doesn't apply to them. I typically go about the speed limit, and I've used the pullouts to let faster traffic past, but I've also lost 5-10 minutes in the ~20 miles of canyon to extra slow traffic.
Title: Re: The worst vehicle to be stuck behind?
Post by: jakeroot on January 27, 2022, 01:40:35 PM
Subaru Forrester.
Left lane Prius.

Never quite understood that stereotype. Prius drivers always seem to be the guys flying up the left lane going 30 over. After all, if you drove a car that weak, you'd end up flooring it all the time too.

Prius drivers are those morons that do 50 in a 20 zone, but on the interstate where it is posted 80 they only do 70. They also don't accelerate if they can help it, preferring to let gravity get them back up to speed.

Honestly, in my area, the slow Prius driver stereotype is now the slow Tesla driver stereotype. The Prius is now driven exclusively by taxi and rideshare drivers, who notoriously drive excessively fast. Apart from the old retired guys who would drive slow in any car.
Title: Re: The worst vehicle to be stuck behind?
Post by: doorknob60 on January 27, 2022, 02:44:53 PM
A farm tractor.

Oh damn! Hadn’t even thought about that!

Ha, once in High School I got stuck behind one going about 10 MPH, on a road too narrow for passing (1 lane each direction with physical median). I was familiar with the area, so I turned off onto a side street, gunned it down a parallel street (probably too fast), and made it back onto the main road ahead of it.

Since one of you are probably familiar with Bend roads, it was on my way to Summit High (on lunch break, so I was probably in a hurry to get back to class), on Mt Washington Dr between Simpson and Skyliners. I used Flagline, Outlook Vista (a street that always made me think of Microsoft), and Hosmer Lake to pass the tractor.

I still have no idea what a vehicle like that was doing in that part of town, only time I've seen something like that in that area.
Title: Re: The worst vehicle to be stuck behind?
Post by: skluth on January 27, 2022, 05:26:33 PM
Back in the day, any vehicle driven by my parents or one of my aunts/ uncles. (My dad was the oldest of 14 so there were lots of aunts and uncles.) That kept me more in line in my late teens than any law enforcement.
Title: Re: The worst vehicle to be stuck behind?
Post by: Scott5114 on January 27, 2022, 05:48:17 PM
A house or mobile home being moved.  They will stop for eons trying to navigate intersections or tight corners.

^ This.

It makes the two semis micro-passing seem worthy of applause, because at least you're moving. God forbid if one of the home-moving vehicles bottoms out on a bump or road camber in the intersection...might as well pull up the parking brake or find a way to make a U-turn...

Out on interstates, they're inevitably wide loads as well, so take up more than a lane by themselves.  I remember being behind one evacuating Biloxi, MS northbound when I was a kid after our vacation on the beach got cut short by a hurricane warning for Hurricane Elena.  We had the honor of being the front of a very long string of evacuation traffic for well over a dozen miles.  The rear pilot vehicle kept cutting my dad off when trying to pass.  He ended up faking one direction and going the other to get around, then flipping him off and throwing his sub sandwich out the window onto the windshield as he sped by.  As it turns out, mayonnaise isn't removed by wipers very well, it's more of a smear, so the rear pilot ceased to run blocker and had to pull over to clear the windshield and traffic starting working its way around the convoy.  I generally don't condone road rage, but plugging up an evacuation in progress isn't exactly consideration inducing.

Why the hell would someone be moving a house in the middle of an impending natural disaster anyway? DOT should have cancelled their permits, citing the need for evacuation traffic to use the road.
Title: Re: The worst vehicle to be stuck behind?
Post by: zachary_amaryllis on January 27, 2022, 06:33:17 PM
RV towing a vehicle in the mountains.

agreed … says guy frequently in this situation.
Title: Re: The worst vehicle to be stuck behind?
Post by: zachary_amaryllis on January 27, 2022, 06:37:51 PM
In the canyons coming through the front range foothills (like US 34 through the Big Thompson canyon), it has to be the driver who's being extra cautious, but thinks the slow vehicle pullout doesn't apply to them. I typically go about the speed limit, and I've used the pullouts to let faster traffic past, but I've also lost 5-10 minutes in the ~20 miles of canyon to extra slow traffic.

I live two canyons north of what you are talking about and I can appreciate
Title: Re: The worst vehicle to be stuck behind?
Post by: XamotCGC on January 27, 2022, 08:58:45 PM
A police car.   
Title: Re: The worst vehicle to be stuck behind?
Post by: MikieTimT on January 27, 2022, 09:01:15 PM
A police car.

It's worse to be stuck in front of one.  At close range.  Even without blinky lights.
Title: Re: The worst vehicle to be stuck behind?
Post by: TheHighwayMan394 on January 27, 2022, 09:13:54 PM
A police car.

It's worse to be stuck in front of one.  At close range.  Even without blinky lights.

This summer I saw someone get nabbed by a cop who clocked them from in front of their vehicle (speeding vehicle flew up from behind the cop, slammed on their brakes before coming alongside the cop, but were pulled over regardless), so just staying behind the cop isn't necessarily going to mean you're safe.
Title: Re: The worst vehicle to be stuck behind?
Post by: Max Rockatansky on January 28, 2022, 08:08:50 AM
A Snowbird operated RV.
Title: Re: The worst vehicle to be stuck behind?
Post by: Bickendan on January 28, 2022, 09:45:43 AM
I'm surprised no one's mentioned USPS mailtrucks.
Title: Re: The worst vehicle to be stuck behind?
Post by: BlueOutback7 on January 28, 2022, 09:53:40 AM
Garbage trucks.
Title: Re: The worst vehicle to be stuck behind?
Post by: Henry on January 28, 2022, 10:01:47 AM
Along with moving vans and UPS* delivery trucks.

*--may be substituted for FedEx, DHL or Amazon
Title: Re: The worst vehicle to be stuck behind?
Post by: hbelkins on January 28, 2022, 12:10:59 PM
Speaking of being behind a police car, when I was commuting from Winchester to Frankfort, there would occasionally be a Kentucky state trooper driving west on I-64 between Lexington and Frankfort who drove the speed limit instead of blowing down the road about 85 or 90 the way they usually do. He really stacked traffic up on the morning commute.
Title: Re: The worst vehicle to be stuck behind?
Post by: US 89 on January 28, 2022, 12:39:40 PM
I'm surprised no one's mentioned USPS mailtrucks.

Why? They might be annoying for a minute or so, but it's pretty easy to pass them since they pull over and stop frequently to deliver mail.
Title: Re: The worst vehicle to be stuck behind?
Post by: jakeroot on January 28, 2022, 08:00:51 PM
Mail trucks, trash trucks, and buses pretty much have an automatic response from me, assuming they are pulled over or are pulling over: overtake immediately if safe.
Title: Re: The worst vehicle to be stuck behind?
Post by: Ned Weasel on January 30, 2022, 10:11:54 AM
Any vehicle whose driver is playing on a phone.  It becomes obvious when a light turns green.

Any left-lane cruising idiot.  Even if you're going 30 over, don't travel in the passing lane. 

You're not stuck behind them if the right lane is wide open, leaving plenty of room for you to pass them.
Title: Re: The worst vehicle to be stuck behind?
Post by: thspfc on January 31, 2022, 12:22:55 PM
Any left-lane cruising idiot.  Even if you're going 30 over, don't travel in the passing lane.
Somebody who is going 30 over is going to be passing everyone else, and therefore it's safer for them to be in the passing lane for long periods of time than it is for them to weave in and out of slower traffic.
Title: Re: The worst vehicle to be stuck behind?
Post by: XamotCGC on January 31, 2022, 10:18:54 PM
Would a horse and buggy count?
Title: Re: The worst vehicle to be stuck behind?
Post by: sprjus4 on February 01, 2022, 12:01:35 AM
Any left-lane cruising idiot.  Even if you're going 30 over, don't travel in the passing lane.
Somebody who is going 30 over is going to be passing everyone else, and therefore it's safer for them to be in the passing lane for long periods of time than it is for them to weave in and out of slower traffic.
In that instance, I'd say it depends. If you're obviously going faster than the other traffic, and there is no one actively being held up by you, you may opt to stay.

However, if someone is riding closely wanting to pass, it's courteous to jump back to the right, let them go by, then get back in the left to continue passing long lines of slower vehicles.
Title: Re: The worst vehicle to be stuck behind?
Post by: allniter89 on February 01, 2022, 12:43:51 AM
1/11-12/2022 I drove home (Crestview, FL) from Paducah. The traffic on I-24 tween Paducah & Smashville was so heavy if I got out of the left lane to let an odd car pass (the traffic in the left lane was bumper to ditto @ 85mph so there weren't many leaving the left lane). The few times I did step to the right to let one by the inconsiderate sobs :banghead: wouldn't even leave me room to get back in the left lane even tho we'd been running 2gether for miles & miles. :confused: :no:
Title: Re: The worst vehicle to be stuck behind?
Post by: sprjus4 on February 01, 2022, 12:56:03 AM
1/11-12/2022 I drove home (Crestview, FL) from Paducah. The traffic on I-24 tween Paducah & Smashville was so heavy if I got out of the left lane to let an odd car pass (the traffic in the left lane was bumper to ditto @ 85mph so there weren't many leaving the left lane). The few times I did step to the right to let one by the inconsiderate sobs :banghead: wouldn't even leave me room to get back in the left lane even tho we'd been running 2gether for miles & miles. :confused: :no:
In that instance, if the left lane is a continuous flow that I'm maintaining the speed of the car in front of me, and there's clearly no passing opportunities, it's pointless to leave the left lane.

I try to stick by keep right except to pass, though there's many instances where it's not reasonable to leave the left lane.

Best rule of thumb, try to maintain the flow of traffic in the left lane regardless of speed limit. Slowing down and impeding the flow is going to cause more issues than help, even if "legal". Yes, you are legally correct, but in reality, it's not helping. Move over when you can.
Title: Re: The worst vehicle to be stuck behind?
Post by: HighwayStar on February 01, 2022, 11:42:18 AM
1/11-12/2022 I drove home (Crestview, FL) from Paducah. The traffic on I-24 tween Paducah & Smashville was so heavy if I got out of the left lane to let an odd car pass (the traffic in the left lane was bumper to ditto @ 85mph so there weren't many leaving the left lane). The few times I did step to the right to let one by the inconsiderate sobs :banghead: wouldn't even leave me room to get back in the left lane even tho we'd been running 2gether for miles & miles. :confused: :no:
In that instance, if the left lane is a continuous flow that I'm maintaining the speed of the car in front of me, and there's clearly no passing opportunities, it's pointless to leave the left lane.

I try to stick by keep right except to pass, though there's many instances where it's not reasonable to leave the left lane.

Best rule of thumb, try to maintain the flow of traffic in the left lane regardless of speed limit. Slowing down and impeding the flow is going to cause more issues than help, even if "legal". Yes, you are legally correct, but in reality, it's not helping. Move over when you can.

That is not how the US works. If you are already going faster than the speed limit there is nothing wrong with being in the left lane. Its different in Germany on the Autobahn where keep right is strictly enforced because there is no speed limit. But in the US where there are always speed limits you are doing a favor by keeping your boring Town Car in the left lane at 5-10 over if it prevents some pothead in a tricked out Jetta from doing 110.
Title: Re: The worst vehicle to be stuck behind?
Post by: US 89 on February 01, 2022, 12:10:29 PM
But in the US where there are always speed limits you are doing a favor by keeping your boring Town Car in the left lane at 5-10 over if it prevents some pothead in a tricked out Jetta from doing 110.

No, you're not doing anyone a favor. You're impeding traffic.
Title: Re: The worst vehicle to be stuck behind?
Post by: vdeane on February 01, 2022, 12:42:25 PM
1/11-12/2022 I drove home (Crestview, FL) from Paducah. The traffic on I-24 tween Paducah & Smashville was so heavy if I got out of the left lane to let an odd car pass (the traffic in the left lane was bumper to ditto @ 85mph so there weren't many leaving the left lane). The few times I did step to the right to let one by the inconsiderate sobs :banghead: wouldn't even leave me room to get back in the left lane even tho we'd been running 2gether for miles & miles. :confused: :no:
In that instance, if the left lane is a continuous flow that I'm maintaining the speed of the car in front of me, and there's clearly no passing opportunities, it's pointless to leave the left lane.

I try to stick by keep right except to pass, though there's many instances where it's not reasonable to leave the left lane.

Best rule of thumb, try to maintain the flow of traffic in the left lane regardless of speed limit. Slowing down and impeding the flow is going to cause more issues than help, even if "legal". Yes, you are legally correct, but in reality, it's not helping. Move over when you can.

That is not how the US works. If you are already going faster than the speed limit there is nothing wrong with being in the left lane. Its different in Germany on the Autobahn where keep right is strictly enforced because there is no speed limit. But in the US where there are always speed limits you are doing a favor by keeping your boring Town Car in the left lane at 5-10 over if it prevents some pothead in a tricked out Jetta from doing 110.
Who made you a traffic cop?  Let the police enforce speed limits and everyone else drive.
Title: Re: The worst vehicle to be stuck behind?
Post by: HighwayStar on February 01, 2022, 12:58:29 PM
But in the US where there are always speed limits you are doing a favor by keeping your boring Town Car in the left lane at 5-10 over if it prevents some pothead in a tricked out Jetta from doing 110.

No, you're not doing anyone a favor. You're impeding traffic.

No one is being impeded except someone that is driving recklessly to start with. That is not a problem. Everyone else on the road is better off without that guy diving in and out of traffic at 40-50 over the limit.
Title: Re: The worst vehicle to be stuck behind?
Post by: 1 on February 01, 2022, 01:08:03 PM
But in the US where there are always speed limits you are doing a favor by keeping your boring Town Car in the left lane at 5-10 over if it prevents some pothead in a tricked out Jetta from doing 110.

No, you're not doing anyone a favor. You're impeding traffic.

No one is being impeded except someone that is driving recklessly to start with. That is not a problem. Everyone else on the road is better off without that guy diving in and out of traffic at 40-50 over the limit.

If you're in the left lane, it causes those people to weave more, not less. If the left lane is clear, they won't need to weave as much.
Title: Re: The worst vehicle to be stuck behind?
Post by: HighwayStar on February 01, 2022, 01:21:02 PM
But in the US where there are always speed limits you are doing a favor by keeping your boring Town Car in the left lane at 5-10 over if it prevents some pothead in a tricked out Jetta from doing 110.

No, you're not doing anyone a favor. You're impeding traffic.

No one is being impeded except someone that is driving recklessly to start with. That is not a problem. Everyone else on the road is better off without that guy diving in and out of traffic at 40-50 over the limit.

If you're in the left lane, it causes those people to weave more, not less. If the left lane is clear, they won't need to weave as much.

If the road is fairly open, yes.
But typically when I find myself in this position the other two lanes are plugged with semis, etc. and they have to just sit there and do the speed limit like the rest of us.
Title: Re: The worst vehicle to be stuck behind?
Post by: jeffandnicole on February 01, 2022, 01:31:19 PM
But in the US where there are always speed limits you are doing a favor by keeping your boring Town Car in the left lane at 5-10 over if it prevents some pothead in a tricked out Jetta from doing 110.

No, you're not doing anyone a favor. You're impeding traffic.

No one is being impeded except someone that is driving recklessly to start with. That is not a problem. Everyone else on the road is better off without that guy diving in and out of traffic at 40-50 over the limit.

If you're in the left lane, it causes those people to weave more, not less. If the left lane is clear, they won't need to weave as much.

If the road is fairly open, yes.
But typically when I find myself in this position the other two lanes are plugged with semis, etc. and they have to just sit there and do the speed limit like the rest of us.

I thought you were going 5 - 10 over the speed limit.
Title: Re: The worst vehicle to be stuck behind?
Post by: HighwayStar on February 01, 2022, 01:46:24 PM
But in the US where there are always speed limits you are doing a favor by keeping your boring Town Car in the left lane at 5-10 over if it prevents some pothead in a tricked out Jetta from doing 110.

No, you're not doing anyone a favor. You're impeding traffic.

No one is being impeded except someone that is driving recklessly to start with. That is not a problem. Everyone else on the road is better off without that guy diving in and out of traffic at 40-50 over the limit.

If you're in the left lane, it causes those people to weave more, not less. If the left lane is clear, they won't need to weave as much.

If the road is fairly open, yes.
But typically when I find myself in this position the other two lanes are plugged with semis, etc. and they have to just sit there and do the speed limit like the rest of us.

I thought you were going 5 - 10 over the speed limit.

Yes, 5-10 so that even if the speedometer is off a bit no one is being forced to go less, and also so I can pass trucks and sit in that optimally safe part of the speed curve.
Title: Re: The worst vehicle to be stuck behind?
Post by: sprjus4 on February 01, 2022, 01:47:41 PM
And if someone is riding closely wishing to pass, you should move over as soon as it’s safely possible and let them go.

Simple.
Title: Re: The worst vehicle to be stuck behind?
Post by: HighwayStar on February 01, 2022, 01:48:55 PM
And if someone is riding closely wishing to pass, you should move over as soon as it’s safely possible and let them go.

Simple.

Why? So I can get stuck between two other vehicles and have to change lanes again to get back to where I was only for them to go 30,40, or 50 over the speed limit and weave in and out of traffic as they recklessly endanger the rest of us?
Title: Re: The worst vehicle to be stuck behind?
Post by: US 89 on February 01, 2022, 01:54:17 PM
And if someone is riding closely wishing to pass, you should move over as soon as it’s safely possible and let them go.

Simple.

Why? So I can get stuck between two other vehicles and have to change lanes again to get back to where I was only for them to go 30,40, or 50 over the speed limit and weave in and out of traffic as they recklessly endanger the rest of us?

Ever hear of road rage?
Title: Re: The worst vehicle to be stuck behind?
Post by: HighwayStar on February 01, 2022, 02:00:33 PM
And if someone is riding closely wishing to pass, you should move over as soon as it’s safely possible and let them go.

Simple.

Why? So I can get stuck between two other vehicles and have to change lanes again to get back to where I was only for them to go 30,40, or 50 over the speed limit and weave in and out of traffic as they recklessly endanger the rest of us?

Ever hear of road rage?

I'm not angry, I just coast along to the sound of the music.
Title: Re: The worst vehicle to be stuck behind?
Post by: vdeane on February 01, 2022, 02:06:06 PM
And if someone is riding closely wishing to pass, you should move over as soon as it’s safely possible and let them go.

Simple.

Why? So I can get stuck between two other vehicles and have to change lanes again to get back to where I was only for them to go 30,40, or 50 over the speed limit and weave in and out of traffic as they recklessly endanger the rest of us?
If they're really going that far over, how do you "get stuck"?

I just drive in the right lane unless I need to pass someone, in which case I move over and then move back when I'm done passing.  Simple.  And when that person mentioned road rage, they were referring to the person stuck behind you.
Title: Re: The worst vehicle to be stuck behind?
Post by: JayhawkCO on February 01, 2022, 02:09:57 PM
And if someone is riding closely wishing to pass, you should move over as soon as it’s safely possible and let them go.

Simple.

Why? So I can get stuck between two other vehicles and have to change lanes again to get back to where I was only for them to go 30,40, or 50 over the speed limit and weave in and out of traffic as they recklessly endanger the rest of us?
If they're really going that far over, how do you "get stuck"?

I just drive in the right lane unless I need to pass someone, in which case I move over and then move back when I'm done passing.  Simple.  And when that person mentioned road rage, they were referring to the person stuck behind you.

And the road rage is so much worse if they're in an SUV on the way to Baltimore on I-70.
Title: Re: The worst vehicle to be stuck behind?
Post by: HighwayStar on February 01, 2022, 02:17:15 PM
And if someone is riding closely wishing to pass, you should move over as soon as it’s safely possible and let them go.

Simple.

Why? So I can get stuck between two other vehicles and have to change lanes again to get back to where I was only for them to go 30,40, or 50 over the speed limit and weave in and out of traffic as they recklessly endanger the rest of us?
If they're really going that far over, how do you "get stuck"?

I just drive in the right lane unless I need to pass someone, in which case I move over and then move back when I'm done passing.  Simple.  And when that person mentioned road rage, they were referring to the person stuck behind you.

Example. I am doing 70, the semis in center and right lane are doing 65. The irresponsible guy behind me wants to do 100. He passes, the guy behind him is doing 70 like me, and now I have to try and get back in that lane with him, and everyone behind him, in that lane.

And if that guy is enraged, that is his problem, no sweat off my back.
Title: Re: The worst vehicle to be stuck behind?
Post by: Rothman on February 01, 2022, 02:21:37 PM
And if someone is riding closely wishing to pass, you should move over as soon as it’s safely possible and let them go.

Simple.

Why? So I can get stuck between two other vehicles and have to change lanes again to get back to where I was only for them to go 30,40, or 50 over the speed limit and weave in and out of traffic as they recklessly endanger the rest of us?
If they're really going that far over, how do you "get stuck"?

I just drive in the right lane unless I need to pass someone, in which case I move over and then move back when I'm done passing.  Simple.  And when that person mentioned road rage, they were referring to the person stuck behind you.

Example. I am doing 70, the semis in center and right lane are doing 65. The irresponsible guy behind me wants to do 100. He passes, the guy behind him is doing 70 like me, and now I have to try and get back in that lane with him, and everyone behind him, in that lane.

And if that guy is enraged, that is his problem, no sweat off my back.
That's a pretty specific, benign example.  Of course slower cars are going to pass even slower trucks.

I don't think that's exactly how this conversation started, though.
Title: Re: The worst vehicle to be stuck behind?
Post by: HighwayStar on February 01, 2022, 02:23:36 PM
And if someone is riding closely wishing to pass, you should move over as soon as it’s safely possible and let them go.

Simple.

Why? So I can get stuck between two other vehicles and have to change lanes again to get back to where I was only for them to go 30,40, or 50 over the speed limit and weave in and out of traffic as they recklessly endanger the rest of us?
If they're really going that far over, how do you "get stuck"?

I just drive in the right lane unless I need to pass someone, in which case I move over and then move back when I'm done passing.  Simple.  And when that person mentioned road rage, they were referring to the person stuck behind you.

And the road rage is so much worse if they're in an SUV on the way to Baltimore on I-70.

That can only happen in the Twilight Zone.
Title: Re: The worst vehicle to be stuck behind?
Post by: webny99 on February 01, 2022, 02:27:47 PM
Here we go again... it's been a while, but you just never know what will spark a good old left lane camping debate.

of thumb, try to maintain the flow of traffic in the left lane regardless of speed limit. Slowing down and impeding the flow is going to cause more issues than help, even if "legal". Yes, you are legally correct, but in reality, it's not helping. Move over when you can.

That is not how the US works. If you are already going faster than the speed limit there is nothing wrong with being in the left lane.

Actually the many "KEEP RIGHT EXCEPT TO PASS" signs on highways around the country would suggest that it is how the US works.
Title: Re: The worst vehicle to be stuck behind?
Post by: Max Rockatansky on February 01, 2022, 02:29:16 PM
Apparently the real answer is this guy:

https://fb.watch/aVgUyzfsjw/

But that’s not my opinion, Teddy Roosevelt said it.
Title: Re: The worst vehicle to be stuck behind?
Post by: 1995hoo on February 01, 2022, 02:31:06 PM
I think HighwayStar is simply jealous of how Crash_It, NE2, and kernals12 are widely acknowledged as having a certain status on this forum and he simply wants to one-up them.
Title: Re: The worst vehicle to be stuck behind?
Post by: Rothman on February 01, 2022, 02:33:03 PM
Apparently the real answer is this guy:

https://fb.watch/aVgUyzfsjw/

But that’s not my opinion, Teddy Roosevelt said it.
No.  Nonononono.  Not that guy.
Title: Re: The worst vehicle to be stuck behind?
Post by: US 89 on February 01, 2022, 02:33:32 PM
And if that guy is enraged, that is his problem, no sweat off my back.

Not if he takes it out on you...
Title: Re: The worst vehicle to be stuck behind?
Post by: HighwayStar on February 01, 2022, 02:41:14 PM
I think HighwayStar is simply jealous of how Crash_It, NE2, and kernals12 are widely acknowledged as having a certain status on this forum and he simply wants to one-up them.

 :-D

Yeah, I am jealous of some unnamed "status" of other posters on the forum.
Nope, sorry, I love the discussion, and find a lot of good information here, but I really don't care about "status", I have my viewpoint, take it or leave it. To be brutally honest, I rarely read the side panel to tell who said what.
Title: Re: The worst vehicle to be stuck behind?
Post by: SkyPesos on February 01, 2022, 02:51:28 PM
I think HighwayStar is simply jealous of how Crash_It, NE2, and kernals12 are widely acknowledged as having a certain status on this forum and he simply wants to one-up them.
I thought HighwayStar has a status here since the I-70 Baltimore thing.
Title: Re: The worst vehicle to be stuck behind?
Post by: sprjus4 on February 01, 2022, 02:54:25 PM
He’s a user that seems to have the mindset that he’s right 100% of the time and cannot be debated, mind changed, etc.

You can’t convince him to change his stances no matter how much logic, facts, etc. you provide. Just move on.
Title: Re: The worst vehicle to be stuck behind?
Post by: HighwayStar on February 01, 2022, 02:55:16 PM
I think HighwayStar is simply jealous of how Crash_It, NE2, and kernals12 are widely acknowledged as having a certain status on this forum and he simply wants to one-up them.
I thought HighwayStar has a status here since the I-70 Baltimore thing.

Well, I don't know if I would call that a "status" so much as an "unpopular opinion" turned infamous trademark. But at least I am known for something.
Title: Re: The worst vehicle to be stuck behind?
Post by: Max Rockatansky on February 01, 2022, 02:57:46 PM
He’s a user that seems to have the mindset that he’s right 100% of the time and cannot be debated, mind changed, etc.

You can’t convince him to change his stances no matter how much logic, facts, etc. you provide. Just move on.

Which sounds like you’re describing:

I think HighwayStar is simply jealous of how Crash_It, NE2, and kernals12 are widely acknowledged as having a certain status on this forum and he simply wants to one-up them.

Crash should be a cautionary tale for how NOT to conduct oneself in the real world or road world.  I don’t think anyone in recent memory has ever come close to that guy’s level of infamy or spawned as many memes.  Crash has set an incredibly high bar that I don’t think anyone is going to live up to for a really long time. 

With Kernals I think the issue there is a lack of real world perspective and experience.  While I’ve had like interactions with NE2 on non-road things I’ve him found it to be incredibly reasonable/helpful in the arena of historic highway/road research.
Title: Re: The worst vehicle to be stuck behind?
Post by: HighwayStar on February 01, 2022, 02:58:14 PM
He’s a user that seems to have the mindset that he’s right 100% of the time and cannot be debated, mind changed, etc.

You can’t convince him to change his stances no matter how much logic, facts, etc. you provide. Just move on.

I would say that is an unfair characterization.
My mind can and has been changed, but I require a high burden of proof. Also, just because you fail to change my mind does not mean that other readers don't benefit from hearing two sides of something.
Title: Re: The worst vehicle to be stuck behind?
Post by: jakeroot on February 01, 2022, 05:13:00 PM
If you are already going faster than the speed limit there is nothing wrong with being in the left lane.

It's illegal in Washington, must use right lane at all times unless passing. RCW 46.61.100.
Title: Re: The worst vehicle to be stuck behind?
Post by: Rothman on February 01, 2022, 06:46:43 PM
If you are already going faster than the speed limit there is nothing wrong with being in the left lane.

It's illegal in Washington, must use right lane at all times unless passing. RCW 46.61.100.
That doesn't meet his "high burden of proof."
Title: Re: The worst vehicle to be stuck behind?
Post by: HighwayStar on February 01, 2022, 07:03:09 PM
If you are already going faster than the speed limit there is nothing wrong with being in the left lane.

It's illegal in Washington, must use right lane at all times unless passing. RCW 46.61.100.
That doesn't meet his "high burden of proof."

Yes, because the US enforcement of that is extremely lax, particularly for someone that is not going below the speed limit. Sure, its on the books, as are an unfathomable bundle of laws against blasphemy, swearing at sporting events, using fake names at hotels, the length of bingo games, dance hall proximity to churches, using x-rays to sell shoes, R rated movies in drive in theaters, etc.
Additionally, the wording of those laws leaves a great deal to interpretation, which is likely part of why enforcement is sporadic. At its most basic level, when driving in that kind of traffic you are typically perpetually overtaking other vehicles, which is an exception. To quote your Washington Statute

(2) Upon all roadways having two or more lanes for traffic moving in the same direction, all vehicles shall be driven in the right-hand lane then available for traffic, except (a) when overtaking and passing another vehicle proceeding in the same direction, (b) when traveling at a speed greater than the traffic flow, (c) when moving left to allow traffic to merge, or (d) when preparing for a left turn at an intersection, exit, or into a private road or driveway when such left turn is legally permitted. On any such roadway, a vehicle or combination over ten thousand pounds shall be driven only in the right-hand lane except under the conditions enumerated in (a) through (d) of this subsection.

So in addition to the above exception for passing, there is an explicit exception for going faster than the speed of the traffic flow.
Later in the same statute we have this line

(4) It is a traffic infraction to drive continuously in the left lane of a multilane roadway when it impedes the flow of other traffic.

Which I have to wonder if this was part of the original statute or added at a latter time. It seems to possibly contradict the above, but on the other hand the interpretation of "impedes" is relevant. If you are doing 75 in a 70 zone are you "impeding" the traffic behind you? Legally, they can't go any faster, so are they being "impeded"?

The conclusion of all this is that while I am quite aware such statutes exist, their interpretation, application, and enforcement is another matter, particularly in the case of congested urban freeways where the entire road is basically one continuous flow of traffic in all lanes.
Title: Re: The worst vehicle to be stuck behind?
Post by: TheHighwayMan394 on February 01, 2022, 07:14:50 PM
The worst is being stuck in a traffic jam on I-70 in Baltimore.
Title: Re: The worst vehicle to be stuck behind?
Post by: NWI_Irish96 on February 01, 2022, 07:32:04 PM
The worst is being stuck in a traffic jam on I-70 in Baltimore.

Nah, I think the worst is being stuck in the non-flat parts of Illinois.
Title: Re: The worst vehicle to be stuck behind?
Post by: Max Rockatansky on February 01, 2022, 07:37:29 PM
The worst is being stuck in a traffic jam on I-70 in Baltimore.

Nah, I think the worst is being stuck in the non-flat parts of Illinois.

True, we all know Illinois doesn’t have any flat parts.  All those questionable out of state drivers are always causing issues. 
Title: Re: The worst vehicle to be stuck behind?
Post by: kurumi on February 01, 2022, 07:39:49 PM
I'll go with tar kettle trailer, ahead and upwind of you, while driving a convertible.

Or, riding a bike, and the thing is just fast enough to keep ahead of you in moderate traffic.
Title: Re: The worst vehicle to be stuck behind?
Post by: CtrlAltDel on February 01, 2022, 07:41:07 PM
That doesn't meet his "high burden of proof."

What do you know, you were right.
Title: Re: The worst vehicle to be stuck behind?
Post by: jakeroot on February 01, 2022, 07:50:05 PM
So in addition to the above exception for passing, there is an explicit exception for going faster than the speed of the traffic flow.

Correct, the traffic flow of the right lane that you should be overtaking if you are in the left lane. If there are no cars to your right and/or no cars behind you, I don't see how 2b could apply as there is no traffic flow against which you can compare your own speed. Thus, you would need to use the right lane unless one of the other exceptions applied.

With that in mind, your original assertion that...

If you are already going faster than the speed limit there is nothing wrong with being in the left lane.

...is incorrect in Washington. As I basically stated before. You have to be passing traffic on your right whilst simultaneously not holding up traffic behind you (either/both would constitute a violation of 2b). Passing at 1 over the limit with 20 cars behind you would not be legal.
Title: Re: The worst vehicle to be stuck behind?
Post by: HighwayStar on February 01, 2022, 08:17:34 PM
So in addition to the above exception for passing, there is an explicit exception for going faster than the speed of the traffic flow.

Correct, the traffic flow of the right lane that you should be overtaking if you are in the left lane. If there are no cars to your right and/or no cars behind you, I don't see how 2b could apply as there is no traffic flow against which you can compare your own speed. Thus, you would need to use the right lane unless one of the other exceptions applied.

With that in mind, your original assertion that...

If you are already going faster than the speed limit there is nothing wrong with being in the left lane.

...is incorrect in Washington. As I basically stated before. You have to be passing traffic on your right whilst simultaneously not holding up traffic behind you (either/both would constitute a violation of 2b). Passing at 1 over the limit with 20 cars behind you would not be legal.


If there are no cars to your right and/or no cars behind you, I don't see how 2b could apply as there is no traffic flow against which you can compare your own speed. Thus, you would need to use the right lane unless one of the other exceptions applied.

This is not the context of the original issue. Clearly when there is nothing in the right lane this issue is moot.

...is incorrect in Washington. As I basically stated before. You have to be passing traffic on your right whilst simultaneously not holding up traffic behind you (either/both would constitute a violation of 2b).

This reading is not consistent with the statute. To quote the statute again

except (a) when overtaking and passing another vehicle proceeding in the same direction, (b) when traveling at a speed greater than the traffic flow

The correct reading of that is that you do not have to be in the right lane when you are passing or you are traveling at a speed greater than the traffic flow. Thus your "whilst simultaneously" an AND condition where the actual condition specified is an OR condition.

Passing at 1 over the limit with 20 cars behind you would not be legal.
1 is intentionally a razor thin margin, but if we substitute passing at 5 instead I see nothing in the statute that requires you to move right if you are passing vehicles simply because whoever is behind you wants to go faster but is not legally entitled to do so anyway.
Title: Re: The worst vehicle to be stuck behind?
Post by: jakeroot on February 01, 2022, 09:02:09 PM
^^^
What I wrote is not necessarily my interpretation of the law, but how I've seen it enforced. Generally speaking, you can do whatever you want but you'll get stopped if there's a line of cars behind you, no one in front of you, and there isn't simple congestion preventing the use of the right lane (one car nine miles ahead on the right wouldn't necessarily permit you to use the left lane up to the point where you pass them).
Title: Re: The worst vehicle to be stuck behind?
Post by: Scott5114 on February 01, 2022, 09:03:58 PM
Remember, this is the same guy that says he has a barbed wire fence around his property because he doesn't like people walking by on the sidewalk.
Title: Re: The worst vehicle to be stuck behind?
Post by: jakeroot on February 01, 2022, 09:06:05 PM
Remember, this is the same guy that says he has a barbed wire fence around his property because he doesn't like people walking by on the sidewalk.

I'm sure I'm wasting my breath :-D
Title: Re: The worst vehicle to be stuck behind?
Post by: 1 on February 01, 2022, 09:07:52 PM
Remember, this is the same guy that says he has a barbed wire fence around his property because he doesn't like people walking by on the sidewalk.

Raise the sidewalks by 15 feet. (https://www.aaroads.com/forum/index.php?topic=28799.msg2584966#msg2584966) Problem solved.
Title: Re: The worst vehicle to be stuck behind?
Post by: jeffandnicole on February 02, 2022, 07:19:30 AM
But in the US where there are always speed limits you are doing a favor by keeping your boring Town Car in the left lane at 5-10 over if it prevents some pothead in a tricked out Jetta from doing 110.

No, you're not doing anyone a favor. You're impeding traffic.

No one is being impeded except someone that is driving recklessly to start with. That is not a problem. Everyone else on the road is better off without that guy diving in and out of traffic at 40-50 over the limit.

If you're in the left lane, it causes those people to weave more, not less. If the left lane is clear, they won't need to weave as much.

If the road is fairly open, yes.
But typically when I find myself in this position the other two lanes are plugged with semis, etc. and they have to just sit there and do the speed limit like the rest of us.

I thought you were going 5 - 10 over the speed limit.

Yes, 5-10 so that even if the speedometer is off a bit no one is being forced to go less, and also so I can pass trucks and sit in that optimally safe part of the speed curve.

You realize your speedometer could be off a bit both way?. So if you think you're going 65 in a 65 zone, you may only be going 60 in a 65 zone.
Title: Re: The worst vehicle to be stuck behind?
Post by: BlueOutback7 on February 02, 2022, 02:56:56 PM
I live near a sand and gravel company and every time I’m on that road, a giant dump truck loaded with dirt will always pull out in front of me when I’m doing 45 in a 40. Very annoying.
Title: Re: The worst vehicle to be stuck behind?
Post by: HighwayStar on February 02, 2022, 05:49:40 PM
I live near a sand and gravel company and every time I’m on that road, a giant dump truck loaded with dirt will always pull out in front of me when I’m doing 45 in a 40. Very annoying.

Going off that, I would say someone in a pickup hauling things that are poorly secured. The kind of situation where you can tell it is an amateur that just rented the thing and put way too much in the bed and has a dollar tree rope holding that refrigerator in.
Title: Re: The worst vehicle to be stuck behind?
Post by: DeaconG on February 03, 2022, 08:35:23 AM
Car carriers, without a doubt (especially when they're governed and they pull out in front of you to pass because some SUV driver couldn't pick up their speed in the center lane). Dump trucks and Hi-Rangers also set me off wholesale (Asplundh and Pike Electrical, I'm talking about you specifically in my neck of the woods).