People drive too slow in the left lane!

[kphoger]

I decided to ride up on the slow poke going around 50 mph in the far left lane of an 8 lane freeway, and held down the horn. The driver proceeded to slow down.

As people tend to do when warned of a dangerous situation by the long honking of a horn.

[ET21]

Regardless of speed (whether it is a the speed on one's speedometer or in relation to other vehicles) one should not be in the left lane unless passing or to access a left exit.

What about during congestion?

Maybe this is just a Maryland thing, but I often find during congestion that the left lane is where I don't want to be - typically, cars seem to slam the brakes harder and stop for longer while right lane(s) roll along at, say, 10-20 mph.

Yup, its best to not be in the left lane approaching backups. I've found being in the middle/right lane is actually the best, long as there aren't any major ramp merges coming up.

[HighwayStar]

Regardless of speed (whether it is a the speed on one's speedometer or in relation to other vehicles) one should not be in the left lane unless passing or to access a left exit.

What about during congestion?

Maybe this is just a Maryland thing, but I often find during congestion that the left lane is where I don't want to be - typically, cars seem to slam the brakes harder and stop for longer while right lane(s) roll along at, say, 10-20 mph.

Yup, its best to not be in the left lane approaching backups. I've found being in the middle/right lane is actually the best, long as there aren't any major ramp merges coming up.

Lane choice is part of any good driver's toolkit. Middle lane is a good lane when there is 3 in many cases. The left of the 2 middle seems better when there are 4. This of course assumes there is not an accident, etc. on one side or the other in which case all bets are off.

[vdeane]

^ Had the same thing happen on I-35E leaving Dallas a month ago. Traffic moving ~80 mph, all of a sudden, brake slamming, weaving lanes, etc. so for the fun of it, I decided to ride up on the slow poke going around 50 mph in the far left lane of an 8 lane freeway, and held down the horn. The driver proceeded to slow down.

I think you've been watching too many Crash_It videos...

[sprjus4]

^ Had the same thing happen on I-35E leaving Dallas a month ago. Traffic moving ~80 mph, all of a sudden, brake slamming, weaving lanes, etc. so for the fun of it, I decided to ride up on the slow poke going around 50 mph in the far left lane of an 8 lane freeway, and held down the horn. The driver proceeded to slow down.

I think you've been watching too many Crash_It videos...

The driver was going 45-50 mph in the left lane of a 70 mph freeway... I rarely hold the horn let alone use it but I made an exception here mainly because unlike the majority of Crash_It instances, this nearly caused multiple accidents.

[Flint1979]

^ Had the same thing happen on I-35E leaving Dallas a month ago. Traffic moving ~80 mph, all of a sudden, brake slamming, weaving lanes, etc. so for the fun of it, I decided to ride up on the slow poke going around 50 mph in the far left lane of an 8 lane freeway, and held down the horn. The driver proceeded to slow down.

I think you've been watching too many Crash_It videos...

The driver was going 45-50 mph in the left lane of a 70 mph freeway... I rarely hold the horn let alone use it but I made an exception here mainly because unlike the majority of Crash_It instances, this nearly caused multiple accidents.

I had an experience like that on the Ike in Chicago a few months ago. A car was doing 45 in the left lane with nothing in front of the car for at least an eighth of a mile and traffic wasn't backed up or even that heavy either. I look and this lady is yapping on her cell phone I laid down my horn while passing her.

[HighwayStar]

^ Had the same thing happen on I-35E leaving Dallas a month ago. Traffic moving ~80 mph, all of a sudden, brake slamming, weaving lanes, etc. so for the fun of it, I decided to ride up on the slow poke going around 50 mph in the far left lane of an 8 lane freeway, and held down the horn. The driver proceeded to slow down.

I think you've been watching too many Crash_It videos...

The driver was going 45-50 mph in the left lane of a 70 mph freeway... I rarely hold the horn let alone use it but I made an exception here mainly because unlike the majority of Crash_It instances, this nearly caused multiple accidents.

I had an experience like that on the Ike in Chicago a few months ago. A car was doing 45 in the left lane with nothing in front of the car for at least an eighth of a mile and traffic wasn't backed up or even that heavy either. I look and this lady is yapping on her cell phone I laid down my horn while passing her.

That calls for the horn and the finger! 

[kphoger]

She was yapping on her phone.  Probably wouldn't have even looked at your finger.

[HighwayStar]

She was yapping on her phone.  Probably wouldn't have even looked at your finger.

I'd make sure she saw it one way or another.

[Rothman]

She was yapping on her phone.  Probably wouldn't have even looked at your finger.

I'd make sure she saw it one way or another.

How?  Chase her down?

[HighwayStar]

She was yapping on her phone.  Probably wouldn't have even looked at your finger.

I'd make sure she saw it one way or another.

How?  Chase her down?

Eh, pull up next to her and lay on the horn continuously, roll down the window and shout

[Rothman]

She was yapping on her phone.  Probably wouldn't have even looked at your finger.

I'd make sure she saw it one way or another.

How?  Chase her down?

Eh, pull up next to her and lay on the horn continuously, roll down the window and shout

So...harass her.  Classy.

[1995hoo]

She was yapping on her phone.  Probably wouldn't have even looked at your finger.

I'd make sure she saw it one way or another.

How?  Chase her down?

Eh, pull up next to her and lay on the horn continuously, roll down the window and shout

So...harass her.  Classy.

He's assuming the hardcore phone user would either notice or care. In my observation, many of them do neither when you honk at them (I have not tried the "roll down the window and shout" method because I assume it would be a waste of time if the phone user's window is closed).

[HighwayStar]

She was yapping on her phone.  Probably wouldn't have even looked at your finger.

I'd make sure she saw it one way or another.

How?  Chase her down?

Eh, pull up next to her and lay on the horn continuously, roll down the window and shout

So...harass her.  Classy.

He's assuming the hardcore phone user would either notice or care. In my observation, many of them do neither when you honk at them (I have not tried the "roll down the window and shout" method because I assume it would be a waste of time if the phone user's window is closed).

Its hard to hear on the phone when someone sounds their horn continuously, its usually enough.
And if all else fails you pull in front of them, and start slowing down, not fast enough to get rear ended, but enough so that they catch notice.
You just need to be creative.
And if you yell the right things out of the window it usually gets their attention. 

[kphoger]

Its hard to hear on the phone when someone sounds their horn continuously, its usually enough.
And if all else fails you pull in front of them, and start slowing down, not fast enough to get rear ended, but enough so that they catch notice.
You just need to be creative.
And if you yell the right things out of the window it usually gets their attention.

This is a good working definition of road rage.

I used to do that kind of stuff, until the day the other driver decided to chase me down.  I couldn't evade him.  Eventually, I had to do a U-turn the wrong way down an on-ramp to escape him.  For a second, I think he even considered still following me.

Take it from me, such behavior does not help things.

[1995hoo]

What I'm reading in HighwayStar's comments is, "Respond to the jackass by being a bigger jackass yourself." That's pretty much consistent with the persona he's established for himself via the rest of his posts.

[hotdogPi]

HighwayStar needs to encounter Crash_It on the road...

[GaryV]

I have been tempted to honk my horn when I see someone texting while driving.  But I figure it might startle them and cause an accident.

[kphoger]

I found one that almost caused a wreck. Traffic was going 75-80 in the left lane (of several) on I-575 westbound, when out of the blue, I saw a billion brakes up ahead and I slammed on mine too. Cars started darting out of the lane, and when they were all gone, I found myself sitting behind someone's old grandma in a beat-up Honda Accord. I looked at my speedometer and saw 42.

Had the same thing happen on I-35E leaving Dallas a month ago. Traffic moving ~80 mph, all of a sudden, brake slamming, weaving lanes, etc.

The driver was going 45-50 mph in the left lane of a 70 mph freeway ... this nearly caused multiple accidents.

I had an experience like that on the Ike in Chicago a few months ago. A car was doing 45 in the left lane with nothing in front of the car for at least an eighth of a mile and traffic wasn't backed up or even that heavy either. I look and this lady is yapping on her cell phone

Let's just pause for a moment, and dwell on the fact that |HighwayStar| thinks the solution to having a driver going way too slow in the left lane is to either...

  (1)  go just as slow in another lane, or

  (2)  force the driver to go even slower.

pull up next to her

pull in front of them, and start slowing down

[renegade]

She was yapping on her phone.  Probably wouldn't have even looked at your finger.

When I was ridin' me Harley, I used to tell people, "Put yer f*ckin' phone down!".  They'd do it for the most part.  The truly ignorant would yell back or carry on.

[jakeroot]

On the few occasions where I feel the need to be a big man, I usually just stare at people (to the extent physically possible while driving). Sometimes I'll do a very subtle head-shake and maybe raise my shoulders a bit.

Like car alarms, most people just ignore fingers and yelling, so staring into their soul throws them a bit.

[kphoger]

Yep, glaring at the driver seems to have the best success rate for me too.  Only if they even look at me, of course.

[Flint1979]

HighwayStar needs to encounter Crash_It on the road...

I can get like cra_shit on the road but I don't go to the extremes that he does.

[renegade]

HighwayStar needs to encounter Crash_It on the road...

I can get like cra_shit on the road but I don't go to the extremes that he does.

At least you don't film it, right?

[Max Rockatansky]

HighwayStar needs to encounter Crash_It on the road...

I can get like cra_shit on the road but I don't go to the extremes that he does.

At least you don't film it, right?

I swear a lot in traffic but that's a far cry from what is often on display in those videos.  My wife absolutely hates it when I get angry about traffic so I've toned down a lot of the things I used to just say to myself.