slothrop Posted September 23, 2003 Posted September 23, 2003 I just got to Seattle after driving from Kansas, where I picked up my new ride. Out of boredom, I had been giving my girlfriend shit about hanging out in the left lane on the highway, as people pass her on the right. She doesn't believe me when I say that it ties up traffic and is discouraged (if not illegal and indicated by signs) most everywhere. After 2000 miles of pleasant open country, mountain scenery, and relatively few drivers, I find myself in the Mercer Island tunnel on I-90. There's a car (WA plates) in the leftmost lane in front of me going under the speed limit. I predict that no matter what I do, she will not move over to let me pass. Sure enough, after approaching quickly, flashing my brights, and signalling, she doesn't budge. A passenger looks back at me. More flashing and signalling, I even wait to do so until I can see a clear path for her to move to the right. She speeds up once onto the bridge, but I need to exit soon, so I move right. I pass her a few lanes over and she's slowed down again to 60. I used to just go with the flow and pass slow idiots on the right, but now I've been reminded about just how exceptional Washington drivers are. I'm flashing my lights at all you left-lane hangers now. Quote
catbirdseat Posted September 23, 2003 Posted September 23, 2003 When WILL they learn. Do you think the cause is a sense of self-righteousness, or just plain cluelessness? Quote
JoshK Posted September 23, 2003 Posted September 23, 2003 The left lane is for passing...plain and simple. Passing on the right is illegal (but pertty much required due to the idiots around here) as well as *not* passing in the left lane. Nobody in WA seems to understand this. Quote
slothrop Posted September 23, 2003 Author Posted September 23, 2003 catbirdseat said: When WILL they learn. Do you think the cause is a sense of self-righteousness, or just plain cluelessness? I think it's a passive-aggressive combination of the two. They don't pay attention enough to know they should get over, but then get all pissy when you remind them of their idiocy and respond by refusing to move. Quote
Dru Posted September 23, 2003 Posted September 23, 2003 JoshK said: The left lane is for passing...plain and simple. Passing on the right is illegal (but pertty much required due to the idiots around here) as well as *not* passing in the left lane. Nobody in WA seems to understand this. what about when there are 3 or 4 lanes and you are passin people left AND right Quote
catbirdseat Posted September 23, 2003 Posted September 23, 2003 I think many of them figure you shouldn't be going over the speed limit and it is their duty to prevent you from breaking the law. Never mind they are breaking a different law themselves. Quote
chelle Posted September 23, 2003 Posted September 23, 2003 I agree with much of what you've said here sloth, but where does it end? On my trip down to CA I was on the 2-lane part of I-5 outside Sacramento, passing trucks who are legally required to go 55mph. The speed limit for cars is 70mph. I am driving about 76 and passing. On 3 occasions I had drivers who want to go 85+ come up behind me and go agro when I didn't merge into the semi to get out of their way? What is a girl supposed to do? On one occasion someone merged out right in front of me just before I started passing a truck, then didn't go fast enough to pass the truck before the lane ended and the f'er behind the truck wasn't going to let me in. It seems people drive badly everywhere these days. I think they're all too self absorbed. Wake up people! You are not the only ones on the road! Quote
gapertimmy Posted September 23, 2003 Posted September 23, 2003 i think much of the left lane drivers in the greater seattle area are a result of over crowded roads, mixed in with poor technique. I've gotten to ride around with my friend who works at Washdot and its interesting to see the issues from the eye's of a civil engineer. here in OR most people obey the left lane rule, but when roads get tight, the spray spills over... much like this website. Quote
slothrop Posted September 23, 2003 Author Posted September 23, 2003 I hear ya, ehmmic. Sometimes I'll get over to let someone by and they'll take their sweet time passing, even though I want to pass the same RV whose blind spot they're happily sitting in. If someone wants to pass me because they want to go 90, then I'll just move over, unless I'm in the middle of passing someone myself, in which case I'll speed up a bit so I can get over sooner. It's all about the flow of traffic. People seem to focus only on the ten feet around their car (often only the ten feet in front of them), not the larger traffic picture. You can avoid all these squabbles by driving only in southern Idaho, where there are three or four cars, er, pickup trucks, total on the interstate. Quote
chelle Posted September 23, 2003 Posted September 23, 2003 What was killing me was that I was passing and if I had sped up I would've hit the car in front of me. The most obnoxious guy was about 2 feet from my bumper too. It's crazy out there. Be careful. Not looking forward to the I-5 drive on Fri... Quote
Dru Posted September 23, 2003 Posted September 23, 2003 i like to slow down next to a semi and make sure that tailgater dude just cant pass no matter what... and let em stew for about 10 minutes.... but only if i'm driving a bigger truck than them. or randomly tap brakes till they back off. but i guess in the usa i could get shot for doing that kind of thing. Quote
iain Posted September 23, 2003 Posted September 23, 2003 people need to chill out and feel lucky to be driving so fast for so cheap at all. seattle has the worst drivers, rivals california traffic. Quote
iain Posted September 23, 2003 Posted September 23, 2003 the best move is when you are passing someone, said tailgater comes up on your bumper, gets impatient and immediately swerves to try to get around on the far right lane, only to be stymied by some geo metro or something, slams on brakes, swerves back over to far left hoping to squeeze by on the right asap. no turn signals used in entire event. even better when you wind up right next to them at a red light after all the work. Quote
Dru Posted September 23, 2003 Posted September 23, 2003 in high school we used to carry creamer packets and when someone tailgated you flick em outthe window. if you hit the winshield the creamer explodesand the cream makes an opaque screen on their windshield so they have to brake and then turn on the wipers to get rid of it. of course that is a type of escalation and can lead to you getting beat up so only do it in a car full of rugby players. Quote
kitten Posted September 23, 2003 Posted September 23, 2003 I must admit - I am one to camp in the left lane. It is easier! I can space out a little and not have to worry about weaving in and out of traffic. But I hate those that can't get out of my way. THE WORST THING ABOUT SEATTLE - MERGE PEOPLE FLIFFIN MERGE - IS IT REALLY THAT HARD. Quote
Dan_Harris Posted September 24, 2003 Posted September 24, 2003 ehmmic said: What was killing me was that I was passing and if I had sped up I would've hit the car in front of me. The most obnoxious guy was about 2 feet from my bumper too. It's crazy out there. Be careful. Not looking forward to the I-5 drive on Fri... ehmmic, drive I-5 in the middle of the night. Very little traffic and you can't see the lots of boring nothing that it goes through between here and Redding. Drive safe. Quote
Scott_J Posted September 24, 2003 Posted September 24, 2003 I pass her a few lanes over and she's slowed down again to 60. That is the speed limit for that stretch of highway. Its not offically 70 until past Issaquah. Here is a link to help with driving in WA. http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/PugetSoundTraffic/cameras/ Quote
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