Interstates and Cruise Control

[AznAnarchy99]

I can only speak for California, but the posted speed limit here isn't a recommendation. If you're goin 66 you can get a ticket if a cop so feels inclined to pull you over.

Driving faster than the posted speed limit or driving faster than safe for current conditions on any road is dangerous and illegal.

that's directly from Cali's DMV site, notice the word illegal, I'm not arguing weather it's a stupid law or not. There's no gray area about speeding, but if i'm going the maximum legal limit I could still technically get a ticket if I was doing it in the left lane and impeding the cars behind me from being able to break the law by speeding. Which makes absolutely zero sense to me.

note to all you speeders, I DON'T do 65 in the fast lane, I stay in the middle doing my shitty 65, I'm just making an observation

I honestly never understood the CA speed limit law either. I remember getting that question wrong on the written saying that there are moments that you could go over. In CA its technically always illegal to go over. However all of our highways has the unwritten rule of 80 mph on the left lanes and slower as you go to the righter lanes. Its up to the highway patrol's discretion on whether he wants to pull you over or not. Usually they never say a thing about 80 but if they decide to be a dick one night they could ticket you.

 

[chubbyfatazn]

shit

Lol, where do you live, California? I go to UT. Raised in Dallas. Texas is a great place to live except for its summers.

 

[fatpat268]

Lol, where do you live, California? I go to UT. Raised in Dallas. Texas is a great place to live except for its summers.

Pretty sure he's from Chicago or somewhere near there.

 

[dmcowen674]

Where is "here?" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Passing_lane :

This law refers to the "normal" speed of traffic, not the "legal" speed of traffic. The 60 MPH driver in a 55 MPH zone where everybody else is going 65 MPH must move right..."

The 60 mph driver and of course the 65 mph drivers are all breaking the law.

The law does not state that drivers not breaking the law have to move over for law breakers.

Try again.

 

[chubbyfatazn]

The 60 mph driver and of course the 65 mph drivers are all breaking the law.

The law does not state that drivers not breaking the law have to move over for law breakers.

Try again.

Where do you live that the standard highway speed is below 60? Even in cities here it's 60, and on rural portions/outside the city it's 70 or 75. Quit being so dense. Try again.

 

[dmcowen674]

Where do you live that the standard highway speed is below 60? Even in cities here it's 60, and on rural portions/outside the city it's 70 or 75. Quit being so dense. Try again.

99% of the Interstates in and around Chicago are toll roads and 55mph.

I think there is one stretch just before you hit I-80 on I-355 that briefly goes to 65.

 

[DCal430]

What confuses me here is the law on speeding's concrete, you cannot legally speed period. But they have the left lane for passing rule too. So which is it?

There is no law in California that says the left lane is for passing only. There is only a law that says slower traffic isn't to use the left most lane.

 

[Kroze]

When I was young and wild, I hated people driving slow on the fast lane. Now I just set the cruise control and stayed on the right lane. I'm not one of those asshole who go slow and hog up the fast lane.

 

[skyking]

I really like CC, it was great to get it working in my truck. It is not as sophisticated as the two cars but works good enough for me. The other day I was driving the Honda and cresting a big hill, and the truck in the right lane applied brakes with nobody in sight. I figured he could see something from up high that I couldn't, so I did three quick downclicks on the CC. The computer assessed the situation, and dropped out of OD for better engine braking. It had never done that before (100K+ miles), I was impressed. Speed dropped the 3 MPH, and it went back into OD smooth as buttah.

 

[Red Storm]

Wait, people actually use CC? I think I've used it once in my whole life and that was just to see what it's like. I have no trouble maintaining speed with the pedal.

On I-66 (No. VA) the speed limit near my house is 55, however you're pretty much safe all the way to 70MPH. It's quite nice.

 

[skyking]

So you think. I love it when people think they can do as well as a computer with 1 MPH tolerance for miles and miles.

 

[Exterous]

I hate those people so much. I need to constantly turn off cruise control because some wise and beautiful woman in front of me slows from 100k down to 80k when going up a hill. People like that should be killed.

100,000 miles per hour?!

I also hate people that can't keep a steady speed. When you are out there on rural/semi-rural interstates, there is no reason not to use cruise control. I understand some cars don't have it, but the percentage has to be incredibly low.

My wife's car doesn't have cruise control. The few times I drive it I always feel bad as it handles so differently from my car I have a hard time maintaining a constant speed

I always set my CC to speed limit, get all the way to the right and rarely ever have to do anything until I have to get off the highway. Well except maybe when there's heavy merging from the right.

If I could do that I would be happy. Around here though there is such a drastic difference how fast people drive on the highway (55mph to 85mph) that there is almost no chance of me being able to sit in the right lane and do 70. Not to mention that people seem to have no idea how to correctly merge

 

[Exterous]

Despite having some really tedious scenery, driving through South Dakota is awesome. When I drove through it on I-90 a couple years ago, it seemed like every single person stayed right except to pass, it was wonderful. Granted there are relatively few cars, but just felt so good when everything was working like it should.

We did a self drive trip through Ireland last year and the drivers there are amazing. Everyone always (Yes - every single time) got out of the way for a faster driver. I never passed a single car on the left (they drive on the opposite side over there) even on the 5 lane expressways around Dublin. It even happened frequently on single lane roads. They would pull off to the side and let you pass. It was glorious to see how the system should work

Of course within 5 minutes of leaving O'Hare airport I had already passed about 20 cars on the right. I was so sad to be back driving in the US


One of the things that really pisses me off is what a lot of people do around here during rush hour. There is an onramp/off ramp combo that I use to merge onto the freeway every day. The traffic is bumper to bumper except for spots vacated by cars getting onto the off ramp. Now you would think that the people on the on ramp could occupy those spaces but almost every day I see some jackass speed up to close the gap and try to prevent a car from merging and then slam onto their breaks when they get close to the still stopped car that used to be two cars in front of them. Was it really worth that much effort for a single car length of distance? That 0.002 seconds you shaved off your commute really helped

Oh and cell phones really need to be banned from use while driving. People dont pay enough attention to the road as it is

 

[OutHouse]

i go about 6-7 over. if i am in the left lane passing a long line of cars and some assmunch starts riding my bumper because i not going fast enough, i will slow down. if he backs off i will speed back up.

 

[Phoenix86]

The 60 mph driver and of course the 65 mph drivers are all breaking the law.

The law does not state that drivers not breaking the law have to move over for law breakers.

Try again.

http://www.ilga.gov/legislation/ilcs/ilcs4.asp?DocName=062500050HCh.+11&ActID=1815&ChapAct=625+%3BILCS+%3B5%2F&ChapterID=49&ChapterName=VEHICLES&SectionID=28620&SeqStart=99900000&SeqEnd=122700000&ActName=Illinois+Vehicle+Code.

(625 ILCS 5/11-506)
Sec. 11-506. Street racing; aggravated street racing.
(a) No person shall engage in street racing on any street or highway of this State.
(b) No owner of any vehicle shall acquiesce in or permit his or her vehicle to be used by another for the purpose of street racing.
(c) For the purposes of this Section, the following words shall have the meanings ascribed to them:
"Acquiesce" or "permit" means actual knowledge that the motor vehicle was to be used for the purpose of street racing.
"Street racing" means:
(1) The operation of 2 or more vehicles from a point side by side at accelerating speeds in a competitive attempt to outdistance each other; or
(2) The operation of one or more vehicles over a
common selected course, each starting at the same point, for the purpose of comparing the relative speeds or power of acceleration of such vehicle or vehicles within a certain distance or time limit; or
(3) The use of one or more vehicles in an attempt to
outgain or outdistance another vehicle; or
(4) The use of one or more vehicles to prevent
another vehicle from passing; or
(5) The use of one or more vehicles to arrive at a given destination ahead of another vehicle or vehicles; or
(6) The use of one or more vehicles to test the
physical stamina or endurance of drivers over long-distance driving routes.
(d) Penalties.
(1) Any person who is convicted of a violation of
subsection (a) shall be guilty of a Class A misdemeanor for the first offense and shall be subject to a minimum fine of $250. Any person convicted of a violation of subsection (a) a second or subsequent time shall be guilty of a Class 4 felony and shall be subject to a minimum fine of $500. The driver's license of any person convicted of subsection (a) shall be revoked in the manner provided by Section 6-205 of this Code.
(2) Any person who is convicted of a violation of
subsection (b) shall be guilty of a Class B misdemeanor. Any person who is convicted of subsection (b) for a second or subsequent time shall be guilty of a Class A misdemeanor.
(3) Every person convicted of committing a violation
of subsection (a) of this Section shall be guilty of aggravated street racing if the person, in committing a violation of subsection (a) was involved in a motor vehicle accident that resulted in great bodily harm or permanent disability or disfigurement to another, where the violation was a proximate cause of the injury. Aggravated street racing is a Class 4 felony for which the defendant, if sentenced to a term of imprisonment shall be sentenced to not less than one year nor more than 12 years.
(Source: P.A. 95-310, eff. 1-1-08.)

Doesn't seem to exclude people speeding and the penalties are very nasty in Illinois since they consider it "street racing". Oh, and if you cause an accident because you're blocking the road it's a felony.

Oddly enough I couldn't find a law restricting vinegar sales... :sneaky:

 

[ShawnD1]

i go about 6-7 over. if i am in the left lane passing a long line of cars and some assmunch starts riding my bumper because i not going fast enough, i will slow down. if he backs off i will speed back up.

So you're going to obstruct traffic for hundreds of cars because 1 guy is behind you? You're almost as bad as Engineer.

Seems like the general attitude in this thread is "I'm more important, fuck everyone else. I can completely stop in the middle lane on the freeway because it's my right." Then a week later that same exact person will make a thread about how some self-righteous douche drives 10 below the speed limit.

 

[M0oG0oGaiPan]

What you do when there's a slow person in the left lane is drive slightly behind them to their right and try to block traffic. Eventually there will be a long line behind them on the left and what you do then is speed up when they try to switch lanes in front of you or slow down when they switch behind you.

What's awesome is because you're driving next to them but slightly behind you can pretend you don't see their turn signal. I usually start drinking my protein powder/bcaas or start fist pumping to some music, which adds to their frustration.

 

[BurnItDwn]

Illness aside

The left lane is not for "passing only"

If I am doing the speed limit and you come up on my tail like a mad man I will block your ass and enjoy it.

I pay a shit ton of taxes as well as tolls and I can go up and down in speed however I feel.

Don't like it you are free to drive in another country.

You still in Illinois?

If so, left lane IS for passing.
It's just as illegal to hog the left lane as it is to speed, and in many cases it's more dangerous since it causes congestion. (speeding 5mph-15mph over the limit on the interstate in most cases adds approximately 0% danger, since the speed limits are artificially much to low, the autobahn has sections with no speed limit which are safer than our roads with speed limits of 65... I know we have more potholes and such, but rural Illinois has plenty of areas where speed limits of 100mph+ are very reasonable.)

http://www.ilga.gov/legislation/ilc...eqEnd=122700000&ActName=Illinois+Vehicle+Code.

 

[SillyOReilly]

What I love most is being in the center lane and the road wide open, being approached in the rear by a speeder and he passes on the right.
I need authority to install a 50mm cannon on my car and eliminate these people from the planet.

 

[Meghan54]

The 60 mph driver and of course the 65 mph drivers are all breaking the law.

The law does not state that drivers not breaking the law have to move over for law breakers.

Try again.

Seems the Illinois DMV disagrees with you:


(From the IL DMV driver's manual

When driving on an interstate highway or full access controlled freeway, a person may not drive in the left lane(s), except when passing another vehicle.

*



Pretty much states the obvious....the slower driver has to move out of the left lane to make way for the faster driver, no matter the speeds involved.




ps...came from page 25 in the IL driver's manual.


http://www.cyberdriveillinois.com/publications/pdf_publications/dsd_a112.pdf






Of course, there are exceptions, like no one else is on the road or behind you, bad weather or road conditions prohibit you from moving out of the left lane, etc., etc.....all common sense things, but given your history, common sense is commonly lacking.


Slower traffic keep left on interstates is a law in damned near every state I've driven in, and that includes Illinois---where I drove through two weeks ago driving from MA to WI and back again. *Saw more than a few of those signs (Slower traffic keep right) on the interstate in IL.

 

[Aikouka]

It isn't hard to maintain speed, but you have to treat driving like a responsibility, and look out for other peoples' interests so we can all get around easier.

You speak of such a strange concept... this "thinking of other people." I found it interesting when I moved to the south, because you'd expect there to be a sense of southern hospitality when driving, but there isn't. Southern people are some of the worst drivers that I've ever encountered, but I've come to realize that it's because they're completely ignorant to everyone around them, and couldn't care less if they inconvenience someone.

A good example is the exit from where I work, which has two lanes: Left+Straight and Straight+Right. I realized one day that while the Straight+Right lane puts me in the proper lane on the other side, sitting in that lane blocks people from making a right on red. I have more than enough time to move over after crossing the intersection, so now I just sit in the Left+Straight lane to go straight. I mentioned this to a friend of mine down here, and he said, "We don't think of that stuff...."

Don't tailgate me and I'll get out of your way and, if possible, even speed up (within reason) to do it. Tailgate or try to push me faster (especially if there is a line of traffic in front of me), I'll slow down and eventually merge over behind the car I was originally passing.

You know what pisses me off... when people brake check you. It has to be the most inane thing I've ever heard of (and encountered).

"Hey, I think you're creating a dangerous situation by following me too closely, so let's make it even more dangerous by doing something that could easily cause an accident!"

Sounds like a perfect idea!

I'm not fond of using cruise control. I'm just not comfortable with it.

Really? I use cruise control all the time regardless of it being a highway or not.

Cruise control needs to be smarter. 2 cars both using cruise control shouldn't have to adjust frequently but they do, CC should be able to detect that fact and make minor adjustments.

We do have this... it's called "adaptive cruise control".

They charge that much because some people are retarded.
Honda's nav system: $2200
GPS from Best Buy: $99
:hmm:

That would be a fantastic comparison... if it wasn't a gross oversimplification. The original person that mentioned the $2200 figure most likely failed to mention that it was part of a package which includes more than just a damn GPS. The technology package on my car was about $2k and included an entirely new sound system with a LCD-based head unit, rear-view camera and other stuff.

 

[AznAnarchy99]

Cruise control doesnt work on the 405 in CA lol.

Im guessing most people here who complain about drivers getting behind them in the left lane dont commute a far distance everyday.

 

[ShawnD1]

Cruise control doesnt work on the 405 in CA lol.

Im guessing most people here who complain about drivers getting behind them in the left lane dont commute a far distance everyday.

I don't even see why people care so much. Pass in whatever lane is available. I pass in the right lane all the time. Who cares? Should I ignore the open right lane, insist on being in the left lane, then insist the guy in front of me mover over into the unused lane that I could be using to pass right now? That's just retarded.

 

[Ichinisan]

I don't even see why people care so much. Pass in whatever lane is available. I pass in the right lane all the time. Who cares? Should I ignore the open right lane, insist on being in the left lane, then insist the guy in front of me mover over into the unused lane that I could be using to pass right now? That's just retarded.

It's supposed to be easier for someone to merge right because no one should be passing there. If you immediately pass on the right without giving that person a chance to signal and move over, you're part of the problem.

 

[ShawnD1]

It's supposed to be easier for someone to merge right because no one should be passing there. If you immediately pass on the right without giving that person a chance to signal and move over, you're part of the problem.

Can you show a diagram explaining what you're talking about? I live right next to 2 freeways and I have never encountered this problem.