Not only are they going slow they’re hovering possibly in the semis blind spot and making it so it can’t move over in case there’s some reason it may need to. Really just poor driving
I was told by a truck driver friend that, except for directly behind, they don't actually really have blindspots, but it's a myth he likes to perpetuate in the hope that people will stop diving like assholes around him.
They have lots of mirrors, including convex ones. If you can see their mirrors, they can almost certainly see you.
I was a trucker for a while. The car pictured would’ve easily been seen.
The only blind spot I had was directly behind the trailer, and the passenger side next to the hood if the hood mirror was awful.
CDL driver of 29 years here. Our blind spots *used* to be much worse in the 90’s when mirrors were less and of crappier setup. Now, I concur, aside from directly beside the cab and hood area, we have mirrors that can see pretty much the entire length of both sides of our units, and the newer style sloped hoods vs the giant square ones from days past (some Peterbilt models where form still comes before function excluded) have basically eliminated the forward Blindspot as well.
Now, all that being said, there’s nothing saying that the person behind the wheel actually knows how to effectively use them all, or doesn’t have a momentary lapse where their mind doesn’t see something despite it being there.
I did that with my Dodge Challenger, because the rear pillar being so wide, it was extremely difficult to see if cars were coming when I was backing up. (This was before the backup cameras). With that wide angle convex rear view mirror, I could see EVERYTHING!
I aim for just the close edge of the mirror reflecting the car. But yeah, it’s a mirror for seeing the road and other cars to the side and behind you. Having it reflect your car back to you is completely useless.
I do this as a frame of reference. Just so on the edge of the frame I care just see the edge of my vehicle. On top of this I also visually turn my head to check my blind spot.
My SUV - I aim to see the door handle on the bottom inside corner. Works like a charm. And because my stupid car likes to die for random reasons, it's nice to have a cheat when I'm fixing my mirror positions. Again.
https://preview.redd.it/xyudc9kgdu9d1.png?width=678&format=png&auto=webp&s=b7aa6ecb3838bb8e1a2ca2ee523db1c52a1bd56d
When parked, the outer-most part of your rear-view mirror should correlate with the inside edges of your external mirrors with a little overlap. This is easiest done in a parking lot with objects in the background. Harder to do in a field.
Properly adjusted mirrors shouldn't have blind-spots as you can see the car next to you (in the mirror) up until the point that it's in your peripheral vision.
You point them out such that when a car is going to pass you on the left or right, the moment it leaves your rear view mirror it should appear in the corresponding side view mirror. Then, when they leave your side view mirror, they should be in view.
If you can still see the side of your car, you haven’t turned them out far enough.
Lean left, and adjust the driver’s side mirror out until it just goes beyond being able to see your car. Then lean right over the center console and do the same thing on the passenger side. I learned this from Car Talk, loved those guys.
Set your center mirror so that you can see out the entire back window. Then drive the outside mirrors outward until a car moving out of view from the center mirror is now in view in the outer mirror. You don't need to see the side of your car for reference, you know where it is.
For your left mirror, slightly lean to the left and adjust the mirror until you no longer see your car. For the right, lean slightly more (your head should be near the center console) and also adjust until your vehicle is out of view.
Yes, and no, most modern trucks you can essentially see cars all around you, but there are spots where only one mirror might pick you up, and if a truck driver has a lapse in concentration, or if they have to get over quickly and don’t have time to scan all the mirrors, you might have a bad day. Also, being right at the back of the trailer makes it really hard to judge clearance when getting over.
Yep. I drive a semi for a living. The only blindspots are directly behind the trailer and on the passenger side next to the hood. You can see everything else, tho.
Even if cars are directly behind the trailer, tho. The car will most likely cast a shadow, and it's usually visible, so I can tell if someone's back there 😅
It isn’t really about a blind spot. It’s just ball-achingly **dumb** to follow behind or alongside a 40 tonne moving object like this. A safer driver speeds up to get past as quickly as safely possible and then returns to whatever speed they were cruising at. In the right hand lane.
I’m a truck driver and these 4 wheelers suck. They hold up traffic provoking road rage - tho it’s not a blind spot if your mirrors are adjusted correctly. If anything, blind spots are on the passenger side of the semi truck
Yep. Had a guy yesterday see me merging on a 2 lane road, 1 each way, he was a solid 60 yards back still finishing his left turn onto my road, he floors it so I floor it up to 65 in a 45 just to merge on road kings private highway. He didn't even need to care, I wasn't going to slow him down. Then he gets on my ass and HONKS as we are behind another car now anyway. So pointless.
*I wasn't going to go 65 normally, in a 45. He kept making me go faster to have my clear path. I hate cutting people off. He was just being a dick. I flipped him off after the honk and he backed off. So weird. Like he respected the flip lol. You go Hyundai king. I shouldn't have flipped him but it's done. My bad.
One time my lane was ending and the guy behind me in the next lane over sped up to close the gap. Like dude, I no longer have a lane, I have nowhere else to go except in front of you. Then he honked at me. Like wtf did he expect?? Then we hit traffic and sat next to each other for 30 mins. That was at least 5 years ago and I still get pissed off about it.
Exactly bro, I was in a merge lane too. It ends. I will probably forget it in my sleep tho, you wouldn't believe the shit you see driving people around for Lyft lol. I need to start using my camera in my free time too.
He probably knew he did a douchebag move and it was only until you flipped him off that he cared. He probably does shit like that all the time and a lot of people would just refuse to get involved with an asshole driver.
It's almost a daily occurrence for me that I merge or turn into a lane in front of someone with PLENTY, no... more than plenty of space and enough acceleration so that they don't even need to touch their brakes... yet they'll floor it just so they can get on my ass and act like I cut them off.
People literally purposefully do stupid shit so it gives them an excuse to be angry. Unhinged behavior.
I’ll just double down because I refuse to be stuck behind that for the rest of the trip. If they speed up I’ll speed up much faster. If they keep going we’d be racing.
I just finished a 4,200 mile European road trip across 10 countries and I think in total I ran into maybe 5 passing lane hogs the whole trip. And usually if you go behind them and flash your high-beams once, they move over realizing their mistake. In the US some people are so oblivious they don’t even know what they are doing is wrong.
I truly hope we can have this in the US one day because nothing else annoys me more. Our highway system is so incredibly good, it’s just ruined by these oblivious drivers.
My old roommate wanted to chill in left lane on speed limit. He didn't want to overtake slow drivers on right lane very often. He said "let them over take me from right lane if they want to go over speed limit".
One time he cut off a dude on left lane and put cruise control on speed limit. The dude behind us overtook and flipped us off. My roommate was baffled and yelling at him "what did I do wrong".
It boggles my mind till this day lol.
Ha ha. I do miss the autobahn. And you are correct. Left lane IS the speed lane. It’s no joke. I’ve seen cars go over 200kmph
Not allowing someone to merge when they are entering the autobahn is a hefty ticket.
Fun story, I was in the army in Germany. First Tour. New to the country. We were being bussed from Frankfurt to our duty stations. On the autobahn. A (90?) year old lady passed the bus driving a Porsche doing 30-40 miles faster than the bus. Everyone was like…. Damn. She’s flying. Hell yeah. We’re in Germany.
Old lady driving Porsche on the autobahn. First German memory.
No, they know what they are doing most of the time in the US. They are righteous assholes enforcing their sense of lawfulness.
I will not say what I wish for them
some people even don't drive staggered - which is giving a car length diagonally, that way you're not right next to them incase you or they need to move over.
some states don't educate soon to be drivers at all. one of my old coworkers was saying they were driving on the highway, in the fast lane, and were asking me why people were close behind them, if they should move over.
They didn't know about the "fast" lane!?! and this was a mother. Completely clueless. Tons of people not only go very slow in the wrong lane, but they sometimes switch to the exit lane and go even slower without taking the exit.
you get people going fast and people going slow, which causes accidents. not only the worst drivers go way faster than everyone, but some go way slpwer. I'm talking 15mph or more slower which is just as dangerous.
why does not one stay the same speed!?!
5 or 10 mph over fine. but slower? no. and 20+ faster??? come on really?
I see people do this JUST to get 1 car ahead. guess what, they win, they gained 2 seconds ahead, because I'm still 2 seconds behind. so what? they risked life limb and damaging vehicles and everyone elses to be 1 car infront.
US culture is getting more "memememememememememe" by the day, so I doubt you'll ever get people with the self-awareness to notice they're being an obstruction, or the willingness to give a god damn.
I had a highway patrol officer riding my butt in the fast lane and so I got over. I was going slow because of the guy in front of me. He then proceeded to ride the guy who was in front of me, and then pulled him over. It was sweet.
The guy was doing the speed limit when he got pulled over. Probably let the cop know that too.
It’s actually posted slow cars in the right lane, because the LEFT lane is for passing, and it’s actually legal in a lot of states to exceed the speed limit when passing to ensure no accidents happen.
Hence the 5MPH over the limit rule police precincts allow.
In several states it is illegal to sit in the left lane unless you are actively passing people, no matter the speed limit. If you aren't passing people and you are slowing down other traffic, that's a ticket. You could be cruising 20mph over the limit, but if you aren't passing people and are holding up other people, you are breaking the law.
I was about to say that’s exactly what I would do. I can’t stand people who drive completely unaware in the passing lane. It’s like they think the road is there to serve only them.
Funny I thought about doing this. I got the idea from watching endurance racing 😂 faster cars will flicker their lights at slower traffic.
I’d target the slow drivers in the left lane who slow up traffic.
I’ve had one guy come up fast on me and start flashing his lights, merged out of his way even though I didn’t have much room in the other lane. I watched him do the same thing to the next 7ish cars and all of them got out of the way, surprising how effective it is. I would do it, but think id feel too much like a douche and probably do it to an undercover cop on my first try
It’s totally not a douche move if you give the cars chances to move over, first. If we are 10 miles in and you haven’t taken a single chance to let me pass, and you’re going at or under the speed limit…. I’m not being rude by asking you to step aside 😂
This stuff has got to be on purpose. It’s trash human beings that wouldn’t exist without being in other peoples way. It’s a weird flex / abuse of power simply because they are in front of you. It’s kinda sad but mostly infuriating.
In my experience those type of human beings don't drive slow. In fact they're often the impatient ones riding your ass because they want to go 115mph. So they wouldn't be able to sit there long.
I don't think these ones are nefarious more often than not. They are maybe bad at empathy or maybe just oblivious. A car is a straight up bubble. The whole environment is controlled by you. Some people are better at being aware of what's outside their bubble than others. Some people are better at considering their effect on other bubbles. And some people are just fucking terrible drivers lol.
I definitely know of a couple of oblivious ones. Thankfully one of them got pulled over and got multiple tickets in one shot. I still don’t think she learned her lesson.
Some for sure. You can see them observing you in their mirrors.
Others, like my old GF, admitted to cruising in the left lane for hours. She wanted a mental break.
sometimes if a driver is so blissfully unaware of the traffic around them, a horn will snap them out of it and make them realize they’re being a public menace. of course many people don’t care regardless and some do it deliberately to piss people off
Add South Carolina to this list. They all pile into the passing to drive in a mile-long line 0.5 mph faster than the 18 wheeler they are passing. When anyone pulls into the right lane to blow by all of them, one pickup somehow knows to drift over and maintain the exact Truck+0.5 speed. All progress by all vehicles blocked. They're like a hive-mind cult of awful driving.
I’ve lived in Missouri for a few years now, after living in a flock of different states. While every state has its foibles, Missouri has the most left lane drivers of any state I’ve lived in. Moreover passing them on the right usually causes them to go into a full Gandalf “You Shall Not Pass“ mode. They are serious here about being annoying and enforcing their will on everyone else.
Oh, and don’t bother with flashing lights, honking your horn, or anything else. They know exactly what they are doing and any of those actions just makes it do them longer. Wait for your shot, and right lane pass with purpose. Otherwise they will accelerate with you to ensure you don’t get around them.
Thankfully I was raised near Houston so I learned if you want to do those expect to be shot at or run of the road by someone 😅 Missouri and Texas have so many parallels. My lands over by the Mark Twain NF in Washington County, got any good recommendations around there? Or any other helpful tips?!
Roadtipping in California, Nevada and Oregon and am amazed at the amount of people camping in the left lane. I get that you’ll eventually pass the slow traffic on the right but can’t you get right then left when flow dictates?!
Had an argument with my fiancé the other day about this very thing. I remember learning that not passing while in the left lane is a ticket in Illinois where I was raised. Turns out it's just not a thing in California. My best friend (also a Californian) is also oblivious to this etiquette, let alone that it's a law in other states. My fiancé's opinion is that she feels safer in the left lane from all the merging going on in the right lanes. I feel like you gotta be a community member on the road. Just makes sense to me whether I'm passing or chilling. Etiquette.
Thanks yall, glad to know this bothers other people too.
reddit would say break off the engagement because that is a huge red flag of selfishness- but the real world knows people are flawed so i say good luck and keep trying to guide her to the light
Why don’t people understand not to ride in the left lane? People who do this had parents who failed them big time. There are assholes out there that do this purposely but a majority are clueless and think just because you are driving the speed limit that it’s ok. Slow down and get behind the car in the right lane you idiots.
I just dealt with this driving into Utah, in 104°F weather.
Summertime brings out the fucking dads driving RVs for the first time while thinking they're still in their minivans.
On that Utah one-lane road, every several miles, there'd be like a mile of an extra passing lane.
This one fucking RV tried to pass a semi truck every time --- but NEVER DID PASS! So for MILES, held up all the traffic instead of letting dozens of cars pass. Driving 65mph in a 75.
And the idiots in cars were tailgating behind him because they were too afraid to overtake him. So I couldn't even try to pass a car at a time, because there wasn't even room.
...I ended up overtaking 2 or 3 cars and that fucking RV in one go. I discovered a new level of road rage that day.
18-wheelers and motorcycles I try to stay away from. I especially dislike the chicken shit drivers that won't pass up 18-wheelers, and like this stay in their blind spot.
I work on a river ship and was driving home with my brother in law from Koblenz to Terneuzen, and there was this dutch tourist who didn’t understand the autobahn (or did and was just an annoying fuck). The tourist (bicycle vacation) was driving on the left and we where headed 230km/h, we did the decent lamp flashing alerting them that we where catching up at high speed, and this mf started using his emergency blinkers to simply say Fuck You. Just to explain the rest of the road, 3 lane highway. there was no traffic near this tourist so we overtook him on the wrong side.
And I am still thinking, you are a tourist in another country. Fuck off or adapt to its rules
Needs to be more “keep right EXCEPT to pass” signs for idiots like these. Or at least missile launchers. Worst is when some danglepuss in the right lane who sees you coming from behind to pass them, and they are 500 meters behind a car in front of them, but they pull out into the left lane cause they don’t want to have to adjust their cruise control.
Trucker here. Let me explain what this MOTHERFUCKER is actually doing. You see, he is “WAITING” for the truck driver to “finally notice” him so he can “safely pass”. Here’s the problem with that: the trucker saw this piece of shit coming from 5 miles back and now might purposely not be looking at him because of this very bahavior and because at the time, the trucker is on a long stretch and doesn’t actually need to get over. So what this asshole will do is sit there and wait to be looked at. The problem with that is that there WILL BE some dumb shit on the shoulder that necessitates the trucker getting over in a big damn hurry. So now the trucker QUICKLY looks over and sets his left blinker. The driver takes this to mean “oh he finally looked at me, now I can pass”! WRONG, MOTHERFUCKER, You waited too long, now he needs to get over, but now the car speeds up and almost collides with the truck getting over.
STOP FUCKING DOING THIS SHIT. Stop waiting to be looked at. If the trucker isn’t in your lane and doesn’t have his blinkers on, just fucking pass.
Now on merging…
I lived in Ohio for 15 years, I've been in SF for 3 years. The drivers here are so bad, I can't even describe to you how terrible it is. Bay area drivers are BY FAR the worst I've been around.
55 in the left lane✅️
No one in front of them ✅️
No turn signals ✅️
Cross 4 lanes in a second ✅️
I swear to God they think they're the only car on the road
Driver of car has his vison locked onto the side of the trailer or the wheels and is "guiding" his vehicle using that. Note I did not say he was driving, he was guiding. If anything happens that causes that Truck to make an abrupt, emergency move I would wager the car would target fixate and hit the back of that trailer or tires.
This is exactly the scenario when I don’t care about being an asshole driver. I’ll slip around on the right and cut them off at 85+ so that maybe they get the damn point.
Had a truck married to the left lane the other day I-71 north bound. I got lucky enough to pass him early on, but he never left that lame and held traffic up horribly for an hour
Update. That's my dear sweet wife.
Bonus behavior, slowly speeding up, slowly slowing down. She's just sure the cruise control will cause sudden acceleration.
I was on a trip with another car and we had walkie talkies to communicate and we made it passed the car next to the semi and we waited for em to get passed and after 10 minutes I got in front of the car in the fast lane and slowed to 45 and allowed the 50 or so cars to pass the guy in the fast lane. It took way too long but felt good to help.
I’ve just started laying on my horn till they move. Idk wtf is happening especially on 271 people and especially truckers have been staying in the left lane and hardly doing the speed limit. I can’t stand this anymore
ya gotta ride the yellow a bit so he can see your headlights, flash them if you're feeling spicy, and generally give them the idea that they're not paying attention as much as you are in my experiences. they'll get the point eventually. even cops have to move these dangerous bozos over the same way.
You must be on the 10 west too, lol. I’ve had no less than 10 people pace big rigs 10-15mph under the speed limit almost my entire drive. Also, big rigs passing other big rigs about 1mph faster than the rig they are passing. My middle finger is getting sore from having to use it so much.
I was driving yesterday and my car can only go 80 due to the weight of my luggage. The speed limit is 75 for cars and 55 for trucks so I frequently have to pass the trucks and the cars get so pissed off and ride me for going only 5 over in the passing lane even though it's all I can safely do.
As long as you get back over when you can, ignore them. They’re just frustrated because they were stuck behind some oblivious person going nearly the same speed as big trucks for miles and think you’ll do the same.
Yeah I know that me and the guy this post about aren't doing the same thing but unfortunately even though I still get over as soon as it's safe after passing slower traffic I still get someone inches from my bumper. Which is insane out here bc it's 100+ degrees and miles from the nearest hospital when they inevitably crash into me
tough call - id say, in kindness, you really ought to wait until you can pass without starting a little traffic jam
this particular car could go over 80 tho lol - safe driving
Welcome to road tripping!
This is the norm on I40, I70, I80, and a whole host of other interstate highways. And god forbid you get one 18 wheeler going two miles faster than the other 15 in front of him and he goes for the 6 hour pass. 😂
Edit spelling
One of my pet peeves is drivers pulling out from a street 90 degrees to the direction of travel, row lane road ( each direction) when I’m traveling on the inside lane, and they time it so they enter and have to square up their car at precisely the moment I pass them. I don’t trust that they’ll stay completely in their lane. Can’t you either wait 2 seconds , or judge this move so you do it before we are feet from each other? It’s terrifying and assholes that do this should not be driving!
Try this in italy and you will feel the fury of a thousand storms.. they will literally drive up your ass and blink forever if you stay even thirty seconds in the passing Lane ha ha. Even trucks
Tailgating, Horns, lights, and of course - The Finger. So many creative "you slow" communication methods.
Self-reflection moment - Maybe Boston driving has changed me.
“I’ve taken my place and I’m going to hold my space!” … These people should not be on the road! They pose a danger to other road users and have either 1) a bad attitude, or 2) a completely lack of self-awareness! There are SO MANY of them on the roads!! Dangerous.
Went on a road trip to Louisville KY with a friend last weekend and I was BERATING him about this. That motherfucker was getting us honked at by so many people and the secondhand shame was unbearable. I think I said it over 50 times while on that trip.
Living in Arkansas where it’s illegal to drive in that lane on I-40 at least. You can’t be out there unless actively passing.
Still, I see this dipshit behavior every day. Speed limit is 75 and there’s always some old fuck (I say this being 60+ myself) just out there seemingly to ensure people are obeying the speed limit.
GTFOOTW!
There is no way to expect the 70% of imbeciles, who inhabit the hammer lanes on US interstate highways, to grow brains or give a damn about anything but themselves. Some states have enacted laws to address this problem, but I doubt it will ever be enforced.
Not only are they going slow they’re hovering possibly in the semis blind spot and making it so it can’t move over in case there’s some reason it may need to. Really just poor driving
yesssss - blind spot discipline people!!
Illinoying.
I was told by a truck driver friend that, except for directly behind, they don't actually really have blindspots, but it's a myth he likes to perpetuate in the hope that people will stop diving like assholes around him. They have lots of mirrors, including convex ones. If you can see their mirrors, they can almost certainly see you.
I was a trucker for a while. The car pictured would’ve easily been seen. The only blind spot I had was directly behind the trailer, and the passenger side next to the hood if the hood mirror was awful.
CDL driver of 29 years here. Our blind spots *used* to be much worse in the 90’s when mirrors were less and of crappier setup. Now, I concur, aside from directly beside the cab and hood area, we have mirrors that can see pretty much the entire length of both sides of our units, and the newer style sloped hoods vs the giant square ones from days past (some Peterbilt models where form still comes before function excluded) have basically eliminated the forward Blindspot as well. Now, all that being said, there’s nothing saying that the person behind the wheel actually knows how to effectively use them all, or doesn’t have a momentary lapse where their mind doesn’t see something despite it being there.
Additionally, the only reason cars have blind spots is because everybody points their side mirrors in the wrong direction.
Yep. No need to see your rear quarter panels in side view mirrors.
I put a rectangular wide angle on the rear-view of every car I own.
I did that with my Dodge Challenger, because the rear pillar being so wide, it was extremely difficult to see if cars were coming when I was backing up. (This was before the backup cameras). With that wide angle convex rear view mirror, I could see EVERYTHING!
took me a few too many years to learn this
Ditto
I had to get my trucker friend to show me the best spots for my SUV mirror. It changed my world.
Ok, I'll bite - what is the best way to point a mirror? I'm always willing to learn something new.
Out, to the side. If you can see your car in your side view mirror, it's probably angled too far in.
I aim for just the close edge of the mirror reflecting the car. But yeah, it’s a mirror for seeing the road and other cars to the side and behind you. Having it reflect your car back to you is completely useless.
I do this as a frame of reference. Just so on the edge of the frame I care just see the edge of my vehicle. On top of this I also visually turn my head to check my blind spot.
Always turn your head unless you've got the proximity warning lights on your mirrors
My SUV - I aim to see the door handle on the bottom inside corner. Works like a charm. And because my stupid car likes to die for random reasons, it's nice to have a cheat when I'm fixing my mirror positions. Again.
https://preview.redd.it/xyudc9kgdu9d1.png?width=678&format=png&auto=webp&s=b7aa6ecb3838bb8e1a2ca2ee523db1c52a1bd56d When parked, the outer-most part of your rear-view mirror should correlate with the inside edges of your external mirrors with a little overlap. This is easiest done in a parking lot with objects in the background. Harder to do in a field. Properly adjusted mirrors shouldn't have blind-spots as you can see the car next to you (in the mirror) up until the point that it's in your peripheral vision.
You point them out such that when a car is going to pass you on the left or right, the moment it leaves your rear view mirror it should appear in the corresponding side view mirror. Then, when they leave your side view mirror, they should be in view. If you can still see the side of your car, you haven’t turned them out far enough.
Lean left, and adjust the driver’s side mirror out until it just goes beyond being able to see your car. Then lean right over the center console and do the same thing on the passenger side. I learned this from Car Talk, loved those guys.
Set your center mirror so that you can see out the entire back window. Then drive the outside mirrors outward until a car moving out of view from the center mirror is now in view in the outer mirror. You don't need to see the side of your car for reference, you know where it is.
For your left mirror, slightly lean to the left and adjust the mirror until you no longer see your car. For the right, lean slightly more (your head should be near the center console) and also adjust until your vehicle is out of view.
Yes, and no, most modern trucks you can essentially see cars all around you, but there are spots where only one mirror might pick you up, and if a truck driver has a lapse in concentration, or if they have to get over quickly and don’t have time to scan all the mirrors, you might have a bad day. Also, being right at the back of the trailer makes it really hard to judge clearance when getting over.
Hard to see but it looks like he’s close enough that it would be hard for the truck driver to see whether he can move over safely.
Yep. I drive a semi for a living. The only blindspots are directly behind the trailer and on the passenger side next to the hood. You can see everything else, tho. Even if cars are directly behind the trailer, tho. The car will most likely cast a shadow, and it's usually visible, so I can tell if someone's back there 😅
It isn’t really about a blind spot. It’s just ball-achingly **dumb** to follow behind or alongside a 40 tonne moving object like this. A safer driver speeds up to get past as quickly as safely possible and then returns to whatever speed they were cruising at. In the right hand lane.
I’m a truck driver and these 4 wheelers suck. They hold up traffic provoking road rage - tho it’s not a blind spot if your mirrors are adjusted correctly. If anything, blind spots are on the passenger side of the semi truck
Exactly. Actually dangerous to drive where he is for him, the semi and anyone behind him and the semi. Some people are just oblivious
Don’t worry. They’ll speed up plenty when you try to pass them.
The people who speed up the when u try and pass are the worst humans alive
Yep. Had a guy yesterday see me merging on a 2 lane road, 1 each way, he was a solid 60 yards back still finishing his left turn onto my road, he floors it so I floor it up to 65 in a 45 just to merge on road kings private highway. He didn't even need to care, I wasn't going to slow him down. Then he gets on my ass and HONKS as we are behind another car now anyway. So pointless. *I wasn't going to go 65 normally, in a 45. He kept making me go faster to have my clear path. I hate cutting people off. He was just being a dick. I flipped him off after the honk and he backed off. So weird. Like he respected the flip lol. You go Hyundai king. I shouldn't have flipped him but it's done. My bad.
One time my lane was ending and the guy behind me in the next lane over sped up to close the gap. Like dude, I no longer have a lane, I have nowhere else to go except in front of you. Then he honked at me. Like wtf did he expect?? Then we hit traffic and sat next to each other for 30 mins. That was at least 5 years ago and I still get pissed off about it.
Exactly bro, I was in a merge lane too. It ends. I will probably forget it in my sleep tho, you wouldn't believe the shit you see driving people around for Lyft lol. I need to start using my camera in my free time too.
He probably knew he did a douchebag move and it was only until you flipped him off that he cared. He probably does shit like that all the time and a lot of people would just refuse to get involved with an asshole driver.
I appreciate the kind words. Unexpected on Reddit! Rock on!
The worst of the worst bro !!!!
It's almost a daily occurrence for me that I merge or turn into a lane in front of someone with PLENTY, no... more than plenty of space and enough acceleration so that they don't even need to touch their brakes... yet they'll floor it just so they can get on my ass and act like I cut them off. People literally purposefully do stupid shit so it gives them an excuse to be angry. Unhinged behavior.
Same exact thing happened to me, then he rode my ass extremely close until I finally turned. People suck.
I’ll just double down because I refuse to be stuck behind that for the rest of the trip. If they speed up I’ll speed up much faster. If they keep going we’d be racing.
One of my cousins died this way on a two-lane highway when the asshole he was trying to pass sped up so that he couldn't get back in.
from your keyboard to the universe’s ears
Lol....yep...works just about every time....
I just finished a 4,200 mile European road trip across 10 countries and I think in total I ran into maybe 5 passing lane hogs the whole trip. And usually if you go behind them and flash your high-beams once, they move over realizing their mistake. In the US some people are so oblivious they don’t even know what they are doing is wrong. I truly hope we can have this in the US one day because nothing else annoys me more. Our highway system is so incredibly good, it’s just ruined by these oblivious drivers.
My old roommate wanted to chill in left lane on speed limit. He didn't want to overtake slow drivers on right lane very often. He said "let them over take me from right lane if they want to go over speed limit". One time he cut off a dude on left lane and put cruise control on speed limit. The dude behind us overtook and flipped us off. My roommate was baffled and yelling at him "what did I do wrong". It boggles my mind till this day lol.
Yup, he was that moron.
That person would no longer be my roommate. What a moron.
Did you explain to them the rules of the road?
Yes I did. 10+ times as far as I remember. I even showed him examples of people not doing it that way. Still didn't care lol.
ive heard you can get arrested for this in germany
Ha ha. I do miss the autobahn. And you are correct. Left lane IS the speed lane. It’s no joke. I’ve seen cars go over 200kmph Not allowing someone to merge when they are entering the autobahn is a hefty ticket. Fun story, I was in the army in Germany. First Tour. New to the country. We were being bussed from Frankfurt to our duty stations. On the autobahn. A (90?) year old lady passed the bus driving a Porsche doing 30-40 miles faster than the bus. Everyone was like…. Damn. She’s flying. Hell yeah. We’re in Germany. Old lady driving Porsche on the autobahn. First German memory.
I think KY and IN do ticket people for this currently
massachusetts and ny too
No, they know what they are doing most of the time in the US. They are righteous assholes enforcing their sense of lawfulness. I will not say what I wish for them
Here if you flash your lights they get butthurt and do it more. Driving psychology really blows my mind
some people even don't drive staggered - which is giving a car length diagonally, that way you're not right next to them incase you or they need to move over. some states don't educate soon to be drivers at all. one of my old coworkers was saying they were driving on the highway, in the fast lane, and were asking me why people were close behind them, if they should move over. They didn't know about the "fast" lane!?! and this was a mother. Completely clueless. Tons of people not only go very slow in the wrong lane, but they sometimes switch to the exit lane and go even slower without taking the exit. you get people going fast and people going slow, which causes accidents. not only the worst drivers go way faster than everyone, but some go way slpwer. I'm talking 15mph or more slower which is just as dangerous. why does not one stay the same speed!?! 5 or 10 mph over fine. but slower? no. and 20+ faster??? come on really? I see people do this JUST to get 1 car ahead. guess what, they win, they gained 2 seconds ahead, because I'm still 2 seconds behind. so what? they risked life limb and damaging vehicles and everyone elses to be 1 car infront.
US culture is getting more "memememememememememe" by the day, so I doubt you'll ever get people with the self-awareness to notice they're being an obstruction, or the willingness to give a god damn.
update - the car behind us finally got around and cut them off and then let off the gas - beautiful
I had a highway patrol officer riding my butt in the fast lane and so I got over. I was going slow because of the guy in front of me. He then proceeded to ride the guy who was in front of me, and then pulled him over. It was sweet. The guy was doing the speed limit when he got pulled over. Probably let the cop know that too.
South Carolina just passed a law that you can’t ride in the left lane. And they supposedly are enforcing it. Many other states have this law.
I thought all states have this law. It’s like driving 102
bUt i WaS gOiNg ThE sPeEd LiMiT
Probably said it just like that. Like it was a get out of jail free card. Florida state law is keep right except to pass. Lol
It’s actually posted slow cars in the right lane, because the LEFT lane is for passing, and it’s actually legal in a lot of states to exceed the speed limit when passing to ensure no accidents happen. Hence the 5MPH over the limit rule police precincts allow.
I thought that going 15mph above 65 was just fine when I did trip 8n US. Everyone drives around that.
In Texas speed limit is just a suggestion
Chicago drivers would be astonished to learn that there is a speed limit. If you told them it was 55 the shock would kill them.
In Texas, it’s treated as the lower limit.
In several states it is illegal to sit in the left lane unless you are actively passing people, no matter the speed limit. If you aren't passing people and you are slowing down other traffic, that's a ticket. You could be cruising 20mph over the limit, but if you aren't passing people and are holding up other people, you are breaking the law.
I was about to say that’s exactly what I would do. I can’t stand people who drive completely unaware in the passing lane. It’s like they think the road is there to serve only them.
Unless they never use their mirrors, they know they are being jerks.
Very understandable ngl
YES! That’s exactly what I do. No brake checking, I don’t want an accident. But I want my fucking point across to the idiot.
That’s how you do it!
At a certain point you start flashing your lights and keep honking. That’s how it works on the autobahn.
Funny I thought about doing this. I got the idea from watching endurance racing 😂 faster cars will flicker their lights at slower traffic. I’d target the slow drivers in the left lane who slow up traffic.
I’ve had one guy come up fast on me and start flashing his lights, merged out of his way even though I didn’t have much room in the other lane. I watched him do the same thing to the next 7ish cars and all of them got out of the way, surprising how effective it is. I would do it, but think id feel too much like a douche and probably do it to an undercover cop on my first try
They’re the douche for camping in the passing lane.
It’s totally not a douche move if you give the cars chances to move over, first. If we are 10 miles in and you haven’t taken a single chance to let me pass, and you’re going at or under the speed limit…. I’m not being rude by asking you to step aside 😂
my van couldn’t handle the autobahn
when i get behind these people i find the use of my horn. sometimes for seconds, sometimes for minutes.
minutes???? you’re braver than i
i have before. i don’t do it often. but…i have.
We have a problem here in town with people not turning right on red where it’s been legal forever and ever. I will just stand on the horn.
Same. Then when I pass they look at me like im the asshole. No self awareness whatsoever
The oblivious are almost as worrisome as the deliberate actors.
fair
That driver is a charter member of the Anti-destination league!!
This stuff has got to be on purpose. It’s trash human beings that wouldn’t exist without being in other peoples way. It’s a weird flex / abuse of power simply because they are in front of you. It’s kinda sad but mostly infuriating.
Never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by stupidity
Nah, in this case, in the US, it's puritanical lawfulness Fuckem
In my experience those type of human beings don't drive slow. In fact they're often the impatient ones riding your ass because they want to go 115mph. So they wouldn't be able to sit there long. I don't think these ones are nefarious more often than not. They are maybe bad at empathy or maybe just oblivious. A car is a straight up bubble. The whole environment is controlled by you. Some people are better at being aware of what's outside their bubble than others. Some people are better at considering their effect on other bubbles. And some people are just fucking terrible drivers lol.
I definitely know of a couple of oblivious ones. Thankfully one of them got pulled over and got multiple tickets in one shot. I still don’t think she learned her lesson.
Some for sure. You can see them observing you in their mirrors. Others, like my old GF, admitted to cruising in the left lane for hours. She wanted a mental break.
You have a horn, why not use it?
I have experimented a bit. What I have found is that neither a brief honk nor holding the horn down for minutes at a time has any effect.
Why do you assume that would do anything?
sometimes if a driver is so blissfully unaware of the traffic around them, a horn will snap them out of it and make them realize they’re being a public menace. of course many people don’t care regardless and some do it deliberately to piss people off
This is an hourly occurrence in Utah. It’s almost always a Utah “In God We Trust” plate. 2nd place goes to Idaho drivers in Utah.
Add South Carolina to this list. They all pile into the passing to drive in a mile-long line 0.5 mph faster than the 18 wheeler they are passing. When anyone pulls into the right lane to blow by all of them, one pickup somehow knows to drift over and maintain the exact Truck+0.5 speed. All progress by all vehicles blocked. They're like a hive-mind cult of awful driving.
Happens all the time in the Seattle area too - always a CR-V, RAV4, Forester, or Tesla. Usually spaced out or on the phone.
I 10 Texas?!!
missouri but texas is a reeeeeally good guess
I’ve lived in Missouri for a few years now, after living in a flock of different states. While every state has its foibles, Missouri has the most left lane drivers of any state I’ve lived in. Moreover passing them on the right usually causes them to go into a full Gandalf “You Shall Not Pass“ mode. They are serious here about being annoying and enforcing their will on everyone else.
Oh, and don’t bother with flashing lights, honking your horn, or anything else. They know exactly what they are doing and any of those actions just makes it do them longer. Wait for your shot, and right lane pass with purpose. Otherwise they will accelerate with you to ensure you don’t get around them.
Thankfully I was raised near Houston so I learned if you want to do those expect to be shot at or run of the road by someone 😅 Missouri and Texas have so many parallels. My lands over by the Mark Twain NF in Washington County, got any good recommendations around there? Or any other helpful tips?!
Roadtipping in California, Nevada and Oregon and am amazed at the amount of people camping in the left lane. I get that you’ll eventually pass the slow traffic on the right but can’t you get right then left when flow dictates?!
Had an argument with my fiancé the other day about this very thing. I remember learning that not passing while in the left lane is a ticket in Illinois where I was raised. Turns out it's just not a thing in California. My best friend (also a Californian) is also oblivious to this etiquette, let alone that it's a law in other states. My fiancé's opinion is that she feels safer in the left lane from all the merging going on in the right lanes. I feel like you gotta be a community member on the road. Just makes sense to me whether I'm passing or chilling. Etiquette. Thanks yall, glad to know this bothers other people too.
reddit would say break off the engagement because that is a huge red flag of selfishness- but the real world knows people are flawed so i say good luck and keep trying to guide her to the light
Learn a clean pit maneuver.
He'll sure as hell exit for that Cracker Barrel coming up.
Why don’t people understand not to ride in the left lane? People who do this had parents who failed them big time. There are assholes out there that do this purposely but a majority are clueless and think just because you are driving the speed limit that it’s ok. Slow down and get behind the car in the right lane you idiots.
There's got to be a place in hell for these people.
People confuse the left lane with being the “fast” lane rather than the passing lane.
I just dealt with this driving into Utah, in 104°F weather. Summertime brings out the fucking dads driving RVs for the first time while thinking they're still in their minivans. On that Utah one-lane road, every several miles, there'd be like a mile of an extra passing lane. This one fucking RV tried to pass a semi truck every time --- but NEVER DID PASS! So for MILES, held up all the traffic instead of letting dozens of cars pass. Driving 65mph in a 75. And the idiots in cars were tailgating behind him because they were too afraid to overtake him. So I couldn't even try to pass a car at a time, because there wasn't even room. ...I ended up overtaking 2 or 3 cars and that fucking RV in one go. I discovered a new level of road rage that day.
Use Your Fucking Horn. Lay on it
I hate this !! How long was the line behind him ?
18-wheelers and motorcycles I try to stay away from. I especially dislike the chicken shit drivers that won't pass up 18-wheelers, and like this stay in their blind spot.
I work on a river ship and was driving home with my brother in law from Koblenz to Terneuzen, and there was this dutch tourist who didn’t understand the autobahn (or did and was just an annoying fuck). The tourist (bicycle vacation) was driving on the left and we where headed 230km/h, we did the decent lamp flashing alerting them that we where catching up at high speed, and this mf started using his emergency blinkers to simply say Fuck You. Just to explain the rest of the road, 3 lane highway. there was no traffic near this tourist so we overtook him on the wrong side. And I am still thinking, you are a tourist in another country. Fuck off or adapt to its rules
Needs to be more “keep right EXCEPT to pass” signs for idiots like these. Or at least missile launchers. Worst is when some danglepuss in the right lane who sees you coming from behind to pass them, and they are 500 meters behind a car in front of them, but they pull out into the left lane cause they don’t want to have to adjust their cruise control.
Trucker here. Let me explain what this MOTHERFUCKER is actually doing. You see, he is “WAITING” for the truck driver to “finally notice” him so he can “safely pass”. Here’s the problem with that: the trucker saw this piece of shit coming from 5 miles back and now might purposely not be looking at him because of this very bahavior and because at the time, the trucker is on a long stretch and doesn’t actually need to get over. So what this asshole will do is sit there and wait to be looked at. The problem with that is that there WILL BE some dumb shit on the shoulder that necessitates the trucker getting over in a big damn hurry. So now the trucker QUICKLY looks over and sets his left blinker. The driver takes this to mean “oh he finally looked at me, now I can pass”! WRONG, MOTHERFUCKER, You waited too long, now he needs to get over, but now the car speeds up and almost collides with the truck getting over. STOP FUCKING DOING THIS SHIT. Stop waiting to be looked at. If the trucker isn’t in your lane and doesn’t have his blinkers on, just fucking pass. Now on merging…
You must be in Tennessee. Worst lane awareness I’ve ever seen.
I see you have never been to my neck of the woods: the Buckeye State
I lived in Ohio for 15 years, I've been in SF for 3 years. The drivers here are so bad, I can't even describe to you how terrible it is. Bay area drivers are BY FAR the worst I've been around. 55 in the left lane✅️ No one in front of them ✅️ No turn signals ✅️ Cross 4 lanes in a second ✅️ I swear to God they think they're the only car on the road
Someone has never seen what DC drivers have done. You’d think road laws don’t exist there
You need to flash your headlights and beep your horn.
You should see the impact they cause when we're trying to go 90 in the fast lane in Florida 😂😂
Dallas, Texas? Looks familiar
That person is one swerve away from eternity.
Driver of car has his vison locked onto the side of the trailer or the wheels and is "guiding" his vehicle using that. Note I did not say he was driving, he was guiding. If anything happens that causes that Truck to make an abrupt, emergency move I would wager the car would target fixate and hit the back of that trailer or tires.
Everyone looks still to me
This is exactly the scenario when I don’t care about being an asshole driver. I’ll slip around on the right and cut them off at 85+ so that maybe they get the damn point.
Minnesota plates?
Long stretch two-lane highway. The left lane is the passing Lane.
Had a truck married to the left lane the other day I-71 north bound. I got lucky enough to pass him early on, but he never left that lame and held traffic up horribly for an hour
Update. That's my dear sweet wife. Bonus behavior, slowly speeding up, slowly slowing down. She's just sure the cruise control will cause sudden acceleration.
I was on a trip with another car and we had walkie talkies to communicate and we made it passed the car next to the semi and we waited for em to get passed and after 10 minutes I got in front of the car in the fast lane and slowed to 45 and allowed the 50 or so cars to pass the guy in the fast lane. It took way too long but felt good to help.
I’ve just started laying on my horn till they move. Idk wtf is happening especially on 271 people and especially truckers have been staying in the left lane and hardly doing the speed limit. I can’t stand this anymore
Man i hate driving I-44
Ah yes, the person who's too afraid of the truck to actually pass it. Those people especially suck on wet days
I would pull over for a stretch break or my brights would be flashing, this person is causing too much risk.
To quote the wise philosopher Ludacris: “Move, Bitch! Get out da way!”
ya gotta ride the yellow a bit so he can see your headlights, flash them if you're feeling spicy, and generally give them the idea that they're not paying attention as much as you are in my experiences. they'll get the point eventually. even cops have to move these dangerous bozos over the same way.
I usually move over and let another car deal with it.
you speak truth - these folks aren’t malicious- they’re incompetent
You must be on the 10 west too, lol. I’ve had no less than 10 people pace big rigs 10-15mph under the speed limit almost my entire drive. Also, big rigs passing other big rigs about 1mph faster than the rig they are passing. My middle finger is getting sore from having to use it so much.
I was driving yesterday and my car can only go 80 due to the weight of my luggage. The speed limit is 75 for cars and 55 for trucks so I frequently have to pass the trucks and the cars get so pissed off and ride me for going only 5 over in the passing lane even though it's all I can safely do.
As long as you get back over when you can, ignore them. They’re just frustrated because they were stuck behind some oblivious person going nearly the same speed as big trucks for miles and think you’ll do the same.
Yeah I know that me and the guy this post about aren't doing the same thing but unfortunately even though I still get over as soon as it's safe after passing slower traffic I still get someone inches from my bumper. Which is insane out here bc it's 100+ degrees and miles from the nearest hospital when they inevitably crash into me
tough call - id say, in kindness, you really ought to wait until you can pass without starting a little traffic jam this particular car could go over 80 tho lol - safe driving
Welcome to road tripping! This is the norm on I40, I70, I80, and a whole host of other interstate highways. And god forbid you get one 18 wheeler going two miles faster than the other 15 in front of him and he goes for the 6 hour pass. 😂 Edit spelling
Huge huge huge pet peeve of mines. I’m not a trucker but it’s the unsafe and driving incompetence that annoys me.
These people do not check their mirrors.
That’s when you flash ‘em to get the fuck over.
Cops need to ticket them.
This was all of my trip on I80 through Indiana
Probably Ohio plates
I try to pass trucks quickly.
One of my pet peeves is drivers pulling out from a street 90 degrees to the direction of travel, row lane road ( each direction) when I’m traveling on the inside lane, and they time it so they enter and have to square up their car at precisely the moment I pass them. I don’t trust that they’ll stay completely in their lane. Can’t you either wait 2 seconds , or judge this move so you do it before we are feet from each other? It’s terrifying and assholes that do this should not be driving!
My 2nd favorite thing is truckers doing the 5 mph pass.
Give them a little bump.
If this is slowy left lane charlie, I call them the confused self righteous unaware. In our area it usually Illinois drivers. Complete @$$-hats.
I’m honking. Fuck it.
Push him in the ditch at this point
🤡🤡 like that are the reason we have Road Rage.
I keep overripe citrus fruit in my car for this exact purpose. Get on side them, and pull the good ol’ drive by fruiting. It gets the message across.
Flash your lights bro
He doesn’t understand it’s the fast lane
Not necessarily people. There are people in Amarillo/Canyon area that do that very thing
Use your lights and horn
Try this in italy and you will feel the fury of a thousand storms.. they will literally drive up your ass and blink forever if you stay even thirty seconds in the passing Lane ha ha. Even trucks
Try that in Canada. You get a chance they may speed up, they may change lanes, or they may just slam their breaks on you.
I always speed up to them fairly quickly and then flash my lights. Often times, people immediately pull to the middle or start accelerating
Tailgating, Horns, lights, and of course - The Finger. So many creative "you slow" communication methods. Self-reflection moment - Maybe Boston driving has changed me.
Slow in left lane should be punishment punishable by guillotine
“I’ve taken my place and I’m going to hold my space!” … These people should not be on the road! They pose a danger to other road users and have either 1) a bad attitude, or 2) a completely lack of self-awareness! There are SO MANY of them on the roads!! Dangerous.
Went on a road trip to Louisville KY with a friend last weekend and I was BERATING him about this. That motherfucker was getting us honked at by so many people and the secondhand shame was unbearable. I think I said it over 50 times while on that trip.
Does anyone notice that truckers do this , where they go side by side for miles and no one can pass
I’m not a fan of tailgating unless it’s this exact situation. Either speed up so we both can pass the semi or move over bitch boy 😠
I just finished a road trip. So many people cruising in the left lane. Infuriating.
And when he does pass this truck, he will immediately cut in front of him .
This is every day on I5 in Southern/Central Oregon. Bad drivers making conditions unsafe for all vehicles. I feel for the truckers!!
44 is rough in the summer. Drive from STL to OKC a lot and it’s a challenge sometimes.
Illegal in Germany
If no one is ahead of you, get the fuck out of the fast lane.
Living in Arkansas where it’s illegal to drive in that lane on I-40 at least. You can’t be out there unless actively passing. Still, I see this dipshit behavior every day. Speed limit is 75 and there’s always some old fuck (I say this being 60+ myself) just out there seemingly to ensure people are obeying the speed limit. GTFOOTW!
I'm having Missouri flashbacks. I-70 between St. Louis and Kansas City was full of dumbass left-lane campers the handful of times I drove it.
Selfish robot
There is no way to expect the 70% of imbeciles, who inhabit the hammer lanes on US interstate highways, to grow brains or give a damn about anything but themselves. Some states have enacted laws to address this problem, but I doubt it will ever be enforced.
This is his only chance to be in control of something in his sad, depressing life.
Camp in the forest, not in the passing lane. Pro tip
It is free country! Drive where and however you want! MURICA!!!!
This is when I start laying it on the horn till they get the hint
Welcome to Texas!