Inquiring Minds Want to Know

Posted on January 14, 2016 by Tricia

Car

Big, serious question here……are you one of those people who drive slow in the fast lane?

If so, what compels you to do this? Does it make you feel empowered?  Do you get a secret thrill looking in your rearview mirror at the long line of cars behind you filled with now stark raving mad drivers?  Or maybe you have no idea you’re interfering with the fantasies of people like me, who like to pretend our beat up mid market sedans drive like Ferraris?  Or perhaps you have a secret wish to initiate a multi car pile up caused by the James Bond like swerving and passing people resort to out of sheer desperation to get around little old, slow you?

I feel I can’t rest until this mystery is solved and I know I’m not the only one.  So come out of the closet you havoc wreaking, fast lane/slow drivers and in the interest of the common good, please tell us, FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, WHY DO YOU DO THIS???

 

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63 Responses to Inquiring Minds Want to Know

  1. insanitybytes22 says:
    January 14, 2016 at 6:21 pm

    Ha! That was great. I empathize, really I do. 😉

    Liked by 1 person

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  2. Wally Fry says:
    January 14, 2016 at 6:30 pm

    For some reason this came to mind.

    Liked by 2 people

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  3. Al says:
    January 15, 2016 at 4:42 am

    This didn’t happen to be a little old lady from Pasadena, did it? I get behind her all the time!

    Liked by 2 people

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  4. JunkChuck says:
    January 15, 2016 at 7:50 am

    I’ve developed a fairly consistent ethos based on the understanding that it’s not a fast lane, it is a passing lane. I once thought that speeding was a noble expression of civil disobedience, but now that I’m pushing fifty, have survived a catastrophic car accident, have children who are often in the car with me, and fully recognize the subtle but undeniable deterioration of both my physical capabilities and my level of concentration, I’ve come to think of aggressive drivers as low grade sociopaths.

    1.) I drive to the right, generally about 5mph above the limit (knowing that radar has a +/- 5 mph margin of error) or maintain speed with the majority of the “pack,” except when passing someone who is driving slower than I am. Then I drive as fast as necessary to overtake that person before merging back to the right.
    2.)If you come up on me while I’m passing, I’ll get out of your way in just a second, as soon as I’ve passed the slow guy. I won’t brake check you, even if you flash me when it is clearly not yet save to merge right and out of your way. That wouldn’t be polite, two wrongs don’t make a right, and if you’re the kind of ass who does that, the odds of you also being a gun-crazy road rager are much higher than normal.
    3.) However, I will not be bullied. If you come up on me while I’m passing, I will not accelerate to an unsafe speed just to suit you. If you’re the most supreme highway asshole, the person who tailgates me at 75 while I’m passing someone going 63, then immediately swerves to the right and tries to pass me on the right before I have time to get out of your way, you’re my enemy and will be treated as such (remembering that while you may be armed and unstable, I am definitely bigger than you, and I had a very unhappy childhood. Also, my 4×4 Ford Expedition with the big redneck tires won’t even notice your Civic–I sometimes find small Japanese automobiles crushed in the wheel wells of my truck when I give it the annual wash–no idea where they come from).
    4.) If you’re the OTHER type of supreme highway asshole, who passes me and then brakes…well, all bets are off. I can get a new front bumper at the junk yard for about $75.

    Tricia–by “you” I mean the collective “you,” everyone who isn’t me.

    Liked by 3 people

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    • JunkChuck says:
      January 15, 2016 at 7:52 am

      And I may or may not have topped 115 passing a string of five large pickups towing long horse trailers across southern Colorado this past summer. Just saying.

      Liked by 1 person

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    • Tricia says:
      January 15, 2016 at 8:37 am

      Ha ha, I appreciate people like you on the roads because you know your limits and are actually about what makes sense for whatever the situation is. I might pull a number 2 on you at first but I always pull back to see what the intentions are and give ample time. I would definitely not do a 3 or 4, that is just pure a hole driving.

      All in good fun, I should learn to know my limits too on the road but well, just not there yet…

      Liked by 1 person

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    • Chris Warren says:
      January 15, 2016 at 4:52 pm

      A cop once explained to me (in a social setting, not while writing me a ticket) that there is no designated “passing lane” or “slow lane” unless specifically posted along a road. All the conventions about the left lane being for fast drivers and passing and the right lane being for motorhomes and old men in their Crown Vics is just that…customs and conventions. In general, there is no legal obligation for anyone to reserve a particular lane for a particular purpose.

      That said, there is a reason for customs and conventions. They make the world work better. And it annoys the shit out of me when I’m doing 75 in a 65 and people blow past me giving me dirty looks as if I’m the one doing something wrong.

      I am a devout motorcyclist and it amuses me to know I can outrun and out maneuver anything on the road. And I do mean anything. My $20,000 crotch rocket can humiliate a $250,000 Lambo. If the Lambo passes me, it’s only because I graciously allowed it. And he better say “thank you, Sir!” as he goes by. I will not be punk’d.

      I also have a 4×4 F150. Everyone just stays away, which is fine with me. It aint fast, but it is big. If needed, I will ram a Hyundai, then toss it in the back and bring it to the junkyard.

      Thanks for the great article.

      Liked by 1 person

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    • archaeopteryx1 says:
      January 22, 2016 at 11:33 am

      My trick, Chuck, lies in getting a good distance behind the fastest car on the road and synching our speed – that way, if we encounter radar, they tag him first, and they can’t chase us both!

      Liked by 2 people

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  5. ColorStorm says:
    January 15, 2016 at 8:40 am

    Oh for the memories…………………

    Like driving on a winding road for 20 miles where there is absolutely no place to pass………………….behind someone who thinks they are in a school zone………….grrrrrrr.
    How many times have you secretly imagined you were in a massive truck with a plow………or an army tank, to just simply, like a broom, remove the offending object……

    Good laugh trish.

    Liked by 1 person

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  7. jncthedc says:
    January 15, 2016 at 11:00 am

    Hey, I may do most things in life slowly, but I will never impede traffic in the left lane. I agree completely with you. I’ll bet that texting, music, emails, etc… are a common cause for drivers losing focus on how they’re driving. I can completely understand your frustration!

    Liked by 1 person

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    • Tricia says:
      January 15, 2016 at 1:11 pm

      Well I and many others sure do appreciate your courtesy there Jonathan in not impeding traffic. 🙂 I think you’re right about the phone distraction….way too often when I glare at the driver as I’m passing them on the right they are looking down most assuredly at a device.

      Liked by 1 person

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  9. Canuck Carl says:
    January 15, 2016 at 5:31 pm

    Some incredible comments here Tricia, particularly reading the one from Junkchuck. Probably more than any activity in life, getting behind the wheel and how we drive is a reflection of our personalities. There are the aggressive drivers, the laid back drivers, those in between, and those who are out there just to irritate others (like driving slow in the fast lane). 😉

    By nature, I have a “driven” personality, but have made a conscious effort to become more mellow and laid back in everything I do, which includes my driving. Otherwise I get too worked up, and with major blood pressure and heart condition issues (my dad died at 47 of a heart attack when he got himself too worked up), I am consciously making that lifestyle change.

    I don’t enjoy driving, but have to, to commute to my job. But I’ll leave 20 minutes early and take the back country roads. It is a route that runs parallel to the 6 lane highway, separated by about a half mile of farmland. There are 4 communities I go through with reduced speed limits, a set of traffic lights, and a 4 way stop along the way. I go the speed limit, or like JunkChuck maybe about 5mph over the limit. But I arrive at my destination much less worked up, and my blood pressure in the “safe zone”.

    Just some thoughts from up in Canada. Hope you have a wonderful weekend Tricia! 🙂

    ~Carl~

    Liked by 1 person

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    • Tricia says:
      January 15, 2016 at 6:23 pm

      Hi Carl! Your back country road commute actually sounds quite pleasant, all the more so I imagine if you’re taking things slow and enjoying the scenery around you.

      That would not be me unfortunately as my commute often involves long stretches of traffic infested 6 lane freeways throughout Southern California. It is truly amazing to me just how often things will come to a dead halt for absolutely no reason, or for something you would never expect. In fact last week I was stuck on that parking lot of a highway for 90 minutes due to a flash flood and we were forced to drive through 2-3 feet of water.

      Once the lanes open up, you gotta make up for lost time where you can and off I go like a rocket. Always safely though, I never take dumb chances and I always try and give the slow folks the benefit of the doubt. For a little while any way…;)

      I need to take patience lessons from you Carl, your way sounds much nicer. Thanks for coming by!

      Liked by 1 person

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      • Canuck Carl says:
        January 17, 2016 at 10:45 am

        That is incredible Tricia. Thirty years ago a friend and myself did a road trip taking the coastal 101 down as far as LA (for the sake of saying we’ve been there). The highway infrastructure in LA really blew me away even back then. And SO much traffic.
        The purpose of the trip was backpacking and climbing, and on the way up went to King’s Canyon and Mt. Whitney, and over to Death Valley and the Grand Canyon.
        We don’t have flash floods, but we do have snowstorms and blizzards. I am glad I take the back roads particularly those days. Cars will often go too fast and/or follow too closely for the conditions, they will fishtail out of control and take out other cars with them. Every snow storm there are often multi car pileups on the freeways and sometimes fatalities.

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        • Tricia says:
          January 17, 2016 at 5:48 pm

          Oh that what a great trip that must have been! The coastal route down 101 is truly stunningly picturesque, then you get to LA and go, ugh! Been to King’s Canyon, DV and GC but not yet Whitney.

          Take care on those snowy roads Carl, there are always people like me to watch out for….;)

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          • Canuck Carl says:
            January 18, 2016 at 8:52 pm

            Thanks Tricia, it really was an amazing trip. Yeah there were 2 routes we took up into King’s Canyon. First into the Sequoias and saw the big “General Sherman” tree, and back down somewhat and up another road to Whitney Portal where we parked and headed up Whitney. Bit of an experience. My climbing partner got textbook early symptoms of Acute Mountain Sickness. We underestimated the mountain (and probably a bit young and cocky) coming from below sea level in Death Valley less than 24 hours before to go over 14,000 feet. (was a bit dumb and silly of us looking back 30 years later) But with less than 500 feet from the summit, while he was still able to walk, I ended up leading him back down to lower elevations.

            I always wanted to go back and do the climb properly, spend 2 or 3 nights in the campground at Whitney Portal, get an early start, and I know it would be completely different. . It was not a technical climb Tricia, though there are more technical routes on the mountain such as the East Buttress.

            Have you been up to Whitney yourself Tricia?

            Liked by 1 person

          • Tricia says:
            January 19, 2016 at 8:50 am

            “We were a bit young and cocky.” Yup, been there myself Carl and it’s a good thing you had the common sense and good heart to not summit and help your friend out instead.

            I’ve never been to Whitney but is on my list. I do believe it’s the highest mountain in the continental U.S. which in itself makes it worth a visit.

            Have a wonderful day Carl! 🙂

            Liked by 1 person

          • Canuck Carl says:
            January 19, 2016 at 3:35 pm

            Thank you Tricia, I appreciate this.
            It is quite interesting though. There are 55 peaks over 14,000 in the state of Colorado, but Whitney surpasses them all. It is the highest in the lower 48. 🙂

            Liked by 1 person

  10. Dennis says:
    January 15, 2016 at 6:18 pm

    In the Great State of Texas where I reside we have signs on most of our 4 lanes highways that state “keep left except to pass”. Most drivers obey the sign but there are those that have a priority to get to their destination way before you get to yours. These folks generally pay a price by getting a ticket or caught up in a Red Neck Roadblock consisting of pickups with NASCAR stickers all over the bumper. Great fun to watch.

    A friend of mine always drove in the left lane at the posted speed limit. He was driving us to a golf outing and I ask him why he continued to drive in the left lane with people passing him on the right? He said “those people are speeding”. I said they have to in order to get by you and if you would stop imposing your speed limit on them and move to the left lane it would make for a much more pleasant trip for all. He moved left and I thanked him (still beat him on the links tho’)!

    You folks in CA should slow down to 55 and save gas considering how much your paying per gallon.

    Get armed and carry!!!!

    Liked by 1 person

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    • Tricia says:
      January 15, 2016 at 6:25 pm

      ” I said they have to in order to get by you and if you would stop imposing your speed limit on them and move to the left lane it would make for a much more pleasant trip for all. ” EXACTLY DENNIS! Makes perfect sense to me, I wish it would to others.

      LOL on the Red Neck Roadblock….;)

      Like

      Reply
  11. Citizen Tom says:
    January 18, 2016 at 7:04 pm

    For years I drove from way out in Gainesvile, VA to inside the Beltway McLean, VA. I was a beltway bandit.

    Driving down I-66 the fast lane is the HOV lane. Rarely had opportunity to use that. So the slow guy was the least of my worries. I was just another of those poor fools stuck in bumper-to-bumper traffic. To distract myself, I started listening to books on CDROMs. That’s how I eventually got around to listening to the Bible, repenting, and accepting Jesus as my Savior.

    So what is my reaction to that slow guy now? I move to the other lane and let some maniac tailgate him. Some problems are beyond solution by us. All we can do is let God figure out what He wants to do and get out the way.

    Liked by 1 person

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  12. archaeopteryx1 says:
    January 22, 2016 at 11:28 am

    Having a bad freeway day, are we –?

    Liked by 1 person

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Respectful comments always welcome.