Interstate Driving Tips

[EddieNFL]

1) If you're hanging out in the left lane taking 2.5 miles to pass a single car, speed up or move over so the three or four dozen cars behind you can move on.

2) Use cruise control. I don't care how good you are, you cannot maintain a constant speed as well as a computer.

3) Riding three feet from the bumper of the vehicle to your front accomplishes nothing if he is stuck behind the guy in number one above.

4) Exits are numbered and signage is posted in advance so you won't have to swerve across three lanes of traffic.

5) If you drive a RV, stay home.

 

[MikeeBooshay]

Damn it man you are a genius!

Wish some people had this lesson this week,

 

[thejeep]

3. Is the worst

 

[qkieler]

"The left lane is for fast people and the right is for slow people simple fucking concept" the words of stone cold Steve Austin

 

[velillen]

number 2 is so true. I have actually noticed if i set it at say 65 ill end up usually in front of the guy going 70 and not using cruise control since they tend to slow down on hills and corners

 

[Guest]

6) On ramps and off ramps are there so that you can decelerate or accelerate to merge smoothly with the much faster moving Interstate traffic.
35 MPH isn't merging smoothly, you goddamned fucking moron!

Many states have laws regarding #1, including my state Virginia, but I've never seen it enforced.
Georgia just passed a similar law to reduce road rage.

Short-range missiles would likely work.

The "Slow Poke" Law: Slow drivers in the left lane will now be t

 

[Boxcar]

7) Get by the damn truck. He's fully aware that your there. As a truck driver I cannot stand when people sit back by my trailer tandems and count to 10 before they pass.

And to add to number 1. In the almost 2 million miles I've driven, I can safely say that 60% of the time left lane violators are from Ohio. For some reason people from my home state don't understand what the right lane is for.

 

[Maggot]

8. NO U turn on busy freeways means no U turn. No, Your 23 foot long pick up can not safely push its way into the 14 ft space between me and the car in front of me at 80 mph. This said, Texans are great folks but they should all have their driver's Licenses revoked and return to horses.

 

[Greg Langelius *]

9. Only use the left lane when there is an actual advantage to doing so. Getting over to the right allows the pack to disperse. When I'm days on the road, getting there a little sooner has no actual meaning. We get there as soon as conditions allow. The difference is all about stress levels.

10. Never be the fastest car in sight. Never be the slowest car in sight. Each attracts the wrong kind of attention.

11. I don't care if other drivers keep jumping into the reasonable gap I leave in front of my car. If it becomes a pattern, I pull over to the right, because regardless of whether or not I'm the problem, I can pretty much always be the solution.

12. I usually try to pace myself so there's open space alongside my car, just in case things happen too fast in my own lane. They have been known to, and having somewhere to go in a hurry has saved me several instances of unpleasantness.

 

[Limedust]

While number two may be true, it's a gas waster and just seems like a ridiculous gimmick to me. I know it's counter-intuitive, but for me it's always been true. Never use it anymore.

Agreed on the other stuff for sure.

 

[EddieNFL]

While number two may be true, it's a gas waster and just seems like a ridiculous gimmick to me. Never use it.

I'll give you 24 months to prove that. Good luck.

P.S. I think I passed you several times over the past week.

 

[Limedust]

Luck? Hilly terrain, 55mph drivers in the left lane, and every other person in the world eating and texting while cruising along at 71 . . . don't need it. You lose.

 

[Hogshooter]

13. When a lane is closed down ahead due to an accident / road work, stay in the open lane and don't try to pass everyone by getting in the closed lane and hoping someone will let you in. You slow the whole process down...Effing morons !

 

[jrassy]

14. Posted speed in a construction zone is the speed one should drive,conditions permitting. It is not a place to pass other cars,you fuck head.

 

[Jerrrrstanley]

Tucker, when i worked on I-95 I loved writting people for riding in the left lane without passing. The judge hated it so he would hammer people in court. When i had an unmarked car I would only write aggressive driving type violations. Now I'm back in a marked car and everyone drives like angels around me!

 

[Yasherka]

6) on ramps and off ramps are there so that you can decelerate or accelerate to merge smoothly with the much faster moving interstate traffic.
35 mph isn't merging smoothly, you goddamned fucking moron!

YES YES YES!

And to confirm what Maggot said: God Bless 'em, I really do love Texans, but they can't drive for shit.

 

[KYS]

Same for people in Ohio. They act like it is their job to speed up, cut you off then slow down while in the left lane. Then they get pissed off when you drive up on them. Um, hello? McFly!! You are doing 15 under the speed limit in the left lane!
Then once they get over, they floor it to get ahead of you again just to start slowing down again.

WHAT THE HELL!?

 

[todd]

15. Drive in the right-most lane where you can drive your chosen speed without running over or being run over by the cars in said lane.

16. (My personal motto): Always expect every other driver on the road to do the stupidest thing possible at the worst possible instant, and have a plan for when they do. Allows me to drive pretty much stress-free because I'm rarely surprised anymore because I'm always thinking three to five seconds ahead in all lanes around me, and I never get bored. ;-)

 

[Unknown]

I'm more than willing to move over to let other people pass if the lane in front is free. However, #3 is sort of a pet peeve of mine. When there are 10 cars backed up in front of me, I'm not going to tailgate someone else, just because the idiot behind me wants to tailgate me. If the lane in front is clear, I'll be happy to move over for you. If I'm just another car in the line waiting for Granny to get moved over, tailgating me won't help you move forward.

 

[Strykervet]

Well up here, the only real difference between here and Bangladesh is that traffic flows two ways, but that's imposed on the lot apparently by these pesky, completely tire marked up concrete barricades. Otherwise it'd be no different than Bangladesh, I swear.

17. Drive a bigger vehicle like a pickup --even if it only has a V6 like mine. The frame still works the same and you'll need it in Bangladeshi-esque traffic.

 

[Guest]

Same for people in Ohio. They act like it is their job to speed up, cut you off then slow down while in the left lane. Then they get pissed off when you drive up on them. Um, hello? McFly!! You are doing 15 under the speed limit in the left lane!
Then once they get over, they floor it to get ahead of you again just to start slowing down again.

WHAT THE HELL!?

Not just Ohio my friend. I have passed and re-passed the same vehicle repeatedly without ever touching the cruise settings. Sometimes my wife and I play a game where we guess how many more times we'll pass that car.

 

[Guest]

Not an Interstate issue, but still a pet peeve on two laners....
Your Honda Civic does not need to make wide right hand turns, and it certainly doesn't need to make wide left hand turns!

 

[anthony_s]

As my first post in this iteration, how 'bout the arse receptacles who CANNOT F'g READ the F'g "YIELD" sign when meandering from the on-ramp to the right lane, and slowly wander into the right lane, cutting me off. DAMN.

 

[Maggot]

16. (My personal motto): Always expect every other driver on the road to do the stupidest thing possible at the worst possible instant, and have a plan for when they do. Allows me to drive pretty much stress-free because I'm rarely surprised anymore because I'm always thinking three to five seconds ahead in all lanes around me, and I never get bored. ;-)

This is actually a SURVIVAL RULE.

 

[EddieNFL]

If / when you screw up and about hit someone, wave to let them know you are sorry; you might get a wave and nod back. Most folks won't even look at a person after doing something stupid.

Once saw a guy almost hit another car while attempting to change lanes. The other vehicle hit the horn, he swerved back and waved "sorry." The lady in the Cadillac wouldn't let it go and pulled along side and was really giving him h3!!, wagging finger and all. She slammed into the car in front that was stopping for the traffic light. Took out four cars. I stuck around to let the cop know it was a road rage incident. If her eyes had been loaded, I would have died right there.

 

[EddieNFL]

Same for people in Ohio. They act like it is their job to speed up, cut you off then slow down while in the left lane. Then they get pissed off when you drive up on them. Um, hello? McFly!! You are doing 15 under the speed limit in the left lane!
Then once they get over, they floor it to get ahead of you again just to start slowing down again.

Not just Ohio my friend. I have passed and re-passed the same vehicle repeatedly without ever touching the cruise settings. Sometimes my wife and I play a game where we guess how many more times we'll pass that car.

Caused by ignorance of number two.

 

[Guest]

When unrelenting fuckwit meets and unyielding dumbass.

 

[Boxcar]

As my first post in this iteration, how 'bout the arse receptacles who CANNOT F'g READ the F'g "YIELD" sign when meandering from the on-ramp to the right lane, and slowly wander into the right lane, cutting me off. DAMN.

While this should be common knowledge. I once had a guy in Michigan ask me If I had ever been to Pennsylvania. I replied yes why. His response was he'd never been in a state where they had yield signs on the get-on ramps. Sure enough there are no yield signs in Michigan.

I was in Michigan a couple months ago driving down US23. A lady in a small black Chevy car came down the get on ramp and drove right into my trailer. Mind you my truck with trailer is 73 feet long. She drove right into the middle of my trailer 36 feet back from the front bumper. When the LEO arrived he took her statement first. He walked up to me and asked me what had happened.I said well, I know you don't believe in yield signs up here and I told him I wasn't going to tell but I would show him the video from my dash-cam. He was rather impressed that a truck had a dash cam and informed me that I just gave him the evidence showing that I didn't drive into her.

 

[KYS]

Not just Ohio my friend. I have passed and re-passed the same vehicle repeatedly without ever touching the cruise settings. Sometimes my wife and I play a game where we guess how many more times we'll pass that car.

I just don't get why people don't embrace the cruise control. It helps fuel economy.

Another one is people trying to read and drive. I passed a woman today reading some paperwork that was on her steering wheel. Years ago I saw a man reading a damn book while driving and he ran into the back of a school bus loaded with kids. The police took him in for reckless endangerment and then found out his own child was on that bus.....


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[RobertB]

Whats up with #5?

 

[Parsons]

Tucker, when i worked on I-95 I loved writting people for riding in the left lane without passing. The judge hated it so he would hammer people in court. When i had an unmarked car I would only write aggressive driving type violations. Now I'm back in a marked car and everyone drives like angels around me!

Va is one of two states I follow the speed limit and every other driving law exactly the best I can. Being from WV and driving through Va every time I go south I have had experience with the police there. Learned the hard way anything over 80 in Va is considered reckless driving.

 

[todd]

This is actually a SURVIVAL RULE.

Point for Maggot! I hadn't actually thought of it like that before - guess I will from now on... Dang, I learned something in the Bear Pit!

 

[Guest]

Whats up with #5?

It's about you. I'm reading your AOL email right now. Unfuckingbelievable.

 

[Guest]

Va is one of two states I follow the speed limit and every other driving law exactly the best I can. Being from WV and driving through Va every time I go south I have had experience with the police there. Learned the hard way anything over 80 in Va is considered reckless driving.

We do not lack policing here. That's for sure.

 

[Guest]

I just don't get why people don't embrace the cruise control. It helps fuel economy.

I drive through two speedtraps every day, and I use it in town to make sure I don't screw up.... again.
The only time it's useless is when the road is up and down like roller coaster. It's good, but it cannot anticipate hills worth a shit.
Google is working on that.

 

[Parsons]

We do not lack policing here. That's for sure.

Not at all. The police officer was very nice and informed me over 80 was reckless (I had no clue). Asked if I had any prior tickets or had to go to court I said one ticket in ohio (other state I follow driving laws exactly) about a year earlier. He asked about DUI or other reckless I said no. He went back ran my license and reduced it for me.

Police in Va know where to hide I can tell ya that much haha

 

[Wes_Mantooth]

Dear GOD learn who's responsibility it is to merge. If your lane ends YOU have to merge into the other lane. If you are on a ramp it is YOUR responsibility to merge. Speed up and get in front of me or slow down and get behind me, but make up your mind and make it happen.

Also, if you're scared of driving in the snow or don't know how to drive in the snow, STAY HOME WHEN IT SNOWS.

 

[rpk762]

Blinkers.
It is amazing how a $35,000+ vehicles did not come standard with blinkers.

Dodge pickup drivers
95 percent are complete fuck heads behind the wheel.

 

[High Binder]

PASS the COP!! Fuck, I fucking hate it when people wont pass a cop on the highway or anywhere else. If there's a cop driving down the road 10 under the speed limit, don't create a fucking mile deep rolling roadblock behind him, just fucking pass him.


#!@^@&& FuCK!

 

[mtrmn]

Without cruise control I get tickets. I'll be doing 85 in a 65 before I know it.

 

[TNT]

13. When a lane is closed down ahead due to an accident / road work, stay in the open lane and don't try to pass everyone by getting in the closed lane and hoping someone will let you in. You slow the whole process down...Effing morons !

If you are in the lane closing down, go to the end and zipper merge. If you are in the open lane, zipper merge and quit trying to not let people in because otherwise you are the one slowing everything down.

 

[CMH]

If I am pulling a trailer that weighs more than every vehicle you have ever owned, combined, don't whip in front of me and then stomp your brakes.

 

[Hairball]

We have all kinds of issues out here and if you have ever been in a 13 lane merge (yes we have them that big) it can get interesting. My BIGGEST peeve is when traffic is backed up for miles and a bunch of ass hats decide they need to get to their destination ahead of the rest of us because they are so much more important that they decide to drive up the emergency lane as far as they can and try to horn it in a few hundred cars ahead of you. Half the time I just pull my truck far enough into the emergency lane to not let them pass.

Second issue are all the idiots that slow down to look at a disabled vehicle even if they are in lanes going in the other direction. Going along at 3mph until I get up to the guy changing a flat on the side of the road and then it's right back to 70mph.

 

[EddieNFL]

The only time it's useless is when the road is up and down like roller coaster. It's good, but it cannot anticipate hills worth a shit.

Can't speak for other makes, but my Toyota varies so little I can't see the difference on the speedo.

 

[proneshooter]

Same for people in Ohio. They act like it is their job to speed up, cut you off then slow down while in the left lane. Then they get pissed off when you drive up on them. Um, hello? McFly!! You are doing 15 under the speed limit in the left lane!
Then once they get over, they floor it to get ahead of you again just to start slowing down again.

WHAT THE HELL!?

You must be talking about Michigan drivers

 

[proneshooter]

ohio (other state I follow driving laws exactly)

For the love of GOD, DON'T. You out of staters piss us off to no end when you completely fuck up the traffic flow because you are afraid of getting a ticket if you go 71 in a 70.

The Highway Patrol here does not absolutely give a fuck if you are driving 5 over. They DO NOT. I've driven past several troopers going 70 in a 65 and I know they know exactly how fast I was moving because I saw them aiming their radar or laser right at me. I went by and they stayed right where they were every single time.

In fact, 10 or less over the limit on the freeway doesn't even rate a look from the staties.

 

[proneshooter]

PASS the COP!! Fuck, I fucking hate it when people wont pass a cop on the highway or anywhere else. If there's a cop driving down the road 10 under the speed limit, don't create a fucking mile deep rolling roadblock behind him, just fucking pass him.


#!@^@&& FuCK!

And the other half of that: DON'T SLAM YOUR FUCKING BRAKES JUST BECAUSE YOU SEE A COP ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD WRITING A TICKET!!!!! Keep the fuck going. The last thing that guy is paying attention to is your speed.

 

[High Binder]

13. When a lane is closed down ahead due to an accident / road work, stay in the open lane and don't try to pass everyone by getting in the closed lane and hoping someone will let you in. You slow the whole process down...Effing morons !

We have all kinds of issues out here and if you have ever been in a 13 lane merge (yes we have them that big) it can get interesting. My BIGGEST peeve is when traffic is backed up for miles and a bunch of ass hats decide they need to get to their destination ahead of the rest of us because they are so much more important that they decide to drive up the emergency lane as far as they can and try to horn it in a few hundred cars ahead of you. Half the time I just pull my truck far enough into the emergency lane to not let them pass.

So I used to do this as well and block a shit ton of traffic from passing in either lane (I have a giant F350) cus I thought it was rude of the open lane passers and believe me this is one of the most frequently posted road rage topics on Reddit (it's posted almost daily).

But check this out: Zipper Merge

So now I pull all the way up and merge like you're supposed to. Occasionally, I'll run into somebody doing what I used to do or somebody who doesn't want to let me merge and again because I'm in a giant truck I just start merging anyway and they always back off (usually with a finger or a horn but who cares) but I'm in the right and could easily explain to the offending driver or a cop what's what.

What is a zipper merge?

When a lane is closed in a construction zone, a zipper merge occurs when motorists use both lanes of traffic until reaching the defined merge area, and then alternate in "zipper" fashion into the open lane.
Benefits

Reduces differences in speeds between two lanes
Reduces the overall length of traffic backup by as much as 40 percent
Reduces congestion on freeway interchanges
Creates a sense of fairness and equity that all lanes are moving at the same rate

drivers use both lanes with zipper merge
Zipper merge vs. early merge

When most drivers see the first “lane closed ahead” sign in a work zone, they slow too quickly and move to the lane that will continue through the construction area. This driving behavior can lead to unexpected and dangerous lane switching, serious crashes and road rage.

Zipper merging, however, benefits individual drivers as well as the public at large. Research shows that these dangers decrease when motorists use both lanes until reaching the defined merge area and then alternate in “zipper” fashion into the open lane. Watch a brief video of how it works.
So I'm supposed to merge late?

Yes! As you see the “lane closed ahead” sign and traffic backing up, stay in your current lane up to the point of merge. Then take turns with other drivers to safely and smoothly ease into the remaining lane. Don't worry about being "Minnesota nice." When traffic is heavy and slow, it is much safer for motorists to remain in their current lane until the point where traffic can orderly take turns merging.
When not to do the zipper merge

When traffic is moving at highway speeds and there are no backups, it makes sense to move sooner to the lane that will remain open through construction. The bottom line is to merge when it is safe to do so.

Food for thought and maybe this is remove some of your road rage (at least in relation to this issue)...

 

[usmc02xx]

if the weather is freaking you out so bad you have to put on your emergency lights and drive 10pmh... get the fuck off the road. just pull over until you can think rationally again. the rest of us do not need to drive 5 fucking mph because your a pussy.

 

[Hairball]

I am talking about sitting on the interstate that is backed up for miles and people pull off into the emergency lane and use it as their own personal lane for as long as they can get away with it until someone cuts them off forcing them back in line with the rest of us. Or, they come up to a bridge and the barrier is not wide enough to let them pass so they merge back in with traffic. This is always an issue trying to get back home from Vegas on a Sunday.