CGTSX2004

iTrader: (1)

So in this month's MotorTrend, one of the editorials by Editor-in-chief Kevin Smith wrote the following:

"...I'm only going to ask that we adopt two practices of autobahn driving, which we can borrow and put into action, right now, each and every one of us. Those are lane discipline and mirror usage."

It seems to me that this should be common sense and should be an area covered by current driving schools, but it's not, apparently.

Mr. Smith also says, "I accept that costly education and graduated licenses feel onerous and non-egalitarian to Americans, and it'll never happen here."

Why would Americans be against something that would be beneficial to their safety and to their pocketbook (via cheaper insurance through fewer accidents as a result of better driver training and continual re-certification.

What are peoples' thoughts on these two quotes?

If you guys get a chance, I highly recommend reading the article. (I'll scan it if I get access to a flatbed scanner in the next few days.)

Oh, and if the mods think this thread is in the wrong category, please feel free to move it.

briny319

I agree with it.

leftride

iTrader: (1)

by lane discipline, do you mean people should keep right except to pass...do you hear me people, KEEP RIGHT!

oh yeah I dont have any accidents or tickets so I want cheaper insurance.

I think the problems is americans pompous attitudes, I assume me included, if people were a little more considerate and less oblivious the road would be a happier and safer place.

CGTSX2004

iTrader: (1)

Yeah, I shoulda made that a little clearer. It's all about KEEP RIGHT!! (as virus put it).

TSX 'R' US

Sounds good to me...in fact IL passed a left lane law

HB 1574-Amends the Illinois Vehicle Code. Prohibits excessive use of the left lane of controlled access and other multilane highways except when certain conditions exist. Provides that a vehicle may not be driven to the left of another vehicle on those highways for a distance exceeding one-half mile. Provides that the prohibition does not apply to authorized emergency vehicles while using emergency lighting or to law enforcement vehicles engaged in official duties.

ABP-CL9-TSX

Illinois is trying balance the state budget and that new law to help with it.

biker

You are more likely to be ticketed on the Autobahn for passing on the right than for speeding. Lane discipline and mirror use should be obvious. On the Autobahn it's absolutely necesarry. I was on it two days ago and without those rules you'd have a madhouse and a lot of accidents. While I was moving at the average speed (about 85-90mph) there's a large speed difference out there between trucks (60 mph) and Mario wannabe Passat/A4 SW drivers doing 120mph. It was strange that the fastest cars out there were mostly lower end station wagons. The typical fast cars (Porsche, S,E class MB, high end BMWs,etc) were doing the typical recommended speed limit (130kph, 85mph). It doesn't matter how fast you are going on the Autobahn - there's always some nut going faster than you - and the best part is that it's totally legal.

As the commercial says: Gas $5/gal, Car $40,000, putting the cruise on 100mph and not have to worry about speeding - priceless.

DEVO

screw that, i like passing on the right. especially people that try to speed up on the left. it's never going to happen anyway.

atlatr

I , as I'm sure everyone here, agrres with you. The problems I see in the US are:
1) Age of drivers....Here a teen can start driving between 14-16 depending on your state. In Europe, atleast Germany, it is 18! If we changed the legal age limit to this there would be an uprising from parents throughout the country. Many reasons but the most obvious the parents would be responsible for getting there teens everywhere....school, practice, parties etc etc.
2)Training here is a joke. You take a practical test and a written test after studying through a small handbook.
3)Law enforcement isn't tight enough. I'm sure those of you with tickets will disagree, but the truth is you get away with it more than not. Most states have left lane law but they don't enforce them. Just like they don't enforce many of the trivial laws that would make driving safer and more expeditious.
4)And the catch all of problems here....The US legal system.
If you get a ticket in Europe you pay it, PERIOD. Even from photo tickets and tickets from other countries!

Cheers
Todd

leftride

iTrader: (1)

Colorado has recently tried to pass (not sure if it passed yet) a left lane law, I doubt it will do much because I think it will be hard to enforce.

dabuda

in my experience, denver drivers have the most "lane discipline" out of all the cities i've driven in...they actually switch to the right when they pass someone and stay there unless to pass again

jlukja

Totally agree with this post and with virus7 on the pompous attitude of american drivers. We've even seen it on this board. Some yahoo says that he's going to sit in the left lane all he wants because he's going the speed limit and you shouldn't go faster. I frequently see "slower traffic keep right" signs but it seems no one pays much attention to them.

Billiam

The only thing that throws a wrench into proper lane usage is the condition of the lanes themselves. I've been on several stretches of road where the right lane was beat to hell from truck traffic. If that's the case, then I'll cruise in the left. I do, however, watch my mirrors and get the hell out of the way of faster traffic.

The one thing that gets me about driver education here in the States is that car control in panic situations is usually covered by nothing more than a couple of paragraphs, if that.

leftride

iTrader: (1)

huh, I guess it is all relative, I think denver and CO drivers in general are the worst I think utah/nevada are great, everytime I drive to las vegas or california I feel like I am parting the red sea and everyone is just getting over

who knows, maybe its just because I am more relaxed and am heading on vacation, whatever the case may be all you bad drivers out there I will say it again...KEEP RIGHT!

dabuda

good point, when i used to live in LA i would consistently pass cars on the right...now i live in FL and i'm doing the same...

but whenever i go to CO (usually for ski vaca) it feels like everyone is moving over for me..guess it might be due to the fact that i'm on vaca

corbs

I don't always stay in the right lane, but I constantly check my mirrors for people going faster than me behind me. If I see someone coming up behind me I move over to the right and let them go and I try to do it so they never have to slow down (I think it's curteous and I kind of turn it into a game, to see if I can get over without them slowing down at all).

I'm generally driving a 5-10 mph over the speed limit so I'm usually passing people in the middle and/or right lanes so I stay there until someone is going faster. But if traffic is moving quickly and I'm not passing anyone I move over.

The problem is STUPID/Ignorant people who don't know what they're supposed to do and A-Holes who know what they should do but don't.

I'm not at all religious but I totally believe in the golden rule: DO ONTO OTHERS AS YOU WOULD THEY DO ONTO YOU. Dammit!

eidji

everytime i get on i-95 here in NC or in VA, SC, GA, or FL, you CANNOT pass on the left. everyone seems to gravitate to that lane instead of the right lane for steady driving. after a few hours, i even fall victim to the gravitation. it's like some sorta wormhole to britain or japan (land of left lane lovers ). at least the speed down the road is decent. however, i don't know if i could ever agree with the left-lane-is-absolutely-for-passing-or-you-get-a-ticket nazis. :shakehd:

kev

gt0279a

In Oregon, there is too much lane discipline. (IMO)

When you are entering the highway, the cars in the right lane will not
move to the left to let you merge.

It's like a force field that prevents their Subaru Stationwagon from deviating from the train of cars in the right lane.

And don't get me started on what happens when it rains out here.

biker

kev,
Trust me when I say it works. Until you experience it first hand, you can't appreciate the privilage of driving on roads where people know how to drive properly.

In the land of no speed limits you have to have rules that people obey. Imagine you're Speedy Gonzales doing 120mph and coming up on minivan driving soccer mom talking on the cell phone going 70mph. You have to have confidence that she will stay in the right lane and not pull in front of you. A great deal of the Autobahn is 2 lane in each direction so you don't have many choices of lanes.

DEVO

Has anybody been on the autobahn lately??? It's a parking lot, the only time you can go fast is at night.

dabuda

yup, when i drove on I-95 from FL to NY last year I passed on the right more then I passed on the left...a lot of cars stay on the left because they go 65 to pass a trailer thats going 60!!! speed up if you're gonna pass!!!

biker

I was on it last week, on a weekday middle of the day, and even then I was able to go 85mph without any problem. On the unlimited streches (like near Baden Baden) 120mph is not unusual. This is on the relatively lightly traveled A5 between Heidelberg and the Swiss border. Unlike the US, there are no trucks on the road on the weekends so driving then is usually better, execpt on holiday weekends when everyone is going somewhere.

DEVO

I'm sure you will find streches that are free of traffic but wouldn't you agree that those places are slowly but surely disappearing?

I remember my first experience on the Autobahn way back in 1979. My Dad was trying to tell me that there is no posted speed limit on this road and that we could go as fast as we want. I didn't believe him (2nd grade at the time) so he decides to bring our car (yellow/lime green Audi 100) to about 100 mph. I was like no way (we both thought we were going fast), and then we were humbled, a bus passes us like we were not even moving, our car rocked from the turbulance left in it's wake. I couldn't believe it nor could my father.

eidji

I wasn't questioning the autobahn, b/c the rules there make perfect sense, especially in the scenario you described. It's just in the US where the speed limits are only 65-75 and there are often more than just 2 lanes in a direction that it doesn't really make as much sense. We do allow about a 30 mph "legal" speed spread (the minimum speed is 45 mph), but it's very rare to actually get a 45mph'er on the road, although 5 or 10 below is common.

kev

biker

But kev, just think how much better things could be if lane discipline and mirror use were followed! I mean simple things like pulling out of the left lane for a faster car. It will be a sad day when I have to go to the US and face I-95 traffic after riding the A1 here in Switzerland or the A5 in Germany.

HCF

The biggest problem I can see with the left lane law is police enfocement. It seems that they would be much happier to pull the person speeding (10ish MPH over) than the one impeding traffic
For the life of me though I can't figure out why people pull such dickish moves as to stay in the left lane no matter what. Traveling 50 miles each way to work on I-95, it frustrates me to no end But why should people be courteous on the road if they aren't courteous anywhere else

Ajax4ever

By the way...On the Swish roads there are to many radar checkpoints....
On the Autobahn most drivers know to keep right , although.....my brother in law crashed his car at Potzheim into a German bitch that stopped on the highway because she missed the exit.....
He was just coming downhill and crashed his car with 2 others into the stopped one.
Amazing nobody was injured.

Ajax4ever

If they don't go to the right lane I WILL..........