# I Pit drivers that stop on Interstates **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [January 28, 2015, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-drivers-that-stop-on-interstates/711147 "2015-01-28T20:55:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![get\_lives](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ecb155/32.png) [@get\_lives](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/get_lives)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2015, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-drivers-that-stop-on-interstates/711147/1 "2015-01-28T20:55:36Z")
Twice in the last 6 months I’ve nearly had wrecks because people stopped in front of me on the interstate for no good reason. The first idiot stopped in the right lane to talk to someone in the breakdown lane. Dead stop, just talking, cars flying by at 60+ mph. There was plenty of room in the breakdown lane to pull over, but no, Grandpa couldn’t be bothered. I went around him, but the guy riding with me still makes jokes about how mad I got. The second case involved TWO idiots where one mildly rear-ended the other, no visible damage, but they stopped in the LEFT lane on a steep DOWNHILL slope in the MOUNTAINS. This particular stretch of I-81 is one of the most dangerous roads in the country, and has lots of big-rig trucks on it, everybody doing 65-70 mph. If you would ever do this, please stop driving. Please. Or move to somewhere I will never visit, like the Aleutians. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2015, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-drivers-that-stop-on-interstates/711147/2 "2015-01-28T21:10:21Z")
Where do you live again? I want to avoid it. In the Bay Area one of our electronic signs that comes on from time to time tells drivers with small accidents to get off the road. Your well justified pitting applies to streets as well. Just today some idiots from the water company blocked the right lane with no warning signs, And some clown in the rightmost of two left turn lanes decided he wanted to go straight after all, and sat there blocking it with his blinker on since the through lanes had a red light. Less dangerous than your examples, but still infuriating. ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2015, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-drivers-that-stop-on-interstates/711147/3 "2015-01-28T21:15:35Z")
$118 Fine in Minnesota. Non-Emergency stop on an Interstate. I’ve seen signs in other states warning of higher. I agree, it’s a damned stupid thing to do. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2015, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-drivers-that-stop-on-interstates/711147/4 "2015-01-28T21:23:00Z")
What are you complaining about? What do you think a Pit stop is? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![BlankSlate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blankslate/32/80_2.png) [@BlankSlate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlankSlate)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2015, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-drivers-that-stop-on-interstates/711147/5 "2015-01-28T21:37:51Z")
I blame the folks over at the Cracker Jack company. ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2015, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-drivers-that-stop-on-interstates/711147/6 "2015-01-28T21:50:57Z")
Stopping is bad enough. _Backing up_ is even worse. I see less of this since everyone has GPS, but yo bitch, I know you did not learn that shit in driving school. Go to the next exit and turn around! ---
**Author:** ![Trinopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2bfe46/32.png) [@Trinopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trinopus)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2015, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-drivers-that-stop-on-interstates/711147/7 "2015-01-28T21:56:07Z")
I did that once… A guy was tailgating me terribly. Late night, no traffic, I’m in the goddamn slow lane already, but he’s riding right up my ass. I slowed down. He just came closer. I slowed down more… He came closer yet. So, fuck it. I stopped. Fuck my doctor if he didn’t stop too! About that time, traffic began to approach from behind, so I moved on. Weird. Eventually he roared past me, two wheels in my lane, inches from a collision. (I don’t deny for a second I was doing something wrong. But, jeez…) ---
**Author:** ![fachverwirrt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/94ad74/32.png) [@fachverwirrt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fachverwirrt)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2015, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-drivers-that-stop-on-interstates/711147/8 "2015-01-28T21:57:05Z")
Apparently people in Michigan have no concept of the zipper merge. I was driving to northern Michigan last summer when the traffic came to a dead stop in the left lane approaching a one-lane construction zone. I figured traffic was just that heavy. Nope. Turned out people in the left lane were coming to a complete dead stop in order to move into the right lane with a solid two miles of perfectly usable lane in front of them. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2015, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-drivers-that-stop-on-interstates/711147/9 "2015-01-28T23:08:42Z")
> [@Anaamika](#): > > Stopping is bad enough. _Backing up_ is even worse. I see less of this since everyone has GPS, but yo bitch, I know you did not learn that shit in driving school. Go to the next exit and turn around! Yep. The one that fuels my ire is the idiots who back up because they missed an exit. Otherwise, I can’t say I’ve experienced the OP’s situation. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2015, 12:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-drivers-that-stop-on-interstates/711147/10 "2015-01-29T00:16:24Z")
We see dudes stopping for minor fender-benders out here all the time, so often they have posted signs everywhere “Minor accident, No injuries? Pull safely off highway.” ---
**Author:** ![bobot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobot/32/21622_2.png) [@bobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobot)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2015, 12:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-drivers-that-stop-on-interstates/711147/11 "2015-01-29T00:25:14Z")
> [@Trinopus](#): > > I did that once… A guy was tailgating me terribly. Late night, no traffic, I’m in the goddamn slow lane already, but he’s riding right up my ass. > > I slowed down. He just came closer. > > I slowed down more… He came closer yet. > > So, fuck it. I stopped. Fuck my doctor if he didn’t stop too! > > About that time, traffic began to approach from behind, so I moved on. Weird. Eventually he roared past me, two wheels in my lane, inches from a collision. > > (I don’t deny for a second I was doing something wrong. But, jeez…) If there ever was a person who genuinely deserved to be run off the road and over a cliff, that was the guy. ---
**Author:** ![Rick\_Kitchen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rick_kitchen/32/522_2.png) [@Rick\_Kitchen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick_Kitchen)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2015, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-drivers-that-stop-on-interstates/711147/12 "2015-01-29T00:52:38Z")
I had a woman stop in front of me in the left lane while driving on an Interstate in Montgomery, Alabama (which probably explains a lot right there), I had to stop and wait for traffic to clear so I could pull around her, and as I watched in my rear view, she pulled across all of the lanes of traffic to exit. But then I had a woman in Montgomery tell me that she doesn’t use turn signals because it’s nobody else’s business knowing where she is going. ---
**Author:** ![campp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c5a1d2/32.png) [@campp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/campp)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2015, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-drivers-that-stop-on-interstates/711147/13 "2015-01-29T00:56:38Z")
> [@Trinopus](#): > > I did that once… SNIP But, jeez…) Trinopus, I did the same thing once. Unbelievable. ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2015, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-drivers-that-stop-on-interstates/711147/14 "2015-01-29T00:57:10Z")
> [@fachverwirrt](#): > > Apparently people in Michigan have no concept of the zipper merge. I was driving to northern Michigan last summer when the traffic came to a dead stop in the left lane approaching a one-lane construction zone. I figured traffic was just that heavy. > > Nope. Turned out people in the left lane were coming to a complete dead stop in order to move into the right lane with a solid two miles of perfectly usable lane in front of them. +1!!111!!!1damnnit1!!1!! ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2015, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-drivers-that-stop-on-interstates/711147/15 "2015-01-29T01:00:45Z")
> [@Voyager](#): > > Where do you live again? I want to avoid it. > In the Bay Area one of our electronic signs that comes on from time to time tells drivers with small accidents to get off the road. Not just the Bay, around Christmas I saw those signs occasionally from Berkeley to Tahoe. Recently a big case was a woman convicted for stopping for ducks and causing a fatal accident. ---
**Author:** ![Morgenstern](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Morgenstern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgenstern)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2015, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-drivers-that-stop-on-interstates/711147/16 "2015-01-29T01:42:58Z")
I hate those drivers who drive, in stop and go traffic, with one foot resting on the brake pedal. Their brake lights keep flashing on and off making one wonder whether they are stopping or resting their foot. Commonly called BFNFRs (Biffnerfs - brakes for no fucking reason) May their brakes wear out weekly. ---
**Author:** ![Hayden](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/91b2a8/32.png) [@Hayden](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hayden)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2015, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-drivers-that-stop-on-interstates/711147/17 "2015-01-29T01:45:27Z")
I pit all bad drivers, especially those who camp in the left lane even when they aren’t passing. ---
**Author:** ![russian\_heel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f05b48/32.png) [@russian\_heel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/russian_heel)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2015, 7:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-drivers-that-stop-on-interstates/711147/18 "2015-01-29T07:14:44Z")
Ive never ever ever seen two cars stopped in an Interstate, and Ive been driving 40-60k a year for the past 15 years; I don’t get the first example, is it possible the two cars in the left hand lane were disabled? I know you said you saw no damage, but even a mild fender bender can disable both engines . . . . that said, yeah, bad news. ---
**Author:** ![russian\_heel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f05b48/32.png) [@russian\_heel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/russian_heel)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2015, 7:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-drivers-that-stop-on-interstates/711147/19 "2015-01-29T07:17:16Z")
> [@Trinopus](#): > > I did that once… A guy was tailgating me terribly. Late night, no traffic, I’m in the goddamn slow lane already, but he’s riding right up my ass. > > I slowed down. He just came closer. > > I slowed down more… He came closer yet. > > So, fuck it. I stopped. Fuck my doctor if he didn’t stop too! > > About that time, traffic began to approach from behind, so I moved on. Weird. Eventually he roared past me, two wheels in my lane, inches from a collision. > > (I don’t deny for a second I was doing something wrong. But, jeez…) If you really want to risk having him shoot you, either a) Speed up and drive on the rumble strip, launching all sorts of small rocks onto his car b) Decide to turn on the wiper fluid and wipers, spraying his miserable tailgating jalopy with dirty water from your windshield :dubious::dubious::dubious: ---
**Author:** ![russian\_heel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f05b48/32.png) [@russian\_heel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/russian_heel)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2015, 7:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-drivers-that-stop-on-interstates/711147/20 "2015-01-29T07:20:57Z")
> [@Hayden](#): > > I pit all bad drivers, especially those who camp in the left lane even when they aren’t passing. There’s a law in our state you can’t do that, yet I still see drivers doing it all the time and no one getting pulled over for it. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-drivers-that-stop-on-interstates/711147.md?page=2)