It’s probably not the most legit thing to do, but when faced with a situation like the one in the OP, I’ll usually try flashing my lights a time or two really fast at the other car in a hope that they’ll get the idea. About half the time, this works.
When I went to driving school in CA (2001? 2002?), I was taught that if there are 5 or more cars behind you, you’re supposed to pull over and let them pass you, since it was the law. I’ve always wondered why this law doesn’t appear to apply to truckers.
I’d like to see this one made universal on 2-lane roads.
Ditto for passing lanes of 4-lane roads: if a parade builds up behind you while you’re in the passing lane, you’re either not passing fast enough, or not trying to pass in the first place.
I have a question about this- on long road trips, I see on four lane roads that sometimes it is posted that the left lane is a passing lane only, but this seems to assume that there is ALWAYS a passing lane assumed.
This is NOT the case in every city I have lived in- if it isn’t posted that the inner lane is passing only, then it is just another lane, with the same speed limit minimums and maximums.
That said, I try to let folks going faster pass me, if the freeway allows me move to let them.
We just finished a 10 day road trip, most of it on two-way, two lane highways, and you’re absolutely right - the idiots first in the line behind a slower vehicle who WON’T pass are some of the most dangerous drivers out there. Now everyone behind them is wondering what the hell to do - do you pass two or more vehicles at a time, which is a Bad Thing, or do you just sit there and continue contributing to the problem? And now you’ve got vehicles all clustering, so there isn’t really space between them to leapfrog your way up the chain. People, when you’re behind a slower vehicle, pass as soon as it’s safe! If you can’t handle passing, don’t drive on the highways.
I like the idea of parade laws, too. We got stuck in some doozies on this trip (RVs in the mountains - 'nuff said).
ETA: Thinking of one car in particular, when you reach a passing lane that says, “Slower traffic move to the right,” always move to the right - you can move back over if it turns out you’re NOT the slower traffic.
When I’m driving through winding roads that I don’t know (as opposed to the ones that I do), I’m more than happy to let you pass - as soon as I think it’s safe to do so. I happily pull into the right lane when the road splits into a passing lane and a being passed lane. I’m more than happy to let you go around if you want. But I’m not hovering my car halfway over a cliff face for your convenience. As soon as there’s space, though, the road is theirs.
This pisses me off to no end. I hate it when drivers do this and it turns me from a generally cooperative fellow driver to someone who wants to make you as miserable as possible for as long as possible.
Well, I should say that it’s pretty rare I actually flash my lights. On the long road between where I live in CA and Las Vegas, there are two lanes on each side of the road (so 4 total). Often, I travel at not heavy times on the road. Every so often, someone will be in the fast lane going far below the speed limit. I can try to pull up behind them and if that doesn’t get them to realize where they are, try flashing my lights a time or two to get their attention . . .or pass on the right (which is less than legal, no?). I think what happens is these folks are busy staring at the desert and zone out. Most of the time, when I flash my lights, I see them sort of bristle up (like they are jolted back into awareness) and they immediately get over into the right lane.
I don’t just roll around the freeway, flashing my lights and honking my horn with abandon :).
It gets annoying for me driving to work and back, as I like using the cruise control <to keep me from speeding, haha> You really don’t realize just HOW people speed up and slow down for no apparant reason than when you KNOW exactly how fast you are going, and watch people both afore and aft rubberbanding around.
I always let people pass. My working assumption is that anyone actually driving faster than me is a dangerous lunatic and I want him as far away from me as possible.
I’m from Texas and grew up with the “Drive Friendly” mentality (most “old school” Texas drivers I know still practice it, while many transplants and younger natives don’t).
I am always aware of other drivers behind (or around me) and on highways will shift as far to the right as possible and modify my speed to facilitate passing. It is just common courtesy, imo.
I also stop for pedestrains, signal turns, and refrain from cutting people off.
I HATE tailgaters and will actually pull OVER to let (i.e. MAKE) them pass. (as a rule, such a-holes make it clear they don’t WANT to pass, they want to TAILGATE and make no efforts to pass…I enjoy spoiling their day by forcing them to…and yes, I want such lunatics as far away/ahead of me as possible!)
About 3 yrs ago, we drove from Texas to Oregon and on some of those steep mountain roads on the way, my Izuzu Rodeo just wasn’t up to much more than 30-40 mph due to being older, having some engine issues at that point and the thin air. I stuck to the right lane and did my best to allow others to pass.
But I have noticed plenty who intentionally block passing and/or who pass agressively for no logical reason (to get to the red light ahead of someone who is gojng over the speed limit:confused:)
On more than one occaision, I’ve witnessed such behavior which seemed to be related to political bumper stickers (as in, “I just passed you/cut you off because you’ve got a “liberal” sticker and I, judging by my stickers, am a hard right winger and I just won over/showed YOU and expressed my disdain for your views and am forcing YOU to read MY bumper stickers!”…ime, it is usually the “righties” who act out like this, not the “lefties”, but that could just be my personal experience based on where I’ve lived and driven).
People act out through driving for all sorts of illogical reasons which usually boil down to a show of dominance. Stupid. But why should driving be exempt from stupid human behavior?
This really hasn’t been my experience–it seems like much more of an insult here in the US to let somebody pass than in, say, Germany. Or perhaps I’ve just had good luck in those countries. The times I’ve driven through Central Europe (like Austria, Germany, Switzerland), I watched as cars pulled halfway onto the shoulder in narrow two-lane roads to let others pass. Pretty much without exception. Trucks with higher vantage points would indicate to you when it’s safe to pass by signaling with their blinkers (this behavior is not known in the US, so far as I know.) Also, if you’re in the left lane in a multi-lane road, the moment you come up on somebody’s tail, they will switch lanes to let you pass. More often, however, they’re not in the left lane to begin with if they don’t have to be. At least that has been my experience. I was fascinated by the order of the road in those particular countries. There are parts of the US where I’ve seen some of this behavior, usually in the rural parts of the northern Midwest.
Me too, I’ll even put on the right turn blinker. But I do it partly for selfish reasons. The last thing I want is to have someone tailgating me, especially at night. And you never know, he may be heading home to a sick kid, or to relieve a babysitter or to see the beginning of Friday Night Lights.
It’s my understanding that drivers in Europe are much better trained than drivers in North America - that might explain some of that behaviour, pulykamell.
Or maybe, It’s common in the USA to make 1000 mile road trips. Or 2000 mile trips in their car. Someone from say Indiana just isn’t used to driving in the mountains.
I don’t think that the average European does that much driving when on vacation. I may be wrong.
Anywho, I don’t think it’s as bad as some folks suggest. Oh, it is agravating sometimes, but you can almost always spot someone that is not used to driving in the mountains (for instance). Or a mountain driver like myself in NYC.
I HATE THAT!!! That is my biggest driving pet peeve. I hate it when two drivers drive side by side, slowing everyone down. Whether it’s two trucks or a car and a truck or whatever. Or when someone goes to pass and they are only going, like, 2 mph more than the person they are passing, backing everyone up.
I have no problem letting people pass, when they’re not cutting me off. Go for it! I don’t want you behind me! I’m horrible at passing other people though. Partly because I’m timid and mostly because my car is not gifted in the acceleration department.
I’m surprised it isn’t. It’s the law in Alaska (5 cars), as well. Fuck if anybody follows it, of course, but the law is there.
The testing required to get a license in most European countries, so far as I have seen, is more extensive with a higher failure rate than the US tests. I don’t know what the EU test is like, now, but I know my parents, for instance in Poland, even had basic mechanical knowledge on their licensing test. That doesn’t mean that they don’t drive like shit in certain areas/countries. On the other hand, in general everywhere I’ve driven on the continent, they seem to know not to dawdle in the left lane and how to properly zipper merge.
What always happens to me is, I’ll be tooling along at a good clip on the interstate and I notice somebody coming up in my rear view mirror. So I figure I’ll move into the right lane and let them pass. I change into the right lane, but do they pass? Nope, they get into the right lane too, so that they can shine their lights in my rear view mirror for the next hundred miles.
On long trips it’s maddening - you can slow down but they won’t pass. You speed up and they’re right there behind you. You start to think about all the movies about crazy interstate motor-stalkers.
I don’t think these drivers are thinking about it at all, they’re just on autopilot, following my car’s convenient taillights. And that’s fine, but do it from more than one car length away, all right?
To (sort of) address the OP, I’m one of those people that’s nervous about passing on 2-lane country roads. But I’m trying to get better. And if you’re coming up behind me and you want to pass I will cheerfully slow down and let you buy, and I might even flash my lights when you’re clear, just like the truckers do.
