Fuel Efficiency or Common Courtesy?

I see nothing unsafe with driving between 5-10 miles below the speed limit in the far right lane.
There are plenty of other lanes they can travel in if they don't like your speed (or they can pass)

Weird thing is, despite all other empty lanes and you travelling 10mph below limit, they still drive fast up to your very bumper before figuring out "Hey, this guy isn't going fast enough for me", then they jerk violently over and race past you exceeding the speed limit, only to brake hard at the Red light they almost missed (or hit the gas to get thru the RED).

For people like this, (and there seems to be more of them) they don't deserve any courtesy.

ZC1

 

I have been cruising in the right lane at 62-67mph on a highway with the top speed of 70mph while some people drive 80mph plus. I hang with the big trucks except to pass. When I need to pass a truck I speed up as I am in the left lane and figure just pass and get the heck out of the way. I still get people driving to close, but not very many. My drives are not as stressful now that I just take my time.

 

In urban areas I always choose courtesy over efficiency.
I believe that driving in traffic has some social responsibilities, and blocking traffic is just rude and unsafe. I don't want some nanny forcing me to drive their way, so I'm not going to impose my driving habits on others (within reason).

 

This isn't a question for me. I prefer getting to my destination sometime today, so on those occasions when I'm on the highway I go the speed limit. OK, maybe just a tad faster.

 

Courtesy always, up to the speed limit.

Tom

 

You might not "see" anything unsafe about it, but the law DOES. What you're doing is both illegal and dangerous - traveling well below the posted speed limit, or the speed of the traffic is just as dangerous as speeding.

Don't worry - you'll get cited and then you'll be online complaining about it.

 

I usually play the strategic lane change game to let impending tailgaters pass. If I can't, I pulse and glide within a 5MPH range (as in 40 down to 35 then up to 40). Whatever it is that I do, I try not to impede traffic flow whether or not I am in the slow lane. As annoying as aggressive or even slight speeders are when trying to improve fuel efficiency, the road really isn't a place to be actively protesting or taking a stand on how I or others drive. If some one is tailgating me, I either get out of the way or speed up within reason not for courtesy but safety.

 

I don't see how you think this person driving 10mph below the speed limit is illegal, on the expressways they clearly have a minimum and a maximum speed limit, the maximum speed limit posted on side streets and highways is NOT telling people the MUST drive at this speed. It is the maximum that you are allowed to drive. The expressways in Illinois indicate that the minimum limit is 45mph and the max limit is posted at 55mph, 65 in some areas and even in the 65mph areas, 45mph is still the minimum, and that is a whole 20mph lower than the posted speed.

I don't think this would be any different in the city driving.

 

Really? I'm not buying it. Please provide some proof.

I know that it IS illegal in some states to ride slow in the LEFT lane. However, you NEVER see anyone getting pulled over for that - and they should.

... Brad

 

Does courtesy extend to keeping my air clean and my nation safe? Or does courtesy only mean convenience?

 

Drive 55, save gas -- get flipped off / Trip shows slowing down boosts mileage but can make you unpopular on the road


excerpted - Officer Panelli said the CHP sees very few drivers cruising I-5 at 55. It's not illegal, however -- there's no minimum speed limit on that stretch of road, and the Vehicle Code says only: "No person shall drive upon a highway at such a slow speed as to impede or block the normal and reasonable movement of traffic." "If you're doing 55 in the right lane,'' Panelli said, "you're probably OK. It wouldn't be like you're the only one out there going that slow, since trucks and cars towing trailers have a 55 speed limit.''

For those who don't know Hwy 5 in California, it is a looooong, strait boring stretch of highway that stretches (north to south) across california (actually, it gets prettier as you get closer to Oregon, say, starting around Weed). It is a main North to South artery in the middle of the state. Typically 4 or 6 lanes of traffic, with a speed limit of 70 mph. It isn't much of a road to "enjoy the ride" it is much more a road "just to get there as fast as possible".

V.C. Section 22400 - Minimum Speed Law

Excerpted - 22400. (a) No person shall drive upon a highway at such a slow speed as to impede or block the normal and reasonable movement of traffic, unless the reduced speed is necessary for safe operation, because of a grade, or in compliance with law.

I don't think that driving 35 mph in a 45 mph zone with no one behind you is impeding traffic. Driving 35 mph in a 45 mph zone might really annoy other drivers behind you (assuming conditions were safe for 45 mph operations) but not illegal. If you start getting much slower than that, your probability goes up for being cited.

 

You are NOT doing anything illegal, driving 35 in a 45 is NOT illegal, I would like to find out what state someone would consider that illegal. The posted speed limit of 45 is the max speed you are allowed to travel, it is not the minimum, if you were on an expressway they would have both the max and minimum speeds posted. I would say that driving 10mph in a 45 could become a problem at some point, but not a mere 10mph less than the posted speed. I say keep driving at that speed and if someone wants to pass you they can do so, after all the local city streets are not a racetrack as some would like to think they are..

 

thanks for finding the law, cody...

every state has a similar law, and regardless of people's "opinions" on this site, and what you might "think" is okay - the law sees otherwise.

It's illegal. Keep it up and you'll buy yourself a ticket - and I hope people here do.

Debate it online all you want... it wont matter 'because you can tell it to the judge.


my 2$ werth.

 

Arizona:

It would be hard to argue that you're blocking traffic on a multi-lane street/highway. On a two-lane highway where they can't pass you, you're required to pull out if cars are getting backed up behind you.

 

It is the officer's interpretation of what is impeding traffic. I don't think most would view 35 mph in a 45 mph zone as impeding traffic. But, that is not our call, it is the officer's call.

If you were going so slow as to impede traffic, they would pull you over to see what was wrong. I would guess, a majority of the time, you'd get a warning and asked to speed up. If you gave the officer some lip, you might buy yourself a ticket.

I recall seeing a recent cnn video of highway patrol officers (in New Jersey?) pulling drivers over for not passing in the fast lane. Basically, a law was being enforced that states you use the #1 lane for passing other vehicles. Not to cruise at the speed limit and prevent people from passing. They showed the officers pulling someone over, (given a warning) for driving 62 mph in the fast lane. Their point was, if you are going to drive 62 mph, don't do it in that lane.

 

I don't know about where you live, but the interstate I drive on most frequently has posted 70 MPH & 40 MPH as the speed limit and minimum speed respectively. I'd hardly call driving at 60 or 65 MPH if the limit is 70 illegal or dangerous, as long as the driver is not in the left lane.

 

Here in Ontario, Canada, the minimum speed limit for 100 KMH (62 MPH) highways was 60 KMH (37 MPH). I'm not positive that is still true; other roads that aren't 100 KMH limited access highways I believe have no low limit. You can drive a tractor or a bike or any vehicle all the way to the right as far as possible at 1 MPH if you have to.

When I was a poor student 25 years ago, I drove at about 40 MPH on these highways on a few occasions when short of gas. I pulled into the left lane once (!) to let a truck pass me on the right going over the 2 lane each side Burlington skyway. Trucks were not allowed in left lane. He passed me on right, although technically I think we were both breaking the law (Me, being in left lane going so slow, him passing on right.) There was no other traffic around.

These days I am driving the speed limit. Nothing wrong with that, or even 10 MPH slower if it seems prudent. I try to be courteous if traffic is behind by using cruise control.

On roads where it's easy to pass me, I see nothing wrong with going as slow as legal, although there are dangers to driving too slow on highway.

 

Drive the min speed limit but not under, except when anticipating stops, then you can go under (IMO)