Why do California drivers go so slow in the right lane?

[}Dragon{]

5 trip, that means OR/WA. Yeah, done plenty of driving/riding there. :| Per capita, OR and WA drivers suck worse than CA. Erratic and generally slow as hell. TX... fuggedaboudit. UT... either doing 100mph or 45mph. I dunno, hard to count the deserted states cuz there's not enough data.

I remember a few years back in WA, with a torrential downpour, where I got to the right and slowed down to 55. You really couldn't see shit and I compared the rainfall to a monsoon. People were still driving at 75+ HUA.

I know, I'm preaching to the choir, but I'd like to see driver discipline, like they have in Germany. Even with a posted speed limit.

[youtube]LZhdvl_P1Zc[/youtube]

 

[aminalmutha]

Seriously? OK:

Must have been the dude frothing at the mouth when I was stuck in some old piece of shit U-Haul diesel van doing 60mph in the slow lane. Cuz that's about all the faster it'd go.

"OMFG WTF IS WRONG WITH YOU, SLOW ASS!!!"

Party

 

[Lunch Box]

Must have been the dude frothing at the mouth when I was stuck in some old piece of shit U-Haul diesel van doing 60mph in the slow lane. Cuz that's about all the faster it'd go.

"OMFG WTF IS WRONG WITH YOU, SLOW ASS!!!"

Party

I seriously thought he was kidding around. What is this world coming to when "feeble-brained doofuses" are free to run around calling other "people feeble-brained doofuses?"

 

[aminalmutha]

What's so special about 880? There are plenty of other big cities in America, bigger than Oakland, yet they allow higher speeds for trucks.

 

[aminalmutha]

I remember a few years back in WA, with a torrential downpour, where I got to the right and slowed down to 55. You really couldn't see shit and I compared the rainfall to a monsoon. People were still driving at 75+ HUA.

Typical OR/WA driver on 5....

55, 85, 65, 70, 55, 90, 75, 70, 72, 90, etc. Is cruise control banned there or what!?!?

That, or they're doing a solid 45. arty

 

[Reli]

Seriously? OK:

1. Trucks, and vehicles towing trailers are limited to 55 MPH.
If you were going the speed limit, that would already be a 10 MPH differential on most local highways. Most of us don't go the speed limit, of course.

2. The right lane is where people are merging to get on and off of the freeway. This causes a bit of a slow down, regardless of how fast anyone might want to go.

3. Semi trucks are required (on highways with a certain number of lanes) to be in the right two lanes. Semis are also required to go 55 MPH (See item 1).

4. Slower traffic is supposed to keep to the right. People with slow cars, older drivers, or people who are having car issues will all be (OK *should* all be) in the right lane.

So, while it might seem inconvenient for you to slow down a bit as you get into the right lane to exit, are you really saying that you would prefer that all of that traffic move left into the lanes where faster traffic is supposed to be?

I'm kind of bummed. I was honestly hoping it was a troll thread. *sigh*

I forgot that the truck speed limit is only 55 here. So sue me.

 

[}Dragon{]

What's so special about 880? There are plenty of other big cities in America, bigger than Oakland, yet they allow higher speeds for trucks.

They lowered the speed limit so you don't hit any pedestrians in the "Occupy my freeway" movement.:|

 

[bcv_west]

What's so special about 880? There are plenty of other big cities in America, bigger than Oakland, yet they allow higher speeds for trucks.

At speeds higher than 55, the survival rate for the illegal immigrants hiding under the lettuce goes way down.

 

[Lunch Box]

At speeds higher than 55, the survival rate for the illegal immigrants hiding under the lettuce goes way down.

 

[Junkie]

At speeds higher than 55, the survival rate for the illegal immigrants hiding under the lettuce goes way down.

Sounds like we need a minimum speed of 90

 

[louemc]

I'm not from California......And I swear, when you compare this place to almost anywhere else I've lived, there's such a wider speed differential between lanes. The people in the right lane do only 55-60, while lanes 1 and 2 are doing 75-80.

Where I'm from, in Michigan, people do 65-70 in the right lane, while the left lane is only going like 5 mph faster.

Perhaps that's because in Michigan, there's only 2-3 lanes each direction, while here it's 4-5, which allowing losers to think they can just pick a lane and squat? Not sure.

When I want to exit, I don't want to have to cut my speed by 20 mph and then sit behind a long line of these feeble-brained doofuses for two or three minutes, waiting to exit.

What-Ever-You -do....Don't visit Oregon or Washington.

Oregon seemed worse. Only two cars in sight, on the freeway...
Both side by side, for miles....Rolling road block.

 

[Reli]

Sounds like we need a minimum speed of 90

 

[Reli]

What-Ever-You -do....Don't visit Oregon or Washington.

Oregon seemed worse. Only two cars in sight, on the freeway...
Both side by side, for miles....Rolling road block.

I'll say this, I've been in Portland about 20-25 times, and yeah, they do go slow...

They'd have a heart attack if they encountered the speeds on the 5 between here and LA....

 

[asdfghwy]

I try to practice best driving etiquette. If I'm in the left lane and someones comes up I will move over.

I don't expect most of the idiots on the road to be able to follow simple 'rules of the road'. But when I do, I will give them a wave or flash of the hazards to let them know it's appreciated.

Here in the bay I don't see that too much but when i'm driving south on 101 or 5 people seem to understand the basic rules and follow them for the most part. I drove down to pismo a week ago and had no trouble just cruising @ 80 the entire stretch (except king city! always sheriffs).

 

[louemc]

I'll say this, I've been in Portland about 20-25 times, and yeah, they do go slow...

They'd have a heart attack if they encountered the speeds on the 5 between here and LA....

Really :thumb up There are area's that I-5 goes through, that big rigs in convoy will be doing like 100 MPH..So Ya know there aren't any cops there. Cars will be doing 120 +

 

[bruceflinch]

<edited for clarity>
Where I'm from, in Michigan, people in the right lane are still doing a decent 65-70, and people in the left lane are only going 5-10 faster. But here, it seems like there's a much bigger speed differential.

I was born in Grand Rapids. All my extended family is from there. Kent County. The fucking Hollanders there are notorious for clogging every goddamned lane possible. And every year I go back I experience at least one octogenarian who blocks shit up on purpose. It used to frustrate me. Now I just chalk it up as par for the course. Much like the things I experience here in the BA. It's just part of landscape for me now.

That's because Western Michigan is full of conservative old farts. I'm from the Detroit area, people go fast like they're supposed to.

You guys should slide up to Shiawassee Co, where I was raised. Farm Implements clog the lanes.

At speeds higher than 55, the survival rate for the illegal immigrants hiding under the lettuce goes way down.

 

[jt2]

If you're slow be as far right as you can. Move left if that is too slow. If you'e in the far left and someone is coming up behind you, move right.

So simple and logical, yet apparently incomprehensible to far too many.

 

[MrIncredible]

<edited for clarity>

I usually go pretty fast......I'm typically in the left lane doing 75-80. But what irks me is, whenever I need to exit, I have to slow WAY down to like 55 in order to work my way into the far right lane.

Where I'm from, in Michigan, people in the right lane are still doing a decent 65-70, and people in the left lane are only going 5-10 faster. But here, it seems like there's a much bigger speed differential.

When I want to exit, I don't want to have to cut my speed by 20 mph and then sit behind a long line of these feeble-brained doofuses for two or three minutes, waiting to exit.

I'm sorry you've lost up to a minute of your life at this point.

 

[enki]

For one thing, trucks aren't allowed to go over 55, so if they want to follow the law there will always be slow people in the right lane.

Also... why are you bitching about them when they're in the right lane? Far too many of them are in the left lane, that's worth bitching about.

yep

 

[kingmoochr]

We're neglecting the whole immigrant factor, where in many countries the roads/vehicles preclude anyone from exceeding 45mph EVER in a vehicle, and they're scared out of their minds to watch the speedometer needle sweep past 12 o'clock....