Are you a tailgater?

[hohenwald48]

Speed limit be darned. If you're in the left lane you should pass and move right. Over, under or at speed limit doesn't matter.

[RVRon]

Originally Posted by hohenwald48

Speed limit be darned. If you're in the left lane you should pass and move right. Over, under or at speed limit doesn't matter.

X2...nuff said.

[NITEHAWK]

Tailgate and I will speed up a bit. Continue to tailgate and I will slow down a bit. Keep on tailgating and I will slow down even more and continue to slow down until the idiot that thinks their reaction time at 70 MPH is more than adequate will finally get disgusted and go around me. I have enen had to go so far as pulling off onto a shoulder until the moron gave up.
There is less damage in a 10 MPH collision than there is in a 70 MPH collision.

[Spdracr39]

When I am in the bus I just drive easy and go with the flow. It is to large of a vehicle to be playing games. If I am in my daily vehicle then if you drive with courtesy and exhibit the driving skills to help keep the traffic flowing I will work with you to do the same. If you drive like the tail end of a mule you will get the same in return. It takes patience and courtesy to make everything in the world run smoothly and those that refuse to participate whether you are being the traffic police or trying out for need for speed then you are the problem no matter what the laws say.

[F4Gary]

Originally Posted by FatChance

So, someone driving the speed limit in the left lane should yield the right of way to someone breaking the law? When did breaking the law give someone more specific legal rights than someone who is acting legally?

The answer to this question will give evidence to your propensity for losing your temper and getting road rage.

Wouldn't it be easier for the person in the left lane doing the speed limit to just speedup 2 or 3 mph? That would expedite the pass, he gets out of the way much quicker and everyone goes happily on their way. It's not unsafe, no one will get a ticket, and you don't even have to touch your cruise control.



I know that if I'm in the right lane and someone, especially a truck/RV, is very slowly passing me, I will knock off 2 or 3 mph to get them past me much quicker.

[glwinger]

Originally Posted by Isaac-1

The tailgaters don't bother me nearly as much as the ones that think rush hour traffic makes the perfect slalom course. I saw a guy on a motorcycle the other day doing about double the speed limit swerving in and out of traffic on a 4 lane highway, an accident waiting to happen in any number of ways.

And I've seen cars and trucks do the same thing.

Don't stereotype motorcyclists. I am one and have seen cars weave in and out constantly just to get to an exit a few seconds earlier just barely missing the vehicle they are passing!!

[A32Deuce]

I have never hard a car scream past me on the highway shoulder at twice the speed limit, I can't use 2 hands to count how many times a crotch rocket has! Harley rides seam to have a little more sense, at least all the ones I know.

[baraff]

Some of us need to go back to what we learned in Drivers' Ed back in High School: Drive Defensively. Move to the right. Don't hit the old lady crossing the street, etc.

[richard5933]

Originally Posted by ransil

get out of the left if you are not passing!!

Problem around here (Milwaukee area) is that we still have a number of left-hand exits on the Interstate. There is no way to make the exit safely without being in the left lane. Sometimes due to traffic it's necessary to get into the left lane a bit ahead of the exit if there is room.

I've seen left-hand exits on the toll roads between here and the east coast - seems that at least a couple of states have left-hand exits for the rest stops. The off-ramps are sometimes too short to safely slow down a Class A before the sharp turns in the rest stop, so it's necessary to start slowing down a bit before hitting the off-ramp.

It sure would be nice if all the exits were on the right-hand side, but until they are there will be at least one legitimate reason to be in the left lane when not passing.

[Itchytoe]

Originally Posted by A32Deuce

I have never hard a car scream past me on the highway shoulder at twice the speed limit, I can't use 2 hands to count how many times a crotch rocket has! Harley rides seam to have a little more sense, at least all the ones I know.

As someone who rides what some would call a crotch rocket, I feel compelled to respond. The odds of someone actually passing you on the shoulder at twice the speed limit is astronomically low. There's broken glass, pieces of bumpers, tail lights, chunks of rubber from tires, huge tire snakes, pieces of the ladder that fell there a few days ago, spilled (or thrown out) liquids, dead animals, grease slicks left by dead animals that were eaten by other animals, etc. Highway shoulders are one of the most dangerous places to ride, and we avoid them like the plague. Hitting a tire snake, or just some gravel on that shoulder at 70 is very likely a death sentence. Nobody is doing 140 down the shoulder. We are extremely cautious about things like that. We will use that shoulder if need be, but we want to get off the shoulder as soon as possible. Even a nail in a tire is exponentially worse for us than for you.

Bikers are paying attention to the road far better than you are. Especially those of us on crotch rockets. Our lives literally depend on it. I ride a very slow crotch rocket, and I can do 0-60 in about 3.5 seconds. We are looking a quarter mile down the road while riding. We are also watching other traffic around us. We know who's on their cell phone, or singing with the radio, or blowing bubble gum bubbles, etc. If you were surprised by one of us passing you up, it's probably because we saw that you were not as attentive as you should be. We found a clear route around you and took it. We just happened to gain 20 mph while doing it cuz that's insanely easy on a bike. Honestly, I can go from 60 to 100 or more in the space it takes me to get around a truck. I also might do it. Being on the side of a truck is catastrophically dangerous for many reasons. Probably scares the truck, but I'm ahead of him and he's no longer a threat to me.

If a bike passes you up faster than you think he should be going, ignore him. He's fine. We're also probably not going as fast as you think we are. Our vehicles are very short, so we go past you in less time than it takes for a big long pickup truck to get past you even though we're going the same speed. If it's windy, or there's a lot of traffic, we're probably going to be tucked behind the windscreen. That makes us look like we're racing, but we're not really. We're just doing 15 mph more than you because we picked up those 15 while going around you in the last 2 seconds. If we actually passed you doing 140 on the interstate, you wouldn't see us long enough to realize what happened. By the time your brain processed the information that a bike was passing you, we'd be out of your field of view. You wouldn't be able to say it was someone on a crotch rocket and not a Harley because you wouldn't know.

Many many vehicles on the road create a large buffeting wake through the air behind them. Tucking behind the windscreen gets us out of that buffeting. The wake can be 4 times longer than the vehicle causing it. That's the size of a football field behind a class 8. (With the end zones) With large traffic volume, it's hard to find nice clean air flow. We might weave through traffic to get out of the buffeting that you aren't even aware of. It's like being hit with a pillow from random directions every 1/4 of a second. The bike feels unsteady, and we are a little off balance from the buffeting. It's also noisy and knocks our head around. Even little cars can buffet like that.

The wind on the road greatly changes how we ride as well. We have to be aware of the wind direction and things that will cause gusts of wind. In a car, a change of scenery is just something different to look at. On a bike, it might mean getting hit with a 20 mph cross wind that tries to push us into the car on the side of us that didn't even notice the gust. Passing a class 8 can be scary if you're not ready for the wind blast. In a car, it's no different than passing any other vehicle.

Highways are completely different when you're on a bike than they are in a car. There are things we do that seem crazy to you, but only because you aren't driving the same road we are, despite driving next to each other.

[swavescatter]

Originally Posted by Itchytoe

If you're driving normally with the flow of traffic, and if there is traffic in the right lane, it's perfectly fine to be in the left lane in every state of the US.

Incorrect. In NM (as with other states in my experience) it is posted "Keep right unless passing."

It does not matter if you're driving the speed limit or speeding - move right unless passing.

If I was a trooper I'd spend my entire day writing tickets for left lane campers and those who don't use turn signals. Both extremely inconsiderate and unsafe.

[A32Deuce]

Originally Posted by Itchytoe

As someone who rides what some would call a crotch rocket, I feel compelled to respond. The odds of someone actually passing you on the shoulder at twice the speed limit is astronomically low. There's broken glass, pieces of bumpers, tail lights, chunks of rubber from tires, huge tire snakes, pieces of the ladder that fell there a few days ago, spilled (or thrown out) liquids, dead animals, grease slicks left by dead animals that were eaten by other animals, etc. Highway shoulders are one of the most dangerous places to ride, and we avoid them like the plague. Hitting a tire snake, or just some gravel on that shoulder at 70 is very likely a death sentence. Nobody is doing 140 down the shoulder. We are extremely cautious about things like that. We will use that shoulder if need be, but we want to get off the shoulder as soon as possible. Even a nail in a tire is exponentially worse for us than for you.

Bikers are paying attention to the road far better than you are. Especially those of us on crotch rockets. Our lives literally depend on it. I ride a very slow crotch rocket, and I can do 0-60 in about 3.5 seconds. We are looking a quarter mile down the road while riding. We are also watching other traffic around us. We know who's on their cell phone, or singing with the radio, or blowing bubble gum bubbles, etc. If you were surprised by one of us passing you up, it's probably because we saw that you were not as attentive as you should be. We found a clear route around you and took it. We just happened to gain 20 mph while doing it cuz that's insanely easy on a bike. Honestly, I can go from 60 to 100 or more in the space it takes me to get around a truck. I also might do it. Being on the side of a truck is catastrophically dangerous for many reasons. Probably scares the truck, but I'm ahead of him and he's no longer a threat to me.

If a bike passes you up faster than you think he should be going, ignore him. He's fine. We're also probably not going as fast as you think we are. Our vehicles are very short, so we go past you in less time than it takes for a big long pickup truck to get past you even though we're going the same speed. If it's windy, or there's a lot of traffic, we're probably going to be tucked behind the windscreen. That makes us look like we're racing, but we're not really. We're just doing 15 mph more than you because we picked up those 15 while going around you in the last 2 seconds. If we actually passed you doing 140 on the interstate, you wouldn't see us long enough to realize what happened. By the time your brain processed the information that a bike was passing you, we'd be out of your field of view. You wouldn't be able to say it was someone on a crotch rocket and not a Harley because you wouldn't know.

Many many vehicles on the road create a large buffeting wake through the air behind them. Tucking behind the windscreen gets us out of that buffeting. The wake can be 4 times longer than the vehicle causing it. That's the size of a football field behind a class 8. (With the end zones) With large traffic volume, it's hard to find nice clean air flow. We might weave through traffic to get out of the buffeting that you aren't even aware of. It's like being hit with a pillow from random directions every 1/4 of a second. The bike feels unsteady, and we are a little off balance from the buffeting. It's also noisy and knocks our head around. Even little cars can buffet like that.

The wind on the road greatly changes how we ride as well. We have to be aware of the wind direction and things that will cause gusts of wind. In a car, a change of scenery is just something different to look at. On a bike, it might mean getting hit with a 20 mph cross wind that tries to push us into the car on the side of us that didn't even notice the gust. Passing a class 8 can be scary if you're not ready for the wind blast. In a car, it's no different than passing any other vehicle.

Highways are completely different when you're on a bike than they are in a car. There are things we do that seem crazy to you, but only because you aren't driving the same road we are, despite driving next to each other.

You don't live in Jersey and I never said 140mph! 100 plus, yes. Here they race 4 wide from traffic lights, you can hear them from my house. Like I said, and I am not lying, more then a dozen times they have passed me on the shoulder!

[shootist]

Try dogging a truck in the left lane in Eastern Tennessee. If the sign didn't get you to move over when that tractor trailer taps your pokey butt you will.

[Itchytoe]

Originally Posted by A32Deuce

You don't live in Jersey and I never said 140mph! 100 plus, yes. Here they race 4 wide from traffic lights, you can hear them from my house. Like I said, and I am not lying, more then a dozen times they have passed me on the shoulder!

Relax. We're just talking to each other. I'm trying to give you some insight into the mind of the people you're talking about.
I know you didn't give numbers. You said you've had crotch rockets scream past you on the highway at twice the speed limit. I used those numbers simply because they are typical of highways in the US.
If the mph number is what is bothering you, pretend like they all just say 100 instead of 140. It's still the same comments. If you're doing 50, and I'm doing 100 and pass you up unexpectedly, you won't be able tell what kind of bike I'm on. It will take you a second to realize that you've been passed by a bike, then another second to look at me to see what I'm riding. In those two seconds, I'll be too far from you to be recognized.

Nobody said you were lying. If you're actually just talking about a group of people doing street races, then it's just the same few idiots passing you up week after week. That's not even remotely close to a representation of sport bike riders in general. You just happen to live near a group of idiot racers.