Ya know, we only really travel the major highways once or twice a year, so the subject of pokey drivers hanging out in the left lane doesn't come up very often. Today, we were going to a birthday party down Philly way when we noticed a sign on the turnpike; Stay to the Right, Pass on the Left....It's the Law. I guess I always knew it was a law, but never really thought or heard of anyone getting a ticket for it. So, who gets the ticket? The pokey driver in the left, or the driver that passes that pokey driver on the right?
Saturday, August 09, 2008
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4 comments:
I think when we were kids it was illegal to pass on the right, but AFAIK, there was no law AGAINST driving in the passing lane. The law against passing on the right was dropped (or maybe, never was).
Then OPEC shut down oil production and the national speed limit was reduced to 55mph to conserve oil, which probably made issue less relevant.
I think it was fairly recent (like, the last 5 years or so) that PA passed a law making it illegal to "drive" in the "passing" lane. I was personally pretty happy about that. I'm not aware of any ticketing for it yet, but anyone stupid enough to be poking along in the fast lane is probably also stupid enough to do it with a cop behind them - which is the only way they'd get a ticket, I'd expect.
It's not illegal to pass on the right AFAIK.
In California, it's LEGAL for a motorcyclist to pass cars on the right AND left by riding the line separating lanes. Supposedly the riders even have to twist and lean and stuff to avoid smacking the rear-view mirrors of the cars they're passing. Crazy.
New Jersey has signs that say "Left Lane for Passing Only."
I wish they would ticket people who drive slowly in the left lane; that makes me crazy! At least in the South, if you flash your lights to get around someone in the left lane the driver moves over (for the most part). People in the Midatlantic states just don't get it and you have to pass them on the right to get around. I once had a driver from New York motion me to go around her in the right lane! That really pissed me off!
I have never seen anyone ticketed for being a slow poke in the left lane.
It's the same here (only your staying to the left and passing on the right). You're not allowed to sit in the passing lane. If you're in the passing lane you should be passing people and if you're not, you can get a ticket. But I agree Kristen, you wouldn't be passing in the wrong lane if the pokey driver weren't there in the first place!
Kristen, YOU will get the ticket. No matter if you are trying to pass on the right, you will be illegally passing, or if you are trying to get the pokey one to move, you will be considered to be tailgating. You can't win. I believe the law states you can't be in the left lane for more than a two mile stretch either.
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