So, there is a new Kansas driving law set to start on July 1st (I think). The law states that you can only drive in the left lane when passing or exiting on the left, or in the city limits.
I've been driving a lot on the interstates lately, and I'm thinking that this law will help make up the budget deficit this year! Ha! That is, if they really actually enforce it. There were SO many people who just camped out in the left lane, and some of them who didn't even bother to move over for someone to pass them, forcing us to pass on the right! Like I said, if they really enforce this law, there's potential to make a lot of money on tickets; I've heard that a ticket is $60. Well, maybe not meet the budget deficit, but at least pay a few troopers' salaries! :police:
Finally the signs will have a legal backbone. Tired of people parking in the left lane. >:(
Awesome! My pet peeve is when one is on the right going the speed limit....one is on the left going the speed limit as the one on the right..
And I am behind them... trying to get around ...wanting to speed...
opps.................
Did I just say that out loud?
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OK, I'll play devil's advocate here. Let's say the speed limit is posted at 65 (the key word here is "limit"). A driver in the left lane is doing 65...explain why should that be illegal? It's reasonable to expect passing in the left lane if a driver is doing 60 in the right lane. It is, after all, a "passing" lane....not a "speeding" lane. Some roads have minimum/maximum speed limits posted, which means anything within that range is legal. The trouble is, people are speeding in the right and left lanes, and anyone actually doing the speed limit becomes a "problem." Am I the only one who sees this as ridiculous? ??? And before anyone lets go with some "road rage" on me, I do about 3-4 miles over the limit except on city streets, and I get passed on the right all the time. I must not be speeding fast enough to please everyone else! ;D Oh, and I've never had a speeding ticket, either. :angel:
Well, you little devil! ('s advocate) ;) You're probably the reason they are going to start enforcing this law all by yourself!
I used to love driving on the left. It felt like I was going faster than everyone else AND since I'm left-handed it was surely designed just for me... Then I met my husband who simply won't let me have any fun (when he's around). I learned years ago that I'd better stay in the right lane unless I had a reason to be in the left... it's made our whole marriage go much smoother. So There! A legitimate reason for you!
It is a good idea to keep the left lane clear for emergency vehicles, folks who are trying to pass that guy going 63, and those who will speed no matter what the law. I'm sure Diane could come up with a dozen other reasons too ;D She's good at that stuff.
I'm happy about it myself. I used to wish I could go around and pop water balloons on cars of people who were driving wrongly. I see people all the time "pacing" semi trucks in passing lanes and making the truckers slow down to get back where they need to be.
Its a "free" passing lane..
if you want or need to pass.. use the left lane.. if not.. keep your hinny in the right!
(((Road rage off........)))
Whadda ya do when it's an interstate with 5 lanes going in the same direction? Ya can't pack' em all in the far right lane. We hope people will pull to the right for us, if not, we work around it, sometimes using the shoulder if we must. We have a new law here too. If road crews, police or emergency workers are on the road edge, you have to move over if there is a free lane to do so, or slow way down until you are past them. Too many people are using cell phones and texting while driving and folks are getting clipped.
Quote from: Diane Amberg on June 02, 2009, 06:57:26 PM
Whadda ya do when it's an interstate with 5 lanes going in the same direction? ...
:o 5 lanes in the same direction?!?! :o I think the only place that happens around here is on the horse track. :D ;D ;)
Or the High School Track! ;D
Quote from: Teresa on June 02, 2009, 04:34:27 PM
Awesome! My pet peeve is when one is on the right going the speed limit....one is on the left going the speed limit as the one on the right..
And I am behind them... trying to get around ...wanting to speed...
opps.................
Did I just say that out loud?
(http://www.cascity.com/howard/animations/zipper.gif)
ROTFL!!!
I believe the new law is not in effect in the city limits which would exclude the multiple lanes.
QuoteWe have a new law here too. If road crews, police or emergency workers are on the road edge, you have to move over if there is a free lane to do so, or slow way down until you are past them.
We got that law last year (or was it 2 years ago?).
I confess - I'm sometimes a left-lane driver, going the speed limit. If I know my exit is left, I'll go ahead and get in that lane. I don't like having to wait until just before the exit. Oh well, I guess I'll change. :)
The new law starts July 1st, but only warnings until July of 2010, then the $60 fine kicks in. Diane we already have that law in place in Kansas. Sometimes it is hard to tell that we do.
Yes we have the move left law for awhile now, and people seem to be really watching it. Now we have a move right law, next year it will be right down the center! LOL!
I heard the law as applying to multiple lanes outside urban areas. Inside urban areas, if you are not in the lane you need to be in to make your exit turn, you might not be able to get to that lane in time to make the exit. Actually, most exits are the right hand lane anyway. City streets are a different story, but this law does not apply to city streets.
No,no,no. Now I can move to the left without running into that other person! ;D ;D
There are many signs that say " Left lane for passing only".
I don't understand what part of that drivers don't understand. My pet peeve are the left laners --- staying even with the one on the right and a whole line of traffic behind them... Don't they ever have a clue what they are doing, and don't they ever use their rear view mirror for anything other than to put on their lipstick - or the guy to check his hair?
I am SOOOO happy to have this new law and hopefully it will be put into effect.
I'm so with you on this one Jo!
The place that always concerned me was the two different places going up the hills to Beaumont on 400. The second "passing lane" for the westbound (uphill) traffic, is also the passing lane for the eastbound (downhill) traffic, as they have a broken yellow line.
QuoteIts a "free" passing lane..
if you want or need to pass.. use the left lane.. if not.. keep your hinny in the right!
Trouble is, most people I see in the left lane aren't there because they're passing. It's because they're speeding and the speed limit isn't fast enough for them. I'd venture to guess if you were to count how many drivers on a given highway are going under the speed limit in the right lane and how many are going over the limit in the left ... give me a break already.
I'm happy to see this law go into effect. And I hope Tobina is right in that all those tickets (I won't be getting! Ha!) will help fill city coffers.
Oh, and I NEVER want to live where there are more than three lanes going one way.
I drove a commercial truck for 25 years and I always thought it was against the law to drive in the left hand lane except to pass. I know the OK Turnpike has signs saying just that, and I'm almost sure it was in my kansas driver's hand book when I was in drivers ed 40 years ago.
Quote from: indygal on June 02, 2009, 08:21:09 PM
Trouble is, most people I see in the left lane aren't there because they're passing. It's because they're speeding and the speed limit isn't fast enough for them. I'd venture to guess if you were to count how many drivers on a given highway are going under the speed limit in the right lane and how many are going over the limit in the left ... give me a break already.
I'm happy to see this law go into effect. And I hope Tobina is right in that all those tickets (I won't be getting! Ha!) will help fill city coffers.
Oh, and I NEVER want to live where there are more than three lanes going one way.
True... but I drive a few miles over the limit.. ( what is legal) and I move to the left to pass and immediately get back over ..but if people want to drive really fast.. I'd just as soon they drive fast and be able to pass me and get out of my area... ( that way when the cop stops them for speeding, he won't think it is me.. ) LOL
Actually I do not get road rage at all... Unless Kjell is behind the wheel..and he drives me absolutely crazy when he drives. So to keep me from getting Kjell Rage.. I do most of the driving.. Easier for me to scare the hell out of him with my driving than he scare me into next year.. ;D
Quote from: Lazy Bear on June 02, 2009, 08:39:35 PM
I drove a commercial truck for 25 years and I always thought it was against the law to drive in the left hand lane except to pass. I know the OK Turnpike has signs saying just that, and I'm almost sure it was in my kansas driver's hand book when I was in drivers ed 40 years ago.
uhmm most states the left lane is for passing or thru traffic. I cna't remember when i was driving what the individual states were but i know if you got caught riding in the left lane in your petercar that they would write ya a big fat ticket if caught, Except for arkansas. THey want trucks to ride in the left lane anyway.
Most trucks use the left lane to pass. Then get over. that is the proper driving procedure.
the left lane is supposed to be kept open for faster traffic and emergency vehicles. Around the cities though that is not ever enforced at all. The 4 wheelers fill it up as fast as they can.
Flint, true that the left lane westbound is also the passing lane for eastbound, but when passing, whether going east or west, it is illegal to cross into the lane going the other way unless the lane is clear. Clearly, if there is a vehicle in the passing lane westbound, the way is not clear. Maybe your concern is that the eastbounders do not see it this way. But if your side of the road is only one lane, if the lane you have to use to pass is not clear, you are in the wrong if you try to pass. If you are westbound and in the passing lane, even if you are not passing, you are in the wrong lane, but you still have the right of way. Eastbound belongs in their right hand lane, not in westbound's passing lane if it is not clear.
Quote from: Wilma on June 03, 2009, 07:17:31 AM
Maybe your concern is that the eastbounders do not see it this way.
Yes, that was the point I was trying to make, westbounders camped out in the inside lane, taking away the eastbounders possibility of using it to pass.
The new law should help with this problem. Either some folks don't understand the concept of the lanes in the hills near Beaumont or they just don't care. >:( >:(
You are right, Flint. I think we have had that problem, too. Daughter is so cautious, though, that if there is a car coming her way, she doesn't pass. Almost every time we go west on 400, we are faced with someone trying to pass where there isn't room to get back in. Sometimes to the place where we have to pull over and stop to avoid a collision.
Wilma, I had that happen Memorial weekend, we were going West on 400 and around Keighley corner some idiot pulling a big trailer with a race car in it started around us and an East bound car came over the rise, the guy passing me is only halfway past and he starts pulling in, I had to slam on my brakes to let him in or there would have been a really nasty accident scene.
I'm glad you all had the move left law. We had it as a "suggestion'' for quite sometime (also the stay right except to pass) but move left was recently passed into law. Our keep right except to pass is a little more flexible, because of some areas that have serious backups during rush hour (slow hour?) traffic. Usually it is signed. As far as I 95 and it's 5 lanes, it's a big major east coast arterial and only has 5 lanes at some major pinch points, but it a big road the whole way. We have people here too who won't drive on it.
Just out of curiosity, what would you do if you were driving down the road and you came upon a flashing green at an intersection?
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Flashing green is a new one to me. Call the Public Works guys to come fix it? ??? People have enough trouble with the three we have already. :police:
David
A few years back someone at highways decided to use flashing green to mean " expect crossing traffic." It meant the side street had a flashing red signal at that off peak time of day. You can imagine how confusing that got. You would be driving down the road and if someone pulled up to the light at the cross street, your solid green would start flashing. It was scaring out of area drivers into slamming on the brakes because they didn't know what to do. They are finally gone now and good riddance!!!!!
Diane; we have the flashing yellow on the main street, and flashing red on the other side. This means that the traffic lights are not working (or they don't need to be during a slow time of the day) and the main street traffic is to slow down and use caution, and the side streets can enter traffic when it's clear.
Yes, in Kansas, I think this law will only apply to 4-lanes (2 each way) interstates and highways, and of course our "stay right except to pass" sections. Most of the multiple lane traffic is within city limits. The majority of the cars I saw camped out in the left lane over the past few weeks were from out of state. I say, no warnings for them; get that $60 out of them right away! ;D A lot of them I had to pass on the right side. I'd even move to the left lane to indicate I wanted to pass them, wait there plenty of time for them to get over and they never did. So I'd have to pass on the right. In my opinion, that's very dangerous as the driver doesn't have as good of vision on the right side of the car. Some people have used the excuse that the left lane isn't traveled as often, so it's smoother, but I only found that in about one 5 mile section of highway (north of Salina on 81 as you're coming from Neb into KS).
As for the discussion about Hwy 400... this is the scariest section of road I have ever traveled (well, since they got 99 fixed). Have you ever noticed that from about the top of Beaumont hill all the way into Leon, the entire stretch is marked as passing zone? (Well, OK, there may be one section at the bridge, but that's it). There are HILLS, people! There should be many more no passing zones! People start to pass and they don't realize that there's a hill coming up and some oncoming car pops over the top of the hill and it's either slam on their brakes, or race to get ahead.
I actually asked a highway patrol about the "stay right except to pass" zones around Beumont one time. He said that although the Eastbound traffic has the passing zone, that that "center" lane does belong to the Westbound traffic. So, if cars are traveling to the West and they are in the center lane, if an Eastbound vehicle crosses the center line to pass and causes an accident, it will be their fault (even though the signs told the Westbound vehicle to stay right). So, therefore, if I'm driving home (East) and trying to pass someone in front of me, I won't do it unless BOTH Westbound lanes are clear.
Tobina, in the case your talking about who ever occuppies the lane first has the right of way. So if you are coming off the hill and pass when the lane is empty, it is your lane. By law. But there are a lot of dead and injured people who were right by law, but still lost.
QuoteDiane; we have the flashing yellow on the main street, and flashing red on the other side. This means that the traffic lights are not working (or they don't need to be during a slow time of the day) and the main street traffic is to slow down and use caution, and the side streets can enter traffic when it's clear.
Um, Tobina, you might want to clarify that you aren't referring to Howard specifically but to the state as a whole....LOL I read that and thought, "We have a flashing light on Main Street? Since when?" then realized what you meant....LOL.....
QuoteThere are HILLS, people! There should be many more no passing zones! People start to pass and they don't realize that there's a hill coming up and some oncoming car pops over the top of the hill and it's either slam on their brakes, or race to get ahead.
I have the very same thought...why aren't there more no passing zones when you clearly cannot see what's coming from the other direction? There are a few of those spots on 99 and 160 after the turn-off at Moline, too, but they are marked a little better. Frankly, if I can't see what's coming from the other direction, I stay put until I can.
Yes, Indygal... Diane is in NOT KANSAS and "we" are in Kansas. ;D I think it was only about 5-6 years ago that they put up stop signs in Howard, so I think we're a ways from a stop light!
Lazy Bear; I don't know. According to the highway patrol office I was speaking to (and he was familiar with that area), it didn't matter who was occupying that lane; since it's on the other side of the yellow line, it "belongs" to the Westbound traffic. And therefore the Eastbound traffic in that lane would be the offender. I quizzed him about it for quite a while because it always made me mad when Westbound traffic would just drive in that lane and Eastbound traffic couldn't use it to pass. So when I realized that if I was Eastbound and trying to pass someone in that lane, and Westbound traffic just "decided" to switch over and use that lane that I would be in the wrong, I've been much more careful (and not just the fear of dying aspect, either).
I can't imagine relying on passing zone instead of your eyes and your mind.
i wonder how this is going to affect eveyrone parking in the middle of the road in the busy little town of piedmont!!
Here's one for all you men who have to drive any distance to work:
I was riding to work yesterday when I observed a female driver cut right in front of a pickup truck causing him to have to drive on to the shoulder to avoid hitting her. This evidently angered the driver enough that he hung his arm out his window and flipped the woman off. "Man, that guy is soooo stupid" I thought to myself.
I ALWAYS smile nicely and wave in a sheepish manner whenever a female does anything to me in traffic and here's why: I drive 48 miles each way every day to work, that's 96 miles each day. Of these, 16 miles each way is bumper-to-bumper. Most of the bumper-to-bumper is on an 8 lane highway so if you just look at the 7 lanes I am not in, that means I pass something like a new car every 40 feet per lane.
That's 7 cars every 40 feet for 32 miles. That works out to be 982 cars every mile, or 31,424 cars. Even though the rest of the 32 miles is not bumper to bumper, I figure I pass at least another 4000 cars. That brings the number to something like 36,000 cars I pass every day.
Statistically, half of these are driven by females, that's 18,000. In any given group of females, 1 in 28 has PMS. That's 642. According to Cosmopolitan, 70% describe their love life as dissatisfying or unrewarding. That's 449. According to the National Institute of Health, 22% of all females have seriously considered suicide or homicide. That's 98. And 34% describe men as their biggest problem. That's 33.
According to the National Rifle Association 5% of all females carry weapons and this number is increasing. That means that EVERY SINGLE DAY, I drive past at least one female that has a lousy love life, thinks men are her biggest problem, has seriously considered suicide or homicide, has PMS, and is armed.
Flip one off? I think not.
(written by a very smart man)
I don't know Warph, if they shoot like my wife does, you've got nothing to worry about. :)
Quote from: BillyakaVarmit on June 05, 2009, 03:35:49 AM
I don't know Warph, if they shoot like my wife does, you've got nothing to worry about. :)
Remember warph revolvers hold 5 shots, and they make high capacity semi autos that hold 10 or more.
even a dead clock is right two times a day you know.
Ha! Warph, and don't you forget it! The writer must be in California.