• sugar_in_your_tea@sh.itjust.works
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    7 months ago

    Or better yet, if there’s room to your right and the lane to your right isn’t the right-most lane, move right. It doesn’t matter if someone is behind you or if you’re one lane from the left, move right if you’re not passing someone.

    Far too many people camp in the left most lane when there’s plenty of room to the right. This forces traffic that you’re probably not actually noticing to pass on the right, which is unsafe and, in some areas, illegal.

    • starman@programming.dev
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      7 months ago

      In some countries it’s illegal to drive on the left lane, when there is place on the right one

    • Maggoty@lemmy.world
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      7 months ago

      It doesn’t force them to drive unsafely. That’s a decision they make on their own.

      • Guntrigger@sopuli.xyz
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        7 months ago

        Personally I always keep an eye out for this type of driver and make sure to get out the way. The longer they are around me the more likely I am to be collateral in their firey death.

        • Maggoty@lemmy.world
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          7 months ago

          Oh certainly. Always drive defensively. But that’s different than blaming someone else for their offensive driving.

      • sugar_in_your_tea@sh.itjust.works
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        7 months ago

        Unsafe driving is anything that’s surprising. Having a car go faster than your to your right is surprising, thus unsafe. The #1 rule in any kind of dangerous activity where a lot of independent actors are involved is to be predictable.

        Here’s a clear scenario:

        1. Driver A is cruising in the left lane
        2. Driver B comes up behind driver A
        3. Driver A notices B, checks to the right (looks over shoulder), and decides to merge right
        4. Driver B gets impatient and starts to overtake A on the right
        5. Driver A, assuming moving to the right is safe (mirrors look good), moves right and collides with B, who is in their blind spot

        It’s reasonable to assume someone isn’t going to jump into your blind spot on the right. That’s less reasonable to your left, so you should be extra careful when merging left.

        Merging right should always be safer because you may need to move over if an emergency vehicle approaches from behind.

        • Maggoty@lemmy.world
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          7 months ago

          So Driver B made a conscious decision to make an illegal and dangerous pass. That’s not Driver A’s fault. You guys want to drive like it’s NASCAR and blame everyone around you but it’s just not true. If you’re coming up behind someone you have more situational awareness not less. It’s on you to make a safe move, like applying your brakes. That’s a safe predictable response to a slower car in front of you. Nobody is forcing you to drive in an unsafe manner.

          • sugar_in_your_tea@sh.itjust.works
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            7 months ago

            That’s… exactly what I’m saying.

            My point is it’s unsafe to pass on the right. If you can’t pass on the left and there’s available room to the right, the driver in front should be ticketed, because doing that encourages unsafe passing from those behind them. If the driver behind gets impatient, they should be ticketed for reckless driving by passing on the right.

            So don’t pass on the right. If there’s a driver in front of you that’s holding up traffic with room on the right to move over, call traffic enforcement if it’s illegal in your area (and if it’s not, campaign for it to become illegal).

            • buzziebee@lemmy.world
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              7 months ago

              Yeah if there’s no one in front of you and someone can undertake you, you fucked up. I’m glad to see this thread full of so many sensible takes on how to drive safely and maintain efficient flows of traffic. Normally these threads online get flooded with brain dead takes like “I’m going fast enough, why should I move?”.

      • sugar_in_your_tea@sh.itjust.works
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        7 months ago

        It’s not your job to prevent others from speeding, it’s your job to stay to the right except to pass. It’s on the police to enforce speed limits.

        • PriorityMotif@lemmy.world
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          7 months ago

          It’s my job to drive and not worry about some dickhead behind me. If you can’t be patient, then don’t drive.

          • sugar_in_your_tea@sh.itjust.works
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            7 months ago

            No, it’s your job to follow the rules and etiquette of the road. In some states, it’s illegal to camp in the left lane, though it’s unfortunately rarely enforced. I’ve heard it actually enforced in Germany though, so perhaps outside the US it’s more of a thing.

            My state has “keep right except to pass” posted on most roads, and I’ve seen it in many other states as well. So do that.

              • sugar_in_your_tea@sh.itjust.works
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                7 months ago

                When did I say that? I’m quite considerate if I do say so myself. And I practice what I preach, I’m rarely in the leftmost lane, I’m as far right as I can while traveling the speed I want (usually within 5mph of the speed limit), and I help a healthy amount of space in front and behind me.

                I suggest you do the same, if you’re not already. That’s proper etiquette, and in many areas it’s the law.

                • PriorityMotif@lemmy.world
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                  7 months ago

                  You obviously haven’t driven on the madmax style roads in the u.s. There’s no etiquette, it’s every man for himself out there and you have to drive defensively. If you get over just to let one of those drivers pass you, they’ll just cut you off so they can weave between lanes or cut across 5 lanes to take an exit. There’s no winning in these situations. If you’re passing other cars, then there’s no reason to get back over to let faster cars pass you unless the road is wide open.

                  • sugar_in_your_tea@sh.itjust.works
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                    7 months ago

                    Ok buddy. I’ve been driving for decades and haven’t had any real issues. Yeah, some drivers are overly aggressive, and some are overly passive aggressive.

                    If we all follow people the rules and proper etiquette, we’ll all get where we’re going.