just a few minutes ago, I am driving home, long day, 13 hours long. I am driving a little over the speed limit and I come to the part of the highway where two lanes expand to four, brand new pavement. I am in the fast lane - after all I am driving a crossfire and there is no one driving faster. I see lights approaching in the lane next to me. "Wow he's moving", I think so I start to signal and plan to change lanes. But I don't get a chance, he blows by me so fast, I think, WTF? It is a shiny red crossfire coupe! I have not seen one in my area and I think to myself, that stupid British guy was full of you know what when he said the coupe looked like a dog crouching to do his business! It is a hot car.

I toyed with the idea of cathcing up to him but I am tired....another day.

Cathie

 

You see someone coming up fast in the lane next to you, so you decide to switch into his lane

 

Well that's something I have noticed that is different about drivers on Canadians roads versus American - we do not linger in the fast lane, as soon as we pass, we move into the slow lane. People do not normally pass on your right. Normally, if you see a car approaching - you have time to move over. I was about to do that anyway but he was going too fast.

I am not nuts, and I will not talk about my driving record in case I jinx it....I did not change lanes when I saw how fast he was driving!

And I am not criticizing Yankee drivers...it is just different...

 

Cathie,

you are perfectly justified in criticizing , or at least pointing out to, the error of the Yankee way. I drive pretty fast, but safely-in the right lane. The passing lane is just that-for passing. If all U.S. drivers were to be teleported to say, France ( ) 90 percent would be in jail-lingering in the passing lane is a jailable offence.

And passing on the right is just plain stupid. If you had tried to complete your courtesy-he would have plowed you. He should have slowed to pass you. Just unsafe.

For good reason. I think around here it's the #1 reason for roadrage.

JMHO you understand?

 

Hey, I can speak French! I want to be teleported to France, just for the weekend! My shopping funds would run out in two days!

 

My dear, I feel your pain.

I live in Alabama. I do accept pity.

I would love to be teleported to Le Havre-I have a ton of friends there who NEVER let me buy my own drinks.

 

If you think about it, it seems odd to spend alot of money constructing a lane that is only for passing, when we have speeed limits anyway. So assuming that we should all be going the speed limit, unless safe to do otherwise, then there would be little need for a seperate lane only to be used for that purpose. In any event, I like what CT has done and barred trucks from the "passing lane" Here in MN they are all over the place and what ends up happening is that all lanes are clogged with traffic partly as a result of trucks going through their gears at lower speeds. I think there's also a bigger potential for accident too, as people jocket and lane shark to get around the trucks. I'd like to see them only in one lane. others could udse it too, but trucks would have to be there until they pass a certain distance from the city limits.

 

you got that right ,, the left lane is for passing only,, there should be a fine for passing on the right,, I was in europe a few years ago and there you better get out of the left lane,, i was driving in the middle lane ,there was a car ,maybe 5 car lengths behind me in the left lane i saw a car comminu up faster than we both were going, about 50 yd back he put his left blinker on , the car to my left moved to the right , he turned his blinker off and went passed both of us,, so now it was my turn, i sped up to about 90 as i aproched a car in the left lane ,i put my left blinker on , he moved and so did three in front of him now i doing 90 and a car behind me puts his blinker on so i move over,, if only Americans could learn to drive,, oh i am American indian decent, so i have been here a long time,, hundreds of years more than most. , now do the right thing ,,""move over"" jim

 

You're a good man, Jim! Only it should read: "...the left lane is for passing only"...

 

I'm quilty of being a left lane driver.






But then again I'm ALWAYS passing everybody!

 

When I get over the border I find that the US drivers tend to keep to the right. A friend down there says he can spot the Ontario drivers a mile away, they are the ones staying in the left lane.
In rush hour around town drive in all the lanes but on the freeway keeping right except to pass is a good rule.
Jeremy Clarkson has a point on the dumping dog look from the side, maybe it takes the British toilet humor to spot and admit to.

 

thank you maxcichon it is now corrected pass only on the left,, if you want to see some fast drivers then join Maxcichon in Alabama,,, I was born there , when i am there on the highway from Gadsdan to Birmingham,, you pass on the left of course,, most doing 80 and you are doing 90 to 100 going pass them and others passing you. jim

 

I'm sorry, but US drivers suck. They drive below the speed limit in the left lane, don't move over even when you flash 'em with brights, hardly ever signal, rarely put down their cell phone to see what's going on around them. I despise driving here, and I drive 25,000+ a year. And ON ain't much better -- I was almost sideswiped by an older women on the 403 (on Monday) who failed to check her blind spot before attempting to crush my right front fender. OTOH, driving in Europe is generally pleasant, esp in Germany. Drivers keep right and absolutely move over, without prompting, when faster cars approach. They signal and look before changing lanes (what a concept!!). And don't get me going about tailgaters -- like the POS they drive can stop as fast as a XF.

 

Unfortunately that is not true of all Canadian drivers. Out in BC, driving in the left lane has gotten so bad that most of the trucks now drive in the left lane , in fact driving in today it was quicker to drive in the right lane than the left .. Sad

 

In Great Britain the Motorways, as we call them, have a slow lane, a fast Lane and an overtaking lane AND trucks are NOT allowed in the overtaking lane by Law. It is also quite unusual to see the changing of lanes without indicating first. Many of the American drivers I have come across, either don't indicate at all when changing lanes, or when they do, consider it their God Given right to move into the next lane "No Matter What". I have worked in MOST U.S. States and find my comments on these matters quite general.
TERRYR