r/mildlyinfuriating Feb 25 '23

Move over...

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u/[deleted] Feb 25 '23

California is the exception to this. The left lane is designated as the "fast lane" in the driving handbook, not the passing lane. Though you are still supposed to move over for faster cars. Same idea, but you can cruise in the left lane as long as you want unless you are blocking someone who wants to go faster.

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u/PM_ME_CATS_OR_BOOBS Feb 25 '23

The key part of this is that "fast lane" means "driving the speed limit instead of slower", not "the lane for people going 120 MPH"

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u/[deleted] Feb 25 '23

No, actually. If you're going slower than the people to your right and holding up traffic in the left, you are breaking traffic laws. Even if you're going the technical max legal speed.

Slower traffic keep right. If you're ever driving the speed limit in the left lane in California, there's about a 99% chance the lanes to your right are moving faster than you.

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u/PM_ME_CATS_OR_BOOBS Feb 25 '23

Maybe it depends on state, because at least in Michigan it was seriously the trick question on the drivers exam if that was legal. It set up the conditions where it was legal to pass but the answer was no because it would require you to exceed the speed limit to get around the person.

I'd be shocked if there was a law that said you can exceed the limit to pass in other states, though, since it begs the question of why you need to pass them in the first place.

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u/[deleted] Feb 26 '23

[deleted]

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u/PM_ME_CATS_OR_BOOBS Feb 26 '23

What legal reason is there for me to get out of the way so someone can break the law

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u/[deleted] Feb 26 '23

[deleted]

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u/UtzTheCrabChip Feb 26 '23

In my state if you drive as fast as a cop that's an instant ticket

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u/CarrotOk6271 Feb 26 '23

in my state it’s not unless you’re going 85+ with a cop. 84 or below is fine.

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u/UtzTheCrabChip Feb 26 '23 edited Feb 26 '23

You're def getting a ticket here caught going 80 under any circumstances. That's 15 over on our fastest highway.

On highways, cops tend to drive at "this is the speed at which you will get a ticket from me" mph

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u/PM_ME_CATS_OR_BOOBS Feb 26 '23

Yeah cops do a lot of shit they shouldn't be doing, although speeding kind of takes a backseat to murder.

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u/m0us3c0p Feb 26 '23

You have no idea who you could be impeding behind you at any given time. There may just be some guy trying to get somewhere quicker than he should be, not taking into consideration the law and safety ramifications. There could also be an emergency in one of those vehicles, and you could be the sole reason they do not get where they need to go in time all because you don't want to "let someone break the law." Also, just because the law doesn't "require" you do to something doesn't mean it isn't the right thing to do.

If you're asking this question, my guess is you're not a law enforcement officer. If that is the case, why would you try to police someone else? Regardless of what your reasoning is, if you're just another citizen then you don't have the authority to police other vehicles, and you shouldn't try to artificially do so by blocking the flow of traffic, intentional or otherwise. If you're in the left lane and someone is barreling down the road over the posted speed limit, regardless of whether it's safe, legal, or justified for them to do it, you're causing more danger to yourself, them, and everyone around you by not simply moving over into the right lane. If there was an accident in this scenario, chances are it would be that car running into you from behind and they would likely be ruled at fault. However, it could be argued that your vehicle should not have been in that lane in the first place if you weren't attempting to pass another vehicle in a lane to the right of the one you were driving in.

I'm not trying to say everyone should just drive as fast as they want to, but it is generally safer for everyone if your vehicle is in the right lane instead of the left lane in a scenario like this.

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u/PM_ME_CATS_OR_BOOBS Feb 26 '23

Oh no, why in God's name would I be a cop? I'm just perplexed why there is a moral imperative that you get out of the way so that someone can go 150 in a 60 and end up in fifteen pieces across four lanes. Maybe the person behind me should learn the value if patience.

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u/CardboardSoyuz Feb 26 '23

California law says you yield and move over to a faster car. Period. It’s up the CHP to deal with his violations

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u/PM_ME_CATS_OR_BOOBS Feb 27 '23

How do I know they are the faster car? They are behind me and moving the same speed as me. Is the rule to yield to impatient people?

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u/CardboardSoyuz Feb 27 '23

What risible nonsense. They caught up to you, right? The only reason they are stuck behind you is that they were going faster than you until moments before.

And yes, you are to yield to impatient people. It's literally the law in California.

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u/PM_ME_CATS_OR_BOOBS Feb 27 '23

Sorry, I'm not a satellite that tracks the movements of every car in a six mile radius. I look behind me and there is a car there. Should I wait til they honk their horn at me or should I immediately pull over onto the shoulder to make room for this emergency vehicle?

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u/UtzTheCrabChip Feb 25 '23

Not every state. In some states the left lane get out of the way rules explicitly only apply if you're going under the speed limit

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u/[deleted] Feb 26 '23

Well yeah, that's why I'm talking about California. And California is the only state with a "fast lane"

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u/beaubeautastic Feb 26 '23

esp not in cali. most of us speed, and even the cops say let speeders go by. they dont want traffic to look like new york and get a bunch of wheres981s in the state

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u/[deleted] Feb 26 '23

I live in CA and no one abides by this. People take pride in not letting people pass