CorvetteBrent

These days, there's nothing embarrassing about a heavily modded Cadillac CTS-V outrunning you. Some of them when modded can have over 1000 wheel horsepower. Imports like Porsche Turbo or GT3 have always been quick and fast, so no shame in being outrun by them if your a Corvette C5 or C6 isn't modded.

endus

Sorry, I can't help myself when I see people talking about lanes and speed.

There is no such thing as a fast lane or slow lane or travel lane or a speed at which you should be in a certain lane. Keep right except to pass. It also happens to be the law in many states and definitely in Europe.

I went to Belgium for work a few years ago and witnessed for myself how amazing life is when people actually keep right except to pass. Everyone gets to drive the speed they want. They have trucks that are not allowed to go the speed limit and it is a nonissue. You're not getting mad at anyone because no one is ever in your way except in heavy traffic.

I was on the highway there and saw a BMW come up on a car in the third lane that was not passing. BMW flashed his lights. In the US, the guy in the car in front gets mad, flips him the bird, gives him a brake job, tries to run him off the road, goes home to complain to the internet about it, etc. In Belgium the guy waved because he knew he should have moved right and everyone continued on their way.

People actually try to argue with me about this, but I have seen for myself how it works. It is objectively the correct way to drive.

Where I live in the US it has completely flipped. I have been in the right lane with no one in front of me passing the entire highway which is crammed into the left lane more times than I can count. I was in the second lane and a car getting on the highway cut me off to get into the second lane even though there were 0 cars in the right lane on the mile or so of road you could see ahead.

Keep right except to pass. It is the gateway to an automotive utopia.

Torqued Off

Just to throw in one more dimension to this discussion, on the way back from Carlisle show last week, on the turnpike, cruise set at 70 mph, in the right lane most of the time, I had to constantly juggle positions behind 18 wheeler trucks that apparently cannot maintain 70 mph......and every other damn car on the road doing 80 plus mph. So when I get behind one of these trucks, first thing I have to do is slow down so I don't get rock chips on the windshield, while waiting for the junior raceboys doing 80 plus MPH to allow me room to squeeze in. THEN.....if I obey the posted speed limit of 70 mph while passing the damn trucks, sometimes three of them,.....then I got some teenage chick in a Prius sitting on my butt, who is completely oblivious to the danger she is putting everyone around here in. So....you can complain all you want about left lane drivers,....but the speed limit is posted, and its fast enough. This obsession with always driving 10 mph over whatever speed limit there is has to have a limit......but I guess not. If the posted speed limit was 120.....people would drive 140. So I am forced to drive excessively fast to appease the irresponsible junior raceboys in the left lane.......or just get stuck behind 18 wheelers who cannot drive the speed limit. Either way......I find it very annoying at both parties. If everyone just drove the damn speed limit, fewer deaths would occur....and the pace would be the same for all. But I guess that is not acceptable.

Corvette_Ed

Your personal opinion on how fast people should drive aside, in many states left lane camping is illegal.

ominousone

DRIVE RIGHT, PASS LEFT! It's the "best kept secret"/non enforced, law in many states. NMA (the people that were very instrumental in getting of the ridiculous 55 NMSL) have done, and or quoted, studies of this type. It's the difference in speed, as much, or more than the speed itself, that causes these type of accidents on our freeways. As someone stated, in many areas of Europe the "pass on the left only" is strictly enforced and taught. The autobahn, with no speed limit according to conditions, are safer than most of our freeways here. This is due to their learned lane discipline. And yes, accidents can be more horrific, just fewer. So, go ahead and drive the speed limit, just don't be a righteous "dick" and camp out it in the left lane. If you are in the left lane, and have no one in front of you, and a line behind you, please move over and do your part to prevent road rage. You'll have less stress, as will about 60% of the other people on the highway that are able to drive per the conditions of the road.

Torqued Off

Next time you are out on ANY freeway, ANYWHERE, pay attention for thirty minutes of driving at how many skid marks / rubber coated barrier / gaurdrail marks you see.....as a result of people losing control of cars at high speeds. People are crashing everywhere, all the time, and nobody is telling me that SPEED is not the problem. Its simply physics. But....its hopeless.....people will just keep dying on highways....all because the new standard is "posted speed limit PLUS 10 or more"....cause everyboyd is in some hurry to get somewhere OR.....the junior raceboy syndrome. And the other joke is whether anyone doing these high speeds have ANY idea how to handle a car at those speeds. With the exception of trained racecar drivers....99% of the people speeding have NO idea how to handle issues at these speeds. But....they do it anyway, until someday it doesn't turn out so well. Hopefully they only kill themselves, but sadly.....often its the others they kill. Self righteous they go.....and do what they want.... no matter the consequences.

Anyways......losing arguement here. I will shut up now. See ya.

Corvette_Ed

You have absolutely no idea what caused those skid marks or the guard rail damage. It could have been any of a hundred different things that caused them that had nothing at all to do with speed.

endus

The per mile death rate on the autobahn is CONSIDERABLY lower than US highways. It just goes to show the absolutely massive difference that proper lane discipline, proper driver education, and other factors can have on safety.

I wish everyone could get a chance to drive over there. The difference is really profound.

For your situation you described, something I notice is that people are not looking far enough ahead. The goal is to be in the next lane over to pass before you have to slow down for the truck in front of you.

As far as the people who tailgate you when you move over and are passing - the hell with them. If you're passing with a reasonable speed differential they have no right to try to hurry you along. As long as you're passing and moving over when you're done, you're doing it right.

Torqued Off

I agree with your comments.....but here in the US....the big problem is the words above you wrote, that I boldfaced. The "driver education" system is a complete joke....and in no way prepares new drivers to handle a car at 80 mph when someone pulls in front of them, a tire blows out, a deer jumps in front, or just simply driving / handling the steering wheel when going that fast. I don't know if the Germans have better training or not....be we certainly don't. So what we have is 19 year chicks going down the highway at 85 mph because its so easy to do so, in ANY car, and they are NOT paying attention. And the second sentence is the big one.......the OTHER saftey issues is this obsession with cellphones, texting, and laptops mounted on the dashboard that you can pick at while hurtling down the road at 85 mph. Complete nonsense....and if I was the king, I would lock-out ALL that stuff when the car is in motion....PERIOD. You want to chat / text / punch on a computer....get the hell off the road. When you are ready to pay attention...you can drive. Many lives would be saved.

Torqued Off

Really? This is your arguement? Thirty foot skid marks do not happen without speed.....and bend guard rails do not happen without speed. But okay,.....if exceeding the speed limit seems okay with you, then I guess its a free country. The dead people's family will hopefully agree with you, and you can sleep well at night.

But....I thought I was going to shut up......now I will.....I promise.

Corvette_Ed

Skid marks and guard rail damage can happen at normal highway speeds. You have no idea if any of those incidents involved someone going over the speed limit. For example, someone falling asleep at the wheel could have caused skid marks when they tried to stop, and guard rail damage when they didn't stop in time.

And BTW....many of those skid marks are made by big rigs that had to do an emergency stop. Modern cars have anti-lock brakes that don't leave skid marks.

GTS Bruce

[QUOTE=CorvettePassion;1605612684]Just to throw in one more dimension to this discussion, on the way back from Carlisle show last week, on the turnpike, cruise set at 70 mph, in the right lane most of the time, I had to constantly juggle positions behind 18 wheeler trucks that apparently cannot maintain 70 mph......and every other damn car on the road doing 80 plus mph. So when I get behind one of these trucks, first thing I have to do is slow down so I don't get rock chips on the windshield, while waiting for the junior raceboys doing 80 plus MPH to allow me room to squeeze in. THEN.....if I obey the posted speed limit of 70 mph while passing the damn trucks, sometimes three of them,.....then I got some teenage chick in a Prius sitting on my butt, who is completely oblivious to the danger she is putting everyone around here in. So....you can complain all you want about left lane drivers,....but the speed limit is posted, and its fast enough. This obsession with always driving 10 mph over whatever speed limit there is has to have a limit......but I guess not. If the posted speed limit was 120.....people would drive 140. So I am forced to drive excessively fast to appease the irresponsible junior raceboys in the left lane.......or just get stuck behind 18 wheelers who cannot drive the speed limit. Either way......I find it very annoying at both parties. If everyone just drove the damn speed limit, fewer deaths would occur....and the pace would be the same for all. But I guess that is not acceptable.[/QUTE]

GTS Bruce

Time to tear up your driver's license

Corvette_Ed

Or buy a Prius.

Texan79423

Hogging the left lane can be cured with a quick blast of your train air horn. You might want to drop back a little afterwards.

sd45t2

Is it possible to drive anywhere in the USA without being behind a rock truck at some point?

CorvetteBrent

You make some valid points. Here in Florida, I have the same problem. For some odd reason, when I drive from my city to another nearby city, usually on Saturday afternoons, the traffic in the left and center lanes of the Interstate, and sometimes even the right lane, are all driving exactly 92 MPH in the 70 MPH zone. Now 91, or 93, or any other speed, but always 92, weekend after weekend. Did I somehow miss the memo where all of the locals decided to drive that speed? Rather strange, indeed! So, I am almost forced to join the crowd, as the times I tried to drive nearer the speed limit, other cars almost hit me in the rear, even in the far right lane.

Torqued Off

I said I was done posting here......but I guess not. Too much to say. But.....its a hopeless subject, people today are locked in to their beliefs, no matter what. Me included.

- Its very ironic that people are stating that it is "illegal" to sit in the left lane,......as an arguement against "speeding". Very funny. Do people even realize the hypocrisy in that?
- I do not sit in the left lane if I can move to the right lane....BUT,.....if I am passing a line of 18 wheelers or cars doing 60 mph in a 70 mph zone....I do not intend to go 90 mph just to get passed them, so for a short period of time....the junior raceboys will just have to slow down. But instead, they sit on my bumper.
- I am new to this C6 thread and to C6 ownership.....I certainly hope the animosity and immature comments here are not the typical posts here. I graduated elementary school a long time ago.

StayinStock

I paid for the whole speedometer, im gonna use the whole speedometer... 2 rules, go fast, dont die.

endus

From what you say here I don't think you're doing a damn thing wrong. Nothing says you have to fly by people to the right, just pass. If you're creeping past them with 1/2 mile an hour difference and it takes 10 minutes to pass a car...OK that's not cool...but as long as you're reasonably passing the people behind you can pound sand.

I think people get mad because the enforcement of lane laws is nonexistent. It's extremely, extremely frustrating. Enforcing those laws would make highways flow better, would improve safety, etc. It's also pretty clear that, at least where I am, the situation is getting worse and worse.

Agree 100% with your other post re: driver training and distracted driving. The think about rigorously keeping right except to pass is that it requires you to actually concentrate on your driving. People don't like that.

This subject winds people up, definitely myself included. This forum is pretty friendly.