The left lane is for passing. But starting in the 1970s the joan
claybrooks of the world decided that limited access highway speed limits
should be set absurdly low. This then incouraged all the self-rightous
slow is safe types out there to sit in whatever lane they chose. The
absurdly low speed limits still exist in many states, others have raised
speed limits back to what they were in the 1960s, but automotive
technology has had 40 years of advancement since then.

* HLS wrote in rec.autos.makers.mazda.miata:

On sections of I30 they are starting to keep trucks out of the left lane,
on the higgways in Jersey there is signage that desgnates left lanes are
for passing and I have seen cops ticket drivers for this. In Texas, there
are no signs which might help curb the problem if theyd put some up.

How could a cop be a LLB?  I have yet to see a cop on the highway that
wasn't either a) parked in the median or b) doing at least 20 over.
usually more.

nate

On 6/24/08 8:47 AM, in article xY68k.12736$mh5.9142@nlpi067.nbdc.sbc.com,

Making "camping out in the left lane" illegal was one of the three
components of the "road rage" law passed in Texas a few years ago (along
with stopping past the line in the left turn lane so that the people trying
to make a legal right turn on red can't see to do it & I forget what the
third thing was...).  Now if we could just get them to enforce it.

Since the law was passed, I've only seen one car pulled over & he was doing
50 in the far left lane (speed limit 65) on I-45 going through Ferris.

I remember the passing on the shoulder when I lived in Houston, as well as
making ad hoc exit ramps and driving on the sidewalk.  Fortunately, most of
that doesn't extend throughout the whole state.

That sort of idiotcy doesn't scale. In any sort of significant
traffic the braking waves will quickly tip into congestion.

California is different?  Now there's a shock.

Unfortunately, the semi's have torn up the right lane on the interstates to
the point that it's often unusable for a car like a Miata!
For instance--During a summer thunderstorm, the left lane ruts collect water
like you would not believe.  In north Florida, when this kind of weather is
going on, you can expect to see several smaller and older  foreign cars
hydroplaning into the shoulders or median.  There should be warning signs
posted for these areas!

Not to mention that the driver and passenger (if any) are quite
uncomfortable because of the ruts, bumps, and the resulting vibration. It
makes driving or going any distance really an unpleasant experience!

Don Bruder wrote:

Just caught a blurb on the local radio station. Washington State
Troopers are launching a special traffic enforcement operation,
concentrating for the next several weeks on the idiots who don't
understand that the left lane is for passing, not playing roadblock.
__________________________________________________________

It's just another excuse to harass motorists for DWB (Driving While Black).
When a line of traffic is moving along nicely, a cop will thread through the
traffic to zoom up behind one car, tailgate it at one carlength for 3 to 5
miles, than pull out and zoom away if they can't scare the driver into
making a mistake.     Nine times out of ten, the victim is a brother.

Besides ticketing you for speeding they can now ticket you for not
speeding.     Same God damn thing.
_________________________________________________________

It's called profiling.   One group is singled out for scrutiny for possible
law-breaking while others are ignored.    Those who endorse profiling
claim that it is the most efficient use of security resources.   They use
statistics to support their position.   For example, they claim that
Blacks, who are 13 per cent of the population, commit 50 per cent of
the felonies, while Whites, who are 50 per cent of the population only
commit 30 per cent of the felonies.   Then they compare felonies per
population density for both groups: 50/13 = 3.85 felonies per population
unit versus 30/50 = 0.6 felonies per population unit.   They conclude
that any Black is 3.85/0.6 = 6.4 times as likely to commit a crime as
a White.   So millions of innocent Blacks suffer being profiled.

Religious profiling also exists.    Islamics, who are 33 per cent of the
world's population, commit 99.8 per cent of suicide bombings, while
Christians, who are 33 per cent of the world's population commit
only 0.004 per cent of suicide bombings.   Comparing suicide bombings
per population unit yields Islamics 99.8/33 = 3.02 suicide bombings per
population unit, and Christians 0.004/33 = 0.00012  suicide bombings per
population unit.   The conclusion is that any Islamic is 3.02/0.00012
= 25,167 times as likely to be carrying a suicide bomb as a Christian.
Here again, millions of innocent Islamics suffer being profiled.

Rodan.     <------ been profiled before

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<snip>

Uhm... why wouldn't you already be driving legally in the first place?