Stuck behind a Leaf in HOV lane

[MrFish]

I like the post I read somewhere here that we have a duty to dive like mad men/women to show that EV's are not slow and actually kind of cool

 

[TomT]

Yep, I was cranking along at 75 on CC coming home last night on the freeway!

I like the post I read somewhere here that we have a duty to dive like mad men/women to show that EV's are not slow and actually kind of cool

 

[thankyouOB]

what I hear is:
thank god, jimmy carter is gone and with him the 55 mph limits.
better to be drilling in the arctic, off all the other coasts and have 200.000 troops in or ready to be in wars for oil, than slow down.

it is my given right to drive as fast as I can.

 

[smkettner]

Flow of traffic is a defense when exceeding th eposted speed limit. You can still be cited, but flow of traffic is defined in the CA Vehicle code, and if memory serves it is 5 vehicles all doing the same speed, and that speed is safe for road conditions.

You can use it as a defense but it will not work. Maximum speed means exactly that.

 

[TickTock]

My morning's commute was behind a brand-new Leaf driving 50 to 55mph in the HOV lane, leading a long line of frustrated nose-to-bumper cars wishing they could be driving 65. No HOV lane stickers, or license plate on the Leaf.

Please don't be this person in your car. It gives electric vehicle drivers, and Leaf drivers in particular, a bad name.

Amen (assuming the other lanes were going the same speed or faster). We are already fighting the unfair stereotype of being smug and self-rightous. This behavior just reinforces it (and is just plain inconsiderate). I believe, like it or not, we are EV ambassadors and how we behave can can long term repercussions - good or bad.

 

[marccbr]

Flow of traffic is a defense when exceeding th eposted speed limit. You can still be cited, but flow of traffic is defined in the CA Vehicle code, and if memory serves it is 5 vehicles all doing the same speed, and that speed is safe for road conditions.

You can use it as a defense but it will not work. Maximum speed means exactly that.

I'd have to agree with you smkettner, I have seen plenty of drivers get tickets for going over the speed limit simply because they were the head of a pack of way more then 5 cars. You guys can keep thinking you won't get a ticket but sooner or later the law will surprise you.

 

[KeithFrechette]

I agree that the HOV lane should be used at the legal, posted speed limit. There is no way that I feel compelled to change lanes simply because someone wants to break the law. If I did that, then I'd be encouraging that behavior. I'd rather set a better example than that. Likewise, when an HOV lane isn't part of the picture, if I happen to be in the left lane and passing slower traffic, I don't feel compelled to pull into that slower traffic just to let someone break the law. I'll stay in the passing lane and keep traveling the legal speed limit until I've passed the herd of below-the-speed-limit traffic.

Of course, I'm in Washington. I don't know what kind of shenanigans you folks pull down in Cal-i-forn-I-A. Though I'm starting to get the picture.

 

[MrFish]

It's certainly anyone's right to stay in the left lane/HOV lane while driving the speed limit.
Let me share what I taught my sons, You can be right, you can even be dead right and you can be dead and right but you need to decide if it's a hill worth dying for (figuratively) and sometimes literally. I would hate to be right and have my nice new Leaf rear ended, and be without it just so I could say I was right. Now before you fire up the flame throwers and pop the popcorn. It's just IMHO.

 

[cwerdna]

(FWIW, I grew up in SF Bay Area, went to college in Los Angeles (where people drive quite fast) and lived in the Seattle area for ~9 years. I just moved back from WA to CA about 1.5 months ago.)

I agree that the HOV lane should be used at the legal, posted speed limit. There is no way that I feel compelled to change lanes simply because someone wants to break the law. If I did that, then I'd be encouraging that behavior. I'd rather set a better example than that. Likewise, when an HOV lane isn't part of the picture, if I happen to be in the left lane and passing slower traffic, I don't feel compelled to pull into that slower traffic just to let someone break the law. I'll stay in the passing lane and keep traveling the legal speed limit until I've passed the herd of below-the-speed-limit traffic.

Of course, I'm in Washington. I don't know what kind of shenanigans you folks pull down in Cal-i-forn-I-A. Though I'm starting to get the picture.

Left lane camping is illegal, even in WA. See http://www.seattlepi.com/local/transportation/article/Left-lane-campers-1473468.php" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;. I believe the WA State Patrol (thankfully) started cracking down on this in 2008 (http://articles.moneycentral.msn.com/Insurance/InsureYourCar/left-lane-slowpokes-drive-you-crazy.aspx" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false.

One of my biggest pet peeves in WA is the slow pokes who drive in the fast lane below the speed limit for no reason when in clear daylight when it's not raining and who fail to yield when cars are piling up behind them. It seems that lane discipline is very poor in WA besides people in many places driving too slow.

Side note: For whatever reason, HOV lanes used to (?) switch sides or are on the right side of some freeways in WA. (The switching was either on 520 or 405, IIRC.) I'd heard it was for the buses along w/some other reasons. In CA, they're (almost?) always on the left on highways.

At my former work, someone at the company (in a mailing list) mentioned that his dad got ticketed in the Los Angeles area for impeding the flow of traffic. I don't remember the exact numbers but basically, he was going well over the speed limit, and ticketed for going too slow!

Example: Going 70 mph in a 60 mph, but ticketed for impeding for the flow of traffic which was at an even higher speed.

If one hogs up the fast lane in California going below the speed limit for no reason, you will piss off a lot of drivers and potentially be the target of road rage. Do it So Cal, and the chances go up even higher. I can't speak to the Sacramento area, but they seem to drive pretty fast too.

edit: I found http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/hov/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; that discusses details along which side WA HOV lanes are on.

 

[lonndoggie]

This whole thread is why I don't even want to get HOV lane stickers: So far, I haven't had any desire to "hammer down" in the far left lane for an extended period of time, or to be That Guy who goes too slow (at 70mph).

Plus, they're kinda gross looking. And I seem to be doing just fine without them.

 

[fooljoe]

It's certainly anyone's right to stay in the left lane/HOV lane while driving the speed limit

No. It probably doesn't apply to the HOV lane, but as far as the left lane is concerned in some areas it is actually illegal to drive in the left (passing) lane if you are not actually passing. And your second point is right on. Forget about what's "right" and whether you deserve to go whatever speed you like: If a maniac is tailgating you, just get out of the way.

 

[cwerdna]

This whole thread is why I don't even want to get HOV lane stickers: So far, I haven't had any desire to "hammer down" in the far left lane for an extended period of time, or to be That Guy who goes to slow (at 70mph).

Plus, they're kinda gross looking. And I seem to be doing just fine without them.

I got them for my 06 Prius (now expired) even though I usually went to/from so late that the HOV restrictions weren't in effect very longer. However, there were times that I did use them because I had to (e.g. go into work during rush hour, go somewhere else during rush hour, drive in LA during rush hour, etc.) and I was VERY thankful for them.

During one of my trips to LA in my Prius, I saw a 1st gen Prius hogging the fast lane going well below the speed limit for no reason. Sigh...

Long ago there was a Mr. Roadshow column entitled "Roadshow: Prius owners drive too slow — or is it too fast?". Unfortunately, the column is gone now but I'd put the text up at http://my350z.com/forum/8057250-post33.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;. Ignore all the other Prius bashing, hate and misinformation if you choose to read the rest of the thread... :roll: Starting threads there to bash particular other makes, models and forums there is prohibited and it finally got locked.

 

[cwerdna]

Forget about what's "right" and whether you deserve to go whatever speed you like: If a maniac is tailgating you, just get out of the way.

That's a common problem in WA state. People have poor lane discipline there and are unwilling to yield to cars piling up behind them, tailgating or not. And, as I pointed out, it's illegal to left lane camp there, yet apparently 43% of the drivers there don't realize it.

 

[planet4ever]

Slower Traffic Keep Right

Yup. This is the rule no matter what you are driving. HOV is at least the posted speed.

There is no minimum speed limit on any lane of any freeway in California unless it has an explicitly posted minimum. That's the law. I've wondered about those double-double HOV lanes in southern California. Do they have posted minimum speeds?

Certainly drees is right, but if it is illegal to exit the HOV lane ...

Ray

 

[lonndoggie]

I got them for my 06 Prius...

And have you gotten them for your Leaf? I'd get 'em for a Prius, too, if I had one (and if the Prius was still eligible).

EDIT: Whoops, see you are pondering a Leaf. This is another thing to ponder, pardner!

But the way I'm wired, with a BEV, I just don't see it. It's not range anxiety I have, it's that I get a kick out of conserving as much battery as possible (not that I'm terribly good at it, but that's part of why it's fun--trying to get mo' better).

Then again, when the kids are in the car, they're always asking me to floor it...which I usually do. :twisted:

 

[cwerdna]

Slower Traffic Keep Right

Yup. This is the rule no matter what you are driving. HOV is at least the posted speed.

There is no minimum speed limit on any lane of any freeway in California unless it has an explicitly posted minimum. That's the law. I've wondered about those double-double HOV lanes in southern California. Do they have posted minimum speeds?

Certainly drees is right, but if it is illegal to exit the HOV lane ...

There is http://dmv.ca.gov/pubs/vctop/d11/vc22400.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; (Minimum Speed Law) though...

Yeah, So Cal has those goofy (right or wrong) HOV lanes where you can only legally enter/exit at certain points. Sucks to be stuck in one of those when there happens to be a jam in the HOV lanes but not in the regular lanes. Then you see all sorts of people (illegally) getting out and wonder if you should chance it too...

 

[cwerdna]

I got them for my 06 Prius...

And have you gotten them for your Leaf? I'd get 'em for a Prius, too, if I had one (and if the Prius was still eligible).

Don't have a Leaf yet but I certainly will apply for them when I get it.

Back on topic, the Prius incorrectly is/was a lightning rod for all sorts of hate, misinformation, etc. including a stereotype that they hold people up in the fast lane partly due to their previously valid HOV stickers. Please don't make the Leaf another target by impeding traffic.

 

[fooljoe]

This whole thread is why I don't even want to get HOV lane stickers: So far, I haven't had any desire to "hammer down" in the far left lane for an extended period of time, or to be That Guy who goes to slow (at 70mph).

Plus, they're kinda gross looking. And I seem to be doing just fine without them.

Well to each his own, but for me the HOV stickers were one of the biggest reasons to spring for a Leaf after my Civic Hybrid and its old yellow stickers got banned. And that month and a half of driving in the regular lanes while I waited for the DMV was absolute hell.

For me the white stickers mean as much as an hour a day that I'm home with my girls instead of parked on the 405. And on the 405 at rush hour driving at the speed limit is something that rarely happens anyway, even in the HOV lane. Although it is amazing how many morons will still tailgate and get pissed at you in stop-and-go traffic, just for not being a tailgater yourself.

So many times these morons have crossed the double yellows twice to go around me, only to have to come to a complete stop in a few hundred yards anyway. Although most of this experience has been in the Civic; with the Leaf I am conscious of the "EV ambassador" role we early adopters are playing and purposely drive more aggressively than I'd prefer at times.

 

[Packet]

Forget about what's "right" and whether you deserve to go whatever speed you like: If a maniac is tailgating you, just get out of the way.

That's a common problem in WA state. People have poor lane discipline there and are unwilling to yield to cars piling up behind them, tailgating or not.

Honestly, as a Washington driver, I don't see that problem *that* often lately; normally in my experience if you blink your lights or honk at someone going slower than the speed limit in the left lane, they'll snap out of whatever fugue state they're in and move over. And if I find myself in the 'go-fast' lane with someone coming up too rapidly behind me, even if I'm doing the speed limit or slightly over, I'll skip over a lane to let them pass.

What bugs me more -- and I encounter more often -- is when I'm doing the speed limit on a road with one lane in each direction and someone is tailgating me. In such a situation, I cannot get out of their way, and they seem oblivious to the fact that they're tailgating me. I suspect it's the same sort of thing -- a fugue state on the part of the driver -- but if they're tailgating, you can't really tap the brakes to wake them up without running the risk of being rear-ended.

I find this annoying anywhere, but Union Hill in Redmond in particular is the one that drives me crazy. The hill is at a very steep grade, with a number of turns on the way down, a wall of rocks to one side and a steep drop to the other, and only one lane in each direction. The speed limit on the hill is 25mph due to the grade and turns. Tailgating on that road just seems like a recipe for disaster.

 

[cwerdna]

Forget about what's "right" and whether you deserve to go whatever speed you like: If a maniac is tailgating you, just get out of the way.

That's a common problem in WA state. People have poor lane discipline there and are unwilling to yield to cars piling up behind them, tailgating or not.

Honestly, as a Washington driver, I don't see that problem *that* often lately; normally in my experience if you blink your lights or honk at someone going slower than the speed limit in the left lane, they'll snap out of whatever fugue state they're in and move over. And if I find myself in the 'go-fast' lane with someone coming up too rapidly behind me, even if I'm doing the speed limit or slightly over, I'll skip over a lane to let them pass.

Re: you moving over, good.

For many years, I never realized that flashing your brights to signal someone to move over was illegal until I'd heard about it somewhere (esp. since many cars have it as a feature). I dug up http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Headlight_flashing#United_States" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; on its legality or not.

When I lived in WA, I avoided ever flashing my lights at people who were going too slow for (right or wrong) the fear that the other guy will get bent out of shape. In CA, I still almost never do it but people usually move over in response and we think nothing of it.

Regarding Union Hill Road, are you sure that's the right place? Perhaps you're talking about Novelty Hill Road around this segment? http://maps.google.com/maps?q=Northeast+Novelty+Hill+Road,+Redmond,+WA&hl=en&ll=47.702542,-122.005405&spn=0.011206,0.066047&sll=47.701993,-122.005963&sspn=0.024954,0.066047&vpsrc=6&z=15&layer=c&cbll=47.70223,-122.004412&panoid=rEJQ_WoLkD-pJlMChmsbWQ&cbp=11,46.73,,0,6.37" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;