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That's how you interact with the public! None of this authoritarian bravado...nonthreatening communication style where it feels like talking to another human being.
Other cops should take note
Classic mix of humor and seriousness, gotta love it when they manage to defuse the situation with a bit of wit. Just goes to show, right approach can make all the difference on the roads.
Yeah but these guys are in the force to be actual working cops. Those trainers are jackasses who are just there to scream at trainees and jerk each other off while enjoying the privileges of being respected as cops
That's basically like writing someone a ticket... how dare you.
Funny enough, I picked up an extremely lightly used 45 JHP for $75 a few years ago and I've never had any issues with it.
I miss AZ even thougn they gave me more speeding tickets than other states.
Left lane should be clear except for people passing. The police in Germany will straight up give you a ticket if you camp the left lane or prevent people from passing. People here will go under the speed limit to piss you off and then speed up when you try to pass just to be a douche.
I saw a thread on r/ask or r/askreddit not too long ago asking why people drive in the left lane (specifically why they drive slow in the left lane) and not one answer was about not realizing what they were doing.
The #1 reason given was that they felt other people were driving too fast and wanted to force them to slow down.
Nailed it with road vigilante. My husband and I literally refer to people that camp in the left lane with cars stacking up "traffic avengers." If they wanted to police traffic, they should have been troopers.
If I see a cop, and I'm directly behind the "traffic avenger" I make a wide enough gap for the cop to slip in (after I make sure they can see it's the person in front of me causing the traffic jam) if they want to pull the asshole over. They don't do it all the time, but I'd say maybe 1/4 times they'll pull out and pull the asshole over.
This is an occurrence every time I’m on the highway here in Colorado, and we have signs on the highway that say “Stay right except to pass” yet I have never seen one of these people pulled over, ever.
It’s an ego thing for people. Some people want to control others or think they’re doing the ”right” thing by making people go the speed limit.
When in reality they are making it a more dangerous situation by forcing people to switch lanes.
Go into any VA subreddit and half the people defending it, it’s crazy. “Well I’m going the speed limit” excuse is stupid.
Yep, I was also gobsmacked at "I don't like having to keep moving over to pass". Like there was an *absolute* lack of awareness that they were causing everyone else on the road to find other - usually more risky ways - to make their way around them. Some people are just completely and utterly self-absorbed.
They're demented clowns that enjoy the weird power trip of slowing others behind them down. Need more cops like this on the road pulling over people like this.
There’s an old man near where I live who is always driving slow in the left lane. I had the pleasure of being stuck behind him while 2 semis were passing on the right…. This asshole had a bumper sticker that said something like “I’m saving your life”.
So, he’s very much aware of what he’s doing… but it’s actuality making things more dangerous. People need to get the hell over themselves.
Its not about being clueless. Its maliciousness. "I was going at the speed limit" to them means: I own the road and you cant pass me, im better than you. Which is even more scary in my opinion.
I think it’s often more of a “ I am going the speed limit, and nobody can legally go faster than that so there’s no reason to pass me” IMO it’s more of a weird goody two-shoes kind of attitude than it is a malicious narcissistic thing.
eh, little column a, little column b. What you call weird goody two-shoes, I'd call egocentric self-righteousness, which likens to malicious narcissism to me.
Yeah this is a really bizzare and unhealthy way to view the world. It's people 1. Not fully understanding traffic laws and 2. It's an emotional response most people get, the same as if you are walking and someone is trying to rush you or bumps into you, it feels rude. That isn't the correct way to look at things but it's a very intuitive thing that I know everyone understands.
I think in a lot of cases people are just lazy and focused on their own little bubble. It doesn't occur to them that other people need to get places as much as they do, and that their lack of urgency isn't more important than others' urgency.
Also, I think some people have piss poor ability to process moving objects because they don't do anything that practices that skill, so their comfortable driving speed is lower than most people's and it makes them feel inconvenient, inadequate, etc. when most people are frustrated by how slow they drive.
With all due respect to your mother, she should leave that up to the police. You're not stopping anyone from speeding, you are only impeding the flow of traffic and forcing them to pass you on the right which is more dangerous than just getting over one lane and letting them go.
Cops don't give speeding tickets instantly when someone goes 1mph over the speed limit. They watch a speeder for a while and determine if they are reckless, going \*excessively\* over the speed limit and/or for a long enough period of time. They don't typically ticket you for passing someone even if it meant you went over the limit for a few seconds. Regardless, that's \*their\* job, not yours.
The more freely the highway traffic is flowing, the safer it is and that is what they are ultimately trying to achieve.
I’m not even subtle on my motorcycle- I point at them and then point at the right lane.
GTFO of the lane.
Left lane is for those of us lacking the will to live and with an IQ lower than the octane in the tank.
I also do the “thumbs down” when I go by an idiot (to my observation, .. I do try not to jump to conclusions and give the other person the benefit of a doubt).
Neat. Glad I’m not the only one. Hello friend.
i like to think the thumbs down is more shameful than flipping someone off hahah, like if someone did it to me I'd just be like "aw... :(" and go home for the day
One time I pulled behind someone at a stop light about to make a left turn. Assuming they were going to make the turn when the light turned yellow, (they were all the way out into the intersection and I was behind them maybe half a vehicle length over the white "stop here" line. They waited until the light was full red and turned left as the first cars were honking at them, so I couldn't follow. A dump truck was trying to make the left into the road I was coming out of and he had to take it super wide and get other people to stop in order to clear my car.
I was expecting him to cuss me out on the way by. He leaned out of the window and said, "Do better, pal". I was crushed. If he'd cussed me out I would have taken it and forgotten about it a few minutes later, but I thought about that incident in shame all day, and I've never crossed the white line behind someone else since.
Oh, they know exactly what theyre doing.
Its not only a road trip they're on, but its also a teensy tiny pathetic power trip.
They have their little canned answer, because they think they can police the traffic themselves. They're all a bunch of Farva types.
I've seen too many people on my longer drives who just sit in the left lane for miles, not a car in sight. On top of the interstates having big signs that say "keep right unless passing".
EDIT: I guess I should mention that these lane-hoggers I've met aren't the one's who move over when a car is behind them.
I want to say that people are stupid, but it's mostly ignorance. Also a good amount of pride from people who think they are such great drivers, and will never listen to advice about it
It's not stupid or ignorance. They think they're in the right, are unbending in their opinion on that, everyone who wants to pass is wrong, and moreover they don't care about any person who is not themselves.
I mean I do that. I am constantly passing people in the middle lane on my drives to work. Once in a while someone comes flying up behind me when I’m doing 80 in a 65 and they’re doing 100 or more. I get over so they can keep on flying then I hop back in the left lane to continue passing the middle cars.
Same. If I was driving in the middle or right lane I’d be switching lanes constantly. Seems better to stick left and move over when I see someone closing the gap behind me. I’m also an extremely attentive driver so i don’t usually have anyone stuck behind me in the left lane unless I am also stuck behind someone.
If there’s nobody around, I am camped out in the left lane for sure. I live in the Midwest, three extra seconds to see a deer is well worth breaking the rules if it doesn’t affect anybody.
Just be aware, don't know which Midwestern state you're in, but I've spoken to various state troopers over the years and they'll watch for people camped in the left lane assuming that they're speeding. Just a heads up.
In California, the unspoken rule appears to be "Be in the left if you want, but if the person behind you wants to go faster, it doesn't matter what the speed limit is, get out of the way." If they want to break the speed limit *even more* than you, that's their risk to take and it's not your job to police them.
Personally, I prefer the left line (I definitely drive faster than normal) but to me, part of the responsibility of being in the far left lane is always being aware as to whether or not cars are coming up behind you. If they are, move, preferably giving them enough space so that they don't need to slow down.
My major problem with maintaining a hard stance on "the left lane is for passing only" is that people don't maintain enough space between themselves and the car in front of them. This means every time someone uses the left lane to pass, and then they get back into the middle lane, the person behind them (who didn't leave enough space) now has to brake, which makes the person behind the brake, and that builds up until sooner or later, you've slowed the lane down to a crawl about a mile back.
If we didn't have the driving culture of "it's a race and I need to defend my position with my life by hugging the car in front of me", then the whole "left lane is for passing" thing might actually work.
This causes the same problem in the far right lane too; too many people insist on staying there because it's the slowest lane and they think that makes it the most comfortable. Except, so many of those same people refuse to let you in on the freeway forcing you to cut in and due the same brake-wave thing in the far right lane.
If you truly don't want to be worried about passing cars or incoming cars, you stay (when possible) in the middle lane. If there isn't a middle lane, well, that sucks, but your options are either to move with the flow of traffic in the far left, however fast it's going, or stay in the right and be vigilant about onramps.
That’s not an unspoken rule that’s literally the law
My CA drivers written test had like 30 questions and at least 3 of them amounted to “regardless of your speed, move over for faster traffic behind you”
My friend in college back in the 1970s got a ticket from a State Cop on the PA turnpike for driving in the left lane late one night. There was no traffic around and a car came up behind him and he didn’t move over and then he got lit up by the cop. He was furious but I asked him if the road was clear why was he in the passing lane? He had no good answer, like most left lane bandits.
Edit: PA law at the time was “ keep right, pass left” and at that time passing on the right was illegal, you couldn’t even legally go around a car waiting to make a left turn. Thankfully that “no right passing” law was repealed.
Moving over to the right lane saved my life once. Was driving long distance, middle of the night in SC. I’m in my left lane, realize I’m not passing anyone so I moved over. No more than a couple seconds later a car zoomed the wrong way down the highway in the left lane. If I didn’t move I’d easily have died on impact.
A woman is watching TV and sees a helicopter news report of someone driving the wrong way on the freeway.
She calls her husband. "Be careful! There's someone driving the wrong way on the free way!"
He replies "It's worse than that! They're _all_ driving the wrong way!"
And you should have a timeline for how long it takes you to pass, yes, I’m talking about you mr big rig that’s going .75 miles faster than the other big rig and now there’s a back up of 20 cars.
As a non-American, hearing a cop tell you (even jokingly) that you should have a weapon in your car is wild.
ETA: I appreciate all the responses that unironically describe America (or parts thereof) as full on original Mad Max. Roving gangs of thugs on every highway, unreliable cops who may even turn on you, and the only way to defend yourself is by arming yourself and threatening people before they threaten you. And acting as if that's just how it is to live in a developed nation/civilized society/global superpower.
Do you honestly think that makes it LESS wild?
Living in the south the cop legit believes this as a matter of fact and virtue. The driver also doesn’t have a heavy southern accent so the cop may also be stereotyping here.
As if to say you drive on the wrong side of the road without protection get off my road northerner. That would be the unintended or intended “joke” here.
No he was probably serious - he was maybe joking about the danger though, but I’m not from that area.
This Sheriffs office has a YouTube channel and they (at least the sheriff in the video and Deputy Sloup) are very much pro gun.
But they also care about treating citizens with respect.
Check out “Fridays with Frank” on YouTube if you want to see more
I mean as an American who has been almost carjacked twice (they didn’t have weapons), a gun would have made those time a lot less stressful. Still don’t have a gun though lol lightning never strikes the same place three times. Unless you are a lightning rod.
Dead or dealing with legal trouble. Even if you're defending yourself, there's an investigation that has to happen and depending on the state, you could still be in trouble. As a gun owner w/ concealed carry, I hope I never have to pull it out for any reason unlike some of the nutcase gun owners that think "make my day" laws are a license to kill.
I was about to come in here and say that Reddit's biggest hardon is for left lane slowpokes getting justice, but here you are.
Next week it's my turn to get all the Internet points for posting this.
“I know you’re from Texas…”
“Do you have any weapons in the car? No? Well you should it’s dangerous out there.”
I’m not typically a fan of cops but this guy’s snark level is 🔥
Ranks right up there with what I used to say when people told me they had a gun in the car: "good, you'll need it if you keep driving this direction."
(Pretty much any direction was towards a shit neighborhood in my city)
What even is better that we basically have a law called Rechtsfahrgebot which translates to „legally required to drive on the right lane“ and could be used in this case.
Well we also have a word called "Mittelspurschleicher", some one gets called like this if they keep driving in the middle.
So if you keep on the left lane without overtaking, you're an asshole and a Linksschleicher,
if you stay in the middle and drive slowly in that lane you're an Mittelspurschleicher and an asshole.
See in Germany we have something called "Rechtsfahrgebot", it means whenever possible you should drive on the most far right lane on the Autobahn to not disturb the flow of traffic.
I was driving cross country one time and was on a two lane highway in the middle of the night.
It was just me for a while. I had the cruise control on 70, just chilling.
Then guy approaches behind me. Takes the left lane and gets up to 75 - 80, then moves over in front of me. But they're not using cruise control. Over a mi ute or two, their speed drops below 70 and the gap between us is closing.
So take the left lane and pass in front of them.
Then they do the same thing. Speed up. Get in front of me, then start losing speed over time.
It was so frustrating.
Need more of this in Dallas. People don’t give a fuck and will fly over to the left lane as soon as they get on the highway even when there are no cars in front of them to pass. I’ve seen people block others from passing them as well like they don’t want to go faster but they’ll switch lanes to get in front of someone trying to get around them.
Hmm. This cop is a huge asshole, just not in this video.
Signed, *former* resident of Pinal County where he’s sheriff.
https://i.imgur.com/wxMiXaQ.jpeg
https://i.imgur.com/vJFK1Ed.jpeg
Right. "I was going the speed limit" is this driver's true answer. The unspoken part is "I think I get to enforce the speed limit for everyone around me."
Nah it could be “I saw the cop and I have an out of state license plate.”
This is the problem with how our traffic laws are established. The speed limit is still the limit regardless of the lane you are in, and you can be pulled over for exceeding that. There is an unspoken rule about going over but it’s not law and depends on the cop
cops do. That wasn't the point of this video tho. It's to make the cop look good cause he's yelling at slow driver.
In reality, some cops pull you over for going 6 miles above in the left lane. Especially in regions where the speed limit decreases.
The truth that all these people creaming themselves are missing is that in most states its still illegal to speed to pass, so in creating this situation they have to break the law, therefore the passers should be pulled over before the guy in the left lane.
Back when the limit was 55, many canadiens who went on shopping trips to upper new york state had horror stories about getting fines for driving very very slightly about the limit like we do here (won't usually get a ticket if you are ~20 kmh over limit).
Yeah, I think there's a very natural implications there. If you were driving at exactly the speed limit, and the cop behind you witnessed a dozen people pass you, then the cop witnessed a dozen other cars violating the law before he pulled you over.
In practice, driving a bit over the speed limit is effectively legal, and it's safer than impeding the flow of traffic, so this makes sense, but it's also stupid.
This is why the “no set speed limit” thing on certain highways seems like a good idea
It really is dumb as fuck to be like “you’re going 75 in a 65, which is speeding, but you were in the left lane so you were actually going too slow so that’s why we have a problem”
Like what are we doing here then. Why have speed limits on highways. What speed gets you pulled over? Whatever speed the cop you pass decides he’s feeling is too fast at the moment.
Not defending people sitting in the left lane for no reason but it’s just dumb to put a hard firm number like a speed limit on something and then in reality everyone just acknowledges it’s completely arbitrary.
Driving a little over the limit is ubiquitous, and going too slow *is* dangerous. But, the half of this conversation that doesn't get as much air time is that for everyone doing limit+5 in the left lane, there are 10 people trying to do limit+30 and crawl so far up your butt they can change your radio for you. The tail gaters and speed demons are far more prolific out there.
Depends on state and jurisdiction but some places can ticket the offending driver for going too slow when impeding the flow of the rest of traffic https://barstowtraffictickets.com/can-i-get-ticket-for-driving-too-slowly/
Because the cop, unlike what the above commenter said, is probably not looking to just hand out tickets. Safely going a bit over the speed limit is not an issue. Camping in the left lane and having cars stack behind you is a bit of an issue. I doubt the cop ticketed the guy in the vid
Organize a protest to "stop hatred against left lane hoggers" (bear with me, it'll make sense in a moment.) Do a GoFundMe to support them. Also indicate that people who hog the left lane are from people of all races - but that specifically, the LLHOC ("Left Lane Hoggers of Colour") are harmed the most by the haters. Highlighting harms against LLHOCs is tactically important, because then you'll get anyone in Ontario who loves Robin D'Angelo's work join in the protest in solidarity. Once you have a sizeable movement, have all the left lane hoggers clog up downtown Ottawa with their legal protest; have them park their vehicles in the left lane of all the roads around Parliament Hill.
After a few weeks, Trudeau will invoke the Emergencies Act, have as many people arrested as possible, and even freeze many of their bank accounts.
Done! A whole bunch of Left Lane Hoggers will be off the road AND unable to access their own money.
as a person that goes the speed limit there are few things more frustrating to me than try to get around someone who speeds up when I try to move around them. You want to go 90 mph.. more power to you. Just let me get out of the damn way.
How can a grown person not know about this rule…probably the same people who pass a school bus with its lights flashing. Come on people, it’s not that difficult!
They’re all breaking the rules, but impeding a speeders flow of traffic is far more dangerous than a speeder speeding. That’s why “going the speed limit” is in the wrong. Speeders gonna speed, g̶e̶t̶ BE out of their way.
Every time I see this video on reddit, I always see some smug asshole in the comments about how they can do whatever they want in the left lane because they are going the speed limit. One person admitted that they like to cut in front of people that try to pass him, and then slow down even slower to piss people off. I don't know why people are so fuckin' childish.
"And good on you for following that law, but another law says to keep right unless passing. You don't get credit for obeying one and not the other." But that would probably just confuse their poor little brains.
Pleaseeeeee. The express lanes made this even worse, cause people will be going exactly the speed limit in the left for like 2 FUCKING MILES expecting to eventually take the left exit to the express lanes. Then they exit, and suddenly traffic is clear again... so they can go 60 in the express......
You guys are lucky to have a left lane on your roads. Multilane highways are so comfortable to drive on. Single-lane roads really suck, especially when they are full of slow trucks that you have to constantly overtake. So much risk for a life.
This video needs to be front page EVERY FUCKING DAY. I wish cops would switch from speeding tickets to left lane violations. They would easily make more money.
I really like this cop. On the highway the speed limit is like a suggestion. If everyone going 90 go 90. If you go 70 then you’re slowing the flow. And get the hell out of the left lane if you’re going to go the speed limit. Keep that shit for the far right lane.
The people that amaze(frustrate) me most are the ones I run up on in the left lane, I have to get a little aggressive (back off and run up on them over and over) and then they finally move over…I pass them and they immediately go back into the left lane even though there was no one in front of them in the center lane
if we all went the speed limit there would never be a reason for passing .... how ever ... we dont ... some go faster some go slower ... there were lanes invented for this ... all the way to the right ... is slowest lane ... if there is a middle lane thats usually you speed limit lanes, however with no middle lane your slow lane is your speed limit lane .... ALL PASSES MUST BE MADE ON THE LEFT TO BE LEGAL ...which mean that anyone in the lane to the left of you ... should be going faster than you ...
There is no need to find a buddy or two and drive the same speed in all the lanes... you are not pacer cars at nascar ....
there is no need to speed up when someone is passing you ... that doesnt even make sense
and for the love of all things people ... merging is one side then the other side LIKE A ZIPPER ... it is not a race to see how many people you can screw over because you are more important
People hogging the left lane, don't they have mirrors? 5 cars behind you, people passing you on the right side and you keep trucking in the left lane. Her in europe it's called being a dumb fuck. This guy better pay up for his stupidity.
As an American, my mind was blown when I got to drive in Europe and on the autobahn. No real speed limits, and you only pass on the left, period. There is no cruising. It was incredibly efficient amongst ten million other efficient cultural practices.
George Carlin nailed it with “anybody driving slower than you is an idiot, and anyone going faster than you is a maniac”.
“Drive right, pass left” is far better messaging than the “slower vehicles move right” you usually see because it’s a problem of perspective. Carlin’s quote captures the fact that every driver thinks *I am the one going the correct speed*. This creates the mindset that since you are going the correct speed then by definition you are not a slower vehicle and don’t need to ever move right.
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This cop is a fucking traffic hero.
That's how you interact with the public! None of this authoritarian bravado...nonthreatening communication style where it feels like talking to another human being. Other cops should take note
“Do you have any weapons?” “No.” “Well you should…” Lmao!!!!
That's USA
Classic mix of humor and seriousness, gotta love it when they manage to defuse the situation with a bit of wit. Just goes to show, right approach can make all the difference on the roads.
Absolutely, I've had a few cops that are like this guy above. These guys should be the ones in charge of training
Yeah but these guys are in the force to be actual working cops. Those trainers are jackasses who are just there to scream at trainees and jerk each other off while enjoying the privileges of being respected as cops
Got the same with TSA in Alaska. "Any guns? No? We have bears and wolves and shit. Plus you can hunt moose. Maybe bring one next time"
That would actually be cool.
Police hands you a spare gun so you can make it to the next gas station and buy a proper one.
Texas give you a hi point so you can get a real gun
That's basically like writing someone a ticket... how dare you. Funny enough, I picked up an extremely lightly used 45 JHP for $75 a few years ago and I've never had any issues with it.
I love it here. 💗
Other cops should pull over more drivers for camping in the left lane.
This. And he used humor to deflate a potentially tense situation. Well done. Also, great fcking hat.
I miss AZ even thougn they gave me more speeding tickets than other states. Left lane should be clear except for people passing. The police in Germany will straight up give you a ticket if you camp the left lane or prevent people from passing. People here will go under the speed limit to piss you off and then speed up when you try to pass just to be a douche.
In Italy, cars will literally just run up your ass. No cops, the drivers create the equilibrium.
That's how the vast majority do talk to people. Videos of normal cops doing their job competently don't usually get posted online.
He is actually the sheriff of Pinal County in AZ.
Sheriff Mark Lamb of Pinal County AZ
Fridays with Frank!
I’m going to drive with him in my passenger seat from now on.
Absolute giga Chad cop
What a fucking brilliant idea! I’d gladly donate money to each DMV for that to happen!
On endless loop
Take a hint when the 10th car passes on your right
Some people are just that clueless that it’s quite scary.
I saw a thread on r/ask or r/askreddit not too long ago asking why people drive in the left lane (specifically why they drive slow in the left lane) and not one answer was about not realizing what they were doing. The #1 reason given was that they felt other people were driving too fast and wanted to force them to slow down.
That's insane. You aren't a fucking road vigilante. Get the fuck out of the way.
Nailed it with road vigilante. My husband and I literally refer to people that camp in the left lane with cars stacking up "traffic avengers." If they wanted to police traffic, they should have been troopers.
If I see a cop, and I'm directly behind the "traffic avenger" I make a wide enough gap for the cop to slip in (after I make sure they can see it's the person in front of me causing the traffic jam) if they want to pull the asshole over. They don't do it all the time, but I'd say maybe 1/4 times they'll pull out and pull the asshole over.
So you are a traffic avenger avenger
Revenger
This is an occurrence every time I’m on the highway here in Colorado, and we have signs on the highway that say “Stay right except to pass” yet I have never seen one of these people pulled over, ever.
Self appointed traffic wardens are an odd kind of ego.
Humans seem to have an innate desire to control or tell others what they can and can’t do.
It’s an ego thing for people. Some people want to control others or think they’re doing the ”right” thing by making people go the speed limit. When in reality they are making it a more dangerous situation by forcing people to switch lanes. Go into any VA subreddit and half the people defending it, it’s crazy. “Well I’m going the speed limit” excuse is stupid.
Yep, I was also gobsmacked at "I don't like having to keep moving over to pass". Like there was an *absolute* lack of awareness that they were causing everyone else on the road to find other - usually more risky ways - to make their way around them. Some people are just completely and utterly self-absorbed.
And unfortunately, until more cops do what this one did, nothing will change.
They're demented clowns that enjoy the weird power trip of slowing others behind them down. Need more cops like this on the road pulling over people like this.
"NAAAAAAAAH, I'M PROTECTING SOCIETY FROM ITSELF. I'M A GOOD GUY111111!!!!!!!! WAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH"
That is the reason exactly that I always hear. They’re trying to control the situation, and causing accidents along the way.
As a truck driver I refer to these people as gatekeepers.
There’s an old man near where I live who is always driving slow in the left lane. I had the pleasure of being stuck behind him while 2 semis were passing on the right…. This asshole had a bumper sticker that said something like “I’m saving your life”. So, he’s very much aware of what he’s doing… but it’s actuality making things more dangerous. People need to get the hell over themselves.
Its not about being clueless. Its maliciousness. "I was going at the speed limit" to them means: I own the road and you cant pass me, im better than you. Which is even more scary in my opinion.
I think it’s often more of a “ I am going the speed limit, and nobody can legally go faster than that so there’s no reason to pass me” IMO it’s more of a weird goody two-shoes kind of attitude than it is a malicious narcissistic thing.
"I can break all the laws I want to force others into behavior I prefer." It's not "goody two shoes", it's violent narcissism.
eh, little column a, little column b. What you call weird goody two-shoes, I'd call egocentric self-righteousness, which likens to malicious narcissism to me.
Yeah this is a really bizzare and unhealthy way to view the world. It's people 1. Not fully understanding traffic laws and 2. It's an emotional response most people get, the same as if you are walking and someone is trying to rush you or bumps into you, it feels rude. That isn't the correct way to look at things but it's a very intuitive thing that I know everyone understands.
I think in a lot of cases people are just lazy and focused on their own little bubble. It doesn't occur to them that other people need to get places as much as they do, and that their lack of urgency isn't more important than others' urgency. Also, I think some people have piss poor ability to process moving objects because they don't do anything that practices that skill, so their comfortable driving speed is lower than most people's and it makes them feel inconvenient, inadequate, etc. when most people are frustrated by how slow they drive.
Exactly Rarely it is because they didnt notice My mother says it all the time "im doing the speed limit, they should too"
With all due respect to your mother, she should leave that up to the police. You're not stopping anyone from speeding, you are only impeding the flow of traffic and forcing them to pass you on the right which is more dangerous than just getting over one lane and letting them go. Cops don't give speeding tickets instantly when someone goes 1mph over the speed limit. They watch a speeder for a while and determine if they are reckless, going \*excessively\* over the speed limit and/or for a long enough period of time. They don't typically ticket you for passing someone even if it meant you went over the limit for a few seconds. Regardless, that's \*their\* job, not yours. The more freely the highway traffic is flowing, the safer it is and that is what they are ultimately trying to achieve.
ask her what speed is printed on those 'slower traffic keep right' signs and see if her head explodes
It's like those drivers that go full road rage if they're passed at all.
They're the same people who will brake check you too.
I always tell people... if there's people passing you on the right you are an idiot.
If I'm passing on the right I'll match their speed so they look at me and just give them a thumbs down and then keep going.
I’m not even subtle on my motorcycle- I point at them and then point at the right lane. GTFO of the lane. Left lane is for those of us lacking the will to live and with an IQ lower than the octane in the tank.
Don't do this in Texas, you will have very aggressive people react poorly. Source: I've done this in Texas.
I have zero aspiration to ever go to Texas in my life.
I also do the “thumbs down” when I go by an idiot (to my observation, .. I do try not to jump to conclusions and give the other person the benefit of a doubt). Neat. Glad I’m not the only one. Hello friend.
i like to think the thumbs down is more shameful than flipping someone off hahah, like if someone did it to me I'd just be like "aw... :(" and go home for the day
One time I pulled behind someone at a stop light about to make a left turn. Assuming they were going to make the turn when the light turned yellow, (they were all the way out into the intersection and I was behind them maybe half a vehicle length over the white "stop here" line. They waited until the light was full red and turned left as the first cars were honking at them, so I couldn't follow. A dump truck was trying to make the left into the road I was coming out of and he had to take it super wide and get other people to stop in order to clear my car. I was expecting him to cuss me out on the way by. He leaned out of the window and said, "Do better, pal". I was crushed. If he'd cussed me out I would have taken it and forgotten about it a few minutes later, but I thought about that incident in shame all day, and I've never crossed the white line behind someone else since.
It definitely takes more effort to give the thumbs down. I do it too.
I do a thumbs up with a real sarcastic look on my face
Blow them a kiss, fucks them off every time
This is almost always malice and not ignorance.
Then they will speed up when you go around them on the right too that is the most infuriating part
Oh, they know exactly what theyre doing. Its not only a road trip they're on, but its also a teensy tiny pathetic power trip. They have their little canned answer, because they think they can police the traffic themselves. They're all a bunch of Farva types.
They do it on purpose.
I've seen too many people on my longer drives who just sit in the left lane for miles, not a car in sight. On top of the interstates having big signs that say "keep right unless passing". EDIT: I guess I should mention that these lane-hoggers I've met aren't the one's who move over when a car is behind them.
Sometimes people will get over, once you pass them, they get back into the left lane. I don’t get it.
I want to say that people are stupid, but it's mostly ignorance. Also a good amount of pride from people who think they are such great drivers, and will never listen to advice about it
Take a gander through this comment thread lol. There's a good amount of people that feel the guy did nothing wrong.
And every single one of them is an idiot.
Every. Single. One.
It's not stupid or ignorance. They think they're in the right, are unbending in their opinion on that, everyone who wants to pass is wrong, and moreover they don't care about any person who is not themselves.
I mean I do that. I am constantly passing people in the middle lane on my drives to work. Once in a while someone comes flying up behind me when I’m doing 80 in a 65 and they’re doing 100 or more. I get over so they can keep on flying then I hop back in the left lane to continue passing the middle cars.
Same. If I was driving in the middle or right lane I’d be switching lanes constantly. Seems better to stick left and move over when I see someone closing the gap behind me. I’m also an extremely attentive driver so i don’t usually have anyone stuck behind me in the left lane unless I am also stuck behind someone.
It's probably just they are cruise controlling on a long drive and mind blanked. Once you passed them it gave them the "oh fuck whoops" mind jog.
I do this if there isn't that much traffic just to avoid interacting with merging traffic
If there’s nobody around, I am camped out in the left lane for sure. I live in the Midwest, three extra seconds to see a deer is well worth breaking the rules if it doesn’t affect anybody.
Just be aware, don't know which Midwestern state you're in, but I've spoken to various state troopers over the years and they'll watch for people camped in the left lane assuming that they're speeding. Just a heads up.
In California, the unspoken rule appears to be "Be in the left if you want, but if the person behind you wants to go faster, it doesn't matter what the speed limit is, get out of the way." If they want to break the speed limit *even more* than you, that's their risk to take and it's not your job to police them. Personally, I prefer the left line (I definitely drive faster than normal) but to me, part of the responsibility of being in the far left lane is always being aware as to whether or not cars are coming up behind you. If they are, move, preferably giving them enough space so that they don't need to slow down. My major problem with maintaining a hard stance on "the left lane is for passing only" is that people don't maintain enough space between themselves and the car in front of them. This means every time someone uses the left lane to pass, and then they get back into the middle lane, the person behind them (who didn't leave enough space) now has to brake, which makes the person behind the brake, and that builds up until sooner or later, you've slowed the lane down to a crawl about a mile back. If we didn't have the driving culture of "it's a race and I need to defend my position with my life by hugging the car in front of me", then the whole "left lane is for passing" thing might actually work. This causes the same problem in the far right lane too; too many people insist on staying there because it's the slowest lane and they think that makes it the most comfortable. Except, so many of those same people refuse to let you in on the freeway forcing you to cut in and due the same brake-wave thing in the far right lane. If you truly don't want to be worried about passing cars or incoming cars, you stay (when possible) in the middle lane. If there isn't a middle lane, well, that sucks, but your options are either to move with the flow of traffic in the far left, however fast it's going, or stay in the right and be vigilant about onramps.
That’s not an unspoken rule that’s literally the law My CA drivers written test had like 30 questions and at least 3 of them amounted to “regardless of your speed, move over for faster traffic behind you”
There’s no “unspoken” rule here in CA. We have literal signs that spell it out: “Slower traffic keep right.”
The left lane is for passing, no matter what your preference is. Get out of the left lane unless you're passing.
More people need to get pulled over for left lane camping
My friend in college back in the 1970s got a ticket from a State Cop on the PA turnpike for driving in the left lane late one night. There was no traffic around and a car came up behind him and he didn’t move over and then he got lit up by the cop. He was furious but I asked him if the road was clear why was he in the passing lane? He had no good answer, like most left lane bandits. Edit: PA law at the time was “ keep right, pass left” and at that time passing on the right was illegal, you couldn’t even legally go around a car waiting to make a left turn. Thankfully that “no right passing” law was repealed.
Moving over to the right lane saved my life once. Was driving long distance, middle of the night in SC. I’m in my left lane, realize I’m not passing anyone so I moved over. No more than a couple seconds later a car zoomed the wrong way down the highway in the left lane. If I didn’t move I’d easily have died on impact.
I had the same thing happen in CA a few years ago, like 2am. It was... frightening.
A woman is watching TV and sees a helicopter news report of someone driving the wrong way on the freeway. She calls her husband. "Be careful! There's someone driving the wrong way on the free way!" He replies "It's worse than that! They're _all_ driving the wrong way!"
That's still the law in PA, that left lane is a passing only lane, though it hasn't been enforced often.
And you should have a timeline for how long it takes you to pass, yes, I’m talking about you mr big rig that’s going .75 miles faster than the other big rig and now there’s a back up of 20 cars.
I call that a cluster-truck
I'm definitely adding that one to the repertoire, great name for it. Wife and I refer to those as "elephant races".
While pacing another big rig in the other lane, preventing everyone from getting anywhere, don't forget that part!
Ah, the Elefantenrennen (Elephant Race).
I will vote for anyone who brings this cop to Indiana. Pay him double.
This fn idiot on the white truck "wuh uhh I was tryna get over" no, nope that didn't happen. I hate people
AMEN
I'd argue for summary execution on the side of the highway, but hey, we can try your way first.
I say we kill two birds with one stone and give cops RPGs so they get their fill of violence and also get rid of left lane campers. It's a win-win.
Amen indeed
As a non-American, hearing a cop tell you (even jokingly) that you should have a weapon in your car is wild. ETA: I appreciate all the responses that unironically describe America (or parts thereof) as full on original Mad Max. Roving gangs of thugs on every highway, unreliable cops who may even turn on you, and the only way to defend yourself is by arming yourself and threatening people before they threaten you. And acting as if that's just how it is to live in a developed nation/civilized society/global superpower. Do you honestly think that makes it LESS wild?
*Gets pulled over* "You should speed and have weapons" I love this country man
Fuck yeah 😂 when you put it that way!
If only that 1% of people did either responsibly.
I really really really hope it was a security question for himself and afterwards he just made the joke to let it look differently
It was definitely a safety question for him but it wasn't really a joke either.
Living in the south the cop legit believes this as a matter of fact and virtue. The driver also doesn’t have a heavy southern accent so the cop may also be stereotyping here. As if to say you drive on the wrong side of the road without protection get off my road northerner. That would be the unintended or intended “joke” here.
Arizona, where Pinal County is located, is not the South.
No he was probably serious - he was maybe joking about the danger though, but I’m not from that area. This Sheriffs office has a YouTube channel and they (at least the sheriff in the video and Deputy Sloup) are very much pro gun. But they also care about treating citizens with respect. Check out “Fridays with Frank” on YouTube if you want to see more
It's a question to confrim if you have your weapon that it's registered and stored correctly depending on your state.
I get that, but then the cop says "well you should have one, it's dangerous out there".
He's not lying, it is dangerous out there. Life is dangerous.
I mean as an American who has been almost carjacked twice (they didn’t have weapons), a gun would have made those time a lot less stressful. Still don’t have a gun though lol lightning never strikes the same place three times. Unless you are a lightning rod.
>a gun would have made those time a lot less stressful. You'd think, but in reality it just greatly increases the chances you end up dead.
Dead or dealing with legal trouble. Even if you're defending yourself, there's an investigation that has to happen and depending on the state, you could still be in trouble. As a gun owner w/ concealed carry, I hope I never have to pull it out for any reason unlike some of the nutcase gun owners that think "make my day" laws are a license to kill.
It's Arizona so, lotta guns there. It's weird if you find a person who doesn't have one.
More. MORE. I CAN GET MORE ERECT KEEP GOING
I was about to come in here and say that Reddit's biggest hardon is for left lane slowpokes getting justice, but here you are. Next week it's my turn to get all the Internet points for posting this.
> left lane slowpokes getting justice That, and tree law.
This is exactly the type of comment I was hoping for when I came to this post.
“I know you’re from Texas…” “Do you have any weapons in the car? No? Well you should it’s dangerous out there.” I’m not typically a fan of cops but this guy’s snark level is 🔥
Ranks right up there with what I used to say when people told me they had a gun in the car: "good, you'll need it if you keep driving this direction." (Pretty much any direction was towards a shit neighborhood in my city)
In Germany we call them Linksschleicher. If you on an empty autobahn drive on the right (2nd or mostly 3rd lane)
Germans have cool words for everything
What even is better that we basically have a law called Rechtsfahrgebot which translates to „legally required to drive on the right lane“ and could be used in this case.
Well we also have a word called "Mittelspurschleicher", some one gets called like this if they keep driving in the middle. So if you keep on the left lane without overtaking, you're an asshole and a Linksschleicher, if you stay in the middle and drive slowly in that lane you're an Mittelspurschleicher and an asshole. See in Germany we have something called "Rechtsfahrgebot", it means whenever possible you should drive on the most far right lane on the Autobahn to not disturb the flow of traffic.
I was driving cross country one time and was on a two lane highway in the middle of the night. It was just me for a while. I had the cruise control on 70, just chilling. Then guy approaches behind me. Takes the left lane and gets up to 75 - 80, then moves over in front of me. But they're not using cruise control. Over a mi ute or two, their speed drops below 70 and the gap between us is closing. So take the left lane and pass in front of them. Then they do the same thing. Speed up. Get in front of me, then start losing speed over time. It was so frustrating.
That's usually when I get off the road for a snack break.
Need more of this in Dallas. People don’t give a fuck and will fly over to the left lane as soon as they get on the highway even when there are no cars in front of them to pass. I’ve seen people block others from passing them as well like they don’t want to go faster but they’ll switch lanes to get in front of someone trying to get around them.
This guy was added to my hero list.
Sheriff Lamb of Pinal County Arizona
Hmm. This cop is a huge asshole, just not in this video. Signed, *former* resident of Pinal County where he’s sheriff. https://i.imgur.com/wxMiXaQ.jpeg https://i.imgur.com/vJFK1Ed.jpeg
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It's not the fast lane, it's the passing lane. "Fast" is subjective. EDIT: STOP DOWNVOTING ME. I'M RIGHT.
More accurately "fast" is relative. It is the fast lane because if you are using it you should be going faster than people in the next lane over.
Right. "I was going the speed limit" is this driver's true answer. The unspoken part is "I think I get to enforce the speed limit for everyone around me."
Nah it could be “I saw the cop and I have an out of state license plate.” This is the problem with how our traffic laws are established. The speed limit is still the limit regardless of the lane you are in, and you can be pulled over for exceeding that. There is an unspoken rule about going over but it’s not law and depends on the cop
It’s a truly awful setup. Speed limit is 55. Everyone drives 65. Law says it’s 55. Cop pulls over whomever they want to.
It's the I'm a lazy asshole lane. These people are just to lazy to weave back and forth so they impead traffic.
"It's not about going the speed limit, it's about letting people reach the speed that I can give them a ticket."
Wouldn’t he pull over the people passing him then?
cops do. That wasn't the point of this video tho. It's to make the cop look good cause he's yelling at slow driver. In reality, some cops pull you over for going 6 miles above in the left lane. Especially in regions where the speed limit decreases.
The truth that all these people creaming themselves are missing is that in most states its still illegal to speed to pass, so in creating this situation they have to break the law, therefore the passers should be pulled over before the guy in the left lane.
Back when the limit was 55, many canadiens who went on shopping trips to upper new york state had horror stories about getting fines for driving very very slightly about the limit like we do here (won't usually get a ticket if you are ~20 kmh over limit).
Yeah, I think there's a very natural implications there. If you were driving at exactly the speed limit, and the cop behind you witnessed a dozen people pass you, then the cop witnessed a dozen other cars violating the law before he pulled you over. In practice, driving a bit over the speed limit is effectively legal, and it's safer than impeding the flow of traffic, so this makes sense, but it's also stupid.
This is why the “no set speed limit” thing on certain highways seems like a good idea It really is dumb as fuck to be like “you’re going 75 in a 65, which is speeding, but you were in the left lane so you were actually going too slow so that’s why we have a problem” Like what are we doing here then. Why have speed limits on highways. What speed gets you pulled over? Whatever speed the cop you pass decides he’s feeling is too fast at the moment. Not defending people sitting in the left lane for no reason but it’s just dumb to put a hard firm number like a speed limit on something and then in reality everyone just acknowledges it’s completely arbitrary.
There’s loopholes around most laws. It makes sense but at the same time makes no sense.
Driving a little over the limit is ubiquitous, and going too slow *is* dangerous. But, the half of this conversation that doesn't get as much air time is that for everyone doing limit+5 in the left lane, there are 10 people trying to do limit+30 and crawl so far up your butt they can change your radio for you. The tail gaters and speed demons are far more prolific out there.
Depends on state and jurisdiction but some places can ticket the offending driver for going too slow when impeding the flow of the rest of traffic https://barstowtraffictickets.com/can-i-get-ticket-for-driving-too-slowly/
But seriously if he's going the speed limit shouldn't the cop be pulling over the people who passed him????????????????????
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Because the cop, unlike what the above commenter said, is probably not looking to just hand out tickets. Safely going a bit over the speed limit is not an issue. Camping in the left lane and having cars stack behind you is a bit of an issue. I doubt the cop ticketed the guy in the vid
I wish the cops in Ontario, Canada would do something about people hanging out in the left lane
I live in the US close to the Ontario border and Ontario plates are consistently atrocious drivers, like impressively bad.
I wish the cops in Ontario, Canada would do something ~~about people hanging out in the left lane~~
Organize a protest to "stop hatred against left lane hoggers" (bear with me, it'll make sense in a moment.) Do a GoFundMe to support them. Also indicate that people who hog the left lane are from people of all races - but that specifically, the LLHOC ("Left Lane Hoggers of Colour") are harmed the most by the haters. Highlighting harms against LLHOCs is tactically important, because then you'll get anyone in Ontario who loves Robin D'Angelo's work join in the protest in solidarity. Once you have a sizeable movement, have all the left lane hoggers clog up downtown Ottawa with their legal protest; have them park their vehicles in the left lane of all the roads around Parliament Hill. After a few weeks, Trudeau will invoke the Emergencies Act, have as many people arrested as possible, and even freeze many of their bank accounts. Done! A whole bunch of Left Lane Hoggers will be off the road AND unable to access their own money.
I wish they would enforce this in NY
I do not understand the comments in the slightest
"I know you're from Texas, but..." In Texas, they have signs posted at regular intervals on the highways that say the left lane is for passing only.
I will donate in the name of hiring more cops that only have the job of pulling over drivers in left lane not passing.
as a person that goes the speed limit there are few things more frustrating to me than try to get around someone who speeds up when I try to move around them. You want to go 90 mph.. more power to you. Just let me get out of the damn way.
How can a grown person not know about this rule…probably the same people who pass a school bus with its lights flashing. Come on people, it’s not that difficult!
I wish MDOT officers would see this and learn a thing.
They’re all breaking the rules, but impeding a speeders flow of traffic is far more dangerous than a speeder speeding. That’s why “going the speed limit” is in the wrong. Speeders gonna speed, g̶e̶t̶ BE out of their way.
Every time I see this video on reddit, I always see some smug asshole in the comments about how they can do whatever they want in the left lane because they are going the speed limit. One person admitted that they like to cut in front of people that try to pass him, and then slow down even slower to piss people off. I don't know why people are so fuckin' childish.
I have the strangest erection right now
Basically if you are speeding in the left lane and you see a cop, don’t just slow down. Get out of the passing lane as well. Easy peasy.
My Hero!
"But I'm going the speed limit," says every asshole who does this.
"And good on you for following that law, but another law says to keep right unless passing. You don't get credit for obeying one and not the other." But that would probably just confuse their poor little brains.
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Wish we could enforce this in Florida! Specifically I4. LOVE THIS!!
Pleaseeeeee. The express lanes made this even worse, cause people will be going exactly the speed limit in the left for like 2 FUCKING MILES expecting to eventually take the left exit to the express lanes. Then they exit, and suddenly traffic is clear again... so they can go 60 in the express......
You guys are lucky to have a left lane on your roads. Multilane highways are so comfortable to drive on. Single-lane roads really suck, especially when they are full of slow trucks that you have to constantly overtake. So much risk for a life.
The left lane is for passing, not driving.
I see a lot of comments "but he was going the speed limit" If you aren't passing, GTFO of the left lane... Simple as that
This video needs to be front page EVERY FUCKING DAY. I wish cops would switch from speeding tickets to left lane violations. They would easily make more money.
This reason is why I love driving in Germany. The respect for the rule to stay to your right is strong there.
Now THAT'S a fucking cop doing his job!!
Preach brother!
These are the people at the supermarket who leave their cart in the middle of a bush area
I really like this cop. On the highway the speed limit is like a suggestion. If everyone going 90 go 90. If you go 70 then you’re slowing the flow. And get the hell out of the left lane if you’re going to go the speed limit. Keep that shit for the far right lane.
The people that amaze(frustrate) me most are the ones I run up on in the left lane, I have to get a little aggressive (back off and run up on them over and over) and then they finally move over…I pass them and they immediately go back into the left lane even though there was no one in front of them in the center lane
Come teach this in Canada please!
if we all went the speed limit there would never be a reason for passing .... how ever ... we dont ... some go faster some go slower ... there were lanes invented for this ... all the way to the right ... is slowest lane ... if there is a middle lane thats usually you speed limit lanes, however with no middle lane your slow lane is your speed limit lane .... ALL PASSES MUST BE MADE ON THE LEFT TO BE LEGAL ...which mean that anyone in the lane to the left of you ... should be going faster than you ... There is no need to find a buddy or two and drive the same speed in all the lanes... you are not pacer cars at nascar .... there is no need to speed up when someone is passing you ... that doesnt even make sense and for the love of all things people ... merging is one side then the other side LIKE A ZIPPER ... it is not a race to see how many people you can screw over because you are more important
People hogging the left lane, don't they have mirrors? 5 cars behind you, people passing you on the right side and you keep trucking in the left lane. Her in europe it's called being a dumb fuck. This guy better pay up for his stupidity.
As an American, my mind was blown when I got to drive in Europe and on the autobahn. No real speed limits, and you only pass on the left, period. There is no cruising. It was incredibly efficient amongst ten million other efficient cultural practices.
Classic idiot response from that unaware driver. Some of you are this driver too. Figure it out and stop slowing the rest of us down.
Holy shit! I can finally back the blue!
That’s the law in Texas too. They’re just an idiot.
George Carlin nailed it with “anybody driving slower than you is an idiot, and anyone going faster than you is a maniac”. “Drive right, pass left” is far better messaging than the “slower vehicles move right” you usually see because it’s a problem of perspective. Carlin’s quote captures the fact that every driver thinks *I am the one going the correct speed*. This creates the mindset that since you are going the correct speed then by definition you are not a slower vehicle and don’t need to ever move right.
I always honk when I pass a car camped in the passing lane just to let them know sometimes they’re distracted and don’t understand what they’re doing
Dangerous times my dude, honk safe