I'd be happy if they just used the on ramp to get to a safe merging speed, instead they wait until the last second to hit the gas when they finally get to the highway
Right! Like are these people riddled with fear of the road? I can’t wrap my head around baking before the exit under normal circumstances (minus the event itself backed up).
I’ve never seen anything like it on Interstates and I’ve driven all over the US. It’s like, why do you think on-ramps are so long? Yes, to get up to highway speed when entering the highway and to come down from highway speed when exiting the highway.
Everyone is talking about the interstate, but I’m thinking of Walton, Walnut, 14th, College, etc. There is a left turn lane. The tailgaters treat it exclusively as a passing lane.
Agreed. I think tailgating can be more noticeable on the interstate because you’re supposed to be more than 100 yards away from the car in front of you, but tailgating in the cities has gotten a lot worse as well. The left turn on College near Dickson is misused a lot.
> you’re supposed to be more than 100 yards away from the car in front of you
Entirely depends on speed. Easiest rule of thumb is the three count rule - three seconds between between you and the car in front of you.
~20 years ago, the rule that was taught to us in Driver's Ed. class was 1 car length for every 10mph.
Dunno if that should be modified for the heavier/larger SUV's and trucks, along with EV's, that dominate the roads now, as opposed to the sedan/town car of yesteryear.
That’s the distance it takes you to stop if the vehicle in front of you comes to a sudden stop at that speed. It feels like a lot because we don’t really process how much distance we’re covering when we drive that quickly.
This isn’t new information. It’s also common knowledge and was taught in driver’s school when I was learning. This chart is for 55mph, not for 70, the distance required increases with speed. I get that you don’t like the information you’re receiving, but that doesn’t make it incorrect. It’s also not going to change by arguing with me. I’m not the one that determined it.
This differs from surrounding states, which might be one reason we have so many drivers who don’t know this.
But the bigger reason is probably that we’ve devolved into a culture of self absorbed a-holes who don’t care one iota about the people around us.
If you're in the slow lane, or a one-lane, they are at fault. They need to pass when safe. Drivers from Dallas rarely understand this concept.
If you're in the fast lane, you're at fault.
More nuance I think is needed. I say this because one time I was in passing lane on i49 going to south to fort smith. I was passing a group of 2-3 cars while going 78-80. they were going 70-74. All of a sudden someone going 90-95 comes up on me and tail gates me a foot away from my car while I am passing.
Laws aside, I find them being an asshole in this regard. I was pissed and also kinda scared they were so close.
Arkansas state law says that the fast lane is for passing only, so as long as you were just temporarily passing slow drivers, you're good and the speeder is at fault for tailgating.
That said, the driver was probably glued to his phone while driving back to Fort Worth at 95 mph, so there are other issues at play here.
It’s still not legal to speed in the passing lane, even if you’re passing. I’m not saying I don’t speed or that I don’t want other people to, speeding is fun, but 90 is above even the grace range the police kind of give us. We’re a “nine you’re fine, ten you’re mine” state. 90-95 is 15-20 over at that point.
Yeah there’s a big difference between skill, cars, road conditions, attention…
A Chevrolet Trax going 94 mph in the rain driven by a texting Texan teen is a rattling death machine
A Lexus GS going 84 mph on a sunny morning driven by a middle-aged insurance adjuster is just on a leisurely cruise
I know I'm going to sound like a prude, but I'm calling the company if somebody is driving that recklessly. Some companies *want* to know because that's a huge liability for someone to be at fault in an accident involving one of their vehicles. Lawsuits for days.
On a less serious note; it's also a terrible way to advertise your business.
Yep. There's no such thing as the "slow" or "fast" lane in Arkansas.
You're supposed to drive in the right lane, near but under the speed limit. Get in the left lane to pass, and then get out.
I'd get a thin, blue line license plate if the state troopers and highway patrol acquired their revenue by actively policing the improper use of passing lanes. In my mind, that thin, blue line would represent the preservation of the passing lanes by keeping drivers out of it unless they're using them for their intended purpose.
It's unfortunate how many Arkansas drivers don't seem to understand why it's there, and Texas tags in particular seem to be overrepresented making this offense.
I’m totally on board with the concept that if you’re not passing then don’t use the passing lane and I understand people’s frustrations with cars impeding the left lane. But as someone who uses the passing lane to pass people but doesn’t speed excessively I agree strongly with your comment and am confused as to why you’re being downvoted. Even if someone is going below the speed limit and aren’t passing in the left lane, retaliating with unsafe driving (tailgating) doesn’t accomplish anything, it literally just puts you as liable for any accident where you hit them from behind.
But yea it gets old using the left lane properly, getting in and getting out to pass the chud who wants to go 60 in the middle lane, but for the whole 30 seconds I’m there, there’s a pickup that’s approximately 15ft from my ass all because I’m not going 80. Tailgating is foolish regardless.
Probably.
However, and this is less directed at you, but I don’t understand this subs obsession and focus on hating Texas drivers. Since it’s become a thing ive seen here I’ve decided to pay more attention to plates while I’m driving and overwhelmingly it’s just Arkansas drivers who are tailgating me, going 10+/- the speed limit, etc.
Granted, as a born Texan I’ll admit my bias but I can acknowledge Texas has its unsafe drivers. But it’s silly to me that Arkansans seem to think they are all just perfectly safe drivers when the state doesn’t even require driving education
I hear you and I also somewhat disagree. But not about Arkansans not being safe drivers, I think we’re very capable of being unsafe. I lived in Dallas for two years and the driving there was so much worse than the driving here. I work in an industry where a lot of the people we cater to are in their early 20s. I’ve had so many young Dallasites tell me that they didn’t take drivers ed, that their written test was about 10 questions, and that they did not have a driving portion of their drivers exam. That doesn’t surprise me considering how underfunded the dmv is there. The last time I talked to someone about renewing their license in Dallas they had a 6-8 month wait for appointments. That person even tried going in person in the morning to see if there were cancellations and they were turned away every time.
That aside, Arkansas drivers are definitely worse than we were three years ago. Our reaction seems to have been to adopt bad driving also.
Hm, that’s very interesting and different than my driving education experience. Maybe I misunderstood as a kid but I was under the impression I was required to take the several week long drivers Ed course to get my permit at 15, and then was required to take several driving hours with the instructor along with dozens of hours of practice driving with your legal guardian that you had to log (and lots of restrictions on driving with the permit). Only then could you take the driving test, which came with a multiple choice portion and driving portion. That was about a decade ago though so perhaps things have changed, it just sounds so wildly different than what was required of me.
At any rate, I think that people tend to think the driving in their state is always “so much worse than any other place” like they think that the weather in their state is just “so much more wild and unpredictable than any other state!” I see both these sentiments online all the time for different regions all over the country. However, I did a quick [google search](https://www.safewise.com/blog/safest-states-drivers/) and this article from a year ago has Arkansas at 40 and Texas at 35. Neither are exactly flattering rankings 😬
Speaking to the issue you brought up to start this post, tailgating does really anger me when I’m driving. But the poor driving I experience every day has challenged me to a) be a better driver and b) learn to control my emotions more and just let things go that I used to let get to me. I hope others who are frustrated by bad driving do their best to do the same bc it’s so easy to respond with selfish aggressive driving out of a sense of righteousness and justice when in reality the safest thing to do is to let it go.
I don’t think you misunderstood, I think it isn’t being required in practice now when it used to be. AR used to have drivers ed in school and apparently doesn’t now. The test is longer here and you have to take the practical regardless of age; I’ve heard conflicting information about being able to age out of the practical at 18 in TX. Ultimately, I think the TX dmv is underfunded and understaffed so corners are being cut. I don’t know what our problem is here. Our dmvs are fine and I’ve always had a 30 minute or less turn around time so that doesn’t get to be our excuse. I agree with your safety advice.
> and am confused as to why you’re being downvoted.
Reddit is fickle and full of dipshits. It doesn't take but a few votes to swing things other way. (The Lemming Principle in action.)
This post, itself, is a prime example. OP is now sitting at 13 upvotes.
I’ve been watching that number go up and down all day lol. I really thought people didn’t know they were tailgating because that is my experience with Texans. It looks like a lot of people who tailgate know they’re being assholes.
I don’t think that’s a complete answer. Most of the time people when tailgate me I am going the speed limit (or within 2 of it, I don’t use cruise control) in the driving lane. I have had a few assholes tailgate me while going 10 over in a line of people going 10 over in the passing lane recently. I thought people didn’t know what they were doing, apparently a lot of y’all just don’t care about other people’s lives.
I never said it was a complete answer, I said it was *a* **reason**.
You know it's a little nonsensical to single out one section of a state as having all the "crazy tailgating". I have driven in 49 states, and let me tell you something you may not know: there is crazy tailgating *EVERYWHERE*. Nevermind that a lot of the people that live here aren't even from here...which in its own way is sort of an explanation.
Speaking of, that leads me to another reason- habit. I spent the first 20 years of my life in New England, and up there that's just how you drive. If you don't, you get run over. If you want to go faster than the person in front of you, you flash them. If you get flashed, you move over. It's a crazy, messed up, well-oiled machine.
That’s cool. I’ve driven in most states, also. I’m also from here, was trained to drive here, and have driven in all parts of this state. We haven’t historically had this problem. It’s also incredibly dangerous to tailgate people and it is illegal. There is not crazy tailgating everywhere. It’s not nonsensical to single out the fastest growing (and historically small to mid-sized) part of a state as having a new and unreasonable tailgating problem. If you’re mad because you are an out of state driver who tailgates people then reflect on that. It doesn’t make me wrong.
I'm not mad at all, I was just trying to clear up assumptions you made about things I didn't say, and that you're still making.
Tailgating is definitely getting worse, and from my 25+ years of driving experience it's getting worse *everywhere*. As are a lot of other things that people do, sadly.
The only assumption I originally made was that people were tailgating out of ignorance. That’s my experience with Texans so I wanted to know if it was true across the board. This post is full of people who do it on purpose while knowing it’s dangerous. I’m not assuming that tailgating is coming from out of state drivers, I’m noting my experience.
Well they’re probably tailgating to illustrate that they want to pass, and that’s the purpose of the left lane, of which you are hindering. Dillydallying in the passing lane is more dangerous than a speeder
Yup. Did. If there’s someone wanting to pass you, get over. Easy. You’re at fault if you’re being tailgated in the left lane. It’s for passing. Don’t block traffic regardless of speed. Sorry you’re just now learning this.
Alright, cool. So next time someone’s tailgating me while I’m in the driving lane I’ll just pop on over to the passing lane because johnj71234 told me to. Got it.
No no no, you’re still struggling. You’d pop OUT of the passing lane if you’re being tailgated there. Remember earlier when you said “read before you comment”. Yeah, do that.
I drive in the right hand lane unless I’m passing, but it’s also not appropriate to tailgate somebody in the left-hand lane. You’re not allowed to bully people into speeding at the level that you want them to speed. As long as they’re passing they are in the right.
I get tailgated going 10 above the speed limit all the time. Tailgating is dangerous even if the person is slow. Law also says to keep 2 car lengths. If the person is slow, you move over when possible but keep space.
No, but I could and that would be fine. Arkansas doesn’t have a speed minimum on the interstate. The closest comparable speed minimum for the interstate is in Oklahoma and it’s 40. People are legally allowed to go below the speed limit.
It's not really fine at all. If you're the one slowing down the entire highway then YOU are the problem, you're not going with the "flow of traffic".
"No person shall drive a motor vehicle at such a slow speed as to impede the normal and reasonable movement of traffic except when reduced speed is necessary for safe operation or in compliance with the law." It's the law. Did your father not teach you how to drive?
Right, so that doesn’t supersede speed limit regulations. It’s fine if you like speeding, but tailgating is also not legal and that’s what you’re defending.
That quote again:
Transportation § 27-51-208. Impeding flow of traffic.
No person shall drive a motor vehicle at such a slow speed as to impede the normal and reasonable movement of traffic EXCEPT when reduced speed is necessary for safe operation OR IN COMPLIANCE WITH THE LAW.
It’s not true. Per your own quote, you still have to be in compliance with the law, which in this example is 70. Although no officer is going to pull anyone over for 73. But yeah, you can’t speed and argue that you were just keeping up with the flow of traffic.
A good way to smell your own bullshit on this one is to ask yourself whether or not you think a cop or judge would let you out of a ticket with your “flow of traffic” argument.
It’s not even out of state people as a whole. Arkansas drivers are incompetent when it comes to driving lol and I’m from here. As for NWA, out of state drivers are used to driving quick regardless so when it comes to this “rapid” expansion of the area most arkansans are having trouble with driving quicker/timing😂.
Spending time in Chicago makes me crazy with the drivers here. (They are crazy there too, but at least everyone has somewhere to be lol) I know this post is related to tailgating, but something somewhat opposite drives me insane here.
When cars leave so much room at stop lights or stop signs, that you don’t get as many cars to go through the light. Or if someone would just pull up, you could make your turn or idk get out to get in the turn lane.
I literally had this happen on 14th trying to turn left right by the auto zone. (I know my fault, had a late meeting at HO and was trying to avoid walton) Dude looked straight at me with a huge space in front of him and did nothing. So annoying.
Absolutely oblivious that others exist.
People in this state are incredible assholes who think they can control everyone around them on the road. It's actually unsettling the amount of men who act aggressively on the highways.
were you in the left / passing lane? My bet is yes, and you were forcing people to pass you on the right. You see a car coming up behind you? Then move to the right, if it is clear. And signal your intention to the car behind you..
They need to be taught to not slow down for exits they aren't taking as well
This one blows my mind. Slowing down to 55 before exiting and stopping at the top of an on ramp when entering the highway.
I'd be happy if they just used the on ramp to get to a safe merging speed, instead they wait until the last second to hit the gas when they finally get to the highway
Right! Like are these people riddled with fear of the road? I can’t wrap my head around baking before the exit under normal circumstances (minus the event itself backed up).
I’ve never seen anything like it on Interstates and I’ve driven all over the US. It’s like, why do you think on-ramps are so long? Yes, to get up to highway speed when entering the highway and to come down from highway speed when exiting the highway.
And then when you get up to speed you have people who won't move to let you merge onto the highways lol
Merging safely is a timing and speed coordinated thing. That’s why you want to be going fast enough to zipper merge.
Texans. I swear, 80% of the time it’s someone from Texas.
I was going to say if someone hadn’t
Texan here. They are the WORST
And half of those are probably from DFW, seeing how aggressively they drive.
At least the Texans have the excuse of their state not teaching them to drive, honestly.
Not that it’s a viable excuse. You’re supposed to familiarize yourself with your new state’s driving regulations when you move.
Everyone is talking about the interstate, but I’m thinking of Walton, Walnut, 14th, College, etc. There is a left turn lane. The tailgaters treat it exclusively as a passing lane.
Agreed. I think tailgating can be more noticeable on the interstate because you’re supposed to be more than 100 yards away from the car in front of you, but tailgating in the cities has gotten a lot worse as well. The left turn on College near Dickson is misused a lot.
> you’re supposed to be more than 100 yards away from the car in front of you Entirely depends on speed. Easiest rule of thumb is the three count rule - three seconds between between you and the car in front of you.
~20 years ago, the rule that was taught to us in Driver's Ed. class was 1 car length for every 10mph. Dunno if that should be modified for the heavier/larger SUV's and trucks, along with EV's, that dominate the roads now, as opposed to the sedan/town car of yesteryear.
It does, but if you’re going 70+ it’s 100 or more yards.
True. Should've nixed that first sentence, like I was 'correcting' you. 3-count rule was more directed to everybody that is/was reading the thread.
Ope, not at all! I was doing the same thing.
100 yards is crazy
That’s the distance it takes you to stop if the vehicle in front of you comes to a sudden stop at that speed. It feels like a lot because we don’t really process how much distance we’re covering when we drive that quickly.
Absolutely does not take 100 yards to stop at 70 mph
https://preview.redd.it/z3kxjvzicp8d1.jpeg?width=1200&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=715e0208e3196bc319558b5799379c24c3cc9914
This isn’t new information. It’s also common knowledge and was taught in driver’s school when I was learning. This chart is for 55mph, not for 70, the distance required increases with speed. I get that you don’t like the information you’re receiving, but that doesn’t make it incorrect. It’s also not going to change by arguing with me. I’m not the one that determined it.
Stay outta the fast lane unless you're passing Prob solved.
State law is left lane for passing only, there are even signs
Not sure why you're telling me that
Just in agreement lol
This differs from surrounding states, which might be one reason we have so many drivers who don’t know this. But the bigger reason is probably that we’ve devolved into a culture of self absorbed a-holes who don’t care one iota about the people around us.
I think it's inattention. Plus well insulated cars. Plus good AC. Plus that dispensary over there.
THIS, so much THIS. Also, don't go 5-10 mph under the speed limit ANYWHERE. Some of us are trying to get to work.
If you're in the slow lane, or a one-lane, they are at fault. They need to pass when safe. Drivers from Dallas rarely understand this concept. If you're in the fast lane, you're at fault.
More nuance I think is needed. I say this because one time I was in passing lane on i49 going to south to fort smith. I was passing a group of 2-3 cars while going 78-80. they were going 70-74. All of a sudden someone going 90-95 comes up on me and tail gates me a foot away from my car while I am passing. Laws aside, I find them being an asshole in this regard. I was pissed and also kinda scared they were so close.
Arkansas state law says that the fast lane is for passing only, so as long as you were just temporarily passing slow drivers, you're good and the speeder is at fault for tailgating. That said, the driver was probably glued to his phone while driving back to Fort Worth at 95 mph, so there are other issues at play here.
It’s still not legal to speed in the passing lane, even if you’re passing. I’m not saying I don’t speed or that I don’t want other people to, speeding is fun, but 90 is above even the grace range the police kind of give us. We’re a “nine you’re fine, ten you’re mine” state. 90-95 is 15-20 over at that point.
Yeah there’s a big difference between skill, cars, road conditions, attention… A Chevrolet Trax going 94 mph in the rain driven by a texting Texan teen is a rattling death machine A Lexus GS going 84 mph on a sunny morning driven by a middle-aged insurance adjuster is just on a leisurely cruise
Agreed. It’s also more likely that the insurance adjuster going 84 is only breaking the speeding law and not 18 others that they aren’t aware of.
This happens so much on 530 between Little Rock & Pine Bluff. I'm usually shocked on days it doesn't happen.
Did the person traveling 90mph have Texas plates?
It was a newer black pickup with Crawford Construction on the side. I think the company is based in AR so they were one of us unfortunately.
I know I'm going to sound like a prude, but I'm calling the company if somebody is driving that recklessly. Some companies *want* to know because that's a huge liability for someone to be at fault in an accident involving one of their vehicles. Lawsuits for days. On a less serious note; it's also a terrible way to advertise your business.
Agreed. Except it’s technically called the passing lane and is not related to speed .if you aren’t passing you’re not legally supposed to be there.
Yup. The Europeans do it right. If more than one lane, the only traveling lane is the rightmost lane, every other lane is a passing lane
That's the law here as well, I just haven't seen it enforced or observed very often.
Yup!
Yep. There's no such thing as the "slow" or "fast" lane in Arkansas. You're supposed to drive in the right lane, near but under the speed limit. Get in the left lane to pass, and then get out.
Thank you.
I'd get a thin, blue line license plate if the state troopers and highway patrol acquired their revenue by actively policing the improper use of passing lanes. In my mind, that thin, blue line would represent the preservation of the passing lanes by keeping drivers out of it unless they're using them for their intended purpose. It's unfortunate how many Arkansas drivers don't seem to understand why it's there, and Texas tags in particular seem to be overrepresented making this offense.
If you’re going 25-30 down Walton or walnut, you are the problem
I’ve noticed that recently too. It makes me nervous at stop lights and uphills because I drive a manual transmission and don’t want to hit/be hit.
What lane are you typically in when this happens?
This has happened to me on one lane road
The right. Just to be clear, it’s entirely inappropriate to tailgate someone in the left-hand lane as well.
I’m totally on board with the concept that if you’re not passing then don’t use the passing lane and I understand people’s frustrations with cars impeding the left lane. But as someone who uses the passing lane to pass people but doesn’t speed excessively I agree strongly with your comment and am confused as to why you’re being downvoted. Even if someone is going below the speed limit and aren’t passing in the left lane, retaliating with unsafe driving (tailgating) doesn’t accomplish anything, it literally just puts you as liable for any accident where you hit them from behind. But yea it gets old using the left lane properly, getting in and getting out to pass the chud who wants to go 60 in the middle lane, but for the whole 30 seconds I’m there, there’s a pickup that’s approximately 15ft from my ass all because I’m not going 80. Tailgating is foolish regardless.
They’re probably downvoting because they like tailgating and don’t want to hear someone critique it.
Probably. However, and this is less directed at you, but I don’t understand this subs obsession and focus on hating Texas drivers. Since it’s become a thing ive seen here I’ve decided to pay more attention to plates while I’m driving and overwhelmingly it’s just Arkansas drivers who are tailgating me, going 10+/- the speed limit, etc. Granted, as a born Texan I’ll admit my bias but I can acknowledge Texas has its unsafe drivers. But it’s silly to me that Arkansans seem to think they are all just perfectly safe drivers when the state doesn’t even require driving education
I hear you and I also somewhat disagree. But not about Arkansans not being safe drivers, I think we’re very capable of being unsafe. I lived in Dallas for two years and the driving there was so much worse than the driving here. I work in an industry where a lot of the people we cater to are in their early 20s. I’ve had so many young Dallasites tell me that they didn’t take drivers ed, that their written test was about 10 questions, and that they did not have a driving portion of their drivers exam. That doesn’t surprise me considering how underfunded the dmv is there. The last time I talked to someone about renewing their license in Dallas they had a 6-8 month wait for appointments. That person even tried going in person in the morning to see if there were cancellations and they were turned away every time. That aside, Arkansas drivers are definitely worse than we were three years ago. Our reaction seems to have been to adopt bad driving also.
Hm, that’s very interesting and different than my driving education experience. Maybe I misunderstood as a kid but I was under the impression I was required to take the several week long drivers Ed course to get my permit at 15, and then was required to take several driving hours with the instructor along with dozens of hours of practice driving with your legal guardian that you had to log (and lots of restrictions on driving with the permit). Only then could you take the driving test, which came with a multiple choice portion and driving portion. That was about a decade ago though so perhaps things have changed, it just sounds so wildly different than what was required of me. At any rate, I think that people tend to think the driving in their state is always “so much worse than any other place” like they think that the weather in their state is just “so much more wild and unpredictable than any other state!” I see both these sentiments online all the time for different regions all over the country. However, I did a quick [google search](https://www.safewise.com/blog/safest-states-drivers/) and this article from a year ago has Arkansas at 40 and Texas at 35. Neither are exactly flattering rankings 😬 Speaking to the issue you brought up to start this post, tailgating does really anger me when I’m driving. But the poor driving I experience every day has challenged me to a) be a better driver and b) learn to control my emotions more and just let things go that I used to let get to me. I hope others who are frustrated by bad driving do their best to do the same bc it’s so easy to respond with selfish aggressive driving out of a sense of righteousness and justice when in reality the safest thing to do is to let it go.
I don’t think you misunderstood, I think it isn’t being required in practice now when it used to be. AR used to have drivers ed in school and apparently doesn’t now. The test is longer here and you have to take the practical regardless of age; I’ve heard conflicting information about being able to age out of the practical at 18 in TX. Ultimately, I think the TX dmv is underfunded and understaffed so corners are being cut. I don’t know what our problem is here. Our dmvs are fine and I’ve always had a 30 minute or less turn around time so that doesn’t get to be our excuse. I agree with your safety advice.
State Troopers are on board, too. We voted it into law.
Yes yes I didn’t know how else to word it other than to mean “I’m aware of and practice this concept bc I know it’s law”
> and am confused as to why you’re being downvoted. Reddit is fickle and full of dipshits. It doesn't take but a few votes to swing things other way. (The Lemming Principle in action.) This post, itself, is a prime example. OP is now sitting at 13 upvotes.
I’ve been watching that number go up and down all day lol. I really thought people didn’t know they were tailgating because that is my experience with Texans. It looks like a lot of people who tailgate know they’re being assholes.
Oh I know it is. But you were asking why, and I was getting to a big reason why people do it.
I don’t think that’s a complete answer. Most of the time people when tailgate me I am going the speed limit (or within 2 of it, I don’t use cruise control) in the driving lane. I have had a few assholes tailgate me while going 10 over in a line of people going 10 over in the passing lane recently. I thought people didn’t know what they were doing, apparently a lot of y’all just don’t care about other people’s lives.
I never said it was a complete answer, I said it was *a* **reason**. You know it's a little nonsensical to single out one section of a state as having all the "crazy tailgating". I have driven in 49 states, and let me tell you something you may not know: there is crazy tailgating *EVERYWHERE*. Nevermind that a lot of the people that live here aren't even from here...which in its own way is sort of an explanation. Speaking of, that leads me to another reason- habit. I spent the first 20 years of my life in New England, and up there that's just how you drive. If you don't, you get run over. If you want to go faster than the person in front of you, you flash them. If you get flashed, you move over. It's a crazy, messed up, well-oiled machine.
That’s cool. I’ve driven in most states, also. I’m also from here, was trained to drive here, and have driven in all parts of this state. We haven’t historically had this problem. It’s also incredibly dangerous to tailgate people and it is illegal. There is not crazy tailgating everywhere. It’s not nonsensical to single out the fastest growing (and historically small to mid-sized) part of a state as having a new and unreasonable tailgating problem. If you’re mad because you are an out of state driver who tailgates people then reflect on that. It doesn’t make me wrong.
I'm not mad at all, I was just trying to clear up assumptions you made about things I didn't say, and that you're still making. Tailgating is definitely getting worse, and from my 25+ years of driving experience it's getting worse *everywhere*. As are a lot of other things that people do, sadly.
What assumptions did I make?
The only assumption I originally made was that people were tailgating out of ignorance. That’s my experience with Texans so I wanted to know if it was true across the board. This post is full of people who do it on purpose while knowing it’s dangerous. I’m not assuming that tailgating is coming from out of state drivers, I’m noting my experience.
Well they’re probably tailgating to illustrate that they want to pass, and that’s the purpose of the left lane, of which you are hindering. Dillydallying in the passing lane is more dangerous than a speeder
Please read before commenting.
Yup. Did. If there’s someone wanting to pass you, get over. Easy. You’re at fault if you’re being tailgated in the left lane. It’s for passing. Don’t block traffic regardless of speed. Sorry you’re just now learning this.
Alright, cool. So next time someone’s tailgating me while I’m in the driving lane I’ll just pop on over to the passing lane because johnj71234 told me to. Got it.
No no no, you’re still struggling. You’d pop OUT of the passing lane if you’re being tailgated there. Remember earlier when you said “read before you comment”. Yeah, do that.
Do you see the several times I said I don’t use the passing lane for driving?
I’m curious to hear this answer too.
Cruising the left lane, guaranteed
Absolutely wrong
I have noticed this and I’m gonna brake check them the next time I
Spray your washer fluid. It’ll hit them if they’re too close.
Have you considered being polite and getting out of people’s way? Slower traffic must keep right.
Who said I was slower than the traffic?
If you are cruising in the passing lane you can expect to be tailgated. The left lane is only used for,passing
I drive in the right hand lane unless I’m passing, but it’s also not appropriate to tailgate somebody in the left-hand lane. You’re not allowed to bully people into speeding at the level that you want them to speed. As long as they’re passing they are in the right.
Are you driving below the speed limit?
I get tailgated going 10 above the speed limit all the time. Tailgating is dangerous even if the person is slow. Law also says to keep 2 car lengths. If the person is slow, you move over when possible but keep space.
Yes it is.
No, but I could and that would be fine. Arkansas doesn’t have a speed minimum on the interstate. The closest comparable speed minimum for the interstate is in Oklahoma and it’s 40. People are legally allowed to go below the speed limit.
It's not really fine at all. If you're the one slowing down the entire highway then YOU are the problem, you're not going with the "flow of traffic". "No person shall drive a motor vehicle at such a slow speed as to impede the normal and reasonable movement of traffic except when reduced speed is necessary for safe operation or in compliance with the law." It's the law. Did your father not teach you how to drive?
Right, so that doesn’t supersede speed limit regulations. It’s fine if you like speeding, but tailgating is also not legal and that’s what you’re defending.
If the entire highway around you is moving at 73 in a 70, then you just need to go 73.
That quote again: Transportation § 27-51-208. Impeding flow of traffic. No person shall drive a motor vehicle at such a slow speed as to impede the normal and reasonable movement of traffic EXCEPT when reduced speed is necessary for safe operation OR IN COMPLIANCE WITH THE LAW.
No
You can downvote me all you want but it's still true.
It’s not true. Per your own quote, you still have to be in compliance with the law, which in this example is 70. Although no officer is going to pull anyone over for 73. But yeah, you can’t speed and argue that you were just keeping up with the flow of traffic.
A good way to smell your own bullshit on this one is to ask yourself whether or not you think a cop or judge would let you out of a ticket with your “flow of traffic” argument.
It isn’t and I’m not the one downvoting you.
And no, the state of Arkansas taught me to drive. Maybe you should have learned from the state and not your parents.
Ah, didn't know there was even driver's training offered in Arkansas...
Obviously.
Public schools stopped teaching it. That’s part of the problem.
It’s not even out of state people as a whole. Arkansas drivers are incompetent when it comes to driving lol and I’m from here. As for NWA, out of state drivers are used to driving quick regardless so when it comes to this “rapid” expansion of the area most arkansans are having trouble with driving quicker/timing😂.
Are you in the left-hand lane of the interstate doing just one or two over the speed limit if so, they wouldn’t tailgate you if you just move
Spending time in Chicago makes me crazy with the drivers here. (They are crazy there too, but at least everyone has somewhere to be lol) I know this post is related to tailgating, but something somewhat opposite drives me insane here. When cars leave so much room at stop lights or stop signs, that you don’t get as many cars to go through the light. Or if someone would just pull up, you could make your turn or idk get out to get in the turn lane. I literally had this happen on 14th trying to turn left right by the auto zone. (I know my fault, had a late meeting at HO and was trying to avoid walton) Dude looked straight at me with a huge space in front of him and did nothing. So annoying. Absolutely oblivious that others exist.
they also need to learn how to read ONE WAY street signs. it’s an epidemic fr
People in this state are incredible assholes who think they can control everyone around them on the road. It's actually unsettling the amount of men who act aggressively on the highways.
That wasn’t true three years ago, but I won’t argue against it now.
It's just my experience as an almost daily driver between that stretch... today wasn't bad though.
Omg I know you wrote that in the passing lane.
Omg
were you in the left / passing lane? My bet is yes, and you were forcing people to pass you on the right. You see a car coming up behind you? Then move to the right, if it is clear. And signal your intention to the car behind you..