From: utzoo!dciem!mmt
Newsgroups: net.flame
Title: Left-lane road hogs
Article-I.D.: dciem.190
Posted: Mon Feb 21 22:23:17 1983
Received: Tue Feb 22 08:32:28 1983



After driving on the German Autobahn last Spring and again in Autumn,
I realize how detestable, dangerous, and expensive people are who
insist on cruising in the left lane of 4-lane highways or the
middle and left lanes of 6-lane highways. What is the point of
spending millions of dollars of taxpayers' money on a right-hand
lane added to a 4-lane highway if no-one uses it except the people
who want to go fast (illegally, but they do it anyway). When they
come up behind a slow car legitimately using the right lane, they
zoom into the middle, which in itself is dangerous. In Germany,
the traffic can be twice as fast (Yes a factor of two), with the
appearance of much greater safety. After driving the autobahn at
160 kph for a week, and being passed by cars doing anywhere up to
260 (I measured), I was dead scared when I drove Canadian highways
at 110 (above the speed limit, I grant you). If you keep right
except to pass, you never have to worry about someone passing you
on the blind side. If you come up behind someone tooling along in the
left lane do you flash your lights (rude), wait (frustrating),
or pass on the right (dangerous and illegal, but the popular
solution)?
  I don't know how much money would be saved by increases in highway
capacity if people drove on the right except to pass, but I bet there
would be some saved in accident payments, and there would be a great
deal saved in nervous wear and tear.


		Martin Taylor
P.S. I'm not sure that autobahn speeds could be maintained with so
many North American cars on the roads, but at least drivers could
drive properly in that one respect without a great deal of effort.