Passing on the right

[C M Smith <cmsmith@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

In my locale, passing on the right is legal but I had understood it is not 
in many places in North America. It is dangerous. I do it, but I prefer to 
pass on the left.

The passing on the right rule only works if you also have a rule requiring 
traffic not reaching the speed limit to drive in the right lane. Yessir, 
you can block the left lane only if you are already travelling at the speed 
limit. My particular bug bear is not left lane bandits so much as left lane 
enforcers who fly in formation to block speeding traffic. My usual 
technique for these is to cut them off as I return to the fast lane, rude 
but then so is blocking the left lane. Occasionally some dimwit will take 
it upon himself to actively obstruct me in my quest for an open lane. 
Generally I predict brown staining on the driver's seat for such a foolish 
driver. Very few of these idiots actually know how to drive so don't really 
know where their wheels are (other than under the car somewhere) much less 
where the edges of the bodywork might be. They really should learn how to 
drive properly if they are going to try to obstruct traffic flow.....

As for merging, very few drivers here understand the concept. It is a 
lawyer's delight however as the law creates equal right of way between the 
merging traffic and the traffic on the main road! Any accident by 
definition is both drivers' fault. Safe merging is best done when the 
merging vehicle is travelling faster than the traffic flow. Slowing your 
car into the gap is much more efficient than trying to accelerate into a 
hole in the traffic. Unfortunately, this optimum technique is illegal if 
you must exceed the speed limit to do so. By far the most common error is 
travelling too slowly down the merge lane which necessarily means you 
interrupt traffic flow when you insert yourself into the nose to tail traffic.

What amazes me is the attempts by drivers in the main traffic flow to 
actually block your merge attempt. In bumper to bumper traffic our laws 
require the traffic on the through road to yield alternately to traffic 
attempting to merge. Never seen anyone ticketed for this though, big 
surprise. I know of lots of people ticketed for exceeding the speed limit 
when trying to merge safely. How anyone thinks it is socially beneficial to 
prevent merging traffic is beyond my understanding.

Sigh

Cheers


Michael Smith
White 1991 164L
Original owner
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