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Well, I was driving down Kiehl on my way home from work tonight when Mr Hummer or a Hummertwin gets right on my bumper as I'm doing 35 in a 40 IN THE RIGHT HAND LANE. I ended up doing a reverse pass on him, which worked...until a guy in an older GM pickup (one of the larger ones like a GMC or Silverado) pulls out in front of him and the car behind him gets up on his bumper. So now we've got a Hummer or its twin sandwiched in by an older pickup and a car.

I'm becoming more and more convinced that we live in a world of doofuses.

I got a tailgater this morning.

Raining hard for an hour or so and had slowed to a light rain as I go 40 on a 55 MPH 2-lane road. There were still lots of puddles covering most of the right lane, some pretty deep. Well, this vehicle comes up behind me, so close I could only see their headlights now and again. I continued on. A puddle was coming up, took up all of the lane. I slowly pulled close to the double yellow lines. At the last second I steered into the left lane (no traffic in sight) and around the puddle. The moron tail gaiting me tried to follow but was a little late. They hydroplaned and fishtailed but managed to keep it pointed straight. After that they fell back and went much slower, gaining their own caravan of tailgaters from what I could see in the rear view mirror.

Reason I was going that slow is before that incident, as it was down pouring, I was on my 45 MPH stretch going about 20 to 25. Lots of lakes in the road so you had to be prepared to slow and crawl through them or go into the other lane. I missed one, a deep one. Must have started directly across the road as I could not see the tell tale roundness of it in the headlights. Going 25 MPH it just about stopped me and threw water up across the front of the Yaris. I’m guessing it was deeper than the front bumper to do that. Still managed to pull a 43.2 MPG to work commute which is about average!

PTDixieGal -

I will assume that was not a JAB at me.

Although "World of Doofuses" sounds like one of my Family Renunions

;)

Steve

PTDixieGal -

I will assume that was not a JAB at me.

Although "World of Doofuses" sounds like one of my Family Renunions

;)

Steve

Nah, you can't be a doofus...you're here and not driving those stinkin Hummers. ;)

I had a guy go on the wrong side of the road to pass me today, I was going 10mph in a 15 zone. I went straight, he went left.

He was going to use different side streets to get further away from me, but my route (which I had tested before) was faster. So about 1 minute later he was right be hind me again.

And sure enough, he went on the wrong side of the road to pass me again.

I had a good laugh about this one.

I had a guy go on the wrong side of the road to pass me today, I was going 10mph in a 15 zone. I went straight, he went left.

He was going to use different side streets to get further away from me, but my route (which I had tested before) was faster. So about 1 minute later he was right be hind me again.

And sure enough, he went on the wrong side of the road to pass me again.

I had a good laugh about this one.

I love it when that happens. I had this guy pass me illegally - double yellow line - I knew his plate number as he was famous for doing this. About ten miles later he cuts in front of me so he can make a left hand turn. The very next day he made the same illegal pass only he wasn't quite as fast as ten miles later he had to pull in behind me to make that left hand turn and then he had to follow me for the next four miles before I made my exit. The real catch was if he had just followed me he could have passed legally several times before getting to that turn lane.

I love it when that happens. I had this guy pass me illegally - double yellow line - I knew his plate number as he was famous for doing this. About ten miles later he cuts in front of me so he can make a left hand turn. The very next day he made the same illegal pass only he wasn't quite as fast as ten miles later he had to pull in behind me to make that left hand turn and then he had to follow me for the next four miles before I made my exit. The real catch was if he had just followed me he could have passed legally several times before getting to that turn lane.

Hmm...if the guy is famous for this illegal behavior, why hasn't he been caught?

Hmm...if the guy is famous for this illegal behavior, why hasn't he been caught?

Actually the way enforcement is I figure that it is more likely he killed himself in an accident than that he got a ticket.

His passing spots were along a four mile stretch of road where I have been passed illegally over 200 times in the last ten years or so. This guy would pass on a curve in the dark if he didn't see lights up ahead around the curve. I have been passed everywhere imaginable along that road. It used to worst than it is now. It is down to about once a month. I think that is because they have eliminated all of the legal passing zones. I think people were saying well if is legal to pass here then there is no reason why I can't pass where to me it looks just as safe but they still have the double yellow line.

In the years I have driven the road I have seen two accidents caused by illegal passes and one car that ended up in the farmer's field because he was going too fast and could not make the illegal pass he wanted to make. His choice as a head on collision, rear end me, or head for the field. He choose the field. And I once saw a near collision between two illegal passers - one ended up sideways in the road.

In that same period I have never, ever, seen anyone stopped along that road for illegal passes or for speeding.

I had a guy go on the wrong side of the road to pass me today, I was going 10mph in a 15 zone. I went straight, he went left.

He was going to use different side streets to get further away from me, but my route (which I had tested before) was faster. So about 1 minute later he was right be hind me again.

And sure enough, he went on the wrong side of the road to pass me again.

I had a good laugh about this one.


This happens to me all the time. People here like to speed, so you get passed like you're going backward if you're doing the posted speed limit.
I point and laugh every single time I end up right beside them at the next stop light. Then, of course, the light turns green and they act like they're at a dragstrip in their 1-ton Dodge truck.

Just one day, I'd love to explain to them that they're spending so much money on gas as a direct result of their driving habits. And that their commutes wouldn't actually be any slower if they made a few small changes. The air would be so much better here in the wintertime.

In my state it is not necessarily illegal to pass on a yellow or double yellow line. I suspect most states are similar. If there is sufficient visibility, and if there are no signs explicitly forbidding passing, it is legal to pass.

Someone said that before...don't remember if it was you. However several of us looked it up & found that it is always illegal with very few exceptions....like having to move far enough over to get around a parked vehicle. If you are certain this is true, can you please back it up with links to something official (DMV or state laws).

In order to get certain road funding from the feds, they must meet certain national standards. Few states (maybe none) are willing to do thing their way & ignore that money.

I'd like to see it as well as I don't think that other than the usual exceptions that PA is different than any other state. To that end I found that the PA Drivers Manual, Chapter 2 (http://www.dmv.state.pa.us/pdotforms/pa_driversmanual/chapter_2.pdf) the following for two lane roads:

"A double, solid yellow centerline shows the center of a twoway
road. Even if it is not marked with a NO PASSING sign,
passing by traffic traveling in either direction is not allowed on
roads marked in this manner."

And for multi- land highways:

"Multi-lane highways without medians (center dividers) are
often marked as shown. Broken white lines show which lanes
can be used by vehicles traveling the same way. You may
cross the broken white lines to pass, but you may not cross
the double yellow centerlines to pass. Traffic is traveling in
the opposite direction in the lane to the left of the yellow
center line."

If there were any major exceptions I would think they would show up in the manual.

Note that the first statement directly contradicts the claim that there must be a no passing sign in addition to the double yellow lines to make such passes illegal.

I used to drive 42 miles each way to work and back on an interstate. A woman in an Oldsmobile used to slice and dice her way every morning, using the shoulders, entrance ramps, tailgating--anything to get past the normal moderate traffic of the morning. I got so tired of seeing her and her rude, dangerous driving, I sent a note to the local post of the OH state patrol, specifying her car, license plate, the route and the time of day I saw her. Lo and behold, one morning I saw her pulled over along the way, and a few days later I got a letter back from OSP that she had been observed and cited! Certainly worth a try on these consistently moronic drivers.

BTW, Ryan: 5 mph under the limit at 50 or 55, not a biggie; but at 15--do you really think your mileage is improved significantly? You are sort of contributing to his foolishness--not that that justifies it. If I were behind you, it would drive me nuts! (I still wouldn't pass you illegally, however.)

The idiots whipping by my vehicle hanging out in the right lane doing 65 in a 70 zone who nearly clip me is outrageous. One of these days I'll have to make a quick stop for a deer or somebody merging at one of the idiotically-designed interchanges and wham!

Also noticed they do occasional enforcement on the narrow 2-lane road leading to my apartment. So glad I coast down that road underneath the speed limit.

http://www.dmv.state.pa.us/pdotforms/vehicle_code/chapter33.pdf

"§ 3307. No-passing zones.
(a) Establishment and marking.--The department and local authorities may determine those
portions of any highway under their respective jurisdictions where overtaking and passing or driving
on the left side of the roadway would be especially hazardous and shall by appropriate signs or
markings on the roadway indicate the beginning and end of such zones and when the signs or
markings are in place and clearly visible to an ordinarily observant person every driver of a vehicle
shall obey the directions of the signs or markings. Signs shall be placed to indicate the beginning and
end of each no-passing zone."

There are other limitations within the chapter regarding sightlines, hilltops, and other common sense items. But if there are no signs, there is no no-passing zone.

Whatever good may come of driving 15mph below the posted speed limit should be seen as applying only to the person doing the driving. It does not make sense to assume that other drivers are necessarily going to feel the same glow of joy that you do over their fuel savings. And it does not make sense to get angry if one of them passes you in a safe manner.

Seemingly a poorly written law:

"shall by appropriate signs or markings on the roadway indicate the beginning and end of such zones and when the signs or markings are in place and clearly visible to an ordinarily observant person every driver of a vehicle shall obey the directions of the signs or markings." [bolding mine, notice it says OR not AND]

which appears to be inconsistent with:

"Signs shall be placed to indicate the beginning and end of each no-passing zone."

However since it doesn't specifically say that the markings are meaningless if there are no signs, the second part may be just a strong recommendation to the local authorities.

Arguing that lack of signs renders a double yellow meaningless might be an uphill battle in court.

I certainly don't have a problem with people passing me - in fact I try to encourage it - but if they endanger me in doing so yes I get a tad upset. If saving gas and obeying the speed limit doesn't make them happy that's their problem, not mine. But yes I do try to stay at or just below the speed limit on local roads where passing opportunities are limited. I think most people here do likewise.

the fact that it's signs OR markings, pretty such says that the lines are enough & that they must be obeyed.

I took a driver's ed course when I was learning to drive and they always told us that in most states it is ILLEGAL to pass in a double-yellow line area. The reason for this is because there is always something that is hazardous to someone passing...like a hill or sharp turn.

I think the "or" is the key word. If either is present then it is illegal to pass. The law say is either is present then don't pass. The statement at the end "Signs shall be placed to indicate the beginning and end of each no-passing zone." simply says that signs are to be placed at the beginning and end of the no-passing zones. It does not say that the absence of the signs means anything. The presence of the markings themselves clearly makes passing illegal.

Sorry folks but this is the United States of America, where it is still true -- barely, some may think -- that anything not specifically spelled out as illegal is, well, legal. You can interpret all you like of course, because conjecture hasn't been legislated yet. ;)

You are correct wdb, but I think that there are several of us who are conjecturing that your conjectures are not correct.

I think I am going to have to poke my head in on this one. I'm not a police officer, but I am in the military where the fine print of the regulations must be adhered to.

Let's compare the two laws quoted here:

From the Drivers Handbook:
"A double, solid yellow centerline shows the center of a twoway road. Even if it is not marked with a NO PASSING sign, passing by traffic traveling in either direction is not allowed on roads marked in this manner."


"§ 3307. No-passing zones.
(a) Establishment and marking.--The department and local authorities may determine those portions of any highway under their respective jurisdictions where overtaking and passing or driving on the left side of the roadway would be especially hazardous and shall by appropriate signs or markings on the roadway indicate the beginning and end of such zones and when the signs or markings are in place and clearly visible to an ordinarily observant person every driver of a vehicle shall obey the directions of the signs or markings. Signs shall be placed to indicate the beginning and end of each no-passing zone."

The first law is directed at the driver. The driver must follow this and is not allowed to pass when there is a double yellow line, even if there is no sign posted.

The second law is directed at the "department and local authorities". According to this law they must post signs at the beginning and end of each no-passing zone.

Just because the department and local authorities failed to follow the law and post the signs doesn't mean that the driver can fail to follow the law by passing when the sign isn't there.

I know, it's nitpicky, but that's how military regulations (and many state laws) go.

And once again I feel obligated to point out the 2nd part says signs "OR" marking on the roadway....the local authorities may use either. And the double yellow is considered a road marking indicating no passing is allowed. As such, it fulfills the requirements with or without any additional signage.

And once again I feel obligated to point out the 2nd part says signs "OR" marking on the roadway....the local authorities may use either. And the double yellow is considered a road marking indicating no passing is allowed. As such, it fulfills the requirements with or without any additional signage.

I'm not sure I agree with you on that part. It's a poorly written law and can be nitpicked either way.

My point was that this law makes no difference to the DRIVER, but only applies to the "department and local authorities".

The driver must follow the previously quoted law which specifically states that the double line is sufficient even without the sign.

It doesn't matter whether the authorities follow this poorly written law, the driver must follow the law in the drivers handbook.