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I've heard the stories but until this week I have not been pulled over for driving too slow. The first cop said that I was driving slow and "weaving" across the white line. I told him I was on my way to work, had not been drinking, drive slow to save gas and that I did not cross any lines. He let me go ASAP and said something about just doing his job to keep drunks off the road. Overall the first cop was nice and I understood about him doing his job.

The second cop said the exact same thing and when I told him that I didn't weave he got all mad and told me I did so. He was just itching to start an argument. I offered to blow for alcohol and he kept insisting that I was "weaving". I explained that I was aware of his "technique" for finding drunk drivers and related the story of the first cop who used the exact same lie. I had crossed no lines in either case. The second cop then claimed I was weaving "within the lane" and that he never claimed I crossed a line. What a dirtbag!

Anyway neither cop issued even so much as a warning ticket. Clearly they both thought I was drunk.

I finally feel like an official hypermiler! You ain't a hypermiler till you get pulled over for going too slow!

IYou ain't a hypermiler till you get pulled over for going too slow!

Word :cool:

RH77

This spring I was probably on the verge of getting pulled over for going slow.

Word :cool:

RH77

lol not yet... but i've been eyed down.

lol
Guess I better be extra careful because I always carry a bottle of hand sanitizer that's 99% ethyl alcohol and if you clean your hands just before being pulled over, it smells just like vodka.

Hand sanitizer, sure.........

Can I assume the Civic shows MPG like the Prius? (Sorry, I'm mostly ignorant about the HCH.) If so, show it to him. It will help convince him of your sincerity, and it might be an opportunity to proselytize!

Can I assume the Civic shows MPG like the Prius? http://www.greenhybrid.com/share/files/2/3/1/6/100_0749.JPGHCH dash pic

Yep! I tapped on the dash but the cops were not interested in talking about MPG....

I got a written warning for "violating the right side white line" or some such verbage, while going thru Kansas for HF06 this July. 2 or 3 AM I was RR letting others around when needed. One just wouldn't go around...........then he hit me with the light. He thought I had been tipping the bottle also.

Randall

Ive had them look at me. Had a tex trooper look me over like I was a felon.

The okie fuzz have been pretty cool about my hypermiling efforts. There are min. and max speeds posted. Stay with in those and straight,,, you should have no problems.

The police should focus on cell phone use. Poor drunks get a bum rap.

Here's an idea to be proactive: Contact your local police (the chief or someone else in authority) and offer to educate them on the driving habits of hypermilers. For example, offer to do a brief in-service session for their officers. At the same time, you can ask them for advice on how to keep it safe (even though most of us know how, I would hope). They may appreciate the opportunity to provide a safety message, especially if you pledge to spread it through the hypermiling community.

As gas goes up (and I do believe it will), they will see more folks using these techniques. If they're made aware, they should be less suspicious seeing a Prius using pulse and glide at 6:00 a.m.

Suprized someone has not suggested that the police do hypermiling doing their beat. Not suggesting they do it while pacing...

Hum, I think I will stay away from commenting on this. It seems like we have discussed this Topic before and it usually goes down hill if anyone were "Stupid-Enough" to Point out that it does get one very quickly noticed from driving this slow. Now I am not making this comment I am simply saying if someone were to point this out they would wish they had not. So with this being said I will not make any comment here like that. This is just a what if someone did point it out that an Officer would very quickly wonder what was going on and more than likely think up some reason to pull the driver over to see what is going on. Now the reason for the Officers looking at someone going this slow is simple. 90% of drivers are pulled over for what? SPEEDING :(

Remember these comments are not made by me I am just saying it would not go well for someone if they did make these comments. I would never ever say these things. Honest ;)

Tiger

We don't know what the posted limit was vs how slow lakedude was going, so I'm going to say he was given a hard time.

I was going 45 in a 55 the first time.

The second time I was also going 45 in a 55 when the cop started tailgating me. I exited from that highway, sped up to 55 on the new highway but later slowed down to make a left turn (he was behind me quite a while). The cop also complained about my going 25 in the left lane, just before the left turn! What a jerk! I knew a cop was behind me so I drove very carefully, turn signals and all.

ROFL. Some dude pulled out on a bicycle and almost hit my car. A cop was on the left of me. It was mostly my mistake. I only noticed the cop 3 seconds later after the bicycle thing.

I didn't dare to look at the cops or even turn my head in their direction. Every time I do it results in getting pulled over or some kind of body search.

My cousin was with me, he said they stared at my car and then turned off somewhere. My car is so dirty that if I were to wash it black water would be hitting the ground. Plus I got tinted windows so they definetly didn't see who is driving the car.

I was followed by a state trooper for quite a while one night last month going 50 on the interstate late at night (it was posted 55). I didn't get pulled over though.

Yea, I've been pulled over twice as well.

One time someone was SEVERELY tailgating for about 1/4 mile so I pulled into a Left turn only lane to let him pass. Yes, it was the cop tailgating....then he pulled me over for using the Left lane in that manner!
After a bit of confrontation (I was mad) it was over and I drove away with no ticket or warning. (I did nothing wrong) but he was trolling for drunks.
I can understand and appreciate his goal but not the way he was doing.

Another funny thing about that-
I had my camera set up for a test run for a movie "How to hypermile a HCH" which I published on the web some time ago. The camera would have been recording but I didn't realize it shut off the first time I did a FAS. (sigh)

The second time I got pulled over the cop said I didn't use my Left blinker, and that I was driving in an "odd" manner. He was right on both accounts and gave me a warning for the turn.
That time we had a brief discussion regarding FE and he was flabbergasted.
He is a cop in the tiny rural town I live in and I just wave (5 finger) as I slowly NICE-ON past him in his speed trap at 12:00 midnight. :rolleyes:

What Is "weaving within the lane"? Varying your path between the lines to get the best "Line" through bends? Ever watch how a motorcycle corners? Bikes don't just get in the right wheel track and stay there, unless they're riding in a straight line for long periods. I do the same no matter what vehicle I'm driving.

I've heard the stories but until this week I have not been pulled over for driving too slow. The first cop said that I was driving slow and "weaving" across the white line. I told him I was on my way to work, had not been drinking, drive slow to save gas and that I did not cross any lines. He let me go ASAP and said something about just doing his job to keep drunks off the road. Overall the first cop was nice and I understood about him doing his job.

The second cop said the exact same thing and when I told him that I didn't weave he got all mad and told me I did so. He was just itching to start an argument. I offered to blow for alcohol and he kept insisting that I was "weaving". I explained that I was aware of his "technique" for finding drunk drivers and related the story of the first cop who used the exact same lie. I had crossed no lines in either case. The second cop then claimed I was weaving "within the lane" and that he never claimed I crossed a line. What a dirtbag!

Anyway neither cop issued even so much as a warning ticket. Clearly they both thought I was drunk.

I finally feel like an official hypermiler! You ain't a hypermiler till you get pulled over for going too slow!

I wonder if saying "I'm driving slow to save fuel." is the best statement to make.

Time for everyone to invest in micro recorders and be ready to make a complaint at the officer's headquarters. :-)

OM

What Is "weaving within the lane"? Varying your path between the lines to get the best "Line" through bends? Ever watch how a motorcycle corners? Bikes don't just get in the right wheel track and stay there, unless they're riding in a straight line for long periods. I do the same no matter what vehicle I'm driving.

IMHO a cop is justified in pulling over someone who is randomly moving around in the lane to investigate why they are doing that, but in itself that is not ticketable. And someone who is "using" the lane as you describe should not be pulled over.

On a motorcycle I would adjust lane position for safety and visibility reasons but my "default" position was usually in the left wheel track. In traffic I'd sometimes use the right track if I was in the left lane because in an emergency it's quicker to switch lanes to the right from there. For the same reason, I'd use the left track when in the center or right lane. When passing someone on the highway I'd usually move to the track further from them to give me more leeway if they decided to join me in "my" lane. On a bike the key is to use the lane width and the two tracks to your advantage for better safety.

People who ride bikes in the middle of the lane mystify me. What a great way to get your tires slippery from the oil, grease, and antifreeze dropped there by cars and trucks! Vehicles now are less leaky than they used to be, but still....

Sometimes when I got bored I'd try to ride right on top of the painted line separating the left lane from the left shoulder. Or the one on the right. Great practice at putting your tires exactly where you want them (cops might not agree). When no traffic is near, using the dashes as slalom gates can be fun too - trickier the faster you go. In any case I always tried to change lanes between the dashes because the painted lines get very slippery when wet, so slalom was good practice for that (cops would be dubious of that explanation too).

I haven't been pulled over, I usually see them and go at a reasonable speed before they see me or I'm not going slow enough for them to care. They only worry about speeders around here. The other day some guy was tailing me going about 30-35 in a 40 (it was a bit downhill so I was coasting Ice-off) He was in his big silverado and seems like he was concerned with the atomic structure of my rear end. He backed off a bit as we went by the cop so he never got pulled over. I don't think the officer was paying attention.

Haven't been stopped yet, but been looked over pretty thoroughly. The way I see it, it is a small price to pay to have the police actively using this technique to spot drunks. Very frequently drunks so drive slow, so it is a good technique. I plan, if stopped, to just explain that I'm driving slow to save fuel and that I'm at or above the posted minimum speed.

I now try to tick the speed up a bit if traffic is dense or it is a two lane. That way I figure I can defend against "impeding" traffic, even though I'm above the minimum.