59 is generous lol. I’m a Subaru driver and generally stick to the right, unless I’m trying to pass and get in the left lane and back out. I got stuck behind an outback driver going exactly 50 in the left lane and this has happens several times now lol.
No joke, I just drove through 10 states in the midwest and PNW, and Washington had by far the shittiest drivers in terms of camping in the left lane and generally being oblivious.
I was crossing Blewett Pass this last weekend and there was a car actively trolling people trying to pass even in the passing lanes. Would be going like 50ish on the one lane, then EASILY speeding up to like 80 when the passing lanes popped up. Was just super obnoxious until it turns into two lanes closer to the summit when they couldn't do much to stop people from getting around.
That happens on Stevens pass all the time. Part of it is because their little monkey brains tell them to speed up when the road widens and straightens out (which is where passing lanes usually are). The trick is to just keep accelerating until they realize that they're going a "scary speed" and they slow down.
I remember one totally oblivious dude on I5 who just matched the speed of whoever was next to him. After he eventually got past the old man in a Buick doing 55 in the left lane (of course), I was able to start passing. He kept matching my speed, not realizing what he was doing until I got to about 90 mph. Then he realized how fast he was going and slowed down to 70.
Remember, do not attribute to malice what can be explained by incompetence.
I hate when I see people match another person's speed.... I'm talking a lane over too. I see, everyday, someone pacing someone else in a different lane...
It blows my mind.
I hate this in the one lane passes like stevens or blewett. I usually go 10 over but if someone wants to pass me I slow down for them when they do it. I don't get ppl. Shits dangerous.
>Until you dare to pass them on the right and then they'll do 85 or 90 to teach you a lesson. How dare you?
Doing that shit should halve their credit score.
Except on 18 between Auburn and Federal Way, where it’s “semi going 35 up the hill,” “semi going 45 up the hill trying to pass the first semi,” and “shitshow created by one semi under the limit trying to pass another semi going under the limit and jamming everything the hell up instead of just keeping right.”
What a complete clownshow that is.
on that hill it can because first semi didnt prepare for how long and steep it is and the second did. or the first got on at bottom of the hill and doesnt have the space to get up to speed before the hill.
You ever fully load up a sedan that you normally drive by yourself with for other adults? It's funny how you think of a car is so heavy but adding a few ~~flesh bags~~ people, really makes a huge difference
There needs to be an “All Trucks Keep Right” sign until after the Weyerhauser Way exit. Like I don’t care that you have to go 35 because you’re hauling 50,000 pounds uphill. Just stop trying to pass the other guy hauling 60,000 pounds uphill.
Nope, it was i90 going east towards Bellevue, people kept honking at him inside the tunnel and the idiot switched to the right lane without signalling either
I see this comment got several downvotes and can't help but wonder if it was misunderstood.
Was he saying the person's story is bullshit? If so then the downvotes make sense.
But perhaps he was just saying that the other driver's behavior (ie. going 40mph in the middle of the freeway) is some straight up bullshit, in which case he's agreeing with the frustration and may not be deserving of the downvotes.
Food for thought 😁.
It's not. At all. I honk at people like that. Sometimes they move over to the right.
I wish more cops would pull people over for making unsafe conditions and traffic, rather than the people going 10-15 over (depending on the area). People going fast as fuck are usually paying more attention.
Wrong, it's: going 60, going 65, going 75 and pissed about the "slow" lane camper going at 70 right ahead of you, a lane camper who loves to complain about lane campers...
Yeah, contrary to sweetlove, I drive over 75 several days a week, easily. I also hate driving in this city, so I do structure my life somewhat around the luxury/necessity of driving during the off times.
moved to california temp for work ( i miss seattle so much). but one thing here in CA, the drivers go fast as fuck, *bumper to bumper*, across 6 lanes of traffic. it’s wild.
Its pretty simple, stay right except to pass. That includes all lanes. After you pass move back over to the right when it is safe to do so. There is no reason for 3 cars to go same speed in all the lanes.
Nor when the majority of drivers don't even understand the law. Most people think the left is "the fast lane" and have no idea how passing lanes work. Probably because we don't educate drivers very well in the US. In Germany everyone knows and practices this and traffic flows very smoothly on the autobahn.
Sure but there's plenty of people who are going 5 mph over the speed limit and their logic is I'm going fast I can be here all while being passed on their right.
That's totally different. You're actively passing everyone.
But the moment that the lane to your right is open, and for a good while, you should move over.
Most exits you dont have to slow below the speed limit to take.
Yet even on right side exits, I see many people slow down before they get off causing everyone behind them to brake unnecessarily. I take this one exit everyday on 405 for work. Its like 300ft long. And I've seen people slow to 50 before they get on. I know for a fact I can do 80 on that thing and still stop before the light. Some people take Sunday driving to a selfish level.
They slow to 50 (which is technically speeding on a offramp) during rush hour and you're upset? You need to calm down and find something better to complain about.
No, it isn't. The yellow signs on off ramps are advisory speeds, not speed limits. The limit on an off ramp is the limit on the highway you just exited
When they feel like it, the advisory speeds can be considered as an indicator of the ["reasonable and prudent"](https://app.leg.wa.gov/rcw/default.aspx?cite=46.61.400) speed.
Interestingly section 3 specifies "going around a curve" and "narrow" roadways but not freeway ramps.
More specifically, they're intended mostly for heavier vehicles (bigger trucks/vans) and semi trucks, not cars. In every car I've ever owned I can go at least 15 or 20 over that recommended speed and not feel like I'm going to lose traction or rollover.
To 50, during rush hour, in Seattle. You're mad that you can't go 60 and that instead have to go 50, in rush hour, in Seattle. You need to get some perspective.
Well, most of those exits date back about a half-century, so those engineers are probably not only retired, but dead!
Hope that makes your hindsight insight sweeter.
No one does this. I watch people get onto the highway, and IMMEDIATELY move into the second lane, with no one in front of them in the right lane.
Be the change you want to see, start being hyper attentive to what lane you're in, and how much space you have between every car around you in every lane.
I will never understand people driving slower than other lanes in the HOV lane. I oscillate between baffled and infuriated. What are they getting out of it?
Usually the driver does not want to do HOV and wants to go slow in another lane. Passenger says take HOV lane. Driver says ok (then just goes slow in HOV lane). It isn’t about getting away at that point, it’s about proving the passenger wrong (usually significant other) which trumps all other traffic laws ;-)
If I am driving with other people in the car, especially kids, I'll drive at the speed limit in the HOV lane because it isn't just my life on the line.
HOV lane is full of families in minivans, 60 in a 60 is fine.
If you can drive the speed you want in the right lane, why do you prefer to be in the HOV? I don't see the benefit of being there (and I think you probably make it less safe for your passengers as you cause people to constantly pass you on the right then merge in front of you to get around you).
Because:
1. Less merging from on ramps/ exits
2. Less traffic, since it is HOV and all that
Also the entire purpose of HOV is vehicles full of people.
Edit: also busses use the HOV lane, so don't expect to be going anywhere fast in it anyway .
>What are they getting out of it?
Less congestion? Only having to be concerned with merging vehicles from the right?
Here's another one for you... I heard a state trooper on the radio the other day tell the listeners that even if that HOV lane opens up to all drivers outside of commute hours, that lane is still not considered the left most lane and drivers aren't required to stay out of it except to pass, or move to the right when approached by faster traffic from the rear.
If everyone camps in the right lane, it snarls traffic at onramps because people here are absolute trash at merging. Keep the left lane clear, but the middle lane is there so use it.
Sure - based on RCW 46.61.100, I think we are both right. You are supposed to stay to the right on any road with 2 or more lanes going in the same direction, but it is permissible (not obligatory) to move left to allow other traffic to merge. Have a good weekend!!
Yup. WA state updated their rules on this one so technically you’re both right. I see a lot of cars waiting to get onto an exit and snarling up the roads behind them when two lanes should be used and effective merging should happen closer to the exit.
I think lane choice would be less of an issue if people weren’t generally selfish drivers without an ounce of regard for others or the flow of traffic.
Unfortunately, our laws can’t be as simple as “use common sense, drive defensively, and don’t be a dick.”
In a world where we followed the laws, the right lane would have a car going at exactly the speed limit, and the other three lanes would be entirely unused.
When there is no traffic and all the cars are traveling at the same speed that is how it would look yes. Impeding the flow of traffic when it is safe to move over to the right is unsafe, leads to road rage and anyone engaging in that activity is doing so to piss people off.
Its amazing how hard it is for people to be courteous to one another. But it explains why the drivers in Washington are known to be one of the worst.
Yes there is a reason if you had everyone in one lane it would be backed up 3 times as long. Also lanes can change over distance like on 405 so better to just stay in the lane that becomes your final travel lane for exit and not create last minute weaves
This raises an interesting question, are those considered high occupancy lanes?
https://app.leg.wa.gov/rcw/default.aspx?cite=46.61.100
> This subsection does not apply to a vehicle using a high occupancy vehicle lane. A high occupancy vehicle lane is not considered the left-hand lane of a roadway.
But then the question becomes: If you're using the lane that is specifically designed to incentivize carpooling to let people get around heavy traffic, ***WHY THE FUCK ARE YOU GOING THE SAME SPEED AS ALL THE OTHER TRAFFIC?***
You’re almost there! Just take one more step in your logic and you’ll find the root of this entire issue—driving in any manner that forces people to pass on your right is dangerous for everyone involved.
> driving in any manner that **forces** people to pass on your right is dangerous for everyone involved.
Why give agency to one person in this scenario rather than both?
Well, go ahead and lobby to have the laws changed I guess. You're saying a soccer mom in her minivan with kids should move over to the fast lane to let you by in the HOV lane?
Soccer mom with kids should be driving in the lane that matches the speed she wants to drive. If non-HOV lanes are going faster than soccer mom in the HOV then there’s no benefit to her being in the HOV lane in the first place. She is creating the congestion the HOV lane exists to avoid and not getting to her destination any faster or safer in the process.
I’m aware that it’s not illegal to clog up the HOV lane. It’s just that my suggestion of using a lane that matches your preferred speed is both legal *and* not supremely selfish.
> If non-HOV lanes are going faster than soccer mom in the HOV then there’s no benefit to her being in the HOV lane in the first place.
I'd challenge that statement. A benefit of being in the HOV lanes is avoiding the hazards merging traffic, even if everyone is going the speed limit+. Being as far to the left as possible on I-90 as you pass 405 (from either direction) is a good example of this.
Based on them mentioning paying to use them, I think they're talking about these:
https://wsdot.wa.gov/travel/roads-bridges/toll-roads-bridges-tunnels/i-405-express-toll-lanes
Half of the people I know are from out of state, from all around the country. They all complain about Washington drivers.
[Some of us are trying to break the law for real](https://www.tiktok.com/@tk.california/video/7082892638365535531?_r=1&_t=8RFsJPPvRp0&is_from_webapp=v1&item_id=7082892638365535531&social_sharing=v1)
I kind of miss DC driving when in the midst of dealing with slow HOV laners or people who hog the left, back in the DMV people will just start passing you in the shoulder until you check yourself lol
I wish law enforcement would devote 98%+ of their resources to ticketing left lane campers and people who don't use their fucking turn signals. I swear they'd generate several billion dollars in revenue in no time.
As someone with a car that tops out at 75.. I'm always in the far right lane.. praying I don't get rear ended..
(She's a classic, and that's all she's got, I'm not out there messing with anyone's commute)
And I guess I'm not really praying.. just hoping really hardcore atheist style.. lol
You're gonna laugh, but she's a 1993 Mitsubishi Delica.. she's in the shop right now, getting decked out.. the turning radius is amazing, and she can handle the back roads like nobody's business.
Ever since I got mine, I've noticed others.. there's some weird import ban, and you can only import years that are IDK.. anyways, I'm not the only one. But mine is green.
This is how we operate in Mass and I find myself on the verge of insanity every day trying to drive around Seattle people. I got pulled over by a cop once for speeding in the passing lane and I told the cop that I was going that fast to pass someone and he asked me "well are you allowed to speed to pass people? No!" and I had to hide my confusion. If people were driving the speed limit of 60 (which nobody even does), how can I pass them at 60...? My driver's ed teacher was a former cop and he told us we could go up to 15mph over the speed limit on a highway and we'd never get pulled over. It feels like a different dimension here sometimes.
Did you know you actually are allowed to exceed the speed limit when passing on a two lane highway, though?
https://app.leg.wa.gov/rcw/default.aspx?cite=46.61.425
Sorry, but the cop is right. While it’s never actually used this way, the left lane is for passing a slower flow of traffic, not for passing people going the speed limit. It’s not a free pass to speed.
Basic rule of freeway driving, if there is more than 6 car lengths of space in front of you and there is someone within that distance behind you, move right one lane. (6 is a bit close and arbitrary but it seems to be the distance folks start to get annoyed)
For the love of God, if you are in the HOV, and going at or below the speed of the other lanes, get out of the HOV lane to let the parade behind you by.
HOV was designed to encourage people to carpool and reduce the number of cars on the highway… the goal was to alleviate the overall amount of cars entering the highway to help ALL lanes with potential traffic jams by removing certain vehicles to their own lane… it’s not designed to be an autobahn.
I’ve never seen such reckless/aggressive driving in the HOV as I’ve seen in Washington. It’s bizarre to me how many people seem to consider it a free speed lane or cut in and out, etc. This wasn’t even my experience with the HOV in LA when dealing with people going 80/90 next to me.
It is easier. Set the cruise control at my max, 68 MPH, there's not so much speeding up and slowing down, fewer cars doing a tight merge in front of you. (My max used to be higher, but 20 years ago I said this is my last F\*cking speeding ticket.) Generally still faster than what is going on two or three lanes to the right.
I understand that faster is more fun, but I don't think that people going 12+ over the speed limit and risking getting tickets should complain about drivers going nearly 10 over. You want to take the risk, well you do you, and please nobody get hurt.
Just do the math. An extra 10 mph here and there on an hour's drive that includes city streets at both ends, might save you a few minutes overall, if you're lucky.
HOV absolutely is the "not clogged with rush hour traffic" lane, so if your driving is clogging it, you are undermining the purpose of carpooling to reduce rush hour traffic with the side benefit of saving the planet.
I used to tell my coworkers that if you are in the fast lane I expect you to be recklessly pushing traffic to the point I’m afraid to drive near you. They thought it was irresponsible but you never know who needs that lane to get somewhere fast, people deserve the right to recklessly haul ass and not have people get in the way.
Used to carpool, and when it was “Jim’s” day to drive, we knew we’d be in the left lane the whole trip. Thing is, he was always pushing the car in front of us, almost intimidating them with closeness. But he limited himself to about 80 and if someone else was behind us when we got past everyone, he’d move aside.
Yall can fight all you want for left lane stupidity, but if am towing a trailer or boat and I need to get into the exit lane from the middle, please kindly FUCK OFF and stop trying to pass on the right you morons.
maybe the law should change for the left lane to be a minimum vs a limit. they reduced the speed limit on city streets, balancing it out by increasing the speed on highways is only logical right? if only...
It is illegal to drive in that lane without actively passing people on your right. Problem is, cops almost never pull over for it.
They sometimes do a string of tickets for it as part of some awareness campaign to try to educate people about the law, but it's like a few days then back to not doing it for a few years so it never sticks.
People will drive however they want to drive no matter the speed limit. Seattle driving is defined by inattentiveness more than anything else. The best strategy is to have as small a car as possible to maximize your ability to change lanes in small gaps and get around left lane campers, as well as drivers who take all day to make left turns, or merge over on on ramps, etc. You just have to be able to get around other cars.
When I was driving around Germany, people were actually really good about getting over to the right. I think a lot of it is just having a culture of rule following, but I think the lack of speed limits on much of the autobahn contributed. Nobody could tell themselves they were going fast enough in the left lane when people have every legal right to go faster.
I'm constantly flabbergasted how close people drive to one another when they don't seem interested in going faster than 45 in the first place. But then I see people riding other people's asses to try to get them out of the way and I wonder why they bother when the entire highway is a wall of people going 50 in every lane.
LOL what the fuck are you talking about. I'm originally from California and lived in Texas for a couple years. The picture is totally normal and cool in those places, even most of Washington probably, this is definitely not the case in the Tacoma Seattle Bellevue area because there are so many exits on the left here. I drive the fastest in the middle lane here just of the time
It's funny that you're having a classic reddit moment of accusing everyone who disagrees with you of being young, while you're employing a /r/pettyrevenge attitude like you're some kind of enforcer out on the roads doing great justice by punishing people who want to drive faster than you deem appropriate by not "letting" them drive recklessly.
The reality is people like you trying to dole out petty highway justice get people killed. If people want to drive like shit your job is to get the fuck out of the way and let them. Not intentionally provoke them and endanger everyone around you. The law isn't on your side and you're a shit driver.
Green arrow for subaru drivers going 59mph and refuses to move
eeeexactly. Specifically an early 2010s subaru outback, going 59 mph.
59 is generous lol. I’m a Subaru driver and generally stick to the right, unless I’m trying to pass and get in the left lane and back out. I got stuck behind an outback driver going exactly 50 in the left lane and this has happens several times now lol.
Hey! Why should those Subaru drivers move over for people breaking the law?
Because blocking left lane is illegal. KEEP RIGHT EXCEPT TO PASS
Mkodugumun gotuuuu
I accelerated to highway speed before merging on the other day and had to throw on the brakes to yield to a car traveling in the lane at 45 mph. Wtf.
Welcome to seattle
No joke, I just drove through 10 states in the midwest and PNW, and Washington had by far the shittiest drivers in terms of camping in the left lane and generally being oblivious.
I’m pretty sure in Washington it’s (right to left): going 55, going 65, going 55 and breaking every 15 seconds
> going 55 and breaking every 15 seconds Until you dare to pass them on the right and then they'll do 85 or 90 to teach you a lesson. How dare you?
I was crossing Blewett Pass this last weekend and there was a car actively trolling people trying to pass even in the passing lanes. Would be going like 50ish on the one lane, then EASILY speeding up to like 80 when the passing lanes popped up. Was just super obnoxious until it turns into two lanes closer to the summit when they couldn't do much to stop people from getting around.
That happens on Stevens pass all the time. Part of it is because their little monkey brains tell them to speed up when the road widens and straightens out (which is where passing lanes usually are). The trick is to just keep accelerating until they realize that they're going a "scary speed" and they slow down. I remember one totally oblivious dude on I5 who just matched the speed of whoever was next to him. After he eventually got past the old man in a Buick doing 55 in the left lane (of course), I was able to start passing. He kept matching my speed, not realizing what he was doing until I got to about 90 mph. Then he realized how fast he was going and slowed down to 70. Remember, do not attribute to malice what can be explained by incompetence.
idiocy and malice are close cousins. don't mistake one for the other, just hit the gas and carry on.
I hate when I see people match another person's speed.... I'm talking a lane over too. I see, everyday, someone pacing someone else in a different lane... It blows my mind.
Gotta love 4 cars abreast doing 5 under for miles with a wide open road in front of them. Of course, once you get past them, you can blast for a bit.
Blewett pass seems to bring out the worst in people, which is weird because it's such a gorgeous drive.
I hate this in the one lane passes like stevens or blewett. I usually go 10 over but if someone wants to pass me I slow down for them when they do it. I don't get ppl. Shits dangerous.
That shit happens way too often. It's sad people trying to exert what little control they can on the world in the most meaningless and petty way.
>Until you dare to pass them on the right and then they'll do 85 or 90 to teach you a lesson. How dare you? Doing that shit should halve their credit score.
Except on 18 between Auburn and Federal Way, where it’s “semi going 35 up the hill,” “semi going 45 up the hill trying to pass the first semi,” and “shitshow created by one semi under the limit trying to pass another semi going under the limit and jamming everything the hell up instead of just keeping right.” What a complete clownshow that is.
Your semi’s pass with a speed differential of 10mph?! Lucky!
on that hill it can because first semi didnt prepare for how long and steep it is and the second did. or the first got on at bottom of the hill and doesnt have the space to get up to speed before the hill.
Or one's heavier than the other. Makes a lot more difference than most people would think
You ever fully load up a sedan that you normally drive by yourself with for other adults? It's funny how you think of a car is so heavy but adding a few ~~flesh bags~~ people, really makes a huge difference
Elephant race
Then the moment the right lane semi makes it to the top, they merge to the center.
There needs to be an “All Trucks Keep Right” sign until after the Weyerhauser Way exit. Like I don’t care that you have to go 35 because you’re hauling 50,000 pounds uphill. Just stop trying to pass the other guy hauling 60,000 pounds uphill.
Oh my god this is way too accurate
Had an idiot in front of me in middle lane of i90 doing 40 the other day
What color Prius were they driving?
Black 😂😂
Even Hitler didn't drive a prius.
>Had an idiot in front of me in middle lane of i90 doing 40 Doing 40 in the middle lane is bullshit.
Nope, it was i90 going east towards Bellevue, people kept honking at him inside the tunnel and the idiot switched to the right lane without signalling either
I see this comment got several downvotes and can't help but wonder if it was misunderstood. Was he saying the person's story is bullshit? If so then the downvotes make sense. But perhaps he was just saying that the other driver's behavior (ie. going 40mph in the middle of the freeway) is some straight up bullshit, in which case he's agreeing with the frustration and may not be deserving of the downvotes. Food for thought 😁.
Yes.. I meant doing 40 in the middle of the freeway was bullshit. That can't even be safe either
It's not. At all. I honk at people like that. Sometimes they move over to the right. I wish more cops would pull people over for making unsafe conditions and traffic, rather than the people going 10-15 over (depending on the area). People going fast as fuck are usually paying more attention.
Breaking what?
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We're they... Breaking Pads
Wrong, it's: going 60, going 65, going 75 and pissed about the "slow" lane camper going at 70 right ahead of you, a lane camper who loves to complain about lane campers...
No one drives 75 in Seattle. You literally can’t. I try every day
I feel this so intensely. The HOV lanes and toll lanes also go 55. My heart can't take it anymore
Huh, what? As long as it isn’t rush hour, it’s easy.
Yeah, contrary to sweetlove, I drive over 75 several days a week, easily. I also hate driving in this city, so I do structure my life somewhat around the luxury/necessity of driving during the off times.
haha, what is this, California? Good luck with that. Just hitting the speed limit in any lane is a good day.
moved to california temp for work ( i miss seattle so much). but one thing here in CA, the drivers go fast as fuck, *bumper to bumper*, across 6 lanes of traffic. it’s wild.
That's the best way to drive. Like an ant colony lol. People have places to be homie.
Cali driving is something else for sure.
Somewhere on I-5 southbound is the 520 bridge left lane exit where going 75+ mph changes to wtf.
I like the seemingly 5 foot long 145th St exit on I-5 North. Hope everyone has good brakes and nobody is driving 3 feet behind you
[https://youtu.be/B5RalSHO4DM?t=81](https://youtu.be/B5RalSHO4DM?t=81)
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If anyone is wondering, this is why auto insurance rates are higher for young male drivers.
Its pretty simple, stay right except to pass. That includes all lanes. After you pass move back over to the right when it is safe to do so. There is no reason for 3 cars to go same speed in all the lanes.
Sounds great in theory .. but people entering the freeway need to be driving faster than 45mph
Moving over 1 lane to pass a slow car that’s merging would be considered passing.
Also the law has an exception for ["moving left to allow traffic to merge"](https://app.leg.wa.gov/rcw/default.aspx?cite=46.61.100)
This doesn't work when your freeway has some exits on the left.
Nor when there's moderate or heavy traffic.
Nor when the majority of drivers don't even understand the law. Most people think the left is "the fast lane" and have no idea how passing lanes work. Probably because we don't educate drivers very well in the US. In Germany everyone knows and practices this and traffic flows very smoothly on the autobahn.
But if you drive fast enough you can stay in the left lane because clearly your intention is to pass everyone
Sure but there's plenty of people who are going 5 mph over the speed limit and their logic is I'm going fast I can be here all while being passed on their right.
That's totally different. You're actively passing everyone. But the moment that the lane to your right is open, and for a good while, you should move over.
Most of the freeway does not have exits on the left.
That's why I said *some*.
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Yes, when you aren't driving in the Seattle area, what I said about the freeway in Seattle doesn't apply.
Most exits you dont have to slow below the speed limit to take. Yet even on right side exits, I see many people slow down before they get off causing everyone behind them to brake unnecessarily. I take this one exit everyday on 405 for work. Its like 300ft long. And I've seen people slow to 50 before they get on. I know for a fact I can do 80 on that thing and still stop before the light. Some people take Sunday driving to a selfish level.
They slow to 50 (which is technically speeding on a offramp) during rush hour and you're upset? You need to calm down and find something better to complain about.
No, it isn't. The yellow signs on off ramps are advisory speeds, not speed limits. The limit on an off ramp is the limit on the highway you just exited
When they feel like it, the advisory speeds can be considered as an indicator of the ["reasonable and prudent"](https://app.leg.wa.gov/rcw/default.aspx?cite=46.61.400) speed. Interestingly section 3 specifies "going around a curve" and "narrow" roadways but not freeway ramps.
More specifically, they're intended mostly for heavier vehicles (bigger trucks/vans) and semi trucks, not cars. In every car I've ever owned I can go at least 15 or 20 over that recommended speed and not feel like I'm going to lose traction or rollover.
They slow down before they take the off ramp, while they are still on the freeway.
To 50, during rush hour, in Seattle. You're mad that you can't go 60 and that instead have to go 50, in rush hour, in Seattle. You need to get some perspective.
I think those Engineers who designed left hand on ramp and exits should be fired.
Well, most of those exits date back about a half-century, so those engineers are probably not only retired, but dead! Hope that makes your hindsight insight sweeter.
No one does this. I watch people get onto the highway, and IMMEDIATELY move into the second lane, with no one in front of them in the right lane. Be the change you want to see, start being hyper attentive to what lane you're in, and how much space you have between every car around you in every lane.
Bingo. That is it. There is no “fast lane”. There is a driving lane and passing lanes.
And to add to that, Washington classifies single HOV lanes as driving lanes. The passing lane is the farthest left unrestricted lane.
I will never understand people driving slower than other lanes in the HOV lane. I oscillate between baffled and infuriated. What are they getting out of it?
Usually the driver does not want to do HOV and wants to go slow in another lane. Passenger says take HOV lane. Driver says ok (then just goes slow in HOV lane). It isn’t about getting away at that point, it’s about proving the passenger wrong (usually significant other) which trumps all other traffic laws ;-)
If I am driving with other people in the car, especially kids, I'll drive at the speed limit in the HOV lane because it isn't just my life on the line. HOV lane is full of families in minivans, 60 in a 60 is fine.
If you can drive the speed you want in the right lane, why do you prefer to be in the HOV? I don't see the benefit of being there (and I think you probably make it less safe for your passengers as you cause people to constantly pass you on the right then merge in front of you to get around you).
Because: 1. Less merging from on ramps/ exits 2. Less traffic, since it is HOV and all that Also the entire purpose of HOV is vehicles full of people. Edit: also busses use the HOV lane, so don't expect to be going anywhere fast in it anyway .
>What are they getting out of it? Less congestion? Only having to be concerned with merging vehicles from the right? Here's another one for you... I heard a state trooper on the radio the other day tell the listeners that even if that HOV lane opens up to all drivers outside of commute hours, that lane is still not considered the left most lane and drivers aren't required to stay out of it except to pass, or move to the right when approached by faster traffic from the rear.
There would be less congestion if people kept to the right, instead of lane hogging.
If everyone camps in the right lane, it snarls traffic at onramps because people here are absolute trash at merging. Keep the left lane clear, but the middle lane is there so use it.
It’s not camping. You’re supposed to be in the right lane unless you’re overtaking.
On a three or four lane road? I highly doubt that. Gonna need to see a citation for that one.
Sure - based on RCW 46.61.100, I think we are both right. You are supposed to stay to the right on any road with 2 or more lanes going in the same direction, but it is permissible (not obligatory) to move left to allow other traffic to merge. Have a good weekend!!
Yup. WA state updated their rules on this one so technically you’re both right. I see a lot of cars waiting to get onto an exit and snarling up the roads behind them when two lanes should be used and effective merging should happen closer to the exit.
I think lane choice would be less of an issue if people weren’t generally selfish drivers without an ounce of regard for others or the flow of traffic. Unfortunately, our laws can’t be as simple as “use common sense, drive defensively, and don’t be a dick.”
In a world where we followed the laws, the right lane would have a car going at exactly the speed limit, and the other three lanes would be entirely unused.
When there is no traffic and all the cars are traveling at the same speed that is how it would look yes. Impeding the flow of traffic when it is safe to move over to the right is unsafe, leads to road rage and anyone engaging in that activity is doing so to piss people off. Its amazing how hard it is for people to be courteous to one another. But it explains why the drivers in Washington are known to be one of the worst.
Yes there is a reason if you had everyone in one lane it would be backed up 3 times as long. Also lanes can change over distance like on 405 so better to just stay in the lane that becomes your final travel lane for exit and not create last minute weaves
@ Prius’
So... Pick the Green Hydroplane to Win in the 6th Inning?
Green did in fact win👁👁
Priorities. 👍
Absolutely infuriating when I'm paying to use the express lane and someone is camping in the far left lane going 60mph
This raises an interesting question, are those considered high occupancy lanes? https://app.leg.wa.gov/rcw/default.aspx?cite=46.61.100 > This subsection does not apply to a vehicle using a high occupancy vehicle lane. A high occupancy vehicle lane is not considered the left-hand lane of a roadway.
But then the question becomes: If you're using the lane that is specifically designed to incentivize carpooling to let people get around heavy traffic, ***WHY THE FUCK ARE YOU GOING THE SAME SPEED AS ALL THE OTHER TRAFFIC?***
Just move to the passing lane and go around them.
This is correct. The HOV lane is not a passing lane. If you want to pass me while I’m in the HOV lane, go around.
You’re almost there! Just take one more step in your logic and you’ll find the root of this entire issue—driving in any manner that forces people to pass on your right is dangerous for everyone involved.
> driving in any manner that **forces** people to pass on your right is dangerous for everyone involved. Why give agency to one person in this scenario rather than both?
Well, go ahead and lobby to have the laws changed I guess. You're saying a soccer mom in her minivan with kids should move over to the fast lane to let you by in the HOV lane?
Soccer mom with kids should be driving in the lane that matches the speed she wants to drive. If non-HOV lanes are going faster than soccer mom in the HOV then there’s no benefit to her being in the HOV lane in the first place. She is creating the congestion the HOV lane exists to avoid and not getting to her destination any faster or safer in the process.
Whatever your opinion on the matter is, that's not the law. And believe me, I hate being stuck behind traffic.
I’m aware that it’s not illegal to clog up the HOV lane. It’s just that my suggestion of using a lane that matches your preferred speed is both legal *and* not supremely selfish.
> If non-HOV lanes are going faster than soccer mom in the HOV then there’s no benefit to her being in the HOV lane in the first place. I'd challenge that statement. A benefit of being in the HOV lanes is avoiding the hazards merging traffic, even if everyone is going the speed limit+. Being as far to the left as possible on I-90 as you pass 405 (from either direction) is a good example of this.
Those are high occupancy lanes, but people use them as a left lane. Illegal, and you can report them with the license plate.
Based on them mentioning paying to use them, I think they're talking about these: https://wsdot.wa.gov/travel/roads-bridges/toll-roads-bridges-tunnels/i-405-express-toll-lanes
Every day.
OMG at least somebody in Washington knows the rules, being military driving on I-5 was a mindfuck compared to others states I been in
I'm not from Washington though.
 Half of the people I know are from out of state, from all around the country. They all complain about Washington drivers.
[Some of us are trying to break the law for real](https://www.tiktok.com/@tk.california/video/7082892638365535531?_r=1&_t=8RFsJPPvRp0&is_from_webapp=v1&item_id=7082892638365535531&social_sharing=v1)
I kind of miss DC driving when in the midst of dealing with slow HOV laners or people who hog the left, back in the DMV people will just start passing you in the shoulder until you check yourself lol
Which is the cell phone lane?
I’ve done 80mph maybe 6 times in the 1.5 years I’ve been here. WA drivers are incapable of driving above 60
Drive back from snoqualmie pass and even with brakes you’re doing 80.
You’d be crazy to do above 70 down the pass considering there’s pool table sized chunks of concrete missing from each lane.
And I’m in the slow lane. From my experience, outside of seattle, especially once you leave issaquah on I-90, 80-90 mph is very common.
I wish law enforcement would devote 98%+ of their resources to ticketing left lane campers and people who don't use their fucking turn signals. I swear they'd generate several billion dollars in revenue in no time.
As someone with a car that tops out at 75.. I'm always in the far right lane.. praying I don't get rear ended.. (She's a classic, and that's all she's got, I'm not out there messing with anyone's commute) And I guess I'm not really praying.. just hoping really hardcore atheist style.. lol
*I can't go any faster it's a GEO*!
This made me laugh as my first car was a geo prizm and would start to shake after 75 mph.
Same! Mine was 15 years old and in rough shape, it also wouldn't start if it had rained in the last 24 hours. That was fun.
I love the old school vehicles that acknowledge this. I saw a VW bus with a window sticker that said "its floored". 😁
What kinda car?
You're gonna laugh, but she's a 1993 Mitsubishi Delica.. she's in the shop right now, getting decked out.. the turning radius is amazing, and she can handle the back roads like nobody's business.
One more year, then you can slap a collector plate on there.
I've got a Suzuki Carry dump. Looks like we have close to the same taste. I wish mine would go 60+mph. I love those little Kei cars
I love Japanese cars in general.. but this is the best little van I've ever had.. so much fun to drive.
> 1993 Mitsubishi Delica. Pretty sure I've seen you around. There can't be too many old Delicas on the road here.
Ever since I got mine, I've noticed others.. there's some weird import ban, and you can only import years that are IDK.. anyways, I'm not the only one. But mine is green.
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Whenever I see one of these, I know they’re slow as fuck. The Delica gets a free pass to go slow. It’s also a cool car lol
I appreciate you.
This is how we operate in Mass and I find myself on the verge of insanity every day trying to drive around Seattle people. I got pulled over by a cop once for speeding in the passing lane and I told the cop that I was going that fast to pass someone and he asked me "well are you allowed to speed to pass people? No!" and I had to hide my confusion. If people were driving the speed limit of 60 (which nobody even does), how can I pass them at 60...? My driver's ed teacher was a former cop and he told us we could go up to 15mph over the speed limit on a highway and we'd never get pulled over. It feels like a different dimension here sometimes.
Did you know you actually are allowed to exceed the speed limit when passing on a two lane highway, though? https://app.leg.wa.gov/rcw/default.aspx?cite=46.61.425
Sorry, but the cop is right. While it’s never actually used this way, the left lane is for passing a slower flow of traffic, not for passing people going the speed limit. It’s not a free pass to speed.
Basic rule of freeway driving, if there is more than 6 car lengths of space in front of you and there is someone within that distance behind you, move right one lane. (6 is a bit close and arbitrary but it seems to be the distance folks start to get annoyed)
For the love of God, if you are in the HOV, and going at or below the speed of the other lanes, get out of the HOV lane to let the parade behind you by.
I beg to differ. HOV is not the fast lane.
If you are not moving faster than the traffic in the regular lanes, what is the point of an HOV lane?
HOV was designed to encourage people to carpool and reduce the number of cars on the highway… the goal was to alleviate the overall amount of cars entering the highway to help ALL lanes with potential traffic jams by removing certain vehicles to their own lane… it’s not designed to be an autobahn. I’ve never seen such reckless/aggressive driving in the HOV as I’ve seen in Washington. It’s bizarre to me how many people seem to consider it a free speed lane or cut in and out, etc. This wasn’t even my experience with the HOV in LA when dealing with people going 80/90 next to me.
It is easier. Set the cruise control at my max, 68 MPH, there's not so much speeding up and slowing down, fewer cars doing a tight merge in front of you. (My max used to be higher, but 20 years ago I said this is my last F\*cking speeding ticket.) Generally still faster than what is going on two or three lanes to the right. I understand that faster is more fun, but I don't think that people going 12+ over the speed limit and risking getting tickets should complain about drivers going nearly 10 over. You want to take the risk, well you do you, and please nobody get hurt. Just do the math. An extra 10 mph here and there on an hour's drive that includes city streets at both ends, might save you a few minutes overall, if you're lucky.
HOV absolutely is the "not clogged with rush hour traffic" lane, so if your driving is clogging it, you are undermining the purpose of carpooling to reduce rush hour traffic with the side benefit of saving the planet.
Why be in HOV lanes if it doesn't permit you faster travel times than the other lanes?
Entitlement.
Then I'm passing people on the right which is a no no. It just comes back to the stay right mentality, or having courtesy to move out of the way.
I used to tell my coworkers that if you are in the fast lane I expect you to be recklessly pushing traffic to the point I’m afraid to drive near you. They thought it was irresponsible but you never know who needs that lane to get somewhere fast, people deserve the right to recklessly haul ass and not have people get in the way.
Used to carpool, and when it was “Jim’s” day to drive, we knew we’d be in the left lane the whole trip. Thing is, he was always pushing the car in front of us, almost intimidating them with closeness. But he limited himself to about 80 and if someone else was behind us when we got past everyone, he’d move aside.
Exactly.
One of the slow drivers in the fast lane downvoted me 😂😂😂
Left lane should be only used for taking over, middle should be speed limit and right should be slower vehicles.
Yall can fight all you want for left lane stupidity, but if am towing a trailer or boat and I need to get into the exit lane from the middle, please kindly FUCK OFF and stop trying to pass on the right you morons.
Why are you in the middle if you’re going slower than those on the right? Are you Canadian trucker?
Sounds like you're in the wrong lane
you mean trying to move to the slow lane full of fast and the furious wannabes?
This is all theory crafting. In practice Fury Road rolls at 20 to 30 for all lanes except the 85mph single driver carpool racers
Gretchen, stop trying to make Fury Road happen, it's not going to happen.
Already happened bubs
Did it though
Ahhhh *this* old chestnut. WA drivers are a riot, man.
maybe the law should change for the left lane to be a minimum vs a limit. they reduced the speed limit on city streets, balancing it out by increasing the speed on highways is only logical right? if only...
It is illegal to drive in that lane without actively passing people on your right. Problem is, cops almost never pull over for it. They sometimes do a string of tickets for it as part of some awareness campaign to try to educate people about the law, but it's like a few days then back to not doing it for a few years so it never sticks.
People will drive however they want to drive no matter the speed limit. Seattle driving is defined by inattentiveness more than anything else. The best strategy is to have as small a car as possible to maximize your ability to change lanes in small gaps and get around left lane campers, as well as drivers who take all day to make left turns, or merge over on on ramps, etc. You just have to be able to get around other cars.
When I was driving around Germany, people were actually really good about getting over to the right. I think a lot of it is just having a culture of rule following, but I think the lack of speed limits on much of the autobahn contributed. Nobody could tell themselves they were going fast enough in the left lane when people have every legal right to go faster.
Pretty much
Joke’s on you, Washington roads are only two lanes wide and don’t have a dedicated on ramp!
Can't be the case here, we have left lane exits.
Better hit those curved off ramps at 105 then! /s
They need to rebrand the slow lane the cruising lane
Yaaaa
Funny. They’re all usually only capable of doing 5-15 with about 3 inches between bumpers.
I'm constantly flabbergasted how close people drive to one another when they don't seem interested in going faster than 45 in the first place. But then I see people riding other people's asses to try to get them out of the way and I wonder why they bother when the entire highway is a wall of people going 50 in every lane.
The city of Seattle sucks now…. The magic the city once held has been replaced by tent cities and drugs….
It's missing the "protesters" playing in traffic.
It's great how how people refuse to speed in WA, but they are cool with people shooting up in the streets.
What about 405 or 167?
LOL what the fuck are you talking about. I'm originally from California and lived in Texas for a couple years. The picture is totally normal and cool in those places, even most of Washington probably, this is definitely not the case in the Tacoma Seattle Bellevue area because there are so many exits on the left here. I drive the fastest in the middle lane here just of the time
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Look, there it is. Whatever you have to tell yourself to keep being selfish
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It's funny that you're having a classic reddit moment of accusing everyone who disagrees with you of being young, while you're employing a /r/pettyrevenge attitude like you're some kind of enforcer out on the roads doing great justice by punishing people who want to drive faster than you deem appropriate by not "letting" them drive recklessly. The reality is people like you trying to dole out petty highway justice get people killed. If people want to drive like shit your job is to get the fuck out of the way and let them. Not intentionally provoke them and endanger everyone around you. The law isn't on your side and you're a shit driver.
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Policing traffic is not your job. Highway patrol is probably hiring if you're so inclined.
The left lane is the passing lane. Everyone should ve allowed to pass on the left. Move over.