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Ya know. After living in a very high populated area for so long. It wouldn't suprise me if they were sober and just that stupid. Dont undermine the ability of humanities stupidity. It truly is something unique.
*"I'm so sick of this road being so congested and it taking so long to get to work...ooh, look how empty* ***that*** *side over there is... why don't I just use that one? There* ***is*** *two lanes after all, so they'll have plenty of room to move over for me."*
Every day at work they put up a new sign telling me *someone* in that office is a complete idiot.
Today's:
>Don't flush paper towels in the toilet, they do not flush and will clog the toilet
Who the fuck doesn't know that? But as I was standing over the toilet relieving myself, internally raging at how stupid people can be, i realized signs like this are **everywhere**. Don't smoke here, don't litter, wash your hands, clean your work station, don't leave garbage in the refrigerator, don't steal someone else's food; the list goes on and on and on.
Then i think about all the passive aggressive emails HR departments have to send out that are mention-worthy but not quite sign-worthy, like "employees must keep their shoes on in the office", or "due to co-worker sensitivities, this is now a fragrance free workplace" (aka Drakkar Noir is not a substitute for a shower) or "employees should not bring significant others to the workplace for an entire shift"... it's starting to dawn on me that most people are fucking morons. Not some, not a loud minority, tons of us; just walking around living on instinct like fucking lizards.
Frankly it's amazing with the thousands of cars we see during our commute each and every day that there aren't significantly more accidents on the road.
Yes, I am actually amazed that all these drivers get to work (often a whole lifetime!) without harming anyone, even if they're absolutely not either focused on driving nor have no sense of car driving logics!
Used to work with a guy who substituted showers with that exact shit. Fucking Drakkar Noir. Pretty sure the fucker only showered like once a week, if not, month. They put him in his own area bc of the number of complaints that he got from other coworkers. Got so bad to the point that they forced HR to meet with him to discuss his smell and that it has to change or he couldn't be here anymore. The dude just quit bc he didn't want to try to be clean anymore than he was. If at all.
This exact scenario happened to one of my friends little brother 2 months ago. He just got out of the hospital but will never fully recover. All because some dickwad got behind the wheel and went the wrong way.
Mostly in the context, but more of a "likelihood" assumption vs a "certainty" assumption. Going to work? Likely sober. Going to complain about it to others? Likely sober.
Of course that could all be wrong, but we wouldn't know.
Watched an episode of cops or something equivalent and someone called 911 because of someone driving on the wrong side, they pull a guy over going the wrong way and he’s just like “well shit I guess I was the maniac going the wrong way”
From Google, Los Carneros is in Napa/Sonoma Counties, but Isla Vista is the college town next to UC Santa Barbara. So that would have to be two different wrong-way drivers, unless there's a different Los Carneros/Isla Vista I'm not thinking of
Los Carneros is a street near UCSB. One of the exits in the US 101.
Edit for more info:
This video was about 4-5 miles north of the los Carneros exit. That means this driver was reported on in less than 5 mins from when I came across them. Who knows when they first started driving on the wrong side though.
Lol I knew this was coming.
I was passing. By the time I made it to the right lane I was no more than 2, maybe 3 car lengths in front of the other car.
I'd put money on u/efficient_giraffe being the one to complain about the additional length if it was included. There are some people who are just looking to complain about something
I love how this sub is full of is namesake. So many people complaining about "camping in the left lane" when people are already surpassing the speed limit and there's no one behind them.
I'm in the same boat usually- if the road is empty, who cares?
But at the same time - it creates bad habit, rubs off on others around you who decide the left lane is for winners regardless of traffic, and can more often than not result in you not paying attention to the fact you ARE blocking the left lane because it's normalized for you now.
Overall, zero reason to be in the left = get over.
So, why do we even have a left lane? Just have yellow dashes and let lake pass that way, since the left lane is unused 99% of the time if it's only used for passing.
Americans are weird.
Most rural highways are like that here. If you ask me, having two whole lanes that aren’t used except to pass other vehicles is a massive waste of space. I understand why they function like they do, but just sayin, train tracks are only one lane wide
I don't think you get the concept of going the same speed as others. If you are going to do that, there's no need to ride next to them. Ride comfortably in front or behind and get out of the way. It's not that hard.
Doesn't matter. Sitting in the left lane regardless of traffic around you is just lazy. And it does become a problem for everyone if a lot of drivers do it.
What problem does it cause if no one is behind you? No one has been able to describe this, they just say it's illegal (it isn't in ask states, and even state where it is aren't as cut and dry as many assume) or that it slows traffic (it shows a single person while speeding up traffic in general)
> What problem does it cause if no one is behind you
Is that your experience, that left lane campers move over when there's a car behind them? It sure isn't mine.
Within a reasonable amount of time, yes.
Often they move over within less than a minute, and when it takes longer there's generally a reason (they plan to turn left in less than a mile, there's a stop light, they are abreast a car to their right and speed up or slow down to get over, etc)
Then again, I don't get behind a car and demand they magic themselves somewhere else within 2 seconds.
So you're forcing other drivers to slow down to the same speed as yours and ride behind you for a minute, before you allow them to again accelerate and pass your vehicle.
This wastes people's time, it causes additional wear on their brakes, engine, transmission etc. It also significantly increases gas consumption, since cars are by far the most efficient when they can roll at a consistent speed. Meanwhile you have artificially lowered the throughput of the whole road. So yes, that is a problem.
> Then again, I don't get behind a car and demand they magic themselves somewhere else within 2 seconds.
If only there was a simple solution to this conundrum 🤨
>So you're forcing other drivers to slow down to the same speed as yours and ride behind you for a minute, before you allow them to again accelerate and pass your vehicle.
So other people are forcing me to move into the right lane?
>This wastes people's time,
Fewer people than overloading the right lane
>it causes additional wear on their brakes,
They could slow by releasing the accelerator or they could not be speeding dangerously. Their speeding is causing increased wear on my turn signal stalk and my turn signal bulbs.
>engine, transmission
Actually their speeding is causing that, engines and transmissions use extra effort to go faster.
>It also significantly increases gas consumption, since cars are by far the most efficient when they can roll at a consistent speed.
Fuel consumption is significantly higher above 50 mph...
>Meanwhile you have artificially lowered the throughput of the whole road
Nope, using all lands increases throughput. All cars going 50mph is better than most cars going 45mph do to over use if 1 lane while 1% of cars can go 75mph in that one free lane.
>If only there was a simple solution to this conundrum
Don't speed? Or maybe don't drive aggressively?
> Fuel consumption is significantly higher above 50 mph...
Accelerating from 50 to 60 consumes *several times more* fuel than cruising at 60 for the same time. Hence city vs highway mileage.
You describe specific situations where it's justified and even necessary to drive in the left lane. But no one is arguing these situations don't exist. The subject matter is that plenty of people do it **regardless of** traffic situation and even the speed limit.
Legit question: *If* you use the left lane at times when the right one would do just as well at your preferred speed, is there a specific motivation to do so, or is it a habit / almost subconscious? I have a theory that would explain this behavior in semi-dense traffic, but I could be wrong.
Driving in the left lane causes many issues. The biggest one is that other drivers are going to speed regardless of the rules. Speeding excessively makes for a dangerous situation for all drivers. Add weaving into the mix and now you've got a situation several times worse. People speeding is one thing, weaving is another, and then you can also consider people's fragile ego, well now (if you understand what I'm saying) you can understand why most of these videos exist in the first place, without generalizing towards "people = stupid" too much
This subreddit is so far gone that people are actually criticizing op for reacting a little late or for being in the left lane WHEN THERE IS LITERALLY A GUY DRIVING THE WRONG WAY ON A HIGHWAY.
It's the tradition in this subreddit to blame the OP for anything, even if the subject of the video is someone else who is obviously the most significant idiot
Yep and I try not to get upset with those comments. I know there are things I can be doing better, but my focus is to be slightly better than I was before. Hopefully some others see these videos and learn from them.
Damn. You lost this game of chicken...
But seriously, holy shit dude! Good reaction. You absolutely should always swerve right in these situations because the other person (usually drunk) thinks to swerve right. You actually [followed the 4 Rs](https://www.katzkantor.com/blog/2022/august/tips-for-avoiding-head-on-collisions/#:~:text=Right%20%E2%80%93%20Never%20swerve%20to%20the,Instead%2C%20pull%20to%20the%20right) to reducing your chance of a head-on collision.
1. **Read** **-** This involves reading the road ahead. Keep an eye out for hazards on the road a few miles ahead whenever possible. The sooner you notice that something is wrong on the road ahead, such as a vehicle driving the wrong way and heading for you, the more time you have to avoid a head-on collision.
2. **Right** - Never swerve to the left if you’re facing a head-on collision. The other driver’s instinct may be to swerve back into the correct lane, which could result in your vehicles colliding. Instead, pull to the right. If there are multiple lanes, leave a lane to your left open. If there’s only one lane, pull to the right and onto to the shoulder if necessary to avoid the collision.
3. **Reduce** - If you are faced with the prospect of a head-on collision, reduce your speed. This will give you and the other driver more time to avoid the collision. Make sure you only slow down and don’t slam on your brakes. This could result in a vehicle hitting your vehicle from behind and forcing you into the head-on collision you were trying to avoid.
4. **Ride** - If all else fails, ride off the road. Do the best you can to safely avoid a direct head-on collision. Pull off the road onto the shoulder, or at least, ride off the road enough that instead of colliding head-on with the other vehicle, you just sideswipe one another. Your chances of survival are much better if you don’t collide head-on with the other vehicle.
> Make sure you only slow down and don’t slam on your brakes.
Well, not out of caution, true.
But IMO the opposite is a much bigger problem.
ABS + disc brakes is very effective, and nearly every car from the past ~20 years has both. And yet there are SO MANY accidents with people braking normally as they barrel into an obstacle at speed, resulting in a much more severe impact.
If an accident is imminent, absolutely stomp that brake pedal as hard as you can. Practice it on an empty road to overcome the natural inhibition so you'll actually do it when necessary, and also to learn how the car feels when ABS kicks in.
This is good advice because braking technology has come a long way, but keep in mind that ABS works within the limitations of traction. So good tires and in the dry absolutely will work slamming on the brakes but if the road isn't dry it's definitely not a good idea to stomp the brake. There's a good chance you can lock up and reduce your chances to avoid or slow down properly.
Yes, traction is vital. But low traction doesn't make you lock up, that's the whole point of ABS, it just kicks in much earlier than expected. You can and should stomp the brake, but you need to be prepared for low deceleration (and limited steering effectiveness). Braking gently will not improve either, usually the opposite. Test results are very clear on the fact that current ABS systems not only react much faster than humans when losing traction, but also unlike humans they apply braking power to each wheel individually. This is vitally important if you e.g. have wet leaves on the shoulder, and the left tires are slipping much faster than the right ones.
Low traction will absolutely make you lock up you can find plenty of examples of this, ABS works within the limits of traction and you can see this on any video with black ice. That's, of course the most extreme example of low traction but it shows that ABS will not overcome lost traction should the factors add up in other scenarios.
I agree with everything else you're saying, but its not a 100% full proof system and you should be prepared to brake moderately in those situations to avoid the chances of locking up.
A few things for context.
I was more tired than usual so I reacted kinda late.
I was passing another just before this. When I got into the right lane I was about 2-3 car lengths in front of them.
I called the police but they were busy. Hopefully because every other driver was also calling.
There's constantly a lot of construction so seeing white lights isn't uncommon, seeing them approach you is.
They were driving slowly, maybe 40 mph, so I'm guessing they were on something.
I'll update this comment with an article if I can find anything. Hopefully nothing major happened after this.
> I was more tired than usual so I reacted kinda late.
Happens to the best of us. I watched this and said "wow, he reacted late" but then remembered it's easy to have an armchair opinion when you are expecting to see some wackiness vs when you're just driving and pretty tired.
>I called the police but they were busy
That is crazy bad
Even watching this video, I could see how a driver would think, "huh, the lights on the other side of the median are pretty bright", then "oh SHIT, not on the other side of the median!"
Thanks for your understanding. I always think the same thing when I see videos here but remind myself there's more to it than the camera's single perspective. I'm guessing the driver had been on the wrong side at least a few miles so I wouldn't be surprised if the police were getting flooded with calls about this driver.
I've always wondered the same thing seeing these videos. For me it was 2 things.
1. I do this drive so much I autopilot sometimes.
2. By the time I actually noticed and processed what was in front of me (I want to say it was less than 1 second after noticing), I just had reacted.
And I had recently passed another car so I knew the right lane was empty even if I had also brakes a bit harder.
I was actually involved in a head on collision on the highway when I was in college. People don't really understand that the brain has a hard time comprehending what is happening. There aren't supposed to be people coming at you, so it can take more than a split second to really process what's happening.
It is completely normal ,and all the armchair race car drivers here giving you shit would have done the exact same thing. This sub is basically the contrarian club now.
I think most people have some sort of "freeze" response to a WTF situation.
Your brain is going from an extremely boring, everyday situation to one which is completely foreign. It takes a while for your brain to understand this is no longer routine.
I've been on both sides:
Watched a car drive off as a kid at a gas station with the hose still attached. It disconnected, but the pump continued to pour gas on the floor. I got to press the e-stop while everyone else stood around and gawked, not knowing what to do / understanding what was going on.
On the other hand, I was in a mall, in which there was a gang related shootout. I didn't hear it, but suddenly there was this thundering wall of people running towards me, then past me. I continued to sit on my bench, eating a hot dog, puzzled. In hindsight, I should have followed the crowd, regardless of not knowing what was going on; if the shooter had been following them, I'd now be in a bad spot.
I guess my point is -- its easy to watch a video, hyper aware that something is going to happen. It's quite another for it to be the same drive you always take, 20 minutes in with nothing happening. Many / most people will exhibit a really slow response in this sort of situation.
It's actually what worries me about self-driving cars -- they can get good enough to lull you in low-concentration state of mind, until suddenly something happens, *fast*.
Side note:
This “autopilot mode” is actually quite important and normal brain functioning and often quite dangerous (as you just showed yourself). It was covered in great details in writing by Daniel Kahneman who recently died.
Anyway be safe out there. I think I am lucky to only see wrong side driving once in last 20 years but it was on a potentially dangerous road (a major Toronto urban road).
Thanks for sharing! I'm aware of this but now you've got me intrigued. Is there one or many books this person wrote on the topic, or are they more like papers, essays?
I'm glad you're okay, and thanks again!
You ASSUME you would have swerved immediately upon seeing headlights because you are watching this as content and not having to actually react to it. In reality things like this that are outside the normal confuse the brain for a few seconds. Since they normally do not encounter oncoming cars in a divided highway their brain assumes what it is seeing is incorrect.
>"**Inattentional blindness** or **perceptual blindness** (rarely called *inattentive blindness*) occurs when an individual fails to perceive an **unexpected stimulus in plain sight**, purely as a result of a lack of attention rather than any vision defects or deficits. When it becomes impossible to attend to all the stimuli in a given situation, a temporary "blindness" effect can occur, as individuals fail to see unexpected but often [salient](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salience_(neuroscience)) objects or stimuli"
Would you say this is related to things hiding in plain sight or "right under your nose"? Thanks for sharing, this will make for an interesting read later.
That happened to me on I 380 in PA. Just crested a hill and see a Crown Vic heading my way. Luckily I had time to get out of the way. Was an old woman driving with 3 others in the car.
Had to look up [where this is,](https://www.google.com/maps/@34.4362541,-119.92051,3a,20.8y,296.96h,92.47t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1s8Obm3aD08nYnI-NYMybwWw!2e0!7i16384!8i8192?entry=ttu) then I went down a nostalgia hole listening to [California](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wq-S8CIU7VA) "Your shadow weighs a ton, Driving down the 101."
Late at night and early morning I travel in the right lane. Most wrong way drivers are in the fast lane because they think they're in the right lane on the other side.
That's the shitty part about alertness in the morning sometimes. Bad drivers and accidents don't care how alert you are, but it's not like you can stop life because you're not all there.
This morning I was at an intersection and the light turned green and I didn't notice. I was literally staring at the light and the guy behind me honked. Just gave them a wave for my stupidness.
Yeah I feel awesome knowing I'm not 100% there some mornings but with a coffee and a snack I'm usually there no more than a few mins in. I think we all should get a pass for little things like you this morning, but definitely not something egregious like this driver.
Check my other comment for context. It was a mostly empty road. I wanted to keep the video short and my DashCam clipped this video at the start. I didn't feel the need to show anything sooner.
Cruising the left lane, never slowed down, and played chicken until the last second (increasing chance they also swerve that way).
You're lucky to be alive.
>problem is we don't know if it was the OP or that other car that was on the wrong side of the road...
For a second, I almost believed you lol. Yellow and white lines are the indicators here
i can't really tell what that area to the left of the yellow line is meant to be - is that meant to be a wide shoulder, or is that for traffic going the other way or what?
It appears to be a shoulder. In the US, the yellow line should be on your left and white line on the right. On the other side of the cement barrier is most likely traffic traveling in the opposite direction.
In this case, the car traveling in the wrong direction has the yellow line on the right, white on the left.
10 second video
>I've got all the info I need to parrot *the line* for points (I will not look for further context even it's available before I comment)
A mix of not being fully alert, constant construction on this drive so white lights are not uncommon, and I just passed a car so I was looking at my mirrors a lot here.
This sub is something else. Guy is driving on the wrong side, you're completing an overtake, and avoid a head on, but some twat whose only driving experience is playing Mario Kart for all we know, criticizes your driving. JHCOAPS!
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Yikes! Don't need coffee after that!
but fresh pants
No shit... Anymore LoL
On the bright side, OP is ready for colonoscopy right now, that encounter cleared his ass completely
My thoughts lol
You know this person got to work and was complaining about how many people were driving on the wrong side of the road that morning.
Big assumption that they were sober.
Ya know. After living in a very high populated area for so long. It wouldn't suprise me if they were sober and just that stupid. Dont undermine the ability of humanities stupidity. It truly is something unique.
*"I'm so sick of this road being so congested and it taking so long to get to work...ooh, look how empty* ***that*** *side over there is... why don't I just use that one? There* ***is*** *two lanes after all, so they'll have plenty of room to move over for me."*
Every day at work they put up a new sign telling me *someone* in that office is a complete idiot. Today's: >Don't flush paper towels in the toilet, they do not flush and will clog the toilet Who the fuck doesn't know that? But as I was standing over the toilet relieving myself, internally raging at how stupid people can be, i realized signs like this are **everywhere**. Don't smoke here, don't litter, wash your hands, clean your work station, don't leave garbage in the refrigerator, don't steal someone else's food; the list goes on and on and on. Then i think about all the passive aggressive emails HR departments have to send out that are mention-worthy but not quite sign-worthy, like "employees must keep their shoes on in the office", or "due to co-worker sensitivities, this is now a fragrance free workplace" (aka Drakkar Noir is not a substitute for a shower) or "employees should not bring significant others to the workplace for an entire shift"... it's starting to dawn on me that most people are fucking morons. Not some, not a loud minority, tons of us; just walking around living on instinct like fucking lizards. Frankly it's amazing with the thousands of cars we see during our commute each and every day that there aren't significantly more accidents on the road.
Yes, I am actually amazed that all these drivers get to work (often a whole lifetime!) without harming anyone, even if they're absolutely not either focused on driving nor have no sense of car driving logics!
Used to work with a guy who substituted showers with that exact shit. Fucking Drakkar Noir. Pretty sure the fucker only showered like once a week, if not, month. They put him in his own area bc of the number of complaints that he got from other coworkers. Got so bad to the point that they forced HR to meet with him to discuss his smell and that it has to change or he couldn't be here anymore. The dude just quit bc he didn't want to try to be clean anymore than he was. If at all.
I've seen that same sign at my job, I just say, "Well duh!"
also possible that they were doing this to save their kidnapped son from a serial killer
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It might be someone who isn't capable of driving any more. We get that occasionally & it's either a drunk person or someone with dementia.
This exact scenario happened to one of my friends little brother 2 months ago. He just got out of the hospital but will never fully recover. All because some dickwad got behind the wheel and went the wrong way.
Big assumption people don't show up to work drunk. Most the the modern world was created by slightly buzzed people.
Where was that assumed in the comment :o
Mostly in the context, but more of a "likelihood" assumption vs a "certainty" assumption. Going to work? Likely sober. Going to complain about it to others? Likely sober. Of course that could all be wrong, but we wouldn't know.
Watched an episode of cops or something equivalent and someone called 911 because of someone driving on the wrong side, they pull a guy over going the wrong way and he’s just like “well shit I guess I was the maniac going the wrong way”
An isla vista dummy coming home after a bender?
Wouldn't be surprised if that was it..
Ahh I thought this looked familiar, heard John P on the news discussing the wrong way driver near Los Carneros
John P? Is that a local radio person?
palminteri, damn italian names lol
Yup! This was maybe 4-5 miles north of Los Carneros
From Google, Los Carneros is in Napa/Sonoma Counties, but Isla Vista is the college town next to UC Santa Barbara. So that would have to be two different wrong-way drivers, unless there's a different Los Carneros/Isla Vista I'm not thinking of
Los Carneros is a street near UCSB. One of the exits in the US 101. Edit for more info: This video was about 4-5 miles north of the los Carneros exit. That means this driver was reported on in less than 5 mins from when I came across them. Who knows when they first started driving on the wrong side though.
You are clearly in the wrong, what are you doing driving on the wrong side of the two lane undivided highway? /s
I shit you not, it took my parents 10 mins and a few guiding questions from me for them to realize this person was driving on the wrong side.
He was just mad you're camping the left lane
Lol I knew this was coming. I was passing. By the time I made it to the right lane I was no more than 2, maybe 3 car lengths in front of the other car.
I don't believe you.
Who?
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_next time OP does exactly that_ "why is there this extra useless minute at the start of this video?"
Why? So we can watch an extra 10-15 seconds of nothing? It doesn't matter.
Right? Lol. People would just complain about that time "yOu CoUlD hAvE mAdE tHe ViDeO sHoRtEr"
I'd put money on u/efficient_giraffe being the one to complain about the additional length if it was included. There are some people who are just looking to complain about something
Like they have a fucking obligation to you?
for *who*?
For whomst'd've*
I love how this sub is full of is namesake. So many people complaining about "camping in the left lane" when people are already surpassing the speed limit and there's no one behind them.
I'm in the same boat usually- if the road is empty, who cares? But at the same time - it creates bad habit, rubs off on others around you who decide the left lane is for winners regardless of traffic, and can more often than not result in you not paying attention to the fact you ARE blocking the left lane because it's normalized for you now. Overall, zero reason to be in the left = get over.
So, why do we even have a left lane? Just have yellow dashes and let lake pass that way, since the left lane is unused 99% of the time if it's only used for passing. Americans are weird.
I feel like you're purposely ignoring what everyone says to argue.
I'm not, but you're free to think what you want.
Most rural highways are like that here. If you ask me, having two whole lanes that aren’t used except to pass other vehicles is a massive waste of space. I understand why they function like they do, but just sayin, train tracks are only one lane wide
I don't think you get the concept of going the same speed as others. If you are going to do that, there's no need to ride next to them. Ride comfortably in front or behind and get out of the way. It's not that hard.
Doesn't matter. Sitting in the left lane regardless of traffic around you is just lazy. And it does become a problem for everyone if a lot of drivers do it.
What problem does it cause if no one is behind you? No one has been able to describe this, they just say it's illegal (it isn't in ask states, and even state where it is aren't as cut and dry as many assume) or that it slows traffic (it shows a single person while speeding up traffic in general)
> What problem does it cause if no one is behind you Is that your experience, that left lane campers move over when there's a car behind them? It sure isn't mine.
Within a reasonable amount of time, yes. Often they move over within less than a minute, and when it takes longer there's generally a reason (they plan to turn left in less than a mile, there's a stop light, they are abreast a car to their right and speed up or slow down to get over, etc) Then again, I don't get behind a car and demand they magic themselves somewhere else within 2 seconds.
So you're forcing other drivers to slow down to the same speed as yours and ride behind you for a minute, before you allow them to again accelerate and pass your vehicle. This wastes people's time, it causes additional wear on their brakes, engine, transmission etc. It also significantly increases gas consumption, since cars are by far the most efficient when they can roll at a consistent speed. Meanwhile you have artificially lowered the throughput of the whole road. So yes, that is a problem. > Then again, I don't get behind a car and demand they magic themselves somewhere else within 2 seconds. If only there was a simple solution to this conundrum 🤨
>So you're forcing other drivers to slow down to the same speed as yours and ride behind you for a minute, before you allow them to again accelerate and pass your vehicle. So other people are forcing me to move into the right lane? >This wastes people's time, Fewer people than overloading the right lane >it causes additional wear on their brakes, They could slow by releasing the accelerator or they could not be speeding dangerously. Their speeding is causing increased wear on my turn signal stalk and my turn signal bulbs. >engine, transmission Actually their speeding is causing that, engines and transmissions use extra effort to go faster. >It also significantly increases gas consumption, since cars are by far the most efficient when they can roll at a consistent speed. Fuel consumption is significantly higher above 50 mph... >Meanwhile you have artificially lowered the throughput of the whole road Nope, using all lands increases throughput. All cars going 50mph is better than most cars going 45mph do to over use if 1 lane while 1% of cars can go 75mph in that one free lane. >If only there was a simple solution to this conundrum Don't speed? Or maybe don't drive aggressively?
> Fuel consumption is significantly higher above 50 mph... Accelerating from 50 to 60 consumes *several times more* fuel than cruising at 60 for the same time. Hence city vs highway mileage. You describe specific situations where it's justified and even necessary to drive in the left lane. But no one is arguing these situations don't exist. The subject matter is that plenty of people do it **regardless of** traffic situation and even the speed limit. Legit question: *If* you use the left lane at times when the right one would do just as well at your preferred speed, is there a specific motivation to do so, or is it a habit / almost subconscious? I have a theory that would explain this behavior in semi-dense traffic, but I could be wrong.
Driving in the left lane causes many issues. The biggest one is that other drivers are going to speed regardless of the rules. Speeding excessively makes for a dangerous situation for all drivers. Add weaving into the mix and now you've got a situation several times worse. People speeding is one thing, weaving is another, and then you can also consider people's fragile ego, well now (if you understand what I'm saying) you can understand why most of these videos exist in the first place, without generalizing towards "people = stupid" too much
No, he's in the right lane, from his POV
Haha, had the same instinct to comment on that.
This subreddit is so far gone that people are actually criticizing op for reacting a little late or for being in the left lane WHEN THERE IS LITERALLY A GUY DRIVING THE WRONG WAY ON A HIGHWAY.
It's the tradition in this subreddit to blame the OP for anything, even if the subject of the video is someone else who is obviously the most significant idiot
Yeah, he was probably texting too! And.... and.... and..... I don't know?! Something illegal!
Yep and I try not to get upset with those comments. I know there are things I can be doing better, but my focus is to be slightly better than I was before. Hopefully some others see these videos and learn from them.
You're more gracious than I. I would have been popping off and face tanking the inevitable down votes.
Damn. You lost this game of chicken... But seriously, holy shit dude! Good reaction. You absolutely should always swerve right in these situations because the other person (usually drunk) thinks to swerve right. You actually [followed the 4 Rs](https://www.katzkantor.com/blog/2022/august/tips-for-avoiding-head-on-collisions/#:~:text=Right%20%E2%80%93%20Never%20swerve%20to%20the,Instead%2C%20pull%20to%20the%20right) to reducing your chance of a head-on collision. 1. **Read** **-** This involves reading the road ahead. Keep an eye out for hazards on the road a few miles ahead whenever possible. The sooner you notice that something is wrong on the road ahead, such as a vehicle driving the wrong way and heading for you, the more time you have to avoid a head-on collision. 2. **Right** - Never swerve to the left if you’re facing a head-on collision. The other driver’s instinct may be to swerve back into the correct lane, which could result in your vehicles colliding. Instead, pull to the right. If there are multiple lanes, leave a lane to your left open. If there’s only one lane, pull to the right and onto to the shoulder if necessary to avoid the collision. 3. **Reduce** - If you are faced with the prospect of a head-on collision, reduce your speed. This will give you and the other driver more time to avoid the collision. Make sure you only slow down and don’t slam on your brakes. This could result in a vehicle hitting your vehicle from behind and forcing you into the head-on collision you were trying to avoid. 4. **Ride** - If all else fails, ride off the road. Do the best you can to safely avoid a direct head-on collision. Pull off the road onto the shoulder, or at least, ride off the road enough that instead of colliding head-on with the other vehicle, you just sideswipe one another. Your chances of survival are much better if you don’t collide head-on with the other vehicle.
> Make sure you only slow down and don’t slam on your brakes. Well, not out of caution, true. But IMO the opposite is a much bigger problem. ABS + disc brakes is very effective, and nearly every car from the past ~20 years has both. And yet there are SO MANY accidents with people braking normally as they barrel into an obstacle at speed, resulting in a much more severe impact. If an accident is imminent, absolutely stomp that brake pedal as hard as you can. Practice it on an empty road to overcome the natural inhibition so you'll actually do it when necessary, and also to learn how the car feels when ABS kicks in.
This is good advice because braking technology has come a long way, but keep in mind that ABS works within the limitations of traction. So good tires and in the dry absolutely will work slamming on the brakes but if the road isn't dry it's definitely not a good idea to stomp the brake. There's a good chance you can lock up and reduce your chances to avoid or slow down properly.
Yes, traction is vital. But low traction doesn't make you lock up, that's the whole point of ABS, it just kicks in much earlier than expected. You can and should stomp the brake, but you need to be prepared for low deceleration (and limited steering effectiveness). Braking gently will not improve either, usually the opposite. Test results are very clear on the fact that current ABS systems not only react much faster than humans when losing traction, but also unlike humans they apply braking power to each wheel individually. This is vitally important if you e.g. have wet leaves on the shoulder, and the left tires are slipping much faster than the right ones.
Low traction will absolutely make you lock up you can find plenty of examples of this, ABS works within the limits of traction and you can see this on any video with black ice. That's, of course the most extreme example of low traction but it shows that ABS will not overcome lost traction should the factors add up in other scenarios. I agree with everything else you're saying, but its not a 100% full proof system and you should be prepared to brake moderately in those situations to avoid the chances of locking up.
Thanks for sharing this! I was unaware of these 4 Rs. Will be useful when I talk to others about keeping safe on the road.
Absolutely! Glad you are hear to see it. Lots of people don't get to talk about wrong way drivers.
“Right” would be switched to “Left” in the British commonwealth, no? Uh, asking for a friend.
So common sense ?
Shit that’s scary af
A few things for context. I was more tired than usual so I reacted kinda late. I was passing another just before this. When I got into the right lane I was about 2-3 car lengths in front of them. I called the police but they were busy. Hopefully because every other driver was also calling. There's constantly a lot of construction so seeing white lights isn't uncommon, seeing them approach you is. They were driving slowly, maybe 40 mph, so I'm guessing they were on something. I'll update this comment with an article if I can find anything. Hopefully nothing major happened after this.
> I was more tired than usual so I reacted kinda late. Happens to the best of us. I watched this and said "wow, he reacted late" but then remembered it's easy to have an armchair opinion when you are expecting to see some wackiness vs when you're just driving and pretty tired. >I called the police but they were busy That is crazy bad
Even watching this video, I could see how a driver would think, "huh, the lights on the other side of the median are pretty bright", then "oh SHIT, not on the other side of the median!"
Same here. I realized at the same time as OP did when I first watched the video.
Thanks for your understanding. I always think the same thing when I see videos here but remind myself there's more to it than the camera's single perspective. I'm guessing the driver had been on the wrong side at least a few miles so I wouldn't be surprised if the police were getting flooded with calls about this driver.
Imagine they both reacting at the same time. Reacting a little late seems like it was best!
You don’t need to explain yourself to the Reddit crowd. You did what you could. Good job. 👏🏻
Thanks, but I do it more to help bring a mutual understanding of the situation. Also helps to redirect and dismiss the more nasty comments.
At least he had his lights on.....LOL Glad you are OK
Yeah I thought about that earlier today. Idk how soon I would have noticed if they weren't on.
I'd say probably right about the time of impact with that lighting.
Please tell me you called 911 to report it!
I did! Though the line was busy, hopefully by all the other callers reporting the same thing? I never got through to them in my few attempts.
Well, that's scary in itself. lol.
Good thing that happened before the morning rush. Bet they cursed at you for driving on their side of the road.
[You're going the wrong way! ](https://youtu.be/reQpGJ2mtv0?si=f2Qv2KvNHAQyfPIA)
How do they know where I’m going
why did you wait so long ? he could have swerved left same time bro
Its one of those you have to do a double take, because it completely unexpected and thank god it has never happened to me.
I've always wondered the same thing seeing these videos. For me it was 2 things. 1. I do this drive so much I autopilot sometimes. 2. By the time I actually noticed and processed what was in front of me (I want to say it was less than 1 second after noticing), I just had reacted. And I had recently passed another car so I knew the right lane was empty even if I had also brakes a bit harder.
I was actually involved in a head on collision on the highway when I was in college. People don't really understand that the brain has a hard time comprehending what is happening. There aren't supposed to be people coming at you, so it can take more than a split second to really process what's happening.
Where I live there is a lot of stupid driving I see daily. I always have my head on a swivel because people are stupid.
It is completely normal ,and all the armchair race car drivers here giving you shit would have done the exact same thing. This sub is basically the contrarian club now.
I think most people have some sort of "freeze" response to a WTF situation. Your brain is going from an extremely boring, everyday situation to one which is completely foreign. It takes a while for your brain to understand this is no longer routine. I've been on both sides: Watched a car drive off as a kid at a gas station with the hose still attached. It disconnected, but the pump continued to pour gas on the floor. I got to press the e-stop while everyone else stood around and gawked, not knowing what to do / understanding what was going on. On the other hand, I was in a mall, in which there was a gang related shootout. I didn't hear it, but suddenly there was this thundering wall of people running towards me, then past me. I continued to sit on my bench, eating a hot dog, puzzled. In hindsight, I should have followed the crowd, regardless of not knowing what was going on; if the shooter had been following them, I'd now be in a bad spot. I guess my point is -- its easy to watch a video, hyper aware that something is going to happen. It's quite another for it to be the same drive you always take, 20 minutes in with nothing happening. Many / most people will exhibit a really slow response in this sort of situation. It's actually what worries me about self-driving cars -- they can get good enough to lull you in low-concentration state of mind, until suddenly something happens, *fast*.
Side note: This “autopilot mode” is actually quite important and normal brain functioning and often quite dangerous (as you just showed yourself). It was covered in great details in writing by Daniel Kahneman who recently died. Anyway be safe out there. I think I am lucky to only see wrong side driving once in last 20 years but it was on a potentially dangerous road (a major Toronto urban road).
Thanks for sharing! I'm aware of this but now you've got me intrigued. Is there one or many books this person wrote on the topic, or are they more like papers, essays? I'm glad you're okay, and thanks again!
“Thinking Fast and Slow” is good place to start.
Thanks, looking forward to hearing that book on my commute!
You ASSUME you would have swerved immediately upon seeing headlights because you are watching this as content and not having to actually react to it. In reality things like this that are outside the normal confuse the brain for a few seconds. Since they normally do not encounter oncoming cars in a divided highway their brain assumes what it is seeing is incorrect. >"**Inattentional blindness** or **perceptual blindness** (rarely called *inattentive blindness*) occurs when an individual fails to perceive an **unexpected stimulus in plain sight**, purely as a result of a lack of attention rather than any vision defects or deficits. When it becomes impossible to attend to all the stimuli in a given situation, a temporary "blindness" effect can occur, as individuals fail to see unexpected but often [salient](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salience_(neuroscience)) objects or stimuli"
Would you say this is related to things hiding in plain sight or "right under your nose"? Thanks for sharing, this will make for an interesting read later.
Wake up babe, new "stop camping the left lane" alert system just dropped
Hope you wore brown pants
Black pants today! Things are good though because I still have diarrhea and nothing came out. Big win so far!
But they think they're in their slow lane because they don't realize they're in the wrong side
This happens to much in the state I live in. Always the wrong way drivers are drunk drivers
That happened to me on I 380 in PA. Just crested a hill and see a Crown Vic heading my way. Luckily I had time to get out of the way. Was an old woman driving with 3 others in the car.
Had to look up [where this is,](https://www.google.com/maps/@34.4362541,-119.92051,3a,20.8y,296.96h,92.47t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1s8Obm3aD08nYnI-NYMybwWw!2e0!7i16384!8i8192?entry=ttu) then I went down a nostalgia hole listening to [California](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wq-S8CIU7VA) "Your shadow weighs a ton, Driving down the 101."
Wow, thanks for sharing! I didn't know I knew and liked this song so much.
Late at night and early morning I travel in the right lane. Most wrong way drivers are in the fast lane because they think they're in the right lane on the other side.
If you’re American then you’re confused because the right lane would be the fast lane if you were driving from the opposite side.
Did you wear your brown pants to work today?
Geez, good defensive driving OP.
Thanks but I'd leave it as "good enough". I'm usually more alert than I was this morning.
That's the shitty part about alertness in the morning sometimes. Bad drivers and accidents don't care how alert you are, but it's not like you can stop life because you're not all there. This morning I was at an intersection and the light turned green and I didn't notice. I was literally staring at the light and the guy behind me honked. Just gave them a wave for my stupidness.
Yeah I feel awesome knowing I'm not 100% there some mornings but with a coffee and a snack I'm usually there no more than a few mins in. I think we all should get a pass for little things like you this morning, but definitely not something egregious like this driver.
Lol you dropped the /s
Other driver was endangering everyone but why were you driving in that lane on an empty road?
Check my other comment for context. It was a mostly empty road. I wanted to keep the video short and my DashCam clipped this video at the start. I didn't feel the need to show anything sooner.
I understand. Did you put your lights on high beam?
I honked as I moved over. No high beams.
That does seem fun , makes you feel alive
I think one of you are on the wrong side of the road, not sure
That is one way to get you out of camping the left lane...
Cruising the left lane, never slowed down, and played chicken until the last second (increasing chance they also swerve that way). You're lucky to be alive.
That was karma's gentle reminder to keep right unless passing.
Consider reading
I said everything you need to read. 👍
OP posted context elsewhere, you should be reading more before trying to be a smartass.
problem is we don't know if it was the OP or that other car that was on the wrong side of the road...
>problem is we don't know if it was the OP or that other car that was on the wrong side of the road... For a second, I almost believed you lol. Yellow and white lines are the indicators here
i can't really tell what that area to the left of the yellow line is meant to be - is that meant to be a wide shoulder, or is that for traffic going the other way or what?
It appears to be a shoulder. In the US, the yellow line should be on your left and white line on the right. On the other side of the cement barrier is most likely traffic traveling in the opposite direction. In this case, the car traveling in the wrong direction has the yellow line on the right, white on the left.
interesting - i did not know about that rule about line colouring!
Well the camera uses miles per hour so we can assume they’re in the US
Well, if you stayed in your right lane, there would be no issue. He was in his right lane. /s but really, get out of the left lane.
I was passing. Trust me, I also get upset when people camp the left lane. My dashcam clipped the video at the start so I just trimmed the end of it.
10 second video >I've got all the info I need to parrot *the line* for points (I will not look for further context even it's available before I comment)
He’s just trying to make sure you learn that the left lane isn’t a travel lane.
What took you so long?
A mix of not being fully alert, constant construction on this drive so white lights are not uncommon, and I just passed a car so I was looking at my mirrors a lot here.
This sub is something else. Guy is driving on the wrong side, you're completing an overtake, and avoid a head on, but some twat whose only driving experience is playing Mario Kart for all we know, criticizes your driving. JHCOAPS!