Missouri Sportswriter Murdered in Possible Road Rage Incident

[Baron Scicluna]

On the interstate, I drive in holes. If I have to speed up or slow down to find one, I do. I don't want anyone else too close in front of of beside me. I trust my driving ability, not other people. Nothing pisses me off more than someone getting close to me and wanting to match speeds, especially if they want to sit right at your 7 o'clock.
I avoid interstate travel if at all possible.

Matching speeds pisses me off too. If I'm in the right lane, and ahead of you in the left lane, either go faster and pass me, or go slower and get behind me. Don't just camp out right next to me.

 

[Liut]

Again, RIP Mr. Sharkey.
At one point, rode shotgun with a Cincinnati Reds scout.
He enjoyed controlling traffic speed with his radar gun.
It was hilarious to watch the brake lights.

 

[dixiehack]

Interstate speed limit most everywhere I go tops out at 70 mph. I set the cruise control around 77-78, but sometimes I get caught up in traffic and hit the low 80s for short bursts. And I'm always keeping an eye out for state troopers.

A couple of years ago I was on a road trip and discovered Arkansas had raised its limit to 75. I settle in at 78 and didn't worry about whether a cop was running radar around the bend.

Keep driving and eventually discover Oklahoma's turnpikes get up to an 80 mph speed limit. I set the cruise at 80 and stuck to the right lane all the way to Tulsa. (Truthfully I would have been good with a 75 limit.)

I went the same speed or maybe even slightly slower at times than I would at home with a slower limit.

 

[swingline]

I'll contribute this: The people who you catch up to and pass on the interstate, then they speed up to pass me, and then slow the fork down so I have to pass again. THAT pisses me off.

When moving away from SoCal, I set the cruise at 90 in the desert southwest states and just flew along. I hit the Texas line and it was like somebody kicked an anthill, forking cops everywhere. I slowed the heck down.

 

[LanceyHoward]

Driving too slowly for prevailing traffic conditions and causing obstructions is also a VBSL infraction, but is rarely if ever enforced.

It's also an offense to only drive the posted speed limit in the left (passing) lane of a multi-lane freeway, especially if traffic lines up behind you.

I've also seen reports of cops issuing inattentive driving citations for drivers conspicuously blocking traffic. You're supposed to check your rear view mirror frequently enough you shouldn't have a parade lined up behind you.

So if the cop pulls you over for driving 65 in a 65 and the when the cars that are backed up zoom by can another cop just down the road set a speed trap and write tickets?

 

[Starman]

So if the cop pulls you over for driving 65 in a 65 and the when the cars that are backed up zoom by can another cop just down the road set a speed trap and write tickets?

Theoretically yeah, but in practice in Michigan on the two major east-west freeways, I-94 and I-96, the effective speed limit is about 83-85.

 

[Baron Scicluna]

One other new pet peeve of mine: In my state, there's a fairly new law that requires drivers on highways to move over into the next lane if there is a tow truck or a cop on the shoulder. The reason for the law is pure: Too many tow truck folks and cops were getting hit by cars.

But the law originally said that you had to move over I only if it was safe to do so. That changed from semi-optional to mandatory.

Which again is understandable. That is, until drivers suddenly come upon a pullover, panic, and zip into the next lane. I've had to pull onto the shoulder in the other lane because the other driver nearly causes an accident because they want to avoid a ticket.

Not to mention, there are now traffic jams because a cop pulling someone over is now cause to turn a four-lane highway into three lanes.

 

[TheSportsPredictor]

One other new pet peeve of mine: In my state, there's a fairly new law that requires drivers on highways to move over into the next lane if there is a tow truck or a cop on the shoulder. The reason for the law is pure: Too many tow truck folks and cops were getting hit by cars.

But the law originally said that you had to move over I only if it was safe to do so. That changed from semi-optional to mandatory.

Which again is understandable. That is, until drivers suddenly come upon a pullover, panic, and zip into the next lane. I've had to pull onto the shoulder in the other lane because the other driver nearly causes an accident because they want to avoid a ticket.

Not to mention, there are now traffic jams because a cop pulling someone over is now cause to turn a four-lane highway into three lanes.

In Ohio, it's pull over or slow down.

Who really is going to slow down enough to make it even matter though?

 

[UNCGrad]

I noticed the last time we drove through VA on I-81, the digital signs had a message that I really hadn't noticed so much emphasis on before: "Use left lane for passing only."

Driving a while, I saw why. Too many people are in the left lane (81, improbably, is only two lanes on each side). So while you may move, it's a constant go 80, then all the way down to 60, back up to 80 and on and on. Literally, there more cars between Winchester and Roanoke in the left lane than the right the entire time.

So, when a driver who doesn't want to go 70, let alone 80, decides that the one car in front of him is too slow at 65, he'll keep his cruise at 68, which creates a logjam. And then the semi truck can wiggle in because that guy is slowing everyone down, which then slows that left lane down even more when trucks pass each other. Everybody hits their brakes.

Finally, with so much slower traffic on the right, no one ever wants to move back over from the left lane because eventually you'll pass that slower car way up ahead. And because the left lane is always packed, it's hard to get back over from the right.

I also wonder how much the auto cruise factors in and people aren't paying attention that they are piddling along as their car keeps the gap between them.

Overall, we moved fast, pretty much staying in the left lane the whole time. But it was hard, intense driving the whole way. For more than 100 miles in one stretch, I never used the cruise.

The signs identified the problem. But that was all.

 

[MileHigh]

One other new pet peeve of mine: In my state, there's a fairly new law that requires drivers on highways to move over into the next lane if there is a tow truck or a cop on the shoulder. The reason for the law is pure: Too many tow truck folks and cops were getting hit by cars.

But the law originally said that you had to move over I only if it was safe to do so. That changed from semi-optional to mandatory.

Which again is understandable. That is, until drivers suddenly come upon a pullover, panic, and zip into the next lane. I've had to pull onto the shoulder in the other lane because the other driver nearly causes an accident because they want to avoid a ticket.

Not to mention, there are now traffic jams because a cop pulling someone over is now cause to turn a four-lane highway into three lanes.

Same here. Move over or slow to 40 mph.

 

[Cosmo]

I noticed the last time we drove through VA on I-81, the digital signs had a message that I really hadn't noticed so much emphasis on before: "Use left lane for passing only."

Driving a while, I saw why. Too many people are in the left lane (81, improbably, is only two lanes on each side). So while you may move, it's a constant go 80, then all the way down to 60, back up to 80 and on and on. Literally, there more cars between Winchester and Roanoke in the left lane than the right the entire time.

So, when a driver who doesn't want to go 70, let alone 80, decides that the one car in front of him is too slow at 65, he'll keep his cruise at 68, which creates a logjam. And then the semi truck can wiggle in because that guy is slowing everyone down, which then slows that left lane down even more when trucks pass each other. Everybody hits their brakes.

Finally, with so much slower traffic on the right, no one ever wants to move back over from the left lane because eventually you'll pass that slower car way up ahead. And because the left lane is always packed, it's hard to get back over from the right.

I also wonder how much the auto cruise factors in and people aren't paying attention that they are piddling along as their car keeps the gap between them.

Overall, we moved fast, pretty much staying in the left lane the whole time. But it was hard, intense driving the whole way. For more than 100 miles in one stretch, I never used the cruise.

The signs identified the problem. But that was all.

That's one of the worst stretches of interstate in Virginia, for much different reasons than why 95 is terrible. There are colleges up and down 81, so you mix less experienced drivers in with a bunch of semis, and you get chaos. And don't get me started on the speed limit dropping to 60 for that long stretch from Troutville past Salem.

 

[Michael_ Gee]

That's one of the worst stretches of interstate in Virginia, for much different reasons than why 95 is terrible. There are colleges up and down 81, so you mix less experienced drivers in with a bunch of semis, and you get chaos. And don't get me started on the speed limit dropping to 60 for that long stretch from Troutville past Salem.

Haven't been on that stretch of road for about 20 years now, but it remains a vivid and unpleasant memory,