A big thank you to all those who "Slow Down and Move Over"

Sorry to hear that sir. Thank you for what you do. We all appreciate it. Even the 4 wheelers even though they have their brains in the phone while driving.

 

and to think it was the norm for truck drivers to move over, before it was the law, 40 yrs ago.

well, most drivers.

 

Your job is too dangerous for me, I had only a motorcycle for transportation for a year, skydived, piloted aircraft, and delivered pizzas in a ghetto. I shudder just thinking about being between traffic and the vehicle on the shoulder. I'm sorry too many have no respect for your life and their own.

Slow Down and Move Over.

 

Thanks accepted, I have always moved over /slowed down for emergency vehicles or trucks with reflectors out.
I think having to move over for basically anyone on the shoulder is taking it too far though.
I see people thinking they are entitled to move left immediately, usually half a mile early, whether there is a vehicle to the left of them or not, because there's someone on the shoulder. So, accomodate me now or I'll run you into the ditch. I also very often see trucks on the shoulder, to take a p!ss or take Fido for a walk or whatever, now they want to get off the shoulder and rejoin traffic, and they don't even bother to wait until traffic thins out. They feel they don't have to now. They can just make a left turn into the interstate, because the law says everyone has to move over for them. I'd bet it's caused about as many wrecks as it's prevented, and it's become a little too easy for people to shut down a lane of the interstate for their own convenience. More vehicles on the shoulder and they're more cavalier about getting back off it.

 

In most states the move over law is only about emergency personnel. There's not much common sense out here though. Like you say drivers will whip over in front of somebody that they shouldn't when instead slowing down allowing a pass to happen then moving over would work better. But the flip side of that is people to the left racing up there to be the "me first" person without a thought or care in the world about the lives or saftey of anyone around them are also a big problem. It's not always possible to move over but you can at least slow down. I don't trust anybody who's parked on the shoulder to not inadvertently or otherwise step out in front of the moving traffic. Sometimes people's mind is only on whatever problem they're facing with why they pulled over versus the danger they put themselves in by doing it.

 

The MOVE OVER laws started with only emergency vehicles , that limitation seems rare to me now...looks like states are increasingly changing it to any vehicle with flashers on. So the dog having to tinkle or dropping a glob of Big Mac on my pants now has the status of an emergency ...I get to shut down a lane of the interstate for it. A lot of drivers either don't want to slow down at all or they don't understand that it can be move over OR slow down , that staying in the right lane and dropping down to 50 is an option.

 

Yeah slowing down to 50 is an option. A good option. I'm in an argument in another thread with a driver about traffic merging from a get on ramp. They claim being in a governed slow truck is just an outright hazard in itself when moving to the left. I say the slow truck has nothing to do with that, they have a throttle and brake pedal and dont have to move over in front of faster left lane traffic.

They can slow down to allow the merge. I was told they don't have to because they have the right of way. To which I won't argue, they do, but do you insist on having the right if way even if it means possibly side swiping someone? Because you actually do have the right of way and if they side swipe you, I suppose you win.... but what is the prize for winning that?

Some people just can't be inconvenienceed by doing the right thing and slowing down for others and a bunch of them with that bad attitude drive big trucks...

 

I agree with you in theory, but this is one of my biggest pet peeves too. I slow down to let a car merge in front of me. Very commonly they slow down too, apparently with the thought of coming in behind me. Now I’ve lost all my steam and can no way get back up to speed quick enough for them to merge behind me. The four wheeler and I end up both on the brakes and several time I’ve still about ran one onto the shoulder when all they’d have to do is hit the gas and easily go in front of me.

I admit I’ve got more calloused about letting cars merge coming onto interstate. If I can easily get over to let them on I will, if not I typically let them figure out how they want to merge around me. I probably have the big trucker attitude though. I’ve certainly been driving long enough to develop some attitudes about four wheelers.