Slowing to the shoulder to let faster traffic by.

No. Let em wait.

 

I go out of my way to be courteous to other drivers, I will move over to the right lane to let faster traffic by. But I don't move on to the shoulder, reason being I own my own equipment and there is a lot of debris on the shoulder that will give me a flat

 

Unless, you’re in Texas, people there use shoulders as turning lanes or driving lanes if they’re going slow.

 

I don't do it.

If I'm that slow and traffic was piling up behind me (never happened... but I suppose it could ) I would find a safe place to pull off and stop, or wait for a passing lane and slow a bit.

 

Seems like road debris is the number one issue here. If someone doesn't like the hold up and decides to give me a piece of their mind, that's what the Hazmat suit and riot gear I keep in the side box are for. Got to be prepped for engagements of both the physical and viral variety!!

 

To be courteous, when you come to a long stretch where visibility is good, slow down just a bit and let the fools come around. Beats having them pull out to pass your 65 mph truck and they are governed at 68. They are accidents waiting to happen and you may be involved with them.

 

It isn't just road debris.

One of the fundamentals of defensive driving is "Leave Yourself an Out." By driving in the shoulder, you are removing that safety zone and increasing your risk exposure. It's similar to why you never stop on a bridge or next to a barrier.

 

I'm not even in the shoulder for long though. Just enough time to let these people scoot away. I'm thinking it's time to get away from these single lane tourist channels.

You'd think with the pandemic, the overall traffic would be lighter. Nope. Just more than ever before. Some of us were taught many forms of defensive driving. But like all knowledge, it tends to rot in the brain until it's needed.

More reasons to stay close to home I guess. I've been driving mainly local for the past eight years and have only been taking these overnight things for a couple of months. 2-4 nights out and I'm ready to roll back home.

 

Alil off topic....
As bentstrider83 just said, judging by traffic volume, the virus is over. During the week, the morning and afternoon commute the traffic isn't the worst, yet. The weekends however are as bad as any time. Wonder why this virus is gaining momentum?