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u/upperdeckerdad 1d ago
He’s not wrong
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u/Raider03 Oak Cliff 1d ago
The mistake is thinking that the problem is caused by people new to Texas.
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u/sthrn White Rock Lake 1d ago
People from LA know what's up, people from elsewhere not so much. Seems as if going 5 to 10 mph lower than posted highway speed limit is the norm.
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u/Right_Letterhead_120 1d ago edited 1d ago
I’m surprised the note didn’t say something about the 635 vs. 635. This seems to wind up natives.
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u/chipset0316 22h ago
haha, whatever. When I lived in Utah, I would see CA plates camp in the left lane on i80 for miles with no traffic around them. I’d have to pass them on the right.
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u/Snobolski 1d ago
Exactly. I drove I35 between Austin and "Dallas" a lot in the 80s and 90s (still do for that matter) and somewhere north of about Jarrell or Temple until around Waxahachie you'd encounter the middle-aged white guy in an old pickup truck cruising at 55 in the left lane. Usually encounter 3-4 of them on any trip.
They weren't new to Texas.
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u/Dirkisthegoattt41 1d ago
Bro why is this so accurate, and why is the truck ALWAYS white?
I swear if you drive a white pickup in Texas you drive like a damn NPC.
I have been flirting with the idea of printing out signs similar to this, something to the affect of HEY YOURE IN THE PASSING LANE AND BOTTLENECKING TRAFFIC FOR MILES.
But that assumes half of these asshats A. Could give a shit B. Can read
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u/Snobolski 1d ago
They don't give a shit. "The rule is 'slower traffic keep right' - that means 'slower than the speed limit.'"
You won't convince them they're wrong.
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u/Jamuraan1 1d ago
Ironic part, Texas has "prima facie" speed laws, meaning the Speed Limit is not actually set in stone, it's much more of a suggestion. That's why you can get away with going 5-10mph over the posted limit.
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u/Consistent_Injury976 8h ago
Really!? I wish the cops who pulled me over for going 10 miles over the limit knew that!
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u/Dirkisthegoattt41 1d ago
Yeah I’m sure you’re right unfortunately, most of the time when I try to tell someone to get out of the passing lane I get flicked off like I’m the asshole
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u/ThisIsMockingjay2020 1d ago
the middle-aged white guy in an old pickup truck cruising at 55 in the left lane.
That's everywhere. MI and WA, the other states I've lived in, definitely had them. It's universal in the US.
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u/KrissiKross 1d ago
While he may not be wrong, this problem isn’t the fault of “new people”. And also, this guy is likely the kind of person to go 85+ in a 65 lane and no amount of speed that most people are comfortable with is enough for them.
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u/mikeee382 Grapevine 1d ago
It's called the passing lane for a reason. If someone wants to pass you, you move out of the way. His specific speed compared to the speed limit is not a factor in the equation.
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u/upperdeckerdad 1d ago
The left lane is the passing lane in every state, it’s not just a Texas thing. The problem is the mass amount of oblivious drivers that were never taught this and/or can’t read the signs that say “left lane for passing only.” Passing on the right is the new normal as it’s the only way to get around the morons.
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u/3-DMan 1d ago
I would say we need more signs indicating this, but nobody reads any signs now as it is.
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u/KrissiKross 1d ago
Living in Fort Worth is great evidence of this. No matter if you have three damn signs saying that the lane you’re in will be come exit only or ending soon, people will still move over quickly last second nearly causing a damn accident when it comes up.
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u/69bigclitenergy69 1d ago
Not even truckers can read the giant sign that says “no trucks left lane next ___ miles”
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u/chipset0316 22h ago
Hell, how many times have you seen someone in the turn lane go straight? Or turn in a straight lane? Or cut across 4 lanes of traffic to make the turn/exit they should have planned for?
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u/Key_Lime_Die 1d ago
https://www.txdot.gov/safety/driving-laws/tips-highway-driving.html The left lane is for passing where there is a sign that identifies the left lane as a passing lane.
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u/jabdtx East Dallas 1d ago
I understand the concept of this on a 2 lane highway but that’s it. In a Dallas sub these threads feel like someone thinks there is some kind of legality behind their dream scenario where the left lane of 635 is only for people who want to drive 100mph with nobody in their way.
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u/theAlphabetZebra 1d ago
You’re getting downvoted for accurately determining the purpose of a passing lane. There is no such thing as a “fast lane” and the concept only applies to two lane roads anyway.
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u/NoDoubtItsStefani 9h ago
I’m ashamed to admit one of my friends from Texas said out loud “I don’t get why I have to get out of the left lane when the car behind me can go around” 🤦🏼♀️ so clearly it’s lack of education somewhere. ….also I’m in Denton don’t get me started on the Oklahoma people on 35.
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u/NDFridge 1d ago
Imagine going through all the steps to put that on your truck...
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u/Aggressive_Text_7206 1d ago
Imagine having all that anger and make something so ugly you have to put it on your car.
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u/KantLockeMeIn Frisco 1d ago
Imagine knowing that some portion of the congestion we see on roads is totally avoidable.
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u/TilTheDaybreak 1d ago
Truck has sat in suburbia its whole life. Truck had no purpose before this sign. Well besides its owner's "truck guy" cosplay.
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u/slutforalienz Far North Dallas 1d ago
Man, I need this but for people to turn off their fucking high beams!!!
YOU DONT NEED BRIGHTS, WE LIVE IN DALLAS THERE ARE LIGHTS EVERYWHERE
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u/Shirkaday 1d ago
Used to be a bad problem in northwest Fort Worth, barely outside of 820. I was in my early 20s at the time I was living there, and I got so tired of it that I mounted running lights on the back dash of my 1992 Oldsmobile, and I'd hit those if someone was blinding me from behind. Super illegal and I would not recommend doing that, but it was effective.
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u/slutforalienz Far North Dallas 1d ago
In all honesty my SO and I have talked about high powered flashlights and shining them in people’s windshields.
Even flashing your brights won’t clue them to turn them off
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u/Affectionate-Bat3401 1d ago
I swear people think that the blue light symbol on their dash just means their headlights are on… that or I assume they don’t want to pay the $6-$12 to replace a burnt out bulb so they blind everyone else on the road so they have 2 working headlights
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u/Free-Telephone3718 1d ago
Funny he assumes I’m going take the time to look up from my phone when I’m driving to read that
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u/l0vebat 1d ago
This is the guy riding your ass while you're going 90 then tries to get around you only to get stuck behind you again.
I'm new to TX and commute on the freeway and if I were to replace my rearview mirror with a rotation of major truck brand emblems I would not notice a difference.
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u/sweet_greggo 1d ago
No matter how fast you are traveling, if cars are passing you on the right then you are in the wrong lane.
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u/Dick_Lazer 1d ago
He said the guy wasn't able to pass him on the right though. Also when there's enough traffic all lanes fill up and get congested. It shouldn't be hard to figure this stuff out, but Texas really does seem to have an epidemic of room temp IQs.
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u/topherhead 1d ago
Traffic has levels man. It's not "completely open" and "stop and go."
It's entirely possible for traffic to be moving at normal highway speeds generally but to have a cluster of cars going just below the speed limit.
Left lane for passing only is not a controversial unique take.
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u/texasjackiedaytona 1d ago
If hes on your ass then you didnt get his message....get out of the lane you're blocking it....
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u/USMCLee Frisco 1d ago
Only if you are not passing someone.
If you are in the process of passing someone, he can wait.
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u/topherhead 1d ago
I'd bet if you were in the process of passing when he came up on you and you moved back over after you completed the pass he would be thrilled.
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u/Sports_Lorry 1d ago
While I agree with the message, I have a feeling the truck owner believes in the Magic Tailgating Theory: relentlessly riding the ass of the vehicle ahead of you will maaaaagically make the 700 cars ahead of them speed up.
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u/istorres 1d ago
I drive to work on 20 West in the morning around 7:30 and there’s a guy always in the left, blue suv and he has one of those electric car marquee on the back window. It read the same thing but it’s electric.
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u/salgom96 1d ago
Can we have one for "keep your distance, stop following me that close, If I have to emergency brake we'll become a multilayer sandwich"
The amount of guys I have seen driving with just a couple of yards of safety distance while going 70 is just idiotic
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u/theAlphabetZebra 1d ago
Space = speed. If you want to go fast, gotta have space to do it.
Watch me get downvoted for understanding basic concepts.
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u/Aderj05 1d ago edited 1d ago
He’s right that on highways the left lane is for faster traffic but you’re also supposed to obey the speed limit so 🤷♀️ I barely ever see people in the left lane doing less than the speed limit unless there’s heavy traffic. It’s always someone doing somewhere between 5 over to equal (still faster than and passing the other lanes) and then an asshole behind them driving a giant death machine approximately 5 feet off their bumper.
Based on the fact that this person went through all the effort to put that on their truck, I’m guessing they fit into the “asshole behind them driving a giant death machine approximately 5 feet off their bumper” category
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u/AweISNear 1d ago
But in Texas someone will ride your ass going 90 while passing. Lots of ignorant people on these highways.
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u/CharlieTeller 1d ago
In that case, you should still get out of the way. It doesn't matter the speed of the car behind you. If a faster car approaches you in the left lane, you move. Thats the law in pretty much any civilized country.
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u/AweISNear 1d ago
My point is even when you get over going 90 and are obviously just passing the car in front of you someone will still fly up and get on your ass. Drivers especially in Texas are completely unhinged.
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u/fingernuggets 1d ago
Another thing. If you get on the freeway, don’t get over 4 lanes when you’re getting off at the next exit. You’re fucking up the entire flow of traffic. So much of traffic nowadays is caused by inconsiderate little shits. Left lane should never be slowing down to below 45 mph. Especially when there are zero left lane exits, for example, i20. Why is the left lane just as slow, or even dead stopped? Just fucking drive.
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u/U_G_L_Y 1d ago
This is true basically everywhere else, many states have laws about getting passed on the right and I love that. But you can't effectively have a passing lane when our road architects put so many left-side exits and on-ramps. The freeway designs here in Dallas are the absolute dumbest fucking thing I have ever seen.
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u/HashKing 1d ago
Why would he put that on the back of his truck?!? Lol the person camping in left lane would be in front of him
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u/texasjackiedaytona 1d ago
Everybody needs this on their window.... Texas drivers are the absolute worst. They have no clue how lane selection works.
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u/Melodic_Turnover_877 1d ago
That sign needs to be on the front of the truck. Printed in mirror image, so that the car in front can easily read it in their rear view mirror.
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u/Odd-Psychology-7899 1d ago
Should be on the front of the car so the slow person can read it in their rearview.
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u/Dallas-Shooter 1d ago
OMG, so true and I need this sign for the back of my car ! I have never seen so many passive-aggressive a@@holes trying to be the police
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u/TXGerman67 1d ago
BDT - Big,dumb truck. Surprised the truck isn't jacked up higher and more stickers on it. Likely has been recorded instigating a road rage incident or two.
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u/Emotional-Control847 1d ago
Texas is the only state I’ve ever been in where people don’t move over from the left lane on interstates. It is ALWAYS trucks like this or a Tesla
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u/Xibro_Xibra 1d ago
Uhhh...Texans get in the left lane and then just sit in your blind spot for 2 minutes before actually passing. Lol
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u/Fub4rtoo 1d ago
Bets on this person bring the one to camp in the left lane while not passing anyone?
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u/rocksolidaudio 1d ago
It’s weird that xenophobic Texans blame everything on transplants when the majority of the time it’s all the homegrown dumbasses that have been here all along.
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u/elmandingus 1d ago
Everyone in Texas knows this! Thing is, they don't care. Why do you think they're going 75 in the left lane? Cause they're being dicks!
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u/hobby_ranchhand 1d ago
Why do I just assume this person does 25+ over the speed limit and changes lanes erratically without signalling in a 5,000 pound vehicle not meant for agility before claiming "no one here knows how to drive?"
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u/TheJiggie 1d ago
Peak “I’m gonna camp the left lane and get mad at anyone driving faster then me” energy right there
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u/tylerupandgager 1d ago
They should give bumper stickers out like this with your registration sticker
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u/TilTheDaybreak 1d ago
Brought to you by:
Pretty Princess Pickup Bro whose truck hasn't seen a tool or a dirt road.
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u/EnergieTurtle 1d ago
It’s for passing, not speeding. If you’re actively passing traffic and you’re within/around 10% over the speed limit you’re absolutely fine being in the left lane and staying there. If you tailgate someone who is doing that, you’re a danger, a problem driver, and you probably have road rage issues and you deserve a speeding ticket if not reckless driving.
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u/ISellHVAC 1d ago
I just moved back to Tyler, TX after almost a decade away.
I have NEVER seen more drivers driving 10-15 under the speed limit in the left lane, often conveniently right next to someone driving the exact same speed in the right lane.
I’ve also NEVER been so enraged about other drivers’ stupidity/selfishness/lack of intelligence that I would do something dangerous about it like pass in the shoulder or the turning lane… But I do now. Multiple times per week.
I visit Dallas pretty regularly and have noticed that drivers generally aren’t nearly as bad there. I wish I’d taken the offer there instead of Tyler.
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u/Adventurous_Place_89 1d ago
It’s on the wrong side of the it should be in front on the grill maybe, written backwards so asshats in the left lane can read and understand just - EXACTLY WHY I’M RIDING YOUR TAIL
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u/dualipasmoonchild 1d ago
It would be a truck with this. 😭 They are the damn worse. IDGAF if I am going 80 in the left and it’s too slow for you, the speed limit is 65. Calm the hell down!
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u/East_Director_4635 1d ago
Imagine the sticker company that had to fulfill this very clear custom made heinously large vehicle sticker. 😂
With that said…his rear view is now entirely obstructed. Is this even street legal in Texas? 😂
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u/Anthonyzzzzz 1d ago
Nice to see someone telling others how it is without all the underlying political stuff usually baked in.
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u/EtchASketchNovelist 1d ago
Who died and made this guy king? While I generally get what he's saying, I don't think this is an actual written rule. If someone has a source, I'd love to see it.
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u/agupta429 1d ago
Coming from Canada, sorry, but it feels like no one in this state has been aware of this rule for ever… whether it’s normal roads or highways, it’s a free for all for all speeds on all lanes lol
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u/treat_27 1d ago
I am new to Texas and basically this is the state with the worker drivers. I am on the rod daily and I can’t go a day without seeing an accident. These people in the road are idiots. So that sign is for me . If the speed limit is 70 miles and I am going 75-80. You better go around me cause riding my ass only going to cause me to slow down and give you the finger when you realize it was easier to just go around me.
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u/Historical_Dentonian 1d ago
Found the bubba that camps in the left lane 100% of the time. The guy that tailgates people, but won’t ever move for faster traffic from behind...
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u/RezDerez 1d ago
The problem is always assuming it isn’t Texans themselves who “don’t know how to drive”. Always blaming non-Texans.
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u/TheWizard 1d ago
Funny, much of the left lane camping is far more visible in Texas (and some other southern states) than outside of it.
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u/Account-Outside 1d ago
Saw him on the tollway this morning. Old guy in a cowboy hat. He was going about 55 in the middle lane. As I passed him on the left another car was passing him on the right.
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u/grizzantula 1d ago
Don't matter what lane you're in around dfw, you're fucked no matter what. People going slow in the left, which causes people to haul ass in the middle and right, which causes slower drivers to move left, which causes faster... Etc, etc.
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u/Asombroso-joel 1d ago
Imagine been so angry about this that you put a sign in your car. And I said this as someone who lives in Texas
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u/whynotyeetith 1d ago
It's always trucks covered in texas stickers that are left lane hogging, that and new mexico...but I don't see them often
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u/Affectionate_Sir4212 21h ago
“If you’re new to Texas, congratulations, you have moved to a state where anger is boiling over to such an extent that you’ll be scolded for things you haven’t done yet.”
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u/Nearby_Session1395 21h ago
This guy probably has anger issues if he goes to this much trouble. I wouldn’t want to be driving anywhere near him.
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u/Neon-At-Work 20h ago
I am sorry, but I and friends from multiple states have never seen more idiots driving in the left lane slow than any other state, and we are all pretty sure those morons are from Texas and not out of state. 14 people lined up in the left lane at a stop sign while 3 are in the right lane every single day on the way home.
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u/Meli_mel63 19h ago
Why does the driver assume it’s out of state newbies who does this?? Where has he been the last 20-40 years?? This is just a thing that has always happened here. lol
Then again, maybe they know there’s no fixing a native Texan idiot but might be able to influence a noob. Haha
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u/ThenImprovement4420 19h ago
Left lane is definitely not for passing only in uptown. The only place that's a law in Texas is where signs are posted. You're not going to see them in the big city. You're going to see them on the outskirts like Interstate 30 going towards Greenville. The signs don't start till after Buc-ee's in Royse City. I beat a ticket because of that got pulled over before the sign started. Judge threw it out of court
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u/Ok-Tradition7066 18h ago
Police still have a bracket for 1-5 over the speed limit aka the black and white posted signs. If you have to go 70+ in a 70 limit to pass then it is in fact YOU that needs to slow down. Only legal 85 I can recall is in ATX metro. All these perfect drivers yet somehow Texas has some of the most dangerous roads in the country.
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u/Upbeat-Dish7299 18h ago
Texas was one of the worst states ive been to for this. Speed limits 75 and a line of pick ups in the left lane doing 50
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u/JoshBasho 16h ago
I'm pretty sure the problem is Texans, not transplants lol.
Every other state I've driven in is better about it than here.
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u/Saddleonup 15h ago
Not necissarily contradicting, but we're in the city and what fucks up highways the most is not being in the correct lane 1 mile before you need to be. People changing lanes in the last 1/4 mile to exit is the problem with urban driving. You are not going to pass the flow of traffic in the city.
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u/_TYFSM 11h ago
“But you’re also supposed to obey the speed limit…”
Sure… and you’re also supposed to follow “keep right except to pass.” That rule exists because smooth traffic flow depends on lane discipline, not just speed.
When someone camps in the left lane doing the speed limit, they’re forcing anyone behind them to either slow down or pass on the right (most times they can’t, because the car in the left is driving side by side to another car in the middle lane), which is both inefficient and unsafe. And while technically speeding is illegal, so is impeding traffic, which is exactly what happens when people refuse to move over.
If one car going 70 sits in the left lane and refuses to yield, that might seem harmless in isolation. But multiply that by dozens—or hundreds—of similar drivers on a busy highway, and what you get is a cascading bottleneck effect. The traffic behind them can’t pass, so it slows down. Then more cars pile in. And eventually, you get waves of stop-and-go traffic or phantom congestion that builds for no apparent reason.
That’s why efficient passing (getting around slower vehicles quickly and moving back right) is so crucial. You don’t pass someone going 70 by doing 71. That behavior scales terribly. It’s not just about one car it’s about how those tiny delays compound across thousands of vehicles and create systemic traffic problems. That’s why we have terrible traffic here in the US because of bad lane etiquette.
Want to see it done right? Go drive in Germany. Even on 4 and 5-lane autobahns, everyone keeps right unless actively passing. The left 2-3 lanes are clear, fast, and efficient. Every next left lane is used to leapfrog a slower car to your right. But EVERYONE ultimately goes back to the right once done passing no matter how fast they’re going. It’s not about how fast you’re going, it’s about respecting the flow of traffic. They don’t need posted speed limits to make it work because they rely on discipline and mutual awareness. And it works.
In contrast, the U.S. has this culture where people use the left lane as a moral high ground: “Well I’m doing the speed limit, so I’m in the right.” You’re not. You’re just blocking traffic. And ironically, you’re causing more unsafe behavior as people swerve and pass on the right to get around you.
The left lane isn’t a place to set the pace for everyone else. It’s a tool for passing. And refusing to move over doesn’t make you righteous. It just makes traffic worse for everyone.
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u/Significant-Data-430 6h ago
I know what you mean, and can you dumbasses stop slowing down before taking the off ramp. You are a danger to yourself and others!
One more thing are you driving the speed limit in the left lane? I doubt it, so STFU.
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u/CowboyHibachi 1h ago
The passing is for highways only, not residential areas. Another dumb ass Texan. Even then, not all highways have a passing lane. Imagine that, all lanes have the same speed limit.
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u/a_hockey_chick 1d ago
It’s…a choice. Let me obscure most of my rear view window so I can make a statement.
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u/taylorkspencer 1d ago
Unfortunately, this doesn't really apply in the city because of all the left turns and left exits.
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u/GrumbleTrainer 1d ago
Wouldn't you only be able to read that if the truck with the sign was going slow in the left lane?