The Problem with American Drivers and Roads

Yesterday I drove to Baltimore, Maryland. That trip should have taken me about 2.5 hours. It didn't. It took me well over 5 hours. Why? There are a couple of reasons. Let me start with the more mundane and preventable.

Quick question. What is the left lane for? If you said "passing" YOU are in the minority opinion here. Although the drivers ed book says it so, and though there are signs on the road to that effect, it appears that Americans, At least those in NJ think that the left lane is for sitting back, smoking a cigar, talking on the phone or changing the DVD that everybody behind you can watch is the purpose of the left lane.

Another related question: What are those reflective thingies on the side of your car and hanging dead center of your windshield? and what's their purpose? If you said mirrors you too are apparently in the minority as well. If you said to see upcoming traffic and traffic to your left and right, you ought to get a medal.

Yes apparently, at least in the great state of New Jersey, USA, people sit in left lanes while passing no one and they don't appear to check their mirrors OR even know what to do when a car appears in it. So let me clue these folks in.

The left lane is for passing. Your mirrors are for seeing traffic behind your vehicle. When a vehicle appears to be catching up to you in the left lane it is YOUR job to vacate the left lane and NOT OBSTRUCT the lane. Obstructing the flow of traffic is actually a moving violation. I know that State Police appear to not think it's as 'important" as so called "speeding", but yes, it is an actual, on the books civil offense.

When a person blocks the left lane, they cause traffic to line up behind them UN-Frinken-necessarily. That increases the likelihood that someone will have a rear-ender because people will naturally try to change lanes to attempt to get around the "stuck" traffic. This leads to uncertainty on the road as people can no longer expect traffic to their right to be moving at the same or slow speed than they are. In other words the person blocking the left lane is creating a traffic hazard.

So since I find that many people have NO CLUE how to properly use a high speed interstate, let me spell it out:

You stay in the right lane until you come upon slower traffic. you check your mirrors to make sure there are no other cars coming up on your left. If it is clear you INDICATE your intentions and move into the left lane. Pass the vehicle and then pull back into the right lane UNLESS there are multiple cars in the right lane with little space between them. I such a case you pass all vehicles quickly and then pull back into the right lane and resume "cruising" speed.

It's not that hard.

Now the other problem I had going to Baltimore was this toll business. I would GLADLY pay more federal or state income tax if it meant abolishing those damn tolls. Firstly it is inconvenient to whip out my wallet every 30 miles or so AND I don't like easy pass since I believe where I go is my business and no, the government or quasi-government agency does not need to know where I crossed what and when. The easiest pass is my income taxes at work.
I could simply not understand why traffic came to a complete stop between exit 1 on the NJ Turnpike and the Delaware Memorial Bridge. Then I remembered the toll. Oh and lets not even discuss the two lane bottleneck. Who's bright idea was that? And what the heck is with this paying to enter every little thing? Entering Delaware? Pay up. Entering Maryland? Pay up. Leaving Maryland? Pay up. Taking one of the tunnels? Pay up. I soon expect to see a little toll both at the Maryland House. Well actually the inflated prices for the "goods" sold there are the tolls.

I paid about the same as the tank of gas that got me to and from Baltimore in tolls. Ridiculous. Put it in my taxes and lets kill these congestion causing tolls. The cars themselves are bad enough for the environment but having them sit for hours on the road partially due to tolls is even worse.