Anyone who has ever been on any US highway for more than 2 min can tell you that they are set up to be efficient and get you there fast. With a good wheel hub and bearing assembly they will be as smooth as they are long. So why are there to many clogs, Why are we waiting in stopped traffic on a 6 lane highway? One of the main reasons we all have to wait really has to come down to bad drivers. While it is true there are accidents that block lanes of traffic, on the average most of us are waiting for a very different reason. The “fast lane” which is actually supposed to be the “passing lane” and it is intended as such. In some states the police have really begun to crack down on people who are violating this outside lane. It may seem like these are implied that you should follow but in truth it is law that the left lane is for passing only. The reason the highways get clogged up is because people try to stay in the left lane for as long as possible then just shoot for their exit in a few hundred feet. This kind of act will cause drivers to have to slam on the brakes to avoid the culprit and hence cause a wave of slowing cars. In my opinion it is a great act for cops to write tickets for passing lane violations, maybe it will make my commute home a bit quicker.
Of course there are always other factors to account for traffic jams, there are parking issue and just the sheer number of cars if an area is not set up to handle them. Another act that police should “crack down” on is line cutting. We have all been there waiting at a highway entrance for 15 min in line, right as you get to the source of the back-up someone in the passing lane cuts in. They barge their way in and think it is ok, we all had to wait…why do you in your KIA not have to? Making this kind of move does not make you smarter than everyone who is waiting in line, it makes you “that guy” and you don’t want to be that guy.
One last aspect of highway driving is to remember that all cars are equipped with mirrors that face to the rear of the car so you can see what is behind you “USE THEM!!!!”. Moving your eyes in the direction of the mirror is not a hard thing to do. Yet no one seems to be able to handle this small task, it will save you from damage costs and maybe personal injury. Not to mention it will save me from being run over by you, cause I don’t know about you but I like making a trip without being hit by other drivers.
