This is not a review, an observation, nor is it a request. No, this is a plea!
A plea to the mixed bag of drivers who unnecessarily occupy a privileged territory on the road known as the right hand lane.
As it stands, there are two main types of drivers:
This who have no interest in driving, perhaps even being afraid of it who drive below the speed limit braking at even the slightest chance of doing 1kmh over.
The rest of us are weary of the road rules and drive safely to the conditions. I’m not going to talk about the fools who drive recklessly. Maybe another day though.
The latter of the two are facing a war on the road with the first group over the valuable real estate of the right hand lane.
This is a lane for people to pass through uninterrupted when wishing to overtake. Yes, the law dictates that you do not have to move over at speeds less than 90kmh but do not take advantage to aggravate other drivers. It is not a place to be a road vigilante to force those behind you to drive at the speed that you think that they should be.
Then there are those who simply have no idea about the keep left rule, or much awareness about anything in general other than themselves. But luckily these drivers allow others to know what to expect by placing a tissue box on the rear parcel shelf of their white Toyota Camrys.
The lack of self awareness is incredible to witness sometimes. I regularly drive on a stretch of road that spans into six lanes and will see what appears to be video game NPCs immediately go as far rightward as possible whilst tapping the brakes every 5 seconds to maintain their speed, instead of letting go of the accelerator.
Photo by Photographer Frederik Trovatten on Unsplash
At 5-10kmh below the speed limit..
Often, you may wish to to overtake a beardy old Geoffrey Donaldson in his Subaru Outback with roof racks that will never see the a gram of luggage. Which requires using the left lane to do so as it is a long drive and you don’t want to suffer his speed dictation any longer.
Well boomer Geoff is often not too happy about that and will flash his lights at you once you have passed him to let you know you dared to not put up with it.
It is as much about ego as it is others not accepting their set of personal rules and values.
A microcosm of why humans around the world can’t seem to live harmoniously with other walks of life..
The driver handbook will not say this but the reality is, slow placid, drivers are creating frustration for drivers who often respond with aggression.
We then see dangerous manoeuvres being made to get around them including excessive speeding and lane swaying leaving little margin for error. I’ve witnessed multiple cars take unnecessary risks to get around one slow driver in the right hand lane.
I’ve heard people argue both sides, but when an accident happens, I’m sorry but both played a part in this.
Why? Because in the real world (not the driver’s handbook) the whole scenario could have been ‘prevented’ by simply keeping the right hand lane free for those who want to drive faster. Just let them pass, take comfort in the knowledge that they will at some point receive a speeding ticket. All the while you enjoy hassle free driving!
To the frustrated drivers behind them; remember a minute or mere seconds gained is never worth risking your life, or those around you, just to simply get past one annoying driver. The possible consequences affect yours and their loved ones too. It is always worth waiting for the right opportunity to safely overtake.
For others who may not be familiar with the road rules in Australia, I hope you read this and keep to the left unless overtaking. We need less causes of frustration on the road as there are enough hazards as it is.
Finally, let’s show some empathy towards our fellow motorists so we can ALL make it to our destinations safely.
Article from QLD Police: Keep left unless overtaking
