Carpool Lanes

[Lionel Mandrake]

Here in California we are blessed (or cursed?) with carpool lanes on some freeways. During rush hours the carpool lane is much less congested than the lane next to it.

That means it's really fun to drive in the carpool lane, right?

Well, not exactly. The speeds in the two lanes can be very different. This sets up a dangerous situation. Just because there is a double yellow line between the two lanes, that doesn't mean it's safe to drive very fast in the carpool lane when the adjacent lane has turned into a parking lot.

Accident statistics show that there are a lot of collisions caused by drivers in the adjacent lane crossing the double yellow line (illegally) and getting rear-ended. I have had some near-misses of this type, so when I am in the carpool lane I refuse to drive more than 40 MPH faster than cars in the adjacent lane. Even this speed differential isn't really safe, but it's slow enough to annoy drivers behind me, who express their anger by tailgating me, turning on their high beams, honking their horns, and making rude gestures when I finally get out of their way. That's because they are too fucking stupid to sense the danger.

I was trying to think of a message I could put on a bumper sticker to explain all this, but I haven't been able to do so in a few words.

[hunter]

1. Yep.

It's very stressful to drive in the carpool lane when it's going 55+ and the other traffic is stop-and-go.

You never know when someone is going to pull out in front of you.

It's almost as bad as San Francisco when all the traffic lights on highway 101 were small and visitors and people passing through simply didn't see them.

[Callmecrazy]

2. If somebody wants to get by...

Give up the lane. You can have it back when they pass you. The carpool lane is the fast lane. That's why it's there. If you're nervous about using it, don't use it or yield to those drivers who aren't afraid to exploit it. I can't stand when somebody decides to park in the hammer lane and dictate how fast the rest of us go.

[Wounded Bear]

3. You're crazy...nt

[Callmecrazy]

4. That's a debate for another thread, Boo Boo...

Driving slow in the carpool lane defeats the purpose of a carpool lane and in fact creates more accidents by clogging up that lane. If you can't do the common speed for that lane, please yield it to those who would like to get home before Halley's Comet returns.

[Chan790]

5. I think Wounded Bear was quipping on your name, Callmecrazy. n/t

[Callmecrazy]

8. I know. That's why I called him Boo Boo. nt

[Lionel Mandrake]

11. I usually do move over when someone wants to pass,

but I do so only where it's legal. The breaks in the double yellow line are typically a few miles apart, which means those who are impatient must wait a while. That's what pisses them off.

By the way, the accident statistics show precisely what I said in the OP, not what you imagine.

[Lionel Mandrake]

12. No, that's not why the carpool lane is there.

The original purpose of the carpool lanes was to persuade people to carpool, thus reducing congestion. Another purpose now is to persuade people to buy cars which don't pollute the air, or don't pollute it very much.

I'm not interested in controlling anyone's behavior. I usually give up the lane when someone wants to pass, but I usually don't do this right away, for two reasons.

1. It's not legal to cross the double yellow line which separates the carpool lane from the other lanes, and

2. I can't always change lanes safely when it's legal to do so. This is particularly the case in the situation I described in my OP. You might think I am driving slowly, but I am driving much faster than the cars in the adjacent lane. Those cars are usually close together. There may be not be a big enough gap for me to get into before the double yellow line resumes.

Would you prefer that I match speed with cars in the adjacent lane before moving over? You can imagine how the idiots behind me would react to that.

[TeeYiYi]

6. Here's your bumpersticker...

I'm a Control Freak
I Need to Get a Life

TYY

[Lionel Mandrake]

13. Funny, but inaccurate.

See # 12.

[Goalie49009]

7. I never understood carpool lanes

I never had a car that could swim......

[Callmecrazy]

9. Heh heh...

Car pun diem.

[Goalie49009]

10. Car pun diem

now that's punny

[LiberalEsto]

14. We have them in the DC area too

It takes a while to get used to them