Who are the slow drivers on the freeways?

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Reasons of slow driving from observations of mom:





1. She's short:


-She uses a pillow to prop her up so that she can see well. Since she believes she can't see "everything around her", it makes her more cautious.


-This is also the reason she prefers "high" cars (i.e. the Quest she's driving and the RX she's considering)


-Usually high cars = big cars. This makes it even harder for them to maneuver.


2. Lack of early exposure/experience:


She never drove until several years after arriving to America. Neither did her friends/family. It wasn't a normal thing like it is in the US.


She came from a VERY poor country (see Burma/Myanmar for just HOW poor) so cars were only available to the super-wealthy elite.


She emigrated to NY. Why in the world would you drive in NY?


3. Cautious culture - Asian cultures are very cautious in general. Add this to #1 and #2 and you have a woman that's super cautious.


4. Age - Older = Slower. I think this is where the fear of speed comes from. This is normal of any race/culture. This is definitely a given with the demographic we're talking about.





On other comments:


1. It's absurd to say that Asians have some kind of biological deficiency when it comes to driving. Driving is a skill. With practice, it can be learned and mastered just like any other trade. Most non-immigrant Americans have about 10yrs more experience at a younger age than she does.


2. Hyu: I would like to see the actual statistics regarding drunk driving and ethnicity. I doubt that what you said is correct.


3. I get the impression that many people think the slow drivers are either directly or indirectly causing a large majority of accidents. As IR pointed out, variation in speed is what causes accidents. The greater the variation, the greater the probability of accident. This is actually supporting the "slow" driver's case. I rarely, if ever, see an older Asian woman go <strong>under </strong>50MPH (-15MPH from limit) on a freeway. However, I frequently see other ethnicities/age groups going <strong>over </strong>80MPH (+15 over speed limit). More instances of higher deviation = more accidents compared to slower drivers. These observations are anecdotal, of course, but I don't think they're too off.





edit: oh yea. I hate that people don't know the leftmost lane is the passing lane. My mom usually stays in the 2nd lane from the right so that she doesn't have to worry about merging cars and doesn't have to be "pressured" into going fast by tailgaters.
 
i think the left-lane = safe idea has merit. I tend to drive a bit slower than mainstream traffic (Effenjeep has the aerodynamics of a barn door) so I stay over on the right and blend-in with the heavy trucks. Doing this safely requires intense focus and situational awareness, with all the piss-poor merging going on over there. I don't blame people for wanting to stay left, but they still ought not be there.
 
<p>Trooper,</p>

<p>I think you got it right. If they stayed on the right hand lane, there are cars constantly coming in and out of their lane from the traffic that is leaving and entering the freeway. They don't have that distraction when they are in the far left lane, especially the carpool lane. They only have to watch out for vehicles entering from the right, and never ever have to worry about any traffic that might interfere with their driving from the left.</p>
 
By the way, I am not a slow driver. I have gotten 2 tickets in my lifetime, and both of them were for tailgating the guy in front of me. 1 ticket I still think was bogus. I don't understand how I can get a tailgating ticket when I was in the middle of the 405 parking lot in the afternoon commute.
 
<p>Bkshopr just labeled me a rebel driver. </p>

<p>I have always thought of going back to school to get a degree in sociology just so I could write a thesis on SoCal's Left Lane Syndrome. It drives me nuts that people do not understand that the left lane is for <strong>PASSING ONLY! </strong>It spills over when you take road trips up the 5 or 101 and someone will be in the left lane on an open highyway. Yeah when I flash the brights it means move over. On the German Autobahn if you get the brights you move over and if you don't the after the second flash you will be bumper tapped. I have thought about doing that several times.</p>
 
"I have always thought of going back to school to get a degree in sociology just so I could write a thesis on SoCal's Left Lane Syndrome."





Have you ever noticed in heavy traffic the left lane goes the slowest? Everyone wants to go faster, so they try to get in the left lane. This puts so many cars in this lane, it does not move.





I am one of those irritating drivers who will pass on the right and drive in the off-ramp lane until the last minute and dart back in traffic...
 
<p><em>>>What does irritate me is being tailgated at 85mph in the carpool lane. Am I supposed to cross the dbl yellow to let you over?</em></p>

<p>I would also like to take this opportunity to note that the carpool is just that: a lane for carpoolers. It is NOT the fast lane. The "fast lane" is the one to the immediate right of the carpool lane.</p>
 
<p>That's why I believe we need to change the rules of the HOV lane. If you can safely move in and out of the lane, why not ? Also, in off peak hours....everyone should be able to use it. I do recall some sort of stringent guidelines the Feds imposed when giving the funding for the HOV lanes, perhaps that is why not.</p>

<p>Hey, I should start a column: Ask a Trooper. </p>
 
<p>DON'T CROSS THE DOUBLE LINES!!! As a couple of people out here informed me last night, that offense should follow the same sentencing guidelines as Murder 1.</p>
 
bk - I'm off today, so internet access is from home. We have wireless laptops in our black and whites (I don't ride/drive a bike), but only certain internet activities are sanctioned.
 
It's Friday afternoon, school has just started and kids will be let out soon. Please make complete stops at signs in neighborhoods to avoid dire consequences. Wave to the nice police officer making sure these consequences don't happen.
 
<p>Eff - I know what you are saying. I recently experienced it. I gave the courtesy brake tap to say back off. That didn't work a-hole just rode closer. So I pushed the clutch in, dropped to third, hit the brakes hard and then popped the clutch and punched it. The a-hole's sunglasses fell of his head and his eyes looked like they were going to pop out. I think he soiled himself too.</p>

<p>Troop - The HOV lane rules up north are that way. It works great because during peak hours it flows pretty well and off peak it makes a great passing lane. </p>

<p>IR - Not only are we like minded on housing but driving as well. </p>
 
All, please be careful with the brake jobs....L.A. drivers and road rage incidents go hand in hand, not to mention brandishing of handguns and shots fired have also been a result of same. I highly recommend letting go of the ego....just move over for a few seconds and let the idiot pass. Safer for everyone.
 
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