The fast lane

[adrianh]

So you're saying its a case of 'monkey see, monkey do'

[ians]

Now you gone from calling silly to a monkey, what next? Lucky i am not a sensitive person.

By the way i was watching the people leaving the dam yesterday afternoon, some of them could hardly walk they had so much to drink, to make it worse some of them loading kids into the vehicles others girl friends and wives and driving home. I would be safer driving in the yellow lane going home than in any other lanes with these inconsiderate people on the road. 1 accident on the way to the dam and 2 accidents on the way home, none of them in the yellow lane, mmm.

[adrianh]

You cannot justify breaking one one by saying that other break laws that are more serious than the laws that you break. Each law stands on its own. When people drink and drive they break the law. When you drive in the yellow line you break the law.

Strange as it may sound, when people do 60 in the right hand lane they don't break the law.

The tactic of trying to offset the little evil that you do against a greater evil that another does simply doesn't work on me because the reasoning is flawed.

[ians]

Agreed, you win.

[Justloadit]

Strange as it may sound, when people do 60 in the right hand lane they don't break the law.

It actually is an offense to drive at 60Km an hour on a 120Km highway. The minimum speed indicated by a blue sign is usually 80Km an hour.

It is also common courtesy to not impede other road users from passing you at a higher speed than is lawful on the highway. After all you have no idea for their reason for doing so.

Fine for hogging lane

[adrianh]

Don't get me wrong, I dislike people who drive slowly in the right hand lane too. I like. What I am saying is that one cannot justify doing something wrong because somebody else does something else wrong.

Sort of like saying its ok for me to steal a bit because somebody else steals a lot.

[Mike C]

Don't get me wrong, I dislike people who drive slowly in the right hand lane too. I like. What I am saying is that one cannot justify doing something wrong because somebody else does something else wrong.

Sort of like saying its ok for me to steal a bit because somebody else steals a lot.

I support you wholeheartedly on this one AdrianH. One of my fears for this country is that we will end up driving like they do in India.

[Didditmiself]

Mike, explain please. Are you referring to the death toll or ?

[Mike C]

Mike, explain please. Are you referring to the death toll or ?

Hi Diditmiself - I am agreeing with Adrianh's comment which I enclosed in quotes. He was speaking about drivers who break the law.

It appears that the traffic in India is horrendous. And the "rules of the road" as we know them do not apply.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PsZKPnvlx44

or

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RjrEQaG5jPM

[adrianh]

We have a strange attitude in this country, we are able to justify whatever we do in terms of worse things that other people do. I only speed a bit but the taxi skips the robot or I overtake on the white line but the other guy overtakes on the left.

I think that the problem is that it is really a question of "monkey see monkey do", the only limiting factor is the extent to which each "monkey will do". One person tries to squeeze through on the left, then another and another and soon you have a lane. Do this for a couple of days and people who drive on that road accept it as the norn. Taxi's are a perfect example, they do certain things in certain places, like drive on the wrong side of the road to get from a specific point to another. If it is allowed to become a habit then it is simply accepted as part of the way one drives down that road. That may be fine for the people who drive on that stretch of road every day but could be fatal for those who don't.

To get back to driving on the left shoulder of the road, look, I spent most of my life driving around JHB so I understand how and why people get frustrated and take to driving in the emergency lanes, but the fact of the matter remains that it is called the Emergency lane for a reason. Emergency vehicles need to use the lane. Its nice to go flying down the emergency lane at 5 times the speed of the general traffic until you are the dumba$$ blocking ambulances and emergency vehicles from attending to an accident.

I think there is a simple lesson in this for all of us, and yes I speak for myself too: "What's the hurry, leave earlier, relax and most of all SLOW THE F*CK DOWN"

[ians]

So can i asume by your replies that you dont break the law EVER, and refer to your responses not ony from this thread but others i have read?

By the way i dont drive fast, i dont exceed the speed limit, not since i sold my super bike.

I have just got back form a trip to the farm today for lunch, only 900+ dead on our roads, i am surprised, with all the stuff i saw today, people texting while driving, speeding, talking on the phone, driving too close to each other, you name it. The traffic police where out in full force, but it doesnt help if they are sitting on the side of the freeway and people are breaking ever law right in front of them, but they cant see it because they are not part of the traffic. Hello Mr minister of traffic if you were really concerned about the death toll on the road you would do 2 things, charge the people who are suppose to fix the roads for the absolutely shocking condition of the roads, and secondly try have the traffic police drive on the road so that they can see what is actually happening on the road. I spent 20 % of my trip driving in the middle of the road going up and back because of the hetic potholes, so the fact that something like 60 % of the accidents are caused by head on collisions dosent surprise me. To make it even more challenging there was mist this evening While driving home.

[adrianh]

I drive fast, I break the speed limity and I break the law. I get the moer in when people do 100 in the fast lane and I overtake them on the left. I get annoyed by their driving style. I also drive like you, like a d00$, because people p1$$ me off.

It doesn't make it right, some twat does 60 in the fast lane so we drive in the emergency lane. Get out, give him a clout and move on.

Take this discussion beyong me and you, take it to the man in the street, should everybody do as they please when they get wound up?

[Blurock]

Speed kills.

No, I don't agree. Incompetent traffic officials kill by not enforcing traffic laws because they do not understand the basics of road safety. (With apology to the three competent traffic officers)

[adrianh]

I think that 'inappropriate' speed is far more dangerous than speeding per se. I agree that people going too slowly in the fast lane pose as much danger as people going too fast in the slow lane.

So, I agree with most of what Ians says except the bit about driving in the emergency lane.

[ians]

Andrian, the part about the yellow lane was just to get the reaction, cause i know how people get amped about it, including myself.