PopBeavers wrote: Not sure about your state, but California requires that all vehicles, towing or not, pull over at the first safe opportunity whenever they are followed by 5 or more vehicles.
When I was a kid, the count was 7, but they lowered it when I wasn't looking.
In Oregon it's one. It also applies to bicyclists, yet I've NEVER seen a bicyclist pull over when holding up traffic.
The caveat is that if they have the opportunity to pass and they don't, you don't have to pull over.
1100Sabre wrote: ...The idiot in the little car stayed in the fast lane so I scooted over to the slow lane and blew his doors off! And then here came the entire field of cars behind me and not a one of them got around me before we got to the top!
So long as you know how to take the corners at a reasonable speed that's cool.
I once was behind a guy with a motor home that had what must have been a massive diesel engine. He took the corners at well under the advisory speed, but as soon as he hit the passing lanes, he wound it up to 80 only letting a few speed demons get by.
I laughed my fanny off when someone with a souped up diesel pickup was next in line behind him. The driver romped the throttle on the pickup and passed the MH, pulled in front of him and slowed. The MH driver couldn't get back over because the line tailing the MH was now passing him on the left. I think he took the MH down to about 20 to let the whole line by. The guy driving the pickup was getting a whole lot of waves and honks as he went by.
dubdub07 wrote: I couldn't agree more!!!! I'll better you on this one; I was going to Ouray on Hwy550 and on the small hills an Explorer/TT combo passed me going like a bat out of Hades! Then, when the real hills kicked in....you guessed it; he was WAY slow and in the way!!!
Mountain etiquette:
If you are slow, pull over.
If you are that underpowered that you can't, camp in Texas.
If you pull in the mountains with a gasser, don't pass me on the flats if you can't stay in front on the hills.
Thanks!
Gotta tell you I've been that person. From my point of view you very well may have been the obstacle. The guy driving the "gasser" may do just fine until those steep inclines. If he knows it's going to be a challenge, he will try to build up a head of steam before hitting the hill. The last thing he needs is the pokey vehicle in front of him slowing his approach down.
And Texas is a wee bit of a drive from up here!
I do and always have driven 5 over the speed limit. Towing or not. I am NOT the problem......don't pass me if you can't keep it up.
2008 Durango 325BHS
2007 Dodge 2500QC 6.7 CTD, 6 sp auto, Ride-Rites, prodigy, Husky 16K slider.
Retired USAF Air Traffic Controller after 26yrs
Gotta keep em separated!
DW, Sons 17,11,5; Daughters 15,13,4
In Colorado you have to pull over not drive on the shoulder to allow faster traffic to pass. This usually only occurs on mountain roads.
Also, starting Aug. 5th, you have to give bicycles a 3 foot cushion when passing them. If you have oncoming traffic, you have to wait behind the bike until it is safe to cross the center line to pass them. This new law is already causing a civil war between motorists and bicyclists.
Dave
lckcmk wrote: Yesterday on our way into Salida, CO., we were unfortunate enough to get caught behind a SUV pulling a travel trailer. Anyone familiar with Hiway285 in Colorado knows that stretch is pretty much uphill. The rig we were behind was way underpowered and literally had, at one time, 15 vehicles lined up behind him. In a situation like that, there's always someone who has to pull out to pass (often more than one car) making the situation dangerous for everyone involved.
Please, please, if you know you've got several vehicles behind you and you can tell by the number that are passing you, find the closest safe place to pull over and let them by. The people pulling this rig passed several places to do just that, ignoring everyone behind him.
It's just plain old common courtesy to do that. DH will do that for you, please do it in return for someone else!
Oh Oh!!
That must have been me - it not an SUV - it was my Smart car
towing my 30' Airstream.
It just looks like an SUV 'cause of the box mounted on top.
Sorry - pedal was to the metal.
Can't see the vehicles stacking up behind me, 'cause I can't
see around the trailer.
Glad you reminded me - gonna have to get some wider mirrors.
Terryallan wrote: Depends. If I'm doing the speed limit. I don't pull over. If I'm a lot slower than the limit. I'll pull over, or at least slow down in the turn outs.
Not sure about your state, but California requires that all vehicles, towing or not, pull over at the first safe opportunity whenever they are followed by 5 or more vehicles.
When I was a kid, the count was 7, but they lowered it when I wasn't looking.
Not sure about your state either. For many reasons. But in my state. they expect you to do the speedlimit, not more than, and as long as you are. You are not a hazzard. And again. In our state. The DOT is smart enough to put turn out, or passing lanes on the mountian roads. And the ones that are steep enough to slow me down. Have a speedlimit of 35. So no problems.
"Please, please, if you know you've got several vehicles behind you and you can tell by the number that are passing you, find the closest safe place to pull over and let them by. The people pulling this rig passed several places to do just that, ignoring everyone behind him."
---
The operative words here are "safe place"! And a "safe pullout" for a car is NOT the same as a "safe pullout" for a motorhome. I always pull my motorhome over on two-laners to allow faster traffic to pass whenever there's an appropriate place to do so, but *NO WAY* am I going to endanger myself or my motorhome by pulling over when the "pullout" has a drop-off from the pavement, or is too short or narrow to slow or stop safely, or is full of ruts and holes, or is close to pavement-edge rock overhangs, or when some idiot is parked right in the middle of the pullout!
While it's true that there are lots of clueless folks who just tootle along oblivious to what and who's behind them and never pull over even when it's safe and convenient, there are *many* of us who are courteous drivers and will take every opportunity to pull over to allow faster traffic to pass, but *only when it's SAFE for us to do so*.
wa8yxm wrote: There is another thread on here where the poster told of what happened after he pulled over to let people pass.. Twas not pretty and he's not about to pull over again.
Alas. Pulling over is the courteous thing to do but when some (polite terms elude me here) decides to do nasty things to you when he passes you.... That kind of sours one on being courteous.
I guess I'm naive but I never expected to hear of someone being other than really glad to have you pull over! I'm very sorry to hear about that---our experiences have been either being ignored or a wave of thanks, not the one finger salute.
My main concern in this was not our speed---we're not in any hurry, but the people who kept passing this guy under less than ideal situations. Yellow lines, oncoming traffic and passing several cars at once. In our travels we've seen lots of accidents and we really hate to see someone tempt fate.
One of the great places this guy drove by was a parking lot (empty, by the way) at the top of Poncha Springs Pass. Another was in a small town before then---with lots of room. He also passed one area specially designated as a turn-out. I don't think anyone expects you to pull over if it's not safe, no matter what you're driving or pulling.
Thanks for your responses, it's been interesting reading. Drive safe and enjoy your travels.
2005 Intruder
2009 Chevy Colorado
Scratch the cat(well, someone has to hold the couch down)
I totally agree with JT. On our trip to Alaska and back last year, we encountered these types of situations a lot, both in the U.S. and Canada. A "safe" turnout is a very rare animal and anything else can be disastrous. While it is less difficult to pull a pickup pulling a TT onto a pullout, pulling a 15 ton motorhome over is a whole different story. Even just a 1" difference between the roadway and the pullout can cause dangerous steering problems...potholes and ruts can also be a nightmare. Then you have to get the whole mess moving again (up a 6% grade) which within a 1/4 mile you will have the line of cars behind you again.
I typically will not use pull outs unless I have plenty of time to determine that it is indeed a safe pullout and also if it has sufficient room for me to get back up to speed again. I will move over immediately when passing lanes are available but like Deen have encountered those who realize they don't have enough room to pass before the passing lane runs out but just HAVE to get ahead of you anyway causing a dangerous situation to the RV and themselves.
Most (a very high percentage) drivers, whether driving a car or rv, are courteous to others. It's just the 1% who cause the majority of problems. We will always have those and there is absolutely nothing any of us can do about it...
Ron
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