Why even bother calling it an HOV lane?
Every day I drive I-69 to I-55 to I-240 to work to get from Hernando to Germantown, then I reverse the process in the afternoon. No big deal. And I’m not some huge roadrager. I get frustrated around here not with the traffic (because despite what some of the natives think, it’s really not that bad) but mostly with the rubberneckers.
But there is one thing lately that is really getting under my skin and it came to a head yesterday afternoon around 5:40 pm on I-55 Southbound, just South of the I-240 interchange. Everyday I see non HOV types in the HOV lane, and it’s irksome, but what do I care as long as I obey the traffic laws, right? Yesterday there are at least a dozen cars with just a driver in the HOV lane, cruising along like every other day, then I see the cop in the lane with them. Not pulling anyone over, just going with the flow of traffic. I got to thinking, why even have the lane if you’re not going to enforce it? I mean, he’s doing mach 10 with everyone else in the lane, but surely he can see that they’re not supposed to be in the lane! What is the deal?
No matter where you go, HOV lanes are only used properly by tourists and people passing through. Those that live where HOV lanes are present use them as just another lane.
I think it’s a lack of concern with driving safety and attentiveness behind the wheel. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been responding to an emergency call with lights and siren going and the person in front of me is completely oblivious to the fact there is an emergency vehicle behind them.
Another thing I can’t stand are drivers who do not move to the right to let faster traffic through. Lane on the right? Slow(er) traffic. Lane on the left? Fastest traffic. Everything in the middle? Next fastest (left) and next slowest (right).
On a grand scale, U.S. drivers fail across the board. If you would like to have an awesome driving experience, take a trip to Germany and drive for a couple of hours on the Autobahn. They will not pass on the right. Drivers pay attention and when they see a faster moving car coming up behind them, they don’t hesitate to move over. When in an emergency braking situation, they turn on their 4 way flashers until the person behind them turns on theirs and then they turn them off, etc.
I completely agree. I learned to drive in Germany, and I miss it. No one ever camped out in the left lane the way they do here.