When do you pull over?

[tyefighter]

Having bought the Bounder in July, I vowed not to impede faster traffic on the two lane highways.  I have made it a point to pull over in the next safe place when ever three cars get behind me, sometimes I'll pull over for one if it has been following for quite some time.
Just wondering.

 

[Tom]

What's the photo about?

 

[John From Detroit]

Having bought the Bounder in July, I vowed not to impede faster traffic on the two lane highways.  I have made it a point to pull over in the next safe place when ever three cars get behind me, sometimes I'll pull over for one if it has been following for quite some time.
Just wondering.

I bought a Damon Intruder... It's 8.1 Liter Chevy Vortec V-8 can haul it at whatever speed is proper for the 2-lanes.  No need to pull over... Recently I had to stop on the freeway for a whle (Car drove under a semi, road was blocked, everybody stopped) and when the accident cleared I noticed I was going uphill and passing semi's as I went.  And the engine was not working hard... Took me up to my desired speed almost as fast as my 3.1liter car engine does in the Lumina.

Now: At one point in the sales process I made a comment about stepping outside the store and getting hit by a Bounder coming in for reoutine maintance.  The store employee told me something meant as a Joke (I'm sure) (If it is a bounder it will be towed in) so when we came to that same line again I said "Get run over by the tow truck bring the Bounder in for service"  Got a good laugh (Which is, after all, what I was aiming for)

However... I will move over for some idiot who wants to do 90 in the 55 zone.. That is espically true if the vehicle in front of me is Royal Blue with a red bubble on it's roof (Michigan State Police) cause 1: They can hide in front of me just fine and 2: I love it when some 1-D-10-T type passes them at 90 in a 55

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

Unlike John, I don't pass everybody in sight!    I often find it desirable to pull over to let following vehicles pass when we are on a windy or somewhat rough road.  Smaller vehicles can comfortably sustain a higher speed than I care to in those conditions - they are more nimble and don't have dishes, glasses, small appliances and such to be concerned with.

I don't have a fixed rule for getting out of the way - I just try to be courteous to whoever is behind me.

 

[Betty Brewer]

.? I have made it a point to pull over in the next safe place when ever three cars get behind me, sometimes I'll pull over for one if it has been following for quite some time.

One year while driving down a 2 lane road along the coast of Oregon towing our car, we were stopped by the Oregon State Police .  I saw the red lights and knew we were not speeding . AND it is hard to find a place  long enough and safe enough to pull over.  But we got it over, stopped and Terry was polite and said "sir" to all of the  questions.  It seems there were more than 5 cars behind us and we were pulled over for not pulling over to let them pass.  I guess that is the  law in Oregon.  When  Terry explained that we were driving slowly because of a slow car in front of us, he said that did not matter, there were 5 cars behind us and it was our duty to pull over.  Then Terry explained that he had been watching for miles to find a safe place to pull this 37,000 pound rig onto the shoulder.  He let us off with only a warning.

Typically we pull over at the  places designated as pull outs whenever anyone wants to go faster than us.  Especially  if they are tailgating or  there is a line up and it is safe for us to stop.
Betty

 

[Bob Buchanan]

Hi Betty:

>> It seems there were more than 5 cars behind us . . .
====
That's close to the law in CA as well. If there are "5 or more" vehicles following you, you are to turn into a turn-out or safe area to let them pass. However, it also stipulates that you are driving "slowly" - which I assume means less than the posted speed limit and normal flow at the time. Here in CA the limit is 55mph unless posted less and if you are towing "anything", or have more than two axles.

The stretch that used to bug me was between Searchlight, NV and Las Vegas on Eye95 Northward. When Boulder dam was closed to big rigs, that became an alternate route. There were a few turnouts (I used everyone on them? ) every time I drove that route. It wasn't a case of being courteous, it was more like I didn't want an 18 wheeler pushing me to LV. Was pleasantly surprised the last time I drove that stretch to find 4 lane freeway all the way.

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

Alaska has a similar law.

 

[Alaskansnowbirds]

What's everyone's feeling about traveling at or over the speed limit and there is still a line a cars behind you. Do you pull over?

Also, you're on a two lane road with NO place to pull over. You get to a long straight stretch, you slow down so those behind can pass. No one passes. Do you forget about them?

 

[tyefighter]

Tom, I was trying to post a photo of the Bounder and just pasted part of the photo.  I'm a little slow on getting up to speed on posting and making the files the right size.  I think I have it worked out now.

 

[Smoky]

Since we like to save diesel, we pull over a lot.  I can't believe how fast people travel these days, but then again we are retired.  Anything faster than 55 mph and it is hard for us to smell the roses.  The ride is often more fun than the destination.    The only time we pop up into the 70s is when we are traveling with friends.  Surprisingly none of our friends we have traveled with so far like to poke along the way we do.

Unfortunately the price of our leisure is frequent pull overs, which I guess eats into our attempt to save fuel.  My rule is when more than 3 cars/vehicles  follow us, time to look for a SAFE place to pull over.  I won't pull over in a 38,000 pound (empty weight) vehicle unless it is very safe.  But I find out west, most people seem to understand that.  AND there seem to be more pullovers.  There seems to be less understanding about all this in the east.

 

[Tom]

I was trying to post a photo of the Bounder

Yep, looks like you got it figured out.

 

[BernieD]

What's everyone's feeling about traveling at or over the speed limit and there is still a line a cars behind you. Do you pull over?

NO, at the speed limit or above IMHO it is unsafe to slow down enough to pull over, then wait for the line to pass and then get back up to speed before the next line comes up.

Also, you're on a two lane road with NO place to pull over. You get to a long straight stretch, you slow down so those behind can pass. No one passes. Do you forget about them?

YES. I'll give the cars behind me a couple of opportunities to pass and then forget about them.

 

[camper1b]

I hate to be a bottleneck, because I hate to be behind one when I'm not towing.  I have never had a problem leting people pass me.  What I try to do is not to pull over completely to a stop.  But, rather, at a reasonable straightaway, I'll slow down, put my right turn signal on, and inch over so people can get by me.  That way, I'm not using up brakes and gas to get completely to a stop.

I know that wouldn't work on really winding roads but I try to avoid those kinds of roads anyway when I'm towing.  I will rarely allow more than a couple cars to back up before I try to let them by.

 

[Bob Zambenini]

Then Terry explained that he had been watching for miles to find a safe place to pull this 37,000 pound rig onto the shoulder.  He let us off with only a warning.

Typically we pull over at the  places designated as pull outs whenever anyone wants to go faster than us.  Especially  if they are tailgating or  there is a line up and it is safe for us to stop.
Betty

You are lucky with just a warning! One of our Newmar Club members got a big ticket up in Yosmite area. He passed up a pull off that was way too small for motorhome to pull off and get back on. Tried to explain but no luck.

We were going into Yosemite one year, from the south, and as Joyce is a 'counter', we were pullling off at every place and letting the 4 wheelers fly by. She started counting the people who gave a courtsey thank you wave and it was only 2 out of 80! Maybe the other 78 were bitching about RVs! <G>

Bob

 

[John From Detroit]

Unlike John, I don't pass everybody in sight!    I often find it desirable to pull over to let following vehicles pass when we are on a windy or somewhat rough road.  Smaller vehicles can comfortably sustain a higher speed than I care to in those conditions - they are more nimble and don't have dishes, glasses, small appliances and such to be concerned with.

I don't have a fixed rule for getting out of the way - I just try to be courteous to whoever is behind me.

Oh, I don't pass everyone in sight... I just got up to speed (55-60 mph) a bit faster than the semi's is all  Once I'm up to about the speed limit (which is 55 for trucks here in Michigan) i tend to get passed far more than I pass.

It's just that getting up to the speed limit I can do in a hurry if I wish.

I do not feel the need to move over for some idiot doing 90 in a 55 though.  Not at all.  So long as I'm doing the speed limit he can slow down...  And don't be looking for me to be doing 90 in a 55 either

(Most freeways here in Mich are 70 car and 55 truck... I'm not sure which speed limit I should follow being plated with what amounts to a car plate, but I am sure it's not 90 mph.

Short, and true, story... One week, early on, Michigan State Police overflew one of our freeways (The I-696 International Speedway we call it) and in a very short period of time wrote 85 tickets,,, slowest driver tagged 85mph, Fastest 105.

Later the same week we (Yes, we, I worked for them then) parked the 'copter over the same streatch of freeway

Same stats 85 tickets betweein 85 and 105,,, And how much you wanna bet it was the same idiot doing 105? (Truly I do not know)

Been a long,long,long,long time since I got a speeding ticket... 49 in a 45

 

[cpurves]

Hi All:- here in British Columbia the speed limit is 100 KM/hour (62mph) We can easily get away with 110, so I do. Most of our hills have passing lanes.? Even when I travel for work with only the truck, no trailer, at the absolute max of 110 Km/H I still find myself leading a bunch of vehicles sometimes.? I don't know how these others get away from the tickets or do they just pay them when the get caught? If I have vehicles behind me going into a passing lane I let them pass. The other thing that bugs me about passing lanes is when I have been waiting to pass someone in a car or pickup going 90km in a 100 km zone and when they get on the passing lane they speed up so no one can pass, then slow back down at the top of the hill. It is almost like they are jealous of their space on the road, like I can't have it until they are done with it.

Oh Well - I haven't had a speeding ticket since I got cruise control. My fifth wheel is small so I should be able to keep at the speed limit easily enough, so if I am at the speed limit then they can pass on straight stretches or passing lanes. it's common courtesy to let them by but, if they want to speed it is up to them to get by me.

Cheers
Chris

 

[Kirk]

Since we went full-time we live in the belief that since we are at home, there just is no need to get in any great hurry. I also believe that most of us are safer drivers in these big RV's when we travel a bit more slowly, of course at the same time trying not to hold up traffic. As such, our normal speed of travel is about 57mph or so. I do pull out when safe to do so at any time that there are more than 3/5 vehicles behind me, with the exception of when I am in a long line of traffic and are not the one holding things up. But we also frequently pull into a parking lot of something when traffic is heavy and just wait for it to not be heavy before we continue. We go to great lengths to avoid travel by schedule, just so that we can do such things. I believe that life is much too short to spend much of it chafing about bad traffic conditions. I can sit and read a book and make much better use of my time! When on a lonely stretch of road, I will pull over for just one car. I believe that most of those drivers are probably trying to make a living, so I try and let them. After all, I want them to make lots of money and to keep that social security and my pension fund both healthy!

 

[Smoky]

Kirk:

We love your philosophy and we are trying hard to emulate it! 

 

[John From Detroit]

Since we went full-time we live in the belief that since we are at home, there just is no need to get in any great hurry.

In my last trip of the season with the MH,we came upon a bunch of brake lights,  About 1/2 mile in front of us (about  1KM if you count distance that way, yes, the conversion is not exact, but about it is) someone had driven their car under a semi (ouch) don't know if the person in the car survived.

Road blocked

I explained it to my wife

We had food, toilet, entainerment, even a bed if the blockage had run way longer than it did.  And no place we had to be RIGHT NOW.

Unlike driving in a car,  Murphy says when you find yourself in an impromptu parking lot the song you are singing is from the Detrol commericial  "Gotta go,gotta go,gotta go, Right NOW!"

 

[Albslb2]

Totally agree? with all thats been said. Heck I've been in large congestion area due to problems on the road and while people were stretching outside, I've gotten out and talked to them and met some wonderful peoples that way.? Have even offered our facilities to an elderly couple (can't believe I'm saying that, heck I'm 71) and we have been friends for many years now.? Also have offered to people with children and others.? Boy do they appreciate it. I sure know I would with this Gotta go, Gotta go, Gotta go routine. LOL Sometimes it's nice to do things for unsuspecting others. Once we met a couple with the same unit as us and exchanged ideas, it helped both of us.