Damned Drag Racers!

[Evil Queen]

Scared the living day lights out of me!

SO and I were driving back from a quick trip to Wally World (only grocery store open at this hour near me ). We're on a back street, which happens to be a school zone. So, since it was really dark in the area, I was doing the school zone limit, 35 MPH.

I happen to look up in my rear view mirrors and see this ENORMOUS truck coming up from behind really fast! Right when I'm about to make a snarky comment about properly doing the speed limit, I start to drive over the bridge that is immediately before the school. Then the vehicle passes me on the left (hello, illegal!) and ANOTHER ONE just like it passes me on the right. AT THE SAME TIME!

I laid on the horn, SO yelled our curses and called 911 because, naturally, these guys were being reckless drivers. In a school zone, and ran the stop sign. Lovely.

They made a sharp left, sped down the street and disappeared. But not for long; by the time I got to the next stop sign, they had wound up on the street in front of me where I could read <BUSINESS> all over the sides.

Yes, ladies and gents, two tow trucks were drag racing. If they were responding to a call, they would have had their flashy lights blinking, right?

So we follow them as far as we can before we loose them again thinking we could get plate numbers. No dice there. SO gave the dispatch person at 911 as much info as he could give them and we went home.

The best part was when SO called the towing company to inform them that they hired reckless drivers, that he had called the police about it and he hoped to see them in court sometime soon. He was very creep calm about it.

Unfortunately, he'd left a bag at Wally World so he has gone back to the store to get it. *sighs*

[Pezzle]

Then the vehicle passes me on the left (hello, illegal!)

Quick question: Where in god's name is passing anywhere but the right illegal (and don't say countries where they drive on the other side of the road, your status says you're in Texas lol)? Do you mean he passed you over a double solid/yellow line?

I'm in Jersey so I'm used to everything having 2+ lanes.

[tollbaby]

Errr Pezz? Passing on the right is illegal in Canada You have to pass on the left - if there's a solid double yellow, there's no passing, period.

[Pezzle]

Errr Pezz? Passing on the right is illegal in Canada You have to pass on the left - if there's a solid double yellow, there's no passing, period.

I meant like... England and such. My post read "Where in god's name is passing anywhere but the right illegal" As in only passing on the right/shoulders is illegal. Maybe my post wasn't clear. I was wondering why she mentioned that passing on the left was illegal in her situation and she didn't specify if they'd crossed a double yellow or just passed in another lane on the left. So I was confused since in the US it's pass on the left, always. Even on friggin airport conveyor belts XD

[spookysonata]

I got the impression the truck on the left was on the wrong side of the road.
Most definitely illegal!

[ArcticChicken]

As in only passing on the right/shoulders is illegal.

Huh. I've always thought of it as "No passing, unless the line is dotted, or there's a second lane", whereas you seem to think of it as "Passing's OK, unless there's a solid yellow line." Comes out to the same thing, but I always find the different ways people think about things interesting.

[RetailWorkhorse]

Ladies and Gents, they passed her on the bridge. Which is why she said they passed her on the left and said it was illegal.

[Evil Queen]

Quick question: Where in god's name is passing anywhere but the right illegal (and don't say countries where they drive on the other side of the road, your status says you're in Texas lol)? Do you mean he passed you over a double solid/yellow line?

I'm in Jersey so I'm used to everything having 2+ lanes.

You must have missed the part were I said IT WAS OVER A BRIDGE. Passing on bridges are illegal. And, yes, it was a double yellow line.

[Pezzle]

You must have missed the part were I said IT WAS OVER A BRIDGE. Passing on bridges are illegal. And, yes, it was a double yellow line.

Ah ok. Here most of our bridges have 3 lanes for passing and traffic see what I mean? I just wanted clarification. Honestly I was dead tired when I posted that so it may not have been worded correctly...at all.

Basically, you can pass anyone here if there are multiple lanes on you road as is common in my part of New Jersey. Even one some bridges. I get the impression now it was a small bridge or one of the tiny bridges they build above highway/traintracks so I apologize but at the time just seeing that you said "passing on the left (highly illegal)" had me confused, because of course one always passes on the left if the road has multiple lanes or a dotted line. Solid yellow line = negative, and of course passing on the shoulder of the road to the right is also illegal.

So sorry if it came off a little moronic. That's what I get for drinking all night then going to work.

[Evil Queen]

I should visit New Jersey then. In all my travels, I have never seen a bridge with three lanes. Always two. (I've traveled all over the south east).


Since Tropical Storm Edouard looks nasty, I just may start a road trip now.

[Pezzle]

I should visit New Jersey then. In all my travels, I have never seen a bridge with three lanes. Always two. (I've traveled all over the south east).


Since Tropical Storm Edouard looks nasty, I just may start a road trip now.

Well, in this particular part of New Jersey we have a few "skinny/old time" bridges over the delaware with two very narrow lanes. Then we have the larger bridges over the same river on the highway with 2-3 lanes. They are usually condensed to 2 lanes, which makes a morning commute full of lulz, but I've seen the rare gem with 3. But then again I tend to consider highway overpasses "bridges" also when driving on them.

[sld72382]

Posts like this make me angry.

Sure, those two truck drivers were being idiots and I'm sorry you had to deal with that crap. But do yourself a favor: call it what it really is, illegal street racing. NOT drag racing. Drag racing is done on sanctioned drag strips with strict safety rules.

I really irks me as a drag racing fan (or as a motor sports fan in general) when the mainstream media calls illegal street racing drag racing. It gives the real drag racing sport (and its fans) a bad name.

As an average person, please refer to what people like those two bozos did as what it really is: illegal street racing.

[smileyeagle1021]

So I was confused since in the US it's pass on the left, always. Even on friggin airport conveyor belts XD

*cough* Utah allows passing on the right *cough*

oh and for the no passing on bridges... that surprises me but doesn't... in Nevada they allow passing on bridges but don't allow passing or even lane changes in tunnels.

[Gurndigarn]

*cough* Utah allows passing on the right *cough*

oh and for the no passing on bridges... that surprises me but doesn't... in Nevada they allow passing on bridges but don't allow passing or even lane changes in tunnels.

Ohio allows passing on the right (even at one-lane road intersections, if you can squeeze around the guy in front of you who's trying to turn left), and on bridges (barring normal driving rules) and... I don't think we have any tunnels, unless you count very short stretches of interstate that go under portions of a city... and you can pass in those, too.

[Evil Queen]

I really irks me as a drag racing fan (or as a motor sports fan in general) when the mainstream media calls illegal street racing drag racing. It gives the real drag racing sport (and its fans) a bad name.

No need to be nasty about it. Real Drag Racing is not that popular a sport where I'm from because it was made illegal nearly 20 years ago in my home county. You could have been nice about it and informed me of my error rather then react this way.

And if you have problems with me, you need to tell ME. That's what a PM is for. Learn to use it, please.