Taking online traffic school

"Shamoononon drives like a farmer" (shamoononon)
10/21/2016 at 00:52 • Filed to: #justiceprevails

because I done messed up. First ticket in fifteen years. Thought it would be a useless course but I just learned that:

Turn-Out By Slow Vehicles is a law. Gah, finally a law worth writing! Essentially, if you are on a two lane highway where passing is unsafe and you are moving slower than the speed of traffic , you MUST use the nearest turn out or wherever space for a safe turn out exists.

This law must be broadcast on all television, radios and Internet outlets immediately!!! You mean when the jackass going down the mountain with 20 cars behind him was REQUIRED BY LAW to use a turn out, I wasn’t being petty when I called him a gigantic asshole in front of my kids?

Edit: Oh the next law is really stupid. It states that vehicles made after 2018 must have backup cameras. What the hell?

DISCUSSION (16)

AntiSpeed > Shamoononon drives like a farmer
10/21/2016 at 01:07

Is it a state law or federal law?

I like backup cameras tho...

Shamoononon drives like a farmer > AntiSpeed
10/21/2016 at 01:22

Oh, I can’t go back a page, I’ll have to google. I assume it would be Federal though as I can’t see how you could enforce that by state.

My dad taught me how to drive in a manual pickup with no power steering. I know I am tooting my horn, but it seems driving is relying more on vehicles than people nowadays and I’m not too comfortable with that. Who are we letting on the road that cannot back up safely without a camera? Also, wouldn’t that be an extra expense to have to buy and upkeep?

I used the backup camera on a Toyota Tundra, it was decent, so I’m not knocking it, but I find it shocking that even little tiny things are going to require it.

Dusty Ventures > Shamoononon drives like a farmer
10/21/2016 at 01:34

The backup camera law was announced years ago (2014?). The NHTSA gave 2018 as the deadline, but pretty much every car has already been designed to comply. Personally I’m okay with it, especially as rear visibility continues to get worse and worse thanks to higher trunks and thicker pillars.

OpposResidentLexusGuy - USE20, XF20, XU30 and Press Cars > Shamoononon drives like a farmer
10/21/2016 at 01:39

You need a backup camera in a Tundra. It just makes life so much easier. I can put my dads Platinum Tundra in spots a Platinum Tundra should not fit because the back up camera. Also, less chance off hitting someone behind you and I can back up a truck to a trailer by myself.

Shamoononon drives like a farmer > Dusty Ventures
10/21/2016 at 01:44

Oh, I really don’t think cars as a whole have worse rear visual access. Cars have had all sorts of strange lifts through the years and I recall many vehicles my parents had with either minimal or no windows on the back (vans), or even fins if I think back to my mother’s vehicle as a child. Just seems a shame that more credit is behind given to the vehicle rather than the driver and that things like backup cameras add to the list of things to take your car into the shop for.

But at least I vindicated on the situation of behind being a slow mover on a two lane road. I get that some people are afraid of heights/snow/small roads/etc and don’t fault them for driving slow, but they should really give more thought to those behind that don’t have those issues.

Shamoononon drives like a farmer > OpposResidentLexusGuy - USE20, XF20, XU30 and Press Cars
10/21/2016 at 02:03

Does that justify nesessity though? People have been parking big trucks since Ford had a name.

cluelessk > Dusty Ventures
10/21/2016 at 05:29

A Honda Fit doesn’t need a backup camera.

bhtooefr > Shamoononon drives like a farmer
10/21/2016 at 05:39

Little tiny things are actually the worst, because they tend to have rear structures that are SUV height, to survive being hit by an SUV.

Also, modern cars tend to have tall rear decks for aerodynamic reasons, too.

The Prius split rear window really is better than that, but even then, the camera is nice to have.

bhtooefr > AntiSpeed
10/21/2016 at 05:40

The backup camera law is an NHTSA regulation, so federal: http://www.nhtsa.gov/About-NHTSA/Press-Releases/2014/NHTSA-Announces-Final-Rule-Requiring-Rear-Visibility-Technology

Berang > Shamoononon drives like a farmer
10/21/2016 at 06:03

As somebody who mostly drives old cars, I’m pretty appalled by the rearward visibility of basically all modern cars. Most were already pretty bad by the late 90s, and have only gotten worse. Even the cars people say are good today would be terrible by the standards of 15-20 years ago.

OPPOsaurus WRX > Shamoononon drives like a farmer
10/21/2016 at 07:44

i think the backup law camera is good. My WRX had horrible rear few. Its amazing how easily/stupidly a child will run behind a car.

TheRealBicycleBuck > Shamoononon drives like a farmer
10/21/2016 at 08:41

My wife has a fear of curvy roads and I can’t blame her. She grew up where the roads are flat and straight as an arrow for miles around. The biggest hill was the local overpass.

I made the mistake of taking her into the Rockies once. Going up wasn’t too bad, but coming back down was terrifying for her. I tried to explain that our little rental car had better handling than the lifted four-door F-250 we were following, but that didn’t change anything. I can still hear her yelling at me to slow down.

Fear is a strong motivator.

Jayhawk Jake > Shamoononon drives like a farmer
10/21/2016 at 09:40

I think it’s an interesting point you make about driving being more about the vehicle than the driver, but I think I differ in my response to that. I think it SHOULD be up to the vehicle to be as safe as possible. People are imperfect and make mistakes, minimizing harm caused by them or to them should be the responsibility of the automakers.

I don’t really like having it mandated though. Backup cameras are great and can enhance safety, but having them be as required as an airbag doesn’t make a lot of sense. Perhaps if the requirement was dependent on rear visibility it would be more reasonable.

Urambo Tauro > Shamoononon drives like a farmer
10/21/2016 at 10:26

Essentially, if you are on a two lane highway where passing is unsafe and you are moving slower than the speed of traffic , you MUST use the nearest turn out or wherever space for a safe turn out exists.

This is wonderful! I need to see if there’s anything like this in my state.

Does yours have any disclaimers about what determines the speed of traffic? When I’m stuck behind someone going “slow”, obviously I match their speed to avoid crashing into them. Now, both of us ARE “the speed of traffic”, aren’t we? How can I prove that the other car is going slower than me without tailgating?

Shamoononon drives like a farmer > OpposResidentLexusGuy - USE20, XF20, XU30 and Press Cars
10/21/2016 at 14:03

Toyota sees that points and equips their vehicle with them, that’s okay. Just the idea that all vehicles need these cameras and screens is a little off putting.

OpposResidentLexusGuy - USE20, XF20, XU30 and Press Cars > Shamoononon drives like a farmer
10/21/2016 at 14:05

I’ve never seen backing up as a part of driving that I don’t want interfered with. Making that easier and less stressful is fine with me.