You're cruising in the left lane, a car comes up behind you honking & flashing their lights...

originally posted by: Brainiac
Or let a pregnant mother pass...

Again, back to my original point, and no disrespect to ladyvalkyrie, but how would I or others know that? There's no sign on the car saying that, and they aren't going to drive up next to you with the windows down yelling, "I'm pregnant, move over!" are they?

So yes, of course any sane person would let them pass but - how would you know?

originally posted by: ladyvalkyrie
Congratulations! She's absolutely adorable! Be still my heart! 💜💜💜
She's perfect!

a reply to: ladyvalkyrie

Not saying I'm more important, just saying it was a time sensitive, potentially life threatening situation for me,

Congratulation BTW, I'd just like to have you consider...
So if it was "potentially life threatening" why would you be driving in the first place - there is a reason why they have ambulances/paramedics, what made you so special that you would put yourself the baby and other drivers at risk by driving?

was a police officer for 7 years (now disabled)

So you would know that there are no exemptions to driving "lawlessly or recklessly" - even under labour?

a reply to: TheConstruKctionofLight

Oy vey.

Speeding is not prima facie evidence of recklessness. I obeyed all traffic laws for 90% of the trip. Yes I increased my speed on highway straight-a-ways in broad daylight with dry road conditions and clear visibility. I was in total control the entire time and for the most part made the drive like I would on any other day. I wasn't driving crazy and I surely wasn't reckless. But when there's 3 lanes and the cars are staggered so that you can't get through and EVERYONE is going the speed limit (or slower) that's BS. Slower traffic keep right. Left lane for passing only.

All these people acting all judgey judgey on me, but I guarantee each and every one of you has gone over the posted speed limit at one time or another. And I also guarantee that if any of you were trying to get to a hospital- for yourself, or for a friend or family member- you would do the exact same thing I did. Pot meet kettle.

a reply to: ladyvalkyrie

How is the little one?

A week old already, time really does fly.

All good wishes to her

The key question a judge will ask is if you were speeding toward the emergency. If you weren’t anywhere near a hospital or driving in the opposite direction of your burning house, the judge is probably going to slap you with the maximum penalty. Your documents need to tell your story, and it needs to be a reasonable one.

For example, a birth certificate showing the baby was born that day is a great piece of evidence in your favor, as long as you were driving to the hospital. If you were driving home from a bar, you should probably leave the birth certificate at home. Celebrating an emergency is not grounds to dismiss a speeding ticket.

Source

IF I had gotten a ticket, it would be up to the judge whether to uphold or dismiss it. But I would have easily been able to produce evidence of WHY I was speeding and it would most likely be dismissed. Driving to a hospital in an emergency is a valid reason to speed as long as you're not reckless, which I wasn't.

(b) An operator of a vehicle on a roadway moving more slowly than the normal speed of other vehicles at the time and place under the existing conditions shall drive in the right-hand lane available for vehicles, or as close as practicable to the right-hand curb or edge of the roadway, unless the operator is:
(1) passing another vehicle; or
(2) preparing for a left turn at an intersection or into a private road or driveway.

Source
All the cars that were blocking up the left 2 lanes out of 3 were violating this law (especially the FAR left lane). They weren't passing or preparing to turn, and I doubt any of them had any reasonable excuse to break this law. IF any of these cars had gotten tickets they would have no valid defense.

There is the letter of the law and the color of the law. The letter of the law says 'don't go over the posted speed limit'. But any reasonable person would agree that a person in the midst of an emergency who is en route to the hospital is justified in speeding as long as their driving is not reckless.

a reply to: berenike

Alright, you asked for it! Lol! Here she is watching cartoons with her big sis:


And here is her Zoolander face (Blue Steel? Le Tigre?):


It's looking like she may be a red head. Yikes! My whole family is hard headed/feisty enough, I don't know if the world is ready for a red head from our line.

This is interesting. I took her to get her hearing re-checked yesterday. When they did it in the hospital they took her away so I had no idea how they did it. Apparently they stick electrodes to the forehead, back of the neck (brain stem) and back left shoulder. And then stick the ear things on which makes the sounds. Then the computer determines if the sounds are being properly heard according to brain activity. Amazing!

a reply to: ladyvalkyrie

I suppose it's more accurate than sneaking up behind them to shout 'Boo' and seeing how high they jump.

Thanks for the pics - she's looking well.

More amazing:

Her entire foot is pretty much the size of my thumb.

a reply to: berenike

When I told my mom that she failed the left ear on the hearing test in the hospital, she asked "How do they test a newborn's hearing?" I wasn't with the baby when they did it so I had no idea, nor had I even thought about it. So I was sure to pay attention and get a pic for my mom when Scout went to get re-tested.

The tech joked "We play the sound and they raise their hands."

* She passed both ears BTW! So everything is officially good!

a reply to: ladyvalkyrie

That's good.

And great ammunition for you when she's old enough to develop selective hearing

a reply to: ladyvalkyrie

No as a matter of fact it was 4 am that my wife was rushed in the back of an ambulance - I knew not to risk her or others by me trying to do more than one thing at a time.

All these people acting all judgey judgey on me

Well you started the rant....and the judgey judgey, but one wonders how you got by for 7 years as an LEO

"GET THE F OVER!!!! Yield! Move your a** into the other available lane, or one of the TWO other available lanes. Definitely do NOT: 1. ignore them and casually keep cruising along 2. be a real d*ck and slow down 3. flip them off 4. race them once they finally make it around you 5. when they finally get around you, speed up and tailgate them at an extremely dangerously close distance at 90 mph

hmm...so you did reflect on what the consequences may have been...by your own words...

The guy in the black pickup that wouldn't get over, then tailgated me when I finally got around him at 90 mph really scared me. I was like "Great, this madman is going to shoot me or run me off the road. With me in labor and a 7 yo and 2 yo in the car with me.

Look it was a judgement call on your behalf - what is done is done. Perhaps you may reconsider an ambulance in future, but I wish you and your baby well. Parenting is "fun" times...hahaha

originally posted by: ladyvalkyrie
This is interesting. I took her to get her hearing re-checked yesterday. When they did it in the hospital they took her away so I had no idea how they did it. Apparently they stick electrodes to the forehead, back of the neck (brain stem) and back left shoulder. And then stick the ear things on which makes the sounds. Then the computer determines if the sounds are being properly heard according to brain activity. Amazing!

Truly amazing and congratulations on your new bundle of joy.

I am always travelling (speeding?) with the flow of traffic, this means when I am in the passing lane I am going 20 km over the speed limit (this is normal speed) when someone comes behind me wanting to do 30 km over the limit, which is every 30 seconds in rush hour, I do not move over because I will keep moving back and forth for 60 km. But if someone was honking and flashing at me as well as gestering to me, that is unusual and would signal to me that there is an emergency, and I would certainly move over right away.

a reply to: InTheLight

This post is highlighting how the law against speeding is ignored and justified-

"...20km over the speed limit (this is normal speed)" Quote InTheLight

It's not. 20 km over the speed limit is 20km OVER the posted speed limit, which is not only illegal, but patently unsafe.

It's a question I asked earlier in relation to going over the speed limit to pass...now that 20km over the speed limit is the new 'normal'...poster has admitted what everyone else wouldn't...

"...when someone comes behind me wanting to do 30 km over the limit, which is every 30 seconds in rush hour, I do not move over because I will keep movin..." Quote InTheLight

The passing, if used as a passing lane will have only passers in it, moving once they have passed back into the flow of traffic that is following the posted speed limit...not instead using it as a lane with drivers who want to travel 20-30-40km OVER the posted limit.

The amount of excuse-making, instead of just plainly and simply admitting you just wanna drive however fast you can get away with, is gobsmacking.

Å99

originally posted by: akushla99
a reply to: InTheLight

This post is highlighting how the law against speeding is ignored and justified-

"...20km over the speed limit (this is normal speed)" Quote InTheLight

It's not. 20 km over the speed limit is 20km OVER the posted speed limit, which is not only illegal, but patently unsafe.

It's a question I asked earlier in relation to going over the speed limit to pass...now that 20km over the speed limit is the new 'normal'...poster has admitted what everyone else wouldn't...

"...when someone comes behind me wanting to do 30 km over the limit, which is every 30 seconds in rush hour, I do not move over because I will keep movin..." Quote InTheLight

The passing, if used as a passing lane will have only passers in it, moving once they have passed back into the flow of traffic that is following the posted speed limit...not instead using it as a lane with drivers who want to travel 20-30-40km OVER the posted limit.

The amount of excuse-making, instead of just plainly and simply admitting you just wanna drive however fast you can get away with, is gobsmacking.

Å99

I did not say I wanted to drive fast, I just don't want to tailgate trucks all the way 60 km to work. So, I must go with the flow, which in the left lane is "at a minimum" 20 km over the limit. Just reality - no excuses. There are those that can, and those that can't.

originally posted by: InTheLight

originally posted by: akushla99
a reply to: InTheLight

This post is highlighting how the law against speeding is ignored and justified-

"...20km over the speed limit (this is normal speed)" Quote InTheLight

It's not. 20 km over the speed limit is 20km OVER the posted speed limit, which is not only illegal, but patently unsafe.

It's a question I asked earlier in relation to going over the speed limit to pass...now that 20km over the speed limit is the new 'normal'...poster has admitted what everyone else wouldn't...

"...when someone comes behind me wanting to do 30 km over the limit, which is every 30 seconds in rush hour, I do not move over because I will keep movin..." Quote InTheLight

The passing, if used as a passing lane will have only passers in it, moving once they have passed back into the flow of traffic that is following the posted speed limit...not instead using it as a lane with drivers who want to travel 20-30-40km OVER the posted limit.

The amount of excuse-making, instead of just plainly and simply admitting you just wanna drive however fast you can get away with, is gobsmacking.

Å99

I did not say I wanted to drive fast, I just don't want to tailgate trucks all the way 60 km to work. So, I must go with the flow, which in the left lane is "at a minimum" 20 km over the limit. Just reality - no excuses. There are those that can, and those that can't.

I know what folk are saying...what I am saying is what stops you from allowing that 10kph more driver behind you, at 20kph, from passing?...because if the 'reality' becomes 50kph over the limit - it is still illegal and waaay more dangerous...emminently more dangerous...the figures for it cannot be denied, and therefore the ignorance...It is still always an excuse...plain and simple. What you havent said is why you would use the left lane over the limit, if all other lanes are adhering to the limit...no-one yet has spoken of using the proper lanes at the limit - the focus has been (as it is all round the world) on who is in the 'fast' lane, that shouldn't be - and it's clear that once You have cleared a 'slow' driver (using the overtaking lane) you should move back into the regular lane - but nobody, including yourself, has said that...and no-one is prepared to answer why they don't.

Å99

originally posted by: akushla99

originally posted by: InTheLight

originally posted by: akushla99
a reply to: InTheLight

This post is highlighting how the law against speeding is ignored and justified-

"...20km over the speed limit (this is normal speed)" Quote InTheLight

It's not. 20 km over the speed limit is 20km OVER the posted speed limit, which is not only illegal, but patently unsafe.

It's a question I asked earlier in relation to going over the speed limit to pass...now that 20km over the speed limit is the new 'normal'...poster has admitted what everyone else wouldn't...

"...when someone comes behind me wanting to do 30 km over the limit, which is every 30 seconds in rush hour, I do not move over because I will keep movin..." Quote InTheLight

The passing, if used as a passing lane will have only passers in it, moving once they have passed back into the flow of traffic that is following the posted speed limit...not instead using it as a lane with drivers who want to travel 20-30-40km OVER the posted limit.

The amount of excuse-making, instead of just plainly and simply admitting you just wanna drive however fast you can get away with, is gobsmacking.

Å99

I did not say I wanted to drive fast, I just don't want to tailgate trucks all the way 60 km to work. So, I must go with the flow, which in the left lane is "at a minimum" 20 km over the limit. Just reality - no excuses. There are those that can, and those that can't.

I know what folk are saying...what I am saying is what stops you from allowing that 10kph more driver behind you, at 20kph, from passing?...because if the 'reality' becomes 50kph over the limit - it is still illegal and waaay more dangerous...emminently more dangerous...the figures for it cannot be denied, and therefore the ignorance...It is still always an excuse...plain and simple. What you havent said is why you would use the left lane over the limit, if all other lanes are adhering to the limit...no-one yet has spoken of using the proper lanes at the limit - the focus has been (as it is all round the world) on who is in the 'fast' lane, that shouldn't be - and it's clear that once You have cleared a 'slow' driver (using the overtaking lane) you should move back into the regular lane - but nobody, including yourself, has said that...and no-one is prepared to answer why they don't.

Å99

I can only answer for myself. The right lane is a nuisance mainly because novices do not know how to merge (too stressful for a morning drive) and the zig-zaggers doing 140+ km an hour use the right lane for passing. Truckers stay in the middle lane and adhere to their legal speed limit, which does not 'safely' match the speed of traffic. It would appear the system does not work, again.

a reply to: InTheLight

I agree. As I've said earlier...road engineering has not kept pace with vehicle engineering...ie road engineers did not think very hard on the most intelligent use of real estate available...

On that, I agree. But limits are limits, otherwise, why do they exist?

Å99

originally posted by: akushla99
a reply to: InTheLight

I agree. As I've said earlier...road engineering has not kept pace with vehicle engineering...ie road engineers did not think very hard on the most intelligent use of real estate available...

On that, I agree. But limits are limits, otherwise, why do they exist?

Å99[/quote

Somebody is asleep at the helm.