[335iSSA]

Originally Posted by kmarei

that's an assumption
you were going at the speed limit (50mph)
if he wanted to go 60mph, you were then impeding his progress.
so you can't assume that since you are going at the speed limit, that everyother car behind you can't overtake you.

if i come up behind you while you are in the left lane doing 50
and i am going 85mph, i still have right of way

Just b/c he was a police officer doesn't mean he can break the speed laws...unless he has his lights on and responding to an emergency.

Also if you were rolling up at 35 miles over the limit then you too would be breaking the law, so how would one doing the posted limit be impeding. You wouldn't have the right of way and in fact you would have a reckless driving citation which is way worse then impeding traffic.

At the end of the day, yes he shouldn't have been cruising in the passing lane, but we all know that that isn't something that would be cited for often. Anyway that is something that people around here forget as soon as they learn it. In the south on two lane highways people know how to pass then move back to the right lane.

[kmarei]

Originally Posted by 335iSSA

Just b/c he was a police officer doesn't mean he can break the speed laws...unless he has his lights on and responding to an emergency.

Also if you were rolling up at 35 miles over the limit then you too would be breaking the law, so how would one doing the posted limit be impeding. You wouldn't have the right of way and in fact you would have a reckless driving citation which is way worse then impeding traffic.

At the end of the day, yes he shouldn't have been cruising in the passing lane, but we all know that that isn't something that would be cited for often. Anyway that is something that people around here forget as soon as they learn it. In the south on two lane highways people know how to pass then move back to the right lane.

The issue is he should not have been in the left lane
The bigger issue is a car came up behind him ( makes no difference if it's a cop or a granda in her lincoln) he HAS to move to the right lane.
So the speed both cars are going makes no difference in the impeding part
He WAS impeding traffic
He said he was going 50 so that means he was not impeding since in order to over take him, you would need to be speeding
In this case it makes no difference.
The impeding traffic law makes no mention of the relative speed of both cars
You drive on the right, and over take on the left
Simple as that

[MrXia8]

Originally Posted by kmarei

The issue is he should not have been in the left lane
The bigger issue is a car came up behind him ( makes no difference if it's a cop or a granda in her lincoln) he HAS to move to the right lane.
So the speed both cars are going makes no difference in the impeding part
He WAS impeding traffic
He said he was going 50 so that means he was not impeding since in order to over take him, you would need to be speeding
In this case it makes no difference.
The impeding traffic law makes no mention of the relative speed of both cars
You drive on the right, and over take on the left
Simple as that

it's pathetic how people still don't know this law. fcks up the traffic.

[MrXia8]

Originally Posted by lito

But I don't think I was impeding the flow of traffic though. My speed was between 50-55mph on a 50mph zone. If my speed was between 40-45 then I deserve to be pulled over.

it doesn't matter if you were going 100mph, if you weren't passing you should have stayed in the right lane.

[335iSSA]

Originally Posted by kmarei

The issue is he should not have been in the left lane

Agreed

The bigger issue is a car came up behind him ( makes no difference if it's a cop or a granda in her lincoln) he HAS to move to the right lane.

Agreed

So the speed both cars are going makes no difference in the impeding part
He WAS impeding traffic
He said he was going 50 so that means he was not impeding since in order to over take him, you would need to be speeding
In this case it makes no difference.
The impeding traffic law makes no mention of the relative speed of both cars
You drive on the right, and over take on the left
Simple as that

I disagree. Consider the spirit of the law, it doesn't explicitly state a relative speed difference because it assumes that people will follow the traffic laws. I'd bet that this law has its roots in the fact that if you are driving below the limit in the passing lane you need to yield to vehicles coming up from behind.

Perhaps Spy can chime in...

[powerbarsk8ter]

Bmw driver pulled over for driving too slowly,lol. Time to trade it in for a Buick Mama Wagon.

[Spydeputy]

News Flash! I can assure you, the Police Officer was fishing for drunks. That' one of the trigger signs of a DUI, driving to slow. No ticket will arrive in the mail.

[lito]

Originally Posted by Spydeputy

News Flash! I can assure you, the Police Officer was fishing for drunks. That' one of the trigger signs of a DUI, driving to slow. No ticket will arrive in the mail.

10-4

[rust99]

So many good points made by all. I feel that we may not have all the details about the stop.

Driving 3 to 4 miles with a car tailing me is a very long distance and feel like eternity especially if I thought if it was police cruiser. I would have switch lanes after 1 mile.

Why was the OP "cruising" 50-55? That's "slow" for sober drivers - usually people go 60 without traffic and 70 (and quite often 75) with traffic. The GW parkway is fun to drive & it's pretty exhilarating, sort of like our own autobahn. Has anyone noticed the ramps between the GW Parkway and Memorial Bridge are oval-shaped like a racetrack?

Getting stopped and receiving a verbal citation & having it mailed sounds strange. For a traffic citation, doesn't the driver need to sign something to acknowledge receipt of the citation?

Originally Posted by ceb

I'd take the OP's description of the stop (and what the cop said) with a large grain of salt. The guy isn't even smart enough to know the law or get out of the way of a cop.

I don't understand you guys who automatically take any poster's word for what happened and immediately start blaming the cop.

Look at it this way - deserted GW parkway late at night. Posted speed is 50 and everybody normally goes 60 (with no traffic) or 70 (with traffic.) Here is this guy in a sports car sitting in the left lane going the speed limit. A cop pulls in behind him and stays on his tail for 3 or 4 miles and that idiot keeps puttering along at 50 and doesn't get out of the way of the cop. 4 miles is about from 123 to 495.

Who is at fault, the OP or the cop?

OP: Out of curiosity, what part of the parkway did this happen? And were you "cruising" northbound or southbound?

Was the police cruiser a marked vehicle?


Some comfort:
Park Police was profiled for its strange safety effort to pull over & criticize drivers who stop to let cyclists cross. They chided drivers and blasted "DO NOT STOP" through their loudspeakers. LOL

http://greatergreaterwashington.org/...kway-crossing/

[Sam335ix]

OP, was another car next to you on the right? If not, you guys want to tell me the park ranger (lol) couldnt pass him to the right? Child please, the donut killer was bored or his wife was cheatig on him with someone that owned a BMW.

[Spydeputy]

[quote]Getting stopped and receiving a verbal citation & having it mailed sounds strange. For a traffic citation, doesn't the driver need to sign something to acknowledge receipt of the citation?


Now there are E-Tickets, that the Police Office scans your license and enters the tag number, adds the charge. Then prints it out and hands you your copy, w/out your signature. But not everyone has E-Tickets yet. But still, no mailing you your ticket like with Red Light Cameras.

[rust99]

Originally Posted by Spydeputy

Now there are E-Tickets, that the Police Office scans your license and enters the tag number, adds the charge. Then prints it out and hands you your copy, w/out your signature. But not everyone has E-Tickets yet. But still, no mailing you your ticket like with Red Light Cameras.

That makes sense -- the OP would have at least received a copy of the Federal Ticket.

Originally Posted by powerbarsk8ter

Bmw driver pulled over for driving too slowly,lol. Time to trade it in for a Buick Mama Wagon.

Hmm, what about getting a pedicab? Just be careful though..the Park Police don't seem to love Bimmers or Pedicabs...they have reportedly tased a pedicab operator before arresting him.

http://dcist.com/2011/07/more_tensio...ice_and_pe.php

[ceb]

Originally Posted by 335iSSA

Just b/c he was a police officer doesn't mean he can break the speed laws...unless he has his lights on and responding to an emergency.

Also if you were rolling up at 35 miles over the limit then you too would be breaking the law, so how would one doing the posted limit be impeding. You wouldn't have the right of way and in fact you would have a reckless driving citation which is way worse then impeding traffic.

At the end of the day, yes he shouldn't have been cruising in the passing lane, but we all know that that isn't something that would be cited for often. Anyway that is something that people around here forget as soon as they learn it. In the south on two lane highways people know how to pass then move back to the right lane.

incorrect. The lights do not need to be on for a copy to be responding to a call.

[bmodzelewski]

learn to drive... stay out of the left lane... thanks

[SHOWTIME]

OP, don't mean this toward you personally but I'd rather cops give a ticket to a cruising vehicle on the left lane vs one passing at speeds above the limit. Left lane should be for passing only. It simply keeps the flow of traffic better and causes less aggrivation. Still hope you got no ticket though

[MD_schnitzer]

I kind of just breezed through the details of this thread, but I did see some mention about park police not having jurisdiction and/or being a Federal agency so they won't report it to your state of record. These are all FALSE statements, you see park police on the GW parkway and 295 because you are driving through a national park. A ticket from the park police is the same as a ticket from the MD/VA state police or your local county cop'er. And seriously guys, are we talking about proper driving etiquette in MD and VA??? HAH! Pass on the right, or pass on the left, doesn't matter here--ride their ass until they get over or just go around them.