u/tha1demon

Is it just me or has driving around Peoria and the surrounding areas become absolutely ridiculous lately?

Every single day now it feels like people are treating normal roads like a racetrack. Constant speeding, blowing through red lights, rolling stop signs, tailgating, passing people turning into driveways, flying through school zones, cutting people off, etc.

And before somebody says “just drive defensively,” you can only do so much when half the people on the road drive like they’re the only person that exists.

I genuinely don’t understand the mindset. Saving 3 seconds is worth risking an accident? People can’t wait for someone to turn into a driveway without trying to whip around them? Red lights apparently mean “2 or 3 more cars go through”?

There are constantly accidents being posted about, especially from red light runners, and yet it feels like nothing changes because nobody fears enforcement anymore.

I’m not even trying to start an argument. I’m genuinely asking: why has driving around here gotten so aggressive and impatient? Has anyone else noticed it getting worse over the last few years?

Seems most people in this group who don’t follow the rules of the road blame everyone who does mainly when it comes to the speed limit as bad drivers. This is backwards to me and I would assume those following and abiding by the laws and rules of the road are actually the good drivers and those who find it an inconvenience is who makes the road unsafe and dangerous for those of us who prefer to follow them.

Genuine question at this point, because reading driving discussions online has me wondering if I missed something in driver’s ed.

I fully understand that the left lane is generally for passing and that people who camp there after completing a pass should move over. No disagreement there.

What confuses me is how many people act like being in the left lane suddenly means speed limits no longer apply. I constantly see drivers already going above the posted limit, actively passing traffic, still getting tailgated because they aren’t going fast enough for the person behind them.

As far as I can tell, there is no state where the left lane legally exempts you from the posted speed limit. “Keep right except to pass” and “the speed limit still applies” can both be true at the same time.

Am I missing something, or have people just culturally turned the passing lane into “the speeding lane”?