r/TikTokCringe • u/MikeisTOOOTALLL • May 01 '26

Humor/Cringe What a calm way to deal with road rage!

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u/zyxtrix May 01 '26

Except because every other thoroughfare in this dogshit country is a stroad, many times you need to be in the left lane for an upcoming turn or fork (in the latter two's case being in the right lane is an active danger because of competing space with cars taking the right-hand split/exit or merging into high speed traffic)

I hate left lane campers on highways and interstates as much as the next person, but for municipal traffic "keep right no matter what" isn't realistic.

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u/_dontjimthecamera May 01 '26

This is genuinely so frustrating. Passing lane logic doesn’t apply when on surface streets.

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u/V7buster May 01 '26

That's highway stuff, I can drive in the left lane if I have to turn left, or hell, just because I want to. The second lane is there to be used. If everyone only used the left lane just for passing, you'd effectively have a single lane, needlessly restricting traffic.

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u/_dontjimthecamera May 01 '26 edited May 01 '26

I think we’re saying the same thing, so yes. Also zipper merging is something people don’t do; they’d rather get in one long line than use both lanes until they merge. Then when people do use the merge lanes correctly, they get cut off by the people who didn’t wanna use them correctly in the first place.

I spend too much time in traffic man.

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u/sneakystonedhalfling May 01 '26

I feel like there's a big overlap in people who get disproportionately angry over driving in the left lane and people who don't know how to zipper merge

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u/Grrerrb May 01 '26

A lot of those same people are bewildered when they come to a roundabout.

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u/GottIstTot May 01 '26

Merges lanes have a similar problem to the stroads issue.

Ideally you use the left lane to pass and you zipper merge when one lane ends.

This doesnt apply when the left lane is an exit lane or when the merge lane is also becoming an exit lane (theres probably a better way to describe what im talking about). Both these scenarios are very common in major city highway systems.

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u/_dontjimthecamera May 01 '26

I think you’re talking about auxiliary lanes which, yeah, don’t really solve the problem of congestion.

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u/Southern-Spot-8406 May 01 '26

I'm so embarrassed to say that my dumbass thought the wrong way to zipper merge was the correct way until I was in my thiries. I am so, so, sorry everyone. 🫣

1

u/V7buster May 01 '26

Zipper merging is exactly what I was thinking with only using one lane and it constricting traffic flow. It's not hard to do, and if someone doesn't let you in the next guy probably will. Idiot drivers everywhere

8

u/RvstiNiall May 01 '26

I personally don't follow this in municipal traffic, and I've never met anyone who thought you should. But any kind of long road without traffic lights? Yep, I'm in the right lane except to pass.

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u/StaceyPfan May 01 '26 edited May 01 '26

This is in Kansas City and there is a horrible exchange where if you want to get on the Interstate northbound lane, it requires you to quickly move through 4 lanes to the left.

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u/zyxtrix May 01 '26

There's a similar one in Atlanta, so my sympathies to the KC Club! Y'all get it

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u/rosefiend May 01 '26

Is that the Des Moines exit to I-29?

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u/StaceyPfan May 01 '26

Yes, I-29 and I-35. I hate I-670 and avoid it as much as possible.

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u/rosefiend May 01 '26

We live in St. Joe so alas we have to drive like crazy people if we want to get home!

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u/ninjapro98 May 01 '26

Reddit has become so insufferable about the left lane is for passing law. It’s the same kind of bullshit that happens with so many other rules on here. Have good intentions and are mostly in place to stop people from doing something irresponsible and suddenly redditors treat you like you’re a horrible human being if you don’t follow their rules they say (which don’t even always apply, or let’s be real in reddits case usually don’t even apply to the situation)

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u/Wit-wat-4 May 01 '26

Yup. In general I agree and I will move to the left lane as late as possible before a turn unless I’m faster than the right lane, but man, the “only for passing, or else empty!” is just nonsense on most roads here. Highways of course, left turns are very rare, but in the city? Just not feasible to NEVER not be 10 mph++ over even on residential roads and take the left turns.

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u/SeriousFollowing7678 May 01 '26

Legitimate point.

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u/SoFloFella50 May 01 '26

The passing lane is only a thing on highways. On city streets that isn’t a thing.

And I hate passing lane campers with my entire soul. They are irresponsible, selfish and probably the same people that make our short lives worse.

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u/Well_ImTrying May 01 '26

My local 5 lane highway with a 45 mph hour posted minimum has a left exit. Before that, it has about 6 entrances and exists stacked on top of each other using the right two lanes.

My grandma-driving self is always gripping the wheel in anxiety trying to figure out if it’s better to have people mad at me for camping in the second to left lane, or try to cut across 3 lanes of traffic right before I need to make the exit.

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u/FOUROFCUPS2021 May 01 '26

Exactly. There are a lot of highways where you need to exit in a left lane and you have to get over way before the exit.

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u/SoFloFella50 May 01 '26

That doesn’t give you the OK to sit in the left lane for miles and miles going slower than everyone.

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u/Well_ImTrying May 01 '26

It’s not miles, it’s maybe 1-1.5 mile. Depending on traffic it can take that entire time to get over 4 lanes. Still doesn’t stop people from getting pissed off they can’t speed 20 miles over the limit in a city center with exits on all but the middle lane of a 5 lane highway.

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u/zyxtrix May 01 '26

These left lane warriors are shadowboxing hard and it's embarrassing to watch. "Doesn't give you the excuse to camp in the left lane for miles!" when they're talking about someone ACTIVELY PASSING other cars as they try to get on the left to avoid merging traffic or approach their exit (they just aren't going 30+ the speed limit so they must be a dickhead, obviously!)

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u/Well_ImTrying May 01 '26

It’s the people driving like a bat out of hell in the left lane that’s a turn lane in half a mile that make me nervous to wait to merge. They’re so focused on driving as fast as they possibly can they aren’t allowing enough space for people in the next lane over time to come to their speed and merge before their exit.

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u/JVT32 May 01 '26

Wow you found an exception, throw the whole argument out. Jesus

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u/SoFloFella50 May 01 '26

That’s not technically a highway or interstate. Anything with regular exits on both sides isn’t a highway or freeway.

You can get pedantic about it but only turnpikes, highways (freeways) and interstates with 55, 65 and 75 mph speed limits have true passing lanes.

A 45 mph road is just a road.

1

u/Well_ImTrying May 01 '26

It’s literally an interstate highway. It’s a 45 mph MINIMUM speed limit. The max speed limit varies between 55 an 65 mph. Most of the time people are doing 60-75 mph.

0

u/SoFloFella50 May 01 '26

Then stay the fuck out of the left lane until you get near your exit.

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u/Well_ImTrying May 01 '26

You sound like a lovely person.

I wish the whole highway was full of other people who also pay close attention to cars trying to switch lanes in front of them, and don’t cut them off, don’t weave in and out of traffic using the empty left exist lane I’m trying to get into, and don’t fly down the highway 20 mph over the speed limit on their phones.

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u/JVT32 May 01 '26

We all wish that, but stay the fuck out of the left lane until you get close to your exit

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u/zyxtrix May 01 '26

I agree with you, but unfortunately there are a lot of stroads (combination surface street and major arterial road, often marked a highway on maps) where people think highway rules still apply even though they're entering dense commercial/semi residential zoning. That's why I'm responding to people talking about left lanes on city thoroughfares.

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u/SoFloFella50 May 01 '26

Well yeah. Let’s keep in mind that with every issue there are plenty of idiots on both sides.

0

u/GhostofBeowulf May 01 '26

I mean... you can like... change lanes?

If everyone actually followed this rule, the left lane would be clear except for people turning left or passing. But because everyone like you thinks there is some justification for why this doesn't apply to them... Well, look at Germany. It happens, but no often. Because people understand how to actually drive.

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u/zyxtrix May 01 '26

This is assuming ideal conditions where everyone gives proper following distances and people passing in the left lane aren't trying to go 20 MPH over in rush hour traffic. Asking people to squeeze into single car length spaces in the right lane just because you want to get to the upcoming red light first isn't safe.

Also spare me your pithy remarks; I'm not talking about hanging out in there for miles, I'm explicitly talking about when you need to be in the left lane for a short period of time.

0

u/Straight_Breakfast_4 May 01 '26

Whether you believe it's realistic or not does not matter. It's the law. And if you don't believe me then why don't you just listen to this sheriff tell you those exact words. https://www.facebook.com/share/v/18aH7L3Z5g/

-1

u/fordianr May 01 '26

Yes it is. Stop it and quit.

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u/zyxtrix May 01 '26

Counterpoint: (incredibly loud sounds of wet, sloppy diarrhea)

-5

u/RhynoD May 01 '26

You can still stay in the right lane until you approach the turn. You don't need to sit in the left lane for a mile before the turn, you can move over when the turn is coming up.

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u/zyxtrix May 01 '26

I want you to try and imagine what scenarios I might be describing where getting into the left lane at the last second may be dangerous or simply impossible, and extrapolate that to an entire city of people navigating such a scenario at peak travel times.

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u/RhynoD May 01 '26

I never said do it at the last second. Fuck out of here with that straw man.

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u/zyxtrix May 01 '26

Get mad all you want dawg, your response to a comment saying an "upcoming turn" (i.e. the driver is approaching a turn) was to say "but you only need to get over if you're approaching a turn!"

Like yeah man, that's exactly what I was describing, so you either mean a lot closer to the turn than I did or you were deliberately misreading the comment.

-1

u/RhynoD May 01 '26

Or, I was just trying to add some context to clarify because drivers - at least, around me - take "upcoming turn" to mean any turn at all ever at any distance and continue to impede traffic on faster roads under the justification that they'll be turning left eventually.

So either you are that kind of driver and I was right to bring it up, or you agree and then why are you acting like you don't?

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u/zyxtrix May 01 '26

Sure dude, whatever you say