A few questions about laws in the US

Hi,

Since my recent trip to the US, I have a few questions about laws.

On the highway, in Europe you have to stay in the "slow" lane, ie.
furthest from the central reservation, right in the US, unless you are
overtaking someone. In the US this is not the case. So do you just
overtake in whatever lane you can? Can you swop lanes as much as you
like to get through the traffic? How much room do you require to change
lanes? I was doing it with 2 car lengths space, and my brother who
lives there said I would get pulled if a cop saw me.

I saw lots of signs saying "No Trespassing, no Loitering", such as on
the most popular cycle route in the San Fransisco Peninsula, I cannot
remember the name but it is around a reservoir and is just off the 280
near san bruno. Now I can guess what trespassing is, but what is
Loitering? This sign was next to benches, and I assumed the view was
what most people came for, so what is loitering? Is standing still
looking at the view counted? Or is it, as my brother suspected,
dependent on how much money you have and your ethnic origin.

At a station I went to (Santa Cruz, Great American?) another
prohibition was added to the sign, pan handling. Now I have absolutely
no idea what this could be.

Another thing I could not quite get my head round is the 4 way stops.
Are you really supposed to stop every time even when there is nothing
coming? What about, as I found a few times, when the stop line is so
far back from the junction that you cannot see if it is clear from the
line. Are you supposed to stop at the line, then move forward and
look, or do you just have to stop at some point before the other road?
This is more relevant at a 2 way stop.

Thanks for any clarification you can give me.

wrote:
Hi,

Since my recent trip to the US, I have a few questions about laws.

Traffic laws are not national ones but are specific to each state, but
most things are very similar.

On the highway, in Europe you have to stay in the "slow" lane, ie.
furthest from the central reservation, right in the US, unless you are
overtaking someone. In the US this is not the case. So do you just
overtake in whatever lane you can? Can you swop lanes as much as you
like to get through the traffic? How much room do you require to change
lanes? I was doing it with 2 car lengths space, and my brother who
lives there said I would get pulled if a cop saw me.

The rule in most states (all states?) would be to keep right except
when passing. Passing on the right is probably forbidden but mainly
frowned upon. Because of heavy traffic in some places it is normal
just to stay in one lane on a multilane highway and proceed with the
flow of traffic. You should only change lanes in a safe manner, using
your turn signal. If you are constantly changing lanes in what could
be considered a dangerous manner you can be arrested for reckless
driving. How these laws are enforced are another thing. Some will be
largely not enforced but at times they may, but actual reckless driving
should always be enforced, but probably also depends on the state.

I saw lots of signs saying "No Trespassing, no Loitering", such as on
the most popular cycle route in the San Fransisco Peninsula, I cannot
remember the name but it is around a reservoir and is just off the 280
near san bruno. Now I can guess what trespassing is, but what is
Loitering? This sign was next to benches, and I assumed the view was
what most people came for, so what is loitering? Is standing still
looking at the view counted? Or is it, as my brother suspected,
dependent on how much money you have and your ethnic origin.

The lake is a source of public drinking water for the city of San
Francisco. Loitering in this case would probably be staying there for
a prolonged period of time in a suspicious manner. If there is a bench
there, than obviously you should be able to stop and admire the view.
This also enables the police to act against large groups of
"undesirables" who choose to meet there. Popular drive-in restaurants
or other places young people go to and like to hang out at may have no
loitering signs.

At a station I went to (Santa Cruz, Great American?) another
prohibition was added to the sign, pan handling. Now I have absolutely
no idea what this could be.

Panhandling is begging for money.

Another thing I could not quite get my head round is the 4 way stops.
Are you really supposed to stop every time even when there is nothing
coming? What about, as I found a few times, when the stop line is so
far back from the junction that you cannot see if it is clear from the
line. Are you supposed to stop at the line, then move forward and
look, or do you just have to stop at some point before the other road?
This is more relevant at a 2 way stop.

You are supposed to stop at any stop sign at any time. The correct
thing is if you can't see the intersection clearly, is to stop behing
the associated line, or if no line behind the stop sign, and then
proceed slowly ahead and enter the intersection when it is safe to do
so. And in the same vein, when backing out of a driveway you should
stop at the sidewalk before crossing it, but I doubt that you'll
probably ever see this enforced unless you run over a pedestrian who
does have the right of way.

Thanks for any clarification you can give me.

Your welcome.

George

So do you just overtake in whatever lane you can?

On multi-lane highways, the lane closest to the center line (the left
lane) is supposed to be used for passing. You are not supposed to pass
on the right, but people do it sometimes anyway.


what is Loitering?

Loitering means to linger for a long time in a spot. "No loitering"
signs are put up to discourage people from just "hanging out" in a
place for extended periods.

If the sign is placed next to a bench, they are trying to discourage
people from sleeping on the bench or sitting there for hours.


pan handling

Pan-handling means begging for money.


4 way stops. Are you really supposed to
stop every time even when there is nothing coming? *

Yes. Just as you're also supposed to stop at a red light even if there
is nothing coming.


What about, as I found a few times, when
the stop line is so far back from the junction
that you cannot see

You're supposed to stop where the stop sign is (there's also a line
painted on the road there). If you can't see adequately (like if
there's a tree blocking your view), you can then slowly move forward
until you can see better.

Jim

On the highway, in Europe you have to stay in the "slow" lane, ie.
furthest from the central reservation, right in the US, unless you are
overtaking someone. In the US this is not the case. So do you just
overtake in whatever lane you can? Can you swop lanes as much as
you like to get through the traffic? How much room do you require
to change lanes? I was doing it with 2 car lengths space, and my
brother who lives there said I would get pulled if a cop saw me.

There are three kinds of crappy drivers: those that drive slowly in the
left lane; those that tailgate (these are the worst); and those that change
lanes often as you describe. Do it often enough and you will change
lanes at the same time as another crappy driver changes lanes right
into the side of your car. Yes, it happens.

I doubt if one in ten American drivers knows this, but it is technically
illegal to pass on the right. Everyone does it, though. You often see
police cars, fire trucks, or ambulances with lights flashing directly
behind another vehicle in the left lane, and then when the first vehicle
pulls over, the emergency vehicle just keeps on going down the road.
Emergency vehicle drivers know that passing on the right is illegal and
dangerous.

what is Loitering?

Hanging around a location with no valid purpose. Sightseeing is a
valid purpose. Loitering laws are used to prevent drug sales and
other socially unacceptable activities. Loitering is subjective.

pan handling.

Begging. The term probably has something to due with beggars using
a dish or pan to hold money.

Another thing I could not quite get my head round is the 4 way
stops. Are you really supposed to stop every time even when there
is nothing coming?

Oh no, don't stop at all if you don't see anyone approaching. Then
the local population's average IQ will rise when you and another idiot
approach the stop sign simultaneously at high speed.

What about, as I found a few times, when the stop line is so
far back from the junction that you cannot see if it is clear from the
line. Are you supposed to stop at the line, then move forward and
look,

Yes. Legally the intersection must be clear of visual obstructions so
that drivers can stop at the stop line and see approaching traffic. But
that is often not the case. If you have an accident because of a visual
obstruction, you can sometimes sue the locality. Suing is the American
way, don't you know?


Pete

There are three kinds of crappy drivers:

Oops, make that four categories. Add the selfish jerks (and jerkettes)
who talk on their cellphones, put on make-up, read something, or
perform other completely unrelated (to driving) activities.


Pete

wrote:
Hi,

Since my recent trip to the US, I have a few questions about laws.

On the highway, in Europe you have to stay in the "slow" lane, ie.
furthest from the central reservation, right in the US, unless you are
overtaking someone. In the US this is not the case.

It used to be illegal in most states to pass on the right.
This is no longer the case in some states. You just have to
know what is the case, state by state.


So do you just
overtake in whatever lane you can? Can you swop lanes as much as you
like to get through the traffic?

Yes, but it's dangerous and if you do it in an obviously
dangerous manner ... of if you are speeding ... you can get
a ticket.


Another thing I could not quite get my head round is the 4 way stops.
Are you really supposed to stop every time even when there is nothing
coming?

Yes of course. That's what a stop sign is ... a way to slow
down traffic.


What about, as I found a few times, when the stop line is so
far back from the junction that you cannot see if it is clear from the
line. Are you supposed to stop at the line, then move forward and
look,

Yes, but in some places nobody does. In other places they
do. In all places, once you stop at the line, you can inch
forward all you want, legally.


Doug McDonald

george wrote:

The rule in most states (all states?) would be to keep right except
when passing. Passing on the right is probably forbidden but mainly
frowned upon.

I'm not sure what "probably forbidden but mainly frowned upon" means. In
NY and OH, however, the two states in which I've lived most recently,
passing on the right on a freeway is permitted by law; neither forbidden
nor frowned upon.

Pete wrote:

I doubt if one in ten American drivers knows this, but it is technically
illegal to pass on the right.

As I posted previously, this is simply not true on freeways in many
states. You do, of course, have to stay in traffic lanes when passing on
the right; using the shoulder is dirty pool.

Pete wrote:
There are three kinds of crappy drivers:


Oops, make that four categories. Add the selfish jerks (and jerkettes)
who talk on their cellphones, put on make-up, read something, or
perform other completely unrelated (to driving) activities.

Actually, I think there are probably more kinds than that! You've
correctly named several, but are you SURE you've covered every
possibility? :-)

Doug McDonald wrote:

Yes of course. That's what a stop sign is ... a way to slow down traffic.

Not true in NY, by statute. A stop sign is to STOP traffic at an
intersection. Theoretically, using it to slow traffic is illegal.

Which doesn't mean no one does it. My town of Niskayuna, for example,
routinely puts up stop signs in absurd places as a sop to local
residents who think traffic is going too fast by their precious houses
and children. They apparently don't believe in training their children
to use care in the street.