Road Rage

The topic is Road Rage.

Here’s the deal, people. The left-hand lane? That is for passing. Passing. Here in Montana it is called the passing lane. (One other note: We have interstates, not freeways.) It is not the I’m-going-4-miles-over-the-speed-limit-so-I’ll-drive-over-here lane. Passing. You pass a vehicle and then you get the hell back over by the ditch (or barrow pit… depending.) There is no such thing as a “fast” and “slow” lane. This is Montana. It’s a big damn state. You better be going fast if you are going to get anywhere.

In this state we take our speed seriously. (Wow, that statement could be misconstrued…. Maybe I’ll post about our meth problem next….) “Montana: The Land of the $5 Speeding Ticket” became “Montana: The Land of Prudent and Reasonable” and then the state lawmakers caved to federal pressure (and the need for federal highway funds) and enacted a speed limit. I will admit it has been many years since I’ve been nailed for speeding….. but I hear tickets are between $40-100 depending on the zone and the speed.

I’ve always maintained there should be a numeric speed limit but only for out-of-staters. During the heyday of “prudent and reasonable” many non-residents splattered themselves all over Montana’s scenic highways. There may not have been a numeric speed limit but the laws of physics still apply.

Oh, and another road rage…. (Sorry, I’m just so ANGRY today?!?!) Be nice to people with horse trailers please. They can’t stop very fast (it is hard on the horses) and they are often driving a stick-shift so they roll backwards when they take off uphill. And that cute little girl you just yelled at for making a big wide turn…. That’s my sister. And she’ll kick your ass.