Real Life Man of Genius - Emergency Lane Blocker Guy

[DonkeyKongSr]

Yesterday I gained a new hero. I wish I could have bought this guy a drink...

I was on my way back to SoCal from Las Vegas. Traffic was backed up just before the California border due to an accident (basically from Jean to Primm was idling speed only). I went at least an hour without even needing to use the accelerator. It sucked, but whatever, you know this [censored] is going to happen on a Sunday drive home from Vegas.

I move on over to the right lane a few miles from the border because my friends and I decide to stop at the outlet mall, eat, shop, etc. to kill some time and let the traffic get moving again. Suddenly, about 5-6 cars come flying down the emergency lane next to me. My friends and I all agree, huge douchebag move (I bet someone here will think differently).

Next thing I see is the guy behind me, in an SUV, pulling over into the lane. I'm expecting him to take off, but instead he keeps his speed and his position in between me and the car behind him. He's fully over, not halfway in my lane or anything. More cars are flying down behind him and one guy in a BMW barely slows down as he whips around the guy into the dirt and continues down the lane. The next guy is in a truck and he doesn't make the same move, he just slows down and sits behind the guy in the SUV.

So, what happens next? Does the SUV give up and move back into the lane? Does he speed up? Does the truck go around him? Well, for at least 15 minutes, absolutely nothing changes. My lane stops...the SUV stops in his position. We speed up...he speeds up. I can see the guy the whole time and he's just sitting there smiling. His chick is in the passenger seat just cracking up, probably partially because she can believe he's doing this and partially because the dude behind them is doing nothing to get out of that lane. Not honking, not flashing his lights, not going around...just accepting his spot stuck behind the Emergency Lane Blocker Guy.

Finally the SUV moves back into the lane and the truck zooms on by us and gets into the lane a few cars up. About a minute later we see the parked cop that made them both have to give up on this little game. Unfortantely the cop wasn't puling over any of the cars I recognized as the emergency lane users.

So, OOT, what do you think...

[SmileyEH]

Anyone that answers 1) Smart 2) Douchebag is a stupid douchebag.

[DonkeyKongSr]

Yeah, Douchebags/Hero and Douchebags/Douchebag are the only acceptable answers.

[superadvisor]

A traffic accident is considered an emergency here in Vegas so this is a justified reason to use the EMERGENCY lane. I don't know if the law is any different in California but I'm pretty sure it's the same. The guy blocking the lane is holding up the flow of traffic and breaking the law.

[imitation]

Douchebag / Hero everywhere not just America.

[edfurlong]

[ QUOTE ]
A traffic accident is considered an emergency here in Vegas so this is a justified reason to use the EMERGENCY lane. I don't know if the law is any different in California but I'm pretty sure it's the same. The guy blocking the lane is holding up the flow of traffic and breaking the law.

[/ QUOTE ]

I thought the emergency lane was for emergency vehicles to get to accidents and such, not so much an extra lane for people to use when there is an accident but they aren't terribly interested in sitting in traffic.

[SmileyEH]

[ QUOTE ]
A traffic accident is considered an emergency here in Vegas so this is a justified reason to use the EMERGENCY lane. I don't know if the law is any different in California but I'm pretty sure it's the same. The guy blocking the lane is holding up the flow of traffic and breaking the law.

[/ QUOTE ]

Excellent analysis.

[DonkeyKongSr]

[ QUOTE ]
A traffic accident is considered an emergency here in Vegas so this is a justified reason to use the EMERGENCY lane. I don't know if the law is any different in California but I'm pretty sure it's the same. The guy blocking the lane is holding up the flow of traffic and breaking the law.

[/ QUOTE ]

Even if that's correct, this doesn't make sense since the accident is miles ahead. It was actually on the California side of the border (radio told me). I'm assuming, unless a officer of the law gave you permission to drive in that lane, you cannot drive in that lane. It's for emergency parking, not "OMG, I can't handle the traffic, I want to drive faster than everyone else, this is an EMERGENCY!".

I do agree that Mr. Hero was breaking the law, but that's an awesome way to break the law.

[Vyse]

Why does 2p2 so liberally use douchebag as an insult when IME it is rarely used IRL? I can't help but view it as a benign word.

[daryn]

i was under the impression the "emergency" lane (or breakdown lane as we call it here) was used for cars that have to pull off the highway in an emergency. as far as i've ever seen, "emergency" vehicles always travel in the left lane.