Speed Limit in the Left Lane.

[collegestudent22]

You also cannot speed up while being passed:

41-6a-704. Overtaking and passing vehicles proceeding in same direction.
193 (1) On any highway:
194 (a) the operator of a vehicle overtaking another vehicle proceeding in the same
195 direction:
196 (i) shall, except as provided under Section 41-6a-705 , promptly pass the overtaken
197 vehicle on the left at a safe distance; and

198 (ii) [may not drive to the right side of the roadway until] enter a right-hand lane or the
199 right side of the roadway only when safely clear of the overtaken vehicle;
200 (b) the operator of an overtaken vehicle:
201 (i) shall give way to the right in favor of the overtaking vehicle; and
202 (ii) may not increase the speed of the vehicle until completely passed by the overtaking
203 vehicle.

It is also now illegal to tailgate in Utah:

41-6a-711. Following another vehicle -- Safe distance -- Exceptions.
227 (1) The operator of a vehicle:
228 (a) may not follow another vehicle more closely than is reasonable and prudent, having
229 regard for the:
230 (i) speed of the vehicles;
231 (ii) traffic upon the highway; and
232 (iii) condition of the highway; and
233 (b) shall [allow sufficient space in front of the vehicle to enable any other vehicle to
234 enter and occupy the space] follow at a distance so that at least two seconds elapse before
235 reaching the location of the vehicle directly in front of the operator's vehicle.
236 (2) Subsection (1)(b) does not apply to funeral processions or to congested traffic
237 conditions resulting in prevailing vehicle speeds of less than 35 miles per hour.

Seems like prudent, if not likely to be enforced well, laws.
Source: Utah Legislation Website

[kizba]

See, if I was internet cool I could have found that myself. Alas, I am not. Thanks, collegestudent22!

[Deacon]

That actually sounds like some pretty good laws. I don't know how they could possibly enforce them, but still.

[ampersand]

Maybe it's just me, but it's kind of hard not to tailgate when you're going plummeting down a really steep incline during rush-hour traffic. Especially in Utah.

[kizba]

That's why they have brakes on cars. Plus, if you've ever driven in Utah rush hour traffic you'd know that there's no way to achieve "plummeting" speeds. Plus, the law makes allowances for heavy traffic at low speeds.

[minsx]

Now if only we could get one of those laws in Utah that caps truck's speed at 55 or some such. . .

[Deacon]

How would THAT be helpful??

Have you not been paying attention?

[collegestudent22]

Now if only we could get one of those laws in Utah that caps truck's speed at 55 or some such. . .

Then you just get one truck in the right lane going just under 55 and another truck passing it at 55. You're just asking for extra traffic with that one!

[Martin Blank]

Laws restricting trucks to 55pmh are done for safety purposes. A semi tractor can weigh in at up to 129,000 pounds, and may take several hundred feet to come to a safe stop, compared to a car that takes only a couple of hundred feet. Allowing trucks to go faster than 55mph can greatly increase that stopping distance -- a truck going 90mph may take nearly a thousand feet to stop.

[Deacon]

Yes, yes, we can go on about worst-case scenarios all day, but I'm not a big fan of setting rules by worst case scenarios involving the lowest common denominators.

[collegestudent22]

I say that is fine, just trucks cannot pass each other and must stay in the right lane unless exiting to the left. This solves the problem of heavy trucks not being able to stop AND stupid truck drivers who try to pass a person going 2-3 mph slower than they want to go...

[adciv]

causing them to get stuck behind someone going 45. Having trucks required to go a slower speed than cars causes another hazard of having people zooming past and in front of the trucks all day.

[collegestudent22]

Why should I care if the truck must slow down a few mph for a while? It seems preferable to having a truck slow down the rest of traffic while passing another truck going almost the same speed and STILL having said problem of people passing trucks, etc.

[raptor9k]

deleted

[collegestudent22]

I don't understand the logic of the first paragraph. We shouldn't restrict truck drivers because some other morons are breaking the law....(it IS illegal to read while driving, in many places it is also illegal to talk on a cell phone without a headset and to apply makeup) Vehicle inspections don't stop accidents, where do you get this information. Why would some guy going through my car and saying "yep, all the parts work, and the car has seat belts." make a car NOT hit another car when an accident occurs. And if people would obey the speed limit (or at least stay within, say, around 10 mph of the limit), they would be better able to handle a blowout, or some slow idiot merging lanes into their way. Slow moving traffic is not a danger as long as people have the sense of mind to go, "hmm, everyone else seems to be going slow, maybe I should be prepared for someone to make a stupid move like cutting me off" or just be prepared for stupid people on the road anyway. Everyone acts like it is such a surprise when people drive like idiots.... I don't understand it at all.