Yo: Suppose you are on an interstate, driving the speed limit in the outside lane. You come up to slower traffic and move to the inside lane to pass. A giant pickup gets right on your tail. A long line of speedy devils is behind the pickup. You are required to get out of the way. How fast can I go to do that without getting a speeding ticket? The cops always nail the lead driver. -- Jack
Yo, Backatcha: You reference last week's column about Arkansas Code Annotated 27-51-301, which instructs drivers that vehicles "shall not be operated continuously in the left lane of a multilane roadway whenever it impedes the flow of traffic."
The answer is, as Churchill said about Russia, a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma.
This conundrum is faced by all sensible drivers who don't want to get stuck behind a bunch of dawdlers, but neither do they want to drive so fast as to draw the attention of law enforcement. Our lame, useless advice is to drive 9 mph over the speed limit. This is based on a study we did some years ago of one month's tickets issued by troopers in Troop A in Little Rock. The vast majority of those tickets were written for 10 or more mph over the speed limit.
Keep in mind this study was slightly less than scientific. There's also something called "police discretion."
Finally, remember that life can be a booger.
Dear Mahatma: Tell your readers to check their taillights and turn-signal lights. High beams and low beams. It would amaze people as to the number of burned-out lights on cars and trucks. This is really a safety issue. -- Lou
Dear Lou: Excellent advice. Also remember to turn on headlights whenever windshield wipers are in use.
Hey: The Arkansas Highway and Transportation Department made a big deal out of resurfacing Interstate 30 between the railroad viaduct and 65th Street. Was the contractor promised an early or on-time completion bonus? Since the project was obviously not finished on time, is there a penalty? -- David
Dear David: The Highway Department's chief spokesman, Danny Straessle, said there was no incentive or disincentive for the project. He said the inside and middle eastbound lanes were redone at the contractor's expense.
The contractor, Redstone Construction Group Inc. of Little Rock, was awarded a contract for $2.1 million to overlay 3 miles of the interstate with 2 inches of asphalt.
More work is planned. At the first warm-weather opportunity, Straessle said, the contractor will apply a sealant to seal off the underlying concrete pavement from moisture. After that, the contractor will restripe the lines. There is no time limit for the job. The Highway Department and contractor will collaborate to identify good days for the work to be done, which don't often come along in the winter.
Vanity plate seen on a red Camaro: MUSCLED
Mahatma@arkansasonline.com
Metro on 12/24/2016