The Texas Pass

Texans amaze me. Sometimes they come up with the coolest ideas. Take the "Texas Pass" for example. Rural roads around here generally have a speed limit of 70 MPH during the day and 65 MPH at night, which is really nice. Occasionally people drive less than the speed limit, and at other times, some of us tend to drive 5 - 7 MPH over the limit.. (but only once in a while). A lot of times rural roads are windy and are full of no passing zones which makes passing difficult. This could quickly become very frustrating. Enter the "Texas Pass".

Let's say you're driving down the highway and you come up behind someone going 5 - 10 MPH slower in a no passing zone. As a courtesy down here, the slower driver is expected to pull over to the shoulder (while maintaining his/her current speed) allowing you to quickly pass in the main lane without inconveniencing the other driver. It actually makes you feel like an important dignitary. You set the cruise on 75 or so and traffic generally moves out of your way. It's not uncommon to go 50 miles without having to tap the brakes to slow down for someone else. Very nice. I'm told the "Texas Pass" is officially illegal, but practiced by just about everyone.