How To Drive On The Interstate In Tampa: A Resident’s Guide

Road rage is nothing new. Every day, it seems like the drivers are getting crazier. Whether it’s a 90-year-old doing 45 mph in a 75 or a dented-up Altima clipping bumpers on the 275, the roads are wild. This is a resident’s guide on how to drive on the interstate in Tampa.

Remember the days of driver’s ed? The teacher would share horror stories about scooping limbs off the road with shovels after deadly accidents and tried to explain to us the dangers of speeding. While on your permit, those stories might make you follow the rules of the road, but once you get that license, all knowledge flies out the window.

One user posted to the r/Tampa reddit thread (which has since been deleted) saying “A guide for newcomers” with a graphic. The graphic shows 5 lanes starting from left to right as 80+ mph, 80 mph, 75 mph, 74.5 mph, and ‘speed limit’ in the far right lane.

It pretty much perfectly sums up the drivers across Tampa Bay. Between tourists, locals, and snowbirds, the roads are a breeding ground for chaos.

The world has changed a lot over the years and road rage now seems to be the norm. Just a few months ago, drivers watched as a man stabbed a driver in a road rage incident on the Howard Franklin.

The thread had over 137 comments in under an hour (before getting deleted) and of course, people were divided. Let’s take a look at what people said on how to drive on the interstate in Tampa.

One user wrote, “If the cars to your right are going faster than you, move to the right until its no longer the case. And if you have a line of cars behind you and virtually no cars in front of you, you are going too slow and the interstate probably isn't for you.” 

This one is a solid general rule of thumb. It’s simple: ‘Going slower? move over.’ This could save you from road ragers or from landing you behind a wall of yellow caution tape.

Another user said sarcastically, “It's very important that I'm able to drive 15+ mph over the speed limit so that I can save 5 minutes on a 40-minute commute. I mean, what else would I do? Leave my house 5 whole minutes earlier and not try to kill everyone on the road? Ridiculous.”

Serious I’m in a Hurry (and don’t know why) vibes here. Are those 5 minutes saved worth it? Probably not, but I know I'm guilty of this one. That 5-minute difference could land you in the middle of the next pileup on the I-275 or sitting waiting in traffic because of the pileup on the I-275. You decide which situation you’d rather be in.

Another user wrote, “Saw a very sassy digital highway sign … ‘Camp in the woods, not the left lane’. Simple, yet effective. Some people don’t care and just sit in the left lane anyway, but this simple rule could alleviate major problems on the roadways.

Now, let’s reflect on what Florida law actually says on how to drive on the interstate in Tampa. According to Statute 316.081, on any road where traffic has 2 or more lanes moving in the same direction, you cannot continue to drive in the leftmost lane when a vehicle is approaching from the rear at a higher speed than you are driving.

The same statute also says that any vehicles that are driving “less than the normal speed of traffic” should be driving in the furthestmost right lane. Breaking it down, this means stay right when traffic is driving faster than you are.

There is a new Left Lane law proposed that hasn’t yet been passed by Governor Desantis. If it is passed, it would allow officers to ticket those sitting in the left lane and could go into effect on Jan. 1, 2025.

I moved to St. Petersburg in 2019 and I must say, living in the Sunshine State has been fun! I have never gotten in trouble with the law but many of my friends have. The warm weather seems to have an impact on people and it's not always good! Every day there is a "Florida Man/Woman" headline in the news.  Many of the stories are funny but sadly always involve crimes being committed.

According to the Florida Department Of Corrections, there are 143 correctional facilities throughout the state. Have you ever been to any of them? What were you locked up for and for how long? I know, Im asking a lot of questions right?  I love hearing prison stories. Feel free to email me babs@wild941.com . If I share your story, I will keep you anonymous.

According to Prison Policy, The United States locks up more people per capita than any other nation. Basically that is 583 people per 100k residents.  There are currently over 1M people locked up in state prisons. When it comes to local jails there are currently 550K people locked up. Lastly in federal prisons and jails there are 208K people locked up.

Ok, so before looking below, what do you think is the most committed crime in Florida? I pretty much committed this crime, but I was able to get help before it was to late. No, I was not a  dealer but an addicted, and rehab was the best thing that ever happened to me. Have any ideas what it is yet? Many of us have fell victim to this crime or know someone who has.

Below  you will find the most committed crime in Florida. I have also included 4 other of the most committed crimes as well. This is according to research done by the Murphy's And Downs Law Offices.

According to the FBI, 30% of arrest in Florida are due to drug crimes. Drug offenses consist of anything from trafficking to possession. The amount of drugs you are caught with will affect the charge and the sentence.

There is a theft committed every minute in Florida. This is all according to Florida Department Of Law Enforcement.

Assault is the 3rd most committed crime in Florida.  Even a threat of bodily harm made with an apparent ability to cause the harm is considered assault. The threat however must cause a fear of of injury.

DUI is the 4th most committed crime in Florida. You must have a blood alcohol level of .08 or higher for you to be impaired. The penalties are determined by many factors such as how many times you've gotten a DUI also death/injuries or property damage caused by the driving.

 According to the Florida Department Of Law Enforcement an aggravated assault happens every nine minutes in Florida.