I remember one time at Fairchild Air Base...I was walking to the BX and I could barely see far enough to cross the road. Terrible! You connected to the military?
One of the reasons I drive so darn slow (the speed limit) other than it's the law, and it saves gas, is the fact that when people come flying up behind me and try to cut into my lane, they're going so much faster than I am
Ah but he didn't run up behind me, my front bumper was about even with his rear door and was that way for almost two blocks as we moved in rush hour traffic well under the speed limit. This guy just merged without checking to see if it was ok.
2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D
Nope... fire department at the opposite end of the county. Fog does get pretty thick out by the airport & FAFB, but also has its severe moments near the river (freeway, 290, etc.) Been there, done that Used to have to drive neo-natal crews when the weather was too poor to fly - lots of fun in the freezing fog & snow!
The cool thing about the situation is, when the person behind you thinks you are going too slow in fog, and then they pass, you just stay behind them and use their tail lights as a guide.
Yeah then you can follow them right into the ditch. I have seen that happen enough times to know better.
2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D
Good point...never thought of that. I didn't mean follow their tail lights to harrass...just as a beacon of light. But I never thought of that possibility.
I once owned a 1972 Plymouth Duster slant-6 cylinder. At anything above 65mph, that motor was really crying. The car in Duel was some variation of this car and motor. This was one of my few cars I never 'opened up' to any sort of 'fast' speed.
At least 15 years ago, at night and driving an 84 Olds Toronado, which had a 307 V8 and was not really very fast, and handled badly also, I encountered some trucks driving pretty fast. One of them was really standing out, considerable faster up the hills, acceleration, etc than the others. (And I had a CB. Probably one of few non-truckers that still have a CB in my car.) He was running about 90mph on the flat ground, and I just kept with him.
The other truckers asked him what kind of motor he had in the truck and how much weight he had (the outside of many trucks means nothing about what brand and size of motor is inside. There are many trucks available with several motor options - brand and size.) He told them - I don't remember the make, but it was something like 550 cubic inches and dual turbochargers. And he only had 35,000 pounds, which is a light load for trucks.
I asked him, via CB, if he had ever tested the truck for its top speed. He said 134mph, with no trailer.
From owning a Chrysler slant-6 and the encounter with this truck, the Duel movie is very believable.
I thought so too. But I've seen empty tractor trailers on the highway and at stoplights, and they're still dramatically slower than the rest of the bunch. You would assume if you take the huge trailer off the back they'd be little rockets but that's not my experience. Of course, just about anything can drive fast. The speed limit is 75 in some states on the Interstates but even the slowest automobile can do in the 90's, probably 100 or more. Acceleration and top speed are two different things. Once you get in the higher speeds, most of your power is used to push wind out of the way. Weight isn't as much of a factor.
The aerodynamics on that must be pretty terrifying at 134 miles an hour. You have a tall, short cab with nothing behind it doing 134 miles an hour? I'm surprised it didn't flip around from lack of stability. I'd stay away from that driver...his day is coming soon.
Nothing in particular. The trucker was just going fairly slow on a level or downhill stretch of 2-lane road. Dennis Weaver was getting a little impatient, and finally passed him in a legal zone, as I recall. Then the trucker never let up on him after that.
Interesting movie, in that the truck driver's face is never shown. In one scene, Dennis goes into a restaurant where the truck is parked but ends up accusing the wrong guy! The real bad boy is never identified among the men in the restaurant.
I didn't catch the beginning, why did the trucker get ticked off by the driver?
Following is according to a movie database web site:
When Carey Loftin, the actor playing the truck driver, asked Spielberg what his motivation was for tormenting the car driver, Spielberg told him, "You're a dirty, rotten, no-good son of a ----." Loftin replied, "Kid, you hired the right man."
Carey Loftin was an actor/stunt man who did many movies, including Bullit and French Connection.
Trivia for Duel says that the trucker's headlight had 17 notches in it.
Word to wise would be not to mess with any inconsiderate driver who has notches anywhere on their vehicle.
The real bad boy is never identified among the men in the restaurant.
Don't think the gas truck driver went in to the restaurant. He just hung out outside. The truck driver also was inconsiderate to the woman with a roadside collection of snakes and other exotica after he crashed into the phone booth. He drove back and forth over these smashing them up.
I think the top speed on my '69 Chevy C20 ("4" speed, though first is a granny that will get you up to about 3 mph!) is 92mph.... Once you hit about 88 it is a dog about going any faster and I've never tried to push it further. Heck, I can drive it at 20-25 mph in 4th gear without bogging it down if I am running empty.
If I remember correctly, a friend of mine said that chevy 1/2 ton pickups have a 105 mph governor in them.... at least they did back in 2000. He was an engineer on an airport runway modification project and they used to race the company pickups on the closed runways during their lunch hours! Good use of company resources, huh?! :sick:
2018 Subaru Crosstrek, 2014 Audi Q7 TDI, 2013 Subaru Forester, 2013 Ford F250 Lariat D, 1976 Ford F250, 1969 Chevrolet C20, 1969 Ford Econoline 100
they did have a limiter somewhere around a 100mph. It was really funny to hit it. The 5.3L 345hp engine had fierce acceleration right up to the limiter than the whole ignition system would cut out and sling shot above the limit speed. It would be a few seconds before the truck would slow back down to whatever the limit speed is.
One time I was "racing" another chevy truck and we both took turns hitting the limiter. It was funny to see us pass each other then suddenly slow.
I was there in the winter of 1992/1993. Is that still the worst on record? I'm glad I was in base housing and lived two miles from work. It sure saved a lot of gas and heating costs.
Both...lived in Airhead Heights for nine months and on base the rest of the time. I lived behind the hospital when the shooting and the crash occured in '94.
How are the inconsiderate drivers out there? I loved the roads...mostly wide with shoulders.
City streets suck - all beat up & way behind on routine maintenance. County roads in my neck of the woods are pretty good, lots of shoulders as you remember, although there are still a fair share of narrow ones with soft dirt shoulders. Those are especially noticeable driving the widebody at work. Freeway through the valley will be done next month - 3 lanes each direction all the way to Sullivan.
Here's a somewhat unique inconsiderate driver observation: Why is it that when I'm coming down the road in the BRT (big red truck), lights & siren a-blazin', folks on the side streets pull out in front of me, THEN pull over?!?!?! If they see me now, didn't they see me then??
I had a '69 Dodge Dart with a slant six, and that sucker actually had no trouble loafing along at 100 mph! So from my perspective, I thought "Duel" was a bit unrealistic! :P One of my friends in high school and college had a beat up '72 Dart that could barely go over 50 mph though, so it all depends on how they were maintained over the years (or decades, as this was late 80's/early 90's)
In Duel's defense though, Dennis Weaver, in one of his soliliquoys (sp?) said that he had trouble concentrating and maintaining higher speeds, and that out of force of habit he'd slip back to 60 or 70 like he normally does. And it did take a busted radiator hose to slow him down on that last mountain grade, otherwise he would've had no trouble pulling ahead of the truck.
And as for the truck driver in Duel, if anyone's curious, he's in this pic... I think he was the big dude on the right. IIRC he also drove the Mustang in Bullitt
Earlier this summer I rented a 38 ft. diesel-pusher with 3 slides and my friends rented a 37 ft. gas unit with 3 slides. We drove 2,000 miles covering California, Arizona and New Mexico. Being the considerate drivers that we are, we mostly stayed in the right lane. As a matter of fact, that right lane seemed to move faster than the HOV lanes in heavy stop and go traffic in California.
On a very windy day we decided to keep our speed at 60 in a 75 mph zone. Dealing with the swaying from the strong head winds, it just made sense to keep our speed down and also to conserve fuel. My average on the diesel unit ended up being 7.5 mpg for the 2,000 miles. I'm sure that full day of driving in the strong wind dropped my average by at least 1-1.5 mpg.
My take on Motorhome drivers is that they are really good in maneuvering these large vehicles. First, they wouldn't even try to drive one unless they are "into" the lifestyle and enjoy driving. I found that these large motorhomes are very easy to drive as long as you know the height and width and of course the length. I could turn the 38 ft. unit pretty good without swinging into another lane. They are really easy to drive.
Talking about truckers.... I would say that truckers are 99% decent considerate drivers but one thing that drives me crazy, is when a trucker will try to pass another rig climbing slowly up a hill. The passing rig might be moving only 2 mph faster than the slower rig but he overtakes it anyway. So, I just sit back and let the idiot try to pass as it takes 10-15 minutes. I will never understand why they do this and I have seen it just about every time I do a cross country driving trip.
I would never try to get in a confrontation with these guys because you never know what they are thinking or what's going on in their minds. It's best to just keep your distance.
That "Duel" movie was one of my favorites. I love car chase scenes. I'm guilty, I watch the "Breaking News" car chase scenes that happen in Los Angeles like I've never seen one before; my friends laugh at me. I'm sure there is a program like AA that I could join. :sick:
Mark ">
2010 Land Rover LR4, 2013 Honda CR-V, 2009 Bentley GTC, 1990 MB 500SL, 2001 MB S500, 2007 Lincoln TC, 1964 RR Silver Cloud III, 1995 MB E320 Cab., 2015 Prevost Liberty Coach
Renting the motor homes was your best decision, however if you didn't dry camp, the rental fees are not cheap either.
After considering the running expenses, sales tax, insurance, and DEPRECIATION, we bought a new Town Car, moteled it, leaving others to clean the bathroom, ate free breakfasts at Holiday Inn Express, lunch out of the ice chest, and dinner at a family style restaurant. Got 22.8 miles per gallon while not with the responsibility of navigating such a huge vehicle.
If you keep within a reasonable range of the speed limit, you won't get stopped on the highway. Everyone knows this.
Wrong, wrong, wrong. I was pulled over when my speed was perfectly reasonable and prudent. Here is what happened. I'm in the carpool only lane on a highway, just barely outside the normal hours so anyone can use it. Motorcycle cop flies up on my tail and rides it so close I can't even see his headlights. I find a gap in traffic and drop in. He flies by, so I go back over and resume. I go along a little bit and find I'm now catching up on him rather quickly. He flew up on the tail of another driver and slowed down very rapidly. So I slow down, giving plently of room. Next thing I know he jerks over into the next lane drops to about 45 (in a 65, with traffic doing 70) and drops in RIGHT on my bumper with his lights on. His reason? I caught up with him so I must have been doing the same speed he was (80).
Proof that they can and will pull you over even if you are doing what is right, but not exactly within the law.
Radar detectors are for evading the law so you think you can get away with outrageous speeds. No, I want to know when a cop enters the highway so I know when I could be targeted for reasonable driving behavior. In the situation above, I was going with the flow.
So you only obey the law when a cop is around. When I was a child I only obeyed my mother when she was around. Then I grew up, saw the wisdom of her guidance, and behaived on my own.
No, this is the problem. People think the only reason for a radar detector is that you are doing something wrong. I'm talking about ABSOLUTE best behavior. In other words, I'm going to give 200% to make sure I don't make even a minor mistake when a cop is around. When you've been pulled over without cause and ticketed for something you didn't do, then you'll understand. Now, when can I setup an inspection of your house for drugs. You don't have anything to hide do you? So why should there be a problem?
I've been driving for 19 years. I was never pulled over for doing the speed limit. I don't know what town you all live in but as someone else said, they have better things to do than to try and trump up a charge on an innocent motorist. They would have no problem at all finding speeders in my town.
You would think so wouldn't you? See my story above. When the cop first pulled up he had a line of cars behind him tailgating him. Why didn't he pull them over. What would have been an awful chain-reaction if there was something in the road. Or why didn't he ticket him self. He was only a few feet off my bumper at 70 MPH and was looking DOWN INTO HIS MOTORCYCLE. If I had slammed on my brakes for something right then, that would have been the end of his life. I was the one out of all of those people that was driving fine, yet I was the one that was ticketed.
So, I have self respect, I did no wrong and yet I'm told I'm the one who is in the wrong. Nice. :mad:
You see the speed limit posted in English. Everyone sees it. The law says,"Do not exceed this speed"
Which states have this law? In actuality, most states have "reasonable and prudent" laws that say, "look, we set a speed limit that we think is good for most traffic at the time we set it, but we recognize that we are understaffed and underpaid and rely on your and the police's good judgement to decide a reasonable and prudent speed". Most states do not have strict speed limit laws.
It always happens like that. I drive to work and stay in the right lane. People keep zigging and zagging to get ahead but rarely ever make more than one or two car lengths, and for what? I often end up ahead of them by driving along peacefully in the right lane. One lane goes faster, they move into that lane. Suddenly that lane is full and it slows down while my lane speeds up from lack of traffic. Then they all try to squeeze back into my lane because it's faster, but often end up losing a place or two because we all moved ahead when they left our lane.
I've been in that situation. And you know what I usually find at the front of the line? Two or three cars pacing each other acting as rolling roadblocks. They are the primary problem, not the people trying to jockey thorugh the traffic. Done correctly, there is nothing wrong with a lane change.
I know, traffic cops are not very high on my list of people I'd stop to pull out of quicksand. I don't see how a radar detector would have helped you at all in that situation. You said yourself that the ticket was because he said, allegedly, you caught up to him too fast. So it sounds like he wasn't even using radar. Your detector would have picked up nothing. Just drive safely all the time and deal with the jerk cops without spending a lot of money on a radar detector. If I were an honest cop and pulled someone over with a radar detector I believe I'd be harder on them. Why? It shows the person plans on being an habitual offender by the money spent on the device to evade radar. It also tells me he may have been doing it for some time and just now got caught. I'm not arguing the judgement, or lack thereof, of a cop. I still don't see a legal use of the radar detector. If you weren't planning on speeding and you assume all, or most cops are bad, then what would you do if they were in the area? Would you take a different road? I'm not seeing the benefit of the radar detector. And, yes, I generally don't like traffic cops. I've had a few bad contacts with cops. Air Force cops are the worst. Don't trust them with your family.
Going with the flow of traffic can be as dangerous if not more so than blindly following speed limits or driving far over or under that limit (the variations mentioned in the same post). A driver should only drive at a speed both that person and that vehicle can safely maintain - and, I hate to say it, but to heck with the rest of traffic.
Lest anyone think I'm just a law-flaunting speed demon: :P
I agree with the quoted statement!
Around here there is a highway called the 101. Not too long ago it had a problem with speed. I'm talking 85+MPH was the flow of traffic on this 65 MPH road. So DPS setup a crackdown and routinely handed out tickets for 120+ as well as 85. Reasonable and prudent speeds must always take into account the ability of the driver and car above the flow of traffic. If you can't do the flow of traffic, stick right (like the law says!) and let all those speed demons around you a little easier.
they're going so much faster than I am they usually couldn't cut me off if they wanted to. I don't have people merging into my lane while I'm still in it.
Oh they can do it. Its almost a sport here in Phoenix. I've tried driving the speed limit and found more people nearly clipping me as they entered my lane. Maybe they think that since they are going so much faster they can come closer?
I have a nice trick I play (on rare occasions) on Semi Tractor trailers who won't get off my rear bumper. I don't brake check...I just slow down...very slowly...I kill my cruise control. It's like the frog you put in the water and then keep turning up the temperature slowly until it's too late and he's a boiling.
I tried that a few times, but I was the one that felt like the frog. The semi got closer and closer and closer. Then he flipped on his lights and blared his horn. And got closer and closer. Now I'm getting worried so I nailed the throttle and well, he must not have had much load 'cause he almost kept up with me. Them big rigs can keep up when they want to. :mad:
I've been behind people in fog and I think,"My goodness, I know it's foggy but really...do they have to go THIS slow???" Then I pass and find out...yes...they really did. After living in Spokane, Washington, which has some of the worst fog you'll ever see, I learned fast.
We don't get much fog here in Phoenix, but one time we did and it was THICK. I was going 35 in a 50 in the right lane and people were wizzing past at 55+. I was almost hit several times. You would think that they would learn from almost hitting me but noooooo...
I think if you're less than 10 mph over the speed limit, and doing the flow of traffic, the cops won't mess with you, unless you're out-of-state. I got busted in Emporia, VA, on I-95 about 15 miles from the NC border back on Memorial Day. I was going with the flow of traffic, but that flow happened to be 78 mph, according to the cop's radar. This was in a 65 mph zone, so I was 13 over.
However, in this case, it was a speed trap, pure and simple. In fact, the court date was already PRE-WRITTEN on the ticket! So as far as I'm concerned, they were merely trying to fill a courtroom, and their community chest. Also, when I went down there for the trial, it was absolutely amazing how many Marylanders were there. Heck, I met a woman who lived just a mile or so from my old condo, and a guy who used to work near me. I think they were just betting on the probability most of us Marylanders wouldn't make the effort to travel the 190 or so miles down to HootervilleMayberryBugtustleHazzard County Emporia! :mad:
Also, when I was in court that fateful day, not one person was in there for doing 1-9 over!
Might go a little bit beyond the scope of "inconsiderate" but I was the victim of road rage the other day. I was driving down a 5 lane (two in each direction and center lane) road in the right lane. Speed limit is 40 MPH. I've got this moron in a 4runner on a cell phone with his head tilted halfway to the right tailgating me at 50MPH. This keeps up for about 5 miles. So I turn off onto a highway entrance ramp and he comes with me. So I floor it trying to keep him happy and he keeps right up with me. When we get on the 3 lane highway I immediately go over into the middle lane so he has the entire right lane open to himself. He floors it comes up along side, rolls down his window and throws something at my car. Hits the rear passenger door and leaves an approximately quarter to half-dollar sized dent. I'm just lucky it wasn't a bullet. :sick:
>Then he flipped on his lights and blared his horn
Aggressive driving. That's when I let them pass and take down all the numbers tractor and trailer. Sometimes the company name is on the cab but often I have to look them up in yahoo or the internet to find their number. If I can't I call a friend at a trucking company who usually knows a contact number.
I never did get an answer out of them...it's like they were trying to be vague with me on purpose! All they would tell me was that I'd have to check with my local dept of motor vehicles! That kind of implies to me that I DID get points in Virginia, but they may or may not transfer back to MD. I'm going to pull my driving record in a couple months and see if anything shows up.
I've been unfortunate enough to be tailed by one of those tailgaters. It's really amazing.
The worst case of it that I've seen was an early Sunday morning in Florida on I-95. No traffic on the highway and four empty lanes. I'm driving along, enjoying an empty highway, when one car merges from an on-ramp. That car then 'tails' me. So I figure I ought to slow down a bit to emphasize the three other empty lanes that the speed-demon could use. The other car doesn't take the hint.
Eventually, I ended up slowing down to 20 mph before the tailgater decided to pass. The other driver was perfectly willing to stay behind me on an empty highway at speeds FAR below the speed limit, solely to become more and more aggravated.
Some days, I just think that most drivers on the road are masochists.
I was on a trip down to Anchorage a few months ago.... we decided to pull an overnight trip to miss traffic, etc. This was about 0330 on a Sunday morning and the road was all but deserted. On a fairly straight sretch of road, an old Subaru comes bearing down on me at about 85 (we were going 69-70 and the SL was 65) with its brights on. I didn't think too much of it, as it was 0330 and the driver may just have had the brights on for so long that it did not think about dimming them. However, the car drives up to with about 15 feet of my bumper, brights still on, and sits there. I dropped off the gas to let the car slow down... trying to give the fool a hint, but no, the other driver just closes in more and sits there. Now I am at about 35 mph! So, I figure that this person needs some extra help in making this pass. I pull over to the shoulder to let it pass.... nothing. I thought, "maybe the person is afraid of my driving lights being on..." so I shut them off. Nothing. I again went to the shoulder and then slammed on the brakes... that worked. The driver was now in front of me, but wasn't accelerating. I figured I would give it incentive, so I turned the driving lights back on.... and it took off like a bat out of hell! Whew. I cannot help but wonder why that person had so much trouble just going around me, but that one was odd.... Granted, the road was not perfectly straight, but of the 5 miles or so it was behind me, about 80% of the roadway was a safe, marked, passing zone. :confuse:
I hope you recorded the plate # of the 4runner Redmaxx! Wow... that type of behavior is just unsettling! Why would anyone want to push so much stress on itself?!
2018 Subaru Crosstrek, 2014 Audi Q7 TDI, 2013 Subaru Forester, 2013 Ford F250 Lariat D, 1976 Ford F250, 1969 Chevrolet C20, 1969 Ford Econoline 100
Now I am at about 35 mph! So, I figure that this person needs some extra help in making this pass. I pull over to the shoulder to let it pass.... nothing. I thought, "maybe the person is afraid of my driving lights being on..." so I shut them off. Nothing. I again went to the shoulder and then slammed on the brakes... that worked. The driver was now in front of me, but wasn't accelerating. I figured I would give it incentive, so I turned the driving lights back on.... and it took off like a bat out of hell! Whew. I cannot help but wonder why that person had so much trouble just going around me, but that one was odd...
Some drivers are nice, some are rude and inconsiderate, some are dangerous and others are well, just strange... :confuse:
No kidding. I kept my speed at around 50 for a good 20 miles before I bumped it back up to 70. I wanted to minimize my chances of coming across this driver again....
The one nice thing about strange encounters in the middle of the night is that it does wonders for one's level of alertness! Sometimes you just do not realize how zoned out you become when you've been driving for hours with only headlights to illuminate your way.
2018 Subaru Crosstrek, 2014 Audi Q7 TDI, 2013 Subaru Forester, 2013 Ford F250 Lariat D, 1976 Ford F250, 1969 Chevrolet C20, 1969 Ford Econoline 100
How did this guy know you wouldn't send a bullet his way either? Did you get the license and report him to the police? What were you doing to incur the wrath of this guy?
Comments
Dealing with it every fall/winter/spring since I started driving here in 1972...
Cheers!
Paul
Spokane Valley
You connected to the military?
Ah but he didn't run up behind me, my front bumper was about even with his rear door and was that way for almost two blocks as we moved in rush hour traffic well under the speed limit. This guy just merged without checking to see if it was ok.
2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D
Fog does get pretty thick out by the airport & FAFB, but also has its severe moments near the river (freeway, 290, etc.) Been there, done that
Used to have to drive neo-natal crews when the weather was too poor to fly - lots of fun in the freezing fog & snow!
Cheers!
Paul
Yeah then you can follow them right into the ditch. I have seen that happen enough times to know better.
2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D
At least 15 years ago, at night and driving an 84 Olds Toronado, which had a 307 V8 and was not really very fast, and handled badly also, I encountered some trucks driving pretty fast. One of them was really standing out, considerable faster up the hills, acceleration, etc than the others. (And I had a CB. Probably one of few non-truckers that still have a CB in my car.) He was running about 90mph on the flat ground, and I just kept with him.
The other truckers asked him what kind of motor he had in the truck and how much weight he had (the outside of many trucks means nothing about what brand and size of motor is inside. There are many trucks available with several motor options - brand and size.) He told them - I don't remember the make, but it was something like 550 cubic inches and dual turbochargers. And he only had 35,000 pounds, which is a light load for trucks.
I asked him, via CB, if he had ever tested the truck for its top speed. He said 134mph, with no trailer.
From owning a Chrysler slant-6 and the encounter with this truck, the Duel movie is very believable.
Interesting movie, in that the truck driver's face is never shown. In one scene, Dennis goes into a restaurant where the truck is parked but ends up accusing the wrong guy! The real bad boy is never identified among the men in the restaurant.
Following is according to a movie database web site:
When Carey Loftin, the actor playing the truck driver, asked Spielberg what his motivation was for tormenting the car driver, Spielberg told him, "You're a dirty, rotten, no-good son of a ----." Loftin replied, "Kid, you hired the right man."
Carey Loftin was an actor/stunt man who did many movies, including Bullit and French Connection.
Trivia for Duel says that the trucker's headlight had 17 notches in it.
Word to wise would be not to mess with any inconsiderate driver who has notches anywhere on their vehicle.
Don't think the gas truck driver went in to the restaurant. He just hung out outside. The truck driver also was inconsiderate to the woman with a roadside collection of snakes and other exotica after he crashed into the phone booth. He drove back and forth over these smashing them up.
If I remember correctly, a friend of mine said that chevy 1/2 ton pickups have a 105 mph governor in them.... at least they did back in 2000. He was an engineer on an airport runway modification project and they used to race the company pickups on the closed runways during their lunch hours! Good use of company resources, huh?! :sick:
One time I was "racing" another chevy truck and we both took turns hitting the limiter. It was funny to see us pass each other then suddenly slow.
My first car was a 70 Dodge Cornet with the slant 6, it handled highway speeds very well. the car would do 70+ very easy.
2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D
I'm glad I was in base housing and lived two miles from work. It sure saved a lot of gas and heating costs.
Were you on base or in Airhead Heights? Remember all the 'first snow of the season' traffic videos on the TV news?
Cheers!
Paul
How are the inconsiderate drivers out there?
I loved the roads...mostly wide with shoulders.
Freeway through the valley will be done next month - 3 lanes each direction all the way to Sullivan.
Here's a somewhat unique inconsiderate driver observation: Why is it that when I'm coming down the road in the BRT (big red truck), lights & siren a-blazin', folks on the side streets pull out in front of me, THEN pull over?!?!?! If they see me now, didn't they see me then??
Cheers! (and a big blast on the air horn!)
Paul
In Duel's defense though, Dennis Weaver, in one of his soliliquoys (sp?) said that he had trouble concentrating and maintaining higher speeds, and that out of force of habit he'd slip back to 60 or 70 like he normally does. And it did take a busted radiator hose to slow him down on that last mountain grade, otherwise he would've had no trouble pulling ahead of the truck.
And as for the truck driver in Duel, if anyone's curious, he's in this pic...
I think he was the big dude on the right. IIRC he also drove the Mustang in Bullitt
Earlier this summer I rented a 38 ft. diesel-pusher with 3 slides and my friends rented a 37 ft. gas unit with 3 slides. We drove 2,000 miles covering California, Arizona and New Mexico. Being the considerate drivers that we are, we mostly stayed in the right lane. As a matter of fact, that right lane seemed to move faster than the HOV lanes in heavy stop and go traffic in California.
On a very windy day we decided to keep our speed at 60 in a 75 mph zone. Dealing with the swaying from the strong head winds, it just made sense to keep our speed down and also to conserve fuel. My average on the diesel unit ended up being 7.5 mpg for the 2,000 miles. I'm sure that full day of driving in the strong wind dropped my average by at least 1-1.5 mpg.
My take on Motorhome drivers is that they are really good in maneuvering these large vehicles. First, they wouldn't even try to drive one unless they are "into" the lifestyle and enjoy driving. I found that these large motorhomes are very easy to drive as long as you know the height and width and of course the length. I could turn the 38 ft. unit pretty good without swinging into another lane. They are really easy to drive.
Talking about truckers.... I would say that truckers are 99% decent considerate drivers but one thing that drives me crazy, is when a trucker will try to pass another rig climbing slowly up a hill. The passing rig might be moving only 2 mph faster than the slower rig but he overtakes it anyway. So, I just sit back and let the idiot try to pass as it takes 10-15 minutes. I will never understand why they do this and I have seen it just about every time I do a cross country driving trip.
I would never try to get in a confrontation with these guys because you never know what they are thinking or what's going on in their minds. It's best to just keep your distance.
That "Duel" movie was one of my favorites. I love car chase scenes. I'm guilty, I watch the "Breaking News" car chase scenes that happen in Los Angeles like I've never seen one before; my friends laugh at me. I'm sure there is a program like AA that I could join. :sick:
Mark
After considering the running expenses, sales tax, insurance, and DEPRECIATION, we bought a new Town Car, moteled it, leaving others to clean the bathroom, ate free breakfasts at Holiday Inn Express, lunch out of the ice chest, and dinner at a family style restaurant. Got 22.8 miles per gallon while not with the responsibility of navigating such a huge vehicle.
Wrong, wrong, wrong. I was pulled over when my speed was perfectly reasonable and prudent. Here is what happened. I'm in the carpool only lane on a highway, just barely outside the normal hours so anyone can use it. Motorcycle cop flies up on my tail and rides it so close I can't even see his headlights. I find a gap in traffic and drop in. He flies by, so I go back over and resume. I go along a little bit and find I'm now catching up on him rather quickly. He flew up on the tail of another driver and slowed down very rapidly. So I slow down, giving plently of room. Next thing I know he jerks over into the next lane drops to about 45 (in a 65, with traffic doing 70) and drops in RIGHT on my bumper with his lights on. His reason? I caught up with him so I must have been doing the same speed he was (80).
Proof that they can and will pull you over even if you are doing what is right, but not exactly within the law.
Radar detectors are for evading the law so you think you can get away with outrageous speeds.
No, I want to know when a cop enters the highway so I know when I could be targeted for reasonable driving behavior. In the situation above, I was going with the flow.
No, this is the problem. People think the only reason for a radar detector is that you are doing something wrong. I'm talking about ABSOLUTE best behavior. In other words, I'm going to give 200% to make sure I don't make even a minor mistake when a cop is around. When you've been pulled over without cause and ticketed for something you didn't do, then you'll understand. Now, when can I setup an inspection of your house for drugs. You don't have anything to hide do you? So why should there be a problem?
I was never pulled over for doing the speed limit. I don't know what town you all live in but as someone else said, they have better things to do than to try and trump up a charge on an innocent motorist. They would have no problem at all finding speeders in my town.
You would think so wouldn't you? See my story above. When the cop first pulled up he had a line of cars behind him tailgating him. Why didn't he pull them over. What would have been an awful chain-reaction if there was something in the road. Or why didn't he ticket him self. He was only a few feet off my bumper at 70 MPH and was looking DOWN INTO HIS MOTORCYCLE. If I had slammed on my brakes for something right then, that would have been the end of his life. I was the one out of all of those people that was driving fine, yet I was the one that was ticketed.
So, I have self respect, I did no wrong and yet I'm told I'm the one who is in the wrong. Nice. :mad:
Which states have this law? In actuality, most states have "reasonable and prudent" laws that say, "look, we set a speed limit that we think is good for most traffic at the time we set it, but we recognize that we are understaffed and underpaid and rely on your and the police's good judgement to decide a reasonable and prudent speed". Most states do not have strict speed limit laws.
It always happens like that. I drive to work and stay in the right lane. People keep zigging and zagging to get ahead but rarely ever make more than one or two car lengths, and for what? I often end up ahead of them by driving along peacefully in the right lane. One lane goes faster, they move into that lane. Suddenly that lane is full and it slows down while my lane speeds up from lack of traffic. Then they all try to squeeze back into my lane because it's faster, but often end up losing a place or two because we all moved ahead when they left our lane.
I've been in that situation. And you know what I usually find at the front of the line? Two or three cars pacing each other acting as rolling roadblocks. They are the primary problem, not the people trying to jockey thorugh the traffic. Done correctly, there is nothing wrong with a lane change.
Just drive safely all the time and deal with the jerk cops without spending a lot of money on a radar detector. If I were an honest cop and pulled someone over with a radar detector I believe I'd be harder on them. Why? It shows the person plans on being an habitual offender by the money spent on the device to evade radar. It also tells me he may have been doing it for some time and just now got caught. I'm not arguing the judgement, or lack thereof, of a cop. I still don't see a legal use of the radar detector. If you weren't planning on speeding and you assume all, or most cops are bad, then what would you do if they were in the area? Would you take a different road? I'm not seeing the benefit of the radar detector. And, yes, I generally don't like traffic cops. I've had a few bad contacts with cops. Air Force cops are the worst. Don't trust them with your family.
Lest anyone think I'm just a law-flaunting speed demon:
I agree with the quoted statement!
Around here there is a highway called the 101. Not too long ago it had a problem with speed. I'm talking 85+MPH was the flow of traffic on this 65 MPH road. So DPS setup a crackdown and routinely handed out tickets for 120+ as well as 85. Reasonable and prudent speeds must always take into account the ability of the driver and car above the flow of traffic. If you can't do the flow of traffic, stick right (like the law says!) and let all those speed demons around you a little easier.
Oh they can do it. Its almost a sport here in Phoenix. I've tried driving the speed limit and found more people nearly clipping me as they entered my lane. Maybe they think that since they are going so much faster they can come closer?
I tried that a few times, but I was the one that felt like the frog. The semi got closer and closer and closer. Then he flipped on his lights and blared his horn. And got closer and closer. Now I'm getting worried so I nailed the throttle and well, he must not have had much load 'cause he almost kept up with me. Them big rigs can keep up when they want to. :mad:
We don't get much fog here in Phoenix, but one time we did and it was THICK. I was going 35 in a 50 in the right lane and people were wizzing past at 55+. I was almost hit several times. You would think that they would learn from almost hitting me but noooooo...
However, in this case, it was a speed trap, pure and simple. In fact, the court date was already PRE-WRITTEN on the ticket! So as far as I'm concerned, they were merely trying to fill a courtroom, and their community chest. Also, when I went down there for the trial, it was absolutely amazing how many Marylanders were there. Heck, I met a woman who lived just a mile or so from my old condo, and a guy who used to work near me. I think they were just betting on the probability most of us Marylanders wouldn't make the effort to travel the 190 or so miles down to
HootervilleMayberryBugtustleHazzard CountyEmporia! :mad:Also, when I was in court that fateful day, not one person was in there for doing 1-9 over!
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
Aggressive driving. That's when I let them pass and take down all the numbers tractor and trailer. Sometimes the company name is on the cab but often I have to look them up in yahoo or the internet to find their number. If I can't I call a friend at a trucking company who usually knows a contact number.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
The worst case of it that I've seen was an early Sunday morning in Florida on I-95. No traffic on the highway and four empty lanes. I'm driving along, enjoying an empty highway, when one car merges from an on-ramp. That car then 'tails' me. So I figure I ought to slow down a bit to emphasize the three other empty lanes that the speed-demon could use. The other car doesn't take the hint.
Eventually, I ended up slowing down to 20 mph before the tailgater decided to pass. The other driver was perfectly willing to stay behind me on an empty highway at speeds FAR below the speed limit, solely to become more and more aggravated.
Some days, I just think that most drivers on the road are masochists.
I was on a trip down to Anchorage a few months ago.... we decided to pull an overnight trip to miss traffic, etc. This was about 0330 on a Sunday morning and the road was all but deserted. On a fairly straight sretch of road, an old Subaru comes bearing down on me at about 85 (we were going 69-70 and the SL was 65) with its brights on. I didn't think too much of it, as it was 0330 and the driver may just have had the brights on for so long that it did not think about dimming them. However, the car drives up to with about 15 feet of my bumper, brights still on, and sits there. I dropped off the gas to let the car slow down... trying to give the fool a hint, but no, the other driver just closes in more and sits there. Now I am at about 35 mph! So, I figure that this person needs some extra help in making this pass. I pull over to the shoulder to let it pass.... nothing. I thought, "maybe the person is afraid of my driving lights being on..." so I shut them off. Nothing. I again went to the shoulder and then slammed on the brakes... that worked. The driver was now in front of me, but wasn't accelerating. I figured I would give it incentive, so I turned the driving lights back on.... and it took off like a bat out of hell! Whew. I cannot help but wonder why that person had so much trouble just going around me, but that one was odd.... Granted, the road was not perfectly straight, but of the 5 miles or so it was behind me, about 80% of the roadway was a safe, marked, passing zone. :confuse:
I hope you recorded the plate # of the 4runner Redmaxx! Wow... that type of behavior is just unsettling! Why would anyone want to push so much stress on itself?!
Some drivers are nice, some are rude and inconsiderate, some are dangerous and others are well, just strange... :confuse:
The one nice thing about strange encounters in the middle of the night is that it does wonders for one's level of alertness! Sometimes you just do not realize how zoned out you become when you've been driving for hours with only headlights to illuminate your way.
How did this guy know you wouldn't send a bullet his way either? Did you get the license and report him to the police? What were you doing to incur the wrath of this guy?