Inconsiderate Drivers (share your stories, etc.)

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  • imidazol97imidazol97 Member Posts: 27,714
    Fintail
    I've used silicon clear to patch a chip into a glass headlight. You might try the GE Household Glue that's silicon. I'm not sure there is a difference between various silicons; I've suspected different packaging and sizes rather than differences in addtives.

    That silicon expands and contracts with the surrounds and sticks to them. The superglue may be hard and have its own expansion coefficient different than glass.

    Edit:
    I got the idea because the guy who drilled and relieved pressure within the chip on a windshield injected silicon into the hole and filled the cracks with it. They became transparent.

    2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,

  • fintailfintail Member Posts: 58,596
    I'll look into that. I have some clear silicone adhesive, but it dries to a rubbery texture, and I don't think it would bond to the glass for any duration. I glopped a good amount of super glue on it...it's like a rock now. It can be chiseled off with enough work...maybe fill the hole with the silicone and cover it with hard glue.

    I wonder whick rock-tossing inconsiderate car dinged me.
  • snakeweaselsnakeweasel Member Posts: 19,592
    I wonder whick rock-tossing inconsiderate car dinged me.

    You do know that you also drove into that rock.

    2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D

  • fintailfintail Member Posts: 58,596
    Yes, and I think I was tailgating too...had I been a proper distance behind, the rock could have been tossed up and hit the ground without striking my car.
  • andre1969andre1969 Member Posts: 26,093
    what it's like to have the back of your head hit the rear window on a regular-cab pickup truck with no headrests. OUCH!! :sick:

    My company sent me to a Photoshop seminar in Baltimore today, and I drove my '85 Silverado to the last stop on the Light Rail and took it in. Well, on the way home I was on a 4-lane, non-divided road, 2-lanes in each direction. No dedicated turn lanes. Suddenly, a car decides to slow rapidly and turn left up ahead. The white '98 or so Grand Marquis behind it had to stop pretty quickly, and since I was next in line, I had to stop even quicker. Unfortunately, the poor girl in the 2000 Infiniti I30 behind me didn't stop in time.

    It all happened so fast it was practically a blur. I suddenly heard this crashing sound behind me and felt the truck launch forward, and the back of my head connect with the rear window glass. Actually the truck kinda bounced, and there was this queasy, out-of-control feeling as I lunged ahead at a slight angle, toward the Grand Marquis but also a bit toward the center line. Fortunately I was able to get control of it and stop in time.

    Fortunately, nobody got hurt, although I guess I'll probably feel some aches and pains in the morning, and, this is gonna sound funny, but my brain feels kinda rattled! As for the truck, the impact bent the right side of the rear bumper down a bit, and the bracket behind it was smashed. The left side bracket looked fine though.

    The I30 didn't fare nearly so well. It didn't set off her air bag, but her hood was crumpled back pretty bad. The grille actually popped out of the front fascia mostly intact, although the parts where it bolts on had broken. Both headlight clusters were smashed, and the radiator was angled back slightly. Driver's side fender was smashed as well. Her car was still driveable though, and I looked underneath it for her to make sure it wasn't leaking anything. Fortunately she only lived about a mile away so she didn't have too far to drive.

    So, that's about the closest thing I can come to for an inconsiderate driver story. Actually, I think the person who decided to make the sudden left turn was the inconsiderate one, but unfortunately the one who does the rear-ending usually gets screwed.

    I just hope that the damage is limited to the bumper bracket and that the bodyshop guy doesn't get up under there and find frame damage! I guess though, if the impact wasn't enough to set off her airbags, it probably wasn't enough to bend a pickup truck frame. I hope.

    And I guess in a weird sort of way, luck was on my side today. I'm sure if I had been in any other vehicle of mine, other than the truck, none of them would have withstood the hit as well. I know the Intrepid wouldn't taken some damage. And I'm sure my LeMans or NYer would have, as well. Good thing I wasn't driving my buddy's '06 Xterra! :surprise:
  • andre1969andre1969 Member Posts: 26,093
    on the way home about a mile and a half from my house I saw the aftermath of an accident that made mine look downright tame. At an intersection there were a couple police cars blocking one lane, and an early 90's Town Car that was off the road and down an embankment, treacherously close to some trees. There was flatbed wrecker in the process of pulling it out.

    In the street there was an early 90's Saturn S-series coupe, which had been hit on the passenger-side fender, which was disintegrated and the wheel was bent at an obscene angle. The passenger cabin seemed intact though and considering the size of the car that hit it, I thought it actually held up pretty well.

    From the looks of it, I'd say the Saturn tried to make a left turn in front of the Lincoln, and the Lincoln tried to swerve to the right, hitting it, spinning it around, and then continuing off to the side, off the pavement and down the embankment.
  • euphoniumeuphonium Member Posts: 3,425
    Good to know your injuries if any are very minor. :):):)
  • imidazol97imidazol97 Member Posts: 27,714
    You should have your cervical area checked for injury due to the whiplashing it took and the head impact should be assessed by a doctor's visit. I was rearended once and had a stiff neck for a while. My headrest caught my head, but I really should have gone to the doctor.

    2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,

  • fintailfintail Member Posts: 58,596
    Wow, glad you're more or less uninjured...and that you were in the old truck and not the DeSoto or Pontiac or something.
  • redmaxxredmaxx Member Posts: 627
    In general, it is quite obvious to me that a good number of people appear highly underqualified to drive the vehicle they drive.

    Oh, absolutely! :D
  • redmaxxredmaxx Member Posts: 627
    Never once had I actually witnessed an accident, until yesterday. I was driving around and I was coming up to an intersection. I was behind a Jeep in the right lane, going about 35 MPH and the left lane was backed up from a turn lane at the light. We were about 1/4 mile or less from the light. An Infiniti in the backed up lane decided it didn't want to wait any more, cranked the wheels to the right and floored it, right as the Jeep was coming up. It accelerated so quickly that all the Jeep could do was swerve right in it's extra wide lane (big enough for two cars) with the Infiniti along side of it.

    Now, either the driver of the Jeep thought he was clear of the Infiniti or he wanted some revenge. Because at this point he cut hard left and his back quarter panel smashed into the Infiniti's front quarter panel, sending the Infiniti precariously close to the backed up left lane. The Infiniti then stopped in a bus stop and the Jeep turned into a shopping center.

    The whole thing was rather bizzare. :surprise:
  • redmaxxredmaxx Member Posts: 627
    Had you been following the rock at a proper following distance you could have stopped in time, but no, you rear-ended the rock. I submit that you are responsible for that accident! :D
  • redmaxxredmaxx Member Posts: 627
    I was rear-ended once, about a 10-15 MPH difference, as I recall. There was only damage to the bumper cover on my car and little or none to the guy who rear ended me. He had Allstate insurance and it was like pulling teeth to get:

    - Them to to pay for a doctor's visit
    - Pay for the next day off of work (I have a back problem that the accident aggravated)
    - Pay for new parts for my car that was only a few months old
  • gogogodzillagogogodzilla Member Posts: 707
    I was on my way to work this morning... and found myself in the thick of some seriously backed-up traffic on MD-32.

    After a while, I finally passed the source of the backup.

    It was a rear-end collision between a Honda Civic and an 18-wheel tanker truck. (I just hope it wasn't carrying gasoline)

    Mind you, the tanker didn't rear-end the Civic. The Civic rear-ended the tanker truck.

    :surprise:
  • smittynycsmittynyc Member Posts: 289
    "I was rear-ended once, about a 10-15 MPH difference, as I recall. There was only damage to the bumper cover on my car and little or none to the guy who rear ended me. He had Allstate insurance and it was like pulling teeth to get:

    - Them to to pay for a doctor's visit
    - Pay for the next day off of work (I have a back problem that the accident aggravated)
    - Pay for new parts for my car that was only a few months old "

    Go figure. I was rear-ended at 35-40 mph in 1996 on my way to a soccer match at Giants Stadium. Traffic was backed up onto the highway because of the match, and I was at the end of the line. The guy who hit me admitted that he was distracted by the Fuji blimp circling over the stadium.

    My car was a 1991 Tempo (just a horrible car, but it was a hand-me-down). It was destroyed with extreme predjudice; the trunk was smushed in all the way to the C-pillar. Both front passenger seats "failed" and my friend and I ended up in a heap in the back seat. I was a little stiff and sore for a few days, but miraculously, that was it.

    Anyway, the guy who hit me was driving a really crappy beater (forget what kind), and I didn't even recognize the name of his insurer. The card/papers all looked fake/low budget. I didn't carry comprehensive or uninsured motorists insurance. I have never felt more "this is simply not going to work out well for me" than I did pulling away from that accident scene in the cab of a tow truck.

    Three-odd weeks later, I have a check in hand for a little less than $5000 (probably at least $2000 more than I would have gotten if I tried to sell the thing), and the salvage yard where the car ended up mailed me a box of some junk (football, cleats, golf balls, etc) that was in the trunk. I couldn't believe my luck -- I had absolutely no real use for the car and most of the time I spent driving it was moving it from one side of the street to the other for alternate-side parking.

    Still, if you ever encounter someone leaving what appears to be way, way too much space in front of him while in stop-and-go stadium traffic, it's probably me.
  • andre1969andre1969 Member Posts: 26,093
    of my poor, rear-ended pickup. Almost doesn't look significant enough to bother fixing. The only reason I'm going to have it fixed is because the bracket behind the bumper was smashed, so if it were to ever get rear-ended again the bumper probably wouldn't do its job as well.

    Oh yeah, I've learned that I'm a bit paranoid to drive now. On Saturday I took my '76 LeMans to a classic car show about a half hour away. It sits much lower, and has a big rear window. I swear, every single big truck known to man felt the need to ride my bumper that day, close enough that their grille would fill the whole mirror! It's almost as if they KNEW I was a bit paranoid!
  • euphoniumeuphonium Member Posts: 3,425
    When driving our 66 Mustang GT to shows up and down the I-5 corridor I experience the same fear. While stopped for a couple of deer on I-5 a high balling pickup towing a horse trailer wasn't watching very well. Just before he would impact my rear end, I blew the horn, the deer jumped, I hit the gas, & dug out while on my right was the pickup screeching to a halt on the shoulder and the jackknifed horse trailer sliding sideways to where I had been. No contact and I didn't stop my accelerating until the speedo said 85. :sick:
  • andre1969andre1969 Member Posts: 26,093
    Yeah, I kinda have a love/hate relationship with this truck. My Granddad bought it when it was brand-new, and a few years after he passed away my Grandmom gave it to my Mom, and then she sold it to me in 2002 after she bought a new truck.

    It gets miserable gas mileage, the a/c doesn't work, the radio and power driver's window only work sporadically, and it squeaks and rattles with age but it's kinda like a worn-out recliner or beat-up pair of sneakers, where it seems to fit just right!

    What engine did you have in yours? I have a 305-4bbl with a THM350C transmission. It only has about 120,000 miles on it, but it's spent a great deal of its life just sitting around...spare car status, only being called on when something heavy needed to be hauled, towed, etc. The powertrain's still pretty strong though, so hopefully it still has a few good years left in it.

    I guess it's also a good thing that when I got hit, I was able to stop before plowing into the '98 or so Grand Marquis in front of me! I've never been caught in a "sandwich" before like that, but I imagine it can't be a fun thing!
  • xwesxxwesx Member Posts: 17,756
    That's..... it?! Wow! not even damage to your rear right side! Heck, I always thought that old truck rear bumpers were manditorily drooped on one side! ;)

    Quite glad to hear that both you and your Chevy fared so well. What's more, from your words in the Project Cars topic, one would think your Chevy is on it's last wheel. It still looks to be in rather good shape to me, but I guess those other "features" could become annoying from time to time! I know that one of things I found most appealing about my truck was that it had no squeaks/rattles or wind noise/whistling. It still does not (pretty good for 37 years old!), so I can forgive all the other "old truck" problems it develops. :D
    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
  • imidazol97imidazol97 Member Posts: 27,714
    Your bumper damage says a lot about how well those trucks are built. A similar truck was parked along the road near us. A high school kid got an Acura Prelude from rich daddy and always drove faster than speed limit through our area. One day he hit the left rear of the parked truck. He had reached for the soccer ball in the back seat. I saw the Prelude with totalled damage. The truck was bent up a little, just as yours was bent down.

    2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,

  • andre1969andre1969 Member Posts: 26,093
    What's more, from your words in the Project Cars topic, one would think your Chevy is on it's last wheel.

    Oh, I also forgot to add that the exhaust system came off from the muffler back (this was before the accident), although that doesn't bother me. I'm actually shocked at how quiet it runs for not having a muffler. When the muffler fell off my New Yorker, that sucker suddenly sounded like a musclecar! :P And the passenger-side gas tank is disabled and disconnected. It has some rust on it too, but it doesn't show up bad in the pics. The worst spot is on the passenger side, where the rocker panel joins the back part of the cab.

    The main thing I worry about is when it comes time for the emissions test in January, whether or not they'll make me get that passenger-side gas tank fixed. I know I'll have to do the exhaust before then, but that'll probably only be a few hundred bucks. That gas tank will be close to $900 if they make me fix it. :sick:
  • redmaxxredmaxx Member Posts: 627
    Your bumper damage says a lot about how well those trucks are built. A similar truck was parked along the road near us. A high school kid got an Acura Prelude from rich daddy and always drove faster than speed limit through our area. One day he hit the left rear of the parked truck. He had reached for the soccer ball in the back seat. I saw the Prelude with totalled damage. The truck was bent up a little, just as yours was bent down.

    Is it so much a statement of how the truck was built or that the truck sits up higher? If a car runs into a truck, because the bumper is up higher, it has so much more of a chance of running under the truck than if it crashes into a car.
  • xwesxxwesx Member Posts: 17,756
    True, but there is very little give in those older trucks. The term "crumple zone" was not yet developed for them (is it now?)! It takes a rather severe impact to cause damage beyond perhaps the rear-most 12" of bed/bumper. If you miss the bumper entirely, though, you can chew into them like any other, and perhaps that is why we saw so much damage to these other vehicles - the bumpers and frames were spared the impact. I think if that i30 would have connected with a bumper, the airbag probably would have deployed on it even though the damage to it would have been far less (and Andre's Chevy would have taken a bit more of a toll - perhaps a creased fender from the bumper)overall.
    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
  • xwesxxwesx Member Posts: 17,756
    came a little late today...

    I was driving in to work on a 4 lane (2 each way), 35 mph road going about 38. There was another car in the right lane, basically next to me, and we are just poking along when suddenly this other car drops back rather quickly. I glance around to see if there is something I should be avoiding, and everything looks fine to me. Then, about 10 feet prior to the intersection, the light turns green. I made a double-take and thought, "wait, it turned green? Then it must have been red!" Oops.... good timing I guess, but I did not register the red light at all. Maybe it was because this particular light is so rarely red at that time of day, but I like to think I am more attentive than that. Just goes to show that "usually" does not account for "always." :(
    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
  • andre1969andre1969 Member Posts: 26,093
    I think if that i30 would have connected with a bumper, the airbag probably would have deployed on it even though the damage to it would have been far less (and Andre's Chevy would have taken a bit more of a toll - perhaps a creased fender from the bumper)overall.

    Yeah, all things considered, I think this accident played out about the best that it could have, for both of us! I think a direct bumper-to-bumper hit might have actually done more to both cars, though. The Infiniti might not have looked as bad, but impacting right on the bumper, the shock might have been enough to bend the unit body. There might not have been as much visible damage, but possibly more internal, expensive damage. And the additional cost of the airbags deploying would have certainly shot up the repair cost.

    Plus, you never know, but that harder hit might have been enough to throw me into the Grand Marquis in front of me, adding another car into the mix and making my truck take damage from both ends. The front bumpers on these trucks really don't stick out very far, so it wouldn't take much to push it back to where it damaged the hood, fenders, grille, etc.

    I think it all just goes to show that often luck and circumstance play a much bigger role in how an accident plays out than how big a vehicle is or how it's designed.

    Anyway, the truck goes into the body shop tomorrow night for an estimate. I'll keep y'all posted as to how it goes. The girl who hit me is insured with State Farm, and I have to say they've actually been pretty cool about everything. I was expecting them to try and fight me, but they said they'd even cover a rental car for me! I told them that wasn't necessary though. I have a few other cars at my disposal...I just hope they don't get "disposed" of like the truck!
  • andre1969andre1969 Member Posts: 26,093
    I had an odd occurence. I was in traffic, 4-lane divided road with cross streets, 45 mph speed limit. Plenty of traffic, but it was moving. Anyway, this fairly new Chrysler minivan felt the need to ride up close to my bumper, back off, and repeat occasionally. I was going with the flow of traffic, so it's not like I was holding anybody back.

    Then, suddenly, about a quarter-mile from my turn off, this minivan suddenly guns it around me and then comes back into my lane, slipping into the roughly 50 feet of space that was between my car and the one in front of me. In fact, it came over so close that it crossed the line before it had even cleared my bumper!

    At my turn-off, sure enough, the minivan turned as well. And got caught up on construction traffic. I ended up beside her in my left-turn lane (she was going straight) and I looked over. There was this little butterball of a woman hunched up real close to the steering wheel, looking straight ahead and mouthing off at nothing in particular, as if she was fine-tuning her tourette's skills.

    I rolled down my passenger window and looked over at her, hoping I could get her attention, but she just looked straight ahead. Then the light turned green and we both went our separate ways. I just wonder what this woman thought she had to gain by going around me, cutting me off, and only gaining one car length?! :confuse: Oh, and let me add that it had just stopped raining and the roads were nice and slick.

    Moral of story? I need to get the New Yorker's horn fixed! :shades:
  • xwesxxwesx Member Posts: 17,756
    Hahhahaha.... Al, quite a read. I have seen/heard/done worse, but not all on the same vehicle and certainly not with a "daily driver!" :P
    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
  • gogogodzillagogogodzilla Member Posts: 707
    Today, I was driving to work...

    ...and amazingly, everyone was driving normally. No tailgaters, no cut-offs, no left-lane-campers.

    It was so nice.

    :P
  • nightvznnightvzn Member Posts: 232
    Kudos to you for being able to acknowledge you [almost] made a mistake. As I've mentioned here before (in the context of one of my own blunders behind the wheel), the very reason I don't trust most drivers is that most of them consider themselves "good drivers!" And this usually seems to equate to "infallible" in terms how many people view themselves. Clearly an unrealistic outlook.

    When I was new to the bay area, I came perilously close to blowing through red lights in San Francisco a number of times. Why? Because from everywhere else I've lived, I'm used to traffic signals dangling from cables, front-and-center, over the intersection. In SF, often they're mounted low on posts at the opposite corner, and if you aren't used to looking there, you may well not see them.
  • nightvznnightvzn Member Posts: 232
    ...and amazingly, everyone was driving normally. No tailgaters, no cut-offs, no left-lane-campers.

    And then you woke up ;)
  • rockyleerockylee Member Posts: 14,017
    you: Use government controlled roads, abide by government policies, or work to change them. It's the exact schtick I've been thrown when complaining about arbitrary and worthless speed limits. Write your congressman.

    Still no defense on why anyone wouldn't buckle up. Crazy.


    I have to agree with you pal. South of me about 5-6 hours the speed limit was raised to 80 mph. IMHO, we should have a autobahn and send all kids to a drivers training course so they can handle the task of high-speed driving. ;)

    Rocky
  • fintailfintail Member Posts: 58,596
    80 is a nice number for a reasonably skilled driver. The other day I drove for a few hours on some rural highways with very low traffic volumes (I could go for over an hour without seeing a car in front or behind me, and very little oncoming traffic). Limit was 60, I went 75-80 on nice wide smooth roads. Pleasant drive.

    It's not just kids who should be trained, but everyone. I shudder to think how the SUV-loving boomers will be in another 10-20 years when they start to buy motorhomes en masse.
  • rockyleerockylee Member Posts: 14,017
    Todays cars could handle 80 MPH, quite easily. I agree with you 100% that everyone should be required to go to advanced drivers training. I'd be willing to do it for a speed limit raise on wide-open highways. Some Panhandle highways could be widen a lil' further with a "no-limit" speed limit. I however wouldn't want to see some Soccer mom, in her minivan doing a buck-twenty, because the design of the vehicle can't be safely driven at that speed. ;) So yeah it would have to be limited to vehicle capability's. I guarntee you would be able to find a Mercedes AMG if such a thing happened. :P

    Rocky
  • fintailfintail Member Posts: 58,596
    I'd be willing to go through an advanced training too. I don't see myself as having any special driving talent, save for maybe a little more alertness due to where I usually drive. Autobahn style stuff will never be seen in NA...too many unfit vehicles, selfish lane discipline, and paranoids.
  • euphoniumeuphonium Member Posts: 3,425
    It's not just kids who should be trained, but everyone

    We'll all go to advanced driving school when you graduate from U of W Medical School. ;)

    Seriously, there is no warrant for driving over 60 considering the price and availability of fuel. Rather than attending 80 mph advanced driving school, let us just use that time to start our trips earlier and do 60 which is wiser all things considered. :)
  • rockyleerockylee Member Posts: 14,017
    60 mph :surprise: Are you absolutely crazy !!!!!! :confuse: It's bad enough the speed limits are only 70 mph now !!!! :mad:

    Rocky
  • andre1969andre1969 Member Posts: 26,093
    when 80 mph is appropriate. Certainly not on twisty roads, residential areas, anything with at-grade intersections, or heavy traffic. But, especially out in the Midwest and beyond, there are plenty of areas where you have long stretches of desolate highway and could practically see a caterpillar crossing the road at 1000 paces!

    The biggest problem with 80 mph roads is discipline. Without any kind of training and enforcement, you'd still have little old ladies and other assorted road hogs who want to do 55 in the left lane, forcing faster traffic into the right lanes, and causing problems where traffic is merging and exiting. And as the variance in speeds increases, those problems escalate from being mere nuisances to becoming life threatening.
  • rockyleerockylee Member Posts: 14,017
    Well that is why we need to allow cars to talk to each other to avoid collisions. As you've seen the technology is real ;)

    Rocky
  • grbeckgrbeck Member Posts: 2,358
    There is plenty of fuel available. It may be available at higher prices because of concerns about supplies, but that is the way the free market works.

    And I haven't heard one credible report of any area in this country actually running out of gas or even heating oil.

    Even gasoline and home heating oil prices have been declining lately.

    There is no guarantee that we will always pay $1 a gallon for regular unleaded, nor should there be. Nor, for that matter, is there any guarantee that limiting speeds to 60 mph will ensure a decline in prices. Quite frankly, I get tired of the suggestions that we should do this or that, all to guarantee that someone else doesn't have to pay more for gas. Gas prices are volatile. People need to deal with it, and adjust in their own way.

    The average speed on most interstates is 70-75 mph...and that suits most people just fine. And 80 mph is really no big deal in the rural areas. It's 2006, not 1946....
  • fintailfintail Member Posts: 58,596
    If economy is your desire, we should all go 40 with specially designed ODs that go into 5th at 35. 60 can't be defended either, with that logic.

    But, we don't all drive isolationist floaty TCs. I can still get over 20mpg at 75-80 in my 300+ hp car...

    I'd go for special training for motorhome/5th wheel drivers before I went so far as higher speed training anyway. As the population expands, less and less of us will live in areas where we can go at any decent speedanyway. Highway driving skill will dumb down another notch...which matches many other trends in society.
  • imidazol97imidazol97 Member Posts: 27,714
    > 40 with specially designed ODs that go into 5th at 35.

    Actually I think about 52-53 is the optimum speed for my 3800s to give best gas mileage. It's just above lockup at 47-50 into 4th gear.

    2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,

  • xwesxxwesx Member Posts: 17,756
    which matches many other trends in society.

    It is really so sad that is true.... :(

    On a more pleasant note... Nightvzn, I made it to work fine this morning and registered that all lights were green prior to entering the intersections. :blush:
    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
  • fintailfintail Member Posts: 58,596
    I wonder how the ratios could be adapted to give best economy at 40. Then we'd have economy and safety. What speed limits are supposedly about...
  • nightvznnightvzn Member Posts: 232
    On a more pleasant note... Nightvzn, I made it to work fine this morning and registered that all lights were green prior to entering the intersections.

    Sweet, I didn't get anybody killed today either :)

    (But I still have to drive home later...!)
  • redmaxxredmaxx Member Posts: 627
    when 80 mph is appropriate. Certainly not on twisty roads, residential areas, anything with at-grade intersections, or heavy traffic. But, especially out in the Midwest and beyond, there are plenty of areas where you have long stretches of desolate highway and could practically see a caterpillar crossing the road at 1000 paces!

    Even at grade intersections might not be a problem. There is a rural highway here, 2 lanes in each direction with a wide median, that has a 10 mile stretch that was just upgraded to rubberized asphalt. Very quiet, very smooth. Almost no cars were on it during "rush hour". It has 3 or 4 at grade intersections, but I had no trouble with it at 85 because there is little vegetation near the road, so I could check for intersecting traffic. I only had a problem when I came up to two cars side by side going 70 MPH. :mad: Ruined the nice drive.
  • redmaxxredmaxx Member Posts: 627
    Seriously, there is no warrant for driving over 60 considering the price and availability of fuel. Rather than attending 80 mph advanced driving school, let us just use that time to start our trips earlier and do 60 which is wiser all things considered.

    Seriously, there is no warrant for doing at or under 60 MPH when you are outside the city. I drive about 15-20 miles of highway with almost no connecting roads. Why should we be stuck with a draconian SL like that? Come to think of it, it would actually exacerbate the limited capacity of this highway. The commute is worst when there is some yahoo in the left lane going 60 and there are two miles of cars bumper to bumper that can't go anywhere.
  • imidazol97imidazol97 Member Posts: 27,714
    There are different roads being discussed here but there is one generality. Someone who has to go 75 in the left lanes to get somewhere often is sitting on the ramp and I exit when I was going 65 or less and they passed me. They save little in the way of time because of the way many drive. They have a lack of skill.

    Someone who drives at the speed limit or slower and uses lane brains to keep moving at their chosen speed often keeps up with those who are bound and determined to bully their way through heavier traffic.

    I'll be going to Cinci on Friday of next week and I will probably drive 55 in the right hand lanes and watch the people zoom past halfway between the cities. I'll see some of the same people in the traffic backup at select locations going into Cinci. They will have made no distance on me during those 10-15 miles because they keep getting trapped behind others dominators of their own like-minded thinking.

    "Get out of my way. It's my lane and I'll go as fast as I please.

    They'll arrive at their work or destination frazzled and I'll arrive fresh with my insulated coffee cup filled with decaf and capuccino. I'll have gotten 33 or more miles per hour in my full size car; they'll have gotten 22 and burned up lots of brake lining.

    2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,

  • snakeweaselsnakeweasel Member Posts: 19,592
    Someone who has to go 75 in the left lanes to get somewhere often is sitting on the ramp and I exit when I was going 65 or less and they passed me. They save little in the way of time because of the way many drive. They have a lack of skill.

    The flip side of that is the guy in front of you going slower than you who makes the light at the end of the exit ramp but you get caught because the light changes as that guy in front of you goes through.

    As with most swords this one has two edges.

    2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D

  • imidazol97imidazol97 Member Posts: 27,714
    I've had that happen. That dawdling is different than someone driving at the speed limit in the left lane on a 3 or more lane xpressway.

    2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,

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