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The driver leaves his or her turn signal on, and seems to think that by virtue of it being on the red sea will part and he can just mosey on in. Since there was no pressing need for this car to get into my lane (I will go out of my way to get out of people's way when the road splits ahead, etc.), since there was plenty of room behind me, and since I could just tell in my bones what sort of driver this was, I just continued behind the car in front of me, not letting this new car in. The car continued towards me for a bit and then realized their Biblical powers were a bit rusty, so it jerks away from me and proceeds to settle in behind me.
As I watch in my mirror, it gets farther and farther away from me, going no faster than the traffic that had been way ahead of it in the right lane. Soon it had cars piling up behind it, with the normal maneuvering and mayhem. Just another blind and inept LLC.
Something I noticed was that big luxury cars - especially Mercedes Benzes - have a thing for sloooowly edging into my lane, and won't notice me until I make some sort of noise. I guess it could be coincidence but it happened again this morning... I was moving slightly faster than a MB on a two lane city street, and got a bad feeling that he would change lanes. But he was going straight so I kept going. When I was even with him, I checked, and he was still going straight. There wasn't any reason for anyone to change lanes in that part of the road, so I calmed down. Two seconds later I'm half a car ahead of him, and I turn around and see his nose headed towards my rear quarter!
I downshifted and then he heard me, and jerked back into his own lane. Fourth or fifth time in recent memory.
I like coming from VA to MD where 2 lanes have to merge into one. There are quite a few LLC coming up to the merge point. They are doing the speed limit or less as they get near the bridge. I like to pace right along side of a LLC while I am in the slow lane. (It's the left lane that disappears and those in the left lane have to merge right to get on the bridge). If he tries to get ahead of me I accelerate.( I have a V-8 that moves out more than most vehicles) If he slows down, so do I.
I think of a poster here when I do it.
Unfortunately, most people like this are too dense (the LLC's here, NOT Pat!) to realize that they're being given a taste of their own medicine, so they never see the light, and never come to realize the annnoyance they're inflicting upon others. To most of them, it's their world, and the rest of us have to figure out how to fit in.
Now not all LLC's are jerks...I honestly think some of them just don't know any better. "Slower traffic keep right" is not something they teach in Driver's Ed anymore. At least, they didn't when I took it back in 1986. It's not in the driver's test either. In fact, in Maryland, all you need to do to get a driver's license is stop completely at a stop sign, do a 3-point turn, and parallel park in a 6x25 foot spot. No wonder there are so many idiots out there!
It's funny - I observe more inconsiderate drivers during the evening commute than the morning commute. Or is it I'm not quite awake yet?
Last night (Sunday) was a mess going north towards the Nice Bridge. Due to the heavy I-95 traffic a good amount of travelers were getting on 301 at the Carmel Church exit and heading north on 301 to bypass the heavy I-95 traffic. Result was a 12 - 14 mile backup from the Bridge back into Virginia. This is due to the merging of 2 lanes northbound into 1 (the bridge is only 2 lanes (one north, one south). Our development is only 3 miles south of the bridge and my daughter works at the Burger King just further south. She said they were busy the whole afternoon & evening due to the heavy traffic.
I think some of the LLC's happen (at least in the AM hours) from them avioding the good amount of traffic trying to enter NSWC (Navy base) and to aviod the trucks exiting the scales just before the bridge. They figure why get over when the lanes merge anyway or they just don't care.
Kinley,
Baltimore, Maryland is pronounced "Balmer, Merlin" by those in Baltimore. One other thing, they pronounce "picture" ,as "picsture".
So, I can't picsture a confessional with my name on it in Balmer , Merlin.
http://www.sltrib.com/2003/aug/08152003/utah/84086.asp
I like the term Grand Marshal in lieu of Left Lane Camper, since it seems to be more of a general purpose perjorative for the self righteous twits who insist on driving at exactly the speed limit regardless of the road conditions or prevailing speed in order to reinforce their sense of moral superiority. <whew>
-Jason
I drive fast enough that I'll only have pissed off a few driver, but I had no idea I was supposed to get out of faster cars' way until I read it here this summer.
I have had many confrontations on the road.
I was on a motorcycle and a driver deliberately cut me off. I got up right by his window and flipped him off about 4" from his face. He got out of the car coming up to me, holding a lit cigarette. I squashed it out with my leather gauntlet and head butted him with my helmet. He went down like a sack of potatoes.
I once started to pass a car on a two lane road. The guy sped up. He went from 40 to 70 . I had to go about 100 to pass him. I nailed the brakes in front of him and stopped. I was on him so fast he didn't have time to think. I reached in, turned off his car and took the keys. I acted like I threw them in a field. I palmed them and put them in my pocket, got back in my car and left. I threw the keys in my trash can.
At the U of MD where I went to college, they used to sell more parking stickers than were spaces. It was fraud, pure and simple. Some of us, with later classes, had to park on the grass not on the asphalt. We got tickets. I drove over to the campus police station , walked in and asked what dumb (obscenity) had the (obscenity) nerve to give me a ticket ? A really fat cop came out to the counter and said "What's the problem ?" I said. " I now have two problems. How did a fat (obscenity) like you get to be a cop ? Don't you have any physical criteria to be a cop ? "
I said "What I really came in about was some one of you (obscenity) cops gave me this ticket. I showed him the ticket. He said he gave it to me. I tore it up and threw it at him. I told him if he didn't like it, he could follow me outside where I'd beat the (obscenity ) out of him. I waited , but he didn't come out.
They never gave me another ticket either, although others got them.
Huh?
Just stay safe buddy!
The other guy deliberately tried to intimidate me from passing him. Another bad mistake.
The University committed fraud, selling items (parking spaces) that didn't exist). A friend of President Johnson, Billie Sol Estes went to prison for selling more fertilizer tanks than he had.
The University was trying to extract additional revenue with parking tickets, after they defrauded me. Not a chance. Bad mistake by the fat cop.
I really , truly hope you encounter someone like me one day. You may have a little trouble getting off at your exit from the left lane, blocked by someone who can out accelerate and out stop you.
BTW the fastest I ever went was on a motorcycle, 145 MPH. You have to know how to duck in real close on that chair and lean it a little to steer.
But, that makes for a boring later life.
Me, I have been beaten by the system so many times, that I now love Big Brother. However, a tiny spark remains that glows just a bit brighter knowing that there are people like pat84 out there.
I was sorely tempted to suddenly swerve into her lane at that moment to freak her out. Fortunately judgement and patience won out, and I let her be.
Arrrgggh! Kinley, do you realize how ANNOYING it is for an extremely ANNOYING person to say it is bad to BE annoyed?
Wouldn't it be convenient if we could all go through life doing whatever the **** we want, and anyone who is "annoyed" by our actions is simply too touchy or too intolerant.
Kind of like kicking someone in the shins, and saying "Peace be with you, my brother." Or living with Jim Carey, Pauly Shore, and Bob Goldthwait for a month, and having THEM say to YOU, "Chill out, man."
You're grinding internet sandpaper in our eyeballs! You seriously don't find your statements to be the LEAST bit hypocritical or at least ironic?
35 years ago I was taught, and I proudly practice, to "keep right except to pass". On the interstates I don't exceed the posted speed limits...well, by up to 5 mph or so. I prefer to just keep the cruise control on and have to make as few lane changing maneuvers as possible.
The problem comes when I need to pass someone in the right lane. I continue at my same pace and make the pass. If someone's coming up in the left lane at a higher speed I'll speed up another 5 mph or so.
But it really gripes my @ss when someone comes up in the left lane, often in a huge honkin' SUV, 20-25 mph or more over the limit and pulls right up to my bumper. It is my interpretation, and perhaps only that, that they are trying to intimidate me.
In such cases I feel I have no need to specially bust my buns getting back over to the right lane. I proceed at the same safe, sane lane change action that I normally do: making certain there are 2-3 car lengths (oh heck, I don't know how far it is, not too little but not too much, more for trucks) between me and the passee, turning on my right signal, pausing, then moving over. Oh, and of course actually turning my head to look to behind me.
I guess I don't give a cr@p that they may suffer the inconvenience of having to pause their cruise control and actually pay attention to driving for a few seconds. I mean, for crying out loud, they saw me way ahead of them, courteously signaling my lane change, and it's obvious that this is to pass someone slower and that I'll return to the safe haven of my right lane. So why do they have to roll right over me almost unless it is to intimidate me?
well, obviously this is a control issue. controlling and being controlled. phew.
I remember an article in Road & Track 30 years ago regarding drivers 'hogging' the left lane. Their point was that all drivers should "keep right except to pass", and at that time some states had signs to that effect, not the less effective version "slower drivers keep right". I have practiced that golden rule ever since.
And those rolling juggernauts that almost run over me, I see them continuing running down in the left lane, no traffic in sight. I'd like to come up behind THEM in a big honkin' Kenworth tractor cab, 30 mph faster than them and make them quake.
Fred
Then if you like, do what they were doing before they didn't let you in
I was on a two lane, each way, CA, N/S interstate a while back, with a jacked up Toyota pick up truck or Forerunner in the #1 lane. Since I do follow the "keep right except to pass" law, I got behind the jacked-up Toyota. The driver proceeded to comb and brush her hair, run her fingers through her long hair, drink her beverage, adjust the sound system, and even I dare say, look down at something in her front seat. I was surprised that she didn't whip out her cell phone for added measure. As soon as the situation presented itself, I proceeded to do the "pass on the right procedure" and move back to #1 or passing lane to complete the pass. Geez, all of a sudden, driving for her became important or perhaps the alzehimers episode passed or her medication kicked in, WHO KNOWS! Her car started to accelerate to 100 miles an hr to try to tail gate me.
Ive seen the same thing tons of times... big boat SUV doing 66 moves left to pass big boat minivan with soccermom on cell phone doing 65mph. Big Boat SUV of course has cruise control on and he's not turning it off for anybody or any reason. If a line of 25 cars forms behind him waiting for him to perform his 15 minute pass, the heck with them, he's not interrupting his serense cruise control driving experience to let them by.
And then of course right when Big Boat SUV has completed approximately 40% of his pass they hit a downslope. Usually Soccermom in Big Boat Minivan will be so engrossed in her cell phone conversation that she won't notice she's headed down hill and adjust her use of the accelarator accordingly. So she'll pick up speed to maybe 70-71 mph and set Big Boat SUV back in his passing effort by about anouther 5-10 minutes because his cruise is keeping him right at 66 while she picks up speed. So whereas before his rear bumper was in line with her driver's side door, now she's moving right alongside him again and starting to pass him.
And everybody gets right because they think maybe this painful ordeal is about to be over and maybe Soccermom's Big Boat Minivan will move forward enough to allow them to pass Big Boat SUV on the right. But then the road slopes upward again, and you guessed it, Soccermom's Big Boat Minivan goes back down to 64-65 as she continues to discuss the advantages and disadvantages of shopping at outlet stores with her girlfriend on the cell phone while the kids scream in the back seat.
Ive seen things like this go on literally for 15-20 minutes or more, and it usually takes somebody getting right up on Big Boat SUV's rear bumper to make him realize maybe he's in the wrong lane. At which point, of course, rather than speeding up 10 mph so he can complete his pass without causing anybody to slow down unnecessarily again, he brakes, cuts his speed by 10mph or more to let Big Boat Minivan pass, then gets right just as the guy behind him who'd been waiting patiently for him to move over for 25 miles finally decided to try and pass him on the right.
First I hear HONK HONK HONK! from behind me. I figure that's the end of it and he's over it already, but then "HonK, curse, HONK, curse curse." And I figure no way he's getting an apology if he wants to curse at me. So I did what I normally do when I really want to drive someone insane without overtly escalating towards a confrontation. I gave a friendly wave(all five fingers) and a cheerful toot of my own horn, and played that innocent "someone I know who I cant see must be trying to get my attention back there" act.
Next thing I know Mr. Road rage at the next light screeches to a halt on my right, throws me the finger, gives me the dirty look, some more honks, some cursing, the usual. To which I only reply with another friendly honk, smile, and a cheerful wave. That may be the first time I think I ever saw steam rise from someone's head.
Anybody else ever noticed how you can sometimes get an even stronger reaction from a road rager by playing the innocent "Oh, hello to you too my friend!" act than by engaging in the same vulgar behavior and speech?
Funniest thing is Im a uniformed law enforcement officer and I had the full deal on at the time... collapsible baton, firearm, mace, etc...only in my private vehicle. For a brief moment before ethical concerns of using the uniform for intimidaiton got me back down to earth I wondered what his reaction would have been had I gotten out and walked over to cheerfully ask him if there was anything I could help him with.
When you go into the left lane to pass, accelerate if you have to -- even if you have cruise control on. In fact, all you have to do is accelerate for a bit, you don't even have to turn it off or reset it.
Then proceed to pass the car in a timely manner. That doesn't mean you have to act as though you are passing them on a two-lane highway, but get the deed done quickly and resume your previous speed.
You can go faster that your cruise control is set to, and you can't use cruise control as an excuse for poor driving habits.
This ain't rocket science.
To judge when it's safe to pull over after passing, when you can see the headlights of the vehicle you just passed in your center rear view mirror, it's safe to pull over.
You have to watch out for those passing on the right, before you pull back in if you are on a multi- lane Interstate.
I learned to drive on two lane roads, when passing a car meant driving on the wrong side of the road. Then you had to watch out if you were passing more than one car, that one didn't pull out to pass one of the cars you were passing. I frequently got up to 100 to pass on the wrong side of the road. I wanted to minimize my exposure time to head on traffic.
"Then there’s the old saw “speed kills.” In fact, federal accident and fatality data shows that it’s the slow-moving driver who is more likely to be the cause of an accident — not the one driving 5-10 mph above the posted limit. Modern highways are designed for safe travel at speeds of approximately 75 mph, yet most states have arbitrarily lowered maximums to 55-65 mph, principally as a means of generating “revenue” via the issuance speeding tickets. Still, the majority of drivers ignore these under-posted limits and the average speed on most highways is 70-75 mph. The handful of drivers who stick to the under-posted limit out of fear of being ticketed (or timidity) create obstacles and interrupt the smooth flow of traffic — which in turn makes it more likely there’ll be an accident as other driver abruptly slow down, speed up, tailgate, and attempt to get around the dawdler. Those who drive 10 mph slower than the flow are fully six times as likely to be in accident than those traveling 5-10-mph faster than the average flow of traffic."
Guess it's not so safe to drive at the speed limit after all...
To me, there are two secrets:
1. Federal traffic studies indicate that fully 80% of traffic fatalities occur at 45 mph and UNDER !!!
2. It is HARD to beat the 55 mph average speed.
I have a GM product, with on board computer, calculating average mph speeds, among other things. I used this product primarily for long distance touring. You will never guess what is the long term statistical, average speed: YUP, ya got it: app 54.6 mph over 53,000 miles.
Other folks on another web site report 43 mph. to a low of 35 mph.
In fact, the highways (divided) are BAR NONE the safest! In fact, dangerous situations are created when you have bunching behavior, which is what tends to occur when a "speed limit" is enforced. Let us not forget the left lane hog who goes against what the law intended: good safe unbunched speed,(you know, keep right except to pass or slower vehicles keep right)and creates defacto bunching.
Rural is of course VERY bad.
kirstie_h
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I overtake a group of cars: 4 in the right lane with moderate spacing between, and an orange and white VW microbus in the left lane. The VW is passing the rear-most of the group at a glacial rate. I wait behind in the left lane. Traffic starts to pile up behind me.
Eventually, the VW clears the first of the cars in the right-hand group. There is plenty of room to pull over to let traffic by, but it continues, apparently intent on passing the entire group. At this rate it could take hundreds of miles.
I give two quick bursts of high-beams... no response. I put on my left blinker an drift two feet to the left, so that the blinker is clearly flashing in the VW's driver's side mirror. A minute later... the VW solders on. I don't think he's gainig on the other cars at all. In fact, he's lost ground and it looks ok to pass on the right... as long as he doesn't speed up to pin me in.
I decide to give it a shot, so I signal a right lane change, move over and pass deliberately (as opposed to "with extreme prejudice"). The VW doesn't appear to have changed speed.
I signal and move left. I pass the second car of the 4-car group in the right lane and as I approach the third vehicle, a newish white Ford pickup, I notice a decal on the driver's door: "Oregon State Police". I check my speed... under 74 (should be ok).
I slide on by, watching in my mirror for a reaction. The OSP pickup signals and pulls into the left lane behind me.
to be continued...
-james
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The trooper comes up to my window and says, "You probably thought I stopped you for passing on the right, but that was ok. No, the reason I stopped you was for following too close." I was surprised at this and said that, while I was a little closer than I would normally follow (because I wanted the VW to "Keep Right Except to Pass"), I didn't think that I was tailgating or driving unsafely.
He proceeded to warn me of the dangers of inciting road rage in others by driving too aggressively, cautioned me to be careful, and wished me a good evening. He went back to his truck and I went on my way.
A few miles down the road, I caught up with the VW bus again. This time he was all alone on the road... still cruising in the left lane. So I plowed into the back of the bus sending it tumbling off the road. It hit a boulder in the median and burst into flames. (Just kidding, I motored on by in the right lane). I would guess that the VW driver was pleased that he had been instrumental in my receiving a ticket. Or maybe he was "brain-dead in the fast lane" and was totally oblivious to the entire incident.
It wasn't until I had replayed the events in my mind that it occurred to me why the cop had stopped me.
Remember, he was many car lengths ahead of me when I was following the VW... there was room for me to safely pass on the right before I overtook the group of cars that he was cruising among. He was judging my following distance in his rear-view mirror, in the dark, while driving(!?).
And I had intentionally NOT driven directly behind the VW. My vehicle was two feet farther to the left, so that my left blinker would be unavoidably visible to the driver of the VW. The cop was watching the relative position of our headlights in his mirrors. He probably couldn't even see mine. He must have thought I was right on the other guy's bumper. Small wonder that he stopped me!
-james