Inconsiderate Drivers (share your stories, etc.)

imidazol97

I heard a study that cellphone use is a major distraction in driving. The study indicated that handsfree was not as distracting. But the study did indicate that answering a call on both was a major time of distraction.

I've had a lot of problems with other drivers using cellphones not being courteous or safe. Ours is built into the car.

Do people here agree that handsfree is much less a problem?

zitch

Here are a couple of stories of inconsiderate and dangerous (and reasons why we need chlorine in the gene pool...) that I've seen a couple days ago.

One morning, I'm driving down the left lane on a divided highway (2 lanes each way) when I see an ambulance with its lights and sirens on crossing the highway, taking a left into the lane I'm in. Of course, the 4 cars in front of me refuse to yield to the ambulance, forcing the it to yield to them. Don't worry, it gets better; I end up being the only person to stop. The two cars behind me are apparently too impatient to let the ambulance and the fool that stopped for it slow them down. They swerve into the right lane and blow by me. I lay on the horn, and the 2nd driver *turns his head around, looks at me and gives me the one finger salute!* In doing so, he drifts into the lane that the ambulance is pulling into, forcing it to brake hard and turn into the grass median to avoid a collision! After the ingrates passed, the ambulance pulled back onto the highway and turned left into a residential area a couple hundred feet down. I don't think that they weren't transporting someone (at least I hope not), cause they weren't going towards any hospitals. Hopefully it was responding to a call.

The second event occurred as I was heading to lunch. I turn out of the parking lot for work and find myself behind a school bus. "Shoot!" (well, ok, I was a little more colorful than that...) Too bad for me. I see the yellow lights blink on the bus, then the red when it stops, and I pull in the required 30 feet behind it. Mind you, this is on a 2 lane (one lane each way) road. Next thing I know, there's a silver blur going by from behind me, flying around the school bus in the left lane. It must have been going around 50 MPH at least. Fortunately, all of the children only had to go one way, so they were in little danger. At least compared to if they were crossing the road...

I guess I shouldn't have honked my horn and "distracted" that second driver, but these rampant disregard for emergency and school vehicles really make my blood boil. More so than any LLCs or LLBs (or LLDs).

akangl

There is NOTHING that gets my blood boiling more than a moron who won't get the heck out of the way for an emergency vehicle.

My husband has come close to a couple major accidents because of people refusing to yeild to the fire trucks.

Just think of it this way, what if those fire trucks are headed to your house to put out a fire.....wouldn't you want them to get there as fast as possible? Well, they can't if the idiots on the road won't get out of the way. Same with an ambulance, what if its going on a run to your mom's house......say she is having a heart attack....she could die if you don't get out of the way. Seconds DO count! Remember, the life you save could be your own or your families.

See lights and sirens........MOVE RIGHT.

zitch

And I guess there's no way that the non-police emergency vehicle can report these morons? The thought of getting and reporting these guys license plate numbers did cross my mind, but 1) I'd have to pull close to 90 MPH to catch up to them (this wasn't on a limited access interstate, so much faster than 70 is pretty dangerous), and 2) I'd have to pass up the ambulance to do this, and I'm not gonna do that. I was to incensed at these guys to think about getting their plate numbers at the time.

david1973

My question is do you only do that with cars smaller than yours? I am going to lose a lot of respect if you don't use your technique on semis.:) Seems like a good way to kill a motorcyclist as the diver you are threatening reacts instinctivly to avoid you and turns into the biker. And don't tell me you can see a biker on the other side of a H2:).
 More seriously why the do you have to slam your breaks to merge behind the other car? For most merges you should have picked up the car early enough to decide if you should go in behind him or in front and picked the right accelleration pattern to make that happen. We are not talking large speed differentials (10 mphs at most) so it is not like you are going to be on the high way at a slow speed.
 Now if you want to talk about the people who accellerate when they see you merging in front of them, now those can be an annoyance.

As far as emergancy vehicles, sometimes it is hard to get over on noninterstates. First you have to find them. If your in a compact surrounded by SUVs that can be hard. And then you have to be carefull since sometimes they switch lanes since other people didn't get over. Happens more with police than fire trucks. What I find truely offensive is the cars that decide to draft behind the emergency vehicle.

sockpuppet1969

What annoys me is when the people behind the emergency vehicle do not allow you to get back into the stream of traffic after you let the emergency vehicle pass. More than once I have found myself stopped on the side of the road waiting for someone to let me back in.

Bottgers - Give it up. You are wrong.

bottgers

Like I've said several times before, read my earlier posts before you start bashing me because you haven't got the entire story. Now, for the last time, I will not use my merging technique unless I KNOW FOR SURE the lane next to the lane I'm merging into is open.

Do I use my merging technique on smaller vehicles? Rarely. There aren't many vehicles on the road smaller than my Toyota Tercel. I also don't use this technique on motorcycle riders. I am also a motorcyclist and I know what it's like dealing with cars while you're riding a MC. No, I don't use my technique on truckers. I might not be the smartest person in the world, but I'm not suicidal either.

And I'm not wrong. People who won't move over to allow people to merge are wrong.

PF_Flyer

Let's move on please. It's apparent nobody is going to "prove" anything to the other side on this one...

Further posts on this specific issue (bottger's merging technique) will simply be deleted.

PF Flyer
Host
Pickups & News & Views Message Boards

blh7068

My experience has taught me that most drivers dont know how to merge- for whatever reason or another. The end result is most do NOT GO FAST ENOUGH to safely merge on the highway.

That said, its always amazed me why those traveling in the right lane choose to stay there when they will likely have to slow some 15 or 20 mph to account for the merging traffic.

The whole merging process as well as keeping traffic in the right lane flowing smoothly would more likely be achieved IF more people would actually make the effort to quickly get to a speed closer to highway traffic. Vehicle manufacturers design the gas pedal to have a significant amount of play in it. I wish more would take advantage of it when the need arises.

However my reality is people will continue to attempt to merge at 40 mph when traffic is moving along at 60 to 65 mph. That's the big problem, imo and is why I avoid the right lane as much has possible. If I am stuck in the right lane, I will do what I can(either speed up or slow down) to give the merging car a space to slide in.

pat84

See lights and sirens........MOVE RIGHT

 I put on my turn signal indicating I am going right (or left ) to show an emergency vehicles what I intend to do to get out of its way.
 I also put on my 4 way flashers, if I am stopped for a school bus, especially in the opposite lane.
  I have seen other drivers who aren't even aware there is an emergency vehicle behind them.
  I have never understood how they can be so oblivious to their surroundings while driving.

akangl

Thank you!! You are an ever shrinking minority.

Although when I was in Anchorage a couple weeks ago I was waiting at a fairly large intersection to turn and go back to the hospital (little one was in), I heard sirens and started looking around. Saw 3 fire trucks coming down the Seward Hwy (basically in front of me but opposite lanes) and then another coming from my right on 36th Ave. I have NEVER seen so many people literally dive out of the way. It was very surprising, one lady put her truck up on the sidewalk, everybody else just stopped to clear the intersection. We all waited until we were sure they were all through. The lady who put her truck up on the sidewalk was let back in without too much fuss.

Really shocked me since in Fairbanks everybody is just oblivious to emergency vehicles. Then I heard on the news that night that Anchorage PD is cracking down on people who don't yield to emergency vehicles, its a $150 fine. 'Bout dern time too.

As for school buses, yup we've had that problem too out here on the highway. Not so much with the new school that my kids are going to but with the old one. The chief of police used to follow that bus in the mornings and hide all blacked out, he'd nail 4-5 people not stopping every morning. Eventually word spread and people stop now.

zitch

"Then I heard on the news that night that Anchorage PD is cracking down on people who don't yield to emergency vehicles, its a $150 fine. 'Bout dern time too"

"The chief of police used to follow that bus in the mornings and hide all blacked out, he'd nail 4-5 people not stopping every morning. Eventually word spread and people stop now.
"

*Clap clap!* Yay! Maybe the cops down here in Cajun land should do something similar instead of just depending on the cash cow that is "speeding". Maybe the streets would actually become safer then!

Personally, I would raise the $150 to at least $450 for those that deliberately fail to yield to emergency vehicles (And possibly suspension of driving priveledges). Like in my case. That ambulance was ahead of us waiting to pull onto the highway with sirens and lights on. How the hell can you miss that, I have no idea. I was the only car in a group of 10 (Had the 4 in front of me, the 2 behind me, and 2 or 3 in the right lane) to even stop for it.

carlisimo

Well, it's true that in the Tercel you really only get one chance to get up to speed. If you can't get in and have to stop... it's twelve seconds to 60.

So sure, it's great when they move over for you but if the freeway's clear enough for them to move over a lane, it really should be clear enough for you to get in behind or in front of someone. I think a slow, flimsy car builds up its driver's timing skills.

hampsterdam

hey, here in Houston I've actually seen people go around into the right lane to PASS a fire truck on its way with lights and siren on.

And that, mind you, was simultaneously in a school zone where lights were flashing for the 20 mph.

Sadly, that is typical for Houston drivers.

stickguy

I seem to recall seeing a news piece not too long ago about school buses getting some sort of camera, so they could nail people not stopping (or maybe it was the drivers taking numbers).

Anyway, was quite effective nailing idiots that can't be bothered to stop. Of course, they would be screaming the loudest and hiring lawyers if someone blew past the bus and hit their kid.

stickguy

Most people are oblivious, but to be fair, it is hard to hear anything in some cars. A lexus with the windows up and the radio on is pretty isolated. They should, of course, actually pay attention to their surroundings, but that might be asking too much.

PF_Flyer

Thnking about how short people's attention spans seem to have become in general, I'm kind of amazed that there aren't more incidents on the road than we see now. I saw one yesterday has to be attributed to simply not paying attention... that, or being behind the wheel when you have no buisness driving. (stricter testing is another topic) Two traffic lights about 1/3 mile apart (metric system??? BAH...LOL) As I approach the first light, which is red with one car sitting in the right lane, I'm slowing down as the light changes, so I pass the car that was sitting at the light. The light ahead is green, but changes as I approach and I stop next to a van that's in the right lane. Suddenly, I hear the crunch and the van jumps forward as the car that was sitting at the previous light runs into the back of the van at not too great a speed. I'd guess something like 10-15 MPH judging by the way things moved and the damage done. The driver of the car doing the hitting looked stunned into disbelief. No cell phone, not racing away from the light, not doing her makeup, alone in the car, no radio on, nothing. Just drove into the back of a van sitting still at a red light. The driver of the van was obviously miffed, asking, "How could you do that??" to which the answer came, "I don't know".

Incredible

PF Flyer
Host
Pickups & News & Views Message Boards

gambit293

I'm embarassed to admit that I caused a similar scenario once back in my college daze: I fell asleep in bumper-to-bumper traffic and rear ended a semi truck. My little Neon had huge, nasty scratches on the hood from the guardbumper on the semi; I proceeded on in a daze. I don't think the semi driver noticed; he probably thought he farted or something.

This does bring up another point. We've ALL had lapses of judgements and moments of inattention that caused a bad scenario. That's another reason to ease up on others whenever you feel that you were wronged on the road. I'm a pretty picky driver now but there was a time when I wasn't and I know plenty of others who aren't. Nobody's perfect. At least not all the time.

carguy58

I observed something. I saw a black 03-04 Honda Accord in the lane opposite of my lane. The road was 2 lanes(on RT. 22 again in Central Nj.) The Accord switches into my lane behind me. I'm like the Accord was just in the left lane and now looks like is on top of me. Well RT 22 goes into 3 lanes so I signal into the 3rd lane and the Accord just rockets past me. I'm like why did they just tuck in behind me from the left lane and then shortly after that pass me? I found that kinda strange.

loncray

I almost got killed 13 years ago by a guy who wasn't paying attention. I was sitting at a stoplight at the bottom of a long, straight hill. I got rearended at 65 - 70 mph - I was lucky there wasn't anyone in front of me or crossing the intersection. This guy missed the red light and the bright red sports car sitting still, all at the bottom of a long hill. Dude shoulda lost his license.

pat84

Several years ago, I was in my brothers car, he was driving. We were stopped at a red light. Suddenly, he floors it and runs the red light. I looked at him like "If you were going to run a red light, why even stop ? "
 Then I heard the brakes squealing as a car skids through the intersection side ways behind us. It would have rear ended us if my brother hadn't been paying attention.

dougd7

A few years ago as I was commuting home I was headed southbound in a 6 lane hwy coming into a populated area (Rt 301 into Waldorf, MD) and as I approached the light (which was red) I watched in total amazement as an old S-10 pickup simply slamned into a small Saturn that was sitting at the intersection waiting for the light to turn. Both were in the northbound lanes. The S-10 driver never noticed he was at a complete stop. From what I could tell he never touched the brakes (no obvious nose dive usually evident in moderate or heavy braking). Was probably doing about 35 - 40 mph at impact. The impact sent the Saturn flying through the intersection.

It definitely pays to keep an eye in the rearview mirror even when stopped.

seminole_kev

When I was in high school. I was driving to the dentist and was stopped in a line of traffic. Looked up in the rear view mirror and there was a huge 70's barge coming up way to fast. I could tell there was no way he was going to shut it down in time. Luckly there was a drive off to the right that I could pull into. He came screeching into the spot where I was. I was driving a clapped out 1984 (not quite sure on the year) Ford EXP at the time. Rolling crapbox. If he had hit me I'd been pretty well demolished. I was lucky to have missed out on that one.

fintail

That bottom of a long straight hill story hits a nerve with me. Back around 1996 or so I think it was, I was also at a light at the bottom of a long straight hill in the fintail, and an old Volare was coming up beind me. The driver was apparently not paying attention...they then noticed I was there, and locked it up trying to stop. I could hear the squealing tires and see the smoke...I was prepared to be hit (car in front of me, couldn't move). Strangley enough, it must have had good brakes, as it stopped with plenty of room.

Today some little simp in an old Tercel pulled blindly out in front of me as I was going about 40mph. I had to slam on my brakes to not hit him (and honk my horn and tell the little dork he was #1, to boot). I wonder what would happen if a big old tank moving at speed hit a little tin can like that.

sockpuppet1969

That is why it is so important to keep your wheels straight when waiting to make a left turn. This way if someone hits you from behind you don't get pushed into oncoming traffic.

I was in stop and go traffic a few years ago in my little '89 MR2. I heard the sound of tires locking up behind me and the screeching sound was getting louder. The person in the car with me was in her third trimester of pregnancy. We felt a pretty good pop when the pick-up truck struck the back of the car. Luckily no one was hurt (including the baby). I walked around fully expecting the back of my car to be destroyed but to my surprise there wasn't even a scratch. Man I loved that car!

PF_Flyer

In my humble opinion, I can't think of too many road/traffic combos during daylight hours where 100 mph+ would be appropriate on Pennsylvania roads. Then there was this story in my morning paper:

Troopers document Rendell speeding

The Associated Press

HARRISBURG - Gov. Ed Rendell's state police-chauffeured car has been clocked at speeds of more than 100 mph nine times since November, the Philadelphia Daily News reported Monday, citing anonymous sources.

http://www.centredaily.com/mld/centredaily/8310755.htm

You can read the rest if you'd like, but just the speed differential with surrounding traffic alone is enough to qualify as "inconsiderate"...

Mazda Mania



Liven up your evening and join your fellow enthusiasts every Tuesday from 6-7pm PT/9-10pm ET for our Mazda Mania Chat!

We have another set of Mazda-related trivia questions this week, so be prepared! Hope to see YOU there on Tuesday!

Mazda Mania Chat Room

PF Flyer
Host
Pickups & News & Views Message Boards

gee35coupe

Aren't they "highway gods". I mean I've seen several of Georgia's Finest making a joke of the speed limit with no lights or anything. They are "specially trained" for that type of driving.

Yeah right.

eharri3

For the love of god, explain to me what it is that attracts one car to another car's blind spot and makes them hover there for long periods of time, so I can make sure to stop doing it? I see it all the time, for some strange reason people tend to love to do it most to tractor trailers, the most dangerous vehicles on the road to play with. One vehicle will be passing another, get to that dead spot where they're invisible to all the mirrors on the other vehicle, and then just hover there like it's a game to see if they can trick the person into almost causing an accident when they make a lane change.

This happened to me again the other night. But the really funny part isn't just that the person insisted on hovering in my blind spot. I actually kicked it up 15-20 mph and left them a good quarter mile behind then settled back down to the same speed I had been cruising at, just so I could get them away from my blind spot. Only after about 2 minutes I look over and see, of course, that the person had accelarated to catch up to me just so they could settle back down to cruising speed in my blind spot again. This on a nearly empty road where there was absolutely no reason for him to be there. Is the herd mentality really that ingrained in American drivers? Does anybody have any explanation for this kind of behavior, is it just another one of those dumb things people do on the highways subconsciously?

stickguy

I think people do it because they need someone to guide them. That is, they use you like a big tall lane marker. Or maybe they are really lonely and want company?

One thing related to this is, if your mirrors are adjusted correctly, there really shouldn't be a blind spot (assuming you will peak to the left before you change lanes). I bet 95%+ of drivers don't have the mirrors set correctly, and of course half of them don't bother to use them anyway.

sphinx99

Ok, so I was going only about 5mph over the limit in the left lane, since that's the only lane that isn't destroyed. Car coming up behind me so I do the courteous thing and switch lanes to the bumpy right to let the guy pass. He approaches. He slips into my blind spot. He stays here.

This irked me.... we're the only two cars on the road, it must be midnight, and I'd really rather not be in the right lanes before I crack a rim. So I figure "I'll just slow down and get behind him" so I slow down 1 mph. So does he. 2mph. So does he. Now I'm going at the speed limit and so is he.

I had to drop to 5mph below before he actually passed.

I figure that if you're driving a decent car and a Speed Racer sees you and assumes you have a radar detector, you'll be victim to this behavior. I don't know how else to explain it. It was very irritating.

imidazol97

I always wanted to make a setup to dispose of used motor oil but spraying a fine mist out the left or right side of the car near the bumper.
Someone refused to move out of your draft or your blind spots so that you're their bear protection, just push a button under the dash to turn on a small pump to supply a mist in that wind behind your car. If they turn on their windshield wipers, it smears the windshield. Instant lesson.

I do not recommend this behavior. Do not attempt this at home.

tazereli

either from here in town hall or a buddy of mine who set up their rear window washer to aim straight back from the car to deter tail-gaters. Some are as scary as gators with thier behavior. It sounds like a decent idea and your be doing the tail-gator a favor by cleaning his windshield. A liitle bit safer than imidazol97's oil idea but could bew jsut as effective.

Kyle

grbeck

They don't call him "Fast Eddie" in Philadelphia and Harrisburg for nothing.

Maybe he had a hankering for a Philly Cheesesteak at Pat's or Geno's, and told the driver to step on it. Those chili dogs from the Spot at 2nd and Walnut in downtown Harrisburg just aren't a good substitute. Long before he was known as the speed demon of the Keystone State, our governor was renowned for his prodigious appetite.

mirth

I see this all the time. I think the mentality is this: people speed up when there are cars going faster than them or they see an open road, and they slow down when there are slower cars near them and/or they are passing a slower car. So what happens is that the idiot speeds up because the road is open and you're going faster, but when they get near you (blind spot position), they slow down and are unwilling to pass you.

This phenomenon also causes the following scenario: You're passing cars in the left lane and you come behind someone in the left lane who's taking forever to pass a car in the right lane. Finally they pass the car, and then pull over, speeding up 5-10 MPH as they do so, requiring you to speed up 10-15 MPH to pass them. I used to get behind them instead of speeding up that much, but inevitably they slow back down when they realize you aren't going to try and pass them. So I tough it out at a higher speed than I want to cruise at so I can leave these idiots behind - they enventually slow down once you're well ahead of them. Annoying.

fintail

That blind spot thing happened to me today. A couple of elderly women in an equally elderly Volvo were going down a suburban 40mph road, and I pulled out from a side street and they ended up beside me. I got a little ahead of them, then they snuggled into my blind spot and stayed there for awhile. I was going to change lanes, and I remembered I didn't see the Volvo turn. There it was, right on my rear corner. Very annoying.

nine51

"For the love of god, explain to me what it is that attracts one car to another car's blind spot and makes them hover there for long periods of time"

It's probably the same magnetic force that sucks those LLC's into the left lane and holds them there against all effort to extract them. Some of them also like to come up from behind in the same lane, then park 3 ft behind your bumper, and pace you at whatever speed you are going. These morons are usually driving trucks or SUV's at night with their lights shining in your back window, or they have some clapped out piece of junk that most likely doesn't have brakes, just waiting for an opportunity to rear end your car if you slow down.

They are relatives of the brain surgeons who drive 5 mph below the speed limit on a 2 lane road until they get to a 4 lane section or passing lane. Then, they're off to the races and you have to go 20 over to pass them. Then, as soon as the passing lane is over, they slow down to 5 under again. ???

ranald

I do think there's something to cars "clumping" on the roads because people don't like being all alone.

When I'm driving off hours, I very often see situations where I can see a total of 2 other cars and one of them is 3 feet behind the other one, usually in the same lane. There's no other way to explain it.

ranald

When there's traffic sometimes clumps are built and held together intentionally, by one of more people "playing defense". Take a LLC and some random other traffic, and all it takes is one "I'll show those crazy speeders" vigilante hole-plugger to *really* screw up traffic.

I saw one today.

I-80 West between Wayne and Parsippany, 3 lanes each way. There is a line of 7-8 cars in the left lane, formed up to pass the only other traffic in the area which is a single car in the middle lane and a single additional car in the right lane, about 2-3 carlengths ahead of the guy in the middle lane.

The car in the middle lane was about even with the middle of the left lane pack, about 4 left lane cars in front of and behind him. None of the people in the left who had managed to pass moved over, of course.

I was next to last in the pack. The guy in front of me, in a white coupe, decided to slip through the mess instead of the usual "tailgate and wait". He moved into the middle lane behind the one middle lane guy, and then into the right to pass that guy on the right. Then he started to move back into the middle lane in the gap between the middle and right lane cars. Just as a minivan from the front of the pack abruptly moved right, blocking him.

He sped up, getting close to and "pushing" the guy in the right lane to get enough of an opening to move into the middle lane and the fellow actually sped up. But so did the "blocker", just enough to keep that white coupe pinned. At this point there was a gap in the middle lane between the blocker and the original guy who was there, so passer slowed down to try to slip in behind the blocker. Who slowed down to match. Unbelievable.

When the blocker slowed down to screw the white coupe (again!) I was able to pass and move into the middle lane and pass the rest of the left lane pack (all still tightly stacked in the left lane, of course). I got a good look at the minivan driver going by- late 30's woman in business clothes, looking perfectly calm.

I wonder if she realized that, in her effort to keep the guy in the white coupe from committing the terrible sin of a 2-lane pass on the right, she endangered him, herself and everyone else nearby. She also had the side-effect of causing an overall slowdown in traffic for everyone, herself included. One wonders how happy she would have been if the guy in the white coupe hadn't noticed her sudden, last-second lane change and had changed lanes into her. Odds are she would have felt a disgusting (to us) but blissful (to her) combination of self-righteousness and aggrieved victimhood.

fintail

And some people wonder how road rage erupts

Woman in the minivan deserved to have someone change lanes into her, ram her off the road, and then drive off.

PF_Flyer

But let's not this story let us go into yet another round of the LLC thing in-depth. No doubt some other form of ID (inconsiderate driver) will do something today that we can talk about...LOL



Join the Subaru Crew every Thursday evening for a chat session from 6-7pm PT/9-10pm ET. Stop in to talk about Subaru or just to say hello!... Hope to see you there!!

Subaru Crew Chat Room

PF Flyer
Host
Pickups & News & Views Message Boards

highender

Look at them when you can, and you frequently see a blank look, dazed eyes, or just plain unawares face.......a little like lemmings, they latch onto you and follow your speed and all...

very annoying.... :-(

then again, I see it in car racing and bicycle racing...its called "drafting" and may help decreaase wind resistance and thus increase your mpg.....maybe I will try to do that next time ....... :-) just kidding...

ruking1

While there seems to be a common complaint about blind spot drivers, do folks know how to adjust their mirrors so the blind spot drivers can be picked up in the three mirror system?

eharri3

I have full visibility with my mirrors properly adjusted and my little fish eye mirrors. Beside the point.

A) Most people DON'T have full visibility because their mirrors aren't adjusted as they should be. Which is why you drive to account for the lowest common denominator, NOT the highest. Regardless of whether anyone on here doesnt know how to adjust their mirrors properly, everyone else on the road should drive in a way that assumes we do not.

Even though I have full visibility, it's still irritating when cars squat down in that one spot that is most difficult for me to check. Not just because they're hard to see, but also because if they're there when I'm cruising it also means they'll be there blocking me in when I'm ready to make a lane change, and they probably will be too oblivious to wake up and either slow down or speed up so I can get over.

imidazol97

When the cars get up to even with the rear of your car the pressure wave from the front makes it easier for their car to stay at that speed? Like drafting on a race track?

If they start to push through the pressure wave from the front, their car has to work a little harder to move foreward; it's easier just to stay in that wave next to and behind your rear bumper???

ruking1

"A) Most people DON'T have full visibility because their mirrors aren't adjusted as they should be. Which is why you drive to account for the lowest common denominator, NOT the highest. Regardless of whether anyone on here doesnt know how to adjust their mirrors properly, everyone else on the road should drive in a way that assumes we do not."

But of course, therein lies the problem!! But you knew that.

highender

agree that we should all adjust the mirrors...

problem is some people out there have no clue, and think half the mirror should be occupied by your own car's reflection....

ruking1

Yeah, I am a bit at a loss of how to explain it. For it is obviously visual, and depending what one is used to seeing the change might be a bit disconcerting.

pat84

I have my mirrors adjusted so I can track a vehicle in my rear view mirror to one of my side mirrors in turn. as it passes me. I always drive as if the other guy is a hyena with no redeeming social values. ;-)

ruking1

Yup, that is the goal of the mirror adjustment!

Yes we need an environmental movement to "Save the Hyena's!

mirth

I think people don't adjust their side mirrors enough because if their car doesn't show in the mirror than they lose all sense of positioning and don't know what part of the road they're looking at. It's just a matter of getting used to it, but people just don't realize or care.