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On 287 South near Morristown, area where the road is 4 lanes each way and people tend to cruise at 80-90 (limit is 65). The road was pretty open until I came up to a funny-looking clump. There was a white Crown Vic cruising in the left lane at the speed limit. Noone would pass it, so a 4-lane wide clump was building.
Except there was something a little funny about the Crown Vic. It had big chrome wheels and a Landau roof. Yes, one of the horrible late-70's style vinyl faux-hardtops, that are now so disturbingly popular on the new Chrysler Mobster, errr I mean 300. I know police are often fashion-challenged (men just shouldn't wear snug-fitting polyester) but come on!
When I finally squeezed through, passed that very sexy Crown Vic, accelerated away and wasn't struck down by lightning or anything all of a sudden there were 3 lanes of traffic flowing around it to the right.
People are funny. Don't they know what unmarked units look like? (Bling-bling wheels? Landau ROOF?) Don't they know cops don't drive the speed limit with 1/4 mile of open road in front of them? Don't they know that, even if it were a cop, driving in line abreast 4 lanes wide with a cruiser is unsafe and *screams* out "I have a guilty conscience, run my plate"?
I remember noticing a lot of "3s" on the front license plates of pickup trucks who would tailgate after running up fast then dart out and zoom around on interstates in Tennesse years ago. Then it spread.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
Harry
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
The worst vehicle by far that Ive noticed is nearly always being driven badly, is the conversion van with the curtains in the windows and the ladder on the back. They are not fast but they do everything else wrong. And it seems like if the van is old and decrepit, the driving is that much worse. I dont know what it is about these things but if one is on the road with me its guaranteed that it will hog the left lane, drive 15 under the limit, cut me off, pull out in front of me, or nearly run me down in parking lot.
Years ago, one of my friends' Mom had a 1986 Caprice sedan with the Chrysler-esque padded landau roof in back. I think it was called a Caprice Classic Brougham LS or something like that. Anyway, it was white. Coming up in the fast lane, it would clear traffic very quickly. However, from any other angle, the whitewall tires, landau roof, and the wire wheels should have been a tipoff!
Thanks for the memories andre!
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When I was in Bellevue, trying to get on the 520 from the 405, usually it's a pain. In the crown vic, people just got out of my way... It was too funny. Everytime I would approach a pack of cars, I could see people ahead tap the brakes to disengage the cruise control.
Anyway, the thing just screams unmarked police car, in my eye at least. I'll have to ask him though if he's been mistaken for a cop. He does have a bad habit though, when he comes over, of parking parallel to the road, and right next to it. My yard is basically a big field with the faintest markings of what used to be a driveway, with little bits of blue gravel peeking through the grass, so basically people just park whereever.
Well, I have noticed that when he parks like that, to me it looks like a speed trap, but people just fly on past at 40-50 mph (in a 30 mph zone), without a care in the world. So evidently it's not fooling too many people!
On a more serious note, 2 days ago, I was pumping gas, and saw a 01 525, with serious head on damage, on a flatbed, told my wife it looked like the one a very dear family friend drives. Then I noticed the "American" Chebby 4X4 following, looked like her husbands truck. After a few phone calls, we found out that she had just been in an "accident." She was driving @10 over in a 40mph zone,on a straight stretch. She was distracted by a flock of birds landing by the road. Needless to say, that Explorer she rearended, had quite the jolt. No one was injured,thank God.
Just wanted to pass that on.
I also don't like it on a highway when a person is in the right lane and on the shoulder of the highway at the same time. Its like either be on the shoulder of the highway or the right lane of the highway and not both. I had this Corolla in front of me that was doing that the other day.
Also about road rage(respose to post 3189) I usually using hand gestures to appreciate my fustration at people. I never give them the finger though or make direct eye contact with them.
Response to post 3194: I am a young person who drives a Japanese Car but I don't drive like a crazy person. There is no reason for that.
It seems like people in their Audi's are such in a hurry to get somewhere. People in their souped-up Civics are like that with their aftermarket mufflers and Altezza lights. I;m not in a hurry to get anywhere anymore. Usually if I am on a highway I stay away from the crazies at age 24.
Response to post 3196: Yeah people in their vans with the curtains in the back in fact do drive slower than most people in other kinds of vehicles. I always pass those people on the highway.
I describe myself as a mild-mannered driver.
I was wondering what everyone thinks of blocking lane-merge cutters.
About a week ago, in heavy Chicago traffic on 90, the leftmost lane was ending up ahead as evidenced by signs for the last 2 miles or so. With less than 50 yards before the merge completes, about 95% of the cars had moved out of the left lane, and traffic was more or less stop and go.
Of course, there are always a handful of drivers who are determined to remain in the closing lane as far and long as possible, thus cutting off someone at the tip of the merge (and further backing up everyone else who merged earlier).
I got annoyed so I straddled the two lanes, so my car covered my own as well as what was left of the merging lane.
A cutter zoomed up behind me, laid on the horn, and angrily gestured as if to say "Hey! I'm trying to cut here! Do you mind??"
The next cutter simply went onto the shoulder around me. This was all to gain about 10-car-lengths on our present spot.
So is what I did wrong? I see truckers do this sometimes (block cutters), though of course few people complain or honk at the truck.
As far as trucks go - they have a 38 ton advantage. My 2500 lb car ain't gonna hold up against that kind of tonnage. Trucker wins everytime.
Personally I will vacate the left lane at a convenient point before it comes down to stop & go, and then stay there, if for no other reason that it is easier.
Some folks believe that traffic should vacate the closing lane as soon as they see the sign, in the order they were already in, sorta like a yellow flag on a race track. That's fair in their eyes, and who am I to say they are wrong.
Other people believe that clearing an active lane a half mile before the "zipper point", and leaving it empty all that distance is senseless, and makes the backup longer. They say why not fill the available roadway and do the zipper right at the throat. Hard to argue with that point either.
One more group are those who end up trapped out there because everyone else closes up to keep them from "cutting" in. Maybe their idea of "as soon as possible is a little different from other people's, and they end up looking like they want to cut, but in reality they just want to get over. I've had that happen to me, and since stopping a half mile form the merge with a turn signal on begging to be let in is silly, I ended up drifting forward looking for a kind soul. There are few kind sould in that situation!
Clearly anyone who moves into the closing lane and rushes ahead to gain a few carlengths at the throat is more anxious about gaining on others that they should be, because in the end it is almost meaningless. But we can never really know another person's motives, so I just assume they are trapped and let them in. Been there done that.
AND they let all the ramp traffic enter from side roads that further backed up the one lane that was open. The people coming on at the ramps just merged right in. Talk about backing up those who are waiting their turn...
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
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So, since it's pretty much a given that a fair number of cars are going to wait until the last second to merge, there's not much percentage is merging early, unless you just want to avoid making other drivers angry. Me, I usually merge fairly quickly if the backup isn't too bad, but I merge late if the backup is very long (although I don't wait until the last second).
Personally, I think trying to "block" mergers is pretty dangerous and stupid. First, they have room to go around you. Second, you're risking being hit and would probably be declared at fault since you were straddling the lane. Yeah, there's a fairness rush that goes with it that I certainly understand, but I have personally witnessed an accident caused by this maneuver.
The wind was shrieking and he had to almost yell in the drivers ear "What Happened?"
"Nothing." yelled the driver, and looked at him oddly.
Bob shouted "Why'd you stop?"
The driver's answer: "We're in a rest area!"
This particular stretch of road has been 2 lanes in each direction, with a median, for years, with a nice, wide shoulder that had the occasional entry and exit lane here and there. Well, about a year or so ago, they did away with that shoulder completely, making it nothing but a turn lane. When traffic slows down in the regular two lanes, people like to blast up the side in the turn lanes, trying to get ahead of as many people as possible.
When I turned to see what the honking was about, I saw an F-150 that was nosed out about 2 or 3 feet into the turn lane, trying to come out of a parking lot. An Explorer had blasted up that turn lane, got right up on him, and then laid into the horn.
Then to make it more fun, he squeezed around the F-150 and then just stopped, right in the lane. So when the F-150 pulled out, he was stuck there.
I've always hated these long, un-interrupted turn lanes. They seem like a good idea on the surface, but let's face it, the motoring public isn't adult enough to use them properly!
I guess I suscribe to that idea, though not strongly enough to get mad at anyone who disagrees. If traffic only slows down a little bit (still going pretty quick) then I merge early when it's usually easier. But in stop and go traffic I think it's easier for everyone if the only merging happens right at the pinch point, in zipper fashion. Most people have a good sense of how the zipper works, so you avoid the confusion of mergers trying to get in during the mile before the pinch.
I place my car upon both lanes and make sure no one else passes. Your always going to have some idiot that thinks cutting ONE more car forward, will make any different.
What annoys me is these people take the same route to work everyday... And you can tell this because their actions are confident. I can usually tell when it's someone unfamiliar with the area, because they are much slower, careful, use turn signals, brake, stop, brake stop, are unsure of their move... THOSE I'll forgive.
But 90% of the time, it's always some who does this DAILY. And it's not so much about the fact of merging, but some people think merge means, THEY HAVE to let me in. So they rudely cut you off, where I don't give up and have had cars come so close their driver could touch my car if they opened their window.
And there have been at least a dozen or so cases I've ran someone off the road because again, they think MERGE means, "LET ME IN !" when it's really "OH I need to figure out how to nicely get into that lane". So they have ended up slamming their brakes and hitting the curb up ahead, or run into the grass.
Had a semi driver do that to me in Indiana on I70 long ago because I started around him on the right to get ahead of him before a long one lane switchover. I got his truck number, company, called a local trucking company to find out where they're headquartered and called the main office. He didn't like it because I was passing him on the right side...
Hope he's not in truck driving anymore because people have been passing on the right side for decades. Hope he lost him job. His company said it's illegal to pass on the right side in Indiana. The trucking company is long out of business.
All that danger just so I had to follow him at 45 mph for 5 or 6 miles through the construction zone.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
My advice: Please be careful running folks off the road - some are clueless, some have a car load of kids, and some just don't see things the way you do. And there are more than a few who won't take kindly to an attempt to drive them off the road and might take steps to prevent it. It isn't worth getting people killed over.
The only time I'll straddle the lane is if as I'm merging over, the ending lane is about to end very soon, or is already constricting, and traffic is moving very slow to begin with. That keeps people behind from trying to shoot ahead and try to squeeze into a spot where they can't safely go.
One other time that I'll tend to straddle a lane is in heavy traffic, and I'm in a turn lane, and people decide to start using the shoulder to blow everyone off. I'll move over and block part of the shoulder. Those people who are in back just need to wait their turn, and learn that nothing entitles them to move to the head of the line, ahead of everyone who was there first.
I hope THAT doesn't sound too Kinley-ish! ;-)
I'll admit that I ran someone off the road on two separate occasions. First time, someone ran a red light to pull out in front of me, and did it so close that I basically had the choice to hit him or swerve around. Braking was not an option, as it still would've resulted in an impact. So i swerved around. However, I had to get back into that lane because it was turning soon. He tried to speed up so that I couldn't, but I got back over anyway. On came his high-beams, so on came my brakelights. High-beams didn't go off, and it was hurting my eyes, so I had no choice but to slow down. ;-) He ran off onto the grass to avoid hitting me.
The other time, I was delivering pizzas, and a decrepit Dodge Colt ran a red light for the sole purpose of getting in front of me and slowing me down. There was not another car behind me, for as far as the eye could see. And this car made no effort whatsoever to get up to cruising speed, which was a whopping 30 mph through here. There was nothing in the oncoming lane, so I had an "out", if I needed it. I laid into the horn and was ready to brake and cut over if I needed to. No need though, as that driver probably figured that, even if it ended up being my fault, if it's between a Colt and an '85 LeSabre, the Colt loses! That one ended up ditching off onto the shoulder, as well.
Now I don't condone doing that kind of stuff, and I'm not bragging about what I did. And yeah, now that I have time to reflect on it, if someone had gotten hurt or killed in either of those instances, I would've felt horrible about it. But c'mon. Those traffic lights are there for a reason. If your light is red and you want to make a right turn, just accept the fact that the people with the green light have the right of way. You'll get your turn. It's not worth causing an accident over. I was paying attention when both of these people pulled out in front of me. The next person might not be. Normally, old people with slow reflexes and poor vision drive LeSabres and Cutlass Supremes, so think about it the next time you pull out in front of one! ;-)
Occasionally I've seen some drivers refuse to let them bully their way in. It's usually when there has been a complete stop and some wait time involved and other drivers have had to wait and they're less tolerant.
Those bullies are usually the ones who try to dominate the left lane and expect everyone to 'move over for me.'
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
Here's something that annoyed me on my last highway trip...people who set cruise control at a certain speed, and never adjust it for speed limit changes. The revenue seeking idiots here (no, maybe it's really safety, and because it is a "law" set by credential-free appointed cowards, we should all conform and defer...) alternate highway speed limits between 60 and 70 at seemingly random points. I was coming home the other night, and this A4 had its cruise set at about 71...which IMO is too fast for the speed traps at 60, but way too slow for 70. I usually go 5-6 over the limit, unless I am in a fast moving pack or am in an area where I know there are no traps. So this A4 passed me in a 60, then I passed it in a 70, then it passed me when it went down to 60 again, then I flew by it in a 70, then the limit was 60 right before I exited, and it passed me again. Annoying.
Now, again, I'm talking about merging a closed lane at a construction site. Ramp traffic is another matter because presumably traffic in the right lane is moving at relatively high speed. (If they aren't moving, i.e. S&G why not let them alternate in? Is being a coup[le car-lengths ahead all that important?) The merging traffic needs to yield and fit itself in with as little disruption as possible, and the right lane traffic should maintain speed to avoid causing brake lights behind but give them a break if possible.
Driving doesn't need to be competitive - we're all just trying to go somewhere, not win a race.
In stop and go traffic, nobody's going anywhere, so if I'm in an area where people are merging, sure I'll let 'em over. One of the things that gripes me about stop-and-go traffic though, is people who hop all over the place. If I see someone hopping from lane to lane, then if they get up near me, I'm not going to let them over. All lane hopping does is make the traffic jam worse, as anything that makes a line of cars slow down only gets exacerbated further back.
If someone's on the shoulder, do whatever you want with them, but merging at the end of the closed lane is the most efficient way to do it. And if everyone merged there, instead of before, a lot of confusion and frustration would be saved, because everyone would know when the car next to them was going to make their move, and also know whose turn it is to zipper in.
If everyone had the mentality of merging at the choke point, then fine. But from my experience, MOST of us are socialized to read merge signs to mean, "Please merge as soon as possible."
Therefore the perception is that the "nonconformist" driver in this case is line-cutting / cheating others / breaking the rules / not complying / exploiting the system / being rude / being unfair.
And that perception, the feeling that one is being cheated, contributes to resentment and even road rage. I guess you could say it breeds bad karma.
This reminds me a situation I sometimes see at the airport. An airline check-in counter typically might have 3 or 4 service reps. Depending on the setup, the "system" might consist of one big line that feeds each of the service reps. Every now and then, someone will come along and "create" a brand new line alongside the actual line, as if the system were using a line-per-slot system rather than one-line-that-splits system. So whether out of ignorance or deceit, this person hops the entire line, and often no one does anything to stop him. (You can see this happen in ANY queue with multiple service reps, ie fast food restaurants, movie theaters, airport security gates)
IMO, this is primarily the product of a poorly organized or poorly labeled system. But the end result is that people feel cheated and angry. It breeds resentment and raises blood pressure.
First off, it's time for an enforced nationwide ban on cell phone use while driving. I'm sure there will be some arguments from those in this forum who like using cell phones while they drive. They will claim there are other distactions while driving. While this is true, I don't think there can be much disputing the fact that the cell phone is the #1 distraction in vehicles today. There's absolutely no reason anyone needs to be talking on a cell phone while they're driving.
Secondly, it's time for law enforcement to start cracking down on inattentive/aggressive drivers. Those caught tailgating and/or doing things in the vehicle which obviuosly cause them to be distracted (like messing with their hair, putting on make-up, reading, etc.) should be cited with a stiff fine and a hefty number of points on their driving record. I'd be willing to bet if the fine for such a ticket was $1000, and a person's insurance premium doubled, most poeple would stop driving like idiots.
If I had a dollar for every time a cyclist "split" my lane with me, I would be a millionaire. While this is not illegal for either CAR or CYCLE, it is highly dangerous. For some unknown reasons, when someone in a car splits a lane with a cyclist, they tend to get highly irate, defensive and combative!!??
If you are ever out and about when cyclists pack together for a ride, you are indeed in for a treat. To cite one example, a pack of app 200 bikes was heading in the passing lane on a three lane road over a local bay area CA bridge. Needless to say, you'd probably have a hard time passing in the passing lane.
SO as luck would have it, there was one lone chopper with a passenger in the FAR right lane. (imagine that) Whether he was experiencing trouble or not, I really could not tell. As I took to the middle lane (from behind him in the right lane) to pass him (signalling of course) all of a sudden he with no signal, no look, no care, no how, decides he wants to rejoin his rat pack buddies at the precise time I am literally almost along side of him, and attempts to occupy the same space as I am in. I have to tell you I missed him by what seemed like 18 to 24 inches. Both he and his passengers eyes got about as big around as saucers.
A note about MC's splitting lanes - in bumper-to-bumper traffic it's actually a good idea for MC's to slowly drive between the cars to get out of the traffic. Studies have shown that the risk in this is less than the risk of the MC's staying in traffic longer. FYI.
http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/" target=_blank>http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/ http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/nhtsa/announce/press/pressdisplay.cfm?ye- - - - - - - ar=2004&filename=FFARSrls404.html
http://www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/pdf/nrd-30/NCSA/PPT/2003EARelease.pd- - - - - - - f
So do these studies that show there is less risk to motorcycles to split lanes, keep an already astronomical fatality rate from becoming even MORE astronomical, or just another reason to do dangerous maneuvers?
Also if a motorcycle splits a lane with me is he not cutting off my ability to stop in the case that he and I have to??
Since in CA it is legal for a car and motorcycle to split lanes, I have also read in several place in case of an accident between a car and motorcycle due to lane splitting, BLAME is usualy assigned to the motorcycle, by law enforcement agencies!!
People are free to risk their safety or lives riding motorcycles. I see no evidence that motocyclists are worse drivers, it's just that when a accident DOES happen the effects are worse for the motorcyclist.
In stop-and-go, bumper-to-bumper traffic, it can be relatively low risk. You make sure not to travel too much faster than the traffic, and you make sure not to pass where there's a gap in traffic that could tempt a driver from another lane to whip over suddenly.
When I see lane-splitters in traffic that is moving even reasonably fast, or with lots of gaps in adjacent lanes, or riding well above the speed of the cars, I just cringe.
The benefits of careful lane-splitting are reduced commute time for the splitter (sometimes significantly) and theoretically reduced congestion for everyone (infinitesimal at best). The down side to reckless lane splitting is a terrible image for all motorcyclists, and added congestion for everyone when the inevitable crash occurs.
BTW, the justification I always heard for not outlawing lane splitting stems from the days when bikes (predominantly aircooled) could not handle the prolonged idling in traffic without overheating. Not so much of an issue with today's bikes whether air- or liquid-cooled.
To really be correct, I should call it lane sharing, where both vehicles are within one lane. Riding the line between lanes is still illegal, just as it is illegal to ride on the shoulder. Illegal or not, the catch-all is that you can always be ticketed for reckless driving, etc if you're being stupid about it.
Another problem is bicyclists coming up beside you on the right when you're stopped. That's just not something that most people expect to have happen, and if it's a tight squeeze, the bicyclist is putting themselves in some serious danger in doing it.
Certainly, but they better have cameras on at all times to document the infractions. Not that I doubt the word of the revenue collector, nah, not at all.
This morning some airhead in an Eclipse convert was going 20 in a 35 while yapping on a phone, and then turned off the road into a coffee stand (doubling the danger - smoking or drinking anything when driving needs to be examined too) at a snails pace. I laid on my horn and then hit the gas to go around her. So would we both get tickets?
I do think arrogants in obese SUVs are the biggest menace out there.
Possibly. The Eclipse driver should be ticketed for inattentive driving. If you were tailgating this driver (which is never acceptable to do BTW) then you should've been ticketed as well.