Observations on Driving Behaviors

wbjones wrote: yeah ... I've experienced that ... what's nearly as irritating is someone that catches up with you (I'm in the rt. lane, they're in the left) and then just sits right off my left rear quarter panel ... and doesn't continue on past ... I'm usually loitering along about 5 - 10 over ... which often means I'm on cruse control in the rt. lane ... now we're coming up on slower traffic ... the shiny happy person in the left lane just sits there .. so I have a choice to make ... turn the cc off, or speed up and pull in front of said shiny happy person ... then pull back to the rt. lane .. then they do the same thing ... tends to piss me off ... (in case you haven't figured that out by this semi rant LOL )

This

It's even worse when your driving a truck pulling a trailer with a lot of weight and it takes forever to get it back up to cruising speed.

Also the big truck drivers who pull out to pass another at the bottom of a long uphill grade...sometimes I wish I still had a CB hooked up. It's likely for the best that I don't.

yeah ... I understand that they're trying to make a living and all that .. but is sure is irritating when they pull stunts like that

Sometimes the truckers don't have much choice of where they pass. Keep in mind piloting one of those things is much like driving a ship: it takes a LONG time to get that mass to change directions safely. For that reason I give them a lot of leeway before I call them an shiny happy person.

I tend to drive a fair amount over the speed limit but that's generally when pacing traffic around here, i.e. most everyone does the same.

The people who piss me off the most are those who have obviously not taken the time to plan ahead, i.e. they are in the far right lane in traffic then suddenly decide they must turn left. Now they just sail across 2 or 3 lanes of traffic in about 200 feet at ~30 MPH, with brake lights and horns following them. Or, even worse, they come to damn near a complete stop in the far right lane with the left turn signal on, waiting for the flow of traffic to come to a complete stop so they can inch across. Typically these vehicles are 'operated' by women in very close proximity to a shopping mall but I have seen guys do this as well. In fact, I have come to the conclusion that the immediate vicinity of a shopping mall is the most dangerous place you can drive.

wbjones wrote: yeah ... I've experienced that ... what's nearly as irritating is someone that catches up with you (I'm in the rt. lane, they're in the left) and then just sits right off my left rear quarter panel ... and doesn't continue on past ... I'm usually loitering along about 5 - 10 over ... which often means I'm on cruse control in the rt. lane ... now we're coming up on slower traffic ... the shiny happy person in the left lane just sits there .. so I have a choice to make ... turn the cc off, or speed up and pull in front of said shiny happy person ... then pull back to the rt. lane .. then they do the same thing ... tends to piss me off ... (in case you haven't figured that out by this semi rant LOL )

I run into this routinely and I've learned to accelerate into the spot in front of them, then adjust my speed to the traffic ahead. Works most of the time. The newish issue locally is turns on boulevards where there are two parallel turn lanes. Invariably the driver in one of the lanes will change lanes part way through the turn. I keep my hand on the horn button ,especially if I'm to the right of bigger vehicles. SUV drivers with cell phones are to be avoided.

My #1 annoyance is cars in left lanes that don't pass. People seem to get into a sort of autopilot-mode where they latch onto the car just ahead of them - in the right lane. What the boneheads don't realize is that they've effectively blocked off two lanes.

Trans_Maro wrote:

Vigo wrote:

I follow nothing that I cannot see around. Since I drive a WRX that is a long list.

Yup, long list here too, my DD is an 1800 lb Honda hatch.

So you're the guys who absolutely -must- pass my truck with a slide-in camper which is already going 10 over, then slow down to below the speed limit when you get in front of me.

You cut the part out where I said I was going 20 over. So if you are going 10 over then do the math.

I do not pass then slow - that is one of the most irritating driving practices out there.

DeadSkunk wrote: I run into this routinely and I've learned to accelerate into the spot in front of them, then adjust my speed to the traffic ahead. Works most of the time. The newish issue locally is turns on boulevards where there are two parallel turn lanes. Invariably the driver in one of the lanes will change lanes part way through the turn. I keep my hand on the horn button ,especially if I'm to the right of bigger vehicles. SUV drivers with cell phones are top be avoided.

I have a nasty one like that on my drive home from school every day. Two rt turn lanes onto a three lane freeway service drive with an on ramp right after, every single time an shiny happy person takes the inside lane because the line is shorter, and cuts me or somebody in front of me off to get on the highway. I need to get better horns, or an ugly pickup truck with a body I don't care about bashing in the passenger fender daily til everybody in that part of town gets the berkeleying idea.

Geez, Zen - chill, dude. Road rage will get you nowhere, except maybe jail time.

In reply to jstein77:

Believe me, I'm usually pretty close to The Dude Lebowski, just that one turn has kinda ground me down the last couple months. Road rage is how the other person typically reacts to my relatively sane behind the wheel demeanor.

My 12-mile commute is all through town; taking the toll roads only shaves a few minutes off, at best, thanks to traffic. My greatest pet peeve is people who casually saunter through left turn lanes. Left turn should signal GOGOGO!

jstein77 wrote: Geez, Zen - chill, dude. Road rage will get you nowhere, except maybe jail time.

this. I try to leave really early and stay really mellow when driving....even more so when I'm carrying. I also work from the assumption that all the other drivers are carrying.

Result? Turn the other cheek, because it is just not worth annoying people or being annoyed.

Kenny_McCormic wrote: In reply to jstein77: Believe me, I'm usually pretty close to The Dude Lebowski, just that one turn has kinda ground me down the last couple months. Road rage is how the other person typically reacts to my relatively sane behind the wheel demeanor.

I know the feeling. I drive a gas guzzling SUV.. so I try to minimize the time I spent in single digit MPG. As such, I rarely use more than half throttle on my land rover. I am not saying I accelerate like a dead snail, but I can take 20 seconds to reach 60mph... it is amazing how many people get -really- upset that I accelerate that slowly.

mad_machine wrote: I know the feeling. I drive a gas guzzling SUV.. so I try to it is amazing how many people get -really- upset that I accelerate that slowly.

arrgghhhhh, you're the kind of driver everyone hates. get up to speed dude stop Bob Costasfooting around.

ha! The word for female genitalia comes out "bob costas" I luv it!

Curmudgeon wrote: Sometimes the truckers don't have much choice of where they pass. I have come to the conclusion that the immediate vicinity of a shopping mall is the most dangerous place you can drive.

Truckers have free will just like the rest of us...they know full well what they are doing when they pass on a hill, being selfish, the "heck with them there 4 wheelers" is pretty much the mentality.

You're almost right on your second point, I submit that the most dangerous place on earth is the grocery store parking lot. I witness on a regular basis people cutting across diagonally, not looking where they are going, cutting people off to get a spot closest to the store, etc, etc. I was at the store a couple nights ago and I had to laugh out loud how many women on cell phones cut me off to get to a space that I was going to let them have anyway....

plance1 wrote:

mad_machine wrote: I know the feeling. I drive a gas guzzling SUV.. so I try to it is amazing how many people get -really- upset that I accelerate that slowly.

arrgghhhhh, you're the kind of driver everyone hates. get up to speed dude stop Bob Costasfooting around.

I accelerate the same way when I'm in my truck .. 12 - 15 mpg isn't enough to get me to jack rabbit away from traffic lights ... if someone doesn't like it they're welcome to get in the other lane

plance1 wrote: "heck with them there 4 wheelers" is pretty much the mentality.

More like "time is money"

Try driving one of those things for a while, it'll change your view of driving in traffic.

A couple of things here

-It's not the fast lane, it's the lane. GTFO if you're not passing someone. This mainly applies to low traffic situations. High traffic, good luck.

-Cruise control is great, use it. I can't stand the people that you pass and then they speed up and pass you, they slow down so you pass them, they speed up and pass you... Meanwhile I have cruise on the whole time.

-Let's try to get with the speed of the freeway when we get on. I hate getting stuck behind someone merging onto the highway at 30mph.

-A yield sign means yield, not stop. Seriously why are we stopping on the freeway.

-It is courteous to move over for someone getting on the highway, but don't cut me off to do it, especially if I'm going faster than you. They have to yield not you, not me.

Trans_Maro wrote:

plance1 wrote: "heck with them there 4 wheelers" is pretty much the mentality.

More like "time is money" Try driving one of those things for a while, it'll change your view of driving in traffic.

nope, no desire to, wouldn't matter anyway, if I did I would have enough sense to look in my mirror and judge the speed of oncoming traffic before pulling over to change lanes, kind of like I do now........you see, it doesn't matter what you drive, the same principles apply, don't screw over your fellow motorists.

Having driven commercial.. you plan your manuevers a mile or more ahead. Drafting also helps

I was driving in Ohio once and I had a kid change lanes in front of me (about an inch either side of clearance between his bumpers and my bumper and the Semi in the right hand lane). I flashed my high beams to let him know I was upset at his dickish actions (Yeah, probably not wise, but hindsight is 20/20), and he brake checked me down to about 30 miles per hour from 75.

If I'd have been in something bigger than a Mazda3, he'd have had a bumper in his midsection.

frenchy wrote: A couple of things here -It's not the fast lane, it's the lane. GTFO if you're not passing someone. This mainly applies to low traffic situations. High traffic, good luck. -Cruise control is great, use it. I can't stand the people that you pass and then they speed up and pass you, they slow down so you pass them, they speed up and pass you... Meanwhile I have cruise on the whole time. -Let's try to get with the speed of the freeway when we get on. I hate getting stuck behind someone merging onto the highway at 30mph. -A yield sign means yield, not stop. Seriously why are we stopping on the freeway. -It is courteous to move over for someone getting on the highway, but don't cut me off to do it, especially if I'm going faster than you. They have to yield not you, not me.

You sir get it. This is good advice and such common problem issues. I drive from SE Michigan to Indiana and through Ohio every 2 weeks and during my time in the military I drove home to SE Michigan every 2 weeks from Ft Knox south of Louisville KY. This back in the 55MPH days making really good time with no accidents,only one ticket (by aircraft enforcement). I have driven 1000's of miles in Germany,Austria,Italy and France accident and ticket free during my time living there and almost a dozen trips back since. I usually average 100MPH on the autobahn so I'm not creeping along but not the fastest either.

So many people seem to think the autobahn allows for safe speed because it has so little traffic,wide multiple lanes and German cars designed for speed. The biggest reasons German autobahns have as good or better deaths per 100,000,000 Miles/Km driven as we do with a lot slower speeds is because of strict lane discipline, drivers who pay attention and aren't careless or overly timid. Hell most of the autobahns I travel on are 2 lanes (with as narrow or narrower lanes) more curves and more traffic than here in the US. Their semi trucks are also only allowed to go 100KPH or 62MPH so there is plenty of disparity of speed to deal with.

Detroit drivers seem to think drafting is a good idea. It's pack-space-pack the entire way up I-75.

I think it was BMW that found that accelerating briskly to your cruising speed is better for mpg than slowly accelerating. Less time on the throttle.

chaparral wrote: Detroit drivers seem to think drafting is a good idea. It's pack-space-pack the entire way up I-75.

That seems to be the common tactic everywhere. That fits with what the original poster said.