Tailgaters
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What, you don't drive a hovercar?! :omg: That would be a dual carriageway (two seperate carriageways with a barrier or land them), and we don't really have those in the country - only on the major routes. At £8 million per mile or something stupid like that we can't afford them everywhere. Heck, we are lucky if our roads don't have more potholes in them than Area 51, so if it's got tarmac on it we are considered lucky. If your situation arose on a dual carriageway, I would flash my lights and follow it up with my horn. If that failed to get any aknowledgement I would flash my lights like crazy and turn on the red and blue flasher on my dash, while screaming "nee naah nee naah" out of the window as loud as I could...
Ðavid Wulff What kind of music to programmers listen to?
Join the Code Project Last.fm group | dwulff
I'm so gangsta I eat cereal without the milkDavid Wulff wrote:
If your situation arose on a dual carriageway, I would flash my lights and follow it up with my horn. If that failed to get any aknowledgement I would flash my lights like crazy and turn on the red and blue flasher on my dash, while screaming "nee naah nee naah" out of the window as loud as I could...
:laugh:
---- I just want you to be happy; That's my only little wish...
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Time for my favorite tailgating story. I was driving down the Pasadena freeway near Eagle Rock going the speed limit. I happened to still be in the left lane because of how various freeways merge leading to there [Note to those who haven't been there--the freeway is 3, maybe 4, lanes wide at that point.] There was only one other car within a quarter mile--a pickup truck--and he came up behind me about as close as you could get. I tapped my brakes just enough to put on the lights. He slammed on his. He then came up behind me again. This time I gently applied my brakes and started slowing. When I hit about 50 he swerved into the next lane, honked his horn, flipped me the bird and sped off. A mile later, I saw him pulled over by a California Highway Patrolman.
Anyone who thinks he has a better idea of what's good for people than people do is a swine. - P.J. O'Rourke
Joe Woodbury wrote:
A mile later, I saw him pulled over by a California Highway Patrolman.
Who said there's never a cop around when you need one!
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Sorry, sunshine - if you're not in the rightmost lane (leftmost for those of us who drive on the left), then you're being an inconsiderate ass whatever speed you're driving at. The only reason for not being in the rightmost lane (leftmost in the UK) is if you're overtaking someone.
Tell that to every one else on the road. Laws or no, I'd guess 95% of American drives do not use the left lane "only for passing". If you feel the uncontrollable urge to put lives on the line by doing 110 (or whatever the km/h equivelent is), do it on your own time (say 3 in the morning), not while my family is on the road.
Kyosa Jamie Nordmeyer - Taekwondo Yi (2nd) Dan Portland, Oregon, USA
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Pop quiz hot shot. You're driving down the highway going 80 miles an hour (please multiply by 1.6 for kms) (hey everybody's doing it :) ) and you look in the rear view mirror to see somebody's tailgating you. Now that's dangerous. :-D How do you get rid of them without slowing down/slamming on the breaks or switching lanes? Answer: Turn on the windshield washer and spray their car as well. Seems to force people to move back. :laugh:
"Oh, what a tangled web we weave, when first we practice to deceive." - Sir Walter Scott Web - Blog - RSS - Math - LinkedIn - BM
Lift off the throttle a bit so you slow down a bit and have a bigger gap to the car in front of you. Then accelerate so you pull away from the idiot behind you until you get to your standard distance behind the car in front of you. Repeat a few times and they usually get the message. But if you're not overtaking someone and it's not the rightmost lane (leftmost if you drive on the left), move over out of their way - you're being as inconsiderate as they are.
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which is why, if tailgated and unable to shift lanes you should keep a double following distance in front so you can break more gently and give the moron time to react without stomping.
-- Rules of thumb should not be taken for the whole hand.
dan neely wrote:
which is why, if tailgated and unable to shift lanes you should keep a double following distance in front so you can break more gently and give the moron time to react without stomping.
Yup. Heck, i suspect if more people did that, we'd have a lot fewer accidents for drivers to hit their brakes and gawk at, further reducing the problem...
---- I just want you to be happy; That's my only little wish...
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Sorry, sunshine - if you're not in the rightmost lane (leftmost for those of us who drive on the left), then you're being an inconsiderate ass whatever speed you're driving at. The only reason for not being in the rightmost lane (leftmost in the UK) is if you're overtaking someone.
Stuart Dootson wrote:
Sorry, sunshine - if you're not in the rightmost lane (leftmost for those of us who drive on the left), then you're being an inconsiderate ass whatever speed you're driving at. The only reason for not being in the rightmost lane (leftmost in the UK) is if you're overtaking someone.
Of course, on a busy highway, you might be overtaking vehicles constantly on the left, and still have people queuing up behind you. At that point, it's a choice between speeding up and passing faster, slowing down and merging, or staying at your current speed and making those behind you wait. It just gets more interesting when you're already 5-10Mph over the limit, and aren't familiar with speed traps in the area.
---- I just want you to be happy; That's my only little wish...
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Sorry, sunshine - if you're not in the rightmost lane (leftmost for those of us who drive on the left), then you're being an inconsiderate ass whatever speed you're driving at. The only reason for not being in the rightmost lane (leftmost in the UK) is if you're overtaking someone.
On my drive home from work I have a 40 mile stretch of motorway where I am in the left most overtaking lane for maybe 75-80% of the time. There is so much traffic that all three lanes become driving lanes: 60, 70 and 80mph. You still get the assholes who want to drive 90-100mph coming up your arse, even if they can only go 100 yards before hitting the next car (I've never understood the point of that? Can they not see past the car in front?). Why should I be forced to slow down and cut in front of slower traffic, often forcing them to slow down as well in order to let one idiot past so he can sit in traffic in front of me? I know that isn't what you meant, I am just venting a question. What really pisses me off is when I do have a short gap on my driving side while I'm overtaking traffic so I considerately pull in and drop speed to let a car pass and then they ride out the whole distance the same speed as me.
Ðavid Wulff What kind of music to programmers listen to?
Join the Code Project Last.fm group | dwulff
I'm so gangsta I eat cereal without the milk -
On my drive home from work I have a 40 mile stretch of motorway where I am in the left most overtaking lane for maybe 75-80% of the time. There is so much traffic that all three lanes become driving lanes: 60, 70 and 80mph. You still get the assholes who want to drive 90-100mph coming up your arse, even if they can only go 100 yards before hitting the next car (I've never understood the point of that? Can they not see past the car in front?). Why should I be forced to slow down and cut in front of slower traffic, often forcing them to slow down as well in order to let one idiot past so he can sit in traffic in front of me? I know that isn't what you meant, I am just venting a question. What really pisses me off is when I do have a short gap on my driving side while I'm overtaking traffic so I considerately pull in and drop speed to let a car pass and then they ride out the whole distance the same speed as me.
Ðavid Wulff What kind of music to programmers listen to?
Join the Code Project Last.fm group | dwulff
I'm so gangsta I eat cereal without the milkDavid Wulff wrote:
What really pisses me off is when I do have a short gap on my driving side while I'm overtaking traffic so I considerately pull in and drop speed to let a car pass and then they ride out the whole distance the same speed as me.
If conditions permit, i'll give 'em about five miles doing that and then pass 'em. If they try to speed up while i'm passing, i'll wait for an opportunity and scrape 'em off on a truck. Usually, they'll either back off, or wake up, pass at 20-over, and keep on going. Though i've had occasion to play this game for nearly a hundred miles...
---- I just want you to be happy; That's my only little wish...
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Todd Smith wrote:
Its only dangerous imho if YOU make any sudden moves. So give the person in front of you tons of space.
Like they say, if you can't see the bumper of the car in front of you, you are too close.
Todd Smith wrote:
What you need to worry about more is the person in the slow lane putting on makeup using the rearview mirror, reading the paper and talking on the phone while drivng.
I really saw someone reading the paper and driving (on a side street luckily), and one lady putting on makeup and trying to steer with her knee. It's scary some of the stuff people do when driving. :~
A question - do they teach you the two and four second rules when leanring to drive in America? i.e. you should remain two seconds behind the vehicle in front on a good dry road and four seconds in mud, dust or the rain? I still remember the little ryhme I was told, and use it to accurately gauge my distance in traffic: "Only a fool breaks the the two second rule" - it takes approximately two seconds to say it to yourself, so if you focus on a fixed point ahead you can judge your distance. When I was first told that and asked what the four second rule was, I turned to my instructer and said: "Only a fool breaks the four second rule!" He was not impressed. :doh:
Ðavid Wulff What kind of music to programmers listen to?
Join the Code Project Last.fm group | dwulff
I'm so gangsta I eat cereal without the milk -
On my drive home from work I have a 40 mile stretch of motorway where I am in the left most overtaking lane for maybe 75-80% of the time. There is so much traffic that all three lanes become driving lanes: 60, 70 and 80mph. You still get the assholes who want to drive 90-100mph coming up your arse, even if they can only go 100 yards before hitting the next car (I've never understood the point of that? Can they not see past the car in front?). Why should I be forced to slow down and cut in front of slower traffic, often forcing them to slow down as well in order to let one idiot past so he can sit in traffic in front of me? I know that isn't what you meant, I am just venting a question. What really pisses me off is when I do have a short gap on my driving side while I'm overtaking traffic so I considerately pull in and drop speed to let a car pass and then they ride out the whole distance the same speed as me.
Ðavid Wulff What kind of music to programmers listen to?
Join the Code Project Last.fm group | dwulff
I'm so gangsta I eat cereal without the milkDavid Wulff wrote:
:38 15 Dec '06 On my drive home from work I have a 40 mile stretch of motorway where I am in the left most overtaking lane for maybe 75-80% of the time. There is so much traffic that all three lanes become driving lanes: 60, 70 and 80mph.
Yes, so you're pretty much overtaking someone constantly, so (personally), I'd have no issue with anyone not being in the leftmost lane. I'm fortunate, in that my motorway driving is at times when they're not packed. Thing is, even then, a good 75% of the traffic is in the middle lane, with nothing in the left hand lane, effectively reducing the motorway to two lanes.
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Pop quiz hot shot. You're driving down the highway going 80 miles an hour (please multiply by 1.6 for kms) (hey everybody's doing it :) ) and you look in the rear view mirror to see somebody's tailgating you. Now that's dangerous. :-D How do you get rid of them without slowing down/slamming on the breaks or switching lanes? Answer: Turn on the windshield washer and spray their car as well. Seems to force people to move back. :laugh:
"Oh, what a tangled web we weave, when first we practice to deceive." - Sir Walter Scott Web - Blog - RSS - Math - LinkedIn - BM
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Stuart Dootson wrote:
Sorry, sunshine - if you're not in the rightmost lane (leftmost for those of us who drive on the left), then you're being an inconsiderate ass whatever speed you're driving at. The only reason for not being in the rightmost lane (leftmost in the UK) is if you're overtaking someone.
Of course, on a busy highway, you might be overtaking vehicles constantly on the left, and still have people queuing up behind you. At that point, it's a choice between speeding up and passing faster, slowing down and merging, or staying at your current speed and making those behind you wait. It just gets more interesting when you're already 5-10Mph over the limit, and aren't familiar with speed traps in the area.
---- I just want you to be happy; That's my only little wish...
Shog9 wrote:
you might be overtaking vehicles constantly on the left
And, as I said - no problem with people being out in lanes if they're overtaking someone.
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Pop quiz hot shot. You're driving down the highway going 80 miles an hour (please multiply by 1.6 for kms) (hey everybody's doing it :) ) and you look in the rear view mirror to see somebody's tailgating you. Now that's dangerous. :-D How do you get rid of them without slowing down/slamming on the breaks or switching lanes? Answer: Turn on the windshield washer and spray their car as well. Seems to force people to move back. :laugh:
"Oh, what a tangled web we weave, when first we practice to deceive." - Sir Walter Scott Web - Blog - RSS - Math - LinkedIn - BM
If I'm cruising at a good clip over the limit and someone sits on my bumper, I'm probably going to be as annoying as possible without giving them the chance to pass me until I get bored of the game. Aside: To me tailgating is partying in the parking lot before/during a sporting event. Complete with grills, coolers of beer, music and big #1 foam fingers. :)
BW
If you're not part of the solution, you're part of the precipitate.
-- Steven Wright -
:cool: Can you drop an oil slick or cloud of smoke, too?
BW
If you're not part of the solution, you're part of the precipitate.
-- Steven Wright -
:laugh: Don't you love it? I had the same thing happen to me years back, and the same thing happened to the tailgating idiot. Only this schmuck was driving a Ferrari. ;) Karma is cool.
Kyosa Jamie Nordmeyer - Taekwondo Yi (2nd) Dan Portland, Oregon, USA
Jamie Nordmeyer wrote:
Only this schmuck was driving a Ferrari.
Speed cop magnet?
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Pop quiz hot shot. You're driving down the highway going 80 miles an hour (please multiply by 1.6 for kms) (hey everybody's doing it :) ) and you look in the rear view mirror to see somebody's tailgating you. Now that's dangerous. :-D How do you get rid of them without slowing down/slamming on the breaks or switching lanes? Answer: Turn on the windshield washer and spray their car as well. Seems to force people to move back. :laugh:
"Oh, what a tangled web we weave, when first we practice to deceive." - Sir Walter Scott Web - Blog - RSS - Math - LinkedIn - BM
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David Wulff wrote:
:38 15 Dec '06 On my drive home from work I have a 40 mile stretch of motorway where I am in the left most overtaking lane for maybe 75-80% of the time. There is so much traffic that all three lanes become driving lanes: 60, 70 and 80mph.
Yes, so you're pretty much overtaking someone constantly, so (personally), I'd have no issue with anyone not being in the leftmost lane. I'm fortunate, in that my motorway driving is at times when they're not packed. Thing is, even then, a good 75% of the traffic is in the middle lane, with nothing in the left hand lane, effectively reducing the motorway to two lanes.
What times are you talking about? I find that most midle lane drivers venture out between 10 and 11am, and 3 and 4pm. I swear they have some sort of club membership.
Ðavid Wulff What kind of music to programmers listen to?
Join the Code Project Last.fm group | dwulff
I'm so gangsta I eat cereal without the milk -
Pop quiz hot shot. You're driving down the highway going 80 miles an hour (please multiply by 1.6 for kms) (hey everybody's doing it :) ) and you look in the rear view mirror to see somebody's tailgating you. Now that's dangerous. :-D How do you get rid of them without slowing down/slamming on the breaks or switching lanes? Answer: Turn on the windshield washer and spray their car as well. Seems to force people to move back. :laugh:
"Oh, what a tangled web we weave, when first we practice to deceive." - Sir Walter Scott Web - Blog - RSS - Math - LinkedIn - BM
no action same speed
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What times are you talking about? I find that most midle lane drivers venture out between 10 and 11am, and 3 and 4pm. I swear they have some sort of club membership.
Ðavid Wulff What kind of music to programmers listen to?
Join the Code Project Last.fm group | dwulff
I'm so gangsta I eat cereal without the milkI drive to Bristol (from Derby) reasonably often (every 3 or 4 weeks). To miss the traffic, I'll leave Bristol (to drive back to Derby) at about 9pm on a Sunday night, aiming to get back in Derby by ~ 10.45pm (roadworks permitting!). The traffic is quiet then, such that I can be in the left-hand lane for (a few) miles at a time. A good percentage of the time, I'll come up behind someone and find they're in the middle lane, so I have to go over three lanes from leftmost lane to rightmost lane and then back again. Tiresome.
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You've got to admit, it would be pretty fun to raise up the sun roof and fire a volley of rockets at the dick head after he overtakes you. A couple of warning shots over the bow would make him think twice about playing silly bears behind you again. :-D
Ðavid Wulff What kind of music to programmers listen to?
Join the Code Project Last.fm group | dwulff
I'm so gangsta I eat cereal without the milkDavid Wulff wrote:
You've got to admit, it would be pretty fun to raise up the sun roof
you just need a movie looking huge ray gun with led's going down the barrel towards the target building up speed. It doesn't need to fire anything, he should get the idea.... ;)
_________________________ Asu no koto o ieba, tenjo de nezumi ga warau. Talk about things of tomorrow and the mice in the ceiling laugh. (Japanese Proverb)