Thread: snake maneuver
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Old 09-13-2008, 01:59 PM   #3 (permalink)
cfg83
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gasti_ako -

Hmmmmmmm. In my opinion, that's a personal preference, and it is based on what your commute experience is like. Tango Charlie's advice is good.

Here is what I do on the freeways in Los Angeles. I drive in the far right line 90% of the time. Because if this, I have to watch for drivers entering the freeway. Depending on the situation, I may have to waste gas slowing down or speeding up. If I use the second to the right lane, I can avoid this, but I also have to increase my average speed, which can also hurt MPG. Staying in the far right is more stressful because I have to spend more time watching cars, but this is the choice I have made. When I have a passenger, I usually pick the second to the right lane so that they do not have to feel stressed when cars enter the freeway.

I read about your traffic jam commute. Maybe you should start timing your commutes with different driving strategies. spend a week doing "snake driving" and spend a week doing your normal driving. Without experiencing your commute I am guessing that you will improve your MPG and commute time a little, but you will be more stressed when you get there. Depending on how aggressive you are, "snake driving" sounds like it increases your chance of an accident.

There is a really good example of driving in traffic (drive slowly to reduce the jams), but I can't find it on Ecomodder right now.

Question: Are there alternate roads you can use to get to work? Los Angeles is a different city, but I like to use streets that are parallel to the main streets when I have to drive into traffic jams.

CarloSW2
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