Hypermiling etiquette

[D.O.G.]

Originally Posted by Galane

There should be a sticky post on this to cover when you should NOT do some hypermiling techniques.

While I understand your concerns, there are too many possible variations in driving style and conditions to make any practical "rules" regarding hypermiling techniques.
Most of us are adult enough to determine what driving style is safe and responsible for our own particular conditions.

As an example: I work a rotating shift, the commute route is the same on any shift, but the conditions change depending on start time.
As a result of me adapting my driving techniques to suit conditions (other drivers), I usually get worse FE on day shift.
I accept that reduced FE as a reasonable trade for my safety and reduced stress levels.

[ksa8907]

Originally Posted by Old Mechanic

To make a point;

You're sitting at an intersection ( in spite of your best hypermiling and light timing), waiting for the red light to change. You look in your rearview mirror and a car is approaching very rapidly. You realize they can not stop in time to avoid hitting you hard!

What do you do?

A cop told me that the law required me to sit there and get hit. I told him there was no law that required me to allow someone to severely injure me. The cop might write me a ticket, but I have had 100% success when talking to the judge.

regards
Mech

This is the answer for those who can't think for themselves, aka sheople who just go along with what they're told. The right answer is your life is yours to protect, smash the gas and get the f out of the way.

[California98Civic]

Originally Posted by Frank Lee

phone zombies find a rear bumper to latch onto when they fall into their driving comas.

hahahahahahaha!

[XYZ]

Originally Posted by Old Mechanic
To make a point;

You're sitting at an intersection ( in spite of your best hypermiling and light timing), waiting for the red light to change. You look in your rearview mirror and a car is approaching very rapidly. You realize they can not stop in time to avoid hitting you hard!

What do you do?

A cop told me that the law required me to sit there and get hit. I told him there was no law that required me to allow someone to severely injure me. The cop might write me a ticket, but I have had 100% success when talking to the judge.

regards
Mech

Originally Posted by ksa8907

This is the answer for those who can't think for themselves, aka sheople who just go along with what they're told. The right answer is your life is yours to protect, smash the gas and get the f out of the way.

The cop is correct. If you attempt to take heroic measures to avoid an accident and you lose control of your vehicle, possibly causing or making an accident worse, then you are also at fault.

I've had this exact situation happen to me. I was on a major street, two lanes of travel in each direction, with a speed limit 40. I'm in the left lane, stopped with my foot on the brakes and with my signal on, waiting to make a left onto the street where I live. Since I live on that corner, this happened almost literally in front of my house. I waited for about 20 seconds for oncoming traffic from the opposite direction to clear. During the long wait a car comes up behind me and rear-ends me - HARD.

The result? My big 1987 station wagon had very little damage. I had a severe case of whiplash which lasted about a week before returning to normal. (It's like being hit in the neck by a prizefighter. There is nothing to be done for that sort of transient injury except wait for it to pass.) The other car had the entire front end smashed in. The driver wasn't wearing a seat belt and his head went forward breaking the windshield. Lucky for him that he survived it. As it was entirely his fault I collected 100% from his insurance company on the liability claim.

It reminds me of an old bumper sticker from decades ago: "Hit me - I need the money"

[Arragonis]

Originally Posted by Galane

...What is *extremely* annoying is a tailgater who refuses to pass when there's no safety reason to not pass so they can go speeding off to hopefully get a ticket. Many times I've had to pull over and stop to get some a-hole tailgater (about 99% of the time a full size pickup truck) to pass. About half the time the a-hole honks and yells all kinds of obscenities at me for ending their jerky fun.

Clutch in, engage neutral, ease off. Sometimes they get the message.

[songman]

Originally Posted by Frank Lee

Motorists passing when they can't do it safely = their fault.

Yes. I think this is always going to be contentious, and noone's going to win the argument. If you're driving legally slowly but not stupidly slowly, you're good to go.

But it's not an argument I particularly want to get into again.

[UFO]

Originally Posted by ksa8907

This is the answer for those who can't think for themselves, aka sheople who just go along with what they're told. The right answer is your life is yours to protect, smash the gas and get the f out of the way.

I am probably going to get hit, as I will probably have my engine off.

[RedDevil]

I got rear-ended while stationary. I was waiting for a gap in a steady line of cross-traffic for about a minute, and so was the woman behind me. Suddenly she took off. She just said 'I thought you were going to move, so I did too'. There never was an opportunity!

My dad got rear-ended 3 times while stationary in different situations. He does not even drive that much, I got way more miles than he.
My brother in law had 2 cars totaled being rear-ended while stationary.
Friends, colleagues, etc. experienced this over and over again. It is a common kind of accident. It just happens.

So, what will you do if you see them coming and they are way over your size? Sit and die?

My bike instructor was clear:
- Never stop straight behind a car, anywhere. Keep left or right.
- Always look for an escape route and keep looking.
- Don't kill the engine. Don't save fuel; save your life.
- If possible, pass the cars waiting at the lights and make sure you are the first one away at green; bikes accelerate twice as fast as most powerful cars. (but keep a lookout for late crossing traffic!). But that's for bikes only.

There is however one reason to wait; that's when the one behind you finally realizes the error and takes the escape route you would have taken.
I've seen that happen once too...

[Xist]

When people become angry when I tell them that I drive fifty-five they always justify speeding, claiming that "they" set speed limits low, knowing that people will speed, and so fifty in a forty is perfectly safe.

Oh, and a good time to drive the speed limit, instead of some lower economical speed, when you have a highway trooper behind you!

[Galane]

No need to speed, no need to hold up traffic behind you on a 2 lane road. If there's no safe place to move over and let others pass, it's not *that important* to be saving some fuel right then.

As said before, you never know when a police officer will decide it's time to enforce an impeding traffic flow law. ;-)