"I drive 55mph" on the 65mph interstate.

[sheepdog 44]

Originally Posted by XYZ

Road hogs, beware! link

Another relevant link

Another relevant link

And this one is an extension of this thread link

I agree with that. There are a lot of people that drive slow, or below the speed limit in the left lane who block traffic trying to get around me in 2 lane rural roads. I thought about a bumper sticker that says, "If i'm passing you, GTFO of the left lane!"

[LeanBurn]

We don't have interstates up here in Canada per se, but the road I commute it is a double double divided highway that is the extension of the I-15 in Canada.

I am privileged to only drive 55mph or 90kph with zero issues of even a hope of impeding traffic. Speed isn't my biggest problem it's the wind at times which mostly hits the front 1/4, side, or rear 1/4 panels. There really is no aero fix for that so I do the best I can do. Having a lifetime average as shown below after or 118,000miles or 190,000km that is all I can complain about.

[101Volts]

Originally Posted by Frank Lee

(Talk of going 45ish, Plus this signature image)

I tried going 45ish, It's a nice speed too and the people behind me got the message quicker than those who passed me when I was going 55.

And a doggie image? I like that image more than your previous Woody the Sheriff one.

[Frank Lee]

He a good puppy.

[rajadaja]

I admit I have been guilty of accelerating when a particularly annoying person passes me aggressively (often there is plenty of room for them to get behind me, but they just want to beat me to the stoplight, or they do the last second swerve,almost taking out my bumper, then try to jam themselves in front of me when there is little room), sometimes I can box them in for a few moments and I feel like I am teaching them a lesson. Petty, I admit. But other times I really feel it is unsafe for them to try to pull back into my lane, so I accelerate to discourage them from doing so, not out of spite.

[elhigh]

Originally Posted by XYZ

No, there IS a way to change that, by changing your driving strategy. You will be able to merge into the lane if you assess the situation, and bide your time before merging responsibly and courteously. It does not require charity from others. It does require the exercise of your own good judgment.

BTW, I hope your geriatric truck is roadworthy and not overloaded beyond its weight capacity.

I have the advantage of knowing the example I have in mind, a climbing sweeping merge, separated from traffic by a mid-height barrier so I can see trucks but not cars, and is itself crowded by a no-shoulder barrier as it skirts the neighborhood it was built in just a few years ago. Highway planners did the best they could, and it did indeed get rid of the disastrous left lane entry that used to cause so many headaches, but it's not great.

What makes it a lot less stressful is when drivers already on the interstate see the situation and open a gap or move over. Then, even though my truck is well within its load limit at only 1000lbs of firewood, the 106 horsepower is perfectly adequate.

I'm not abdicating my responsibility. The Driver's Handbook - and when did that thing break 100 pages? - states that right of way is never granted by state law, but state law does indeed define when right of way must be yielded. I like to think that common sense and mutual respect between persons would also suggest when right of way should be yielded.

I'm pretty good at this driving stuff. No one's ever run into me because I didn't know my vehicle's limitations. Please don't imply that.

[XYZ]

Originally Posted by elhigh

I'm not abdicating my responsibility.

No one is suggesting you are irresponsible. But from what you first described...

Couple that with, for instance, my geriatric truck full of firewood at rush hour, and you have to hope that you can find a gap big enough to stuff your nose into because you just won't be going at full speed when the ramp runs out. You won't, and there's no way to change that. At this point you're relying on the charity of other drivers, sometimes in vain.

That indicates that you are having difficulty in merging successfully. You need not be up to full speed immediately, but you do need to merge smoothly and be able to accelerate once you do merge.

The Driver's Handbook - and when did that thing break 100 pages? - states that right of way is never granted by state law, but state law does indeed define when right of way must be yielded. I like to think that common sense and mutual respect between persons would also suggest when right of way should be yielded.

Yes, the law defines when right of way must be yielded. If common sense and mutual respect were all that is needed the definition as stated in law would not be necessary. Unfortunately, confusion over who has right of way sometimes can actually result in an accident. I see many drivers who apparently are clueless over what right of way is, and apparently do not know what a "yield" sign means.

I'm pretty good at this driving stuff. No one's ever run into me because I didn't know my vehicle's limitations. Please don't imply that.

There is no implication. I said "I hope" - not "I suspect". If you can't get your "geriatric truck full of firewood" up to speed reasonably quickly while carrying a full load, it could be a possibility.

[Fat Charlie]

Originally Posted by rajadaja

Petty, I admit.

Nope. I refuse to encourage or enable their bad behavior. It won't teach them a lesson, but it makes their choice a little more difficult.

Now, I get a great deal more satisfaction from altering my "stride" a bit to let someone through. As one of the many people who has somewhere to be by a certain time, I'm a huge fan of the smooth flow of traffic. If I see someone smoothly working through and I know he isn't stupidly fighting his way to a brick wall, I do what I can to help. Precision driving of any flavor is fun. Blocking an idiot is nowhere near as fun, but a subtle change in speed to leave less than a car length available for a lane change is still pretty good.

[sheepdog 44]

I have a feeling the people at Topgear contribute to road congestion more than i do. And on a weekly basis at that!

[Frank Lee]

Originally Posted by Frank Lee

Good one. So if I get a few like-minded motorists to join me in a Cannonball Run down the road at WOT I have a consensus? What constitutes a group- two vehicles? Three? Is that what I should tell the occifer and the judge?

Originally Posted by Frank Lee

I'm still interested in the legal theory that allows me to go whatever speed I want as long as I have accomplices.

Originally Posted by Frank Lee

And the judge will buy that?

Where is the statute that defines that?

Still waiting...