Today's rant, no BMW-related, but regular driver rage

[BlackFlash]

My point is that I may not be willing to risk a ticket going 150km/h, and some guy 8 inches from my rear bumper doesn't change that. I always move over as soon as I can, but I hate being tail gated under any circumstances.

[1HungryMan]

Originally Posted by BlackFlash

My point is that I may not be willing to risk a ticket going 150km/h, and some guy 8 inches from my rear bumper doesn't change that. I always move over as soon as I can, but I hate being tail gated under any circumstances.

There is an art to moving people out of the left lane, and it just means getting close enough to them to get their attention (some people literally do not use their rear view mirror unless changing lanes--boggles the mind) and then backing off from the tailgait position but close enough to tell them "I want by you".

Of course some of us have been taught properly and actually get out of the way before someone needs to tells us to get out of the way.

It seems so simple to me, but...

[ianc]

There is an art to moving people out of the left lane, and it just means getting close enough to them to get their attention (some people literally do not use their rear view mirror unless changing lanes--boggles the mind) and then backing off from the tailgait position but close enough to tell them "I want by you".

Dangerous and, in most cases, ineffective, at least in CA. I wish it were that easy, but letting people know 'I want by you', (if they are clever enough to even realize it) simply seems to engender a feeling of inferiority or misplaced disapproval of your avowed desire to travel faster than them, and either (or both) combine to produce an extreme resistance to allowing you passage.

ianc

[1HungryMan]

Originally Posted by ianc

Dangerous and, in most cases, ineffective, at least in CA. I wish it were that easy, but letting people know 'I want by you', (if they are clever enough to even realize it) simply seems to engender a feeling of inferiority or misplaced disapproval of your avowed desire to travel faster than them, and either (or both) combine to produce an extreme resistance to allowing you passage.

ianc

I myself am always shocked that drivers in Cali almost never get out of the way and take it as a personal affront. Whenever I drive between Palm Springs and L.A. I almost never get people to move over. People get downright crazy and start slowing down and giving you the finger in the real mirror lol

[ennislaw]

Originally Posted by carnut

Maybe the chart below will shed light on why some people are dorky drivers.
...

LOL!! Great chart!

pge

[gts135]

I originally learned to drive in Ontario, and whenever I was on the 401 years ago lane etiquette was very good. Whenever I go back now, it is generally ok but it has slipped a lot.

So after learning driving in Ontario, I moved to Alberta, and overall it wasn't too bad here either. In fact, with the paved shoulders that they've had here for years, it was very common for slower traffic to move over on two lanes and let you by. That has totally disappeared, and lane etiquette is now only followed on the #2 between Calgary and Edmonton. In fact I just drove 600k on Tuesday and I only remember 2 sleepers in the left lane that wouldn't move over (and one of them was a guy in a minivan on a cell phone doing 130....).

Question for others: Alberta does NOT have a rule that says you cannot pass on the right. I thought Ontario used to(?). Can anyone correct me on that or what about other driving jurisdictions? As far as I'm concerned, lane etiquette would improve greatly if the police stopped targeting just speeding and looked at the basics of turn signals, distracted driving, left lane hogs, magnets, etc.

[1HungryMan]

In Ontario it is illegal to pass on the right. I know because I got a stupid ticket for it from some cash hungry douchebag cop. He kept telling me "you can fight it, you can fight it" so he could get his three hours paid court time.

[TheFastestOne35]

What I hate the most (other than left lane hogs) is people who are at a stop sign on the street intersecting with the one your driving on and floor it to pull in front of you (usually when there is no cars behind you) and then start driving slowly. You usually miss a light or can't make the right turn at the next intersection ahead of you cause they're in front. This pisses me off more than anything, they make a mad dash cutting you off and making you put on the brakes just so they can slow you down and make you miss a light. I don't care that much if someone does this but then keeps a good speed up, but why would you make an aggressive move like that if you are obviously in no rush and a slow or cautious driver. 4 out of 5 times to there is no one behind you either, its like they purposely want to take it upon themselves to slow you down cause they think your going too fast.

I made a deal with myself the last time this happened that I won't take it in the ass anymore from people like this, I always will pass them now even on a a 2 lane road and will wither cut them off or toss my have empty double double at there windshield. I know thats an extreme show of road rage but I don't care anymore people like this should be shot in the foot. I had one guy chase me after i dumped my coffee on his windshield but my twin turbo German car was a little too much for him to keep up with!! I know tossing a coffee at someones windshield is dangerous and I would never do it in any other circumstance, but I can't stop myself when this happens.

Sorry bout the rant, had to get it off my chest, sometimes I wish I had little missiles in my car!!

[ianc]

Haha, you go guy! Hope you don't end up dead...

ianc

[1HungryMan]

Originally Posted by TheFastestOne35

Sorry bout the rant, had to get it off my chest, sometimes I wish I had little missiles in my car!!

We're all relieved that you don't.

See you in Cambridge (usually I'm at the Starbucks there on Saturdays lol)

[gts135]

Yeah, not trying to be a preacher but you might want to rethink the strategy you're employing. It may feel good for the moment but you can almost bet that the other driver won't have learned a thing by the encounter. I won't elaborate here but 4 years ago someone pissed me off in traffic and employed a move that I would've made 20 years ago when I was racing karts. It wasn't a smart thing to do in the first place, on my part, but the point was pressed home when the other guy turned out to be a cop on his way to work. Three hours, seven points and $600 later, I had a bit of a different view.

Funny thing was, the cop wasn't even lecturing me on my behaviour as such, he brought up the point we were surrounded by minivans, SUV's, etc, usually filled with vacation families on a freeway and most of them, according to him, were driving over their heads to begin with (at one point I was pacing beside a minivan at 150k/hr with the guy talking to his spouse with a coffee in his hand and his kids in the back - I was driving a Boxster), not paying attention, and just ripe to over react by some move of mine that he felt I was perfectly capable of managing - if they weren't around.

I made such moves by others a lot easier on my head by just reminding myself that they're driving on autopilot - if you asked them after they did it, they probably wouldn't have a clue of what you're talking about.

There's really not a damn thing a person can do about the low level of driving skill out there, except practice good skills ourselves. Keep the rubber side down brother!

[Lucky1]

Originally Posted by BlackFlash

People on the road always have right away over people merging, but when possible, those on the highway make room for those entering the highway. If this is not possible, those merging have to wait. After you pass the merge, you return to the right when possible.

You make it sound as tho those merging onto the highway will go through your car if you are in the rightmost lane? Or cut you off? Sure, move over to avoid this, but go back to the right lane as soon as it's safe to do so.

Why take the risk? If I drove consistently in the right lane I will constantly be changing lanes left to avoid merging traffic. Perhaps if the world were made of perfect drivers you could trust someone on the merging lane to slow down and wait for an opening in traffic but you can't. Most people don't even look over their shoulder until the merging lane is finished. They also probably have no clue if they jam on their breaks that they will be rammed by the person merging behind them.

I have a long trip ahead and I don't need to be in the right lane. I'm moving faster than the traffic that is doing exactly the speed limit or below in that lane. I don't see any reason whatsoever why I can't stay in the middle lane and avoid the hassle of worrying about merging traffic (and they in turn don't have to worry about me!). If anyone wants to pass me the left lane is still available. So now I have best of both worlds: avoiding merging and slow traffic in the right lane and I am no longer hogging the left lane which is still available for passing which I think is the originally peeve most people had.

So do you still find fault with this? Believe me there's enough volume and slower drivers on the 401 in Ontario at least that people will still use the right lane, its not sitting around idle because myself and other drives cruise in the middle lane. And I'm sure I'm not clogging up traffic by doing this either. If you still think I am wrong what is the middle lane used for then? Passing? Isn't that what the left lane is for?

[Lucky1]

Originally Posted by 1HungryMan

In Ontario it is illegal to pass on the right. I know because I got a stupid ticket for it from some cash hungry douchebag cop. He kept telling me "you can fight it, you can fight it" so he could get his three hours paid court time.

There's good reason for this too. One obvious one is that if you pass a large vehicle on the right and can't see traffic around him you might end up running into a merging vehicle. Also, simply, the lanes to the right are not for going faster than the lanes to the left. Pass on the left (not on the right) in Ontario.

[ianc]

if you pass a large vehicle on the right and can't see traffic around him you might end up running into a merging vehicle.

This makes no sense to me. If you are passing a large vehicle on the right, you are either directly behind it, or in the lane to the right of it. Assuming traffic is merging on the right, why would you not be able to see it?

Also, simply, the lanes to the right are not for going faster than the lanes to the left

In a perfect world that would be true. However, with the percentage of morons we have on the road, it doesn't work that way. In CA, passing on the right is fully legal and I'm thankful for that. I sincerely believe it cuts way down on the number of road rage-related deaths each year.

ianc

[bozola]

Although I concur with the frustration that I feel when someone refuses to move right, I always laugh at my thought:

"OBEY THE LAW AND MOVE RIGHT, so I can IGNORE THE LAW AND SPEED"

Keeps me in check

Although if someone refuses to let me pass on a NUMBER of attempts, I usually just follow them as they switch lanes, I figure that since they want me to be behind, I will stay behind. Even when they figure it out and move left, I just stay behind, cuz that is where they want me.

[BlackFlash]

Originally Posted by Lucky1

If you still think I am wrong what is the middle lane used for then? Passing? Isn't that what the left lane is for?

The middle lane is for passing the right lane, and the left lane is for passing the middle lane. Leaving the right lane vacant doesn't make things safer and it just congests the left lane more.

[Lucky1]

Originally Posted by ianc

This makes no sense to me. If you are passing a large vehicle on the right, you are either directly behind it, or in the lane to the right of it. Assuming traffic is merging on the right, why would you not be able to see it?

Because in North America the driver seat is on the left side of the car, it is harder to see around the right side of a large vehicle. If you are far behind him enough you might be able to see to a point but not if you are very close (which is often what people do; they tailgate and then swing right and hit the accelerator, this causes accidents especially if passing on the right). Also keep in mind that you will be risking colliding with slower moving traffic that is using the right lane properly.

[Lucky1]

Originally Posted by BlackFlash

The middle lane is for passing the right lane, and the left lane is for passing the middle lane. Leaving the right lane vacant doesn't make things safer and it just congests the left lane more.

I'm in agreement with you. I'm in the middle lane traveling 120km/hr (which is technically speeding) passing all the traffic in the right lane that is doing the 100 km/hr speed limit. Traffic that needs to travel faster than my rate of speed can use the left lane and speed even more to get around me, settling back in the middle lane to a comfortable speed. No congestion and everyone can travel as fast as they like assuming no one hogs the left lane.

[TheFastestOne35]

Originally Posted by 1HungryMan

We're all relieved that you don't.

See you in Cambridge (usually I'm at the Starbucks there on Saturdays lol)

Which starbucks you go to, c-bridge has 3 now. i go to the one on hespeler rd beside RBC on sat morning

[TheFastestOne35]

Originally Posted by bozola

Although I concur with the frustration that I feel when someone refuses to move right, I always laugh at my thought:

"OBEY THE LAW AND MOVE RIGHT, so I can IGNORE THE LAW AND SPEED"

Keeps me in check

Although if someone refuses to let me pass on a NUMBER of attempts, I usually just follow them as they switch lanes, I figure that since they want me to be behind, I will stay behind. Even when they figure it out and move left, I just stay behind, cuz that is where they want me.

LOL i like your style!!

[spun]

I grew up in the T.O. area, I moved to Vancouver when I was about 20.
If you think its bad there, come out here. Nobody even knows this rule, never mind obeys it.
I went back to T.O. last X-mas, let me tell you, driving on the QEW or the 401 was like a dream compared to what its like out here, my only regret was because it was winter I had to rent a crappy SUV that fell on its face every time I stepped on the gas (Dodge Nitro)

You want to know what bad drivers are like, ha, come out west, where not only do they not move out of your way, they drive 20 kms under the posted speed limit, no one pays attention to what others are doing, its like there the only people on the face of the earth, this includes changing lanes and or merging.
It usually is some middle aged, Asian lady (not to be racist, I hate all bad drivers equally, just the same as old men in hats) in a visor with green plastic on the rim, driving a CLS class Benz (you know the huge tanks) with an AMG package, sitting on a phone book to see over the dash, I'm sorry, why the hell to get the AMG package if you were going to drive it like that. Same thing goes for old men in Mustang GT's...what the hell were you thinking?

The right lane is for driving the left is for passing, if your not going to pass people, get the F*#K out of the left lane!!