Racing to work, to pick up your children from school, or go from one errand to the next not only wastes money and sends harmful emissions into the air, it barely saves you time, new research says.
According to the speeders that I argue with online, you should not be in the left lane if somebody wants to drive faster than you, even if you’re actually passing slower vehicles in the right lane. Speed differentials are dangerous, they say, not speeding. Thus, played out to its logical end, everybody should drive as fast as the fastest driver is willing to go. That’s “keeping up with the flow of traffic.” I call this the Greater Maniac Theory of Traffic Speed.
Regarding passing in the passing lane when someone wants to pass. Firstly, if you wait for the guy behind you to pass you and the slow driver in front of you, when does it end? Pass them and get it over with. Secondly, I drive like truckers do. I set my cruise control at or near the speed limit to conserve fuel (acceleration uses more, cruising uses less, over time it does matter) and pass anyone going slower than me to maintain my speed. But, I’ve found that setting it 1-3 below means most people will push past me. It’s fine if they go around. My ego is not a factor when I drive, nor is my pride, only the safety of me and mine (and you and yours if I can help it). That way, I’m less likely to have to pass someone, and again, people going around me don’t bother me.
Even 10 years ago, it was so nice to just set the cruise control for 69-70MPH (the speed limit), and just… cruise. The gap between my vehicle and the one in front of me was always growing larger, which afforded me plenty of room to see situations developing, avoid slamming on the brakes, and not getting into crashes. (This habit saved me from a multi-car pileup once.)
But now, most semi trucks are speed-governed to 65MPH. It wouldn’t be so bad to cruise along at 65MPH, but now so many cars have adaptive cruise control. The semi truck is going 65, the vehicle with adaptive cruise approaching it from behind has to slow to ~60, and I have to slow to 55 to maintain a safe following distance. And then some asshole decides that I’m driving too slow in the right lane, and rides my bumper.
No, as those people say, it’s not your job to enforce speeds for other drivers, and your estimation of the general traffic speed may differ from somebody else’s. Stay out of the left lane if there’s anybody who feels that the general flow of traffic is actually faster. Let the greater maniac decide the pace.
What do you do when you’re in the left (in the US) lane, passing a semi in the right lane, and one of these greater maniacs comes racing up behind you? (Bonus points if they’re the kind of lead-foot moron who can’t wait for you to safely merge back to the right lane, and tries to pass on the right at the earliest possible moment, disregarding your blinking directional signal.)
I make my intentions clear to the semi and faster driver, I give the semi 2 car lengths and then merge right. If the driver is impatient then I’m already watching and let them go on the right.
Well, that’s wrong and you should be in jail, so I’ve been told. You shouldn’t have been in the left lane at all, if there was somebody who wanted to drive faster.
Lol, I do subscribe to the idea that the left lane is for passing, I just happen to be always passing people. If someone wants to go 20 over traffic though I’m not going to get in their way.
According to the speeders that I argue with online, you should not be in the left lane if somebody wants to drive faster than you, even if you’re actually passing slower vehicles in the right lane. Speed differentials are dangerous, they say, not speeding. Thus, played out to its logical end, everybody should drive as fast as the fastest driver is willing to go. That’s “keeping up with the flow of traffic.” I call this the Greater Maniac Theory of Traffic Speed.
Regarding passing in the passing lane when someone wants to pass. Firstly, if you wait for the guy behind you to pass you and the slow driver in front of you, when does it end? Pass them and get it over with. Secondly, I drive like truckers do. I set my cruise control at or near the speed limit to conserve fuel (acceleration uses more, cruising uses less, over time it does matter) and pass anyone going slower than me to maintain my speed. But, I’ve found that setting it 1-3 below means most people will push past me. It’s fine if they go around. My ego is not a factor when I drive, nor is my pride, only the safety of me and mine (and you and yours if I can help it). That way, I’m less likely to have to pass someone, and again, people going around me don’t bother me.
Even 10 years ago, it was so nice to just set the cruise control for 69-70MPH (the speed limit), and just… cruise. The gap between my vehicle and the one in front of me was always growing larger, which afforded me plenty of room to see situations developing, avoid slamming on the brakes, and not getting into crashes. (This habit saved me from a multi-car pileup once.)
But now, most semi trucks are speed-governed to 65MPH. It wouldn’t be so bad to cruise along at 65MPH, but now so many cars have adaptive cruise control. The semi truck is going 65, the vehicle with adaptive cruise approaching it from behind has to slow to ~60, and I have to slow to 55 to maintain a safe following distance. And then some asshole decides that I’m driving too slow in the right lane, and rides my bumper.
Driving is the worst.
Keep with the flow of traffic, that means the general traffic, not the fastest or slowest car.
No, as those people say, it’s not your job to enforce speeds for other drivers, and your estimation of the general traffic speed may differ from somebody else’s. Stay out of the left lane if there’s anybody who feels that the general flow of traffic is actually faster. Let the greater maniac decide the pace.
(Yes, it’s an uber-stupid argument.)
Ooo, I’m a fast driver, I still won’t get in the way of someone going 20+ over the main speed.
What do you do when you’re in the left (in the US) lane, passing a semi in the right lane, and one of these greater maniacs comes racing up behind you? (Bonus points if they’re the kind of lead-foot moron who can’t wait for you to safely merge back to the right lane, and tries to pass on the right at the earliest possible moment, disregarding your blinking directional signal.)
I make my intentions clear to the semi and faster driver, I give the semi 2 car lengths and then merge right. If the driver is impatient then I’m already watching and let them go on the right.
Well, that’s wrong and you should be in jail, so I’ve been told. You shouldn’t have been in the left lane at all, if there was somebody who wanted to drive faster.
(/s, in case it wasn’t obvious)
Lol, I do subscribe to the idea that the left lane is for passing, I just happen to be always passing people. If someone wants to go 20 over traffic though I’m not going to get in their way.