DIR driving

[cyklon_300]

OK, after surving the 2500-mile banzai xmas roadtrip thru several states and some nasty snowstorms I had plenty of time to observe driving behavior and thought I'd offer the following comments.

As divers, we are all aware of safety-related issues and this topic permeates many of our discussions on the board. But, I wonder if we pay as much attention to safety while driving, which is statistically much more dangerous.

Here's my top two suggestions for safer driving:

Turn your lights ON (front and rear, regardless of weather conditions)...it makes your auto highly visible to other motorists. I was constantly amazed at the number of people driving in zero vis/low light conditions with their lights off. I suggested to one driver at a rest stop that he might want to use his lights, and his comment was that he could 'see' fine without them...kinda of missing the point...

Use the left lane for PASSING only. There were more near-accidents and incidents of road rage caused by people lingering in the left lane (some for hours)...overtake the car in front of you and return to the right lane as soon as it's feasible. And don't hesitate to speed up slightly to accomplish the move, nothing more nerve-wracking than someone unwilling to change their cruise control setting and taking 5 minutets to go by...

Feel free to add yours...

 

[Spectre]

cyklon_300 once bubbled...
Use the left lane for PASSING only. There were more near-accidents and incidents of road rage caused by people lingering in the left lane (some for hours)...overtake the car in front of you and return to the right lane as soon as it's feasible. And don't hesitate to speed up slightly to accomplish the move, nothing more nerve-wracking than someone unwilling to change their cruise control setting and taking 5 minutets to go by...

After driving close to 400 miles on thursday, I was screaming by the end of the trip...

"RULE NUMBER #1. IF THERE IS NO ONE IN FRONT OF YOU, SOMEONE BEHIND YOU, AND SPACE TO YOUR RIGHT. GET THE &@^% OUT OF MY WAY!!!!"

 

[Dryglove]

Spectre once bubbled...


After driving close to 400 miles on thursday, I was screaming by the end of the trip...

"RULE NUMBER #1. IF THERE IS NO ONE IN FRONT OF YOU, SOMEONE BEHIND YOU, AND SPACE TO YOUR RIGHT. GET THE &@^% OUT OF MY WAY!!!!"

Yea that about sums it up for me too.

 

[Cave Diver]

Spectre once bubbled...


After driving close to 400 miles on thursday, I was screaming by the end of the trip...

"RULE NUMBER #1. IF THERE IS NO ONE IN FRONT OF YOU, SOMEONE BEHIND YOU, AND SPACE TO YOUR RIGHT. GET THE &@^% OUT OF MY WAY!!!!"

I can sympathize with your feelings, but if there is room to their right, I normally just use that to go around them myself. When given a choice I prefer to be in the right lane as much as possible. Seems the highway troopers around here dont pay as much attention to the right lane...

 

[Goeduck]

If the lane you are traveling in is closing, for construction or it is an exit only, DON'T WAIT UNTIL THE LAST MINUTE TO SQUEEZE INTO THE NEXT LANE!!!!!

All that does is slows everyone down. If everyone moved over at the first sign of a lane closure, the whole group can get through faster. Ever notice how speeds pick back up after you are past the lane closure? That is because now everyone is on the same page, but when people wait until the last minute to move over, they force someone else to slow down to make room for them and then the next person has to slow down and so on and so on, until it is just a big mess.

Sorry, I am now off my soapbox.

Next?????

 

[Spectre]

Cave Diver once bubbled...



I can sympathize with your feelings, but if there is room to their right, I normally just use that to go around them myself. When given a choice I prefer to be in the right lane as much as possible.

Yes, there is the situation where there is enough space on the right to sensible pass. However, more often than not there is plenty of room for them to move over, me to go by, and them to come back into the left lane to get around the next guy; This doesn't imply there is enough room for me to get between the guy on my right and the guy in front of me, pass the guy in front of me, and get back into the left lane safely in front of the guy. It's a lot safer for someone to move right into a 5 car length 'gap' when travelling 3 miles an hour faster than them, than for someone behind the person to pass in that 5 car length section.

That's when I start screaming...

One of these days I'm gonna turn into one of those jerks that flashes with their headlights to get you out of my way...

 

[Cave Diver]

Spectre once bubbled...
One of these days I'm gonna turn into one of those jerks that flashes with their headlights to get you out of my way...

Why do you think all us Texans drive them big ole 4wd trucks? It's so we can either push you outta the way, or just plain drive over ya!

 

[djhall]

Spectre once bubbled...

"RULE NUMBER #1. IF THERE IS NO ONE IN FRONT OF YOU, SOMEONE BEHIND YOU, AND SPACE TO YOUR RIGHT. GET THE &@^% OUT OF MY WAY!!!!"

Oh, but Spectre, that would make far too much sense! Don't you realize it is their god given duty to act as self-appointed guardians of the speed limit? Driving 20mph slower than everyone else in the fast lane is obviously a safe and effective method of reducing the danger created by drivers now swerving in and out of packed lanes of cars in a desperate attempt to escape the artificial traffic jam crated by refusal to allow others to pass. After all, moving to the right and allowing others to pass would create an unacceptable situation in which these drivers simply drove blissfully and safely along at a high rate of speed in the left hand lane!

If only I could display your words on a scrolling electronic sign at the top of my windshield. It never fails to amaze me that, when you've finally succeed in battling your way past them on the right, they have the nerve to look over at you and give you a look as if to say, "How rude! What's the matter with you? Don't you know how to drive?" ME? Hey, buddy, look in your rearview mirror! See the chaos of cars climbing all over each other? That's because you won't move the **** over!

Auuughhhhhh!!!!!!!! I feel your pain!

 

[Goeduck]

Cave Diver once bubbled...



Why do you think all us Texans drive them big ole 4wd trucks? It's so we can either push you outta the way, or just plain drive over ya!

Hey buddy, I can tell you right now that your big ole 4wd truck is nothing but a toy to the 18 wheeler commercial rig I drive. So, who's gonna push or drive over who?

Heh, Heh

 

[Cave Diver]

Goeduck once bubbled...


Hey buddy, I can tell you right now that your big ole 4wd truck is nothing but a toy to the 18 wheeler commercial rig I drive. So, who's gonna push or drive over who?

Heh, Heh

My comment was targeted at normal cars and trucks. I have found that *most* commercial drivers are curteous and the majority of the problems involving them have to do with the avg joe driver that doesn't understand that something weighing several tens of thousands of pounds don't stop or manuever like grannies cadillac.

It' very seldom that I ever encounter an 18 wheeler 'hogging' the left lane or that irritates me with the way they drive.

But hey, if ya can catch me.... hehehe