Road rager on Beltway 8

[frazzled]

While I'm on the subject of roadblocks and passing I know not everyone has cruise control, but at least try keep a constantish speed, especially if you just passed me doing 80, and then pull in front of me. If you slow down below what my cruise control is set at (generally 72 in 65's, 77 in 70's), I will move to the left lane, and pass you. This is nothing personal, it is just the speed at which I desire to keep driving. It's more just annoying then an actual problem, but I fear that some day someone's going to take it personal that I keep passing them, even though my speed doesn't change.

This is a peave of mine. I do a good bit of highway driving and this happens frequently. I notice people on cellphones will do this. They get on the phone and slow down. get off the phone and pick up speed.

[flb_78]

Looks like all that specialized high intensity training in Germany....


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Training isn't the answer to making people better drivers, it's when folks finally realize that the world doesn't revolve around them. I was riding in Colorado this weekend and the most incourteous drivers had were driving big silly trucks with Texas plates. Climbing up a 5% grade, there was a dipstick driving 5 under the speed limit in the left lane when there were several signs telling slower traffic to stay right. Trucks not using their turn signals. You name it, it happened.

If one is driving on a 4 lane highway, then one should be in the right hand lane unless passing. Driving on a 6 lane highway, drive in the middle lane so the left lane is used for passing and the right lane is used for entering and exiting the highway.

[austin-tatious]

Looks like all that specialized high intensity training in Germany....


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Training isn't the answer to making people better drivers, it's when folks finally realize that the world doesn't revolve around them.

While I agree that driver's attitudes are crucial, training is important and the training we are talking about is staying to the right and using the left lane(s) for passing.

Regardless of the training issue, the courtesy of the German drivers was excellent when I was on the autobahn whether the traffic was bumper to bumper stop-and-go or wide open light traffic at average speeds of 180 kph (about 114 mph).

[FlynJay]

It does help that the traffic laws on the autobahn are strictly enforced. Where the rules here are not.

[Liberty]

I have driven the autobahn in Germany twice now. What dicion describes is what they do there. Each time was over 1,000 miles for a one week's visit. Both times were marvelous experiences of courteous and efficient drivers.

But back to the topic! Instead of totally ignoring the road rager, What do you think of a smiling eye-contact and nod to them at first encounter, then back off while ignoring them from that point so they can go on their way?

The autobahn no speed limit, I agree our speed limits are silly and we should be allowed to use our own judgement, I find it kinda funny that people are complaining that other folks have no respect for their desire to break the law which they apparently have no respect for. I do see the police use this technique to keep traffic down particularly in Louisianna

[rdcrags]

You guys have done an excellent job on this subject, so I probably should not even join in. But I must because the opinion of my wife of 53 years is involved. Some people don't understand me on this driving issue. Take my wife. Please! (Henney Youngman). I grew up with the U.S. freeway system. Remember when Texans vowed none of them would ever collect tolls?

Fib_78, Twice a year we drive to a place 72 miles west of Denver and back from Houston and stop in Amarillo each way. Since 1972, actually. In this thread, the distinction has rightfully been made between 2 lanes each way and 3 lanes each way, and how the issue is practically absent with 3 lanes. My route through Amarillo is at least 3 lanes everywhere there is significant traffic, which is for 15 minutes twice a day (Houston, Oh My God!). The disagreement with my wife, to whom one must give into occasionally to stay married, if one in fact wants to, is where there are 2 lanes each way through cities such as Pueblo, Colorado Springs, and parts of Denver, which we now can easily bypass on I 470. In these cities where there is merging traffic entering in continual streams every 1/4 mile, I prefer to stay in the left lane at 5-7 over for the entire 10 minutes or so and whiz through town without continually braking and speeding up to avoid collisions while merging. It is relaxing to me. But, maybe during that time someone back there wants to whiz through faster, or more often there is a local who enters, goes 20 over for two exits and turns off. But that's his business, not mine. Actually, I learned this non-merging technique commuting to work across New Orleans for 3 years, a technique I credit to saving my life many times. Maybe I'm selfish wanting to relax tooling through places like that. Fort Worth and Oklahoma City are other good examples, although Ft. Worth has improved measurably by widening 35W over the last 10 years. Anyhow, I am bad in my wife's view, and probably half of yours, too. So, let's hear it.

BTW, I have traveled by rented cars, government cars with drivers, and taxis in 58 countries outside of the U.S., in most instances as passenger. I have driven myself on the left and the right, including on some of the autobahns.

Ralph

[rgoldy]

I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but I am pretty sure that quite a lot of the autobahns now DO have spreed limits. Especially in the vicinity of towns. There are still large sections that are for all intents unlimited speed, but not nearly
so many as in the past. I highly recommend that if you find yourself on one of those sections and are not capable of in excess of 150mph, you had best stay out of the left lanes altogether.
Unfortunately, I spent quite a lot of time there and acquired bad habits about only using the left lane for passing, and giving way to faster units if asked, and maybe even if not asked. I dont think the 10seconds sacrificed to the old "drive friendly" attitude will make a significant difference in my arrival time.

[rdcrags]

Not that it matters much, but I would like to correct a statement I made: I have been in 58 cities in 35 countries outside the U.S., not counting just changing planes, not 58 countries as I said in my previous post.

Also, if pressed, I will describe the "4-7 driving technique" for freeways with 3 lanes each way. It is also controversial. My wife says I should never be encouraged to expound, so it is your choice. I don't believe you have covered it.

Ralph

[bdickens]

I distinctly remember there being a 120KPH speed limit on much of the Autobahns.

[austin-tatious]

I distinctly remember there being a 120KPH speed limit on much of the Autobahns.

There were speed limits around major cities (such as Frankfort, Hamburg, Munich, Berlin, etc.) when I was there. However, once outside major population centers, there were none.

[DoubleJ]

Also, if pressed, I will describe the "4-7 driving technique" for freeways with 3 lanes each way. It is also controversial. My wife says I should never be encouraged to expound, so it is your choice. I don't believe you have covered it.

Ralph

do tell.

[austin-tatious]

Also, if pressed, I will describe the "4-7 driving technique" for freeways with 3 lanes each way. It is also controversial. My wife says I should never be encouraged to expound, so it is your choice. I don't believe you have covered it.

Ralph

do tell.

Yes, I am encouraging you to expound.

[rdcrags]

All right, I will describe the “4-7 driving technique” for freeways 3 lanes each way. It’s a little long:

Envision traffic as being heavy but moving at an average speed of 35 mph. From ground level you see most of the people driving too closely with brake lights flashing all over the place as the cars speed up and slow down 10 seconds or so each time. Some cars are weaving in and out, also speeding up and slowing down. One of the weavers, John, has a 45 minute commute to work and will beat his co-worker non-weaver Joe to the coffee pot at work anywhere from 15 seconds to 2 minutes depending on if he makes a traffic light that Joe misses after exiting the freeway.

Viewed from the air from a traffic engineer’s helicopter, what does he see? Mostly, he sees the oscillating movement of the flowing traffic, maybe each lane moving at a slightly different average speed, but all with this jerking motion caused by everyone trying to constantly minimize the air space between his car and the car in front of him as though it is a duty to perform.

But he notices something else: Here and there he sees a car in the middle lane driving the average speed of 50 mph but with no jerking motion that would signify constant braking and acceleration. How is the driver doing it, and won’t that give him a more relaxing ride to work and allow him to arrive at the same time? The engineer sees that the clearance in front of the steadily traveling car is varying from 4 to 7 car lengths. Periodically, when there are 7 car lengths, a weaver from one of the other lanes moves in front of his car for about 10 seconds and then moves to another lane. Because the steadily moving car always has at least 4 car lengths in front, at 35 mph he hardly ever needs to brake. So, he is on cruise control, and no one else is. He arrives at work more relaxed from not fighting the traffic.

A question for debate is: Are these guys who are in the middle lane, driving at times with 7 car lengths in front and on cruise control, creating a bottleneck in the traffic and maybe even constituting a hazard? The traffic engineer will not think so. He will consider them the smartest drivers and wonder why more people aren’t doing it. Comments, please.
Ralph

[dicion]

A question for debate is: Are these guys who are in the middle lane, driving at times with 7 car lengths in front and on cruise control, creating a bottleneck in the traffic and maybe even constituting a hazard? The traffic engineer will not think so. He will consider them the smartest drivers and wonder why more people aren’t doing it. Comments, please.
Ralph

You are correct. This is the way to Fix traffic.

Most Open-Road (meaning non-accident, lane closure, etc) traffic comes from lane changing/mergings & the reaction time delay of people driving. For example, if Car A Cuts off car B, or even just pulls in front of him to merge, and Car B has to tap, or slams on the brakes because of Car A, then Car C, Right behind Car B, will push on the brakes behind him for even longer. Car F pushes on the brakes so long that he actually comes to a stop for 3 seconds, then resumes moving, Car G behind them will also hit the brakes, and come to a stop, but then will also wait to see Car F moving before he goes, maybe an addition or 1-2 seconds. By the time you get down to car Z... he's waiting 45 seconds at a dead stop.

By never stopping, or having to slam on the brakes, you do not get the 'additive effect of stop and go driving' as I like to call it.

Btw, I work in traffic, with traffic engineers on a daily basis... When people ride a merge lane till the very end, and then cut in, I just feel like strangling them. They apparently are oblivious to the fact that the lane they're merging into is so backed up precisely because people keep doing that! If everyone merged into a lane as soon as they could, rather then waiting till the last second there would be a LOT less traffic. But no, Every single person on the road is _The_ most important person out there... forget everyone else, _They_ need to get where theyre going fast! Just because Car A felt that he needed to race to the front and cut in, Car Z is now delayed 45 seconds. Multiply that by all the people who do that on the road (a lot) and viola, you have a parking lot!

[rdcrags]

"When people ride a merge lane till the very end, and then cut in, I just feel like strangling them." [Sorry, haven't mastered the quote feature yet}

I agree. In addition, we should fault the engineers when they don't provide enough length of entrance ramp to accelerate enough to merge safely.

BTW, in my previous post, I should have stayed with the same cruising (average) speed throughout the example, 35 mph. My bad.

Ralph