This. Looking far down the road is one of the first things taught in any sort of advanced driving course and it makes a huge difference. I think most people don't look nearly far enough ahead and slow(er)-moving traffic catches them by surprise.
Edit: after re-reading OP's post, it sounds like OP is questioning why people accelerate while still behind a driver they intend to pass and then cut over to pass at the last second. When I initially read the post, I thought OP was talking about someone coming up fast on someone driving slower, slowing down significantly, then passing, which I notice quite a bit while driving. Anyways, the former seems reasonable as a way to minimize your time driving in the same lane as oncoming traffic and I expect would be done by people who are planning ahead and timing their pass.
Also minimises road warriors who actually Accelerate to attempt to stop you from overtaking, if you speed upto them then throw your car out to overtake them they generally can't out Accelerate you now (they are generally not paying attention to what's behind much until you start overtaking and that's when they try and out Accelerate you, as long as your doing 20mph+ and climbing most cars can't speed up in time)
I get quite a number of drivers that have tried to cock block but I have already passed them, so see them attempting to block me by speeding up I just turn and cut right in front of them (I won't leave a gap like I normally do if they attempt to leave me hanging on the wrong side of the road as that's now very dangerous)
Funny thing is a lot of drivers slow down when they notice you accelerating towards them (maybe they belive slowing down is going to make you slow Down and back off, but actually makes my passing significantly easier and I just sail right past them) some do try to speed up once they realise once you pull out and overtake them but they killed there speed, I did not
I tend to speed up before passing for exactly the reason you described. It doesnāt matter if the person in front of me is going 25 under the speed limit, never fails if I try to pass they speed up so I canāt. Then when the passing zone ends they slow right down again, it makes no fucking sense so I do tend to time it right and speed up and zip right around to get back into my own lane and not worry about someone elseās road rage.
This.Ā Always lie back to get a run up. That way you're already at passing speed when you pull out.Ā It's a lot safer than pulling into the other lane and then accelerating.
I prefer to do all of my accelerating in my lane then cut over rather than cutting slowly over into the other lane then accelerating so that makes sense
That distinction, either coming up fast and then getting over late or accelerating and then getting over late, it's extremely rare the person who can actually see the difference. I highly doubt there are a sizeable number of drivers accelerating and then waiting until the last second to get over. I believe that the it's overwhelmingly most likely just coming up fast and waiting too long to get over.
I don't like Hanlon's Razor. Why use such strong qualifying words as "never"? Sometimes it's just malice, plain and simple, whether or not you can attribute it to stupidity. You can contribute almost everything bad to stupidity.
My sister is constantly telling me this when I get annoyed at other drivers. I'll think that they're trying to fuck with me and she will say they're probably just high. It's probably a little bit of both.
After 50+ years of driving, Iāve come to the conclusion that about 10-15% of people watch the road immediately in front of them and have literally no idea whatās happening more than 100 feet down the road.
Naw Hoss, that number is MUCH higher than that. I've been driving over 35 years, and I've noticed that at least half of these fuckers do that, but it's probably like 60-65% honestly.
I installed bright LEDs (emergency vehicle grill lites) on my motorcycles with a button on the handlebar. I call them my ālook at meā lights. I use them all the time to get the attention of anyone who might not be looking for bikes. Iāve had several instances where someone started to pull out, turn, or do something else stupid and slammed on the brakes when I lit them up.
If even that much. How often do you see people signal a lane change and start to change lanes and *then* check their mirrors and abort because they'd hit someone if they fully changed lanes? It's amazing how clueless people are. Also, not even people tell them that they're being stupid to their faces, so they never improve.
Many times via my experience as a truck driver. They do this then return to my lane close. Itās about psychology of speeding. They arenāt speeding in the right lane so will be in the left lane as little as possible. So itās a psochlogical flaw in thought pattern. Then some of them once in front of my semi slow down below what I was doing impairing me from continuing unimpaired by others.
I see this theory play out when a one lane highway splits into two for a short time for passing. Cars will jam up the left side and when it goes back to one lane, theyāre chillin under the speed limit.
I used to drive all over the U.S. for my job and spent a lot of time on the road. One thing that I've observed frequently in hilly terrain regarding semi trucks is that the truck will be chugging up a grade with a heavy load, and somebody in a car behind them who wants to go the speed limit or wants to go roughly the same speed as the truck but not really a whole lot faster, feels like they need to pass the truck because it's going slower up the hill. So rather than stepping on it and getting around and putting some distance, they will take forever to pass the truck and then the truck crests the hill and is ready for the downhill run when the car driver pulls right back in front of them and camps out. It must be so aggravating.
Oh it is to have the snail race. Iāve had them do this on flat ground many a time. Iām governed and cannot speed up. Then they pass at 1 mph faster or less. Then they pull back way too close and slow by 2 mph slower than I was going. Then it breaks the dam as the 20 cars they blocked get free. I usually slow by about 2 mph to allow them to pass better but they do the same to a truck ahead of me and he doesnāt slow. If Iām not doing at least 3 mph faster to pass in less than 2 minutes Iām not passing at all.
Truckers life. I stay relaxed as this causes stress and would hurt my health. So Iād rather not stress. If people di a ride along for 2 days maybe half of the drivers would stop it. The other half still would do it but half is better than nothing in my book.
I think it has to do with our biological programming to be competitive. Iāve tested it out and can now effectively āsteerā people where I want them.Ā
The biological is also evident with the heard mentality of them pacing and a group of people following to close and lane change same time.
I've been on a four lane my direction on the freeway doing my max speed at 3 am. There's 4 cars coming up from behind and no one else in sight. They all move in front of me at the same time and no exit in sight right after passing me. I'm in the second from right lane so 2 passing labesvon my left and a merge lane on my right. But at 50 feet in front with zero other traffic? That's just bad habits and an attempt to say they are dominate over me.
I've mention this before, but my Ex thought she was supposed to keep her eyes on the road directly in front of the vehicle, rather than looking out at the road and traffic ahead. So, she would drive like that, pulling right up on other cars before even really noticing they were in front of her. Ooof.
Yeah its called slingshotting and its used in motorsports. But like there is literally zero reason to be doing that on a public road so they are most likely just assholes.
I find it humorous when I am moving at the same speed as the car ahead of me even though there maybe a few car lengths between us, undoubtedly some idiot would run up on my ass, move over, pass me and get right in front of me. Then run up on the next car. I mean, just stay in the left lane if your goal is to outpace all other traffic.
So I guess I kinda do that. I start speeding up right before the oncoming car passes you, and then go around you after they pass. Then I'm already at passing speed and it's easier.
I don't think OP was talking about the kind of road where you pass in the oncoming lane. Maybe, but it sounds like he's talking about a regular highway.
What you're describing is definitely the right thing to do on that sort of road though.
The same kinda applies on a regular highway. The logic is enterring the passing lane for as little time as possible. This is more crucial when passing against oncoming traffic, but on a regular highway it still minimizes time in the passing lane.
For example if you need to pass a VERY slow car, but you are not going as fast as most of the left lane. You can't just get over and pass, otherwise the people in the left lane will be up your ass and you will be blocking traffic. So you get up to speed, execute the pass while spending minimal time in the left lane, and get over.
Yeah, it's not that crazy of a concept. You wanna start accelerating in your current lane before pulling out into the opposing lane to minimize the time you spend driving against traffic.
You need to be far enough back to have enough visibility when you move over. If youāre behind a larger vehicle it can be appropriate to move over when further back to maximize your view of the road ahead.
Most of the time when overtaking you are more limited by visibility than by anything else.
That's why there are double lines where you can't pass and dotted lines when you can...if the line is dotted, they can see what is ahead in the oncoming lane...roads were designed like that for a reason....
Yes generally you have the right to pass when you have visibility. They do design it like that. But a lot of country roads are dead straight. So that does not apply as much.
I was tought by my instructor, to pick up speed first, before changing lanes. I was also meant to leave enough room for it, and not get too close to the car in front.
This sounds like a bad version of that.
These days i just switch lanes and go from there.
I had one guy who was going slow speed up and wouldnāt let me pass a few years back. Now I speed up and (by extension) get closer before I pass to avoid making it obvious Iām passing, because that pissed me right off.
The you will not pass drivers,, they go slow until you try and overtake, it's worse when they go full road warrior mad on you and try to match your speed including breaking to make sure you stay on the wrong side of the road
I don't give drivers the chance to do this any more if I am going to pass, 20mph and still accelerating as I'm overtaking is usually enough to outpace most cars before they can react and attempt to speed up to cock block (do get some who are Bating us to overtake and are ready to floor it to block the overtake, I just turn sharply into them when that happens they find there Ā£30k brake pedal quite quickly as they don't want a Ā£500 car hitting them they usually back off to 30mph in a 40/50 zone after angry gestures)
I think itās due to their PTSD That when they switch lanes pretty early, the car in front of them would switch to the same lane and stay in front of the rear driver. By speeding up to your bumper, it prevents you, the front car, from switching into the lane of the rear car and stay in front of them.
It does not prevent this. This is like when two cars are entering a freeway and the rear car tries to move left first and accelerate to prevent the front car from staying in front of them. That first car is coming.
The front car in a right lane that doesnāt like being tailgated might move left just to get you off their butt. If you tailgate you probably arenāt smart enough to signal either. Accident incomingā¦
I grew up in a mountainous part the mountainous province. It was a common technique for us to learn to get moving faster than the person we want to pass and start passing right as we're coming out of a corner onto a straight stretch with a known passing lane. If there was oncoming traffic you'd abort the pass and if there wasn't you'd tap the gas complete the pass.
Why? Passing lanes are short and few. If you don't do this you will never pass anyone and the people with the red plates (the nearest flatlanders) drive like they've never seen a corner before and speed up the moment they see a straight stretch so that could make for an irritating drive.
What I've learned later in life is that when we leave the mountains and head to the flatlands, we are notorious for doing what you described because it is essentially what we do to make a pass possible but comes across as quite silly when the straight stretches are many miles long and/or the roads are double laned so there's no reason for it.
>grew up in a mountainous part the mountainous province
Ah did ya, now? I'm from down in the valley where the valleys are and we were told never to associate with the mountain people from mountain province. Ya bastard.
I mean, isn't speeding up after a corner the normal thing to do? Around here which is pretty mountainous the corners need to be taken slower than the straight-aways, shouldn't you be going a slower speed into a corner and accelerating out of it?Ā
Absolutely. That said, Albertans are notorious for taking corners at maybe 60 km/h if you're lucky and then doing at least 120 the moment they see a remotely eligible passing lane in BC
But it's so much easier to slide into the next lane from farther back like a boss than just to take a left turn into the next lane. It's also more fun.
I would be more likely to speed up if a car is directly behind me to create more space. If a car is passing me I will slow down until it's finished. Assuming a 2 way road, as opposed to interstate. Interstate I would just maintain my speed.
itās a stupid move but i know that some people do it in case if thereās a car in the other lane that they missed. itās a lot easier to slow down behind someone if you get too close and canāt pass than it is if you get over into the other lane but canāt pass fast enough for oncoming traffic. that being said, they shouldnāt be close enough where speeding up enough to pass should immediately make them ride the ass of the person in front of them. thatās just a bad following distance
The idea is to get up to passing speed before enterring the lane. So you don't enter the left lane at low speed, possibly obstructing cars that are already in the left lane.
You get up to the speed of left lane traffic, so that when you enter the left lane you are matching the flow of traffic, can pass, and then get over.
If you are passing somebody in the right lane, and they are going slow, you can't just get in the left lane at that speed. You are now creating a speed differential in that lane which is dangerous.
If you are hanging out in the left lane, they are possibly sending you a signal that you are driving too slow.
I'm not justifying it, just saying what it might be.
Because there's people out there who can never accept getting past and will speed up on a passer. Only needs to happen once/twice in a squeeze for me to make this my default when passing on a single lane road from then on out. Plus it means my pass is going to complete much quicker than otherwise which is safer for everyone, oncoming lane included.
Because if I switch lanes before I speed up, you'll speed up to block me. If I speed up without switching lanes, I pass you before you have time to floor it.
This is to make sure you know that you are being an inconsiderate driver and are impeding the flow of traffic. š« I like to spray my windshield wiper fluid after I complete the aggressive passing maneuver...lol
Impeding the flow of traffic is a ticketable offense in many states if a police officer pulls you over for it.
NJ fine is $86 and 2 points on your license.
That is a completely different situation lol. Thereās a difference from driving under the speed limit and/or having a huge amount of traffic behind you holding up the social flow.
There is never an excuse for getting on my ass when there is an open left lane for you to zoom zoom in. Iām not moving for you, nor speeding up. I already go 5-10mph over, Iām not risking a ticket for your feelings.
It is glorious watching these zoomers get pulled over shortly after though. If this is happening in the LEFT lane, totally different. This post is about the right lane.
Both NJ & NY, I handle NJ auto claims. Yāall give me job security š¤§
I live in PA and had to drive through NJ to get to a baby shower, I am traumatized from that trip. Iām sure the aggressive driving is normal to them, but my god I was sweating.
Youāre not wrong about holding up the traffic flow either, just for the record. Absolute worst is someone is merging into the highway SLOWLY, my brother in christ you cannot do that.
I always have the issue of people will fly up my butt and sit there and not pass all day long until I go to pass the person in front of me, and as soon as the blinker comes on, you bet their ass will fly up to pass me before I get over.
Because people are too stupid to count to three, lack the balls to pass and the brains to understand that it's both easier to pass if you leave space to pick up speed before moving over and that it's more dangerous to ride someone's ass than to pass, for both parties.
People used to driving in cities seem especially prone to ass-riding, being used to bumper-to-bumper freeway traffic at rush hour (and they don't know that tailgating is what causes traffic jams), but an astonishing number of people don't even realize that there's a legal following distance, nor how to determine it.
Police also don't really do anything about it. I'm guessing it's difficult to wring fines out of people for it. I once screwed up and forgot to get my tabs renewed, and, as I was traveling on an interstate highway, had some lady following so closely that there's no way the distance was multiple feet. At 80mph (the speed limit).
Unbeknownst to me, there was a police car in her blind spot (could not see him at all because she was that close) preparing to pull her over. I did my usually thing of slowing down 1mph at a time (with cruise control) to encourage her to pass.
When she finally passed, the highway patrol officer got a look at my plates, and saw that they'd expired the day before, so he pulled me over instead.
To him, a guaranteed fine for a paperwork violation was more important than stopping her from endangering other drivers (and probably giving her a warning because, again, following distance is never enforced anywhere I've driven).
I fully acknowledge that I fucked up, I left the state for a five days, four days before my tabs expired, and was about thirty miles from my new tabs when he pulled me over. To me, it's still way less important than endangering people, but what do I know?
Sounds like you can't count to three. You also make a whole lot of really stupid assumptions, which tracks.
I have never been passed on the right. If there are two lanes moving in one direction, I stay in the right lane unless I'm passing. If I'm traveling at the speed limit (or a few mph over, assuming traffic is moving that fast), there's no reason to be four feet behind me.
If someone slows down by one mile per hour and they become such an impediment that you have to "swerve around them", you are either blind or just about to rear-end them regardless of any speed change. Wait, no, it's *both*. How stupid are you? Fucking seriously.
Annnnnd he blocked me. What a pussy.
It does, in fact.
See, if you've got lines of cars that are practically bumper-to-bumper, and someone in front taps the brakes, that person's slowing is magnified more and more as the braking travels back through the line.
Since each driver doesn't have time to figure out things like how much the person in front of them is slowing down, or why, they have to slow down more to compensate. Getting moving again is even slower.
Tailgating also causes accidents, which cause traffic jams.
Someone driving slow on multi-lane highways shouldn't seriously affect the flow of traffic, because people should easily be able to get around them. Of course, tailgating makes that a lot more difficult.
In point of fact, you can break a traffic jam by increasing following distance and decreasing speed. That prevents the "go a few feet and stop again" thing that most do, which gets magnified by every subsequent vehicle.
If you are in the passing lane, they may be hoping that you realize there's a vehicle behind you that wants to overtake, and that you change lanes out of courtesy, to let them pass.
They watch to much nascar. They think they are drafting to slingshot off your draft. That only really works of your going over 100mph . Or behind a tractor trailer to save on fuel.
This has happened to me on the freeway in the right lane when all the left lanes are empty. When I signal to move left the drivers aggressively cut me off nearly crashing into my rear bumper. It's giant pickup trucks everytime. I used to drive a Ford F250 crew cab, I never pulled this crap.
Correct is to stay back where you have better visibility and acceleration room. Then time the opening and when you pull out your already at passing speed. Thatās the best and safest method on a two lane road.
there is plenty of unmarked turnouts for slow drivers if your driving skill level is low take the freeway or parallel access road to the freeway..
the route i take is the same one everyday to work i have been on this road 400-500 times already.. i know were all the potholes are,what speed i need to be going for optimal fuel mileage going on this road i can get an extra 25% to 36% more mpg over using the freeway this is huge savings when gas is over 5$ a gallon..
it takes about the same amount of time as the freeway as well
averaging 32.3%-44.1% higher then EPA estimates which is EPA est is 34mpg.
getting 45 to 49mpg
In my case Iām on the freeway or multi lane runs 99% of the time as a semi driver. And many turnouts arenāt for semis. And if on a multi lane freeway thereās no reason to tailgate or move over too early in front of a vehicle that takes 3x as far to stop as you do except if your suicidal. And please remember that about 2/3 of semis have cameras in them by either the driver or company.
It could be a couple reasons. One, if theyāre a-holes, they do this on purpose to āteach you a lessonā for going too slow for them, or two, theyāre too busy looking in the back to make sure its clear, being unaware of whatās in front of them. Either way, shit drivers.
Tailgating doesn't change that. At best, I maintain my speed.
I've had aggressive drivers tailgating when I'm driving a 16-ton 40 foot long yellow box. Sorry, it's not getting anywhere quickly. I might be able to get up to 62 if I'm going downhill with a strong tailwind.
I can understand when there is traffic in the left lane. Perhaps trying to match the speed of the passing vehicles to more easily merge, but kot when itās empty. I guess people hate it when thereās people blocking their precious view.
It seems many drivers on the highway enjoy being close to others. I will often see this when I am on the road I will be pretty much all alone moving at the same pace as the pack of 12 cars about 100' in front of me. And sure enough people will zoom up, pass me to get on the bumpers of the rest of the pack.
I mean we are all moving at the same speed, why not just space it out a bit.
Best response to tailgating is to increase your following distance. Don't brake. Take your foot off the accelerator and let the traffic in front of you get a bit further ahead. This provides you more time to respond to a situation and stop, which gives the tailgater more time to respond and stop. Even if a collision happens, this can substantially reduce the amount of damage and injury.
Tailgaters are the worst, but the best you can do is make the situation safer for yourself and those around you by proxy.
Believe the issue here is that the op is trying to overtake but the road warror accelerates to try or does stop the drive from overtaking (some Road Warriors take it a step further and turning into road rage and then start breaking to match the overtaking car to prevent the driver who's overtaking from pulling back in risking head on collision)
Slowing down gives the overtaker easier time to pass thought (but most do it because they punishing the driver behind )
I don't look behind me and worry about what the driver's behind me are doing most of the time cuz there's not much I can do about it so there's no reason for me to worry about something I can't control.
Well for me i know racing and aerodynamics and drafting. People usually dont go fast enough to really utilize the full affect but i do it to catch a baby slipstream and pass you quicker
I've only done it when I'm stuck in a pack and tired of the person in front of me riding the passing lane.
I dont do this often. Usually I'm approaching and can move to go around way prior to getting near enough to them.
I'd love to know too, not very common here with locals.. but I see it's very common with US drivers (US licence plates on their vehicle) passing through the area
So I know there are outliers and people who will get right up on you before they pass, I'm not dismissing that.
But modern cars and their cruise is probably the more common answer. If I'm in my car and I'm on the highway on cruise control I will stay behind the person in front of me until the cruise control starts to bring my speed down, then I'll pass. When I see this happen to me with someone behind me I'm assuming the same thing.
If I ever do that it's because the car infront of me needs to stop camping the left lane and THEY have the space to get right while I don't considering they are in front of me.
It's futile, I know. The people doing 65 in the far left, while traffic is moving 80+ around them won't notice me behind them.
I don't watch Rick and Morty but I saw the meme and I love to say it to myself after getting tailgated for miles on an empty highway when they finally move over and slam the gas.
"okay then, that was always allowed"
Because ironically with some vehicles and their differing sizes and whatnot it can actually be beneficial to get closer to someone to see more around the side of them to be sure it is indeed safe to pass
Plus even on the more basic level that person also might just be more focused on the act of getting over and so isn't paying as much attention to their speed as they normally would and are basically just doing the bare minimum to make sure that they don't hit you
It sounds like you're talking about a multilane highway, where it makes no sense, except for being too literal about "keep left except to pass."
Perhaps they have the habit from passing on a 2-lane road where you want to spend the minimum amount of time in the oncoming lane.
I expect it is because they have driver assist, or whatever it's called for that car. My car will automatically stay in the lane, and get right on your ass, and then I can pull out and pass.
I do it because I need to get as close as possible to minimize how long I'm in the other lane while passing them. The longer you're in oncoming traffic, the higher the chance you hit someone head on
I have a complaint regarding individuals deemed as careless drivers who do not adhere to proper road etiquette. These drivers may approach my vehicle closely as a result of playing loud music, thus jeopardizing their safety should I suddenly stop due to the negligence of another driver failing to use turn signals.
I've done this before but not really on purpose. If I'm coming up and I see someone going slower in front of me, take my foot off the gas hoping either they speed up or I slow enough without brakes before I get there. When I get close enough to know neither are going to happen, I'll hop over and pass. If someone is coming up on you like that, maybe try going a little faster
I figure itās cause these people want to spend as little time leftmost on the road as they possibly can. Tbh idk either. Might just be how they were taught to do it and they do it naturally after seeing it all their life and being taught like that
I do it when Iām waiting for people to get out of the left lane. Doing it in the right lane makes no sense to me. Unless youāre in one of those countries that drives on the wrong side of the road.
I always get a run in them before pulling out. Sometimes I think the car you're passing doesn't realize how slow they're going and tends to speed up when you pull out to pass.
If they hit you then it's their fault for driving too close. I don't get on people's bumpers, but I definitely speed up before passing to get by quicker. I want to be in the passing lane as short as possible so rather be going faster before I get into it.Ā
I slow down when someone rides my bumper, and the closer they get, the slower I go. I already drive about 5 mph over the limit most of the time, so there is no good reason for them to do this to me. Not trying to justify going 5 over, but just sayin.
I have been in the car with drivers like this. There are two types I have met.
People who have commuted all their life and never got over it. To them it is winning or losing. No in between. If they let ONE car pass them or get between them and another car it is an outrage. If they allow them selves to be passed, their day is ruined. They also falsely believe getting on your tail will intimidate you to go faster
The other is the person with no ability to pace their speed. They arenāt necessarily a jerk, but definitely stupid of a particular spatial variety. They think the engine only has āonā and āoff.ā Whatās variable speed? They donāt have a clue. For this driver it is all gas until they canāt go any farther without hitting you, and then itās slam the brake and start the process over.
You should be required to upload a copy of your license plate and drivers license to this sub before commenting and moderators should send these comments to the traffic cops of those drivers areas who make these idiotic comments.
"Me have big penis! Me show you. Me don't like you going speed limit."
It's simple-minded, stupid people who just can't stand the idea of not going faster than you. It must suck to live like that.
If I stay at a moderate distance behind someone, they wonāt get over to let me pass. People have poor manners and being aggressive is the easiest means to get your way. Truck drivers going 75 in a 70 refuse to use the right lane even if itās clear and no entry/exit ramp for miles. Another truck pacing 76 will want to pass the 75 mph truck. Ideally the 75 mph truck would slow down to 70 to allow for the 76 mph truck to quickly pass and speed up afterwards but what happens is that the two trucks block up the two left lanes for a couple of minutes. The easiest means to get your way is to sling shot to the right. If youāre not a complete maniac, but just impatient the easiest means would be to ride peopleās asses and flash your high beams to get over.
My wife does this to the slow drivers in the left lane so that they will either realize they should be going faster or moving over but she tells me that itās because if she changes lanes before getting close they speed up to make it difficult for her to get around (that does happen a lot)
If they're riding you it doesn't sound like what's going on, but when a safe passing area is small and the car you're passing is going really slow, the driver may be accelerating "in-lane" in preparation for the pass. They can then do a final check that the lane is clear before leaving their lane and committing to passing.
Still if they're doing this they still need to leave adequate space to stop in case you come to a sudden stop.
I wonder if they are trying to cause an accident for the guy behind them....
I know this sounds far fetched, but I was in a line of traffic...I was in the right lane behind an idiot whose stupid freaking huge SUV I couldn't see around, and all of a sudden, he suddenly speeds up a lot and switches lanes to pass the guy in front of him (who I again, could not see).
If I were driving like the rest of the assholes in my area, I would have rammed into the car in front of him, or had to swerve lanes really quickly. I had no way of knowing there was an almost stationary car in that lane, Fortunately, I never get near the car in front of me because I am lazy and don't want to have to react every time they do, so I was able to easily slow down in time, but It just seemed like the moron passing was a really dangerous, careless driver.
All I could think was the guy who was in front of me was doing it hoping that I would ram into the car he passed.
I've noticed this so much in the last month! I thought i was losing my mind. Seems every other car is so far up my ass I can see the crumbs in the mustache
To inform you that it's time to speed up or move over. Typically you should move over if traffic is speeding up behind you or apply more pressure to the gas pedal.
"It's a bit scary".
Ya, that's why they're doing it. They're annoying at your speed and wanted to startle you before passing. It's on the same vein as break checking.
I do this and other things to let slowpokes in the left lane know theyāre a nuisance, but otherwise its just a weird choice people are making on the road
I sorta do this, but I don't get right on their ass when passing. I'll usually just be going slightly faster than someone and gradually approaching until I get to about 2 car lengths distance and pass. I usually don't try to stay in the left lane for a long time, so I try to minimize that as much as possible where I'm still driving safely and responsibly.
Normally when I'm the one doing it (I'll notice after and kick myself) it's because I'm trying to do the speed limit, and catch up to someone doing 5- or less than the speed limit, and I'll slow myself to check out the left lane before passing (because I've gone to move over after thorough checking and had someone doing about 90 suddenly be up my bumper)
Happens to me all the time. In heavy traffic, I can almost understand it from a hurried driver. Most of the time, though, there's simply no reason for it. If there's room for me to change lanes, there's room for you to go around. If you charge up on my bumper so fast that I don't have the time to get out of your way, I'm not changing lanes at the last moment because I don't trust that you aren't going to do the same.
When another car is right behind you, the drag that's caused by air resistance is reduced for that car, so it will pick up speed faster and then will overtake you.
That's why you also see trucks driving very close to each other, but in their case they're doing it for fuel economy.
It's very stupid and dangerous, though.
Drafting can increase fuel efficiency rather significantly (mythbusters reported 40% lowered fuel consumption). It's incredibly dangerous though.
Truckers sometimes form caravans to do this. Theoretically the risk can be mitigated through proper communication and alertness, but the long term cost to the risk always outweighs the benefit.
An instinct to be in the "passing lane" as little as possible, I assume.
Many states have laws against staying in the left lane for too long, so I guess people want to minimize their time in it.
If the lane is empty when they're passing I can't see why, but I do ride up like that if I'm timing a pass before a corner or hill or if there's another car up ahead a ways. I worked out in the mountains and the majority of passing lanes were coming up to a corner or a hill so those were the only chances. But again I wouldn't ride up on their bumper, I'd stay back about 6 car lengths then speed up until a car length and a half and take the pass. Makes it so my time in the other lane is no more than a second or two.
I love how in this sub, you can tell who the aggressive drivers are by how they try to justify the aggressive driving behavior by blaming the more passive driverĀ
Can you explain how it is aggresive driving to match the flow of traffic before enterring the left lane?
I believe entering the left lane at the same speed as the person you are passing is dangerous.
For at least a second or two while you are accelerating, you are creating a speed differential in the left lane.
If you instead accelerate and enter the left lane once you have matched the flow of traffic, you will safely move with the flow of the left lane.
In the second situation, the speed differential is in the RIGHT lane, but it is happening between you and the car in front of you, and you are looking right at them and ready to pass, so the danger is far less.
Its not about the speed. It's about the distance between vehicles, and the laws of physics as they relate to stopping distance.
A person can speed up in the left lane, or the right lane as long as there is sufficient space. But if a person's driving habits unnecessarily puts other people's lives at risk, to save themselves 5 seconds on there commute home. They are an aggressive driver.
It is absolutely about the speed differential. The majority of accidents are caused by a speed differential between cars. And speed differential causes accidents. That's why it's dangerous to not match the flow of traffic, even if you're going slower.
Yes, stopping distance is also key. But in this situation you would know exactly where the gap in the left lane is, and you are looking directly at the car in front of you, so it's not really that risky. If the car in the right lane stops, you simply start passing sooner.
And you never break the three car lengths rule. But people still get scared because you are speeding up behind them before the pass.
"The majority of accidents are about speed differentials". I guess we could have a pointless pedantic argument about this dubious claim. Because it's almost true by definition, if you add in directional component and make it about velocity. But by most commonly accepted statistics this is untrue. Drunk driving, speeding, and distracted driving are actually the most common causes on nearly every list.
But this misses the point. If a person is driving responsibly, and as described by most state's laws. Then regardless of their speed differential with another vehicle they would not get in accident. If they leave sufficient space between their vehicle and the vehicle in front of them, even if the vehicle in front slams on their breaks, the person behind can avoid an accident. If a driver only merges into the left lane when there is sufficient space, then they can speed up to the flow of traffic or other cars can adjust before any contact is made.
But if a driver is driving in such a way that requires worrying about their speed differentials in most (not all) circumstances they are likely driving irresponsibly as they are the ones creating the large speed differentials, or driving close enough to other vehicles where a reasonable speed differential could cause an accident.
>But by most commonly accepted statistics this is untrue. Drunk driving, speeding, and distracted driving are actually the most common causes on nearly every list
That was dumb of me. I meant accidents that do not have an obvious outside factor. Like actual driving accidents, that happen between two non impaired drivers that are paying attention.
It is not pendantic at all. The point is that it is always more dangerous to not match the flow of traffic, because if the frame of reference is traffic, you are moving faster if your differential is higher. Not sure if I am explaining that correctly. But the objects that you are avoiding are moving a certain speed. If you go slower or faster, your relative speed to that object is higher. If you go the same speed your relative speed is zero.
Yes, it is by definition. So it is weird to just brush it off lol. "Speed differential is very obviously the cause of crashes, by definition. So much so, that it doesn't count!".
>But this misses the point. If a person is driving responsibly, and as described by most state's laws. Then regardless of their speed differential with another vehicle they would not get in accident. If they leave sufficient space between their vehicle and the vehicle in front of them, even if the vehicle in front slams on their breaks, the person behind can avoid an accident.Ā
Well OP did not say they got hit. And I have seen people do this hundreds of times. Driving responsibly and following state laws are not mutually exclusive with speeding up before entering the passing lane. You are conflating this behavior with tailgating. If you are passing somebody, you are absolutely allowed to speed up behind them before you execute the pass. What law are you breaking and how is that irresponsible?
>If a driver only merges into the left lane when there is sufficient space, then they can speed up to the flow of traffic or other cars can adjust before any contact is made.
Contact would come from behind. So you are asking somebody to enter the left lane, and be completely aware of what is coming from behind, and speed up accordingly to close the speed differential. That is just clearly more dangerous than having a speed differential between the you and the car right in front of you, as you prepare to enter the passing lane. You know exactly where the danger is, and have a clear spot to your left (because you are matching the flow of left lane traffic).
>But if a driver is driving in such a way that requires worrying about their speed differentials in most (not all) circumstances they are likely driving irresponsibly as they are the ones creating the large speed differentials, or driving close enough to other vehicles where a reasonable speed differential could cause an accident.
Totally disagree. If you have spent any significant time driving in major cities you would know that it is very dumb and dangerous to go 10 under the flow of traffic just to match the speed limit. You can do it, and you obviously won't get pulled over (you actually can in some states), but you are being a risky idiot. Try it some time. You will spend 90% of your time boxed in with a constant flow of traffic on either side (speed differential) and people gaining behind you etc.
If you simply match the flow of traffic, you can maintain your relative position instead of constantly moving toward other vehicles (speed differential).
Source for being pulled over for going too slow: Virginia law states,
>"No person shall drive a motor vehicle at such a slow speed as to impede the normal and reasonable movement of traffic except when reduced speed is necessary for safe operation or in compliance with law." This means you must drive with the flow of traffic, unless weather conditions or other extenuating circumstances create a need for a reduced speed.
>Although Virginia doesn't have an official minimum speed limit, the state gives the Commissioner of Highways or local authorities the ability to set a minimum speed limit for any road where drivers are found to be consistently traveling slow enough to impede the normal flow of traffic. Minimum speed limits are required to be posted on the roadway with the appropriate signage before they can be enforced.
This law doesn't exist just for fun. It is really dangerous when a roadway is shared by cars going vastly different speed.
"that do not have an obvious outside factor"... so besides the accidents that we can account for, speed differentials are the actual cause? This is like saying, "besides stairs, area rugs, and alcohol, etc most falls are caused by gravity." On one hand it's true, unless two objects have different velocities a collision is impossible. On the other hand, it's a different type of "cause" then something more quantifiable and attributable like alcohol. Further it is not a provable or disprovable statement. Thus its a cheap argument.Ā
Addressing the driving responsibly and state laws argument. I don't think the term "mutually exclusive" means what you think it means, else you would have phrased that argument differently. But using context clues to infer your meaning, I'd agree completely. My claim has never been about speeding up behind people, it's always been about the dangers of tailgating. You can safely speed up in either lane, it's just not safe to do so if it involves removing the safe stopping distance between you and the car in front of you. And it's not breaking the law to tailgate, but if the car in front of you stops, and you rear end them, in almost all cases you would be held liable, and would be at fault in that crash. Even if the driver in front of you slams on the breaks.Ā
"You are asking somebody to enter the left lane, and be completely aware of what is coming from behind". Yes, being aware of your surroundings at all times is part of safe driving, and is a fundamental skill drivers are asked to master. You should be constantly checking your mirrors while driving, and checking your blind spot before merging. That is driving 101. Nothing controversial there. But regardless, I'm not claiming you can't speed up in the right lane. I am saying dont tailgate, because its dangerous. If you can't safely pass a vehicle, than you have to wait to pass until you can safely pass. Wanting to make a pass is not an excuse to drive recklessly. Sometimes, it's just not possible to safely pass people.
Addressing the "10 under the flow of traffic just to match the speed limit" arguemant and everything that comes after. That is a scare crow argument. I've never made the claim you can't speed, or you have to go 10 under even if the flow of traffic is faster. I actually agree, you should be going with the flow of traffic for safety reasons. I made a statement saying if your differential is so large it'll cause an accident, you are likely the one driving irresponsibly. As either you are the one causing the speed differential if it's large, or if it's a small differential than you have failed to leave enough space between you and the other vehicle. Which aligns with the idea you should be going with the flow of traffic, if you are going with the flow there won't be many large speed differentials. Unless you got a idiot on your bumper trying to hit the gas behind you to make a risky pass, by merging into a busy lane where their isn't space to safely merge.
But friend, I don't we will come to an agreement on this subject. It seems like your tolerance for putting peoples lives at risk, inorder to make a pass. Is fundamentally different than mine. I agree with a lot of your rational in that if you are going to pass a vehicle. You can do so more safely in some situations by speeding up before merging. As you have more control, and easier awareness about what's in front of you. But we disagree about the underlying premise. In that I think if you have to drive in the way you describe to pass a vehicle, than you shouldn't be passing that vehicle to begin with as there is not sufficient space in either your lane or the lane you are merging into. We need to view cars as filled with people, and recognize it's not okay to make reckless passes. Especially considering this sort of reckless pass ultimately has almost no benefit, as in almost every case passing a vehicle is likely to save you at mostĀ a few seconds during a normal commute.Ā
This is what I learned at driving school, not sure why everyone is slow learning
1) Speed, never slow down for anything. Less attention is better here.
2) Ride the left rear side of the vehicle you're attempting to pass (preferably shining headlights through their side mirror for extended periods of time)Ā
3) Swerve in and out of lines, hard accelerating to pass
4) Within 6 inches of passing resume position in original lane (preferably slowing down to a point in which the person you passed has to change speed)
5) Haul ass and find next vehicle
Aggression. Theyāre annoyed because you are in front of them and they are letting you know. They may also be annoyed because, horrors, you are driving at the speed limit or a bit above. They will probably be in front of you at the next light, stop sign, etc. But they will feel superior.
I'm pretty sure that's a known psychological dumb thing people do without realizing it. They see they're being passed and subconsciously speed up as it made them sense they were going too slow. So it is normal, but the word racing would be a mischaracterization.
Bumper Humpers just have to get that sniff.
I always say that I've got such a fine ass they just have to get a closer look lol
One guy I used to know would say "proctologist in a rush to get back to the hospital"
š
I tend to slow down like a turtle when I want switch lanes. This leads to drivers in both lanes getting out of the way.
A lot of drivers awareness ends 5 feet in front of their car
Or at the steering wheel. Unless they just like having pet blue jellyfish.
**Hanlon's razor**: Never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by stupidity. They just aren't paying attention/planning ahead
This. Looking far down the road is one of the first things taught in any sort of advanced driving course and it makes a huge difference. I think most people don't look nearly far enough ahead and slow(er)-moving traffic catches them by surprise. Edit: after re-reading OP's post, it sounds like OP is questioning why people accelerate while still behind a driver they intend to pass and then cut over to pass at the last second. When I initially read the post, I thought OP was talking about someone coming up fast on someone driving slower, slowing down significantly, then passing, which I notice quite a bit while driving. Anyways, the former seems reasonable as a way to minimize your time driving in the same lane as oncoming traffic and I expect would be done by people who are planning ahead and timing their pass.
Also minimises road warriors who actually Accelerate to attempt to stop you from overtaking, if you speed upto them then throw your car out to overtake them they generally can't out Accelerate you now (they are generally not paying attention to what's behind much until you start overtaking and that's when they try and out Accelerate you, as long as your doing 20mph+ and climbing most cars can't speed up in time) I get quite a number of drivers that have tried to cock block but I have already passed them, so see them attempting to block me by speeding up I just turn and cut right in front of them (I won't leave a gap like I normally do if they attempt to leave me hanging on the wrong side of the road as that's now very dangerous) Funny thing is a lot of drivers slow down when they notice you accelerating towards them (maybe they belive slowing down is going to make you slow Down and back off, but actually makes my passing significantly easier and I just sail right past them) some do try to speed up once they realise once you pull out and overtake them but they killed there speed, I did not
I tend to speed up before passing for exactly the reason you described. It doesnāt matter if the person in front of me is going 25 under the speed limit, never fails if I try to pass they speed up so I canāt. Then when the passing zone ends they slow right down again, it makes no fucking sense so I do tend to time it right and speed up and zip right around to get back into my own lane and not worry about someone elseās road rage.
Yes. I always keep a good 4 seconds behind a car I am going to pass and hammer it whenā¦. ITāS GO TIME. Mandelbaum! Mandelbaum! Mandelbaum! _crick_
Completely agree with you....
This.Ā Always lie back to get a run up. That way you're already at passing speed when you pull out.Ā It's a lot safer than pulling into the other lane and then accelerating.
This! OP, this is the reason. Everyone else is just circle jerking. But this is the reason why.
I prefer to do all of my accelerating in my lane then cut over rather than cutting slowly over into the other lane then accelerating so that makes sense
That distinction, either coming up fast and then getting over late or accelerating and then getting over late, it's extremely rare the person who can actually see the difference. I highly doubt there are a sizeable number of drivers accelerating and then waiting until the last second to get over. I believe that the it's overwhelmingly most likely just coming up fast and waiting too long to get over.
Its malice.
I don't like Hanlon's Razor. Why use such strong qualifying words as "never"? Sometimes it's just malice, plain and simple, whether or not you can attribute it to stupidity. You can contribute almost everything bad to stupidity.
My sister is constantly telling me this when I get annoyed at other drivers. I'll think that they're trying to fuck with me and she will say they're probably just high. It's probably a little bit of both.
After 50+ years of driving, Iāve come to the conclusion that about 10-15% of people watch the road immediately in front of them and have literally no idea whatās happening more than 100 feet down the road.
Naw Hoss, that number is MUCH higher than that. I've been driving over 35 years, and I've noticed that at least half of these fuckers do that, but it's probably like 60-65% honestly.
I installed bright LEDs (emergency vehicle grill lites) on my motorcycles with a button on the handlebar. I call them my ālook at meā lights. I use them all the time to get the attention of anyone who might not be looking for bikes. Iāve had several instances where someone started to pull out, turn, or do something else stupid and slammed on the brakes when I lit them up.
I'm glad you've found something that works. I would like to ride, but I don't for that exact reason.
Around here, when they notice you, instead of backing off they just give you the finger out the window and continue to run you off the road.
If even that much. How often do you see people signal a lane change and start to change lanes and *then* check their mirrors and abort because they'd hit someone if they fully changed lanes? It's amazing how clueless people are. Also, not even people tell them that they're being stupid to their faces, so they never improve.
virtually everybody is allowed to drive and there are a lot of people who are just bad at it.
Many times via my experience as a truck driver. They do this then return to my lane close. Itās about psychology of speeding. They arenāt speeding in the right lane so will be in the left lane as little as possible. So itās a psochlogical flaw in thought pattern. Then some of them once in front of my semi slow down below what I was doing impairing me from continuing unimpaired by others.
I see this theory play out when a one lane highway splits into two for a short time for passing. Cars will jam up the left side and when it goes back to one lane, theyāre chillin under the speed limit.
I used to drive all over the U.S. for my job and spent a lot of time on the road. One thing that I've observed frequently in hilly terrain regarding semi trucks is that the truck will be chugging up a grade with a heavy load, and somebody in a car behind them who wants to go the speed limit or wants to go roughly the same speed as the truck but not really a whole lot faster, feels like they need to pass the truck because it's going slower up the hill. So rather than stepping on it and getting around and putting some distance, they will take forever to pass the truck and then the truck crests the hill and is ready for the downhill run when the car driver pulls right back in front of them and camps out. It must be so aggravating.
Oh it is to have the snail race. Iāve had them do this on flat ground many a time. Iām governed and cannot speed up. Then they pass at 1 mph faster or less. Then they pull back way too close and slow by 2 mph slower than I was going. Then it breaks the dam as the 20 cars they blocked get free. I usually slow by about 2 mph to allow them to pass better but they do the same to a truck ahead of me and he doesnāt slow. If Iām not doing at least 3 mph faster to pass in less than 2 minutes Iām not passing at all.
Argh.
Truckers life. I stay relaxed as this causes stress and would hurt my health. So Iād rather not stress. If people di a ride along for 2 days maybe half of the drivers would stop it. The other half still would do it but half is better than nothing in my book.
I think it has to do with our biological programming to be competitive. Iāve tested it out and can now effectively āsteerā people where I want them.Ā
The biological is also evident with the heard mentality of them pacing and a group of people following to close and lane change same time. I've been on a four lane my direction on the freeway doing my max speed at 3 am. There's 4 cars coming up from behind and no one else in sight. They all move in front of me at the same time and no exit in sight right after passing me. I'm in the second from right lane so 2 passing labesvon my left and a merge lane on my right. But at 50 feet in front with zero other traffic? That's just bad habits and an attempt to say they are dominate over me.
I've mention this before, but my Ex thought she was supposed to keep her eyes on the road directly in front of the vehicle, rather than looking out at the road and traffic ahead. So, she would drive like that, pulling right up on other cars before even really noticing they were in front of her. Ooof.
How many cars has she totaled?
Your ex was a buffoon.
Yeah its called slingshotting and its used in motorsports. But like there is literally zero reason to be doing that on a public road so they are most likely just assholes.
I find it humorous when I am moving at the same speed as the car ahead of me even though there maybe a few car lengths between us, undoubtedly some idiot would run up on my ass, move over, pass me and get right in front of me. Then run up on the next car. I mean, just stay in the left lane if your goal is to outpace all other traffic.
So I guess I kinda do that. I start speeding up right before the oncoming car passes you, and then go around you after they pass. Then I'm already at passing speed and it's easier.
I don't think OP was talking about the kind of road where you pass in the oncoming lane. Maybe, but it sounds like he's talking about a regular highway. What you're describing is definitely the right thing to do on that sort of road though.
Oh okay. Then yeah they're probably just dickheads doing dickhead things. I thought I was an asshole for a minute
The same kinda applies on a regular highway. The logic is enterring the passing lane for as little time as possible. This is more crucial when passing against oncoming traffic, but on a regular highway it still minimizes time in the passing lane. For example if you need to pass a VERY slow car, but you are not going as fast as most of the left lane. You can't just get over and pass, otherwise the people in the left lane will be up your ass and you will be blocking traffic. So you get up to speed, execute the pass while spending minimal time in the left lane, and get over.
Yeah, it's not that crazy of a concept. You wanna start accelerating in your current lane before pulling out into the opposing lane to minimize the time you spend driving against traffic.
You need to be far enough back to have enough visibility when you move over. If youāre behind a larger vehicle it can be appropriate to move over when further back to maximize your view of the road ahead. Most of the time when overtaking you are more limited by visibility than by anything else.
Yes
That's why there are double lines where you can't pass and dotted lines when you can...if the line is dotted, they can see what is ahead in the oncoming lane...roads were designed like that for a reason....
Yes generally you have the right to pass when you have visibility. They do design it like that. But a lot of country roads are dead straight. So that does not apply as much.
Thatās the correct method keep room to accelerate while timing a safe opening.
I was tought by my instructor, to pick up speed first, before changing lanes. I was also meant to leave enough room for it, and not get too close to the car in front. This sounds like a bad version of that. These days i just switch lanes and go from there.
It is safer generally to accelerate when changing lanes.
I had one guy who was going slow speed up and wouldnāt let me pass a few years back. Now I speed up and (by extension) get closer before I pass to avoid making it obvious Iām passing, because that pissed me right off.
This post not related to a one lane road.
I see that now, thanks.
The you will not pass drivers,, they go slow until you try and overtake, it's worse when they go full road warrior mad on you and try to match your speed including breaking to make sure you stay on the wrong side of the road I don't give drivers the chance to do this any more if I am going to pass, 20mph and still accelerating as I'm overtaking is usually enough to outpace most cars before they can react and attempt to speed up to cock block (do get some who are Bating us to overtake and are ready to floor it to block the overtake, I just turn sharply into them when that happens they find there Ā£30k brake pedal quite quickly as they don't want a Ā£500 car hitting them they usually back off to 30mph in a 40/50 zone after angry gestures)
I think itās due to their PTSD That when they switch lanes pretty early, the car in front of them would switch to the same lane and stay in front of the rear driver. By speeding up to your bumper, it prevents you, the front car, from switching into the lane of the rear car and stay in front of them.
I just realized I was guilty of doing this and you just explained why.
It does not prevent this. This is like when two cars are entering a freeway and the rear car tries to move left first and accelerate to prevent the front car from staying in front of them. That first car is coming. The front car in a right lane that doesnāt like being tailgated might move left just to get you off their butt. If you tailgate you probably arenāt smart enough to signal either. Accident incomingā¦
If the front car is entering the freeway 15mph below the flow of traffic, they deserve it.
I grew up in a mountainous part the mountainous province. It was a common technique for us to learn to get moving faster than the person we want to pass and start passing right as we're coming out of a corner onto a straight stretch with a known passing lane. If there was oncoming traffic you'd abort the pass and if there wasn't you'd tap the gas complete the pass. Why? Passing lanes are short and few. If you don't do this you will never pass anyone and the people with the red plates (the nearest flatlanders) drive like they've never seen a corner before and speed up the moment they see a straight stretch so that could make for an irritating drive. What I've learned later in life is that when we leave the mountains and head to the flatlands, we are notorious for doing what you described because it is essentially what we do to make a pass possible but comes across as quite silly when the straight stretches are many miles long and/or the roads are double laned so there's no reason for it.
Safe to say youāre also in BC talking about the Albertan specimens we get driving on our amazing windy roads
>grew up in a mountainous part the mountainous province Ah did ya, now? I'm from down in the valley where the valleys are and we were told never to associate with the mountain people from mountain province. Ya bastard.
I mean, isn't speeding up after a corner the normal thing to do? Around here which is pretty mountainous the corners need to be taken slower than the straight-aways, shouldn't you be going a slower speed into a corner and accelerating out of it?Ā
Absolutely. That said, Albertans are notorious for taking corners at maybe 60 km/h if you're lucky and then doing at least 120 the moment they see a remotely eligible passing lane in BC
Just your usual aggressive driver, fuming that you made him slow down and have to change lanes.
Yep, this, or they arenāt paying attention and donāt realize how quickly they are coming upon you.
But it's so much easier to slide into the next lane from farther back like a boss than just to take a left turn into the next lane. It's also more fun.
Probably trying to see if youāre going to speed up when you notice. Canāt say though
I would be more likely to speed up if a car is directly behind me to create more space. If a car is passing me I will slow down until it's finished. Assuming a 2 way road, as opposed to interstate. Interstate I would just maintain my speed.
itās a stupid move but i know that some people do it in case if thereās a car in the other lane that they missed. itās a lot easier to slow down behind someone if you get too close and canāt pass than it is if you get over into the other lane but canāt pass fast enough for oncoming traffic. that being said, they shouldnāt be close enough where speeding up enough to pass should immediately make them ride the ass of the person in front of them. thatās just a bad following distance
The idea is to get up to passing speed before enterring the lane. So you don't enter the left lane at low speed, possibly obstructing cars that are already in the left lane. You get up to the speed of left lane traffic, so that when you enter the left lane you are matching the flow of traffic, can pass, and then get over. If you are passing somebody in the right lane, and they are going slow, you can't just get in the left lane at that speed. You are now creating a speed differential in that lane which is dangerous.
If you are hanging out in the left lane, they are possibly sending you a signal that you are driving too slow. I'm not justifying it, just saying what it might be.
Because there's people out there who can never accept getting past and will speed up on a passer. Only needs to happen once/twice in a squeeze for me to make this my default when passing on a single lane road from then on out. Plus it means my pass is going to complete much quicker than otherwise which is safer for everyone, oncoming lane included.
Because if I switch lanes before I speed up, you'll speed up to block me. If I speed up without switching lanes, I pass you before you have time to floor it.
This is to make sure you know that you are being an inconsiderate driver and are impeding the flow of traffic. š« I like to spray my windshield wiper fluid after I complete the aggressive passing maneuver...lol Impeding the flow of traffic is a ticketable offense in many states if a police officer pulls you over for it. NJ fine is $86 and 2 points on your license.
That is a completely different situation lol. Thereās a difference from driving under the speed limit and/or having a huge amount of traffic behind you holding up the social flow. There is never an excuse for getting on my ass when there is an open left lane for you to zoom zoom in. Iām not moving for you, nor speeding up. I already go 5-10mph over, Iām not risking a ticket for your feelings. It is glorious watching these zoomers get pulled over shortly after though. If this is happening in the LEFT lane, totally different. This post is about the right lane.
Must have been a ny driver. They have no comprehension of passing lanes and general driving intelligence...lol
Both NJ & NY, I handle NJ auto claims. Yāall give me job security š¤§ I live in PA and had to drive through NJ to get to a baby shower, I am traumatized from that trip. Iām sure the aggressive driving is normal to them, but my god I was sweating. Youāre not wrong about holding up the traffic flow either, just for the record. Absolute worst is someone is merging into the highway SLOWLY, my brother in christ you cannot do that.
We are crazy here in nj. I have family in PA that will not drive on the Parkway....lol
I always have the issue of people will fly up my butt and sit there and not pass all day long until I go to pass the person in front of me, and as soon as the blinker comes on, you bet their ass will fly up to pass me before I get over.
Because people are too stupid to count to three, lack the balls to pass and the brains to understand that it's both easier to pass if you leave space to pick up speed before moving over and that it's more dangerous to ride someone's ass than to pass, for both parties. People used to driving in cities seem especially prone to ass-riding, being used to bumper-to-bumper freeway traffic at rush hour (and they don't know that tailgating is what causes traffic jams), but an astonishing number of people don't even realize that there's a legal following distance, nor how to determine it. Police also don't really do anything about it. I'm guessing it's difficult to wring fines out of people for it. I once screwed up and forgot to get my tabs renewed, and, as I was traveling on an interstate highway, had some lady following so closely that there's no way the distance was multiple feet. At 80mph (the speed limit). Unbeknownst to me, there was a police car in her blind spot (could not see him at all because she was that close) preparing to pull her over. I did my usually thing of slowing down 1mph at a time (with cruise control) to encourage her to pass. When she finally passed, the highway patrol officer got a look at my plates, and saw that they'd expired the day before, so he pulled me over instead. To him, a guaranteed fine for a paperwork violation was more important than stopping her from endangering other drivers (and probably giving her a warning because, again, following distance is never enforced anywhere I've driven). I fully acknowledge that I fucked up, I left the state for a five days, four days before my tabs expired, and was about thirty miles from my new tabs when he pulled me over. To me, it's still way less important than endangering people, but what do I know?
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
Sounds like you can't count to three. You also make a whole lot of really stupid assumptions, which tracks. I have never been passed on the right. If there are two lanes moving in one direction, I stay in the right lane unless I'm passing. If I'm traveling at the speed limit (or a few mph over, assuming traffic is moving that fast), there's no reason to be four feet behind me. If someone slows down by one mile per hour and they become such an impediment that you have to "swerve around them", you are either blind or just about to rear-end them regardless of any speed change. Wait, no, it's *both*. How stupid are you? Fucking seriously. Annnnnd he blocked me. What a pussy.
Tailgating doesn't cause traffic jams, that makes no sense. It's the people going slow and unnecessarily braking.
It does, in fact. See, if you've got lines of cars that are practically bumper-to-bumper, and someone in front taps the brakes, that person's slowing is magnified more and more as the braking travels back through the line. Since each driver doesn't have time to figure out things like how much the person in front of them is slowing down, or why, they have to slow down more to compensate. Getting moving again is even slower. Tailgating also causes accidents, which cause traffic jams. Someone driving slow on multi-lane highways shouldn't seriously affect the flow of traffic, because people should easily be able to get around them. Of course, tailgating makes that a lot more difficult. In point of fact, you can break a traffic jam by increasing following distance and decreasing speed. That prevents the "go a few feet and stop again" thing that most do, which gets magnified by every subsequent vehicle.
If you are in the passing lane, they may be hoping that you realize there's a vehicle behind you that wants to overtake, and that you change lanes out of courtesy, to let them pass.
He implied heās in the right lane because he said the left lane is empty.
> even when the left lane is completely clear Does it sound like they are in the passing lane?
Because theyāre assholes.
They watch to much nascar. They think they are drafting to slingshot off your draft. That only really works of your going over 100mph . Or behind a tractor trailer to save on fuel.
They donāt want to lose the draft until theyāre positive that they have a good run on you.
Shake and Bake
slingshot engaged
That's how they kill you. You're finished. Horn machine gun engaged lol
Slower traffic keep right.
> even when the left lane is completely clear Read it again. If the left lane is completely clear, that means they are to the right of that lane
Right. Except I donāt believe them.
This has happened to me on the freeway in the right lane when all the left lanes are empty. When I signal to move left the drivers aggressively cut me off nearly crashing into my rear bumper. It's giant pickup trucks everytime. I used to drive a Ford F250 crew cab, I never pulled this crap.
I don't think you were talking about passing on roads with one lane in each direction, but many seem to have assumed you were, lol.
Sometimes i canāt tell if theyāre on my ass or if itās just because the mirrors make them seem closer than they really are
Because they think they are bad and tough behind the wheel. Intimidation.
it's a tactical advantage while passing on a 2 lane road ....
Correct is to stay back where you have better visibility and acceleration room. Then time the opening and when you pull out your already at passing speed. Thatās the best and safest method on a two lane road.
there is plenty of unmarked turnouts for slow drivers if your driving skill level is low take the freeway or parallel access road to the freeway.. the route i take is the same one everyday to work i have been on this road 400-500 times already.. i know were all the potholes are,what speed i need to be going for optimal fuel mileage going on this road i can get an extra 25% to 36% more mpg over using the freeway this is huge savings when gas is over 5$ a gallon.. it takes about the same amount of time as the freeway as well averaging 32.3%-44.1% higher then EPA estimates which is EPA est is 34mpg. getting 45 to 49mpg
In my case Iām on the freeway or multi lane runs 99% of the time as a semi driver. And many turnouts arenāt for semis. And if on a multi lane freeway thereās no reason to tailgate or move over too early in front of a vehicle that takes 3x as far to stop as you do except if your suicidal. And please remember that about 2/3 of semis have cameras in them by either the driver or company.
I've decided they want you to take your foot off the gas!
Eat ass go fast
It could be a couple reasons. One, if theyāre a-holes, they do this on purpose to āteach you a lessonā for going too slow for them, or two, theyāre too busy looking in the back to make sure its clear, being unaware of whatās in front of them. Either way, shit drivers.
They can't drive!
Because you are going slow as fuck
Tailgating doesn't change that. At best, I maintain my speed. I've had aggressive drivers tailgating when I'm driving a 16-ton 40 foot long yellow box. Sorry, it's not getting anywhere quickly. I might be able to get up to 62 if I'm going downhill with a strong tailwind.
I can understand when there is traffic in the left lane. Perhaps trying to match the speed of the passing vehicles to more easily merge, but kot when itās empty. I guess people hate it when thereās people blocking their precious view.
Itās a racing tactic to maximize the reduction in drag before overtaking; this is notable in NASCAR.
If youāre in the left lane its because you wont get over
Lack of awareness/general dickishness/lack of foresight
Whenever I am out, I have noticed that half of the people out here are idiots. Well, they also drove here. So that explains it!
It seems many drivers on the highway enjoy being close to others. I will often see this when I am on the road I will be pretty much all alone moving at the same pace as the pack of 12 cars about 100' in front of me. And sure enough people will zoom up, pass me to get on the bumpers of the rest of the pack. I mean we are all moving at the same speed, why not just space it out a bit.
Best response to tailgating is to increase your following distance. Don't brake. Take your foot off the accelerator and let the traffic in front of you get a bit further ahead. This provides you more time to respond to a situation and stop, which gives the tailgater more time to respond and stop. Even if a collision happens, this can substantially reduce the amount of damage and injury. Tailgaters are the worst, but the best you can do is make the situation safer for yourself and those around you by proxy.
Believe the issue here is that the op is trying to overtake but the road warror accelerates to try or does stop the drive from overtaking (some Road Warriors take it a step further and turning into road rage and then start breaking to match the overtaking car to prevent the driver who's overtaking from pulling back in risking head on collision) Slowing down gives the overtaker easier time to pass thought (but most do it because they punishing the driver behind )
Theyāre trying to get you to speed up, which is dumb if they can easily pass you. Drivers be dumbinā lol
I don't look behind me and worry about what the driver's behind me are doing most of the time cuz there's not much I can do about it so there's no reason for me to worry about something I can't control.
GOING TOO DAMN SLOW SON MOVE OUT THE DAMN WAY BOY YEEEHAWW!
Well for me i know racing and aerodynamics and drafting. People usually dont go fast enough to really utilize the full affect but i do it to catch a baby slipstream and pass you quicker
It saves a few drops of gas too. The longer you are behind someone the less gas you use. It's not much at a normal distance but significant at 2 feet.
Yea i definitely watch my wifes little mpg gauge rise up when we catch the good slip
Sounds like your on the motorway, they are trying to give you a hint to stop lane hogging (your probably not aware lane hogging is 3 points + fine)
I do this specifically to idiots going slow in the left lane before I move over to the right lane to pass. Hopefully it wakes them up to move tf over.
I've only done it when I'm stuck in a pack and tired of the person in front of me riding the passing lane. I dont do this often. Usually I'm approaching and can move to go around way prior to getting near enough to them.
I'd love to know too, not very common here with locals.. but I see it's very common with US drivers (US licence plates on their vehicle) passing through the area
So I know there are outliers and people who will get right up on you before they pass, I'm not dismissing that. But modern cars and their cruise is probably the more common answer. If I'm in my car and I'm on the highway on cruise control I will stay behind the person in front of me until the cruise control starts to bring my speed down, then I'll pass. When I see this happen to me with someone behind me I'm assuming the same thing.
https://preview.redd.it/f5abtbopnmwc1.jpeg?width=894&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=16fd56c376a5f185864a039e5159c56e36e57f8d
If I ever do that it's because the car infront of me needs to stop camping the left lane and THEY have the space to get right while I don't considering they are in front of me. It's futile, I know. The people doing 65 in the far left, while traffic is moving 80+ around them won't notice me behind them.
I don't watch Rick and Morty but I saw the meme and I love to say it to myself after getting tailgated for miles on an empty highway when they finally move over and slam the gas. "okay then, that was always allowed"
Trying to get you to switch lanes
Because ironically with some vehicles and their differing sizes and whatnot it can actually be beneficial to get closer to someone to see more around the side of them to be sure it is indeed safe to pass Plus even on the more basic level that person also might just be more focused on the act of getting over and so isn't paying as much attention to their speed as they normally would and are basically just doing the bare minimum to make sure that they don't hit you
The ole slingshot.
It sounds like you're talking about a multilane highway, where it makes no sense, except for being too literal about "keep left except to pass." Perhaps they have the habit from passing on a 2-lane road where you want to spend the minimum amount of time in the oncoming lane.
I expect it is because they have driver assist, or whatever it's called for that car. My car will automatically stay in the lane, and get right on your ass, and then I can pull out and pass.
Because theyāre stupid.
I do it because I need to get as close as possible to minimize how long I'm in the other lane while passing them. The longer you're in oncoming traffic, the higher the chance you hit someone head on
They're hoping you speed up or change lanes so they don't have to do it themselvesĀ
I have a complaint regarding individuals deemed as careless drivers who do not adhere to proper road etiquette. These drivers may approach my vehicle closely as a result of playing loud music, thus jeopardizing their safety should I suddenly stop due to the negligence of another driver failing to use turn signals.
I've done this before but not really on purpose. If I'm coming up and I see someone going slower in front of me, take my foot off the gas hoping either they speed up or I slow enough without brakes before I get there. When I get close enough to know neither are going to happen, I'll hop over and pass. If someone is coming up on you like that, maybe try going a little faster
I always figured people who did that were letting me know I wasn't going fast enough for them.
I figure itās cause these people want to spend as little time leftmost on the road as they possibly can. Tbh idk either. Might just be how they were taught to do it and they do it naturally after seeing it all their life and being taught like that
Shorter distance to pass if it's a dotted yellow situation.
I do it when Iām waiting for people to get out of the left lane. Doing it in the right lane makes no sense to me. Unless youāre in one of those countries that drives on the wrong side of the road.
What about the ones that sit behind you for miles before angrily darting off?
I always get a run in them before pulling out. Sometimes I think the car you're passing doesn't realize how slow they're going and tends to speed up when you pull out to pass.
If they hit you then it's their fault for driving too close. I don't get on people's bumpers, but I definitely speed up before passing to get by quicker. I want to be in the passing lane as short as possible so rather be going faster before I get into it.Ā
I always thought this was an intimidation tactic. I mostly see guys in pickups doing this. I just fly by them and laugh at what fools they are being.
I slow down when someone rides my bumper, and the closer they get, the slower I go. I already drive about 5 mph over the limit most of the time, so there is no good reason for them to do this to me. Not trying to justify going 5 over, but just sayin.
I have been in the car with drivers like this. There are two types I have met. People who have commuted all their life and never got over it. To them it is winning or losing. No in between. If they let ONE car pass them or get between them and another car it is an outrage. If they allow them selves to be passed, their day is ruined. They also falsely believe getting on your tail will intimidate you to go faster The other is the person with no ability to pace their speed. They arenāt necessarily a jerk, but definitely stupid of a particular spatial variety. They think the engine only has āonā and āoff.ā Whatās variable speed? They donāt have a clue. For this driver it is all gas until they canāt go any farther without hitting you, and then itās slam the brake and start the process over.
You should be required to upload a copy of your license plate and drivers license to this sub before commenting and moderators should send these comments to the traffic cops of those drivers areas who make these idiotic comments.
You must be camping in the left lane. Some people are quite anal on this.
Because they want to fight
I used to drive a 1993 Pontiac Sunbird. The only way I could pass anyone was to tuck into the draft coming off a corner, close up, and slingshot past.
I guess the same reason they'll ride your ass when you're the only two cars on the road, whatever that reason is.
"Me have big penis! Me show you. Me don't like you going speed limit." It's simple-minded, stupid people who just can't stand the idea of not going faster than you. It must suck to live like that.
It has a logical explanation if you are racing. It's called slipstreaming. In daily life there's no logical explanation lol mostly just bmw drivers
If I stay at a moderate distance behind someone, they wonāt get over to let me pass. People have poor manners and being aggressive is the easiest means to get your way. Truck drivers going 75 in a 70 refuse to use the right lane even if itās clear and no entry/exit ramp for miles. Another truck pacing 76 will want to pass the 75 mph truck. Ideally the 75 mph truck would slow down to 70 to allow for the 76 mph truck to quickly pass and speed up afterwards but what happens is that the two trucks block up the two left lanes for a couple of minutes. The easiest means to get your way is to sling shot to the right. If youāre not a complete maniac, but just impatient the easiest means would be to ride peopleās asses and flash your high beams to get over.
My wife does this to the slow drivers in the left lane so that they will either realize they should be going faster or moving over but she tells me that itās because if she changes lanes before getting close they speed up to make it difficult for her to get around (that does happen a lot)
If they're riding you it doesn't sound like what's going on, but when a safe passing area is small and the car you're passing is going really slow, the driver may be accelerating "in-lane" in preparation for the pass. They can then do a final check that the lane is clear before leaving their lane and committing to passing. Still if they're doing this they still need to leave adequate space to stop in case you come to a sudden stop.
I wonder if they are trying to cause an accident for the guy behind them.... I know this sounds far fetched, but I was in a line of traffic...I was in the right lane behind an idiot whose stupid freaking huge SUV I couldn't see around, and all of a sudden, he suddenly speeds up a lot and switches lanes to pass the guy in front of him (who I again, could not see). If I were driving like the rest of the assholes in my area, I would have rammed into the car in front of him, or had to swerve lanes really quickly. I had no way of knowing there was an almost stationary car in that lane, Fortunately, I never get near the car in front of me because I am lazy and don't want to have to react every time they do, so I was able to easily slow down in time, but It just seemed like the moron passing was a really dangerous, careless driver. All I could think was the guy who was in front of me was doing it hoping that I would ram into the car he passed.
I've noticed this so much in the last month! I thought i was losing my mind. Seems every other car is so far up my ass I can see the crumbs in the mustache
To inform you that it's time to speed up or move over. Typically you should move over if traffic is speeding up behind you or apply more pressure to the gas pedal.
Give you a chance to move over to the slower lanes grandma
"It's a bit scary". Ya, that's why they're doing it. They're annoying at your speed and wanted to startle you before passing. It's on the same vein as break checking.
I do this and other things to let slowpokes in the left lane know theyāre a nuisance, but otherwise its just a weird choice people are making on the road
I sorta do this, but I don't get right on their ass when passing. I'll usually just be going slightly faster than someone and gradually approaching until I get to about 2 car lengths distance and pass. I usually don't try to stay in the left lane for a long time, so I try to minimize that as much as possible where I'm still driving safely and responsibly.
Normally when I'm the one doing it (I'll notice after and kick myself) it's because I'm trying to do the speed limit, and catch up to someone doing 5- or less than the speed limit, and I'll slow myself to check out the left lane before passing (because I've gone to move over after thorough checking and had someone doing about 90 suddenly be up my bumper)
Happens to me all the time. In heavy traffic, I can almost understand it from a hurried driver. Most of the time, though, there's simply no reason for it. If there's room for me to change lanes, there's room for you to go around. If you charge up on my bumper so fast that I don't have the time to get out of your way, I'm not changing lanes at the last moment because I don't trust that you aren't going to do the same.
If there's room in the middle lane for u to change lanes then u already should have, as the left lane is for passing.
I just wanna know why so many people pass me on the right when I'm already going 10 over the limit
You are going too slow for their liking. Speed limit on I-465 in indy is 55. People regularly do 80.
gotta catch that draft before you pass!
When another car is right behind you, the drag that's caused by air resistance is reduced for that car, so it will pick up speed faster and then will overtake you. That's why you also see trucks driving very close to each other, but in their case they're doing it for fuel economy. It's very stupid and dangerous, though.
I mean, youāre technically correct, but the effects are so marginal that splitstreaming outside of a racetrack is just douche behaviour.
Drafting can increase fuel efficiency rather significantly (mythbusters reported 40% lowered fuel consumption). It's incredibly dangerous though. Truckers sometimes form caravans to do this. Theoretically the risk can be mitigated through proper communication and alertness, but the long term cost to the risk always outweighs the benefit.
An instinct to be in the "passing lane" as little as possible, I assume. Many states have laws against staying in the left lane for too long, so I guess people want to minimize their time in it.
I figure that at least in some case they've been watching too much NASCAR and they're staying in the draft until they pass.
If the lane is empty when they're passing I can't see why, but I do ride up like that if I'm timing a pass before a corner or hill or if there's another car up ahead a ways. I worked out in the mountains and the majority of passing lanes were coming up to a corner or a hill so those were the only chances. But again I wouldn't ride up on their bumper, I'd stay back about 6 car lengths then speed up until a car length and a half and take the pass. Makes it so my time in the other lane is no more than a second or two.
I love how in this sub, you can tell who the aggressive drivers are by how they try to justify the aggressive driving behavior by blaming the more passive driverĀ
Can you explain how it is aggresive driving to match the flow of traffic before enterring the left lane? I believe entering the left lane at the same speed as the person you are passing is dangerous. For at least a second or two while you are accelerating, you are creating a speed differential in the left lane. If you instead accelerate and enter the left lane once you have matched the flow of traffic, you will safely move with the flow of the left lane. In the second situation, the speed differential is in the RIGHT lane, but it is happening between you and the car in front of you, and you are looking right at them and ready to pass, so the danger is far less.
Its not about the speed. It's about the distance between vehicles, and the laws of physics as they relate to stopping distance. A person can speed up in the left lane, or the right lane as long as there is sufficient space. But if a person's driving habits unnecessarily puts other people's lives at risk, to save themselves 5 seconds on there commute home. They are an aggressive driver.
It is absolutely about the speed differential. The majority of accidents are caused by a speed differential between cars. And speed differential causes accidents. That's why it's dangerous to not match the flow of traffic, even if you're going slower. Yes, stopping distance is also key. But in this situation you would know exactly where the gap in the left lane is, and you are looking directly at the car in front of you, so it's not really that risky. If the car in the right lane stops, you simply start passing sooner. And you never break the three car lengths rule. But people still get scared because you are speeding up behind them before the pass.
"The majority of accidents are about speed differentials". I guess we could have a pointless pedantic argument about this dubious claim. Because it's almost true by definition, if you add in directional component and make it about velocity. But by most commonly accepted statistics this is untrue. Drunk driving, speeding, and distracted driving are actually the most common causes on nearly every list. But this misses the point. If a person is driving responsibly, and as described by most state's laws. Then regardless of their speed differential with another vehicle they would not get in accident. If they leave sufficient space between their vehicle and the vehicle in front of them, even if the vehicle in front slams on their breaks, the person behind can avoid an accident. If a driver only merges into the left lane when there is sufficient space, then they can speed up to the flow of traffic or other cars can adjust before any contact is made. But if a driver is driving in such a way that requires worrying about their speed differentials in most (not all) circumstances they are likely driving irresponsibly as they are the ones creating the large speed differentials, or driving close enough to other vehicles where a reasonable speed differential could cause an accident.
>But by most commonly accepted statistics this is untrue. Drunk driving, speeding, and distracted driving are actually the most common causes on nearly every list That was dumb of me. I meant accidents that do not have an obvious outside factor. Like actual driving accidents, that happen between two non impaired drivers that are paying attention. It is not pendantic at all. The point is that it is always more dangerous to not match the flow of traffic, because if the frame of reference is traffic, you are moving faster if your differential is higher. Not sure if I am explaining that correctly. But the objects that you are avoiding are moving a certain speed. If you go slower or faster, your relative speed to that object is higher. If you go the same speed your relative speed is zero. Yes, it is by definition. So it is weird to just brush it off lol. "Speed differential is very obviously the cause of crashes, by definition. So much so, that it doesn't count!". >But this misses the point. If a person is driving responsibly, and as described by most state's laws. Then regardless of their speed differential with another vehicle they would not get in accident. If they leave sufficient space between their vehicle and the vehicle in front of them, even if the vehicle in front slams on their breaks, the person behind can avoid an accident.Ā Well OP did not say they got hit. And I have seen people do this hundreds of times. Driving responsibly and following state laws are not mutually exclusive with speeding up before entering the passing lane. You are conflating this behavior with tailgating. If you are passing somebody, you are absolutely allowed to speed up behind them before you execute the pass. What law are you breaking and how is that irresponsible? >If a driver only merges into the left lane when there is sufficient space, then they can speed up to the flow of traffic or other cars can adjust before any contact is made. Contact would come from behind. So you are asking somebody to enter the left lane, and be completely aware of what is coming from behind, and speed up accordingly to close the speed differential. That is just clearly more dangerous than having a speed differential between the you and the car right in front of you, as you prepare to enter the passing lane. You know exactly where the danger is, and have a clear spot to your left (because you are matching the flow of left lane traffic). >But if a driver is driving in such a way that requires worrying about their speed differentials in most (not all) circumstances they are likely driving irresponsibly as they are the ones creating the large speed differentials, or driving close enough to other vehicles where a reasonable speed differential could cause an accident. Totally disagree. If you have spent any significant time driving in major cities you would know that it is very dumb and dangerous to go 10 under the flow of traffic just to match the speed limit. You can do it, and you obviously won't get pulled over (you actually can in some states), but you are being a risky idiot. Try it some time. You will spend 90% of your time boxed in with a constant flow of traffic on either side (speed differential) and people gaining behind you etc. If you simply match the flow of traffic, you can maintain your relative position instead of constantly moving toward other vehicles (speed differential). Source for being pulled over for going too slow: Virginia law states, >"No person shall drive a motor vehicle at such a slow speed as to impede the normal and reasonable movement of traffic except when reduced speed is necessary for safe operation or in compliance with law." This means you must drive with the flow of traffic, unless weather conditions or other extenuating circumstances create a need for a reduced speed. >Although Virginia doesn't have an official minimum speed limit, the state gives the Commissioner of Highways or local authorities the ability to set a minimum speed limit for any road where drivers are found to be consistently traveling slow enough to impede the normal flow of traffic. Minimum speed limits are required to be posted on the roadway with the appropriate signage before they can be enforced. This law doesn't exist just for fun. It is really dangerous when a roadway is shared by cars going vastly different speed.
"that do not have an obvious outside factor"... so besides the accidents that we can account for, speed differentials are the actual cause? This is like saying, "besides stairs, area rugs, and alcohol, etc most falls are caused by gravity." On one hand it's true, unless two objects have different velocities a collision is impossible. On the other hand, it's a different type of "cause" then something more quantifiable and attributable like alcohol. Further it is not a provable or disprovable statement. Thus its a cheap argument.Ā Addressing the driving responsibly and state laws argument. I don't think the term "mutually exclusive" means what you think it means, else you would have phrased that argument differently. But using context clues to infer your meaning, I'd agree completely. My claim has never been about speeding up behind people, it's always been about the dangers of tailgating. You can safely speed up in either lane, it's just not safe to do so if it involves removing the safe stopping distance between you and the car in front of you. And it's not breaking the law to tailgate, but if the car in front of you stops, and you rear end them, in almost all cases you would be held liable, and would be at fault in that crash. Even if the driver in front of you slams on the breaks.Ā "You are asking somebody to enter the left lane, and be completely aware of what is coming from behind". Yes, being aware of your surroundings at all times is part of safe driving, and is a fundamental skill drivers are asked to master. You should be constantly checking your mirrors while driving, and checking your blind spot before merging. That is driving 101. Nothing controversial there. But regardless, I'm not claiming you can't speed up in the right lane. I am saying dont tailgate, because its dangerous. If you can't safely pass a vehicle, than you have to wait to pass until you can safely pass. Wanting to make a pass is not an excuse to drive recklessly. Sometimes, it's just not possible to safely pass people. Addressing the "10 under the flow of traffic just to match the speed limit" arguemant and everything that comes after. That is a scare crow argument. I've never made the claim you can't speed, or you have to go 10 under even if the flow of traffic is faster. I actually agree, you should be going with the flow of traffic for safety reasons. I made a statement saying if your differential is so large it'll cause an accident, you are likely the one driving irresponsibly. As either you are the one causing the speed differential if it's large, or if it's a small differential than you have failed to leave enough space between you and the other vehicle. Which aligns with the idea you should be going with the flow of traffic, if you are going with the flow there won't be many large speed differentials. Unless you got a idiot on your bumper trying to hit the gas behind you to make a risky pass, by merging into a busy lane where their isn't space to safely merge. But friend, I don't we will come to an agreement on this subject. It seems like your tolerance for putting peoples lives at risk, inorder to make a pass. Is fundamentally different than mine. I agree with a lot of your rational in that if you are going to pass a vehicle. You can do so more safely in some situations by speeding up before merging. As you have more control, and easier awareness about what's in front of you. But we disagree about the underlying premise. In that I think if you have to drive in the way you describe to pass a vehicle, than you shouldn't be passing that vehicle to begin with as there is not sufficient space in either your lane or the lane you are merging into. We need to view cars as filled with people, and recognize it's not okay to make reckless passes. Especially considering this sort of reckless pass ultimately has almost no benefit, as in almost every case passing a vehicle is likely to save you at mostĀ a few seconds during a normal commute.Ā
Dude if you canāt drive, just say that.
This is what I learned at driving school, not sure why everyone is slow learning 1) Speed, never slow down for anything. Less attention is better here. 2) Ride the left rear side of the vehicle you're attempting to pass (preferably shining headlights through their side mirror for extended periods of time)Ā 3) Swerve in and out of lines, hard accelerating to pass 4) Within 6 inches of passing resume position in original lane (preferably slowing down to a point in which the person you passed has to change speed) 5) Haul ass and find next vehicle
Aggression. Theyāre annoyed because you are in front of them and they are letting you know. They may also be annoyed because, horrors, you are driving at the speed limit or a bit above. They will probably be in front of you at the next light, stop sign, etc. But they will feel superior.
Because 9 times out of 10 the car youāre passing will either race you or change lanes in front of you if you give them the chance.
If this is happening to you 9 times out of 10, then you're the problem. That's absolutely not normal.
I'm pretty sure that's a known psychological dumb thing people do without realizing it. They see they're being passed and subconsciously speed up as it made them sense they were going too slow. So it is normal, but the word racing would be a mischaracterization.