ROTD: being too nice while driving - Striper Talk Striped Bass Fishing, Surfcasting, Boating

Pete_G · 12-15-2005, 12:44 PM

Rant of the Day:

What the hell is with stopping 20 cars just to let one person out onto the roadway? Or even worse the guy who sticks his nose out to stop an entire line of traffic. Do you realize cars burn the most fuel while accelarating? Do you enjoy supporting terrorists, wasting the gas, and burning the brakes of 20 vehicles behind you just to let 1 person out who could have pulled out easily AFTER the train of vehicles passed? I don't get it. If I'm trying to make a difficult left or right I just wait my turn.

I'm tempted to go on a tear about jaywalkers being responsible for half the traffic in Newport too, but I'll save that for spring when the tourists return.

My favorite bumper sticker I've seen in Newport so far this year: "I'm not on YOUR vacation"

spence · 12-15-2005, 01:02 PM

Pete,

I think you really should have got out of your car, and jumped on their hood screaming they were a terrorist.

You could pull it off, I know you have it in ya.

-spence

vineyardblues · 12-15-2005, 01:17 PM

I have to agree with Pete, And I think it's against the law in Ma to stop on a main road to let someone pull out! Any copper J's out their to chime in ? Uncle Matt ? Anyone!
VB

Krispy · 12-15-2005, 01:51 PM

I hate the people on the highway who need to squeeze into the 1 & 1/8 car length I leave between me and the car in front, esp. when theres no-one behind me for a 1/4 mile.
They get the most uncomfortable car ride of their life for 5 min.

Redsoxticket · 12-15-2005, 02:12 PM

Rhode Island is probably the only state where motorist pull out in main traffic and stop expecting you to give them the right of way. Little do they know they do not have the right of way.
I see this all the time. There are motorist in every state but why this driving behavior only in RI.
Could it be that there was no mandatory insurance ( or just plain mentality of RIders) at one time and people developed bad driving skills and generations that followed practiced the same habits. I think that if MA and RI were one state then motorist of RI would see better driving habits.

At least in MA they don't pull out and stop then just pull out and continue in good timing.

hank8001 · 12-15-2005, 04:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Redsoxticket

I think that if MA and RI were one state then motorist of RI would see better driving habits.

I take it you haven't driven in MA lately....

Quote:

Originally Posted by Krispy

1 & 1/8 car length I leave between me and the car in front.

That's not enough space, especially on a highway. If he stands on his brakes you're kissing his bumper.

Brings to mind my biggest driving gripe - when somebody comes roaring up to your rear bumper on a highway and just sits there tailgating, when there's other lanes there if they want to go faster. As an experiment, in this situation I've pulled into the lane to the left and the person will pass you then, in the lane they are in. Other times I just take my foot off of the gas and start going slower and slower, to see at what point the person finally will pass. Sometimes I've been down to 20mph on the highway before the person will pass.

Are they too lazy to change lanes? Do they think that their car is a train (on one track)? It drives me crazy. It's interesting that it's mostly women that do this. Herd instinct?

Raven · 12-15-2005, 05:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pete_G

My favorite bumper sticker I've seen in Newport so far this year: "I'm not on YOUR vacation"

thats rich Pete.....and thanks for posting it....you made my day
and its been a rough one.... thats for sure...

in fact i have to change my signature now...... too.

basswipe · 12-15-2005, 05:57 PM

Pete,
Gotta love Newport!

My favorite sticker is still the oldie but goodie "Welcome to Newport,Now go Home" or "Tourists.They're not just for Breakfast anymore".

Mike P · 12-15-2005, 07:46 PM

Aw, stop your griping---move to Lawn Guyland where you'll REALLY have a reason for grumpage

Backbeach Jake · 12-15-2005, 08:03 PM

I love it when you're doing 85 in the left lane and the jerk that you're towing flashes his headlights for you to move over. That's when he gets to see what 35 looks like. I slow down gradually so everyone on the right is wizzing by and flashy can't pass. He soon learns that I'm driving the car in front of him and not he. Only happens once a year, word gets around... I used to flash a blue light in reply to their headlights, that was fun but I figured it was only a matter of time before that trick backfired.

Raven · 12-15-2005, 08:09 PM

quote: Sometimes I've been down to 20mph on the highway before the person will pass.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
i just put on my emergency flashers.....works much better and i loose no time.....or if i am driving my 20 year old car i slam on the brakes.

hank8001 · 12-15-2005, 09:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Raven

quote: or if i am driving my 20 year old car i slam on the brakes.

I only reserve stuff like that for the really flagrant, aggressive tailgaters. A lot of the time it's more of a passive thing, when the person clearly was going about 15 mph faster than you until they get up to your car. Then, rather than taking a little bit of initiative and passing you, they just hang behind you at the same distance. You speed up, they speed up. You slow down, they slow down.

Swimmer · 12-17-2005, 12:19 PM

This post is kind of funny in a way. Some of you guys are trying to straighten out krispy for driving 75 m.p.h. in the high speed, more appropriately known as the passing lane, when 75 m.p.h. is 10 m.p.h. over the maximum speed that your supposed to be traveling. The middle lane use to be referred to as the travel lane and the inside lane was where all the slow pokes should be. If someone wants to travel 75 m.p.h. in the passing lane and that person is in fact passing all the cars in the travel lane then whats wrong?

A friend of mine went to MIT and he and his civil engineering clasmates conducted a study of person driving from point A to point B. Some went the posted speed and sone drove as far as they could to point B. Result was that thier was no discernable difference in the time it took for everyone to arrive, none.

As far as driving to slow in the passing lane and getting a ticket. Thier is a minimum speed law in Mass. but it is not clearly defined and has never been used. Besides wtf, who drives belkow 65 m.p.h. in the outsidelane.

You could put your car in frieking nuetral and get dragged along at close to the speed limit anywhere in Mass.

What about yielding entering the highway? That sign is a farce. Yield means stop if traffic is coming. The most selfish driving behavior in the whole country happens at the end of the on-ramps with people cutting you off. What about the guy who not only cuts you off but ends up in the pasing lane so fast from entering at the on-ramp you dont know how he did it. Its almost like the car he was driving dematerializes and the rematializes in the passing lane. No offense everyone but I reading many posts here written by people who make up the rules as they drive along. And thats why we all pay so much in insurance.

Surfcastinglife · 12-18-2005, 01:13 AM

whenever someone is driving slow in the left lane i move to the right, and i switch back to the left lane with about 2 inches of clearance. they usually get the message and get the !@#$ out of the lane. and i like the ppl who put on their turn signal and just switch lanes regardless of how close you are to them. "but i had my turn signals on u knew i was switching lanes its ur fault u hit me"

Sea Dangles · 12-19-2005, 08:18 PM

2 words;RAMMING SPEED. WTF Pete,You move 2 miles away from work and NOW you bellyache about traffic?

Pete_G · 12-19-2005, 11:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sea Dangles

2 words;RAMMING SPEED. WTF Pete,You move 2 miles away from work and NOW you bellyache about traffic?

Some days my 2 mile drive to work takes 15 minutes.

striprman · 12-19-2005, 10:23 PM

I'm the guy in the old pickup truck doing 50 in the right lane.

mrmacey · 12-20-2005, 12:24 PM

your sitting waiting to get out of the parking lot they pull in front of you instead of letting you out now the fifty other cars behind them wont let you out so you get a little aggressive and pull out and have to cut someone off to get in they beep and yell but I say wal mart will be there when you get there!

MAC · 12-21-2005, 06:21 PM

If I am in the left lane and going 75 MPH and passing everyone I stay there. If the middle lane opens up I'll get over. But if the middle lane is chock full and some one pulls up on my bumper expecting me to get over, tough cookies. My thoughts are that they should have left 10 minutes earlier. If you are late for work because you cut it too short timewise , oh well. Life is too short as it is to worry about somebody behind you. I used to get the road rage mindset but not anymore. Sometimes my wife even tells me I drive like an old man now.