While I agree with everything you say, I think both are morons not just the tail gating one.. Driving under limit is just as dangerous as driving over.. You can get a ticket in most states if you go 10mph under the posted speed limit. I would say if you feel to drive 5mph under the posted speed go on the first lane.. Dont stay on the left one blocking everyone.But i think tailgaiting those is just as stupid.. No need to do that. You don;t gain anything other than **** that driver more.

 

You should come to the Philippines (home of the worst as well as the most undisciplined drivers in all of South East Asia)

A blind man can even pass our lousy-*** driving exam.

What's more, assume that more than 90% of local motorists here bribe some official to get their license (i.e. mostly through under-the-table dealings)

 

When I'm in my Civic or Celica, I keep the sped limit, an always in the slow lane. Ppl mess with me but I ignore them. When in the Supras or my mr2, they follow me close but I can lose them in a heartbeat. They leave me alone in the Lexus. I borrowed my friend's dually Ram, and nobody tailgated me or messed with me. So yes, ppl do react to what you're driving.

 

An excellent post. I totally agree.

The only problem, though, with keeping the 2-3 second rule is that in very dense traffic, that's not always possible, because when many drivers see any significant kind of open space, they invariably cut in.

 

Oh I agree absolutely. Driving too slow for conditions is also dangerous, but my only point is it's never prudent to combat dangerous driving with more dangerous driving. I'd be happy to see the police pull over both the slow driver and the tailgater

 

Great point I agree completely. In practice during moderate traffic conditions it's probably closer to 1.5- 2 seconds.

 

I won't tailgate, but I will honk if you're driving slower than the limit and I can't pass you(ie, you're in the left lane).

There is NO excuse for driving below the speed limit in any lane except for the far right. NO EXCUSE. It is inherently selfish and inconsiderate. If this describes you, then you should consider taking public transportation and surrendering your license. (this is to all of society, not to anybody in particular).

 

Slow driving is bad form but you're blowing things out of proportion. There's simply no rational reason to get worked up over a slow driver "hogging" the left lane unless there's an imminent emergency and you're transporting someone to the hospital or something.

Again, if you simply leave 15 or 20 minutes earlier than you normally would, slow drivers become a non-issue.

I'm thrilled that you don't tailgate people, but in the world that we live in honking is not without consequence either. Honking is almost universally considered to be a sign of immense disrespect in any circumstance other than one in which you honk to prevent an imminent collision (or you're honking because your pregnant wife is about to give birth in the passenger seat or something). Would it be great if people had thick enough skin to not get riled up over someone honking at them? Sure. But this is simply not the world we live in. I think the mere act of getting riled up over someone honking at you is in and of itself a form of bad driving because you're letting the actions of other people negatively affect your mood which could negatively affect your driving.

But realistically speaking and realizing that most people are far from perfect, by honking at a slow driver you're quite possibly making him angry at you. Now you're angry at him, he's angry at you, both of you are driving with an agitated mood and for what? So you get to your destination 5 minutes earlier (probably less if your commute is < 50 miles)?

Tailgating is bad and I'm glad that you seem to agree, but there is value in keeping a calm head on the road and not to needlessly instigate other bad drivers by honking at them.

 

Assuming conditions allow, the courteous and only acceptable thing to do is the following:

• Drive at the limit for the road you are on.
• If anyone wishes to drive faster than you, let them pass - even if you are driving at or above the limit.
• If you're driving slowly and are holding others up, get out of the way and let them pass.

To do anything else does indeed mark you out as an inconsiderate ***. There's no reason for anyone to habitually have to leave 20 minutes earlier just in case someone chooses to drive at a slower than reasonable speed. It is a basic courtesy for all drivers to do their part to aid the flow of traffic. Slow drivers are absolutely as much a part of the problem as overly fast and aggressive drivers.

 

 

Agreed. The most sensible drivers usually obey traffic laws.

That's not to say, however, that traffic laws always make sense. Some places have gone overkill. In some parts of the country (mine, for instance), there are WAY too many traffic lights, DO NOT ENTER signs, speed bumps, unnecessary 3 and 4-way stops, neghborhood traffic restrictions, tolls/fees, and other impedimants to driving. When I learned to drive, in this area, in the late 60s, you got in your car and actually went somewhere relatively unimpeded. Now, you get in your car and either sit still in gridlock or wear your brakes out constantly starting/stopping and going over speed bumps.

 

I would assume that our definition of "driving like an *******" is pretty similar - tailgating, weaving in and out of traffic, purposely obstructing traffic, and things of that nature. Spirited driving is anything but that. It is about driving within your limits, within the limits of the vehicle, within the limits of the road conditions for maximum possible enjoyment of your vehicle while putting noone at risk except for yourself. Is it possible for 90% of people to do this? Hell no. They are simply commuters going from one place to another. The rest of us use our vehicles off hour and in out of the way places enjoying the road, not as the great unwashed masses, but to the limits of its design, but well within our limits.

Everyone has a different idea of what a "safe" driver is. Most people are not, including a majority of people that profess that they are. Do you do anything else other than focus 100% on driving while you are in your vehicle? In some people's eyes you would not qualify as a safe driver, because any additional input, be it the radio, your gps, your phone, eating, a passenger, or even thinking about your day is taking away from the task at hand. Yet, this is how most people operate on a daily basis, and still consider themselves safe. When was the last time you inspected your vehicle? Oh, last year when it was "safety inspected" or when the idiot light came on the dash, or you heard, felt or smelled something funny(if that's even possible between the artificial smells you introduce into your vehicle, the additional noise you add to distract you from the rigors of your commute, and the abject disassociation that most people have with their vehicle - fire it up, hit the gas, shut it off at your destination, repeat as necessary). People blindly operate a vehicle in unknown condition, with multiple distractions, surrounded by masses of other vehicles in unknown condition with distracted drivers and consider themselves "safe drivers". Oh, but I travel at or near the speed limit, so I must be a safe driver. So what. The speed limit is there for the lowest common denominator, yet propaganda that dictates the numbers on the sign are the end all be all for operating safely on the road have been so deeply ingrained in our society that we demonize anyone who has the audacity to travel outside of a given range.

Has anyone actually stopped to think about why we have the ideas about driving that we do? Very few people are actually PASSIONATE about driving. It's simply something they feel have to do. People ARE passionate about how OTHERS drive, which is completely ridiculous. There have been countless studies done that have shown that people will travel at the speed with which they are most comfortable, regardless of the posted speed limit. Why has noone attempted to expand upon this? Give real, ongoing, driver training that allows the great unwashed masses to actually improve their on-road capabilities. Stop demonizing people that drive quickly. Quickly does not equate to aggressively in most instances. If everyone was more focused on simply driving and more aware of what is around them, especially behind and to the sides, and displayed even a modicum of lane discipline, then as a whole things would be better and move more quickly for everyone. We created a majority of our own issues, yet instead of trying to actually improve them, we created propaganda and a revenue stream for municipalities. This is done with ABSOLUTELY no consideration for the variances in vehicle and driver capabilities - although your insurance company recognizes it (both to a benefit and detriment). Simply because we allow it, by not taking the initiative to attempt to change it.

In the interim we are stuck with varying principles on what it is to be a safe driver, while the powers that be try to regulate and coerce all of us into submission. If we all focused upon making ourselves better drivers every day, then we wouldn't have an issue about whether the vehicles we operate command respect or are disrespected by others, because everyone would have an equal amount of respect for everyone else on the road. Isn't that what we all want?

 

^ Forgive me if your little story about proving the superiority of your "cojones" makes me question your status as a safe driver.

I've already said what I needed to say and frankly speaking there's nothing more that I can say that will change your driving habits so I won't be pursuing this further.

 

Sorry, when I leave work at 8PM for my 40 minute drive home the last thing in the world I want is some stupid selfish jerk in the left lane not allowing me to go the speed limit. If the road conditions are fair, why is there ever any reason to go below the speed limit? I have no problem if you are in the right lane and let traffic going the speed limit get by you, that is just fine and what you should actually do.

Why on a sunny day is there any reason to drive 10 under the speed limit in the left lane?
There is no reason! Just be a decent human and get in the right lane.

Sorry, but this is the most annoying thing in the world for me.

 

My last post which stated "you" was universal, kind of like the royal "we". I advocate better training for everyone, and abhor people that drive like dicks. I have flaws as a driver, and they are centered around tailgaters and people that pace you. These individuals draw their courage from their anonymity and the ability to follow a leader. They are typically operating their vehicle near the upper limits of their ability, and when they fail to respond to the overt gestures made to allow them to pass, they have identified themselves as a danger and a nuisance. So I "walk away", and maintain a healthy distance to prevent a reoccurrence of the situation, thereby rendering them inert as opposed to attempting to prove superiority(much like running at the top of your race pace at the beginning of a 5k to shake off the hangers-on that you know won't be able to maintain your regular pace and give yourself breathing room).

I don't expect most people to understand this. This all occurs overnight while most people are typically asleep - except Saturdays, and admittedly my driving style is different then because there are more people on the road. Late night/very early morning drivers and long distance interstate drivers are different than those that drive during the day and around town when there are many many people on the roads. You understand that people are just doing this to simply screw with you, and everyone develops a coping mechanism. Some brake check(which I don't agree with because you're then endangering both of you), some slow to a crawl(which long ago I used to do, but the problem is that you will invariably catch up to the person that you were attempting to dismiss, and it just isn't efficient to keep doing this). I choose to break them psychologically (remember what I said about people only travelling as fast as they feel comfortable?). Does this make me an unsafe driver? So be it. I let my 20 year, accident free, approaching a million miles driven, record stand for itself.