Posted on 11/27/2015 11:16:56 AM PST by Kaslin
On Wednesday, when most of the 47 million Thanksgiving travelers were driving somewhere to commit Thursday's sin of gluttony with those they profess to love, it sometimes seemed as if a tense million of them were in front of me on the interstates from Western Pennsylvania down to Cincinnati.
On May 26th, in this space, I wrote Part I of a rant about that group of people who wage a personal war from that last bastion of obsessive, sometimes aggressive individualism: the command post of a motor vehicle on a public thoroughfare. Not that I'm a perfect driver. Do I sometimes change lanes without a signal? Yes. Do I nearly always go 5-8 mph over the interstate speed limit? Heck yes, and I'm often passed as if standing still. Do I very occasionally do something unthinkingly stupid? I suppose I'd have to admit that.
My complaint maybe yours? is not about those who go 10 or more over if the Staties get them, that's their risk, and the libertarian in all of us says, do what you need to do, as long as you do not step on our right to be safe on the same journey. It's about the all-about-me crowd that treats the high-speed lanes like their take-no-prisoners, personal battlefield.
One such guy in Eastern Ohio in an old, green Caravan, driving alone and wearing large headphones had set up camp in the left lane and was cruising along a bit below the limit, despite the fact there was no one to pass. In the right lane a hundred yards ahead of him was a lone SUV trudging along at the same speed. Coming up on the right, I saw my opportunity to pass "Headphones" on the right, then move to the left lane and get by the SUV and on to a nice, long open stretch. This was early on the trip, when traffic was still light. As I moved into position and put on my left turn signal, "Headphones" sped up and tried to ram me. Nice. I backed off, but watched him terrify several others until he swerved in a wild exit some miles later. It was the second reminder the Captain Crazy's were out early.
The first occurred not many minutes earlier as I attempted to join I-80 at speed with my signal on. The road was nearly empty except for the black BMW in the highway's right lane. Despite the absence of any other driver on his left or in front or behind him, he was too busy doing God-knows-what to move over. I guess he wasn't feeling all that thankful for the gloriously sunny morning on an open road. Happy not to run off the edge, I braked, got in behind, then around him, before experiencing any more of his courtesy.
Still the biggest cause for what I call, "Clots of Clucks," are the left-lane campers. Switching metaphors, if you picture the highway as a large artery, you often see long clear spaces interspersed with clusters of vehicles, all tailgating to one degree or another. Hence, the Clot. Heading same are the clucks oblivious to the cortege behind them. If the Clot gets large enough, one of two things happens: a tailgating crack-up occurs, or the Clot just gets so big, it begins to herk and jerk, either one leading to a traffic stroke. So, Left-Laners, you know who you are. If you have any freedom instincts at all, move over and let someone get past you. You can always get back there if that's your home away from home.
Two other obstacles to stress free, fast and efficient transport from one destination to another in addition to those mentioned on May 26th are these:
The prevalence of Staties on I-71 probably kept the crazies in check and all the rest of us at 75 mph (or so?). Nevertheless, on arrival after our relatively short, 300-mile journey, I breathed a long sigh of relief for a safe escape from the black Beemer, the green Caravan, and the others who forgot their first responsibility on the road: Drive. Safely. For. Everybody.
And so, the day before T-Day, I also raised my eyes to heaven and thanked God for riding along with me and numberless others who travelled responsibly this holiday weekend. Truly, there was reason for Thanksgiving to the Almighty on Wednesday and everyday, as I know there is for millions of you. God bless all of us.
I think most of the problem is due to our lax driver education requirements and the semi automated vehicles out there that will park themselves and apply the brakes when the driver doesn't.
Some countries require a driving test that includes trailer towing, winter driving, and general maintenance such as changing tires and jump starting. and the beginning drivers start driving in very basic vehicles so they can get experience at a lower level before they take the wheel of a 3000lb guided missile
Like the permanent passengers of the Titanic?
Technology's nowhere near ripe, but there is a line out to the curb, of people frothing at the mouth to yank the car keys out of our hands.
Don't be in a hurry to feed these monsters.
The technology won't be mature anyway for 30 years, by which time I doubt I'll be driving, personally.
It's a poor bet, to wager your life and health on anything made by men.
**Or the Johnny Good Citizen who sees the speed limit posted at 40 mph and no force on earth or in Heaven could impel him to go 1 mph faster, even though the road is clear from here to Des Moines.**
And this person is driving a Subaru, 9/10 :)
Not in my experience. Two main offenders: mini-vans and Buicks. If you get behind a Buick, you might as well walk. And vans are generally driven by emasculated men or soccer mommies.
I agree completely. They don't seem to comprehend that it's not ABSOLUTE speed that's dangerous; it's RELATIVE speed. If everyone else is going 100 mph and so are you, there's no problem. But if everyone else is trying to go 100 and you're dragging your Buick along at 45, you're way more of a threat than the "speeders." Get moving or get off the highway!
Not in New England. The subbie has replaced the *I-know-better=-than-you* Volvo drivers of the past. Just look at their bumper stickers...*Co-Exist* *Obama-Biden* *Greenpeace* *My children is an honor student ...* *I brake for...* ....yada.
Must be different in your neck of the woods. :)
Be safe out there!
“...they’re not multitasking as well as they think.”
No one does, those who claim to multitask are just fooling themselves, what they are really doing is switching back and forth between two tasks and most don’t even do that well. You will never see a carpenter driving nails with one hand while cutting boards with the other. You won’t even see him pull another board into position with one hand while driving the last nail into a board with his other hand. I chuckle when I hear people bragging that they can multitask. The graveyards all have “multitaskers” in them, they are the people who thought they could text and drive because they can multitask. Most of those I have met who claim to multitask can’t even do one thing at a time well.
Physical labor, sure, multitasking is hard. Otherwise, not so much and the excuse of “can’t multitask well” is just that, an excuse for incompetence.
Or they were driving home to spend some time with their families.
The fact that the author feels compelled to degrade all other travelers and their motives tells me that he/she/it is the problem and not the other drivers.
I used to do 35 in a 30 around here years ago. Big wide road, etc. Then I got a ticket on it for 35. Now I go 32 on it. Just enough over to not feel guilty about the guy on my butt - although when I make my left turn I have to make sure I start it as soon as the turn lane starts or every once in awhile they try to get into it first! (Had one guy pass me on the road. Of course I pulled right in on his bumper at the next light!)
They also have some new, wide bike lanes. Lots of times folks treat them like right turn lanes, so I have to watch out for them too, when I’m turning right from the driving lane.
I still haven’t learned my lesson on the freeway, 10 to 15 mph over depending.
“Ever since then I’ve hated driving door-to-door with other vehicles in the rain, much preferring to hang back or go around them.”
My rule is always leave a way out, and know who is nearby behind you. Has saved my butt more than once knowing I could make a lane change fast without looking. (Yes - one time was a car that just ‘stopped’ at 70 mph. The 18-wheeler behind me barely missed him too.)
I’ll show off to my kids and say stuff like “See that van and truck up ahead? Pretty soon a white sports car is going to zip in from the right in between them.” 30 seconds later it happens. I watched the sports car zipping back and forth behind me, and figured out there next few moves.
I’m not so sure they use their mirrors that much though. Hopefully in time.
Sorry.
Don’t let other drivers force you into a ticket. I know it sucks but they’ll laugh and drive on by.
I mistook the sign or missed it, don’t know, though I did slow down. But then let myself get suckered into worse. So I hired a lawyer. It’s all about stealing cash in a small Kansas town.
sigh
So would you define driving and texting as “physical labor”? What would qualify as multitasking under your definition? Singing and playing an instrument at the same time maybe, or is that “physical labor”?
In my view singing and playing, even though I don’t do either, are two aspects of one task. Off hand I can’t think of a time I have seen anyone actually do two tasks at the same time, they switch back and forth. That is why studies show that even driving while talking with a hands free phone is dangerous because people cannot focus on both things at once. There are people who can do a fine job of painting a portrait or sculpting a statue, show me one who can do both at the same time and I might begin to believe in multitasking as something other than a misused word.
Next traffic light, he used the cross street as a passing lane to whip around someone on the left-hand side, just missing the "lane closed/merge right" barrels on the other side of the intersection. His personal motto had better include the words, "no regrets", because none will be lavished on him by people who know him, I'm sure, including his old lady who was riding in the Death Seat.
Annoying as it is, I've had to put up with a lot less of it since I've become, over the last 25 years, sensitized to being overhauled in my blind spot by white Lexuses, Acuras, Jags, Bimmers, and Benzes: The "management class" exercising its sense of prerogative and precedence. If I were a cop I'd set up in an old 70's beater (Dodge Polara 440 Magnum six-pack, low-profile light kit and Scientific Atlanta laser gun) in the breakdown lane at a Houston cloverleaf "merge right/left" junction, and ticket all the white Lexi etc. running the blocked-off lane and then knifing into the other lane "improperly"/"unsafely".
Houston should be glad I never ran for municipal court judge; I'd bring back the guillotine. =8^o
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