I try to be normal....

Sometimes I try. I really do. Today I was driving down a highway, getting ready to merge onto a different highway. The moron two cars ahead of me is driving about 60 as he approaches the ramp. Everyone else is driving 70-75. The ramp is a long, high speed ramp. I consider pulling my signature maneuver to go around him before getting on the ramp. I figure, if he’s going 60 while getting on a ramp, by the time he’s on the ramp its going to be 50. And when he goes to merge on to the other highway where, surprise surprise, guess what, everyone is driving 70-75, the idiot is going to be going about 45, which is going to create a dangerous situation for everyone, me included. I decided no, I’m going to be like everyone else, and be normal and slow down and just wait behind him. So what happened? Dude slowed down to 50 on the ramp and slowed down even more to merge, to about, I dunno, 45 I would say. I’m a traffic Nostradomus. Of course the car ahead of me bunched up and the two knuckleheads forced themselves into traffic where chaos ensued when we all tried to merge. There is safety in speed so I’m going to give up trying to be normal.

I know the feeling. I drive an almost 2 1/2 ton SUV and often times have to slow down for people ahead of me on the onramp. I think a lot of people panic if they feel the slightest bit of sideways G

As I end up saying every day: "You just sit there basking in 'retarded,' the rest of us will drive (usually proverbially, sometimes literally) around you. Don't make any sudden moves."

Let the idiots be idiots far away from you. One of my rules to drive by.

It's scary out there. First drive with my new car and I'm worrying about someone hitting it. Drive three blocks and I look a good 50 yards ahead of me see there's a green light then all of a sudden someone just drives right across the road.. I sort of had to laugh.. I'm thinking wtf he just drove through that red light.

It doesn't help that when merging onto a highway in a line of cars, even if going 60, there is always some douchebag hanging out in the right lane of the highway going 80 who just HAS to get by before anyone merges in front of him, even though he could just move over a lane and let everyone in. And because he won't slow down or move over, everyone bunches up in the merge lane slower than whoever the lead car is (who is by then running out of merge lane).

If there's a slow person in front of me on a highway entrance, I'll actually slow down even more and drop back on the entrance, so I can punch it and get with traffic speed by the time I merge. 99% of the time the slow person in front of me is still creeping 30mph in the merge lane waiting to get into traffic while I'm a mile ahead by then.

Of course, having 300hp makes it pretty easy

irish44j wrote: If there's a slow person in front of me on a highway entrance, I'll actually slow down even more and drop back on the entrance, so I can punch it and get with traffic speed by the time I merge. 99% of the time the slow person in front of me is still creeping 30mph in the merge lane waiting to get into traffic while I'm a mile ahead by then. Of course, having 300hp makes it pretty easy

Agreed. Typically in situations such as these, I call upon my Nascar watching experience (before it turned to crap of course) and as Dale Sr. used to say, "I get a run on em" by driving even slower than they are until near the end of the ramp. This only works if no one is behind you, no need to piss off anyone else and it only makes sense if the goofs in front of you are not driving too ridiculously slow. I give myself plenty of room so that I can gun it near the end of the ramp. If you time it right you can blow by them doing about twice their speed when they are doing 45 and get away from them as quickly as possible. Or, I guess I could just ram em like Dale used to do on occasion.

I have this happen very regularly except its a short uphill onramp right next to a truck stop. So guess what happens 50% of the time...stuck behind a truck going 35mph or less merging onto a 70mph highway. I guess they can't help it, but I hate hate hate the situation. Luckily everyone has moved over to the outside lane so it has been fine...so far.

Just don't be the douchebag that wants to merge into my door when I have but two lengths in front and back of my vehicle and a tri-axle dump passing on the left, ain't gonna fit, ain't gonna happen.

The yield sign belongs to you douchebag.

Plance1, good on ya. Everyone has to do their part. Hopefully some of those people will be peer pressured into driving better (in this case faster) in the process.

plance1 wrote:

irish44j wrote: If there's a slow person in front of me on a highway entrance, I'll actually slow down even more and drop back on the entrance, so I can punch it and get with traffic speed by the time I merge. 99% of the time the slow person in front of me is still creeping 30mph in the merge lane waiting to get into traffic while I'm a mile ahead by then. Of course, having 300hp makes it pretty easy

Agreed. Typically in situations such as these, I call upon my Nascar watching experience (before it turned to crap of course) and as Dale Sr. used to say, "I get a run on em" by driving even slower than they are until near the end of the ramp. This only works if no one is behind you, no need to piss off anyone else and it only makes sense if the goofs in front of you are not driving too ridiculously slow. I give myself plenty of room so that I can gun it near the end of the ramp. If you time it right you can blow by them doing about twice their speed when they are doing 45 and get away from them as quickly as possible. Or, I guess I could just ram em like Dale used to do on occasion.

i've felt the urge to go all "Dale Sr on Terry Labonte at Bristol" and rattle a few cages in my day..

plance1 wrote: There is safety in speed.

I've seen this many many times. Properly applied speed saves lives.

The best defensive-driving is a good offense.

fasted58 wrote: Just don't be the douchebag that wants to merge into my door when I have but two lengths in front and back of my vehicle and a tri-axle dump passing on the left, ain't gonna fit, ain't gonna happen. The yield sign belongs to you douchebag.

Two whole lengths in front and in back of you? Sure I'll fit, I only need a couple of inches more than one.

I usually hit the bottom of the ramps at 5-10 over whatever traffic is running. My E150 slows down a lot better than it speeds up. No one will let a van over, ever, and they usually do their best to block me, so I just make a hole. It's caused a few blown horns over the years, but I'm still coming over before the end of the ramp. Guess that makes me one of those douche-bags.

I hate that.

Also I hate badly designed ramps like the one going north in I65 at Columbia in TN. It is really tight so even I struggle to be going 65-70 by the top of it and god help you if you get stuck behind someone else you will going 40 at the top of the ramp.

Merging traffic is why I'm nearly never in the right lane. Center or left, although it is different in rural areas.

And if there is someone poking along on the entrance ramp, I usually try to slow waaaaaay down to give myself space to get a running start. Sorry to any diesels behind me.

mad_machine wrote: I know the feeling. I drive an almost 2 1/2 ton SUV and often times have to slow down for people ahead of me on the onramp. I think a lot of people panic if they feel the slightest bit of sideways G

My mom and my ex-girlfriend were SCARED of driving on the highway, had to do it to go to work, and drove like they were constantly instilled with fear. I'm betting there are millions of people like that on the road.

My ex-gf married one of my friends and no E36 M3 he had to drive her to work daily because she was deathly afraid of highway driving. They are divorced now, lol.

She of course bought the largest SUV available that she could afford so she was capable of extra death dealing. It was one of those SUV silverados, i forget what they are called right now.....

I'm pretty sure I remember the law read that merging vehicles are responsible for matching the speed of existing traffic and finding an open slot, not that existing traffic must move over and let the slow stupid bastards on. Maybe they've changed that in the 20 years since I got my license.

People who can't merge are my biggest driving pet peeve. I often sit in the right lane with the cruise set right on the speed limit or a couple over. If you come down that ramp you better find a hole, buddy, cause I ain't moving. Learn to merge shiny happy person.

I do make exceptions for heavy equipment, semi's, trucks with trailers, etc - I've driven enough of those to know you're praying for speed and a slot. If I can move over I will, but it's a courtesy not a requirement.

there are times that I'll slow down to allow a clueless moron to merge even though they haven't looked in any mirror ... Mom taught me a long long time ago when I went everywhere via bicycle, that just because I was in the right (as in right of way) didn't mean that I should insist on that right ... much better to let the clueless moron have the right of way, than to be dead right

I can usually tell when someone is going to merge whether I give them room or not ... I'd rather slow than get sideswiped

I've just concluded the safest solution is to hit every not in the middle of nowhere on and interchange ramp at 8-9/10ths and on the cam. I usually merge in 3rd, sometimes lower gears in heavier traffic.

In reply to Kenny_McCormic:

And it makes driving fun!

This is GRM. "Normal" has a pretty broad definition here.

wbjones wrote: there are times that I'll slow down to allow a clueless moron to merge even though they haven't looked in any mirror ... Mom taught me a long long time ago when I went everywhere via bicycle, that just because I was in the right (as in right of way) didn't mean that I should insist on that right ... much better to let the clueless moron have the right of way, than to be dead right I can usually tell when someone is going to merge whether I give them room or not ... I'd rather slow than get sideswiped

This. You have to be given the right of way. The way it was taught to me at traffic school is that it is both parties responsibility to merge properly. The merger should not make the oncoming vehicle make any major speed changes, but they need to let the merger in.

It does seem that the slowpoke will almost always force their way into the single car length in front of you rather than wait 1 second to fit in the 5 car lengths behind you.

Friend of mine rear ended someone that way.

Car in front of him (I was passenger) accelerated down the on ramp then slams on brakes right before the merge.

Friend was accelerating while checking his mirror, saw the brake lights light up too late, and that was the end of his Jeep Cherokee.

I have had more than one experience where I came down an onramp faster than the speed limit and was all set to merge smoothly ahead of somebody.. and that somebody sped up to keep me from merging