OK when someone wants to pass me, especically if they are beign nice about it. I help them. I intentinally travel the speed I want, possibly a little faster if they are not tailgating on sections of the road that do not allow passing. When I get to a section that allows (an it appears safe to pass) it I will slow up a bit and move to the right side of my lane, giving the driver behind me a clear view of the oncomming lane and encouragement due to my slowing down a bit at that time to pass.
Sometimes they get it and pass, others just don’t, to the point that sometimes I lower my window during the passing opportunities and wave them to pass.
When they are passing I usually take my foot off the gas entirely (conditions permitting) to allow them what they need to pass.
I am amazed at the opposite behaviour I see, manily people going slow TILL they have a streach of road that they can be passed, then they speed up only to slow down when it ends, and those who speed up just ever so slightly when being passed.
And I am NOT refering to the yeahoos who due the above agressivly, mainly they do it very suddely.
kanicbird, since I like to drive at the speed limit or under it, I do this on two-lane roads. I try to make it as easy as possible for people to pass me.
If I’m on a scenic road (e.g., the Blue Ridge Parkway), I really like to ease along and enjoy it. But a lot of people want to zip along it even though the speed limit is something like 45 max. So I always zip into one of the viewing areas at the side of the road to let them by. I don’t want to be made to feel rushed.
I just wish the RVs on roads like that would return the favor.
Something I’ve noticed is that often passing zones appear where it’s easier to drive: on long straightways that are either flat or downhill. I think people naturally drive a little faster there, and have a tendency to slow down when the road curves or heads uphill–where the passing zone disappears. Sometimes I catch myself doing this–but if I notice I’m doing this, I either slow down and let people by in the passing zone or maintain the speed limit in the no passing zone.
People in a similar situtation might sometimes see a car passing them, and glance and their spedometer, and realize how slow they’re going, and speed up to the speed limit, without regard to the person passing them.
And I’m sometimes guilty of deliberate bad passee behavior. Some people want to pass me when there’s a new, higher speed limit ahead because I, like a dork, am actually obeying the speed limit in effect instead of speeding up as soon as I see the tiny speck of the new speed limit sign up on the horizon. So often they’re right alongside me (going much too fast for the speed zone we are leaving) when I hit the new, higher speed limit. I personally think these people are dickheads, so, unless there is oncoming traffic ahead, I tend to pretend they aren’t there and accelerate just as I would if I wasn’t being passed. I have no interest in engendering an accident, of course, so if there’s any other traffic, or if my speeding up will cause them to be unable to overtake me within the passing zone, I maintain the lower speed and let them by, while thinking rude thoughts about them.
Familiarity with the roads is another thing that might cause people to lower their speed below what is “normal” on that road. I’ve noticed myself accidentally end up going up to ten miles an hour below the speed limit because I was concentrating on paying attention to the twists, turns, and hills. I understand if people get irritated with me. I need an LED sign in the back of my car to apologize, because for all I know a wave would be taken as dismissive “whatever, get off my ass” or even worse.
I try to be as polite as possible when driving because I believe it is impoliteness which leads to bunching, and bunching leads to traffic, and traffic is the dark side.
It’s amazing how much difference ONE driver can make on the road… negatively and positively!
Now if someone could just explain those idiots who do 90 until they come along side… then instead of passing, just slow down. Then You slow down more to let 'em pass. And they slow down more. And so on.
Nice site, Phnord, I drive exactly like that after reasoning almost exactly as the author did (I didn’t keep the comparison to fluid; it is an analogy that fails spectacularly). I feel there are three fundmantal causes of traffic.
People in the left lanes thinking they’re “going fast enough”. This causes
bunching, disallowing people to merge, and forbidding compression since all spaces are taken, which means
anything that happens that causes anyone to slow down, even temporarily, causes stopped traffic.
My motto: traffic happens because most people can’t handle driving ten miles per hour. That’s really pathetic. The only exception to this are short exit ramps with long lights, causing a devestating back-up. I’ve only seen a few instances of this anywhere in the places I’ve driven. There is no real reason other than stark lack of thought that traffic can’t move along smoothly on a three lane highway or above.
Well, my personal observation is that traffic bunches up because people are gregarious. That is why on my morning commute there are packs of cars with a lot of open space between the various packs. They want to be close to each other.
I go in fairly early and the traffic isn’t that heavy, there are 3 lanes of traffic all going in the same direction, they don’t have to all get together; they do it for social reasons is all I can figure out.
I just put that down to people being fucking retarded.
I constantly keep away from vehicles when I’m in the mood to do the limit. So many other drivers love to pace me on both sides of a 3 lane (one way) highway.
How they became to be like this I’ll never know.
I usually set my cruise and only touch my pedal when I’m passing slower trucks (at below the limit) or when other drivers start pacing me.
From Aussie truckers and professional drivers I have spoken to:
Never wave a person through to overtake you, and if you are towing a trailer, don’t flash your signal to tell the person behind that the road ahead is clear to overtake. You may be making an inexperienced or nervous driver feel pressured to overtake when otherwise he or she wouldn’t do so.
Maintain your speed. If another vehicle is behind you, then its driver is responsible for all the actions required to overtake safely - if he or she wants to do so. You are not doing any favours by slowing down for them. Once again, you may be inadvertently pressuring somebody to overtake before they are ready. And if they aren’t ready, then going even slower than you were before is only an annoyance.
Highway driving should be smooth. Maintain your speed, and don’t worry if somebody is behind you. Overtaking is their concern and not yours, and if you are driving at a steady, predictable speed, that’s the best you can do to make it easy for them to decide what to do.
If you are being overtaken by a big rig, you may wish to pull slightly to the side, but only do this if there is sufficient room, and once again - maintain your speed. The trucker will know what to do.
You’re assuming the new speed limit takes effect when you pass the sign. Are you sure this is the case? What if the speed limit change takes place when the new sign becomes visible? (A subjective measurement, I realize.)
This may have been discussed on these boards previously; I don’t know. It’s something I think about from time to time.
In Ohio, it is when you pass the sign. Don’t know about other states (and I got this from the Ohio driving lawbook and a policeman, since people seem to get crranky in driving threads )
I also move to the right side of my lane and slow down a bit if it is very clear that someone wants to pass. I will only do this if they are clearly trying to see around me by driving over into the next lane a smidgen. Like the previous poster said, I don’t want to make anyone uncomfortable.
Also, when someone is passing me, I’ll wonder why and look down and realize that I am not even going the speed limit. Out of habit, I’ll sometimes hit the gas before I realize that’s a stupid thing to do. LOL.
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