I’ve hear people who do this referred to as “lane enforcers”, based on the observation that they behave as if their job is to keep you in “your” lane. And it’s not just people behind speeding up, I’ve noticed in some places (Tulsa comes to mind) people who are already well ahead of you will slow down to keep you from getting behind them, then match your speed until safely past the exit.
Now that I think of it, maybe they think their job is guarding the exits.
Do you live in Sacramento? This is the only place I’ve driven where this is common, and it’s scary. These jerks don’t care if they kill someone, they only care that someone not dare to be in front of them in their lane.
It almost makes the local allergy to the use of turn signals make sense.
ETA: Ranger Jeff’s theory also makes sense.
What would physics dictate if you slowed down instead of speeding up?
Turning on the signal as you are changing lanes doesn’t keep you on the right side of the law. The idea of using signals is to let people know what you are going to do **before **you do it. If you signal as you are turning, thanks, but don’t bother; I’ve already figured out that you are turning. This is essentially the same as not signalling at all. In some venues, if a cop sees you do that, he will write you up.
And there is such a thing as right of way. If you are entering a freeway or changing lanes, the traffic that is already in the lane has the right of way and your responsibility is to yield to it. Issuing a “warning” and then moving in regardless of the traffic flow is just rude, if not highly dangerous.
I assume you see a lot of middle fingers when you drive.
Whaddya mean, “regardless of the traffic flow”? Rachellelogram specifically stated that she always makes sure she has plenty of space before she changes lanes.
That said, yes, motorists should signal a lane change starting at least a couple of seconds before actually beginning to move over. AFAICT, traffic laws in fact require that lead time when signalling.
You must win. You will never win if you let anyone in front of you. If you see they need to get over to make an exit and they are only in the far lane because they nicely let you merge by moving over then too bad. You must gun it to block the move because they will then be ahead of you and you won’t win. You must win at all cost. If it costs your life and the lives of everyone on the road you must win. There is a trophy made of granite waiting for you. It has your name on it and the date you won it. You must win.
Physics dictates that there’s not room for them to come in safely in front of me, sometimes. At times, my following distance does not permit safe operation if another vehicle aggressively inserts itself. Therefore, at those times I do not let those people in, hazarding myself and others.
At those times, they will have to settle for coming in behind me, when, where, and if it is safe to do so. We’re not really talking about me “speeding up,” we’re talking about cases where they want me to brake abruptly and fall back so that they can be in front of me – often, there is NO ONE behind me, but they don’t want to go there.
At other times I have no problem letting someone in front, especially if they signal.
Heh.
I love the people that slam on their brakes for no seeming reason, start to turn…and THEN turn on their signal. I already figured out you were turning, asshole!
Same as previous: why do people move into a dedicated turn lane and signal at the end? I already figured… I sometimes do what the OP objects to: in a line of cars docilely waiting to pass a truck and some AH barrels down the right lane and DEMANDS to be let in ahead of the line. I frequently go out of myway not to assist them. (Many drivers do not notice what other cars are doing.) Another question is: why does the lead car try to pass the truck by going only 2 mph faster?
Occasionally, someone will signal behind me with intent to pass, and I will realize that I was going slower than I’d thought I was – so, I’ll speed up a little, to give the person behind me the option of being content to remain behind me at this higher speed (if he still wants to pass me to go even faster, that’s fine with me.)
That’s not what the OP is talking about. The OP is talking about when there is plenty of room for the lane change, but the second the turn signal comes on the person well behind them in the other lane floors it to get up beside them and then matches speed (you slow down, they slow down/you speed up, they speed up). Or as I mentioned earlier in some cases the person ahead abruptly slows down, which has the effect of quickly backing up into the gap.
To be fair, I’ve only seen this behavior in a couple of areas, mostly Tulsa (I don’t live there but I have family in that area.)
I guess I’m not understanding the exact situation you’re referring to. Are you saying that you have enough time to react by speeding up, but not enough time to react by slowing down? Or that the guy behind you is tailgating and you’re worried that he’ll rear-end you (in which case I’d say that the tailgating guy is the one you should be complaining about)? Or something else?
While we’re on the subject, how about those center turn, suicide lanes that allow left turns from both directions. What is with the idiots that leave the ass end of their car in the travel lanes instead of pulling all the way over?
Moving from Oregon to Houston I learned VERY quickly that you simply do not turn your indicator on until the very MOMENT you intend to change lanes, as doing so as a “warning” is basically the same as putting up a permanent roadblock between you and the lane you want to get into.
In houston, anyhow, that’s how it works. In Oregon, most people were very nice in letting you into the lane you want to be in.
If there is a gap there WHEN I turn on my signal I am coming over. Its a warning not a request. And if I see you speeding up I’ll do my best to get over first.
Oh and random driver dipshittery. On the interstate the other day. A van was driving along at about FIVE miles per hour because it had a blown tire. There is an emergency lane there and the moron wasn’t even using it. Its a wonder he didn’t get rear ended at 60 mph.
I am specifically talking about cases where I do not, per se, “speed up” OR slow down. I am talking about cases of crowded traffic, usually slower-moving, where I am following someone with an appropriate following distance but it is NOT safe for another car to be inserted into that space, and yet someone signals an intent to come over. I do not open the space up and they do not succeed in coming over. Yet I speculate that those people rant somewhere that I “sped up to cut them off.”
When these topics come up in conversation, a lot of people I talk to – and sometimes posters on message boards – say “a turn signal is not a request!” indicating their intent to come over ANYWAY and damn the consequences.
They are, of course, wrong – when you do not have the right-of-way, such as entering a highway, you MUST YIELD if there is not space for a safe merge. But a shocking number of people seem to think that right-of-way inheres in their personhood, not their position in traffic.
In this thread, I am merely mentioning that widespread complaints about someone speeding up when you signal are subjective, and sometimes --perhaps often – the person making the complaint is entirely in the wrong about the traffic situation.
I live in Northern Virginia but i have noticed this phenomenon everywhere from NYC, LA, Miami, Hong Kong, Paris, London, this behaviour seems to exist everywhere cars exist. I notice it more here because we have a lot of left lane exits relative to these other places and it seems to happen more frequently when you try to merge left.
The truck is providing shade from the sun? Seriously, this pisses me off too.
Yeah, this is when I noticed it. I was in the left lane and someone came around to pass me from the right and it made me realize I was going kinda slow so I instinctively speed up to the speed I should be going and when I look over to thank the guy trying to pass me for reminding me how slow i was going, he flips me the bird.
I generally just tailgate you for a few seconds if I think you’re going too slow.
I’ve never had anyone slow down to close a gap but I have had people slow down as I try to leave a driveway as if they’re afraid I’m going to leap out in front of them.
I’ve seen this behaviour everywhere people have cars.
Portland is one of the friendliest cities I’ve ever been to. Sometimes it’s laid back to the point where you want to scream. At least until people get behind the wheel, when all the passive aggressiveness and repressed anger comes out. It must be the pressure of trying to be nice to everyone and pretending how cool you are. Also, the fact that drivers are required by law to stop when a pedestrian even sets one foot off the curb isn’t helping with the attitude problems. Speeding up to prevent you from changing lanes? Oh, yeah. Ditto to prevent you from pulling out of a driveway, or tailgating to show their annoyance when you do manage to get into traffic ahead of them? Oh hells yeah. And women are some of the worst offenders IME.
I’ll speed up to make it easier for someone to merge behind me. Heck, I’ll move one lane left if that lane is empty. I’m disinclined to slow down if I have to slow down a lot, though, mainly because this puts me at risk of getting rear-ended, but if taking my foot off the gas for a few second will suffice, so be it.
The decision rests partly on what type of vehicle is trying to enter.
I hate people who put on their turn signals and immediately start moving into the lane. I may make room for you, I may not, but I haven’t even had the chance to make a decision yet! Like they are entitled to the space. You still have to look. I see this every week.
But people who don’t use their turn signals should burn in a fire of a thousand hells. Don’t give me any excuses. If you don’t use your turn signal every time, even when you are on an empty stretch of road with no one behind you, YOU ARE PART OF THE PROBLEM.