# Riding my tail with highbeams on is a recipe to make me go slower, not faster... **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [November 28, 2003, 7:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/riding-my-tail-with-highbeams-on-is-a-recipe-to-make-me-go-slower-not-faster/215697 "2003-11-28T07:51:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 17
**Author:** ![alice\_in\_wonderland](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alice_in_wonderland/32/176_2.png) [@alice\_in\_wonderland](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alice_in_wonderland)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2003, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/riding-my-tail-with-highbeams-on-is-a-recipe-to-make-me-go-slower-not-faster/215697/321 "2003-12-13T18:06:35Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by lucwarm \* > \*\*I looked at the photo, and it seems to me that if the car in the foreground pulled as far to the right as possible and slowed to a stop or near-stop, the car behind it would be able to pass by crossing the double-yellow. Just MHO of course. \*\* Well, having driven on that particular stretch of road, I can assure that your opinion is not only totally and utterly wrong, but that to do what you’re suggesting would be very dangerous as well as extremely foolish. That being said, I assume you’re going to dismiss this out of hand, and assert that if someone was, say Evil Kinevil, they would have no problem driving their car with only 2 of their wheels actually touching the pavement, the other two dangling over the 1,000 ft drop, and therefore the poor OP should reasonably be expected to do the same. ---
**Author:** ![lucwarm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e19adc/32.png) [@lucwarm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lucwarm)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2003, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/riding-my-tail-with-highbeams-on-is-a-recipe-to-make-me-go-slower-not-faster/215697/322 "2003-12-13T21:15:02Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Jeff Olsen \* > \*\*Pretty much every single post you have made in this thread, you pedantic jerk. \*\* Oh I see now – using my opinion as a “club” includes politely asking for people to back up what they say. If other people ask for other to back up what they say, does that count as using their opinions as a club? Or does your definition apply only to me? Or maybe this is another one of your jokes? ---
**Author:** ![lucwarm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e19adc/32.png) [@lucwarm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lucwarm)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2003, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/riding-my-tail-with-highbeams-on-is-a-recipe-to-make-me-go-slower-not-faster/215697/323 "2003-12-13T21:20:22Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by alice\_in\_wonderland \* > \*\*Well, having driven on that particular stretch of road, I can assure that your opinion is not only totally and utterly wrong, but that to do what you’re suggesting would be very dangerous as well as extremely foolish. \*\* The photo kind of speaks for itself. It appears that there is plenty of room to pass a stopped car. But let me ask you this: If a car breaks down on that stretch of road, is traffic stopped for a few hours in one direction until the breakdown can be cleared? ---
**Author:** ![Gorsnak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gorsnak/32/7587_2.png) [@Gorsnak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gorsnak)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2003, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/riding-my-tail-with-highbeams-on-is-a-recipe-to-make-me-go-slower-not-faster/215697/324 "2003-12-13T21:35:24Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by lucwarm \* > \*\*The photo kind of speaks for itself. It appears that there is plenty of room to pass a stopped car. > > But let me ask you this: If a car breaks down on that stretch of road, is traffic stopped for a few hours in one direction until the breakdown can be cleared? \*\* No, only till a Montana state trooper shows up to direct traffic. Unless traffic was very light, which, if memory serves, it wasn’t when I was on that road. Or unless someone in the opposite lane took it upon himself to block traffic in his lane and wave you around. You can certainly pass a stopped car on this road if there’s no oncoming traffic (though you won’t want to if you’re near one of the many, many blind corners). You could also pass someone travelling at 15mph on a few stretches. Remember. 4.2 seconds, 192 feet. There are a few places where the road sweeps along the side of a mountain and you can see for quite a distance. But I don’t believe the centre line ever wavers from the double solid - though I’ve only driven it a couple times, and that long ago, so my memory could be faulty. However, **alice** is quite correct in saying that there’s no possible way to pull over. Unless by “pull over” you simply mean “slow down,” after the fashion of Humpty Dumpty. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2003, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/riding-my-tail-with-highbeams-on-is-a-recipe-to-make-me-go-slower-not-faster/215697/325 "2003-12-13T21:51:58Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by lucwarm \* > \*\*Oh I see now – using my opinion as a “club” includes politely asking for people to back up what they say. \*\* I probably should bother posting this but what the hell. Politely asking people to back up what they say is one thing. The manner in which you repeatedly disregard subsequent statements because they go against your precious opinion is something else entirely. Now you’re going after **alice** , who not only linked to a photo but posted a first-hand account of what it’s like to drive on the road in the photo. All you have to back up your position is your precious opinion. I’d like to post my opinion of your opinion and your conduct in this thread but I can’t. I’m sure you can figure out why. I will no longer post in this sorry thread. I hope any goats who happen by will do the same. ---
**Author:** ![GSV\_Consolation\_of\_Dreams](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/f1d935/32.png) [@GSV\_Consolation\_of\_Dreams](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GSV_Consolation_of_Dreams)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2003, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/riding-my-tail-with-highbeams-on-is-a-recipe-to-make-me-go-slower-not-faster/215697/326 "2003-12-13T22:57:23Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by lucwarm \* > \*\*Fine, but let’s make sure I understand your position: Your claim is that I’ve faced “unanimous opposition.” So if I find a poster who mentioned my position and didn’t say I was wrong (either expressly or impliedly), then you’re wrong. Agreed? Or are you going to weasel a little? \*\* Ha ha, you must be a lawyer to come up with that… but not a great one if you think I’m going to fall for it. Your version of my “claim” is a distortion; and a transparent one at that. Your attempt to goad me into accepting your distortion with the threat of labelling me a “weaseler” if I don’t is rather amateurish too. ---
**Author:** ![lucwarm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e19adc/32.png) [@lucwarm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lucwarm)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2003, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/riding-my-tail-with-highbeams-on-is-a-recipe-to-make-me-go-slower-not-faster/215697/327 "2003-12-13T23:23:00Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Jeff Olsen \* > \*\*I probably should bother posting this but what the hell. > > Politely asking people to back up what they say is one thing. The manner in which you repeatedly disregard subsequent statements because they go against your precious opinion is something else entirely.\*\* Look, you claimed that virtually all of my posts here amounted to using my opinion like a club, or something like that. When pressed, you say that I’m “disregard[ing] subsequent statements.” Is that the same thing as using my opinion like a club? \*\* > [@](#): > > I will no longer post in this sorry thread. \*\* Bye-bye. I hope this isn’t another of your “jokes” ---
**Author:** ![lucwarm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e19adc/32.png) [@lucwarm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lucwarm)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2003, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/riding-my-tail-with-highbeams-on-is-a-recipe-to-make-me-go-slower-not-faster/215697/328 "2003-12-13T23:27:24Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by GSV Consolation of Dreams \* > \*\*Ha ha, you must be a lawyer to come up with that… but not a great one if you think I’m going to fall for it. > > Your version of my “claim” is a distortion;.\*\* Then why don’t you explain what you meant when you said the following: > [@](#): > > I’ve just read this whole sorry thread and I’d like to congratulate you for for your absolute insistence on not admitting you are wrong on this vital issue, even in the face of unanimous opposition. (1) Exactly what issue do you think I’m wrong on? (2) Exactly what do you mean by “unanimous opposition”? ---
**Author:** ![lucwarm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e19adc/32.png) [@lucwarm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lucwarm)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2003, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/riding-my-tail-with-highbeams-on-is-a-recipe-to-make-me-go-slower-not-faster/215697/329 "2003-12-13T23:35:18Z")
> [@](#): > > _Originally posted by Gorsnak \* > \*\* my memory could be faulty._\* Ok, then I’ll wait to see what **alice** has to say. \*\* > [@](#): > > However, **alice** is quite correct in saying that there’s no possible way to pull over. Unless by “pull over” you simply mean “slow down,” after the fashion of Humpty Dumpty. \*\* Can you explain what you mean by “pull over”? ---
**Author:** ![Gorsnak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gorsnak/32/7587_2.png) [@Gorsnak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gorsnak)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2003, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/riding-my-tail-with-highbeams-on-is-a-recipe-to-make-me-go-slower-not-faster/215697/330 "2003-12-14T00:02:46Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by lucwarm \* > \*\*Can you explain what you mean by “pull over”? \*\* I mean what everyone else means; i.e., moving to the side of the road to a degree sufficient that I am no longer in the driving lane, or at least only partially in it, leaving it possible to drive past me without having to move into the oncoming lane. This is not the same thing as coming to a stop while in the driving lane, or even moving to the right-hand portion of the driving lane. I certainly have never heard the phrase “pull over” used in situations where there was no “over” being pulled, and one might note that you yourself at the beginning of this trainwreck flat out denied that roads existed where moving out of the driving lane to the right wasn’t possible for extended distances, which strongly suggests that you hadn’t used the phrase that way in the past either. ---
**Author:** ![lucwarm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e19adc/32.png) [@lucwarm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lucwarm)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2003, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/riding-my-tail-with-highbeams-on-is-a-recipe-to-make-me-go-slower-not-faster/215697/331 "2003-12-14T00:34:15Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Gorsnak \* > **I mean what everyone else means; i.e., moving to the side of the road to a degree sufficient that I am no longer in the driving lane, or at least only partially in it, leaving it possible to drive past me without having to move into the oncoming lane.** I haven’t been using it to mean that. And looking back at the thread, I see that I’ve explained this to you previously. It seems to me you are looking for a straw man to attack. ---
**Author:** ![Gorsnak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gorsnak/32/7587_2.png) [@Gorsnak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gorsnak)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2003, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/riding-my-tail-with-highbeams-on-is-a-recipe-to-make-me-go-slower-not-faster/215697/332 "2003-12-14T00:43:36Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by lucwarm \* > \*\*I haven’t been using it to mean that. And looking back at the thread, I see that I’ve explained this to you previously. > > It seems to me you are looking for a straw man to attack. \*\* Come now. It should be clear from my post that I realize that you have been using “pull over” to mean “come to a stop on the right side of the road, even if that leaves you square in the middle of the driving lane.” My point is simply that you’re the only one using it this way, and that it’s not the ordinary usage. Hence the Humpty Dumpty quip, which I thought quite apropos given that your discussion was with someone named **alice\_in\_wonderland**. Your non-standard usage, so far as I can tell, has been invented by you solely for the purpose of avoiding having to backpedal on your initial claim that it’s always possible to pull over. Your disagreement with latecomers to the thread such as **alice** derive from your idiosyncratic usage, and your continued quibbling over this semantic point is futile. Of course, responding to you is apparently futile as well, so I guess I’m not one to talk on that score. ---
**Author:** ![lucwarm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e19adc/32.png) [@lucwarm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lucwarm)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2003, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/riding-my-tail-with-highbeams-on-is-a-recipe-to-make-me-go-slower-not-faster/215697/333 "2003-12-14T00:54:34Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Gorsnak \* > \*\* Your non-standard usage, so far as I can tell, has been invented by you solely for the purpose of avoiding having to backpedal on your initial claim that it’s always possible to pull over. \*\* It seems to me I did the necessary backpedaling on the first page of the thread: > [@](#): > > And for the record, I could have been a little clearer when I said there’s alway a place to pull over. I’m not trying to say that you can always get totally clear of the road. I am saying that you can always allow the guy behind you to pass. * * * > [@](#): > > Your disagreement with latecomers to the thread such as **alice** derive from your idiosyncratic usage, and your continued quibbling over this semantic point is futile. It seems to me that **alice** has implicitly recognized my usage. Here’s what she said: > [@](#): > > lukwarm The Road to the Sun highway in Montana fits the criteria of a road that has large stretchs where **it would be impossible to pass.** I don’t know if you can tell from the photo but on the left is a 1000ft drop and on the right is a 1000 foot rock wall going straight up. What is clear is that there are no shoulders on this particular road. Now, unless you have the mother of all SUV’s, **you will NOT be able to pull over to let a tailgater pass.** (emphasis mine) But maybe she can explain what she means by “impossible to pass.” ---
**Author:** ![alice\_in\_wonderland](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alice_in_wonderland/32/176_2.png) [@alice\_in\_wonderland](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alice_in_wonderland)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2003, 5:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/riding-my-tail-with-highbeams-on-is-a-recipe-to-make-me-go-slower-not-faster/215697/334 "2003-12-14T05:56:18Z")
**lucwarm** - Cheese and Rice buddy - lay of that damn crack pipe for a moment or two. By impossible to pass, I mean it would be impossible to pass. One time on that highway there was an accident. Traffic stopped and was routed past the accident, by a trooper, one lane at a time - 5 cars north went by, and then 5 cars south went by. North, south, etc. If someone stopped in the middle of the road due to a breakdown, and you decided to pass them it would be not only a very foolish, dangerous thing to do, on 90% of that road it would effectively be impossible. Now, if **YOU** are comfortable pulling out around a blind corner, of a heavily traveled road, into oncoming traffic be my guest. Alternatively, you could levitate over the other cars. By “levitate” I mean “float”. ---
**Author:** ![lucwarm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e19adc/32.png) [@lucwarm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lucwarm)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2003, 12:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/riding-my-tail-with-highbeams-on-is-a-recipe-to-make-me-go-slower-not-faster/215697/335 "2003-12-14T12:48:23Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by alice\_in\_wonderland \* > \*\ ***lucwarm** - Cheese and Rice buddy - lay of that damn crack pipe for a moment or two. > > By impossible to pass, I mean it would be impossible to pass. \*\* Ok, just to make sure I understand – let’s suppose that the closer car in the picture pulled to the right - a few inches from the stone wall – and came to a stop. Let’s suppose you were driving the car behind it (note that you’re on a straightaway). You would just sit in your car for an hour or two rather than pass? ---
**Author:** ![lucwarm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e19adc/32.png) [@lucwarm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lucwarm)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2003, 12:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/riding-my-tail-with-highbeams-on-is-a-recipe-to-make-me-go-slower-not-faster/215697/336 "2003-12-14T12:54:21Z")
And by the way, it looks like you haven’t quite answered my earlier question: > [@](#): > > But let me ask you this: If a car breaks down on that stretch of road, is traffic stopped for a few hours in one direction until the breakdown can be cleared? (Note that I am NOT asking about accidents.) ---
**Author:** ![alice\_in\_wonderland](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alice_in_wonderland/32/176_2.png) [@alice\_in\_wonderland](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alice_in_wonderland)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2003, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/riding-my-tail-with-highbeams-on-is-a-recipe-to-make-me-go-slower-not-faster/215697/337 "2003-12-14T18:00:07Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by lucwarm \* > \*\*Ok, just to make sure I understand – let’s suppose that the closer car in the picture pulled to the right - a few inches from the stone wall – and came to a stop. Let’s suppose you were driving the car behind it (note that you’re on a straightaway). You would just sit in your car for an hour or two rather than pass? \*\* Yep. Cus to pass you’d be moving into the lane of the _ALWAYS_ oncoming traffic which would result in an even larger delay (flaming death takes quite a bit of time). ---
**Author:** ![lucwarm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e19adc/32.png) [@lucwarm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lucwarm)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2003, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/riding-my-tail-with-highbeams-on-is-a-recipe-to-make-me-go-slower-not-faster/215697/338 "2003-12-14T18:19:42Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by alice\_in\_wonderland \* > \*\*Yep. Cus to pass you’d be moving into the lane of the _ALWAYS_ oncoming traffic which would result in an even larger delay (flaming death takes quite a bit of time). \*\* So can I take it that if a car breaks down on that stretch of road, is traffic stopped for a few hours in one direction until the breakdown can be cleared? ---
**Author:** ![lucwarm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e19adc/32.png) [@lucwarm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lucwarm)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2003, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/riding-my-tail-with-highbeams-on-is-a-recipe-to-make-me-go-slower-not-faster/215697/339 "2003-12-14T18:42:37Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by lucwarm \* > \*\*So can I take it that if a car breaks down on that stretch of road, is traffic stopped for a few hours in one direction until the breakdown can be cleared? \*\* Err, that should be can I take it that if a car breaks down on that stretch of road, traffic is stopped for a few hours in one direction until the breakdown can be cleared or until the police arrive? ---
**Author:** ![barf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ba8739/32.png) [@barf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/barf)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2003, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/riding-my-tail-with-highbeams-on-is-a-recipe-to-make-me-go-slower-not-faster/215697/340 "2003-12-14T18:59:35Z")
Especially if it’s an SUV.:wally [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/riding-my-tail-with-highbeams-on-is-a-recipe-to-make-me-go-slower-not-faster/215697.md?page=16) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/riding-my-tail-with-highbeams-on-is-a-recipe-to-make-me-go-slower-not-faster/215697.md?page=18)