Not only dangerous but illegal in most states. This is considered aggressive driving and most states have laws against it. The passer is already going faster, why race this person? Makes no sense at all to me.
It was mentioned upthread. I may be driving at 45-50 MPH, the passer may be going 1-3 MPH faster than I (not 5-10 MPH faster), their car may not yet be beside mine, the pass may be on a long, steep uphill, and they may be driving a beat up looking 1981 Toyota Tercel and cannot accelerate any more while I’m driving my diesel Jeep Grand Cherokee with 420 lbs-feet of torque and can accelerate easily, and the oncoming car may be imminently close — having just crested the top of that long, steep uphill, it is now CLOSE!
The OP isn’t specific enough, and this scenario fits into the OP.
In such a situation where I have a 95% confidence level that there is no way they can complete the pass (who knows — they may have a nitrous system in that beat up looking Tercel!), or if the only way they can complete the pass is if I hit my brakes HARD and drop 15-20 MPH from my speed, I may instead choose to punch the go pedal and give room behind me.
You may call this agressive driving. I call it safe driving — it is the safest move to make.
Because to my mind, in such a situation if I’m the driver in the passing car, my best tactic would be to slow down and tuck in behind, and try the pass again, later.
Many drivers, before trying to pass, they sit behind me at the same speed, and when it is clear to pass they pull out across the broken yellow line into the oncoming lane and only THEN do they start accelerating. Or they may start accelerating as they’re pulling out into the oncoming lane. Not the best method, especially if they don’t have a lot of torque. A better technique is to drop back behind me to create a little space in front of their car, and JUST BEFORE they enter the oncoming lane, accelerate behind me and then pull out to pass. This method minimizes the amount of time they are in the oncoming lane.
Snip
Name checks out.
I think the OP’s scenario is past the point of legality. The person tried to pass them on a hill, clearly didn’t consider passing distance or speed and did so without assessing whether or not a vehicle was oncoming. That’s without knowing if they were honoring proper lane markings or signs.
According to the OP’s scenario, the passing car is braking and trying to get behind him, not trying to pull ahead and complete the attempt. If you both initially brake and you see the other driver brake even further, trying to tuck back in, it certainly makes sense to either maintain your speed or do the opposite of what they’re doing and accelerate to widen the gap they’re desperately seeking. I don’t call that a race.
You bet. I wish I had his green 1968 Ford Mustang GT.
Well, yes. But if you think passing zones are laid out with any consistency, I’d be happy to take a drive with you on MD Route 2 from Annapolis to where it joins MD 4 in Calvert County.
Not sure what you mean by ‘pacing.’ It goes without saying that if you try to pass a car, at some point you’re going to be next to it.
Out west it’s different, but in the east, I have seen very few passing zones where you can successfully pass regardless of what appears from around the next curve, or over the next rise, or out of that dip you can’t even see, after you’ve started passing. Yet those dotted lines are there anyway.
Also (and IIRC it’s what happened in the situation I described) the road was straight enough, but there was a slight dip down the road - hard to see from a ways away, but low enough to hide an oncoming car. You think you’ve got half a mile of clear road ahead, then all of a sudden there’s a car in front of you.
What Nars Glinley said. It was too late for me to speed up without causing a high-speed collision.
If it were a critical situation I would pull off the side, or gun my 561 HP ride to make it clear that she should stand down and get in line. But would be doing everything possible except sell my first born to make it clear that everyone makes it home alive.
your brakes will decelerate and create a space in front of your car faster than your 561 hp can accelerate and create a space behind it.
Of the 2 choices only one of them aligns with the original intentions of the passing driver.
It really depends on the momentum of the passing car (or lack thereof). If the passing car lacks speed and momentum then it may be the 561 HP car will create space behind it much faster than its brakes could create space in front of it.
Thoughts?
maybe if your brake pads are lined with potato peelings and it’s raining…
I had this happen to me on a trip from Colorado back to Minnesota.
Rural 2 lane road in Kansas…My, wife, I and 2 young kids.
Wide open country where the road made a long curve…no yellow line.
The car behind me had already pulled out to pass me when an IDIOT young woman exited a dirt road and made a right turn.
I laid on the brakes and the car passing me barely pulled in ahead of me as she went by.
What really irked me was there was a very good chance for a terrible 3 car accident with many killed…
With no witnesses, the highway patrol would have been assigned guilt to the car passing me as they had no way of knowing that the young woman pulled onto the highway after he started passing me.
I’m enjoying your comfort of opinion.
You were successful. And very fortunate. When my young family was in the car, years back, people pulling idiot stunts (like that idiot young woman) really irked me.
In your situation you had a short time to assess what your best and safest move was, based on your speed, the passer’s speed, distance to the idiot and her place in the road, and many other variables.
The decision you made, to brake and give room to the passer to your front, worked. Thankfully.
Yours is one example as to why the OP’s scenario has so many undefined variables to result in one definite action. The “discomfort of thought” needs to be applied, but some others here aren’t able to do that. (Because John Anderson apparently said, “People enjoy the comfort of opinion without the discomfort of thought", as Magiver likes to quote, but not apply.)
40 years ago in drivers ed. we were taught, “Hold your relative position.” Speed up or stay the same.
Well it’s backed up by the comfort of physics. Accelerating in this situation increases impact damage and decreases reaction time. Decelerating in this situation gains time and reduces impact speed.
what you’re suggesting is dangerous.
And you’re the guy who suggests going 3-abreast on a 2-lane road, with 1 car oncoming. Not exactly safe, yea, far from it.
If it comes to that then I’ve already slowed down. so absolutely. You on the other hand are racing someone who started out with their foot to the floor trying to pass you. You’ve reduced all 3 driver’s reaction time and increased the destructive power of a collision.
I’ve noticed over the years that many people will speed up to my speed, then stay alongside me (I’ve thought that I’ve unintentionally sped up to keep up with them, but I’ve noticed this when my cruise control is on) for a few miles. Sometimes, they’ll sloooowly pass, but more often than not, I have to slow down to avoid a potential accident. No one has ever swerved into my lane in that situation, but I try not to let it happen by driving with as much of a cushion around my car as possible.