I’ve noticed that many people leave a 2-3 car length space between their car and the car in front of them when they are stopped at a stoplight.
Why???!? On my way to work, at one particular intersection, if someone pulls that stunt in the “right” (or “not so right”, from my point of view) spot, I can’t get to the right turn lane just because some (fighting…urge…to…curse…must…hit…f…key…Help…me…Obi…Wan) person can’t pull forward. When I’m beside someone doing this, I feel sorry for anyone behind this person who is needlessly increasing the size of the backup – the further back you are, the less likely you are to catch the light. If someone would please give me a rational reason, it may lessen my early-morning commute frustration.
I have never heard of a carjacking here (this is a medium-sized city in the South). The people doing this are not driving expensive vehicles. They aren’t (usually) glassy-eyed and drooling.
I was told to leave one car length at a stop by my driving instructor so that is the car in front of you has problems you can easily get around. I leave about 5 feet, which is more than most people, but pull up closer if there is significant backup and the car in front appears problem free.
What makes me mad is the thousands of drivers driving their SUV’s, minivans, and other large vehicles ALONE. THe backup would probably not even be there if it wasn;t for them. Buy a motorcyle, take the bus, or start a carpool folks. You’re clogging up traffic, destroying the environment, and wasting gas.
Spring Ice: 2 parts gin, 1 part Cointreau, 1 part Midori, 2 parts fresh squeezed lime, 7-up to fill - Garnish: Orange slice in bottom of glass.
I usually leave one car length, both for maneuverability, and in case someone rear-ends me, I won’t trash both ends of my car (this happened to me once).
Methinks this should be in the Pit.
VB
Some people say that cats are sneaky, evil, and cruel. True, and they have many other fine qualities as well.
I said ‘two to three’ car lengths, not just one car length, which is somewhat acceptable.
I don’t think that this belongs in the Pit. The Pit is my usual hangout, but I feel that this is a valid question for the ‘General Questions’ forum. I’m not looking for emotion – I’m looking for facts, so please don’t read into it something that isn’t there.
Did some driving school start this? Did someone see this in a movie? Did someone get a spam telling everyone to do this? It’s not overly common, just enought to be noticed.
Maybe the “far-back” cars originally stopped closer to the car in front of them, then the front car gradually inched its way forward toward the intersection. I don’t drive an automatic, so I don’t always feel like “driving” three feet forward just because the guy in front of me in the automatic took his foot off the break for a second. When this happens, it looks like I’ve stopped two or three lengths back.
I have never seen that much space between vehicles on Long Island (or the Tri-State area in general). It just doesn’t happen (as a rule - I’m sure some overcautious [read: moron] driver does it once in a while). The prevailing distance is never more than a car length, and probably much closer to 3 feet or less. Almost every driver will close up the space as the forward car edges up.
Anyone around these parts who stopped more 2 or more car lengths behind would: a.) have other cars scoot into the resulting space; b.) Be blasted by horn-fire to move up, particularly if they are blocking access to a turn lane.
When learning to drive a truck, the instructor suggested stopping far enough back that the rear tires of the vehicle in front are fully visible (for the reason VileOrb gave), but this is because large trucks are, in general, less maneuverable than cars (or even SUVs).
What does occur from time to time is a driver stopping a car-length or more back from the stop line at sensor controlled lights. Of course the light is never tripped, and so the fool will just wait until doomsday (or until I zoom around him and trip the sensor myself). Since zipping around a blocker like this is often problematic, any suggestions as to how to handle this, aside from loud-screaming or small-arms fire?
Not to enforce any stereotypes, but I’ve noticed older drivers tend to leave more room than usual between themselves and the car in front of them. It might be over-cautiousness or failing depth perception.
One of my first experiences with a similar phenominon was an elderly woman who was first in line at a signal on a road that only had one lane in each direction. She stopped 3 car lengths from the stop line and completely off of the sensor grid. She patiently waited for her green (that would never come) while traffic backed up 1/2 mile. (We couldn’t go around her because traffic from the other directions was coming down that lane.) Finally, someone got out and instructed her that she needed to get closer to the line in order to get her green. sigh
There was only one lane in each direction, so we couldn’t go around
Wrong thinking is punished, right thinking is just as swiftly rewarded. You’ll find it an effective combination.
I know- my grandparents and parents did this, and I guess I will too soon enough.
Older people leave more room because they have bad eyesight (often one eye is not corrected for, but they don’t see a need for new glasses).
And many drive cars too big for them. The worst are widows who don’t drive enough to spend money to replace Papa’s ancient land yacht, so they peer through the holes in the steering wheel. The low angle makes it hard to see how close/far you really are.
I was taught to stay far enough in back of a truck/bus (I suppose you’d add SUV’s nowadays) to see their side mirror. This would insure they could see you. I try to stay one car length behind - you wouldn’t believe the number of people who sit there, engine running, and motion you around with a hand wave - hazard lights are unknown to them, I guess.
{{{What makes me mad is the thousands of drivers driving their SUV’s, minivans, and other large vehicles ALONE. THe backup would probably not even be there if it wasn;t for them. Buy a motorcyle, take the bus, or start a carpool folks. You’re clogging up traffic, destroying the environment, and wasting gas. }}}—VileOrb
Oh great! So now everyone who is required to drive a van, etc for their employment, or parents who are on their way to pick up their kids must answer to you. Sheesh!
–Kalél TheHungerSite.com “If our lives are indeed the sum-total of the choices we’ve made, then we cannot change who we are; but with every new choice we’re given, we can change who we’re going to be.”
1st I don’t think this is true in the 2-4 carlength range:
[-- the further back you are, the less likely you are to catch the light. ]
almost any car can make up that distance very quickly.
Also I like to leave about 1 car length between me and the person ahead becauce of many reasons, but mainly because I don’t want to get stuck and want the ability to have plenty of room to merge.
When someone pulls up after a stop, i usally don’t, i figure why it will only wear out my brakes faster.
and finally I sometimes stop on the sensor to make the light turn sooner, this is sometimes 5 carlengths back, but hey it works.
{{Not to enforce any stereotypes, but I’ve noticed older drivers tend to leave more room than usual between themselves and the car in front of them. It might be over-cautiousness or failing depth perception.}}
It might also be because the older generation grew up with standard transmissions. When you drive a standard and you’re on a hill, you can slip back and forth while getting into gear. I hate being stopped on an uphill slope and the driver behind me is practically kissing my rear bumper. I have NO leeway at all to slip back when I get into gear.
If I’m in my Honda CRX, behind a Suburban or Excursion, I’d need to be pretty far behind them if I wanted to see the traffic light. That’s the only decent justification I can think of.
I have nothing to add to this discussion but had to tell VileOrb that his sig line is an inspiration to us all! (And because imitation is the sincerest form of flattery…)
Lemon Drop Martini: 2 Parts Absolute Citron, 1 Part Cointreau, juice of half lemon. Shake with ice and strain into chilled, sugared martini glass. (Variation: substitute Midori for Cointreau for a “Melon Drop”)
Out here it is caused by “DWO”. It is particulary annoying w/ left turn lanes. If the road hogs get to the left turn lane 1st, they back into the left thru lane, blocking traffic. If they use the left thru lane, they block the access to the left turn lane. You often have to wait thru 2 cycles of lites!
Nobody has cited the fact that cops and insurance companies generally fault everyone except the person in front when a pile-up occurs. Get into one, and I guarantee you you’re going to leave thirty feet between you and the car in front of you for the rest of your driving life.
Just to clarify my rant on solo drivers of large vehicles.
I until recently lived in an apartment where I could look out the window and see the on ramp to the highway. (This is in St. Paul Minnesota.) Occassionally during rush hour I would look out and notice that the entire back up consisted of Minivans and SUV’s. This particular on ramp has a HOV lane for vehicles with 2 or more occupants. That means that all those vehicles in the backup had only one person in them. I’m talking about thousands of vehicles a day. Now, I agree that some of them were parents on their way to pick up kids or people with some other legitimate excuse. But, I believe strongly that the great majority of them have no excuse.
Oh, and for this kind of metered on-ramp I leave a couple of car lengths so that I can use that space to speed up to merge onto the highway. My little car doesn’t go 0-60 in 50 feet (which is the amount of space between the meter and the highway traffic).
voguevixen: anyone who drinks cointreau with fresh squeezed citrus is alright by me. For something with less kick, try chilled Campari with sugar-dusted LIME. Mmm… but only about 20 proof (17 maybe).
Spring Ice: 2 parts gin, 1 part Cointreau, 1 part Midori, 2 parts fresh squeezed lime, 7-up to fill - Garnish: Orange slice in bottom of glass.
