Yikes!

[Silearth 6]

I've noticed a change over the past few weeks during my daily commute. Trucks--big rigs; once confined to the slow lane and 55 mph are now serious contenders in the race. And in some cases they are winning.

 

I can't count how many times I have seen a big rig weaving through traffic on the freeway. Racing through a traffic light as it turns red. Sneaking a quick right turn on a red light.

 

Or there is my personal favorite:racing up a merge lane to cut off as many cars as they can before the lane is gone.

 

Even at 70+ Mph, they are passing me.

 

And on a slightly different subject; there is something that would cause 1 out of 4 truck drivers to chase me. It is stupid--pointless, and I haven't done it in years. It is not dangerous or careless and it shouldn't bother anyone. Oh...and a higher percentage of car drivers will chase you if you do this.

 

It goes something like this: You are driving on the freeway; there is a line of big rigs on your right. Pick one at random and pace him for awhile. Do not drop back and do not pass for at least 5 minutes. Punch it and leave all the trucks in your dust. You are not cutting anyone off or doing anything stupid, you are simply leaving them behind.

Now safely watch your rearview mirror and notice that one or two drivers have broken ranks and are headed straight at you.

I used to do this every day during my 15 mile drive.

Why did this work?

 

Of course now, it is the truck drivers who are doing it to me....but I am not taking the bait.

[Ike 1]

Maybe the lower gas prices are making them giddy?

 

I avoid truck baiting. It violates Ike's Second Rule of Driving: "Be nice to Trucks." The basic rationale being that trucks are big and not all that manueverable. In addition, truckers drive for a living, and unlike cab and limo drivers, they tend to be pretty good drivers. I find that if I am nice to truckers, letting them out in front of me, flashing my lights when they are past me, etc. They invariably say "thank you" with their flashers. Perhaps I don't ask so much from life to make me happy. Most car drivers you are nice to are too stupid to realize it or just cut you off.

 

Ike's First Rule of Driving is: "Don't do anything that would require more than one police car to pull you over." That is one to live by.

 

- Ike

[Genenut 8]

rule #3, follow the flow of traffic ... ;-)

[Lord of the North 10]

# 4 Top Gear is not a drivers ed class or should be treated as one.....

Edited November 13, 2008 by Lord of the North

[chrenus 0]

#5 do not get into the car with the shoes for skying (skying shoes, skyshoes ? )

 

I have seen that... it ended up with destroyed gate and scratched car.

 

hmm having temple guardian do this... CA - skyshoe driver attack - massive area damage on both enviroment and attacker...

Edited November 13, 2008 by chrenus

[trd 0]

maybe ike is onto something with the lower fuel prices they can run harder. considering many are hopped up on go fast drugs and armed with jugs of piff I do tend to give them a fair berth. having towed my 20ft enclosed car hauler and a 35ft fifth wheel, they have made me a big more considerate. but I do swear most truckers have gotten labotomies the way they drive at high altitude across wyoming. what part of 30mph headwind and 6% grade makes you think you can keep pass?

 

my rule of the road is to be faster and bigger. my daily driver is a 2005 dodge ram 3500 cummins diesel qc lb 4x4 lifted with 35s and has 700+hp through compounds. so it runs the quarter mile in high 12s (at nearly a mile altitude) at just over 100mph. someone say smoke on demand? is it bright? oh yeah! I got about $1k in lights to see suicidal wildlife, so I am brighter than even semis. don't forget a top of the line radar detector either. actually a real sleeper until I put ladder bars on it.

 

calidriving driving does my head in though. used to travel on i80 alot. fairly rational driving from wyoming through nevada minus salt lake city. something magical happens when heading west from reno and you cross the cali border. no one knows what lane to be in nor do they ever give up the fast lane. any speed, any lane, anything goes. got a grossly overloaded trailer on a 1/2 ton truck? fast lane in the rain is the place to be.

 

colorado has a left lane is for passing only law, which 50% of the offenders are from cali. I do 130miles a day, so I see it loads. I think they have it to just have probable cause to pull folks over, as I rarely see it enforced. at least they make good runners.

Edited November 16, 2008 by trd

[Genenut 8]

I agree, due to the military had to live in no cal and so cal.... so cal is down right scary. the one time I had to drive through la at lunch time on the freeway was one times too many...

 

much better up in nh as long as the driving rejects from other states stay away.... I swear there should be an iq test to cross the border sometimes as I watched not one but 2 people thursday (from out of state both times) make a left hand turn from the far right hand lane and cross 5 lanes of traffic to pull into rite aid (a large us drugstore chain).

 

guess they were running low on thier stupid drugs ....

[Lord of the North 10]

guess they were running low on thier stupid drugs ....

Like they really need drugs too help them be stupid......

[chrenus 0]

haha you are U.S drivers (no offence)

 

it is different to europe... you do not have to cover such long distances here

 

... have you ever heard or seen how they drive in greece?

[Genenut 8]

I drove in japan for 3 years, they drive crazy but its civilized craziness ...

[promatolya 5]

I saw something in Turkey, while on holliday that defied all my beliefs of road safety:

 

The rules seem to be: The sturdies vehicle may choose lanes and do what he likes, other cars loose privileges, in descending sturdyness....

It's really crazy down there.

 

Imagine a slightly curved road, a few hundred yards long. Not the tight corner, but no stretch lane either.

 

Imagine a car, a bus of tourists (in which I sat), a truck with stacked bails of hay, a truck filled with timber logs (you know, like in Final destination).

 

Allso, imagine 3 lanes. (yep, 3, not 4 as the ammount of vehicles would indicate).

 

 

Now here is what happens: Our buss makes a brisk move, and for some reason the bussdriver passes a car in that turn. While he does that, a truck with bails of hay is passing our buss.

Seconds after the manouvres are done, a big truck with logs (Can ya imagine!) drives over the road markings, between our buss and the truck with hay, passing us at disturbing speeds.

 

At that time I was like Holy Hannah!BBQPND. but afterwards I really realised how potentially dangerous that situation was.

remember. The 'timber-truck' passed between 2 other trucks, in a turn , at about 90k/h (that's about 60 mph)

Edited November 16, 2008 by promatolya

[chrenus 0]

which leads to 6# rule - if the situation looks too dangerous, close yours eyes to avoid trauma...

 

I had a chill on my backbone reading that promatolya

 

brrrr