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small rant: vehicular spacing
- Thread starter ultracyclist
- Start date
ANDYVH
New member
"Remember, a recent survey disclosed that more than 90 percent of all drivers surveyed believe that they have above average driving skills. ?????"
Oh my god! There are a LOT delusional drivers out there then! As a rider of 38 years and a MSF instructor of 17 years I am constantly looking for, and finding, I think, every idiot car driver on the road. And, a lot of obviously delusional motorcycle riders too! I am the LEAST of any kind of expert rider, and I treat every ride as a learning experience.
Would it be a safe bet to assume moreso, that 90 percent of drivers thinking they above average skills, is more like 90 percent of drivers have NO idea in any way what any level of performance driving skills are and how they are done? I'd vernture to guess that a low percentage of everyday drivers have no idea what their cars are capable of, until the panic reaction sets it, and they do it all wrong.
Oh my god! There are a LOT delusional drivers out there then! As a rider of 38 years and a MSF instructor of 17 years I am constantly looking for, and finding, I think, every idiot car driver on the road. And, a lot of obviously delusional motorcycle riders too! I am the LEAST of any kind of expert rider, and I treat every ride as a learning experience.
Would it be a safe bet to assume moreso, that 90 percent of drivers thinking they above average skills, is more like 90 percent of drivers have NO idea in any way what any level of performance driving skills are and how they are done? I'd vernture to guess that a low percentage of everyday drivers have no idea what their cars are capable of, until the panic reaction sets it, and they do it all wrong.
Ever been on one of those two lane hiways with occasional passing lanes in tourist season? (I'm thinking of the Trans-Canada hiway through the Rockies of British Columbia, but am sure there are many others.) You use those passing lanes and actually think you are getting somewhere -which you would be in the Spring or Fall - then the view opens up and there are cars, trucks and motorhomes as far as the eye can see! It dawns on you that if use all that horsepower every time, then brake just as hard to get back in line, you may shave a minute off your trip. What to do?
I think the solution is to know "where you want to be," pass until you find that comfortable situation, then protect it. "Where you want to be" is behind a car (nothing taller) that is maintaining a safe following distance. You also want a car (certainly not a semi) behind you that also doesn't tailgate you. On the single lane you can drop back 3 seconds or so and even do a little sight-seeing.
When the next passing lane appears, signal and move into as soon as possible. If you "like" the car that has been following you, try waving them over too as you close the distance to your favored car so nobody can pass you on the right and then swerve left into the passing lane. When the passing lane runs out, ease back to your 3 second following position.
Please note that this behavior in moderate traffic conditions is truly anti-social. Either use the passing lane briskly or stay to the right. But when the road is clogged, you are not only making your trip less stressful, you are also saving other motorists from some close calls if not worse.
I learned this lesson several years ago and have never done it again. The moral is to allow enough time, find the back roads, and stay off those hiways in the summer. But if you find yourself in this situation...
I think the solution is to know "where you want to be," pass until you find that comfortable situation, then protect it. "Where you want to be" is behind a car (nothing taller) that is maintaining a safe following distance. You also want a car (certainly not a semi) behind you that also doesn't tailgate you. On the single lane you can drop back 3 seconds or so and even do a little sight-seeing.
When the next passing lane appears, signal and move into as soon as possible. If you "like" the car that has been following you, try waving them over too as you close the distance to your favored car so nobody can pass you on the right and then swerve left into the passing lane. When the passing lane runs out, ease back to your 3 second following position.
Please note that this behavior in moderate traffic conditions is truly anti-social. Either use the passing lane briskly or stay to the right. But when the road is clogged, you are not only making your trip less stressful, you are also saving other motorists from some close calls if not worse.
I learned this lesson several years ago and have never done it again. The moral is to allow enough time, find the back roads, and stay off those hiways in the summer. But if you find yourself in this situation...
