"Kim" wrote in message ...
"N2EY" wrote in message
...
In article , "Kim"
writes:

"N2EY" wrote in message
...
In article , "Kim "

writes:

Hmmm, not only no, but hell no. I can be treaded on all "they" want.
I've declared war on the road, tell ya that. I travel a good number
of
miles
to work.

By your own choice.


Didn't make the point because I don't like the drive. I made the point to
illustrate that I have a lot of exposure to the topic I was going to post
about.

OK, fine.

I'm making the point that you have a long commute because of where you
*choose* to live.

What lane are you in when they do this?

The far left--the "fast" lane as it is called. Funny thing is, if you
mention to people at the office or wherever, that it doesn't mean the
"break
the speed limit lane," you ought to hear the validations for people doing
just that.

But you're already speeding, Kim. And not by an amount that can be
explained by the usual inaccuraccies and imperfections of speedometers.

Yet your getting ticked off because someone wants to go even faster.


Nope. Not at all. I am ticked because they think I should move for them.

Why shouldn't you move?

If it's OK for you to go 15 mph above the limit, why isn't it OK for
them to go 20 mph above the limit? By refusing to move, you're
enforcing your own personal judgement on what the speed limit should
be.

Suppose you're sailing along on your 60 mph 4-lane-divided (2 lanes
each way) road and you come across two (non police) cars side-by-side
going exactly the speed limit.

What would you do? Would their behavior bother you?

I am already going faster than the posted speed is my point. Why should
someone expect me to move if I am already going faster than I should be?

Because you're preventing them from going as fast as *they* want, even
though you're going as fast as *you* want.

The argument is along the lines that this is the lane where, if
someone needs to pass, speeding is legal to get around them;

Ah - but why does someone *need* to pass?

That's the proverbial 60 million dollar question--and yes, why does someone
*need* to pass someone else who's already speeding?

Why does anyone *need* to speed in a nonemergency situation? How much
time does going 70-75 save vs. 60 on that same road?

As Dee points out, on a two-lane, two direction road, it may be necessary
to
go fast to get out of a tough passing situation. But on a multilane
divided
highway where traffic is already zooming at the speed limit or above, why
does
anyone not in a life-and-death emergency situation *need* to pass?


This is a four lane divided highway--two lanes in each direction. And, I
ask the same question.

See above.

or, this is the
lane where if the majority of drivers wants to go a little faster than
the
flow of traffic, they do it there! There's more validations, but that's
the
gist of it...!!

And they take the risk of being fined, or worse.


Well, myself included, one does not think of these things (tickets)
happening when one is breaking the speed limit.

I think about 'em all the time. Not just the fine but the points.

Note that I let you know that I am already speeding, as it is. Up to
about
15 MPH over the posted speed.

Right.

So you have justified such speeding to yourself, even though it violates
the
law. The person behind you who wants to go 20-25 MPH over the limit has
almost certainly justified their behavior to him/herself, even though it
also
violates the law.


Exactly, but if I happened upon someone who's already breaking the speek
limit, I am not going to act like an idiot behind them--expecting them to
get out of my way.

What if they're going the speed limit?

Why is it OK for you to go 15 over but not OK for someone else to go
20 over?


I go on the "Duel" philosophy (from the old TV movie by Speilberg): I'd
rather
have a nutcase driver in front of me, where I can watch him/her, than
behind
me. I've actually pulled over and let 'em go by rather than have them
follow me.

Know what happens here? If one is cautiously staying behind a fruitcake
driver, all the hurry-up-and-get-me-knowwhere nitiwits start passing like
they are the charging brigade--never taking just a moment to see what
they
are pulling up on (a very dangerous situation with a driver ahead way too
close to the vehicle in front of them) or someone who's been doing a bit
of
weaving; or whatever. So, depending upon the situation, letting this
person
stay in front instead of taking the first opportunity to get around them,
can be more hazardous.

I disagree. I simply pull over and let the whacko get farther ahead.
Miles, if
necessary. At 60 MPH, one minute of delay buys me a mile of space. I can
spare
that minute.


Your patience serves you well.

I've seen too many accidents where it could have been me.

I haven't encountered that yet. Must be a Texas thing...

Wow. Really?

Honest. Stores here mostly have express lanes (10 items or less) - some
have
two or even three levels of express (8 items or less, 15 items or less,
etc.).
And they enforce the item count.

OH...well, they have those here, too. WHEN they are open...grin

They're always open when a store is busy here. They don't want
customers waiting. The managers know that if the Acme (pronounced
"Ack-ah-me") gets a rep for lines, folks will go to Genuardi's. Etc.

Used to do that, too. No more. It's my turn dammit and they can
wait.
Now, don't get me wrong: if I happen to turn to one side or the other
and
I
notice someone patiently waiting their turn, I let them go ahead. But
these
creeps who think that they are entitled to getting around just because
th
ey
are far more important than anyone else...nope, not doin' it any more.
And,
depending upon how showy they are about how important they are is how
slow I
am to slowly unload my cart, slowly find my checkbook, confirm the
price
however many times it needs confirming, very carefully write my check,
etc.

Passive aggressive behavior, IOW.


Yep, 'zackly.

Well, there you have it.

And, while my behavior is not "forgiveable," I am no where
as nasty as these folks are being.

Isn't that an entirely subjective judgement?

Yep. And it's mine...(grin)

HAW!

I do believe some of all this is regional, however.

And I've done a few tricks myself....

Way back in the late '80s, I had reason to go back and forth between
Philly and Washington, DC about every other weekend. I noticed that
the aggressiveness of drivers increased in direct proportion to
proximity to the nation's capital.

The worst part of the run was the BWP (Baltimore Washington Parkway),
a no-trucks 4 lane road with trees on both sides, and also between the
northbound and southbound lanes. Lots of traffic on a Friday night,
and as one approached The District the cars got more expensive and the
drivers more aggressive.

Back then the limit was 55 and traffic tended to stay below about 59
because enforcement was pretty good, and there were lots of places for
the troopers to hide in the trees, around curves, etc. The troopers
would not go after anyone below about 62 because speedometers and
radar are not 100% accurate. Above that they were ruthless, and above
65 the fines went up and up and up...

I got to know their whereabouts pretty good by observing where others
got tickets. (I was *never* stopped, in part because my 1980 Rabbit
Diesel looked like it couldn't even go the speed limit anyway). Radar
detectors were illegal in MD back then, too, and they'd do things like
set up a radar gun on an overpass and watch whose brake lights came on
for no reason....

One night I'm sailing down the BWP in the *right* lane, and up behind
me comes a new Saab (Saabs were the hot car back then among the
yuppie-but-no-Beemer crowd). Dude flashes his brights at me - he wants
*me* to get in the *left* lane so he can pass without having to change
lanes!

So I ease up on the throttle and slow down to 53...52....51....

He gets ticked and crawls up but now I'm down to 50...49...

Flashes the brights, gets ticked, and I keep easing up....

Finally he gets ticked and goes into the left lane. Whereupon I start
speeding up again...52...55...58...62...

He pulls alongside and now is really steamed because it is taking far
more effort to get past me than he expected. So he drops down a gear
and stomps it and goes off in a cloud of dust, over the next rise and
around the curve.....

and I bring it back down to the limit...

and I wave as I go by him, because he's now stopped by a trooper for
going WAY over the limit.....

I wouldn't play games like that today, though...

73 de Jim, N2EY