In article , "Kim"
writes:

"N2EY" wrote in message
. com...
"Kim" wrote in message
...

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.


It's fine for them to go 20 mph above the speed limit. It's fine if they
want to go 30-40 mph above the speed limit. But, they won't find me moving
out of their way; they'll have to go around because I am not moving into a
lane where I have to slow down, or even get "stuck" there for a while, if
there happens to be more than one vehicle that wants to go past.

Ah, I see. The right lane is going 60-65, the left lane (with you in it by
yourself) is going 70-75, and you're not going to lose a few seconds in order
to accomodate someone who wants to go 80-85.

This is an "every morning" thing. If they want to get to where they are
going quicker, then they need to adjust their scheduling, not make others on
the road cater to their needs. I would not think of being obnoxious because
I have to get somewhere quicker than anyone else--I would make the decision
to get on the road earlier.

Sure.

Then why not apply that philosophy to yourself and get on the road early enough
that the right lane gets you there on time?

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?

Yes, their behavior would bother me--*but* they're the cops...

No, they're not!

I wrote: " two (non police) cars". Sorry if that wasn't clear!

What I meant was two ordinary drivers in ordinary vehicles - not police or
officials of any kind. Just two folks who decided to go the posted speed limit
and no faster.

What would you do?

and they have
that latitude. What would I do? I'd follow along, in the left hand lane.
The fun part would be when someone angrily pulls out to the right and would
be jumping up alongside to go around before they'd notice that they were
acting like that with cops right there. GRIN

Except they're not cops.

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.

Then they should have gotten out earlier than me.

Why should *they* move to accomodate *you*? *You* won't accomodate them!

It's the same principle
as someone who's standing in the "fast" lane (misnomer most of the
time--GRIN) at the grocery store and I am ahead of them with 10 items and
they only have one or two. If they're prone to it, they'll tap their foot;
sigh real loud, etc. Practically fall over trying to get me to notice that
they only have "just this little bit." And, how dare I *not* yield to them
and let them go ahead...and the next with one or two...and the next, etc.

Must be another regional thing - I've never encountered that around here.

Hey, next time, get there before me.

Different situation and principle.

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

Actually, none...and I learned that in Driver's Education in High School.
It was proven out a few times, too. I don't know if I am really speeding
because of having to get somewhere quicker--in fact in the mornings that
would be probably not. I leave 45 min. ahead of time most of the time, to
get to a 20-25 min. destination. I leave early enough to account for
traffic also. And, I am very fortunate to have a job that doesn't make me
punch the timeclock.

But you still speed.

In my case, my 70-75 mph (more near 70 most of the time) is probably more
due to the fact that, that is where my foot lands on the gas pedal.

?? "Where your foot lands"?

Two words: Cruise control.

And, it
is the predominant flow of traffic...70-75, with the exception of those
obnoxious folks we're discussing here.

In both lanes?

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.

I should probably count my blessings here, because this will jinx me. I've
been stopped three times in my driving "career." Little enough that I still
don't "know the routine" when I do get stopped. Only once I've been
ticketed

I wonder why....;-)

and that was for taking a turn onto a street that doesn't allow
those turns at the time of morning I was doing it.

About 20 years ago, on a cold rainy Sunday night, I made a wrong turn onto a
one way street in Philly. No "One Way" sign at the intersection, no "No Right
Turn", just a stop sign. No cars on the street either.

Of course it didn't take long after the turn to realize something wasn't right,
so I did a quick three-point turn. But it wasn't quick enough to avoid the
notice of two of Philadelphia's finest, who turned on the lights and pulled me
over.

By the time he got to my car I had the license, registration and insurance card
out, both hands on the wheel, and the window down so he could talk to me.

He took my papers and proceeded to run them through the computer in his patrol
car.

Meanwhile, the young lady who was with me started giving me the third degree as
to how I was going to handle the cop, how it wasn't my fault, how I should "be
a man" and "stand up to him" and "talk my way out of it". I held up one hand
and said "Be quiet. I'm the driver, it's my car and my license, and I don't
argue with the police over something as minor as a ticket. That's what traffic
court is for."

Officer came back, asked if I knew why he stopped me. I said "I was going the
wrong way on a one-way street because there's no sign at the intersection with
Pine Street. I turned around as soon as I realized it was a one-way street, but
you were right to stop me and I can understand if you decide to give me a
ticket."

Officer handed me back my papers and said: "No ticket for you, your papers are
all in order. We know all about the sign. Just be careful."

The young lady kept quiet, which was quite a miracle.

IOW, he was just waiting for somebody to give him a hard time.

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?

If they are going the speed limit where I am at (in the left lane), I'd
still calmly make the move to the right lane and go around them--when it was
safe to--and wouldn't act like an idiot to them.

What if there was another car on the right and you couldn't go around?

It is not any more "right"
for me to speed than the next person--it's just that they'd better decide to
go around, because I will not be moving for them just because they are going
to act like an idiot. I will move if I decide to...and I usually don't.
But it's just as OK for them to be speeding as me...I don't care. You seem
to be stuck on the idea that I think they are wrong to speed faster than I
speed.

Nope.

I'm stuck on the idea that you want to control the speed on the road.

No. We're all just as wrong as each other for speeding, no matter
how fast. But, I don't like their "I gotta get there faster than you gotta
get there" attitude.

But that's *your* attitude, too. Otherwise you'd be in the right lane.

And, since I am the one in the lead at that
point--well, then, my attitude is the one that's important GRIN.

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.


Heh, heh...funny you should mention that.

It happened way too many times.


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


Yeah, that was what I did a few...OK, more than a few...years ago. I'd
always do just that, as a matter of fact. BUT, one day, this guy began
throwing things out his window at me when I did finally move over and let
him go passed me! Scared the heck outta me...he was throwing anything loose
in his car, bottle caps, cracker jack box, etc. Thank goodness he didn't
come across the bottle!

Or the gun.

That's another reason I'm not so sure about letting
creepy people get ahead of me...it may be me having to come upon them once
again...

Better than having them behind you...

73 de Jim, N2EY