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"N2EY" wrote in message
... In article , "Kim" writes: 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. It's not the matter of being kind and courteous and moving over so someone who's acting like an idiot can go by. It's the principle of the matter that *because* of the way they are being self-important, it's going to be *them* that does the moving around. I.E., I see them in kind of like the "bully" role of a little kid. Well, I'm not giving in to the bully. 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! Whoops, yeah, I missed that. You were 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? Regardless of who it is that is driving, I don't act like an idiot to them, around them, about them, or anything. I would pace myself at my comfort zone behind them--6, 7, or more carglengths, and cruise with them. Then they should have gotten out earlier than me. Why should *they* move to accomodate *you*? *You* won't accomodate them! Yeah, I suppose...but my justification is that they can accommodate themselves, by moving around. A) We are both speeding; B) At the point this person is behind me wanting me to move over so he/she can get by, it's a given that it's because we're both around a driver(s) in the right lane that are going slower, right? So, what is it about the driver behind me...practically shoving their hood up under my vehicle...that would compel me to slow down, move over, reposition myself, when all they have to do is allow *both* of us to keep speeding, i.e., stay above a speed limit we don't want to drive, and wait the bit of time it will take to get passed the "slower" traffic? 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. I think the priniciple is the same. The root of my angst toward the driver we are speaking of, is their attitude. The attitude that has them convinced that they need to speed faster than someone else. Or that where they are going is far more important than where I am going (when neither of us has that information available to us). 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. Yeah. I thought when I got my truck with that on it, that I would always be using it. I don't like it...don't know where to put my foot that I can still have the same tactile feel with the brake pedal and gas pedal in alignment with my placement of the foot. I don't feel "safe" with cruise control engaged--plus the speeds of drivers is so erradic that one must keep disengaging and reengaging it anyway. Never fails...set it to the flow of traffic and 5-6 miles down the road, set it again. 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....;-) Once when I was speeding. And, by all rights that cop should have nailed me. It was 11:30 at night, and my registration sticker (of which the new one was at home) was out, inspection sticker was out--which I'd not paid any attention to, *and* I couldn't find my insurance card. But, he let me go! WOW! 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. Uh, I have a problem with cops in general. Most I've encountered are not friendly. However, most I've encountered in a casual setting are great guys/gals. I don't like the military form of communication--stern, expressionless, etc., and it puts me on edge. 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? Same as the non police (grin) scenario you gave me. I'd pace myself and cruise. I also don't care or get all upset about traffic jams. I look at them as an example to notice the birds flying around, look up under the bridges to see if there's a poor homeless person up under there, look at all the beauty I usually don't get to pay a whole lot of attention to--in fact the traffic jam gives me the opportunity to find some sense of pleasantry in places that really do require "closer inspection" to find it...(grin) 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. Hmmm. You see it as me wanting to control the speed, I only think of it as not giving in to the way I perceive someone to be acting. 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. Sir, this is "Dallas" Texas, where arrogance and extravagance are not rare things... BUT, I gotta say, I've never, ever seen a stretch limo or "driven" car acting like that...they are generally over in the right lane! This discussion just made me realize that, I think. 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..... Oh, I forgot to add when you originally noted this story...I toot and wave! 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. Yeah, for sure ![]() 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 To each his own...unless they're acting like an idiot ![]() Kim W5TIT |
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