Bad driving

[Jerald]

I hope I’m not behind WSMom who’s coasting along when I want to turn right into an upcoming driveway or make a free right at the light. The smug sense of saving gas might not offset the angry thoughts beamed at her.

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[Julie]

Jerald, in such a situation, it might help you control your angry thoughts to calculate how much time you were you losing. A second? Maybe two?

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[Jerald]

I just think it’s inconsiderate for someone to drive extra slowly, just as it is to speed. In general, I try to attribute good motives to those who don’t follow the norm: perhaps a speeder is in an emergency situation or someone going very slow has car trouble. I don’t take kindly to someone inconveniencing others for their own selfish reasons, such as not wanting to spend an extra nickel on gas that day. I know, it’s all about the planet, but if it really was a major environmental concern maybe a bike would be more appropriate anyway.

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[Anonymous]

I thought she said she did this when approaching a red light rather than go full speed to the light, stop, and then have to fully accelerate on the green. Why is that considered selfish or smug? You’d have to slow down to turn in a driveway as well. And what’s the difference in time if you slowly turn right at a light, or have to wait at a red to turn.

Aren’t you the same poster that is going to stomp on plants if we place them too close to the curb? It sounds like no one should inconvenience you. Maybe you don’t express your thoughts well, but wsmom has a history of being considerate in her posts and you sound selfish and smug.

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[Jerald]

“I take my foot off the gas half way down the street when I see a red light up ahead. It is my goal to not have to brake, but gently glide to the red light then slowly accelerate to use the least amount of precious fuel. Even writing this, I know this must make people cringe.”

That’s what WSMom said. Not that she slows down like a normal person approaching a red light. She knows she’s making other people “cringe” but doesn’t care.

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[JanS]

When I see a red light up ahead, I slow down…and so do others…I’ve seen it happen. You hope that you don’t have to come to a complete stop, so it turns green before you get there and you can just accelerate again. What is the difference between that and waiting another second to have to brake a bit harder to stop. If you’re behind that person, either way you’re going to have to slow down. You can only go as fast as the person ahead of you. You can’t drive over them, you can’t drive through them. In the end, it doesn’t really matter…you got where you were going, maybe 5 seconds late. What’s the problem with that?

WSMom didn’t say she drives 20 MPH in a 30MPH zone..she just said that she does what a whole lot of other people do, too.

I certainly hope that you aren’t the kind of driver that would tailgate her, get angry at her, flip her off, speed around her. That’s much more dangerous than being inconvenienced for a few seconds. The world is a complex place…it’s not perfect…choose your battles…

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[Anonymous]

I guess i don’t know what normal is. I know when I’m first at the light it scares the crap out of me when people come barreling up behind and stop inches from my bumper. Everyone driving consistently, legally, and considerately would be great, I agree. Just would rather have the wsmoms of the world over all the speeding crashes I see living near an intersection.

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[Kayleigh]

So, just clarifying now: driving slow to save gas and be safer is selfish and inconveniencing others.

BUT

Speeding, passing, driving recklessly, and demanding other cars get out of your way is somehow NOT selfish and inconveniencing others?

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[Jerald]

Did I say that, Kayleigh? No. I just believe driving cautiously yet along with the mainstream of traffic is safer. Back to that idea that one can’t single-handedly enforce the speed limit on the freeway by driving 60 in the left lane.

I may have gotten the wrong impression of what WSMom what talking about, but I’d just read this article: http://www.motherjones.com/news/feature/2007/01/king_of_the_hypermilers.html

It’s about “hypermilers” who get fantastic gas mileage using unusual driving techniques. But I doubt WSMom is taking curves at 50 without touching the brakes or coasting 1/2 mile to a stop every time!

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[rs261]

Ok, all this talk about driving slow and saving gas has been making me nuts…

In general, smaller, lighter, more aerodynamic cars will get their best mileage at higher speeds. Bigger, heavier, less aerodynamic vehicles will get their best mileage at lower speeds.

So unless you are driving a bus, truck or SUV from the 90’s. You get better gas mileage driving at a normal speed, not slowly.

Obviously if you stomp on the gas to get going at every light you will suck up gas.

Be courteous to other drivers, and they will do the same (or at least we hope).

More information on some of the math behind it can be found

http://auto.howstuffworks.com/question4771.htm

and if you want gas saving tips

http://www.mertingm.com/how-to-improve-gas-mileage.php

I think people should drive like they want others too. If someone is tailgaiting you, get over a lane (not pull over, thats just silly, unless there are flashing lights involved). I grew up in Michigan, lived in Indianapolis and Chicago before coming here. Michigan drivers are crazy fast (as am I), but are very courteous in general. Getting out of the way of faster cars, and knowing how to merge onto freeways/streets are the 2 things I miss about driving there. Of course now I’ve just grown to become accustomed to the “I like to drive 5 mph below the speed limit” style that seems to rule here. I’m ok with it, but I’d appreciate more courtesy when on driving at times. You dont have to merge as soon as possible into lanes, you can find a spot by speeding up or slowing down a little, its ok to be in the merge lane more then 50 ft. And if someone is going faster then you, you should move over a lane if you can. If you cant…oh well let em ride your ass until you can.

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[hopey]

rs261: hi fellow Midwesterner & Mich Mitten person! :)

its ok to be in the merge lane more then 50 ft

OMG YES. The huge backup every morning getting onto 509 with the Cloverdale ramp would not be an issue if people would use the half mile of merge lane available to them. Just because the white line comes to a little V-point does not mean that is the ONLY place you can merge into traffic! Gah!

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[swimcat]

Ah, it is so refreshing to see some Midwest common sense (I’m not being sarcastic either)!! I’m amazed every morning getting on 99 North that so many people feel the urge to move over to the left IMMEDIATELY, instead of just picking up speed in the right lane and just driving.

I think some drivers are justs afraid of falling off the face of the earth- these are the people that merge immediately when getting on a highway, and also the ones that nearly cause accidents because they’re about to miss their exit off the highway and scramble to the right instead of going to the next exit and back-tracking. The world will not end if you drive past your exit people- just go the next one!

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[SA]

Midwest common sense? Are you talking about the Michigan drivers who think the left lane belongs to them only? Or perhaps the Ohio drivers that don’t signal when changing lanes to prevent the car behind them from closing the gap? No, it has to be the Indiana drivers who even though there is a sea of red brake lights ahead of them stay on the gas until the last possible moment. I lived in the Midwest for eleven years… they have their fair share of bad drivers.

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[rs261]

everyone has their share of bad drivers…but to me, drivers in michigan were better then most, I dont know where you were driving in michigan, but a good number of people pulled right when I lived there…for 25 years.

Indiana seemed to have a “red light optional” program going, of course it was indianapolis, so maybe they were practicing for the race.

Chicago, well, traffic was horrible there so there could really be no judge of drivers (other then extremely aggressive), as it was always backed up somewhere. I dont miss the 20 mile, 2+ hour commutes (I think my record was 5 hours for 20 miles)

I think, adapting to where you live is very important, but courtesy is always appreciated.

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[krendra]

In Utah, where I learned to drive, they do whats called the ‘Utah swoop’. That means that when they approach a car and want to pass, they wait until the very last minute (probably scaring the heck out of the driver in front of them) before moving into the other lane to pass. It took me a few years to try to unlearn this horrible habit!

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