Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site hou4b.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!cbosgd!ihnp4!houxm!vax135!ariel!hou4b!mat From: mat@hou4b.UUCP (Mark Terribile) Newsgroups: net.auto Subject: Re: ignorance and high beams Message-ID: <1380@hou4b.UUCP> Date: Fri, 19-Apr-85 20:50:22 EST Article-I.D.: hou4b.1380 Posted: Fri Apr 19 20:50:22 1985 Date-Received: Sat, 20-Apr-85 08:38:45 EST References: <407@sftri.UUCP> Organization: AT&T Information Systems Laboratories, Holmdel, NJ Lines: 59 > As to whether I prefer lasers or ICBMs, I really prefer neither; I > would just like to be left alone on the road and be rid of those > people who seem compelled to play games at high speed. I nearly > lost one friend who liked to toy with other drivers on the road, but > he got lucky-- he only ended up in a body cast for a year and now > walks with a limp. Agreed that there are folk who do foolish things, remember that there are other people on the road and unless their habits are bent to accomodate you, you are going to have to accomdate them sometimes. > Also, a lot of people drive slower than you might think in this sort > of terrain, particularly when the traffic is heavy. I like to keep > a constant speed of about 50 to 55 regardless, unless conditions > dictate otherwise. Conditions, my friend, include your fellow drivers. I too get irritated when people slow needlessly. Notice how the cars with the ``WARNING: I Brake for No Apparent Reason'' stickers rarely do? And those that should have the warnings are usually either the cleanest or the dirtiest cars on the road? > Needless to say, these [ trucks ] sometimes are not exactly keeping up with > the flow of traffic, especially when they are going up hills. So, rather > than sit behind the truck, I choose to pass. Because this frequently occurs > going uphill ,and the trucks can be pretty long, it can take a fair amount > of time to pass, especially if the road is fairly crowded and you can't get > back into the right lane quickly. This is a typical sort of situation in > which trouble occurs. I don't feel that it is asking too much to use the > left hand lane to pass-- after all, that's what it's there for, isn't it? Sure! But remember, you are one of a number of people sharing that resource. You'll be doing others a disservice if you hold onto it longer than you need to. Remember that when you are not IN traffic. You ARE traffic. Things that YOU do cause accidents and traffic congestion. A case in point: I was driving throught the Holland tunnel into NYC a few weeks ago and noticed that traffic was slow. Not stopped, but very slow, with stop- and-go spurts. Suddenly, a hundred feet or so ahead, in the other lane (two lanes in each tube, you see) a car came to a sudden stop. Behind him other cars (with 1/2 set to 1 sec following space) came to more sudden stops. One car tapped the bumper of the car ahead of it. Both drivers got out, saw no damage, and got back in. Moments later, when there was a slowdown in my lane, the fellow two cars ahead of me came to a sudden stop. He had plenty of room to slow and stop behind the fellow ahead of him, but he paniced and jammed on the brakes. The fellow in behind him (and in front of me) bumped him. Again no harm was done. Because I was watching three cars or so ahead, I began to slow gently at the same time as the first fellow paniced. Both drivers got out ... The scenario was repeated at least five times while I was in the tunnel, and must have happened over a hundred times over the lenght of the tunnel that evening. One or two of those might have been serious accidents, if the second driver was going at 25 mph and the first one stopped real fast. -- from Mole End Mark Terribile (scrape .. dig ) hou4b!mat ,.. .,, ,,, ..,***_*.