N8N wrote:
> Scott en Aztlán wrote:
> > Look for the follow-up next week.
> >
> > http://www.azstarnet.com/metro/146053
> >
> > George Perlmutter has a question that Road Runner can't answer.
> > "When a car pulls up to a red light and stops one or two car lengths
> > behind the car in front of them, don't they realize that they may
> > cause the cars behind them to miss getting through the intersection? I
> > often wonder why they do this," he wrote.
> > If you leave a lot of space between your car and the one in front of
> > it, tell us why. Write or e-mail Road Runner at the addresses at the
> > end of this column, and we'll print some of the responses next week.

>
> What I've seen a lot of are cars that stop short behind another car,
> and then creep forward to a reasonable distance after they've stopped.
> the car following, if it's a stickshift, may choose not to do the same
> to save wear and tear on the clutch. Happened to me quite a bit; I
> will stop a reasonable distance (just enough that I can swing onto the
> shoulder if I have to) behind another car, and then he'll creep forward
> 10-15 feet or more, leaving a huge gap between us. Not sure why people
> do this, unless they're just completely unable to modulate their
> braking.

I think that describes Mr. Perlmutter's confusion. A line of vehicles
may stop at a light and the leader creeps forward, across the stop
line, through the crosswalk and the ducklings follow and close their
gaps... until the one thoughtful driver chooses to just sit and wait
and creates the space Mr. Perlmutter finds so mysterious and difficult
to compensate for.

I don't think drivers leaving 1-2 car-lengths to their front at stop
lights is a common occurance... I've never noticed it anyway.
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- gpsman