critique my freeway driving habits

Usual Suspect wrote:
> If I don't have to exit for another 5-10 miles and the freeway is divided, I
> tend to get into the left lane and stay there, driving at 75-80 mph, which
> usually puts me in the 70-90th percentile, or so, in terms of speed. If I
> see a cop I would usually slow down to about 70 and I might change lanes to
> let them go and chase the real speeders. (There is a 65 mph speed limit in
> San Diego). If someone else is blocking me I follow them at a safe distance
> and don't pass them on the right unless they are really slow, like 60 mph,
> which is rare.

Makes sense.

>
> Now, every once in a while someone would come up from behind and follow me
> very closely, trying to "make me go faster", which, needless to say, never
> works. They would typically keep at it for a while and then, realizing they
> are being preposterous go lane-swirving (good luck).

Why not move to the right and let them pass? Seems rather idiotic.

>
> 5. I'm already going at 10 mph over the limit. You want to go faster? Well,
> that's your problem. I could imagine feeling a bit guilty if I was doing 10
> mph below.

That's when I pass you and throw some ketchup on your car.

Arif Khokar wrote:

> Usual Suspect wrote:
>
>> The law that was quoted does not prohibit constantly driving in the left
>> lane. More so, it does not prohibit doing it EVEN if one's speed matches
>> that of cars in the right lane.
>
> It does. You are slower than traffic that was gaining on you that wants
> to pass.

Who says there is traffic that is gaining? Read what I wrote carefully.

Constantly driving in left lane with no one around you is OK

Constantly driving in left lane at the same speed as drivers in the right
lane with no one in your lane is also legal (although I don't endorse it),
despite some cops claiming to give tickets for this in some other states
(who cares?)

That is what I asserted in previous post.

Now, suppose there are 100 cars in the right lane, doing 70mph; I am in the
left lane (naturally) doing 75 mph, and some tailgater is behind me who
would go faster if it weren't for me blocking him. I'm not "slower than the
normal speed of traffic in my direction", and therefore it's perfectly
legal for me to block the *******.

On Wed, 02 Feb 2005 17:16:27 -0800, Usual Suspect > wrote:
>Arif Khokar wrote:

>> Usual Suspect wrote:
>>
>>> The law that was quoted does not prohibit constantly driving in the left
>>> lane. More so, it does not prohibit doing it EVEN if one's speed matches
>>> that of cars in the right lane.
>>
>> It does. You are slower than traffic that was gaining on you that wants
>> to pass.

>Who says there is traffic that is gaining? Read what I wrote carefully.

>Constantly driving in left lane with no one around you is OK

>Constantly driving in left lane at the same speed as drivers in the right
>lane with no one in your lane is also legal (although I don't endorse it),
>despite some cops claiming to give tickets for this in some other states
>(who cares?)

>That is what I asserted in previous post.

>Now, suppose there are 100 cars in the right lane, doing 70mph; I am in the
>left lane (naturally) doing 75 mph, and some tailgater is behind me who
>would go faster if it weren't for me blocking him. I'm not "slower than the
>normal speed of traffic in my direction", and therefore it's perfectly
>legal for me to block the *******.

Asshole.

Usual Suspect wrote:

> Now, suppose there are 100 cars in the right lane, doing 70mph; I am in the
> left lane (naturally) doing 75 mph, and some tailgater is behind me who
> would go faster if it weren't for me blocking him.

Unlikely scenario. First off, the tailgater is being tailgated by a
whole line of cars that were probably going a little over 80 mph before
they caught up with you. Therefore, you're still slower than the normal
speed of traffic.

Either yield or speed up.

Michael wrote:

> That's when I pass you and throw some ketchup on your car.

Why not throw eggs instead. They do interesting things to the paint if
allowed to dry (which will happen rapidly at highway speeds).

> Also read
> http://www.driveandstayalive.com/art...dly-threat.htm

"Don't block the passing lane. Stay out of the far left lane and yield
to the right for any vehicle that wants to overtake you. If someone
demands to pass, allow them to do so."

Arif Khokar wrote:

> Usual Suspect wrote:
>
>> Now, suppose there are 100 cars in the right lane, doing 70mph; I am in
>> the left lane (naturally) doing 75 mph, and some tailgater is behind me
>> who would go faster if it weren't for me blocking him.
>
> Unlikely scenario.

Perhaps, but in that particular scenario, do you admit that the law has no
problem with my blocking the tailgater?

> First off, the tailgater is being tailgated by a
> whole line of cars that were probably going a little over 80 mph before
> they caught up with you. Therefore, you're still slower than the normal
> speed of traffic.

In this hypothetical scenario, if their normal speed would be 82 without me,
there should better be all 72 of them behind me, to make the average speed
in my absense top 75.

> Either yield or speed up.

I don't do either.

"Usual Suspect" > wrote in message
...
> Arif Khokar wrote:
>
>> Usual Suspect wrote:
>>
>>> Now, suppose there are 100 cars in the right lane, doing 70mph; I am in
>>> the left lane (naturally) doing 75 mph, and some tailgater is behind me
>>> who would go faster if it weren't for me blocking him.
>>
>> Unlikely scenario.
>
> Perhaps, but in that particular scenario, do you admit that the law has no
> problem with my blocking the tailgater?
>
>> First off, the tailgater is being tailgated by a
>> whole line of cars that were probably going a little over 80 mph before
>> they caught up with you. Therefore, you're still slower than the normal
>> speed of traffic.
>
> In this hypothetical scenario, if their normal speed would be 82 without
> me,
> there should better be all 72 of them behind me, to make the average speed
> in my absense top 75.
>
>> Either yield or speed up.
>
> I don't do either.
>

So to resume the speed they were travelling previously,
you force the people who come up behind to change to the
right lane, speed way up to get past you before running into
the cars travelling slower in the right lane, then hop back in
front of you in the right lane.

You see no increase in the possibility of an accident due to
the fact that you simply will not yeild to those trying to pass?

Bernard

"Usual Suspect" > wrote
> The law that was quoted does not prohibit constantly driving in the left
> lane. More so, it does not prohibit doing it EVEN if one's speed matches
> that of cars in the right lane.
>
> I call that a crushing defeat of "get out of my lane" crybabies. Case
> closed.

Come up to WA state, and you may very well get a ticket for
blocking a lane. KRETP is the law, and the seed you are at
has nothing to do with the statute.

Floyd

What do you do when you catch up with a critical mass group of cyclists
going 20 mph. By your argument, they define the normal speed of traffic
and have no obligation to yield to you.