XPost: misc.phone.mobile.iphone, comp.mobile.android   
   From: rod.speed.aaa@gmail.com   
      
   PeteCresswell  wrote   
   > Rod Speed wrote   
      
   >> I just don't believe you on that 9 times out of 10   
   >> and I just don't believe that very many are actually   
   >> stupid enough to flash their headlights in that   
   >> situation where the truck driver has a MUCH   
   >> better view of what traffic is doing than the   
   >> driver of the car being passed will ever have.   
      
   > I don't think the trucker *needs* anybody   
   > to tell them it's clear to pull out.   
      
   We're talking about pulling back in to the lane   
   the car is in after the truck has overtaken the car.   
      
   > It's more like dancing: there's some pleasure and/or reduction   
   > in boredom when people can work together when driving.   
      
   > Communication and all that....   
      
   That is what the indicators are for, indicating that you   
   are about to overtake and that you are coming back   
   into the lane the car you have just overtaken is in.   
      
   > But, as far as prevalence goes, it seems universal to me.   
      
   Never ever seen it with the headlights myself.   
      
   > But there are still some that don't seem to get it.   
      
   > I'm thinking about the guy I encounter once every 2-3  years: I've been   
   > cruising the right lane at 70 and he's been dogging me in the left lane   
   > 25 car lengths back for the past 10 minutes..... I see that I am closing   
   > on a line of traffic ahead.    I put my left turn signal on, kick it up   
   > to 75, and start easing into the passing lane.   
      
   > All-of-a-sudden this guy is in a hurry.... and he signals his   
   > displeasure by first flashing his lights, and then tailgating   
   > me at 75+ (remember, we were *both* cruising at 70)   
   > until I get past the pack of cars I wanted to pass.   
      
   > I take some perverse pleasure in thinking that sooner-or-later this   
   > guy is going to pull that act on a triple tractor-trailer pulling out to   
   > pass - and the tractor-trailer driver is going to say to himself "Oh...   
   > good, this guy knows I'm pulling out to pass and is giving me the 'OK'   
   > sign.... and that other driver is going to be unpleasantly surprised....   
      
   Sure, but that is a quite different situation to the one being discussed,   
   where the CAR being overtaken is indicating using his headlights that   
   the TRUCK has room to pull back into the same lane as the car AFTER   
   the car has been overtaken. I just don't see that the truck need to be   
   told that and if the truck can see the cars headlights in his mirror that   
   is on the same side as the car, he can obviously see the front of the   
   car too and so can see where it is relative to the back of the truck.   
      
   Which is why we don't fart about like that   
   here even with immense road trains.   
   www.google.com.au/search?q=road+train&tbm=isch   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)