XPost: comp.mobile.android, comp.mobile.ipad   
   From: jollyroger@pobox.com   
      
   On 2014-03-15, T0m $herman  wrote:   
   > On 3/11/2014 1:27 PM, Jolly Roger wrote:   
   >> On 2014-03-11, Lewis  wrote:   
   >>>   
   >>> If you drive 55mph where the flow of traffic is 70mph then *you* are a   
   >>> hazard. Many of those idiots you see are trying to avoid an   
   >>> un-anticipated impediment.   
   >>   
   >> Depends very much on the circumstance. What if the speed limit is 55?   
   >> What if there are multiple flows of traffic - some obeying the speed   
   >> limit, and others not? Very often, I'll be driving with cruise control   
   >> set to 55-60 in the middle lane of a 3-lane highway where the posted   
   >> speed limit is 55, where most of the cars around me are doing similar   
   >   
   > Why are you not in the right lane if going slower than traffic?   
      
   While it may come as a complete surprise to inexperienced drivers, those   
   of us with any length of time driving on public roadways knows that on a   
   three-lane highway, very often people in the right-most lane are going   
   slower than people in the middle lane; and likewise, people in the   
   left-most lane are often going faster than people in both the middle   
   lane and the right lane. So if a driver feels that the people in the   
   right-hand lane are going too slow, that driver might decide to   
   transition into the middle lane to pass slower traffic in the right   
   lane. Another reason one might find themselves wanting to be in the   
   middle lane is when there are a lot of cars on an entrance ramp entering   
   the highway in the right lane. I'm sure anyone with even the tiniest   
   imagination might even be able to think of more reasons one might want   
   to be in the middle lane. Also, I'll note here that the mere fact that a   
   driver is in the middle lane does not mean the driver is going slower   
   than any of the traffic around him or her. It's actually possible,   
   believe it or not, for cars to be in *any* lane of traffic matching the   
   speed of all other cars around them. Imagine that! That said, in my   
   particular situation, more often than not I move to the middle lane   
   because the right lane is slowed down by cars merging onto the highway,   
   or cars going slower due to crowded exit ramps. Like I've already said   
   so many times, normal flow of traffic on this highway typically runs   
   around 55-60 mph, and I generally match the speed of the traffic when I   
   enter the highway.   
      
   >> speeds (again, around 55-60), and a group of cars (usually anywhere from   
   >> 2 to 6 cars) will come up from behind driving significantly faster than   
   >> 55 (sometimes 15-25 miles faster (yes: 75-85 mph in a 55), speeding much   
   >> faster than the traffic around me), usually with one or two idiots   
   >> leading the pack in some sort of apparent race to see who can get   
   >> wherever faster. Inevitably one or more drivers in the speeding group   
   >> gets upset that the drivers in my group are "in their way", usually in   
   >> various lanes (almost never just the left lane), and start tailgating   
   >> and using aggressive and fast lane switching maneuvers in all three   
   >> lanes, often making double-lane-switches without signalling within a few   
   >> feet of other cars and pulling other dangerous stunts to get past these   
   >> "slow" drivers that are imposing such an inconvenience on their little   
   >> racing game as quickly as possible, safety be damned. In such a   
   >> situation, I'd typically like to gradually decrease my speed, and make   
   >> safe lane changes to the right to get as far away from the idiots as   
   >> possible, if and when such opportunities safely become available.   
   >> Unfortunately, very often, due to the tailgating aggressive behavior of   
   >> the speeding group, there isn't a good opportunity to do that until   
   >> *after* they've finished making their dangerous maneuvers and sped on   
   >> past.   
   >   
   > You are not paying enough attention if this is the case.   
      
   Or maybe you just can't work up the minuscule amount of brain power   
   needed to imagine that one can easily find themselves surrounded by   
   other cars and unable, for moments at a time, to make lane changes   
   safely - especially with a bunch of blithering idiots swerving in and   
   out of lanes, tail gating, and doing other unsafe things at high speeds.   
      
   I love how complete idiots come out of the woodwork to just assume the   
   problem is all your fault without knowing much of anything about the   
   actual traffic situation on the road you're describing. Every asshole   
   has an opinion, I guess.   
      
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   JR   
      
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    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)