Sometimes all traffic is speeding along, as in 5-10mph over the speed limit, and it looks like pack racing. I keep thinking, all it takes is one distracted driver and it’s a 30 car pile up.
When I was a kid the recommendation was 2 seconds (‘two Mississippi’) but that was when the speed limit was 55 mph on the interstate and cars weren’t as heavy as they are now. Glad to hear they bumped it up.
We also have much better brajes (discs and ABS) and tires (radials) now. So there’s much less stopping distance once you actually hit the brakes. But reaction times are the still the same.
Let them merge. I’d rather give space for those who drive aggressively than be hit. It won’t really affect the time it takes to get from A to B, it reduces stress and accident probability, and I don’t lose points for some race we’re not in. I know some people get mad at passive drivers, but if I’m going around the speed limit in the right lane minding my business, why are you so mad I’m not participating in increasing insurance profits?
If you’re in a country that typically drives on the left, and you’re driving in the far right lane on a three or more lane road, you’re still doing it wrong. That lane is for merging and exiting. The far left is for passing and the center lanes are for cruising. There might also be turn only lanes, which unless you’re turning can be safely ignored, because the only valid reason to be in a turn lane is if you’re turning.
I think the safety guidelines are 3 seconds of reaction time which comes out to about 1 car length per 10 MPH of speed.
But yeah, good luck with that because other drivers just see that as space they can merge.
Sometimes all traffic is speeding along, as in 5-10mph over the speed limit, and it looks like pack racing. I keep thinking, all it takes is one distracted driver and it’s a 30 car pile up.
Yep, exactly.
When I notice that ahead, I always slow down a bit to put some good distance between it and myself.
When I was a kid the recommendation was 2 seconds (‘two Mississippi’) but that was when the speed limit was 55 mph on the interstate and cars weren’t as heavy as they are now. Glad to hear they bumped it up.
We also have much better brajes (discs and ABS) and tires (radials) now. So there’s much less stopping distance once you actually hit the brakes. But reaction times are the still the same.
Let them merge. I’d rather give space for those who drive aggressively than be hit. It won’t really affect the time it takes to get from A to B, it reduces stress and accident probability, and I don’t lose points for some race we’re not in. I know some people get mad at passive drivers, but if I’m going around the speed limit in the right lane minding my business, why are you so mad I’m not participating in increasing insurance profits?
If you’re in a country that typically drives on the left, and you’re driving in the far right lane on a three or more lane road, you’re still doing it wrong. That lane is for merging and exiting. The far left is for passing and the center lanes are for cruising. There might also be turn only lanes, which unless you’re turning can be safely ignored, because the only valid reason to be in a turn lane is if you’re turning.