Dumb drivers: Idiots that know that a lane is closing/merging yet proceed to fly down it and pull in front of people!

[AmigaMan]

I like to piss people off and let people zip in front of me when their lane ends.

J/K!!! Dammit I said I was kidding!

 

[prontospyder]

but isn't it the same if a car stops 2 miles before the lane ends to merge to the left? I think that's even more annoying as it stops traffic on 2 lanes.

 

[rahvin]

The problem with "zipper" merging is that in michigan there are quite a few exits and entrances that are within 100ft of each other.

There are no interstate freeway exits "within 100ft of each other". Period. 1000ft is the bare minimum design and having driven 1000' I can tell you they are friggen scary as hell. So toss in anouther zero into your number and you won't have foot in mouth disease.

Think about it for a second. When you have two cars next to each other, they are only taking up the length of 1 car, but twice as wide. When they have to merge into one lane, for safety one of them slows down to get behind the other. This in turn slows down the cars behind both of the original cars, who still have to slow down to merge also. It's a domino effect when there is a lot of traffic, and cars get backed up for miles. The only way to solve the problem would be to have all the cars speed up and put more people in danger.

Of course cars slow down when there is a merge, are you suggesting there would be no slow down if everyone merged way back? Anytime there is a reduction in capacity without a corresponding change in volume the densities will shoot up and speeds will bottom out. As previously pointed out, the most efficient use of the highway is to drive to the merge point.

 

[Kev]

Originally posted by: prontospyder
but isn't it the same if a car stops 2 miles before the lane ends to merge to the left? I think that's even more annoying as it stops traffic on 2 lanes.

*ding ding ding* we have a winner

 

[Squisher]

Originally posted by: maladroit

Originally posted by: Squisher

Originally posted by: maladroit
i do that all the time. it's still a lane. you don't have to merge way back in the line. it's not like i'm driving on the shoulder of the road. so i take the empty lane while you take the slow, full lane.

who's the dumb driver again?

You sir are discourteous driver, and as the ROAD AVENGER I could only hope that you would pull that stunt in front of me.

and what would you do, wave your fist angrily at me?

i don't "fly" down the lane. i drive at a normal speed, and there is almost always an opening because of somebody who takes 20 seconds to realize that the car in front of them is moving. i just get in front of that particular slow idiot.

Nope, no fist, and what I would do wouldn't exactly be legal.

 

[ggavinmoss]

You vindictive people are insane. You block people from getting around you? Force them into ditches?

What, are you like 10 years old? Unless you drive around a cop car (and have a badge ) you shouldn't be policing drivers. Period. If you have a problem with another motorist then call the Highway Patrol or equivelant.

And furthermore... you should merge at the point of closure... otherwise you're wasting road.


-geoff

 

[StageLeft]

Those people are annoying.

Equally annoying is when I'mpulling onto the highway and the right lane in highway has a car in it and the left lane has nobody and people in the right lane don't make the slight effort of moving over. I had to actually come to a stop not long ago (first time ever) do to people not pulling into the left lane. I've since become very aggressive - if I have to pull in and somebody is unwilling to move into a perfectly clear left lane I'll pull in even if they have to slow down a lot hehe. F**kers.

 

[prontospyder]

<<As previously pointed out, the most efficient use of the highway is to drive to the merge point. >>

Yeah, that's what I've been taught by my driving instructor back in California. Didn't realize that some people hate it so much.

 

[Squisher]

Originally posted by: ggavinmoss
You vindictive people are insane. You block people from getting around you? Force them into ditches?

What, are you like 10 years old? Unless you drive around a cop car (and have a badge ) you shouldn't be policing drivers. Period. If you have a problem with another motorist then call the Highway Patrol or equivelant.

And furthermore... you should merge at the point of closure... otherwise you're wasting road.


-geoff

What you should do is merge so as to allow the freest movement of traffic through the choke point, not take advantage of the situation to prove your superiority.

 

[Lucky]

There are no interstate freeway exits "within 100ft of each other". Period. 1000ft is the bare minimum design and having driven 1000' I can tell you they are friggen scary as hell. So toss in anouther zero into your number and you won't have foot in mouth disease.

huh? what are you talking about? There are plenty of entrances and exits, nearly everwhere I've lived, that are within 100' of each other. Where do you live, siberia?
'

 

[prontospyder]

<<Equally annoying is when I'mpulling onto the highway and the right lane in highway has a car in it and the left lane has nobody and people in the right lane don't make the slight effort of moving over. I had to actually come to a stop not long ago (first time ever) do to people not pulling into the left lane. I've since become very aggressive - if I have to pull in and somebody is unwilling to move into a perfectly clear left lane I'll pull in even if they have to slow down a lot hehe. F**kers. >>

I just change to another lane when that happens. What's worse is someone merging to the left at 25mph before the closure lane ends while everyone is at 55mph. It caused an Accord to spin 360 degrees on the highway right before my eyes. I guess this type of stuff will happen all the time...we just gotta stay patient.

 

[Lucky]

Originally posted by: Skoorb
Those people are annoying.

Equally annoying is when I'mpulling onto the highway and the right lane in highway has a car in it and the left lane has nobody and people in the right lane don't make the slight effort of moving over. I had to actually come to a stop not long ago (first time ever) do to people not pulling into the left lane. I've since become very aggressive - if I have to pull in and somebody is unwilling to move into a perfectly clear left lane I'll pull in even if they have to slow down a lot hehe. F**kers.

come down to Ohio, its illegal to not move over in that situation. I've heard of it being enforced too!

 

[Hubris]

Originally posted by: Squisher

Originally posted by: maladroit
i do that all the time. it's still a lane. you don't have to merge way back in the line. it's not like i'm driving on the shoulder of the road. so i take the empty lane while you take the slow, full lane.

who's the dumb driver again?

You sir are discourteous driver, and as the ROAD AVENGER I could only hope that you would pull that stunt in front of me.

I tend to drive faster to get ahead of people before the merge. HOWEVER, I don't drive on thickly populated highways at rush hour times, so there's only ever a few cars when I do it and there's nowhere near bumper to bumper traffic. But yeah, if people try to drive on the shoulder to get in front I block them so they can't be dumbasses.

 

[johnjbruin]

Originally posted by: maladroit
i do that all the time. it's still a lane. you don't have to merge way back in the line. it's not like i'm driving on the shoulder of the road. so i take the empty lane while you take the slow, full lane.

I totally agree with maladroit
I dont see anything wrong with that either. If it was a shoulder and not a legal lane then its just simply wrong.
But if it is lane, and it going to end 3/4 of a mile later, and the traffic is moving at less than ten miles an hour(quite frequent in LA e.g 405) then whats wrong with doing this.

Nobody is stopping you from doing it and it is legal so what do you see thats wrong.
You get pissed because you are two lanes across in that "fast lane" and are "stuck" behind all the other people in the fast lane or just dont want to do it then you are doing it by free will... not because its illegal to drive in a lane that will end 1/2 a mile later.

In terms of not letting people in. All I say is whatever... I have never had prolems getting in since the people who are mastering the are of not braking always let me in.

 

[NFS4]

What you should do is merge so as to allow the freest movement of traffic through the choke point, not take advantage of the situation to prove your superiority.

EXACTLY!!! Too much traffic at the choke point = sit in your car and think of things to pass the time away as you drive 3 MPH:disgust:

 

[Squisher]

Originally posted by: johnjbruin

Originally posted by: maladroit
i do that all the time. it's still a lane. you don't have to merge way back in the line. it's not like i'm driving on the shoulder of the road. so i take the empty lane while you take the slow, full lane.

I totally agree with maladroit
I dont see anything wrong with that either. If it was a shoulder and not a legal lane then its just simply wrong.
But if it is lane, and it going to end 3/4 of a mile later, and the traffic is moving at less than ten miles an hour(quite frequent in LA e.g 405) then whats wrong with doing this.

Nobody is stopping you from doing it and it is legal so what do you see thats wrong.
You get pissed because you are two lanes across in that "fast lane" and are "stuck" behind all the other people in the fast lane or just dont want to do it then you are doing it by free will... not because its illegal to drive in a lane that will end 1/2 a mile later.

In terms of not letting people in. All I say is whatever... I have never had prolems getting in since the people who are mastering the are of not braking always let me in.

This is circular reasoning. THE REASON THE LANE IS NOT MOVING IS BECAUSE A BUNCH OF @SSHOLES ARE LATE MERGING!

 

[NFS4]

Originally posted by: johnjbruin

Originally posted by: maladroit
i do that all the time. it's still a lane. you don't have to merge way back in the line. it's not like i'm driving on the shoulder of the road. so i take the empty lane while you take the slow, full lane.

I totally agree with maladroit
I dont see anything wrong with that either. If it was a shoulder and not a legal lane then its just simply wrong.
But if it is lane, and it going to end 3/4 of a mile later, and the traffic is moving at less than ten miles an hour(quite frequent in LA e.g 405) then whats wrong with doing this.

Nobody is stopping you from doing it and it is legal so what do you see thats wrong.
You get pissed because you are two lanes across in that "fast lane" and are "stuck" behind all the other people in the fast lane or just dont want to do it then you are doing it by free will... not because its illegal to drive in a lane that will end 1/2 a mile later.

In terms of not letting people in. All I say is whatever... I have never had prolems getting in since the people who are mastering the are of not braking always let me in.

I was on a 4-lane highway this morning (2 lanes each way). I was in the fast lane (left lane) and cars were driving in both lanes b/c we couldn't see what the hold up was. Once we all saw what the deal was, everyone started putting on their turn signals to merge left and everything was going rather smoothly UNTIL the other jackasses paid no attention to the the signs and started blasting down the right lane at 80 MPH (65 MPH speed limit) to get the jump on everyone. Then the line started backing up as there were about 10 cars at the choke point trying to get over into the left lane.

 

[Vic]

Originally posted by: ggavinmoss
You vindictive people are insane. You block people from getting around you? Force them into ditches?

What, are you like 10 years old? Unless you drive around a cop car (and have a badge ) you shouldn't be policing drivers. Period. If you have a problem with another motorist then call the Highway Patrol or equivelant.

And furthermore... you should merge at the point of closure... otherwise you're wasting road.


-geoff

Here where I live (and all adjoining states) I do not have to let anyone merge in front of me if I don't want to. As long as I am established in my lane, I have the right-of-way. If they hit me, it's their fault, it's the law.
What we are dicussing are the jerk-offs who rush past the "point of closure" and then forcefully and rudely merge in front of other cars at the last possible moment. If you are one of them, you won't get in front of me. If you pull an ego-trip and try to force your way in, you will hit me. If you hit me, it will be your fault.
Back o' the queue, mate!

 

[johnjbruin]

Originally posted by: Squisher

Originally posted by: johnjbruin

Originally posted by: maladroit
i do that all the time. it's still a lane. you don't have to merge way back in the line. it's not like i'm driving on the shoulder of the road. so i take the empty lane while you take the slow, full lane.

I totally agree with maladroit
I dont see anything wrong with that either. If it was a shoulder and not a legal lane then its just simply wrong.
But if it is lane, and it going to end 3/4 of a mile later, and the traffic is moving at less than ten miles an hour(quite frequent in LA e.g 405) then whats wrong with doing this.

Nobody is stopping you from doing it and it is legal so what do you see thats wrong.
You get pissed because you are two lanes across in that "fast lane" and are "stuck" behind all the other people in the fast lane or just dont want to do it then you are doing it by free will... not because its illegal to drive in a lane that will end 1/2 a mile later.

In terms of not letting people in. All I say is whatever... I have never had prolems getting in since the people who are mastering the are of not braking always let me in.

This is circular reasoning. THE REASON THE LANE IS NOT MOVING IS BECAUSE A BUNCH OF @SSHOLES ARE LATE MERGING!

Well, so are you calling the constructors morons who should have made the merging lanes a 100-200 yards so people could not merge later?

 

[rahvin]

huh? what are you talking about? There are plenty of entrances and exits, nearly everwhere I've lived, that are within 100' of each other. Where do you live, siberia?

I live in Utah and I design highways for a living. 1000' is the minimum spacing between entrance/exits on freeway systems (and 1000' won't get approved). At 55mph you are traveling at 80ft/s, this means that consecutive exits that assuming the entrance/exits were 100' apart in 1 second you would be past one and to the next. This would also not leave enough room to properly taper the ramp from/to the interstate and would result in angles of over 20^ (suggested divergence is 3.8^).

Most states space deliniators at close to 100', these are the 4-5' metal poles that follow the shoulder edge and typically have a round reflector mounted on the top.

I think you don't have a clue how far a hundered feet is at freeway speeds. It's a blink of an eye. Care to sample more foot?

 

[Kev]

This is circular reasoning. THE REASON THE LANE IS NOT MOVING IS BECAUSE A BUNCH OF @SSHOLES ARE LATE MERGING!

No the reason the lanes are not moving is because 2 lanes of cars are being condensed into 1 lane of cars.

If you merge a mile back, you're still slowing things down. When you merge, it's going to cause slowdown, no matter what.

 

[johnjbruin]

Originally posted by: NFS4

Originally posted by: johnjbruin

Originally posted by: maladroit
i do that all the time. it's still a lane. you don't have to merge way back in the line. it's not like i'm driving on the shoulder of the road. so i take the empty lane while you take the slow, full lane.

I totally agree with maladroit
I dont see anything wrong with that either. If it was a shoulder and not a legal lane then its just simply wrong.
But if it is lane, and it going to end 3/4 of a mile later, and the traffic is moving at less than ten miles an hour(quite frequent in LA e.g 405) then whats wrong with doing this.

Nobody is stopping you from doing it and it is legal so what do you see thats wrong.
You get pissed because you are two lanes across in that "fast lane" and are "stuck" behind all the other people in the fast lane or just dont want to do it then you are doing it by free will... not because its illegal to drive in a lane that will end 1/2 a mile later.

In terms of not letting people in. All I say is whatever... I have never had prolems getting in since the people who are mastering the are of not braking always let me in.

I was on a 4-lane highway this morning (2 lanes each way). I was in the fast lane (left lane) and cars were driving in both lanes b/c we couldn't see what the hold up was. Once we all saw what the deal was, everyone started putting on their turn signals to merge left and everything was going rather smoothly UNTIL the other jackasses paid no attention to the the signs and started blasting down the right lane at 80 MPH (65 MPH speed limit) to get the jump on everyone. Then the line started backing up as there were about 10 cars at the choke point trying to get over into the left lane.

See, here's what the deal is in my case. You drive to work the same way everyday then you realize the slow spots on the freeway. If you merged properly and just went into the fast or the second fastes lane, thats not going to get you anywhere in LA traffic.
So all it boils down to is do i want to spend 1.5 hours commuting to work or do this 10 times saving 4 minutes each time and making that drive less than an hour. I dont know about you but i would like to get that extra 40mins of sleep in the morning.
Same is for the way back.
So i just added 1.5 hours to my day by not sitting in the car for those extra 1.5 hours.

 

[Jeraden]

This reminds me of something similar that ticks me off every morning in to work. There is this one intersection where the right lane goes straight and the left lane is turn only. The right/straight lane is always backed up quite a ways because most people want to go straight. Normally in the morning it takes about 4 lights for me to get through. On average, about 2 cars per light drive up in the turn-only lane and then put their signal on and try to get into the straight-lane, thus bypassing 4 lights worth of traffic. Now, I can understand an occasional person making the mistake - not realizing it was turn only until too late, but I'm sure most do it intentionally. There is this one guy who does it every single morning, he's unmistakable cause he drives one of those ugly red Pontiac Aztecs. Everytime I see him do it, I get the strongest urge to follow him to find out where he works and go back and visit mid-day and let the air out of his tires or something and put a note on his window "Don't cut in front of people &##hole.".

But yeah, when I'm up in front and someone tries to butt in front of me, there's no way they are getting in. Sometimes people will honk their horn while you are next to them and ask permission to get in front of you. I just ignore the honking and don't even bother looking over. But some idiot behind usually always lets them over. What really sucks is the people who are legitimately trying to turn left at the intersection - they get stuck behind these jerks who are blocking the lane trying to merge over and miss the light.

One morning there was a cop there manning the intersection and it was great. Everytime a car would stop to try to merge over he'd start blowing his whistle and pointing violently for the guy to turn. So the idiots are forced to turn and waste even more time than if they just got in line like the rest of us. Wish the cop was there every morning.

 

[rh71]

I wouldn't call those drivers dumb.. just aggressive. And since they usually can get away with it, they will keep doing it. Like someone said before, always has happened, always will happen.

When I'm driving my car, I don't mess with crazies. It's not so much that I'm afraid of them... it's because I don't want anything to happen to my car because insurance won't cover minor scratches and dents in such a situation... why risk it.

BUT when I'm in my dad's '89 Accord... I NEVER let anybody merge except the 1 guy who is supposed to be "zippered" in as usual. The worst is when someone, who didn't come from the onramp, uses the lane to pass and then merge. That's the kinda person that deserves to be blocked completely from going any further in that lane by people who saw it happen in their side-view mirror.

Another thing, is it me or is traffic getting worse and worse around NYC / LI ? The LIE is ALWAYS jammed and the Belt Parkway/Southern State is jammed anytime after noon. Now they decide to build a semi-large mall area along the Belt... gee I wonder what that's going to do to traffic. I D I O T S. I just want to leave the area because of traffic alone. How's traffic in the San Diego or Maryland area ?

 

[pac1085]

I hate that, but not as much as the people who go drive down the right shoulder of the road at 80 mph when traffic is at a stop :disgust: