• stickyprimer@lemmy.world
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    2 days ago

    “If I’m tailgating you, you’re an asshole.”

    The small dick energy of this truck is amazing.

  • Folstar@lemmus.org
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    2 days ago

    Putting a sign for the car infront of you to read on the back of your vehicle is incredibly on brand for Pavement Princesses.

  • TigerAce@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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    2 days ago

    The asshole in his giant micropenis truck is right, you are also an asshole when you behave like that.

  • Jankatarch@lemmy.world
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    2 days ago

    I imagine him getting blocked and screaming “do you not see the bumper sticker,” to the car in front of him…

  • daannii@lemmy.world
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    3 days ago

    Unpopular opinion. But my experience has been that the people who have road rage the worst, are incredibly hostile, aggressive, reckless, and dangerous drivers.

    they are always riding other drivers ass. Cutting them off. Refusing to let other drivers in. Whipping around fast any time anyone in front of them isn’t going 10 miles over the speed limit. Just the worst drivers.

    They cause accidents too. I know two such guys. They both have a long history of car accidents. Whereas I, a non hostile friendly driver, have none. And I’m 40.
    It’s because I don’t drive like an jackass. These are the same kind of men who insist women can’t drive. Yet my record compared to theirs says otherwise.

    If I see someone trying to merge. I make room for them.

    I don’t drive right up behind people. I don’t honk if they are going a little below the speed limit. I mean there are speed cams all over cities.

    It’s normal for people to be a little conservative with speed to not get those $150 tickets.

    Sometimes people are new to the area. Or trying to follow a gps.

    I doubt anyone is driving slow just to fuck with me. A stranger in another car. You know?

    I also don’t assume people are intentionally trying to fuck up my day. No one drives perfect 24/7. We all miss our turn. Occasionally forget to check before merging. People make mistakes. Getting angry is not productive or helpful.

    I don’t get mad at people for messing up one time. You know? But if they are driving aggressively and putting other people at risk I sometimes do use some passive aggressive methods to block them in so they can’t swerve like a maniac around other cars and cause an accident.

    It’s pretty rare that I do that but I have. This comes from my opinions on anti-social behavior in society needing to be discouraged. You may or may not agree with my stance on this. ("Anti social refers to disruptive hostile social behaviors, not how much of an introvert someone is).

    One time I did it, it was apparently an unmarked cop car. They kept using the shoulder to weave in and out of slow traffic. Very aggressively. Forcing themselves between cars. Not waiting for gaps.

    So I slightly pulled to the right to block them from using the shoulder to keep doing it. Then they flashed their lights at me. I’m certain they were not on a cop mission. Just an asshole entitled cop. Otherwise he would have just drove on the shoulder with his lights on.

    Being a cop doesn’t mean you get to drive where you put other people at risk because you think you shouldn’t have to sit in traffic. Everyone has places they need to get to. That’s why we are all in cars driving.

    • dream_weasel@sh.itjust.works
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      3 days ago

      That’s sweet and all…

      Get over to the right bro. Yes people drive dangerously. Yes there are improvements everyone can make.

      GET OVER.

      If you are in the left lane and you are not passing, you are a full-to-the-top absolute shitwagon. These are the rules.

      • Trainguyrom@reddthat.com
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        2 days ago

        They never said anything indicating anything about what lane they’re driving in. How do you know they’re on roads that even have a left lane to camp in?

      • LurkingLuddite@piefed.social
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        2 days ago

        They didn’t mention camping the lane outside of sometimes fucking with aggressive d-bags. If you read otherwise, maybe you’re the aggressive d-bag that deserves to be fucked with?

        • theyoyomaster@lemmy.world
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          2 days ago

          Everyone encounters a road rager every here and there and goes “man that guy is a dick.” People that rant about road ragers in general are the cause of road rage. If everyone has a problem with one person, that person is the problem. If you have a problem with everyone, you are the problem.

          • starelfsc2@sh.itjust.works
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            2 days ago

            Sometimes areas just have bad drivers. One place i lived people would start driving in middle turn lane for 1/2 a mile to pass someone, people drifting out of their lanes etc. Once I moved that happened 1/10th as often, even though I didn’t drive any differently. Sometimes everyone else really is the problem.

    • dejected_warp_core@lemmy.world
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      3 days ago

      I doubt anyone is driving slow just to fuck with me. A stranger in another car. You know?

      I’ll add to this that a lot of people are walking around with this fiction in their head about ‘good drivers’. In reality, driving is a skill and not everyone can be good at it. We really don’t want people like that driving fast, and maybe not as fast as everyone else at that.

      So, I see someone driving slow and I honestly think “maybe this is the best they can do knowing that it would be dangerous to go faster, beyond what their reflexes can handle.”

      • ericwdhs@discuss.online
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        2 days ago

        I agree in general. People have different brain structures. Some people literally can’t even visualize things in 3D, so they are effectively driving with an entire layer of information removed.

        That said, it’s not about wanting everyone to drive fast. It’s about wanting everyone to have some level of self-awareness and drive accordingly to minimize how much everyone else on the road has to accommodate them. Think of someone pulling a trailer on narrow roads where passing opportunities are rare. Around me at least, it’s common to see these drivers pull off the road periodically to relieve everyone else built up behind them.

      • Ogy@lemmy.world
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        3 days ago

        Thank you! I honestly get pretty anxious, especially in my dingy little car, going the speed limit.

        Completely agree around the “good drivers” fallacy. We’re all human - emotional, tired, thinking about other things.

        And the risk and consequences of a crash increase disproportionately with speed while the time gain has diminishing returns. So I’m happy getting there 5 mins later after 2 h of driving safely and calmly

        • schipelblorp@sh.itjust.works
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          2 days ago

          I’ve been taking the bus to work some days and the emotional difference between riding bumpers for 30 minutes and being on the bus listening to tunes and reading for 50 is noticeable. I miss the bus on days when I take the car in.

      • _g_be@lemmy.world
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        3 days ago

        They didn’t say they did. I didn’t read it as justifying other people driving slow in the lane, but rather criticizing the aggressive drivers

        • Dozzi92@lemmy.world
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          3 days ago

          I know, I was just being a mook. It was too many words, and I’m an avid reader, but we’re on a shitpost (I think we are), gotta be succinct.

      • Pyr@lemmy.ca
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        3 days ago

        Not the person you responded to, and I generally don’t camp in the left lane, but when I am in the left lane and actively passing someone, more often than not there’s some dude behind me that can’t even wait for me to get 20’-30’ in front of the vehicle in the right lane before I switch and they speed up and wedge themselves through the gap on and angle between us to zoom off.

        • Dozzi92@lemmy.world
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          3 days ago

          Yeah, and that’s ridiculous behavior, I’ll agree. My rule to myself is if someone is actively passing, I give them space to do so. Now, if you pass and then fail to move over, I might try to encourage you to do so. I don’t like to pass people on the right, I think driving is easier when we expect to pass people to our right and be passed by people on our left.

      • daannii@lemmy.world
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        3 days ago

        When did I say I camp in the left lane?

        You assume this because I said I’m not a hostile driver ?

        That says a lot about you.

    • WoodScientist@lemmy.world
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      3 days ago

      10 mph over is the normal driving speed on US highways.

      If you’re going to be a slow poke, I suggest you start practicing reverse passing. Are you on a road with one lane in each direction, and someone comes up behind you wanting to pass? Instead of being an asshole and trying to stop them, be a positive influence and help them. It’s far easier to reverse pass than to pass, as you’re slowing down rather than speeding up.

      Reverse passing is just like it sounds - passing in reverse. You enter the left lane, slow down rapidly, and then move back over. You force the driver behind you to pass you whether they want to or not.

      There, now you’re the driver in the following position. You just eliminated a traffic hazard, and you can go at your own pace without inconveniencing anyone. Take your slow Sunday drives if you want, but don’t be an asshole. It’s extremely anti-social behavior.

      • Bytemeister@lemmy.world
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        3 days ago

        Reverse passing is just like it sounds - passing in reverse. You enter the left lane, slow down rapidly, and then move back over. You force the driver behind you to pass you whether they want to or not.

        No no no. God sweet Jesus no. NEVER EVER DO THAT.

        If you want someone to pass you, here is what you do. Wait until there is a clear stretch of road for them to pass on, and move your car as far to the right as possible so they can see around you easily, and then let them pass if they want to. If you really want to encourage them, slow down just a tad, maybe 3-5 mph, and if that doesn’t work, throw on your hazards too.

        • schipelblorp@sh.itjust.works
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          2 days ago

          I’m a slow driver, at or slightly below the speed limit. My tips for not pissing people off:

          1. Use your cruise control/maintain speed. People can get used to whatever speed you’re at, but if you keep changing your speed, they’ll keep accelerating into it and slamming on the brakes.

          2. When the road opens up nice and straight with clear visibility, for fucks sake, DO NOT SPEED UP (see: 1), even though it feels natural to do so. There’s a line of cars behind you that have been waiting for the dotted yellow line to pass you–and where you feel like it’s safe to go faster is usually where they put those dotted lines.

          • Mpatch@lemmy.world
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            2 days ago

            Thank you. I love driving behind people like you. I’ll keep a safe distance and wait it out for a passing lane. But my God i loose my shit when I wait it out and they do everything to try to stop me from passing, accelarate/ hog the passing lane try to block view. Etc.

        • WoodScientist@lemmy.world
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          2 days ago

          What’s wrong with reverse passing exactly? It’s safer than regular passing as it requires less distance to slow down than speed up a vehicle, at least in my experience.

          • Bytemeister@lemmy.world
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            2 days ago

            Pretty much every thing about it.

            It’s a weird maneuver. People get into the passing lane to pass. If you get into the passing lane and hit the brakes, you are just asking to confuse the people behind you.

            It sends confusing information to the people behind you. If I see the car ahead of me hop out of lane while clearly not in a passing situation, it’s usually because there is something hazardous in the road, and I need to dodge it as well, I’d be moving out of lane pretty much the exact moment you started slamming your brakes.

            You have less visibility behind you than you do in front, making the maneuver much more dangerous. You might be popping out of lane to do your “Reverse pass” at the exact moment the person behind you, in or a person behind them decides to pass. You could also get stuck in a situation where you go for the “reverse pass” and realize that there is actually more cars behind you than you expected, and now you’re stuck going slow in the wrong lane with no way to get back over.

            Cars can (almost) always brake faster than they can accelerate. If you need to get back into your original place because it is unsafe to complete the pass, it’s a lot easier to slow down to get back to it, than it is to accelerate to get back to it.

            Don’t “reverse pass”. In fact, you really should pull your post or edit it to advise people not to do it. It’s illegal, it’s dangerous and it will get people hurt or killed. This is not a joke or a shit-post. I’m dead serious.

        • WoodScientist@lemmy.world
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          2 days ago

          Frankly I don’t see how reverse passing is any more dangerous than forward passing. If anything it’s less dangerous as it requires less road distance.

          Is this one of those things that just feels dangerous, so therefore it must be?

          • schipelblorp@sh.itjust.works
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            2 days ago

            One scenario is a speeding car is coming up behind the car trailing. You can’t see it and it can’t see you. You merge into the lane just as the speeder enters it to pass and you get rear-ended.

  • FishFace@piefed.social
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    3 days ago

    If you’re that close to the car in front, you’re the bigger asshole and causing by far the bigger danger

    • socsa@piefed.social
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      3 days ago

      The people who are obsessed with this are also the people who seem to think any person in the left lane at any time gives them justification to aggressively weave in and out of traffic, ignoring the equally present laws against speeding and undertaking.

      • FishFace@piefed.social
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        3 days ago

        This is my impression too. The number of times I have been held up by someone hogging the outside lane, or had to change lanes twice around someone hogging the middle, is very low compared to the number of times I’ve been held up by a lorry overtaking another lorry on a two-lane road (perfectly legal, happens at least a dozen times every trip on such roads) or been aggressively tailgated while I’m overtaking traffic (not legal, happens about once per such trip)

        • WoodScientist@lemmy.world
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          3 days ago

          or been aggressively tailgated while I’m overtaking traffic

          Are you one of those people that creates a massive road hazard by trying to pass by driving a single mile per hour faster than the cars in the right lane?

          • FishFace@piefed.social
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            2 days ago

            How does that create a “massive road hazard”?

            Are you one of those people that creates a massive road hazard by driving two car lengths behind the vehicle in front? Because unlike you I can explain in exactly what scenario that leads to a crash.

      • stickyprimer@lemmy.world
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        2 days ago

        There are only 2 traffic laws in my town, apparently:

        1. “it’s my turn”
        2. “I wanna go fast”

        The problem is everyone obeys them.

      • agamemnonymous@sh.itjust.works
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        3 days ago

        There’s no such thing as a “fast lane”. “Fast lane” implies that there’s a speed fast enough to justify staying there, which is false.

        It’s the passing lane. You use it to pass slower traffic in the middle lane before getting back into the middle lane. If you’re not passing people, you do not belong in that lane.

      • FishFace@piefed.social
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        3 days ago

        Your desire to go faster than the car in front does not overrule rules of safe driving. If you think it does, or if you’re so impatient you are unable to think rationally in this situation, your attitude is not suitable for driving a two ton machine at 70-odd miles per hour.

        The sticker is wrong. Get out of the driver’s seat.

          • FishFace@piefed.social
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            3 days ago

            Just let me past bro. Just get out of my way bro. Just get out of my way or I’ll drive up your arse bro. My right to go fast is more important than your right to safely use the road bro.

            I’ll move over when I’m good and ready. Which will be slower if some cunt is right behind me, because I need to make very certain, by double and triple checking my mirrors and blind spots, that you haven’t already decided to undertake, and that there’s definitely nothing that would cause me to have to abort my lane change, because said cunt will already be squeezing past me and I won’t be able to.

            I’ll also need to lower my own speed so that their following distance is less likely to cause them to drive into the back of me in the event I have to emergency brake, and less likely to cause their own ruin if I have to swerve suddenly out of the way of some road debris that they than have no chance to spot because they’re trying to get into my back seats.

      • SwingingTheLamp@piefed.zip
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        3 days ago

        Incorrect in Wisconsin, FWIW. By law, we have the speed limit, and “slower traffic keep right.” And there’s no keeping-up-with-flow-of-traffic clause, either. So traveling at the limit in the left lane is completely legal, there’s no obligation to clear the way for lawbreakers.

        • sem@piefed.blahaj.zone
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          3 days ago

          If you have slower traffic keep right, and there is no one to the right of the slower moving car, shouldn’t they keep right in that case?

            • tmyakal@infosec.pub
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              3 days ago

              It is also illegal to stay in the left lane when other people are speeding. If they are going faster than you, you are by definition slower traffic and obliged to keep to the right.

              Your job as a driver is not to police other drivers’ behaviors. It’s not even to follow the letter of the law. It’s to operate the vehicle safely. Creating obstacles for other people because you don’t think they should drive so fast is not a safe action.

              Really, we need to collectively get rid of the idea of a “fast lane.” The left lane is a passing lane. You should only be in it when you’re attempting to pass someone, and when the pass is complete, you should move over.

              • SwingingTheLamp@piefed.zip
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                3 days ago

                I’d just point out, as in my original comment, that is incorrect in Wisconsin. It is perfectly legal to drive at the speed limit in the left lane here. We don’t have any notion of a passing lane in state law.

                Out of courtesy, I stay to the right, but almost every semi is doing 65MPH when the limit is 70MPH, the adaptive-cruise people hanging behind them are even slower. So, I pass them. Interestingly, by following the speed limit, I’ll encounter maybe one or two left-lane campers in a four-hour highway trip. It would seem that the people trying to police the behavior of slower (than they’d like) drivers in fast or passing lane are the greater problem.

                • tmyakal@infosec.pub
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                  3 days ago

                  Just a quick bit of searching, and I found a Wisconsin sheriff who is far less definitive on this than you:

                  According to state law, any vehicle traveling “at less than the normal speed of traffic” must be driven in the right-hand lane, or as close as practicable, except when overtaking and passing another vehicle.

                  So Wisconsin does acknowledge that anyone going less than the normal speed of traffic should only use the left lane to pass. But, as the sheriff points out:

                  “It describes normal traffic, so to say somebody going 80 is normal is going to be very difficult for me to say that. So normal being above the speed limit, you’ve got two conflicting sets of laws here.”

                  And it’s okay that traffic laws conflict with each other because, again, the point is not the letter of the law, but the safe and predictable operation of the vehicle.

            • WoodScientist@lemmy.world
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              3 days ago

              Eh, I see nothing wrong with passing on the right. If you’re driving correctly, it shouldn’t even be possible for someone to pass you on the right.

        • architect@thelemmy.club
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          3 days ago

          There’s legal and there’s things you should do. If the highway is three lanes, move the fuck over.

            • Zoot@reddthat.com
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              3 days ago

              Nor is it yours. Even in your own comments you admit that the left lane is the passing lane. If someone is behind you, you’re slower traffic. You’re obligated to move over, and you’re in the wrong if you do not.

              What is it with you power freaks that just have to enact control by fucking with other people? Find a better way to get a rage boner.

        • too_high_for_this@lemmy.world
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          3 days ago

          So you’re the person who stays in the left lane with a mile of cars behind you?

          Do everyone else a favor and stay off the highway.

        • WoodScientist@lemmy.world
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          3 days ago

          You need to have your drivers license taken away. Cops openly brag about being able to pull people over whenever they want. They can do this because there are so many rules of the road, that it is literally impossible to drive without violating them.

          So really, drop the bullshit “but it’s illegal!!!” cope. You violate the law every time you get on the road. Traffic laws are written to be selectively enforced. You make it illegal to speed and then leave it to officer discretion.

          Hell, I say we throw you in jail for life. If every law was enforced against everyone who violates them, then everyone would be in jail for life.

          You’ve committed enough crimes to get yourself locked away for life. Perhaps you shouldn’t appeal to the law so readily.

          • SwingingTheLamp@piefed.zip
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            2 days ago

            You raise a valid point about how our legal system can be used as a tool of oppression. However, in practice, the State Patrol here are generally pretty ethical, and they pull people over for speeding and reckless driving most of the time. Never for obeying the speed limit.

    • TrickDacy@lemmy.world
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      3 days ago

      That was my reaction too. The worst drivers are the ones who treat the highway like a race track, always looking to pass anyone in sight, swerving into any lane to do so, and tailgating people as a strategy to get what they want. I hate those people so much. Yeah it’s super annoying to get blocked by a car in the left lane but you’re right, the tailgater is the worse person here.

    • this@sh.itjust.works
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      2 days ago

      For real though, I will move over to the other lane as soon as I safely can, some people don’t know how to wait for 5 fucking seconds.

      • FishFace@piefed.social
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        2 days ago

        And they all get mad on the internet when you call them out on their shitty, selfish impatience.

    • 666dollarfootlong@lemmy.world
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      3 days ago

      So true. I can’t believe how often i’ve seen morons like this also say something like “actually driving too slow is dangerous too”

      • anyhow2503@lemmy.world
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        3 days ago

        It is, but suboptimal driving behaviour of your fellow drivers is never an excuse to consciously make road traffic even more dangerous or behave aggresively.

      • [deleted]@piefed.world
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        3 days ago

        Going significantly slower than the rest of traffic can be dangerous in a limited number of scenarios, but not frequently enough for people to bring it up in casual conversation.

        Edit: Significantly slower is like the opposite of significantly faster, being wildly different is dangerous because of how it impacts merging between lanes.

        • architect@thelemmy.club
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          3 days ago

          It’s always dangerous on the highway. If you’re going significantly slower other drivers will not realize how fast they will catch up to you and can’t brake properly.

        • hardcoreufo@lemmy.world
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          3 days ago

          The one frequent scenario I can think of off the top of my head is merging onto the highway. At least once a week it feels like I’m stuckbehingd someone trying to merge onto the highway 10mph under the speed limit making it more dangerous for everyone stuck behind them.

          • joeljoelle@piefed.blahaj.zone
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            3 days ago

            There is a entry lane onto 94 north of chicago where the speed limit is 70 mph but every single person wants to merge at like 45 mph, but then they will keep on accelerating (slowly) to like 100 mph and pass you. I fucking don’t understand.

          • [deleted]@piefed.world
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            3 days ago

            Also going significantly slower than traffic and changing multiple lanes at once, slowing down far too early for an exit, going very slow in the middle lane so traffic flows around both sides, and some others as well. Basically if the car is going slow enough to be comparable to something stationary in the road it can be a hazard.

            But it really does have to be wildly different from traffic, not just 10-15 mph different.

      • FishFace@piefed.social
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        3 days ago

        Yeah. And they rarely give a fully articulated reason why “driving too slow is dangerous”. Because they know that the real reason - “it makes other people drive aggressively” - is trying to place the blame on slow drivers for the actions of actually dangerous drivers.

        Of course, you should drive at an appropriate speed. But in terms of safety messaging, it’s not the thing to focus on.

  • prole@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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    3 days ago

    Kind of surprised by how many people are defending this shit.

    If you tailgate people, you can go fuck yourself.

    • save_the_humans@leminal.space
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      Im surprised by the people indicating that they don’t pull over on purpose, literally just to be an asshole… Tailgating is idiotic, but you can do something about it by getting out of the way. Its safer to have as much room around you as possible. Don’t tailgate, let people pass, and pass quickly. Who wants to drive right next to someone, in their blind spot or in yours? Use your controls to either speed up or slow down.

      For the tailgater’s here, driving fast barely saves time on short trips. You might save as much as 2 minutes on your daily 20 mile commute driving like an absolute maniac. But who wants to risk a ticket or accident doing that everyday and then paying an increased insurance rate on top of potentially losing your car and spending time in the hospital with an insane medical bill?

      • LurkingLuddite@piefed.social
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        3 days ago

        Not that it’s the right thing to do, but you can save a surprising amount of time driving fast. If traffic is averaging 60mph, and you, being a psycho BMW/etc driver manage to average 90, even over just 20 miles, you’ll get there over six minutes sooner.

        The time savings of course gets pretty nuts over 200+ miles with even just a 10-15 mph difference, and sometimes reasonable speed differences are more than that in situations like getting stuck behind trucks passing other trucks at 55-60 vs the 80mph speed limit on some highways.

      • ericwdhs@discuss.online
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        2 days ago

        I don’t think most tailgaters are driving fast for time savings. I think it really just comes down to the feeling that being forced to drive slower than you want to just feels bad, and if you’re emotionally immature or impulsive, you let that feeling impact your driving.

        I don’t let it impact my driving, but I can absolutely feel my impatience rising being trapped behind a slower driver. There have even been a couple times where it was persistent enough to start affecting my focus. My solution? I parked somewhere to cool off, which you might note is the opposite of saving time.

      • JaggedRobotPubes@lemmy.world
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        3 days ago

        I rarely if ever see a tailgater tailgate one car that’s doing something wrong, and then immediately go back to being cool.

    • Pat_Riot@lemmy.today
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      3 days ago

      In my state it is law that slower traffic move to the right lane. That means if your hall monitor ass is running the speed limit in the left lane and you are holding up traffic that wants to go faster than you, you are not only the asshole you can be pulled over and cited and I have seen it enforced.

      • nexguy@lemmy.world
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        3 days ago

        So it’s legal in your state to exceed the speed limit of you want to go faster than the guy in the fast lane that is going exactly the limit?

        • dream_weasel@sh.itjust.works
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          3 days ago

          It isn’t the fast lane, it’s the PASSING LANE. If you are in that lane and you aren’t passing, YOU are the problem.

          Edit: And if you are going 2167 mph in a 55 and not passing, you are STILL THE PROBLEM.

          • nexguy@lemmy.world
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            3 days ago

            I meant passing lane. But I was just asking the question because nowhere in the United States are you allowed to exceed the speed limit legally…even to keep up with traffic. Was just funny that he suggested someone was doing something illegal that prevented him from doing something illegal.

            • TheTetrapod@lemmy.world
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              3 days ago

              You can say that, but there are practicalities here. Where I live, it is highly unusual for someone to be going the speed limit on the freeway. It is completely unfeasible for cops to try to do anything to curtail that on an individual basis, so only the people doing truly dangerous things tend to get pulled over. I just play zebra and enjoy blending into all the other people going 15 over.

              • Trainguyrom@reddthat.com
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                2 days ago

                It is completely unfeasible for cops to try to do anything to curtail that on an individual basis

                It’s actually very easy to do and some municipalities actually invest the traffic enforcement time in doing so. The police simply need to ramp up enforcement. Bring a half dozen squad cars and pull over anyone going over the posted speed during rush hour and repeat this a few times and the visibility of multiple cars being pulled over at a time slows traffic down pretty immediately

                I just play zebra and enjoy blending into all the other people going 15 over.

                If you’re going 15 over then you’re going 15 over. Doesn’t matter if others are doing the same thing, you’ve joined into the unsafe, financially irresponsible and illegal behavior

              • nexguy@lemmy.world
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                3 days ago

                I’m not saying don’t move right… just saying the guy used the law to say you need to move over(so he can break the law)… and that this was the law… which it obviously isn’t. JUust thought it was funny.

                • Pat_Riot@lemmy.today
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                  3 days ago

                  The law specifically states that you must yield the left lane to faster traffic. Every few months the highway patrol gets real energetic about enforcing it too. Hall monitors are rewarded with fat fines.

              • rDrDr@lemmy.world
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                3 days ago

                All the people saying move right just want to drive in the left lane at illegal speed. Crazy lack of self reflection.

          • Trainguyrom@reddthat.com
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            2 days ago

            The speed limit in most states isn’t a hard limit

            The speed limit is the maximum speed allowed by law. Doesn’t matter if you’re passing, delivering a baby or have gone over that speed a million times and never been pulled over, if you exceed the posted speed limit you are breaking the law. It’s one of the few extremely cut and dry traffic laws

        • Waraugh@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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          3 days ago

          I regularly have my cruise set at 10 over, going 80 on the 70 mph highway. Most people seem to only go like 75. In well over a decade of traveling forty miles each way doing this and not once slowing down when I see a cop in the median have I ever been pulled over. I like when cops are in the median because then jackasses tend to move over. My adaptive cruise keeps me several car lengths back but it’s still annoying that people just hang out going five over in the far left lane when there’s no other cars around. I prefer not to pass on the right but I’m not sitting behind some jackass for miles just because they think they own a lane of the road. It pleases me the dozen or so times I’ve seen a cop whip out and I’m sure they think I’m going to be pulled over for passing on their right going faster than them and so far every single time their dumbass has been the one the cop pulled over.

          • nexguy@lemmy.world
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            3 days ago

            You misunderstood what I was inferring. The post I was referring to used the fact that driving in the passing lane at the speed limit is illegal if there is someone behind them that’s wants to pass while driving over the speed limit… which is not true. They sighted using the law to allow them to break the law. Ir was just funny.

            • Waraugh@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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              2 days ago

              That actually is illegal where I live though. If you are in the far left lane going the speed limit and not letting someone pass you will get an impeding the flow of traffic ticket for holding up a vehicle trying to go above the speed limit. In my experience that will be prioritized over ticketing the speeding vehicle.

              • nexguy@lemmy.world
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                2 days ago

                Which area do you live that allows exceeding the speed limit legally? I’ve never heard of this traffic law anywhere in the United States at least.

                Edit: it turns out there are 5 stats that technically allow you to briefly exceed the limit to pass another vehicle.

                • Waraugh@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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                  I’m not saying it’s specifically legal, I’m saying the police never pull anyone over for speeding on this particular highway unless they are going over 10mph over or have another reason to stop someone. Almost everyone goes 5 over. A decent amount go 10 over.

        • WoodScientist@lemmy.world
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          3 days ago

          Yes. In practice it is legal to exceed the speed limit, as speed limits are written artificially low with the understanding that people will violate them.

          “But it’s technically illegal” is a terrible argument. There are so many rules of the road, and you, like every driver, are constantly making minor violations of the law. If every driving law were enforced 100%, there would be no more drivers on the road within a matter of weeks.

          There’s a reason it’s long been understood that cops can pull anyone over any time they want. Technically they can only pull people over for violating traffic laws, but it is literally impossible to drive without violating traffic laws.

    • GuerillaGorillas@lemmy.world
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      3 days ago

      Seriously, driving slow and clogging the passing lane is irritating and dangerous, but tailgating is just making a dangerous situation even worse. Plus, if a person is already absentminded enough to be cruising in the left lane they’re likely not going to be rational enough to interpret that as “move over.” Instead they’ll just think “some crazy asshole is on my ass” and either keep as-is, panic, or try some spiteful move like slowing down in the left lane and further compound things.

    • redsand@infosec.pub
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      3 days ago

      Can confirm. Tailgating will fuck financially and physically. Just ask any insurance agent.

  • Hossenfeffer@feddit.uk
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    3 days ago

    You know what I do if someone’s tailgating me? I imagine that they’re a bomb disposal expert on their way to diffuse a nuke at a school for blind orphan kittens, I pull over and let them on their way, and smile at the thought of all those kittens who’ll be saved. Stress level 0.

    • naught101@lemmy.world
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      3 days ago

      I just think “dickheads to the front”. I’d rather have bad drivers in front of me, where I can see them and avoid their bad driving.

      • Pommes_für_dein_Balg@feddit.org
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        There’s a minimum safe following distance that’s necessary to avoid accidents.
        If they’re too close, I’m in danger of getting rear-ended.
        The safe following distance depends on the speed we’re going.
        I can’t control how close the car behind me is driving.
        But I can control my speed.
        So I blip the brake just enough for the brake lights to come on and get their attention, then coast without gas and slow down until my speed matches their distance.

        (They’ll pass me long before that)

      • WoodScientist@lemmy.world
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        3 days ago

        I use a maneuver that I call a “reverse pass.” I make them pass me whether they want to or not!

        Turns out, when a vehicle is traveling at highway speed, it’s a lot easier to slow it down by 20 mph than it is to speed it up by 20 mph. This means it takes less distance. You can slow down in a shorter clear lane window than you can speed up.

        If someone clearly wants to go faster than me but they’re too chicken shit to pass, I’ll force them to pass. When an opening forms, I’ll quickly move to the left lane, push hard on the brakes, drop my speed down, and move back to the right lane. By the time the dumbass has even figured out what’s happening, they’re already in front of me. They do not get a choice in the matter.

  • RattlerSix@lemmy.world
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    3 days ago

    This the the guy two inches behind me when I’m already doing 15 over the speed limit

    • BranBucket@lemmy.world
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      3 days ago

      Same.

      If I’m going faster than other traffic and already over the limit by a decent amount, I’ll move over once the middle lane is clear, but I’m not speeding up just because you’re impatient.

      In fact, I’ll slow down just a wee bit.

      I give no fucks.

      But, the caveat to that is that I don’t loiter in the passing lane at ten under the limit. It’s the passing lane. I’m there because, you know, I’m passing people and not because I think I need to do 95 mph in a lifted truck just to assert my dominance over the morning commute.

      • FordBeeblebrox@lemmy.world
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        3 days ago

        I stay in the passing lane if I am still passing people, but my car’s radar maintains a gap at speed and I’m not going to force it dangerously close. Revving up to climb in my backseat doesn’t make the car in front of me go any faster.

    • nexguy@lemmy.world
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      3 days ago

      I think that looks like tailgating because you couldn’t have a sticker to scale with the cars at proper distance from each other. It’s just a model showing cars need to drive in the driving lane not the passing lane.