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ljbrs
SFN Regular
USA
842 Posts |
 Posted - 07/18/2003 : 17:33:25
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You see these people  driving along, in a hurry, attempting to push the traffic faster by coming up too close (less than two seconds) behind the car in front of them . They did not study physics, for certain (if they knew better, they'd do better!). Those people who have studied physics do not tend to tailgate (unless they are a bit stupid and flunked the physics courses).
In response to the little darlings , I simply leave THEIR reaction time PLUS MY reaction time IN FRONT OF ME, including a little more space than needed for safety. In this manner, I save myself and them, too, without their even being aware of my wonderful deed  .
I drive a lot. It takes me at least an hour to drive to work (in heavy traffic) and an additional hour to drive from work (also in heavy traffic). Then there are all of those necessary activities which force me to travel even further. Since I refuse to stay at home and tremble at the thought of getting into traffic, I have chosen to deal with the matter so that, at least, I am safe from their stupidity/stupidities.
Of course, I do all of the other safety things which are necessary to stay alive. Some of the drivers are angry, but I change lanes to avoid their imbecilities.
ljbrs  
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"Innumerable suns exist; innumerable earths revolve about these suns in a manner similar to the way the seven planets revolve around our sun. Living beings inhabit these worlds."
Giordano Bruno
(Burned at the stake by the Roman Catholic Church Inquisition in 1600) |
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filthy
SFN Die Hard
USA
14408 Posts |
Posted - 07/18/2003 : 18:10:23 [Permalink]
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As an ex-trucker, yeah, I hear ya.
Here's some fast and dirty shit that'll help keep you alive in the madness that has become I-95: If you have to change lanes or use the brakes a lot, you are trying to go too fast for conditions. Be cool.
If you encounter someone trying to go too fast, let him go. Natural Selection will sooner or later catch up with the fool.
Install a big, fat trailer hitch on your wheels. Sometimes, this will discourage tailgaters.
Get nasty, and go a little slower (within reason. Don't make the situation worse). He'll pass, removing the rear end danger, and you'll be able to keep an eye on him. When you get the finger, think of it as a compliment. He's telling you that you're #1! Smile at him with lots of teeth. 
I miss trucking, but in a way, I'm glad I'm out of it. It's getting pretty crazy out there.
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"What luck for rulers that men do not think." -- Adolf Hitler (1889 - 1945)
"If only we could impeach on the basis of criminal stupidity, 90% of the Rethuglicans and half of the Democrats would be thrown out of office." ~~ P.Z. Myres
"The default position of human nature is to punch the other guy in the face and take his stuff." ~~ Dude
Brother Boot Knife of Warm Humanitarianism,
and Crypto-Communist! 
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Randy
SFN Regular
USA
1990 Posts |
Posted - 07/18/2003 : 18:12:27 [Permalink]
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ljbrs, I think these cretins who tailgate are the ones that flunked out or at least talked thru physics class. My problem is when I inact my safe distance margin, one of those @$$e$ invariably will cram themselves in MY safe space, thus leading me to slow a bit more to increase the safety margin; only to lead another cretin to ram himself in. On and on.
It's a wonder I get anywhere! |
"We are all connected; to each other biologically, to the earth chemically, to the rest of the universe atomically."
"So you're made of detritus [from exploded stars]. Get over it. Or better yet, celebrate it. After all, what nobler thought can one cherish than that the universe lives within us all?"
-Neil DeGrasse Tyson |
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gezzam
SFN Regular
Australia
751 Posts |
Posted - 07/18/2003 : 18:51:37 [Permalink]
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The worst offenders are those who tailgate in the wet.
I leave at least 3 times the distance than I usually do. Seems to make a little too much sense for some. |
Mistakes are a part of being human. Appreciate your mistakes for what they are: precious life lessons that can only be learned the hard way. Unless it's a fatal mistake, which, at least, others can learn from.
Al Franken |
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filthy
SFN Die Hard
USA
14408 Posts |
Posted - 07/19/2003 : 03:46:46 [Permalink]
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quote:
Originally posted by gezzam
The worst offenders are those who tailgate in the wet.
I leave at least 3 times the distance than I usually do. Seems to make a little too much sense for some.
Amazin' ain't it? They just don't seem to believe that the road can get slick.
I was coming down I-79 one misty night carrying 49,000# of coil steel and began hitting some patchy black ice. Not being sucicidal, I slowed and started looking for a safe place place to get off. Before I found one, I had no less than 3 four-wheelers come almost under my wagon, then pass, one of them almost getting sideways doing so. I don't know if they got home or not. I do know I did.
Another amazment is the number of 4X4s you see in the ditch every time it snows. They don't know how to use 4X4, but they think it makes them invincable (never put it in 4 unless you have to. If you lose traction, you've lost it all, including your steering).
It's getting to be an adventure out there. I no longer much like adventures.....
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"What luck for rulers that men do not think." -- Adolf Hitler (1889 - 1945)
"If only we could impeach on the basis of criminal stupidity, 90% of the Rethuglicans and half of the Democrats would be thrown out of office." ~~ P.Z. Myres
"The default position of human nature is to punch the other guy in the face and take his stuff." ~~ Dude
Brother Boot Knife of Warm Humanitarianism,
and Crypto-Communist!
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ljbrs
SFN Regular
USA
842 Posts |
Posted - 07/19/2003 : 18:52:23 [Permalink]
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quote:
ljbrs, I think these cretins who tailgate are the ones that flunked out or at least talked thru physics class. My problem is when I inact my safe distance margin, one of those @$$e$ invariably will cram themselves in MY safe space, thus leading me to slow a bit more to increase the safety margin; only to lead another cretin to ram himself in. On and on.
It's a wonder I get anywhere!
I simply let them in and leave more room in front of me. I am more interested in staying alive and in not crashing my car than I am in challenging any of these idiots. You see them later on, all over the road where they have caused somebody else's accident. It is up to the somebody else to take avoidance measures. Sometimes there is a long line of tailgaters. In such instances I keep far back so that I do not get sideswiped by the idiots if they crash into each other. It is dangerous out there. Since I have an hour drive each way, to and from work, I have to be cautious.
Recently, in the past week, I have been drawing in the air the LARGE letters "IQ" and then pointing to my head. That seems to make them back off for some reason or other. Then again, they may think, "Crazy lady" and back off for that reason. I will do anything to keep them back. However, perhaps keeping a large distance in front and replenishing when necessary it will make them go around and tailgate somebody else for a change.
I came from a physics family (father, grandfather, great-grandfather, ????), and these things were drilled into my brain. I studied physics at university, but was warned (by my physicist father) not to major in it because of the problems with male chauvinistic physics departments. I am not a fighter and simply went into another less male chauvinistic field for my major. I had a lot of interests, so I did not lose out on my education.
ljbrs |
"Innumerable suns exist; innumerable earths revolve about these suns in a manner similar to the way the seven planets revolve around our sun. Living beings inhabit these worlds."
Giordano Bruno
(Burned at the stake by the Roman Catholic Church Inquisition in 1600) |
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ljbrs
SFN Regular
USA
842 Posts |
Posted - 07/19/2003 : 19:02:17 [Permalink]
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filthy and gezzam:
Good posts!
All three of the posts were just great. It was easier to copy the short one. I think that the only way to deal with the dumbies is to leave a lot of room whenever it is necessary. If they are too close behind, I first leave more room in front and then turn on my turning indicators to show that I am attempting to get away from them. However, I do not usually, with these creeps, attempt to get them angry, because if they are stupid enough to tailgate, they are capable of ANYTHING!
ljbrs |
"Innumerable suns exist; innumerable earths revolve about these suns in a manner similar to the way the seven planets revolve around our sun. Living beings inhabit these worlds."
Giordano Bruno
(Burned at the stake by the Roman Catholic Church Inquisition in 1600) |
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Randy
SFN Regular
USA
1990 Posts |
Posted - 07/19/2003 : 19:09:40 [Permalink]
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Read a blurb somewhere about aggressive drivers are trying to project control or dominate on the road due to feeling of insecurities -elsewhere- in their lifes. Hm, - along with speeding tickets, the traffic cops could be handing out prozac.
Just came off of I-35 here in Austin. Saw a gaggle of seven @$$e$ doing seventy with only about 1/2 to 1 car lengths between each. Just incredible the danger. |
"We are all connected; to each other biologically, to the earth chemically, to the rest of the universe atomically."
"So you're made of detritus [from exploded stars]. Get over it. Or better yet, celebrate it. After all, what nobler thought can one cherish than that the universe lives within us all?"
-Neil DeGrasse Tyson |
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filthy
SFN Die Hard
USA
14408 Posts |
Posted - 07/19/2003 : 19:17:51 [Permalink]
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As it is not possible to grab these dipshits by the throat and pulp their faces (a service to the community), all one can do is encourage them to pass and space yourself accordingly.
And now, I will impart the best piece of advice anyone will ever give or recieve: Whatever you might do, be it driving, working, or loving, Never get in a hurry!
Ya see, when you're in a hurry, a change takes place in your body. Your brain sinks down into your ass and every disison you make turns to shit.
Do correct me if I'm wrong.
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"What luck for rulers that men do not think." -- Adolf Hitler (1889 - 1945)
"If only we could impeach on the basis of criminal stupidity, 90% of the Rethuglicans and half of the Democrats would be thrown out of office." ~~ P.Z. Myres
"The default position of human nature is to punch the other guy in the face and take his stuff." ~~ Dude
Brother Boot Knife of Warm Humanitarianism,
and Crypto-Communist!
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jmcginn
Skeptic Friend
343 Posts |
Posted - 07/21/2003 : 10:52:00 [Permalink]
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quote:
Originally posted by filthy
quote:
Originally posted by gezzam
The worst offenders are those who tailgate in the wet.
I leave at least 3 times the distance than I usually do. Seems to make a little too much sense for some.
Amazin' ain't it? They just don't seem to believe that the road can get slick.
I was coming down I-79 one misty night carrying 49,000# of coil steel and began hitting some patchy black ice. Not being sucicidal, I slowed and started looking for a safe place place to get off. Before I found one, I had no less than 3 four-wheelers come almost under my wagon, then pass, one of them almost getting sideways doing so. I don't know if they got home or not. I do know I did.
Another amazment is the number of 4X4s you see in the ditch every time it snows. They don't know how to use 4X4, but they think it makes them invincable (never put it in 4 unless you have to. If you lose traction, you've lost it all, including your steering).
It's getting to be an adventure out there. I no longer much like adventures.....
I got a 4x4 and I am not for sure why you would put your vehicle in 4WD on slick roads on a highway? What would be the point? Maybe on a steep hill going slow you might need it, but flowing down a highway? No way if anything 4WD might be worst as your steering wheels would then have power as well as your rear wheels possibly creating a better chance of loosing control and over steering. |
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filthy
SFN Die Hard
USA
14408 Posts |
Posted - 07/21/2003 : 14:48:06 [Permalink]
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quote:
I got a 4x4 and I am not for sure why you would put your vehicle in 4WD on slick roads on a highway? What would be the point? Maybe on a steep hill going slow you might need it, but flowing down a highway? No way if anything 4WD might be worst as your steering wheels would then have power as well as your rear wheels possibly creating a better chance of loosing control and over steering.
Exactly right. Indeed, the first wheels to lose traction often are the steers. And then, you've had the radish!
4X4 is great for getting out of a snow-clogged driveway or driving slowly over a sloppy road (and in this case, I'd only use it if I hit really sloppy patches). The 4 in my old Blazer, when it's running, gets a lot of use in soft sand whilst surf fishing.
The best rig I've ever found for snow is a 2 wheel drive pickup with chains and an old engine block in the bed. I've seen driveways in VT plowed with just such a rig. It's all but unstoppable.
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"What luck for rulers that men do not think." -- Adolf Hitler (1889 - 1945)
"If only we could impeach on the basis of criminal stupidity, 90% of the Rethuglicans and half of the Democrats would be thrown out of office." ~~ P.Z. Myres
"The default position of human nature is to punch the other guy in the face and take his stuff." ~~ Dude
Brother Boot Knife of Warm Humanitarianism,
and Crypto-Communist!
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Randy
SFN Regular
USA
1990 Posts |
Posted - 07/21/2003 : 15:09:45 [Permalink]
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| Along too with my old '72 Beetle. That thing would pass all sorts of vehicles stuck in snow when I lived in South Dakota. Think it was the skinny tires, flat bottom and rear engine. Course, I had to use the ice scraper on the -inside- of the windshield as well as the outside. |
"We are all connected; to each other biologically, to the earth chemically, to the rest of the universe atomically."
"So you're made of detritus [from exploded stars]. Get over it. Or better yet, celebrate it. After all, what nobler thought can one cherish than that the universe lives within us all?"
-Neil DeGrasse Tyson |
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gezzam
SFN Regular
Australia
751 Posts |
Posted - 07/21/2003 : 18:28:29 [Permalink]
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The thing I find odd is that it ain't that hard to get a licence to drive a 1 tonne missile that can go up to 200km an hour, depending the quality of your car. They should test people a lot more stringently, maybe even test their demeanor. Road rage is a shocker, although I have been guilty of it on occasions - only to the extent of the bird and a few choice expletives though.
In Australia you can either get an "Automatic Licence" or a "Manual Licence". IMO if you don't have the confidence to use a clutch and a gearstick, you should not be on the road. |
Mistakes are a part of being human. Appreciate your mistakes for what they are: precious life lessons that can only be learned the hard way. Unless it's a fatal mistake, which, at least, others can learn from.
Al Franken |
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jmcginn
Skeptic Friend
343 Posts |
Posted - 07/22/2003 : 07:14:30 [Permalink]
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quote:
Originally posted by gezzam
In Australia you can either get an "Automatic Licence" or a "Manual Licence". IMO if you don't have the confidence to use a clutch and a gearstick, you should not be on the road.
Wow that's allot better than the states where you can get a license driving an automatic during the test that is good for driving both manuals and automatics. Scary isn't it? |
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walt fristoe
SFN Regular
USA
505 Posts |
Posted - 07/22/2003 : 10:09:53 [Permalink]
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quote:
Originally posted by Randy
Read a blurb somewhere about aggressive drivers are trying to project control or dominate on the road due to feeling of insecurities -elsewhere- in their lifes. Hm, - along with speeding tickets, the traffic cops could be handing out prozac.
Yes, it could well be that their brains aren't the only tiny portions of their anatomies. |
"If God chose George Bus of all the people in the world, how good could God be?"
Bill Maher |
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ljbrs
SFN Regular
USA
842 Posts |
Posted - 07/22/2003 : 19:24:12 [Permalink]
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Wow!
I did not think anybody would be interested in this subject (except myself, of course). Surprise! Perhaps bad driving habits have to do with lower intelligence (and/or youth and inexperience). I drive a lot in heavy traffic and I leave a lot of room in front of me whenever any any imbeciles might be attempting to tailgate. I put their reaction time in front of me in addition to my reaction time and they usually go away and bother somebody else. I guess skeptics make good drivers.
You can avoid having accidents. It is difficult work in heavy traffic, but it is possible.
Wow!
ljbrs |
"Innumerable suns exist; innumerable earths revolve about these suns in a manner similar to the way the seven planets revolve around our sun. Living beings inhabit these worlds."
Giordano Bruno
(Burned at the stake by the Roman Catholic Church Inquisition in 1600) |
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