American Drivers Suck

[geezerbrzeezer]

Originally Posted by extrashaky

I would never do that. That's incredibly dangerous.

To be clear, the strobes I mentioned above are just the LEDs in my tail lights, not bright flashing white strobes. They're no brighter than the normal tail lights. The TapTurn will strobe those red LEDs in various patterns when I turn on the hazard lights, including a back and forth wig-wag pattern. Since very few people have hazards with a wig-wag pattern, it confuses tailgaters. The car doesn't appear to be an emergency vehicle, but it's doing something that you normally only see on emergency vehicles or utility/construction trucks.

It helps in many cases, without causing someone to run off the road.



A very strange response. If someone is tailgating me, I'm already in danger. I really don't see how a rear-facing horn would increase that danger. Like the strobes, it would more likely confuse the tailgater, since the horn would seem to be coming from the front of their own vehicle.

Your initial strobes reference didn't make that clear, hence my 'strange' response.

[justatroll]

Originally Posted by mdm

The proper civilized technique when a lane ends and traffic is slow, is to create a single merging point at the end of the lane, and alternate there. You are not supposed to merge beyond the end by driving on shoulder, but you are not supposed to merge well not before the end either.


People who merge early are not doing it right. People from the through lane who block the merge lane are jerks and aggressive drivers. I hope that you are not a jerk, and that you only did not explain clearly what you meant.

The people that are merging early ARE DOING IT RIGHT by merging before they have to STOP because their lane ENDED.


The people I am talking about not doing it right are the ones that clearly see where everyone else has chosen to merge and they choose to drive around the merge point (sometimes on the shoulder) and wedge themselves in at the VERY end, where they are force to STOP and wait for someone to let them in.


That is opposed to merging early so that you do not have to stop.


See this:
http://lifehacker.com/the-right-way-...and-1501148503


I am a "lineupper" and not a "sidezoomer"

[extrashaky]

Originally Posted by justatroll

I am talking about when "most" of the people are trying to merge correctly BEFORE the lane comes to a complete end, while others choose to NOT wait in line like the civilized drivers and try to drive right to the very end of the merge lane where they jam on the brakes and try to wedge themselves into traffic.

He's talking about a zipper merge. That is not the correct way to execute a zipper merge. The correct way to zipper merge is for the car merging into traffic to proceed to the end of the acceleration lane, and the car in the travel lane to let them in. If you're trying to block people who are doing a zipper merge correctly, you're the one causing the problem.

ETA: The funny thing about what you say you're doing is that if you stick your car out there, all the next guy has to do is go around you and plant their car in front of you. Since you're sticking out, you give him the opportunity to get his front end in front of yours, so that you can't move forward without letting him in first. LOL. You lose.

[krayzie]

Originally Posted by mdm

I am not talking about "cutting in line", I am talking about properly executed zipper merge - do not merge early, go to the end of the merging lane, and there merge so that cars from the merging lane and those from the through lane alternate 1:1.

Yes most drivers that feel they need to merge earlier just to get a spot while holding up the queue behind, don't understand that traffic flows much more efficiently by merging at the endpoint of the closing lane / merge point alternately 1:1 you are absolutely correct.

As for those asshole bus drivers, some of them even try to get a head start before the light even turns green just to merge in and then drive very slowly to hold up traffic. The yield sign is actually on the back of the bus, not on the side or at the front. No wonder Jeeza used to call them little Hitlers and murderers.

[justatroll]

Originally Posted by extrashaky

He's talking about a zipper merge. That is not the correct way to execute a zipper merge. The correct way to zipper merge is for the car merging into traffic to proceed to the end of the acceleration lane, and the car in the travel lane to let them in. If you're trying to block people who are doing a zipper merge correctly, you're the one causing the problem.

"The correct way to zipper merge is for the car merging into traffic to proceed to the end of the acceleration lane, and the car in the travel lane to let them in"

This is incorrect technique BECAUSE MOST drivers accelerate all the way to the end of the merging lane and then ABRUPTLY STOP BECAUSE the people occupying the merged lane do not let them in. That is partially because they RACE to the end and then "demand" a place instead of approaching the gap they intend to merge into then PACE the other cars effectively asking permission to be let in.

It is FAR more efficient to make an arbitrary "end of merging lane" that does not have a physical barrier so that the "end of lane" can move forward and back as the lanes merge. This allows the ebb & flow to naturally move up & back as the merge occurs.

IN THEORY it makes sense to do this all at the last minute , but in the real world, this is NOT the most efficient because it doesnt allow any buffer space.

Here is an example of what I am talking about it happens every single day exactly as I explain it below:
Two lanes approach a highway on ramp.
These lanes merge together (right lane ends) about 20 yards before the actual highway entry.
Typically there are hundreds of cars moving at ~ 5MPH and merging ~50 yards before the right lane ends, traffic is NOT STOPPING because the zipper merge is working fine.
Now someone sees that everyone else is moving at 5 MPH and merging, so what do they decide to do? GET OUT OF the already merged traffic and try to pass as many cars as they can, then jump BACK into the merged lane at the very end.
Almost every single person that sees this occur will NOT LET THAT PERSON IN at the very end and it causes the "cheater" to STOP and then "Beg" to be let back in.
This causes the properly merged lane to STOP and let this car that is STOPPED to get back in line.
This STOPS the merging lanes entirely for the one asshole "cheater".

Originally Posted by krayzie

Yes most drivers that feel they need to merge earlier just to get a spot while holding up the queue behind, don't understand that traffic flows much more efficiently by merging at the endpoint of the closing lane / merge point alternately 1:1 you are absolutely correct.

As for those asshole bus drivers, some of them even try to get a head start before the light even turns green just to merge in and then drive very slowly to hold up traffic. The yield sign is actually on the back of the bus, not on the side or at the front. No wonder Jeeza used to call them little Hitlers and murderers.

"don't understand that traffic flows much more efficiently by merging at the endpoint of the closing lane"

This makes ZERO sense as it would be exactly the SAME efficiency if I moved the end of lane barrier back 20 feet, or 50 feet, or 100 feet.
But by setting an imaginary barrier and TRYING to get everyone to merge before THAT it allows some margin for error where traffic can continue moving instead of forcing cars right UP TO the physical barrier.

The fallacy here is that it somehow makes it more efficient to merge when there is no road left.
This is false as it is definitely more efficient to complete the zipper merge of both lanes BEFORE the physical barrier to accommodate errors and assholes.


This pisses me off the most because MOST drivers cant pull their head out of their ass long enough to PLAN ANY sort of maneuver more then three seconds in advance.

[mdm]

Originally Posted by justatroll

That is opposed to merging early so that you do not have to stop.

No, if traffic is very heavy, you have to stop either way. With early merge, you stop early in the merge lane, effectively leaving wasted open space in front of you. If traffic is moderately heavy, and if people in the through lane are not jerks, nobody has to stop when merging late, just slow down a bit.


Late zipper merges are recommended by traffic laws in some countries, in at least two US states (Minnestota http://www.dot.state.mn.us/trafficen...rge-zipper.pdf and I think Washington state too) and required at least in Germany.


In terms of overall traffic throughput, it is a matter of debate whether late merge is much more efficient. But the main advantage is that - when properly exuted, it is less road-rage inducing.


That because:
- the rules are clear and perceived as just.
- every driver in the through lane only had to let in one car in front of him/her, while with early merge it may be one awkward early merger even before merging is allowed, cutting through the solid lane, then someone in the middle and another one at the end.
- the problem of late mergers overtaking early mergers does not exist if there are no early mergers. (It does not work the other way around, because, as I said, early mergers create empty space in front of them in the merge lane, few drivers will resist using it).

[mdm]

Also, I think you didn't really read the lifehacker article that you linked, as it actually supports my view:

"The proper thing to do, according to engineers in the New York Times article and other sources, is for everyone to:

1. Stay calm
2. Slow down a bit
3. "Zipper merge"

In the zipper merge, we take turns getting into the lane and use up all available road real estate"

"people in the right through lanes — this is hard to swallow, for those of us inclined toward vigilantism, but crucial — leave big spaces in front of their cars for the merging that is about to commence. We resist the freeze-out-the-sidezoomer urge. We prepare to invite them in."

[extrashaky]

Originally Posted by mdm

In terms of overall traffic throughput, it is a matter of debate whether late merge is much more efficient. But the main advantage is that - when properly exuted, it is less road-rage inducing.

That's true in the northeast. When I lived in NY and DC, people just did it the right way and only got angry when some idiot tourist who didn't know how to zipper merge stopped halfway down the lane and blocked traffic.

It's not that way in other parts of the country. In the northeast people in the travel lanes realize the people in the acceleration lane are doing what they're supposed to do. In Texas, people see it just like this troll does, that someone who proceeds to the end of the lane is trying to get in front of them, and oh god that just must not happen! His locator says he's in Colorado, but he sounds just like a Houston driver who can't stand the mere thought of "losing" in traffic and ends up contributing to traffic jams.

[justatroll]

Here is a 100% fact:

A driver that sees that all traffic is merging or has already merged to enter the highway, but chooses to drive around all of those already queued up and dive into the "line" is an asshole.
That cannot be debated.

[justatroll]

@mdm & @extrashaky


Consider the following:
I am driving my suburban pulling my car hauler (total length ~50 feet).
At 50 feet before the end of my merge lane, I signal and begin merging over into the "merged" lane.


However there is still 50 feet in front of me before the barrier.
Using your logic, it is perfectly acceptable for a smaller car to go around me on the right and try to get in in front of me?
Sure.... that makes sense....

[mdm]

Originally Posted by justatroll

Here is a 100% fact:.

No, that's only an opinion. Would be better if you saw the difference.

But sure, you are entitled to have this opinion.

I'll stick to the method that is safe, efficient, and recommended by traffic engineers. You may call me an asshole, I don't care. I will just sigh and think "yet another driver who hasn't been taught how to drive properly". And drive around you to merge in the correct spot.


If you block me on purpose, I'll back off and think "yet another aggressive idiot", as I always do when I encounter people who try to "teach a lesson" on the road.

BTW, recently I don't see those bus drivers blocking the right lane. Maybe someone called WMATA and they explained to the drivers what's correct. Maybe the drivers were from CO and needed some tutoring.

[extrashaky]

Originally Posted by justatroll

Here is a 100% fact:

A driver that sees that all traffic is merging or has already merged to enter the highway, but chooses to drive around all of those already queued up and dive into the "line" is an asshole.
That cannot be debated.

That's not a fact. That's an opinion. And it's only the opinion of someone who is terrified of someone "beating" him in traffic. "Oh no! That guy got in front of me, and now I'll get home four seconds later! Where's my gun!"

Someone who is not childishly terrified of "losing" sees it for what it is: More intelligent drivers moving forward to use all of the available lane space, allowing traffic backed up behind them to move and merging incoming traffic more smoothly and with less disruption to the travel lane.

"But that's not fair! He got in front of me!"

What is this, fucking kindergarten? Grow up.

[mdm]

Originally Posted by justatroll

Using your logic, it is perfectly acceptable for a smaller car to go around me on the right and try to get in in front of me

No, 50 ft is probably within what I'd call "at the end of the lane". Maybe a bit too much, but I'd obviously take the unusal length of your vehicle into consideration.


But if you brake and try to merge 300 ft of 500 ft before the lane ends then I'll drive around you.


And if you are in through lane, and 300 ft before the merge lane ends you purposely drift into the merge lane to preven me from going to the correct merging spot, you'll be a dangerous asshole.

[justatroll]

Originally Posted by mdm

No, that's only an opinion. Would be better if you saw the difference.

But sure, you are entitled to have this opinion.

I'll stick to the method that is safe, efficient, and recommended by traffic engineers. You may call me an asshole, I don't care. I will just sigh and think "yet another driver who hasn't been taught how to drive properly". And drive around you to merge in the correct spot.


If you block me on purpose, I'll back off and think "yet another aggressive idiot", as I always do when I encounter people who try to "teach a lesson" on the road.

BTW, recently I don't see those bus drivers blocking the right lane. Maybe someone called WMATA and they explained to the drivers what's correct. Maybe the drivers were from CO and needed some tutoring.

You must not be picturing what I am describing.
Two lanes merging, both lanes have merged already] and are moving along nicely (the proper zipper merge has already WORKED).
Now you decide you don't want to wait in line and pass all those cars moving at 5 MPH at 30 MPH on the right right up to the barrier and THEN ask to be let in.


No it is a fact, IF you do this YOU ARE AN ASSHOLE. There is no debate.
If you feel differently you are not understanding the situation I am describing.