There's much more than drunk drivers that need to be controlled

Johnny Sunset aka Tom Sherman wrote:
> PeterD wrote:
>> On 30 Sep 2006 16:43:20 -0700, "Johnny Sunset aka Tom Sherman"
>> > wrote:
>>
>>
>>> If one accelerates up the entrance ramp at a normal rate for a modern
>>> automobile, the traffic on the controlled access road can not be seen
>>> until one is traveling 40-60 mph (depending on the exact rate of
>>> acceleration and relative heights of the vehicles). Now if that traffic
>>> is moving slower than that speed due to congestion, should one brake to
>>> match speeds and merge, or not brake and crash into the slower moving
>>> vehicles?
>>>
>>> Please tell me, since I encounter this exact situation almost every
>>> week day.
>>>
>> Sadly, the answer is obvious. If you are going too fast, slow down. Of
>> course. But that's not the problem:
>
> The car I drive at the engine speed range I normally use on the ramp
> will have about 25 pounds per horsepower, which puts it in the normal
> range for modern passenger vehicles. Since I can not accelerate from 30
> to 60 mph in 3 seconds or less, I would rather be going 60 mph on the
> ramp so I can merge with the traffic if it is moving at normal "free
> flow" speed, rather than counting on it moving slowly and only
> accelerating to a lower speed. If there was a hard and fast rule that
> braking on the ramp was illegal, I would be violating the law for doing
> what is logical from a safety viewpoint, since I can decelerate at a
> much greater rate than I can accelerate.

Sounds like my 'Merge at 90' that I used to do when I first started
driving. That wound up being my nick name in High school driver's ED.
Of course the fact that we were doing the driving tests with big block
1964 Dodges made some difference. The point of my high speed merges was
that I could slow down to pop into a hole in traffic. My instructor did
not agree.
Either way, I hate traffic.
Bill Baka
>
>> What is sadder is that I see all the time drivers coming down the
>> merge lane, at 10 to 20 MPH *LESS* than the traffic, and hit the
>> brakes.
>
> These people should have their licenses suspended until they learn to
> merge.
>
> One of the amazing things I find about many US drivers is that they
> feel competent to follow another vehicle at less than 0.5 seconds of
> separation and drive at 70+ mph on two lane rural roads, yet they are
> scared to merge onto freeways and pass on two lane roads.
>

On Sat, 30 Sep 2006 09:11:44 -0400, PeterD wrote:

> I see you are one of those idiots who gets to the merge, at *half* the
> speed of the others, twists their head all the way around, puts their
> foot on the brakes and then thinks "Damn, it's so hard to merge on
> highways".

Bingo!

Having seen this behavior for so long, I'm amazed that I haven't seen more
crashes as a result. Also, many merge lanes are poorly designed by running
uphill and shorter than need be for most vehicles to get up to speed when
merging. Then there's grandpa and grandma who normally putt along at 25
MPH no matter where they are suddenly finding themselves on the Interstate...

- Nate >>

--

"The optimist proclaims that we live in the best of all possible worlds,
the pessimist fears this is true."

You must admit that some places are more civilized than others. In the
UK, for example, they have figured out that order and cooperation is
better than chaos and competition. Well, at least when it comes to
driving...


How 2 Deal With Driving On Motorways
Many new drivers worry about their first time alone on a motorway.

Motorways are safer, than normal roads, but they are also faster.
Sometimes things do happen quicker, and you have to concentrate.

When you are on the main carriageway of the motorway, remain in the
first lane until you get used to the speed. If you need to overtake you
must return to the first lane as soon as possible but only if its safe
to do so! Many motorists try to stay in the overtaking lanes for normal
driving. This is bad practice and causes inconvenience and tailbacks
and annoys other users.

There are two types of motorway, rural and urban. You need to think of
them as quiet and busy. Quiet motorways are boring, so you need to
concentrate on the road and traffic conditions way ahead. Busy
motorways need your attention all around you rather than just focused
ahead.

Motorways are like dual carriageways only safer. They are safer because
every motorway user is travelling in the same direction and at similar
speeds. Another reason why motorways are safer is due to the fact that
traffic is restricted to those who can make best use of it i.e. no
pedestrians, cyclists, moped, no L drivers (except HGV), agricultural
vehicles, and animals. Motorways are also safer because there are no
sharp bends, no oncoming traffic, no right turn, and no roundabouts.
The lanes are always wide, and well marked, and are usually straight
for long distances.

Remember you are not allowed to reverse, cross the central reservation,
or to drive in the wrong direction on motorways.

On urban (busy) motorways each lane of traffic has an electronic signal
system which applies to traffic in each lane. Care needs to be taken to
make sure you know the various signals and what they mean. Motorway
signs are being used with increasing frequency to warn you of hold ups
or accidents ahead.

When joining a motorway you usually join from a roundabout or a main
road by means of a slip road. This leads to an acceleration lane. The
rule here is not to interfere with the traffic already on the motorway.
Make sure your speed is the same as the traffic already on the
motorway. Vehicles already on the motorway usually realise you need to
join the main carriageway and they try and move over to the other lane.
(This is not always possible if the traffic is busy). This makes room
for you to join the first lane of the motorway. Mirrors and signals
must be used correctly to avoid interfering with the following traffic.
Full and proper observation as you enter usually involves looking over
your right shoulder as well as using your door mirrors. Don't rely on
mirrors alone.

To get off the motorway the normal procedure is to look for the first
advance warning sign (1 mile from the exit). This sign gives the exit
number and the road number.


At half a mile from the exit a second sign identifies the towns for the
exit. Then at 300 yards from the deceleration lane there is a three
line countdown marker, (at this point you should begin to signal left
to say you are turning off - but don't slow down yet), followed by the
200 yd and 100 yd marker signs. Only when you have crossed into the
deceleration lane should you begin to slow down.

Once you get back on to ordinary roads again, you need to watch your
speed until you are acclimatised to the new lower speeds on the road.
Don't forget too, that these roads are likely to have roundabouts,
oncoming traffic, and sharp bends on them.

Breaking Down on the Motorway

Hopefully if your vehicle is well maintained and fuelled up, you should
be in no danger of breaking down on the motorway, but we all know that
even a car which is only a few hours old can still break down.

If you do break down then the hard shoulder is there to help you. When
you are stopping on the hard shoulder (remember, only use the hard
shoulder in an emergency), try to stop at one of the emergency
telephones. This will save you time if you have to walk to the phone.
Switch on your hazard lights and try to stop as near to the left as
possible. If you have passengers get them out of the car, off the hard
shoulder, and as far away from danger as possible. Do this before you
go to use the phone. The phone is always within half a mile from any
spot on the motorway. Look at the arrows on the nearest post, like the
one in the picture on the left. These will tell you the direction to
walk to the nearest phone. The phones are free to use, and connect you
straight to the police who control that stretch of motorway. When you
return to your vehicle to wait for help, do not get back into the car,
but stay on the embankment, or as far away from the traffic as
possible. If you have a mobile phone it's O.K. to use this initially,
but the police do prefer you to use the roadside phones to confirm your
exact location.

Remember that motorways are safe, but they are fast, you need to
concentrate because things happen quicker than a normal road.

Lane Discipline

When driving along motorways always remain in the left lane unless you
are travelling faster than traffic ahead of you and it is safe to move
over to the right lanes. If you use these lanes you must return to the
left lane as soon as it is safe to do so.

It is bad practice to try and stay in the overtaking lanes for normal
driving. This annoys other users because they can see that you are
avoiding the empty lanes on the left, or never using your mirrors to
see the tailbacks that you are causing. Remember the two-second rule.
Four seconds will give you time to react easily and you will be more
relaxed.

http://www.2pass.co.uk/motorway.htm

"Zoot Katz" > wrote in message
...
> On Thu, 28 Sep 2006 16:19:25 -0400, "BE" > wrote:
>
>>That's right, what passes for safety these days is nothing more than
>>accident survival.
>>
>>The emphisis needs to return to accident prevention and the enforcement of
>>lane integrity laws.
>>
> Hollywood and Madison Avenue make reckless driving appear sexy.
>
> You pig headed coffin jockeys don't realise that you can never look
> sexy in your plastic lined cages.
>
> You'll always look like dupes.

I hate to say it, but after a 20-mile bike ride, I don't exactly look fresh
as a daisy. Not that there's anything wrong with that... I just wouldn't
want to go to a nice restaurant by bike 20 miles away. I'll look much
better when arriving by car.

brink

brink wrote:
> > You pig headed coffin jockeys don't realise that you can never look
> > sexy in your plastic lined cages.
> >
> > You'll always look like dupes.
>
> I hate to say it, but after a 20-mile bike ride, I don't exactly look fresh
> as a daisy. Not that there's anything wrong with that... I just wouldn't
> want to go to a nice restaurant by bike 20 miles away. I'll look much
> better when arriving by car.

The bottom line is that people have options to get around in safety,
and that's hardly the case. The Hummer and F-350 are above the car, and
they all are above the motorcycle and bicycle. The Big Fish eats the
Little Fish...

Plot Summary for
Life (2000)
In life, the big fish eats the little fish, and the bigger fish eats
the big fish. To illustrate this basic truth, thirty-three animators
each introduce a character who eats the one previously introduced and
is eaten by the next animator's creation. It happens on land and at
sea, with humans, animals real and imaginary, aliens, a few plants, and
a robot. They are chomped whole, sliced, smashed, flattened, inhaled
through straws, eaten from the inside out and the backside forward.
Sometimes the little guy wins; nothing and no one is invincible. By the
end, we've come full circle.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0265283/plotsummary

"brink" > wrote in message
...
>
> "Zoot Katz" > wrote in
> message
> ...
>> On Thu, 28 Sep 2006 16:19:25 -0400, "BE"
>> > wrote:
>>
>>>That's right, what passes for safety these days
>>>is nothing more than
>>>accident survival.
>>>
>>>The emphisis needs to return to accident
>>>prevention and the enforcement of
>>>lane integrity laws.
>>>
>> Hollywood and Madison Avenue make reckless
>> driving appear sexy.
>>
>> You pig headed coffin jockeys don't realise
>> that you can never look
>> sexy in your plastic lined cages.
>>
>> You'll always look like dupes.
>
> I hate to say it, but after a 20-mile bike ride,
> I don't exactly look fresh as a daisy. Not that
> there's anything wrong with that... I just
> wouldn't want to go to a nice restaurant by bike
> 20 miles away. I'll look much better when
> arriving by car.
>
> brink


Oh bovine excrement...women subconsciously find it
sexy. Not their faulty mind ewe, it's a biological
thing...evolutionary that is.