To All Seattle Drivers - !STOP! (safe, cars, gas)

[nishira]

I emphasized the word !STOP! because that seems to be a big thing with Seattle drivers stopping, stopping, stopping!

First, when on the interstate - i noticed that the drivers all cram together and then once they cram their car as far as it will go up to the next car, they then brake??? Is this not the most counter-productive way of driving or what? Now, it may have more to do with big-city driving then Seattle per'se - but it always makes me wonder. Isn't it so much easier to drive and leave a couple of car lengths distance (at least) between yourself and the next car, this way you don't have to brake every 2 seconds. Which leads to my next observation...

Down a hill, around a bend, it doesn't matter - Seattle drivers are braking. Now don't get me wrong, i'm all for safe and careful driving. But time and time again i'll see on the interstate where there is no traffic at the bottom of a hill but still, cars are braking left and right while going down the hill or around the bend - in the process - actually ~~~creating traffic~~~ and thus, less safe conditions. Would it not simply be a bit easier to left off the gas pedal instead of constantly pressing the brake? Not only easier, but much more seamelss and intuitive - I personally find it much easier to simply let my foot off on pedal rather than to first let my first off one pedal, only to tap the other pedal (brake), to then again have to tap the accelerator.

....steps down from pedestal.....

[70Ford]

Wouldn't you have to decelerate to "leave a space"? Sometimes, that involves....braking.

It seems you are asking people to be courteous. Which I find to be hilarious.
It's Seattle, man. If you're not doing 60+ or braking like your life depended on it, it just wouldn't have the same flavor.

I tell you what I do when I drive. I pick a lane and intentionally drive with 10 car lengths between me and the car in front. This creates a space. People can switch lanes. People can pass if they wish, but it's no slower than the other traffic. It's simply....safer. And it makes a hole. If everyone made a hole, it would be a lot easier, and you'd barely notice the difference.

But fear not, this same thing happens in Atlanta, Denver, Tokyo, and Seoul.
When I drove it Atlanta, I called it the "I'm so important" disease.

Once, I'm in the slow lane of 285. I'm doing about 40, maybe 45 miles an hour. (Bear with me, it's been about 6 years) Anyways, It's morning rush hour. We're all doing about the same speed. The far, fast lane might be going 47..or so. There's a lady behind me in an SUV. She's .4 microns off my bumper. The look on her face - pure rage. I swear, if she'd ate a 10 penny nail, she would've spit 5 cents and a nickel. She starts honking. Great. I have absolutely nowhere to go. She's not honking at me, really. She's honking AT THE WORLD. She flings that SUV right into the break down lane, and nails it...shooting down the breakdown lane at about 60 or so.

At the same time, another person has the same, bright idea. * I must enter the breakdown lane!*

Wait for it....

*Crash!*

OK, I made the crash part up. That's what I wanted to happen. But, us lemmings just sloughed along, and she forced that big ol' SUV back into the lane, about 20 cars ahead, or so.

Now, you might be asking yourself, who's the good guy and bad guy in this scenario. I dunno. Maybe she had a sick child. Maybe she had to go take a big poop. Maybe, the alien mother ship was landing and she had to get to Orion-12. Who knows. All I know, is she increased everyone's stress level, and she caused everyone to have to brake to let her in.

In her mind, the needs of the one outweighed the many. (Gratuitous reverse star trek reference, yeah, I did it.) Happens every day.

I console myself with the fact that, in the great cosmic circle of karma, one day, she'll get hers. And if she had a sick child, well, karma takes care of that too. Best to just turn up the radio, hit your favorite moment of zen ( I think of my wife, OMG she's HOT HOT HOT) and then (HOT HOT ZOMG) I'm cool.

Let everyone else get angry. They don't pay me enough to get pissed off at things I can't change.