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That's why you time your lane change so there's no-one in the left lane. And if that's not possible, you watch for that possibility and swerve back into your lane (or just don't make lane change). The key is "present" yourself to traffic. Stay out of people's blind spots... which is another great reason to get out in front of traffic. When you're boxed in, you can't always stay out of peoples blind spots. However, when you accelerate faster than traffic from a red light, you have all lanes free of traffic (at least for a short while).
That's also a good way to get an exhibition of speed ticket. I know.
When I approach a red light I maneuver to the shortest lane trying to get to the front of the pack. Some friends do the opposite; ride along in the middle lane and wait behind a line of cars when the left or right lane is clear. They even get mad when I suggest they could be in front.
If you have pole position, the road in front of you is clear at the green light. Otherwise, I'm waiting for the idiots in front to accelerate.
I don't understand why everyone doesn't do this.
You're always better off ahead of traffic than behind it, and when it comes to a stop light and traffic, you should get in the shortest line because it does a couple things. One, it gets you through the intersection quicker, where otherwise you may have to wait through the cycle more than once, and two, it gets you ahead of more traffic quicker.
What annoys me more than anything is when a car ahead will get into an open lane at a red light, then not actually drive faster than the car it was fine being behind until the light turned red. Now they are just holding up faster traffic. These drivers are almost as bad as those that jackrabbit off the line only to go 5 under the speed limit.
I do not understand at all the lemming behavior of so many drivers on the road. I sometimes see 10 cars in one lane, and 2 in the other at a red light. I think much of this is simply a lack of awareness of their surroundings and road conditions.
Why would anyone choose to be right behind a dump truck when you have another lane to choose from?
I will always choose an empty lane if I have a choice unless I am turning right away from the next lane.
But the best lane is not always the shortest - for example a slow moving truck in one lane. Even though I don't race from light to light - I will normally move faster than others off a light. And I am 95% certain that certain vehicles such as a Lexus RX or Saturn will drive slow and if I need to merge I will find an opening.
That's also a good way to get an exhibition of speed ticket. I know.
That's why I love sleepers. My little Forester XT looks like a granny mobile, but it does 0-60 in 5.3 seconds. It also makes next to no noise under hard acceleration (turbo). AWD means no wheel spin or chirping tires.
Last time I got a speeding ticket, I pulled back into traffic at full throttle (up to the 55mph speed limit) and the cop didn't do a thing.... and I'd just pi$$ed him off since I refused to sign the speeding ticket.
What were you driving when you got your "exhibition of speed ticket"?
What annoys me more than anything is when a car ahead will get into an open lane at a red light, then not actually drive faster than the car it was fine being behind until the light turned red. Now they are just holding up faster traffic. These drivers are almost as bad as those that jackrabbit off the line only to go 5 under the speed limit.
Yep, these guys do it deliberately to hold up traffic and create a rolling roadblock (control freaks). These are the same passive agressive drivers you encounter on the highway. They camp out in the left lane and pace the car beside them for MILES on end.
When I approach a red light I maneuver to the shortest lane trying to get to the front of the pack. Some friends do the opposite; ride along in the middle lane and wait behind a line of cars when the left or right lane is clear. They even get mad when I suggest they could be in front.
If you have pole position, the road in front of you is clear at the green light. Otherwise, I'm waiting for the idiots in front to accelerate.
I don't understand why everyone doesn't do this.
Changing lanes can be annoying when you are just driving along chilling out and doing so as you near lights can be dangerous. If you are just going along for the ride, what does it matter if you get there 1 minute faster unless you have some neurosis about it.
Sometimes I do it, but it's not an obsession. In particular, I'll get out from behind big trucks as I don't want to get blasted by their exhaust and they can be super pokey but again, depends on how much traffic etc.
Other exception is on my commute home, there are one or two places where if you can get going briskly you can avoid 5 minutes worth of stops as the lights are timed very badly. If I'm coming home after a hard days work...heck ya I'll switch over if it means I can get through that gauntlet.
I can't stand how slow people drive, so it's important, when available, for me to be the most front or at the shortest line.
I'll bet you're the one that does whatever they can to get ahead of me, only to get where we are going 30 seconds before me... all that for that? That's hysterical...
On one hand, I'm tired of waiting behind people who stare at their phones and wait for movement in their peripheral vision to tell them when the light is green. I'm also a faster driver, so I like to have a "fresh start" with nobody in front of me.
On the other hand, if I'm going to be stopped in any case when the light turns green, I don't want to be in the way of someone who still has momentum; this way they'll burn less fuel (and won't tail me, etc...). Also, although I am a faster driver, I am a slow accelerator (the drag racing from light to light here in Phoenix is a ridiculous waste of fuel and car wear and tear). It's not a problem in my Mustang, but it is a problem in my wife's 4-cylinder Accord, where I tend to get on a lot of people's nerves, only to have them floor it by me and have me pass them later.
In the end I tend to take the free lane if nobody is coming up from behind (assuming the non-free lane isn't already a line of 5). I can't stand it when people cut right in front of me when I'm approaching the "free" lane, so I don't do it to others. I tend to coast to the red light rather than floor it until slamming on the brakes like so many do (why race to the red light?), so this does happen to me a decent bit. I used to give a cheery thumbs up...now I've matured a bit and just let it go.
I just cut the lane and cruise to the front on my HD... Really seems to upset you pole position seekers.
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