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You're digging your hole deeper and deeper (or enjoying the sound of little goat hooves crossing your bridge).
I used to hang out with professionals who drove on the track, off road, and at the Bonneville Salt Flats seeking to break the world land speed record. To a man, they drove extremely conservatively on the public roads, sort of like a black belt doesn't go into a bar and start a fight. They knew that as professionals and true experts they were responsible for being aware that they were sharing the public roads with people of varying degrees of experience and ability with vehicles same, and if something went wrong they themselves had a greater degree of responsibility than those who were not as good. And, of course, they had nothing to prove - people who have nothing to prove don't try to do it on public roads because they are proving the exact opposite of what they think they are.
Whenever I see someone driving like they need to prove something on the public road, the first thing that comes to mind is compensation. Which is responsible for a lot of the stupid stuff people do on the roads.
Well there are no tracks jack in my area. No goats on my boat.
OK, I'm going to play devils advocate here. First thing LKJ1988: You have a fast ride. Don't apologize for it. A WOT to 160+ is an unbeatable thrill, and it's worth every second, regardless of where its done.
I do a lot of speeding and tight passing, often. I don't apologize for it. Everytime somebody wants to be angry about this behavior, they always resort to the moral crusade. 'The speed limit is 55!' 'That was a bad pass!'
Most people will not have an explanation for their behavior. Everything that is done behind the wheel is done because of the feeling of the situation. Words don't describe it. I don't pass cars because I'm targeting them, I simply pass because I want to go faster than they are.
As for the OP: 1. Passing into a curve over a solid line is stupid. Definitely have no debates there.
2. People passing in a double lane at the last minute can range from, they realize how slow the driver is going to be at the last minute, to they didn't realize the lane was closing so soon.
3. The merging lane is actually an argument backed even by engineering professionals. They want you to occupy that right lane until the end and then 'zipper merge'. If cars are occupying the right lane until the end, then pressure is removed from the left lane: All the cars are spread out. The question for you is, why is that lane the length that it is if nobody is 'supposed' to be using it?
I've driven fast cars too. I still drive fast, I still drive crazy. Nothing I do is stupid. You can label it as stupid if that makes you feel better about your own skills and preferences. If something is illegal, it doesn't automatically become stupid, it's just illegal.
During prohibition, drinking alcohol was considered a stupid thing to do. Did it become unstupid just because it became legal?
In normal traffic i drive like anyone else. But i enjoy my red light WOT burst. But on open roads away from others i let it rip for a few secs.
I'll bet that the OP is one of those guys who enters the freeway at 40 mph and takes a half mile to get up to speed.
I live in a development where people sometimes do 5MPH below the 25MPH posted speed limit. It's... amazing.
The driving skill is lacking because there are no police frequently so if one were just to pass, I doubt that 20MPH elderly grandma (that really probably shouldn't be driving anyways. Can't see and all that, also probably takes too long to do anything) would turn into Mario Andretti. Usually, one glance at the driver tells you everything you need to know.
Not advocating Road Rage, just to move with a sense of purpose.
People will actually speed up to prevent you from getting in front of them. This may be because that same person will slow down in front of you, to block you in traffic. Hmmmm
The biggest and most dangerous traffic problem today are the speed differential between slow and fast drivers.
It used to be cars top out at 70mph for most cars and SUVs could barely hit 65mph easily. Today, almost every state there are atleast 15-20% of the cars driving above 70mph on the highway. The problem however is that atleast 30% of drivers on the highway drive around speed limit say 50-55mph. That's a 20-30mph+ difference.
In a car accident situation, if a car going 60mph hits into the side or rear of a car going 55mph. The impact would not be as deadly as both cars should still be able to maintain some control with anti-lock and ESP.
But in car accidents where a car going 70mph+ hitting someone doing 55mph or less. More than likely the slower car that get hit will absorb the most force and will usually lose control. That's how you get deadly crashes if the slower car gets hit, absorbs the force and is knocked to the side or into other traffic.
The biggest and most dangerous traffic problem today are the speed differential between slow and fast drivers.
It used to be cars top out at 70mph for most cars and SUVs could barely hit 65mph easily. Today, almost every state there are atleast 15-20% of the cars driving above 70mph on the highway. The problem however is that atleast 30% of drivers on the highway drive around speed limit say 50-55mph. That's a 20-30mph+ difference.
In a car accident situation, if a car going 60mph hits into the side or rear of a car going 55mph. The impact would not be as deadly as both cars should still be able to maintain some control with anti-lock and ESP.
But in car accidents where a car going 70mph+ hitting someone doing 55mph or less. More than likely the slower car that get hit will absorb the most force and will usually lose control. That's how you get deadly crashes if the slower car gets hit, absorbs the force and is knocked to the side or into other traffic.
Here on the highways where the speed limit is 70/75, or 80/85 which is the toll road (I've made a point of noticing because of just such conversations), the vast majority (well in excess of 90%) drives about the speed limit, A very few drive 5 or 10 mph below the speed limit, almost always in the right lane (and if they're not, they're clearly having mechanical issues and are trying to get over, so I let them if it is at all safe to do so and solve that problem). A small percentage, maybe 5%, think they are on the race track and drive excessively over the speed limit - these are the same ones tailgating and weaving in and out of traffic..
You are correct that it is the variation in speeds that causes most problems. That's, in fact, one reason we have speed limits and should obey them - to let drivers know what the target is for avoiding that variation in speeds. Not only the slower drivers but also the faster drivers bear responsibility for accidents and deaths caused by ignoring this.
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You got the highest horse of them all on your tail now.
