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Monday we went into Charlotte for an appointment and decided to drive uptown because we had not been there for a while.
I just want people from other places to know this Charlotte forum and this thread in particular are not the norm for our area.
We had a wonderful drive uptown with other drivers being very considerate of us. If I had read this thread only, I would think it is not safe for senior citizens to venture into the city. Just the opposite is true. We ran into one place that a lane was stopped with absolutely no warning and the car in the next lane over saw our problem and stopped just back of us so when the light changed we moved over without any stress. That is the Charlotte I like.
Charlotte has a lot of people that have consideration for others.
To those drivers that seemed to think they needed to "push" the car in front of them, may I remind you that we all have rearview mirrors and the bullying tactics you are using are not necessary. Just stay in the left lane at a proper traveling distance and most drivers will move over as soon as they can. I know that I do. But if you pull up too close behind me before anything else happens I am going to slow down because if you hit me from behind I don't want the hit to be at a high rate of speed. And from that perspective, a ticket doesn't matter because you cannot pay a ticket or take the case to court when the bully behind you has broken your neck. It is just a matter of survival.
I just want people from other places to know this Charlotte forum and this thread in particular are not the norm for our area.
If I had read this thread only, I would think it is not safe for senior citizens to venture into the city.
Other than some of the sarcastic comments, I don't see what in this thread makes it sound unsafe for senior citizens to venture into the city. Everything in this thread can be found in many other places across the country, and would be considered a walk in the park in a lot of them.
Quote:
Originally Posted by NCN
Just the opposite is true. We ran into one place that a lane was stopped with absolutely no warning and the car in the next lane over saw our problem and stopped just back of us so when the light changed we moved over without any stress. That is the Charlotte I like.
Charlotte has a lot of people that have consideration for others.
I actually agree with this. And I've said this before, but I actually think that contributes to some of the traffic. Case in point is 85 North at 485 where it goes down from 4 lanes to 2. IMO, it's too easy for cars to ride up in the right lanes and have someone let them in right before the lanes end, which just causes the lanes that don't end to continue to back up and hardly move. It's not always in the best interest of keeping traffic moving to always be so considerate.
Edit: Nonetheless, despite you blaming the OP, if the Impala was considerate he would have moved over when he realized OP was going faster than he. And contrary to what you posted earlier, the truck was not in his way, he purposely slowed down to the speed of the truck so that OP couldn't pass.
... But if you pull up too close behind me before anything else happens I am going to slow down because if you hit me from behind I don't want the hit to be at a high rate of speed. ....
While I agree with everything you said, only the quote above I disagree with, just from pure laws of physics point of view.
When one car slows down in front of another car which comes from behind, the impact force will be higher - speeds are subtracted, not added since the 2 cars go in same direction.
Unfortunately pressing the brakes (with no visible/real reason) when someone pulls up close could inadvertently trigger a pileup...
Sure the car hitting you from behind will be at fault (did not keep the safe distance), but if you get hurt or worst, it does not matter who's fault was it...
Conclusion: never press the brakes with only purpose to slow down the car behind. Bad idea that could into a terrible accident and/or a fatality!!!
Remember that left lane is also called "passing lane" not "cruising lane", see the article I quoted on previous page. I wish police would give out more tickets on regular basis for the ones cruising in the left lane when there is no traffic.
Other than some of the sarcastic comments, I don't see what in this thread makes it sound unsafe for senior citizens to venture into the city. Everything in this thread can be found in many other places across the country, and would be considered a walk in the park in a lot of them.
I actually agree with this. And I've said this before, but I actually think that contributes to some of the traffic. Case in point is 85 North at 485 where it goes down from 4 lanes to 2. IMO, it's too easy for cars to ride up in the right lanes and have someone let them in right before the lanes end, which just causes the lanes that don't end to continue to back up and hardly move. It's not always in the best interest of keeping traffic moving to always be so considerate.
Edit: Nonetheless, despite you blaming the OP, if the Impala was considerate he would have moved over when he realized OP was going faster than he. And contrary to what you posted earlier, the truck was not in his way, he purposely slowed down to the speed of the truck so that OP couldn't pass.
Well, none of us are perfect. I found it a little startling to have someone tell me to stay out of the left lane. One could take that as a threat. It was certainly mean spirited. Then there was the talk of how to get the cars to move out of your way. It has been my experience that people do not get in the left lane and stay without a reason. Maybe I just don't drive above the speed limit enough to experience that a lot. But I have started to pass a car in the right lane just to have that car speed up and make for an awkward situation. Sometimes it is hard to get back over to the right lane safely when there is traffic. A little patience from other drivers sometimes would keep accidents from happening.
I think the OP scared the driver in front of him and the person reacted to it. Not in the right way, but the OP needs to realize his actions caused the reaction and he could change his habit of riding bumpers and speeding so as not to cause this overreaction again.
I told about the pleasant experience of driving into uptown but I omitted the habitual tailgater I observed on the way into town. We were in the right lane and another car was passing at a not much higher speed in the left lane. Here comes Mr. Tailgater and pushes his way onto the car just a little ahead of us in the left lane. He didn't have enough space to pull back over in front of us but Mr. Speeder/Tailgater cut us off and went over in front of us and started to tailgate the car in front of us. Normally I wouldn't have paid much attention to this but since I had been on this thread, I noticed the habitual tailgater. It is just a habit with some people. They cannot drive without sticking their headlights as close as possible to the next cars taillights. He rode the bumper of the car in front of us for a few minutes and then went into the left lane and AGAIN got right on the bumper of the next car.
I consider anyone that does not leave a safe driving distance between them and the next car as not being a very bright individual. When the person in front of you brakes, you have to have enough time to realize that person is braking and then put on the brakes yourself. Some car's brakes are better than others, so you need to leave a little space. Sometimes they don't brake. Sometimes they just let up off the gas. Then you have to realize you are gaining on them and then brake. That also requires a little space. I think people who tailgate just assume that everybody is going to keep going at the same speed and never change. That's a false assumption.
I used to hate going through Knoxville because it was tailgate city. They now have signs telling about cracking down on tailgaters and they had trucks and cars pulled over giving them tickets all along the road. It is a pleasure to drive through Knoxville now. I am sure the traffic flow is much faster when they don't have to stop traffic to clear out the accidents. I don't mind seeing someone get into trouble because of something they did; but I hate to see that someone has plowed into the back of the next car because the person who gets hurt the most is the innocent person in front. If you cannot see good enough to realize there is another car in front of you; one should not be on the road.
I found it a little startling to have someone tell me to stay out of the left lane...
if you insist on driving in the dangerous, contrary and just plain rude way you had described
to be your preference. Those willing to SHARE the road, including the left lane, are not a problem.
if you insist on driving in the dangerous, contrary and just plain rude way you had described
to be your preference. Those willing to SHARE the road, including the left lane, are not a problem.
hth
I am a very courteous driver but when a person is threatening my life I draw the line. If you want the traffic to keep flowing don't tailgate. As I said, if you are going to ram the back of my car, I want it to be at a lower speed. When someone pulls on my bumper I just let up off the gas until I feel safe again. I give a right signal and go into the slow lane asap, but I will not travel at 65 or 70 mph with a car so close behind me that I cannot see his headlights. I don't know why you think you have a right to ask me to do so. We need a tailgate crackdown in Charlotte too. I wonder how much the accidents in Knoxville have decreased with their crackdown?
I was listening to the radio the other day and there was a four car pileup at the intersection in Indian Trail. One person put on the brakes and three people were following too close. I am not a rude driver; I am a safe driver.
I am a very courteous driver but when a person is threatening my life I draw the line. If you want the traffic to keep flowing don't tailgate. As I said, if you are going to ram the back of my car, I want it to be at a lower speed. When someone pulls on my bumper I just let up off the gas until I feel safe again. I give a right signal and go into the slow lane asap, but I will not travel at 65 or 70 mph with a car so close behind me that I cannot see his headlights. I don't know why you think you have a right to ask me to do so. We need a tailgate crackdown in Charlotte too. I wonder how much the accidents in Knoxville have decreased with their crackdown?
I was listening to the radio the other day and there was a four car pileup at the intersection in Indian Trail. One person put on the brakes and three people were following too close. I am not a rude driver; I am a safe driver.
Read your post again...start with the part where one brakes and creates the car pileup.
Then question your logic of slowing down when some one is getting close to you.
As I posted before, braking (or slowing down) in front of a car which comes from behind at higher speed that yours is the extremely dangerous!
The last thing you want to do!!!
Nothing wrong to keep same speed and only when is safe, move over to the right lane. This is common sense and all "speeders" know it. Nobody expects you to drive into the car to your right. You would do the same for the police car behind you with flashing lights, would you not?
You should also re-read my OP, I did not tailgate, I was approaching a slow car. Tailgating is only when the driver behind keeps very close to the car in front and doing it on purpose, what I was doing was approaching that slow car. At that time he decided to brake with no car in front, provoking me.
Read your post again...start with the part where one brakes and creates the car pileup.
Then question your logic of slowing down when some one is getting close to you.
As I posted before, braking (or slowing down) in front of a car which comes from behind at higher speed that yours is the extremely dangerous!
The last thing you want to do!!!
Nothing wrong to keep same speed and only when is safe, move over to the right lane. This is common sense and all "speeders" know it. Nobody expects you to drive into the car to your right. You would do the same for the police car behind you with flashing lights, would you not?
You should also re-read my OP, I did not tailgate, I was approaching a slow car. Tailgating is only when the driver behind keeps very close to the car in front and doing it on purpose, what I was doing was approaching that slow car. At that time he decided to brake with no car in front, provoking me.
So according to you the driver in Indian Trail should have run the red light rather than put on his brakes? You are completely ignoring that it is the responsibility of the driver behind to keep back far enough to stop if necessary.
I don't share your view that we should all turn into speeders in order to make the unlawful drivers on the road happy. You said you were doing 70. That is five miles over the speed limit. You are complaining about another driver when you are a worse offender than that driver. Both of you were wrong. We are going to have to agree to disagree about this subject.
Fitting for this subject and it involves NC Law Enforcement. This time it was NC officer "policing road" out of his jurisdiction in SC.
The deputy that did this got away with no fines or citation though he did resign from his job. If the situation had been reverse, I'm sure the driver would have been forced off the road and forced to the ground at gunpoint. Good thing there was a video.
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