Declining driving etiquette (Penn: garage, train, cell phone)

[TechieTransplant]

Originally Posted by youngabe

@fleetiebelle ... I'm not for road rage, but I am for letting other drivers know they're doing something wrong. I use my horn...A LOT. (I know, I know, someone uses their horn in Pittsburgh, go figure) I can't tell you how many accidents I KNOW I've avoided simply by using my horn. A lot of people really just plain aren't paying attention; lay on the horn, that will for sure get their attention. That tends to snap them back into at least partially realizing they're operating a motor vehicle.

I use my horn a lot too, and whether it's right or wrong, will go to other extremes to get my point across. Way to many people in this city sitting at lights jerking around when they should be paying attention.

[caroline2]

Originally Posted by Mugatu

youngabe, your post about people forming these long lines of stupidity long before a lane ends is so spot on. You've hit on another of my pet peeves about driving around here. When there is construction causing a lane closure ahead, people here will move over to the open lane as early as possible, forming the longest, slowest single file line imagineable. PENNDOT even posts signs saying "use both lanes to merge point", then will have another sign a mile ahead saying "merge here: take your turn". But NO ONE will follow this. They will all move over a mile before the lane actually ends, form a line a mile long, then if you try to proceed ahead in the other lane to the merge point like the signs instruct you to, they will never let you in, or, and I've seen this multiple times, will WEAVE THEIR CAR INTO THE OPEN LANE TO BLOCK YOU FROM GETTING PAST THEM IN THE OPEN LANE. Absolutely insane.

Amen. People disobey the law, and then block your lane when you are trying to OBEY the law! It truly is insane.

[greg42]

Originally Posted by scottrpriester

See, I don't understand your point. In my opinion, using both lanes until the last minute is what causes the back ups. The start and stop "starts" because most people are in line, but a few who think they are smarter than others wait until the last minute to merge. This causes the main flow of traffic to stop because some fool is forcing their way in. This makes no sense at all.

I went home to Erie last week, and although they don't have the traffic flow that we have in Pittsburgh, they have their own share. People merge when they first see signs and rarely at the last minute, and traffic flows just fine.

See, that doesn't make sense to me your way. If people merge over a mile before the lane ends, then you have an artificial extra mile of lane closure, which makes the backup longer. If everyone used both lanes to the merge point and took turns, the flow would be smoother. Even PennDot tries to get people to do this, and people continue to ignore it.

The most efficient use of the road is all lanes for as long as possible. The reality is, people are not actually capable of doing this for some reason. We have an inherent need to line up early.

In the current situation, there's no way that the few cars that wait until the last minute cause the entire backup. That's just not possible given the sheer number of cars that move over early. The scenario you're describing where moving over early worked just fine is simply one where the traffic flow is so light that it didn't matter.

[mjost7]

Originally Posted by ljhannah74

airwair,

Yes, when you merge onto a highway, you are yielding to the other cars already on the highway. The yield sign is placed on the right side near the point where the on-ramp merges with the highway. Not sure how you have never seen one.

mjost7:

I see, the merge sign you are referring to is used to warn drivers already on the highway of merging traffic from the on-ramp. When you merge, you still have to yield to other drivers...you can't (or shouldn't) just cut into their path. That's why I was confused when you said "If an on-ramp has a yeild sign, then don't stop... yield, If an on-ramp has a merge sign, then don't yield... merge", because an on-ramp will never have a merge sign...at least not that I've seen.

You've misquoted me. I provided a link to a merge sign and no other comments.

[Heit]

Originally Posted by scottrpriester

Thanks for the ethics lesson. I'll handle things my way. I'm all about putting a little scare in to someone who does something stupid.

That's a good way to yourself shot in this day and age! Also a good way to cause an accident. YOU may well be the one who get's a scare put into them. Is it really worth all that?

[onepoint]

Originally Posted by greg42

The most efficient use of the road is all lanes for as long as possible. The reality is, people are not actually capable of doing this for some reason. We have an inherent need to line up early.

I think you hit the nail on the head. And when others actually follow the law and use both lanes until the merge point, they're regarded as "skippers" who are trying to get ahead and cheat those already in line. It reminds me of elementary school lunch lines.

[aveojohn]

Originally Posted by nuwaver88

When someone gets on my tail I hit the brakes several times indicating to that person to back off. It usually works. They had better back off if they do not want to hit me from behind, or it will be THEIR fault, not mine. Like you, I am not a slow driver either. I usually drive 5-10 miles over the speed limit and you want me to go faster? I don't think so.

Ijust slow down.

[rugerjitsu]

Originally Posted by ljhannah74 "the law breaker"

As long as I am NOT endangering others or breaking the law, that's what matters....And when I'm travelling down 79 at 60-65 mph, I don't move over just because some other idiot WANTS to drive faster. If they decide to tailgate me, that's THEIR problem, not mine.

oops! you just broke a law there bud...

1. cruising in the passing lane.

now, who's the idiot?? i'm just saying...you need to rethink your driving habits...

seriously, though...not trying to be an a-hole here, but when traveling on the highway, parkway, interstate, whatever you want to call it, you are to cruise in the right hand lane, and pass in the left hand lane...sometimes this doesn't work so well with congested traffic, but that's the law.

[TechieTransplant]

Originally Posted by Heit

That's a good way to yourself shot in this day and age!

I know, my wife tells me that all the time. What drives me is the inability to understand how and why people do such dumb ass things in traffic.

[airwair]

I'll be honest, I haven't really noticed-- do people commonly use their horns in Pittsburgh?

When I lived in New York City, I obviously became a little horn happy. It was extremely annoying going back to Tennessee after that, as Tennessee is the land of "no horn." If you honk your horn, even in a dangerous situation, people flip you off and call you a yankee. (Regardless of where you're actually from.) If someone is backing into you or something of the like, you're apparently supposed to scream and hope they hear you. If they don't? Tough poop.