Paul G. Allen wrote:
On Fri, 2007-02-23 at 14:37 -0800, Ralph Shumaker wrote:
That would suggest that unless you were moving at around 5mph, you were
tailgating. No? :-\
I don't think my car will go that slow without slipping the clutch like
hell or coasting down hill. :)
In rush hour traffic, have you ever tried to leave a 3 sec. space
between you and the car in front of you? I often leave more than that
when traffic is moving really slow because my clutch is a killer and my
car will only go so slow at idle in first gear. If there is a space
large enough, it is inevitable that another car will fill it (or two, or
three, or,...), forcing you to decelerate to provide the 3 sec. space
again. The cycle will continue forever. So, if you want to avoid coming
to a stop just to leave that safety zone, the best you can hope for is a
compromise between that 3 sec. space and something less safe but not
dangerous. That's one reason I always leave myself an out - somewhere I
can go when something happens in front of me (something I learned from
many years riding a motorcycle).
[snip]
> PGA
I call Bullshit. That's the common excuse given by people who have never
really tried it before for more than ten seconds. If you don't believe
me, try riding with me sometime in rush hour traffic.
It's really easy to keep a safe distance at any speed. The trick, as
mentioned by someone else, is to maintain as _consistent_ a speed as
possible. Use only the engine for braking whenever possible - usually
meaning running in at least one gear lower than optimal for that speed -
and use the brakes as little as possible.
Anyone pulling in front of you is almost always wanting to go *faster*
than you and will soon enough either open the distance in front of you,
or move to another temporarily faster lane (another rule is to never
stay in the number one lane). You can gradually adjust the distance as
needed in very little time.
Sure, at points the gap'll close up some. It just takes more patience
than most drivers have. I agree that it's hard. Something about just
being on the freeway screams "Hurry up! Go faster!".
I've also observed that most 18-wheelers, especially owner-operator
rigs, will keep as steady a speed as possible - probably something about
inertia of a large mass. In fact they generally do exactly as I've
described above - use the engine for braking. In fact, I don't mind
being right behind one a slow speeds because I know they're consistent.
I find that when I use these tactics, that I leap frog other cars which
radically change lanes and speed at about the same frequency as if I
were driving faster and closer (like the other idiots). I also get to
where I'm going in about the same time. And I'm contributing to keeping
the flow behind me steady because those following me don't need to brake
either (unless they're idiots too).
I also use the same tactic in long on-ramp lines. I usually keep the
speed just low enough so that I never stop moving even when I hit the light.
--
Best Regards,
~DJA.
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