slamming on your brakes to avoid wrecks. Really?

[ArcticDriver]

Originally Posted By: 4WD
In my part of Texas it's most often a diesel 250/2500 ...


Yep, its almost always Black Dodge trucks with the little cartoon on the back window of the guy peeing on a Ford.
Or its a guy in a sports car...typically American retro muscle.
Never been cut off by anyone in a Honda CRV...nicest people in the world.

But the most common are all the greenies in their Subarus with bicycles attached sipping their almond milk "fair trade" latte with non-dairy whip cream topping with a rainbow bumper sticker that says "Peace & Love" while they drive like nobody but them matters on this planet.

 

[Wheel]

I was just thinking about this this morning. We already have lots of 'driverless' cars. Someones at the driver's seat, but they aren't driving.

(my subaru may have a bicycle on it, but no way I'm dropping 5 bucks on a coffee)

I like to drive and be actively doing so. I wish many others were too.

 

[Virtus_Probi]

Originally Posted By: ArcticDriver
Originally Posted By: 4WD
In my part of Texas it's most often a diesel 250/2500 ...


Yep, its almost always Black Dodge trucks with the little cartoon on the back window of the guy peeing on a Ford.
Or its a guy in a sports car...typically American retro muscle.
Never been cut off by anyone in a Honda CRV...nicest people in the world.

But the most common are all the greenies in their Subarus with bicycles attached sipping their almond milk "fair trade" latte with non-dairy whip cream topping with a rainbow bumper sticker that says "Peace & Love" while they drive like nobody but them matters on this planet.


It's usually Audi sedans and the wannabe redneck boys rolling coal around here...

 

[fdcg27]

Originally Posted By: Virtus_Probi
While I am commuting, my goal is to use my brakes as little as possible. I try to drive by throttle and steering wheel alone through leaving reasonable distances and watching the cars around me closely so as to try to predict their behavior. Of course, I don't let my little game interfere with being safe and brake when I need to without getting really close to anybody. I just don't get it when the cars in front of me charge up a hill just a few feet apart from each other and slam on their brakes when somebody goes to turn while I follow just a bit behind and let the slope slow me down after I actually look ahead and see brake lights and (maybe) a turn signal telling me that things are going to change for our little column very soon. Is it really that shocking that somebody is turning off onto a sidestreet?


This is exactly how I drive. Brakes are merely devices that convert momentum to heat. You're burning gasoline merely to heat up the brakes, so one should drive in such a way that brake use is minimized.
I have exactly the same uphill situation on my commute. The cues that someone up ahead is going to need to make a left turn are obvious, so I ease out of the throttle while the guy behind me swerves around and tailgates me as though he's on meth (might well be). I don't even touch the brakes while a number of the cars I'm following brake fairly hard. This is on a wide and pleasant two lane road with plenty of good passing opportunities should the need arise. It rarely does on my commute unless I'm stuck behind some old codger on his way to the Dayton VA for an early appointment. If people would only pay attention and take some pleasure in their driving, the whole thing could be so much less taxing for everyone, not to mention the reduction in insurance rates that would come with the reduction in foolish collisions.
People instead rely upon the pedal to the left, since people who drive stupid never have cars with three pedals and shifters that actually do something, and they get on with their texting, their web surfing and their face-stuffing while never paying much attention to the road ahead and the other vehicles around them.
I'll rant a little more in noting that a lot of people seem unable to drive any distance at all without a pop or a beer or a coffee to suckle on as well as some food to stuff into their pieholes.
Guess that's why all of these things are available at drive-throughs.

 

[nthach]

Originally Posted By: ArcticDriver


But the most common are all the greenies in their Subarus with bicycles attached sipping their almond milk "fair trade" latte with non-dairy whip cream topping with a rainbow bumper sticker that says "Peace & Love" while they drive like nobody but them matters on this planet.

I see lots of them in my neck of the woods - I drive a Prius with a bike rack, and I like my $5 bougie coffee.

My favorite is the Uber/Lyft driver trying to jockey his way through my lane in a rush. I intentionally play him like it's chess.

 

[Lubener]

Originally Posted By: motor_oil_madman
Am I the only one who pays attention to whether or not there is a vehicle around them so instead of nailing the brakes when someone stops abruptly, I just change lanes, or hit the brakes and change lanes. I see so many people who hit the brakes as hard as they can narrowly avoiding an accident, when all they really needed to do was move over.


If people didn't tail gate, this wouldn't be an issue. Constant lane changing just because someone wants to turn causes accidents too and is no better.

 

[Silverado12]

I've been driving truck for so long I tend to annoy others around me when I'm in my car by gradually slowing way in advance for lights. I also keep a 3 sec+ following distance and don't go over 5 mph over the speed limit. You'd be surprised how many people around here go nuts over that.

 

[Garak]

People have no patience. Your driving habits are fine. They love to rush to a red light, don't they?

 

[Silverado12]

Yes and a lot of times you can "time" the light to where it turns green just before you get to it.

 

[andyd]

Driving in rush hour traffic traffic for decades. You don't follow directly behind the car in front of you, you want to have a clue as what the cars ahead it are doing. Maintain a safe following distance. Give cars and trucks a break, let them merge ahead of you. A little courtesy won't hurt you. I don't recommend this as a routine, but twice I have driven home with no brakes without incident. As said, leave yourself an out. As for merges and intersections, regardless of the green light or right of way, If you can't see don't go. Driving in traffic is a community, not a school of sharks.