Wednesday, October 13, 2010

A Rule of the Road

Occasionally, I'll catch some traffic stuck behind a slower vehicle on a two lane road. It's always seemed to me the first person in line behind the premier member of The Anti Destination League has first choice on passing - if it's clear, they should go first rather than having impatient followers try to jump their turn.

Jeffro's Rule In This Case is if the following vehicle turns down three or more clearly safe chances to pass, then they have forfeited their right to have the first turn. If they aren't even peeking around to look for several miles, that counts as forfeiture as well.

If it's clear enough for me to wind up the ol' big rig, and Joe Follower is too indecisive to make the big move, too bad. I'm going.

4 comments:

Cedar View Paint Horses said...

And you know as soon as you do, Joe Follower is gonna become Joe Too Stupid To Realize Big Truck Is Coming Up My Back Door and pull out. Never fails.

What's your take on my pet peeve, merge lanes onto the 4 lanes? I'll just say this: Pricks in oversized SUV's and Soccer Moms in minivans with cell phones stuck to their head do NOT automatically get the right of way.

CGHill said...

I don't floor it quite as much as I used to in these situations, perhaps because the Ford slushbox in my old Mazda would execute a perfect 4-2 in hardly any time at all. My current ride has nearly twice the horsepower, but the Jatco tranny insists that it be allowed to contemplate the matter before so much as unlocking the torque converter.

I tell you, if my knees still worked, I'd be happier with a stick shift.

drjim said...

Reminds me of a comment by the automotive writer Ken Purdy:
"If you took all the cars in the world and lined them up, somebody in a Volkswagen van would pull out and try to pass them...."

Jeffro said...

CVPH - I try to get over for merging traffic, but often the left lane traffic won't let me over. So, I'll ease up a bit so Soccer Mom can stand on it and get ahead of me, but if all they do is just stay beside me - not much I can do about that. They either run out of road and ease up behind me or just have to ease up behind me.

Most of the time I have no sympathy - most drivers won't let me move over to allow merging - they'll make it a point to ignore my turn signals. So, since the view from this driver's seat is that the average person isn't going to let me over, it's the same sort of person wanting on. They can all go to hell.

Chaz - but I know you're paying attention and I can see that from my seat. Not in la la land? I'll help out.

drjim - also that old Jerry Reed song - "all the cars in the world were placed end to end, would reach to the moon and back again, and there'd probably be some fool pull out to pass."

Come away with me Lucille, in my smokin' chokin' automobile!