I was driving up Route 93 in Boston this evening after work. It's bumper to bumper in all lanes, but moving reasonable by Boston rush hour standards. You enter from the left, which creates a fourth lane. Anyway, I want to move over at some point, so I waited until there was a gap in the next lane. When there was the pick up truck behind me swooped into the lane. Oh, well, I figure, next time. Then he swoops back in ahead of me. Wtf? Okay, numb nuts, you gained a full car length. It's not like I was blocking the passing lane or anything as there was none. I wonder if he tried to leapfrog any more of the 100 cars ahead of him?

it's all about track position.

Technically, he gained two car lengths. This, of course, will have resulted in him reaching his destination approximately two seconds faster than if he'd stayed behind you. So congrats to him!

the important thing is he beat you. you have to learn, no matter what, NEVER let anyone get in front of you in traffic. It doesn't matter what you must do. Speed up, slam on the brakes, flash your light, blast your horn for 45 seconds, run into them, anything...no matter what it takes. Be a man and then flip em the bird for good measure.

Having commuted to work on Storrow Drive....

If he was able to swoop back in front of you, you were not properly practicing defensive driving, masshole style.

If you allow there to be more than one car length of open space between you and the car in front of you, someone going half your speed WILL try to merge into that space.

Oh, I should add, and will then flip you off.

It's Ricky-Bobby syndrome. No cure.

quote:

Originally posted by GregY:
Oh, I should add, and will then flip you off.

I never understood this, and it's happened a couple of times.

So you got ahead of me (sometimes even by cutting me off), congratulations. Why would you then bother to flip someone off? Seems like a waste of energy for the flipper-offer.

quote:

Originally posted by LDD:

quote:

Originally posted by GregY:
Oh, I should add, and will then flip you off.

I never understood this, and it's happened a couple of times.

So you got ahead of me (sometimes even by cutting me off), congratulations. Why would you then bother to flip someone off? Seems like a waste of energy for the flipper-offer.

They know they just did something insanely rude and possibly dangerous, that would cause any normal human who was the victim of it to react with surprise and anger.

But admitting error is not for them. So they preemptively double down, and get enraged at YOU for even thinking about reacting negatively to them being an asshole to you.

I've seen it often. That react with rage *because* you know you were in the wrong but can't admit weakness or error thing seems to be a pathological trait characteristic of certain cultures.

My wife would say "you were gapping" to allow him in front of you.

She encourages aggressive driving. I love that woman

quote:

Originally posted by ridgerat:
it's all about track position.

That was excellent..

quote:

Originally posted by GregY:
Oh, I should add, and will then flip you off.

Ha. I experienced something similar a few months ago. I'm third in line to make a left turn. Driver first in line hasn't pulled into the median and clearly isn't going to budge. I hit my horn, the two young ladies, for lack of a better term, in car number two turn around and flip me off. I laughed, hard.

Brian, isn’t this the rule and not the exception? Driving here is like warfare. I don’t let this shit get to me.

Never miss an opportunity to pass!

quote:

Originally posted by ridgerat:
it's all about track position.

Hey - rubbin's racin'.

Big city or small, same bullshit.

I knew this was going to be one of the challenges of changing from a 10 year work at home plan to actually commuting 12 miles with the masses. I've gotten really good at just ignoring the idiots and doing all I can to stay out of the way, let them be and do what they are.

I'm not saying sometimes I haven't considered just ramming speed in the Fried Green Tomatoes, theme, but I've tamped it down.

I do not miss the twice daily drives like that, five times a week. Not in the least. I do not miss them so much, that I go out of my way to avoid going anywhere at a time that would put me in rush hours traffic.

While living in Chicago, I learned using your turn signal is a sign of weakness.

quote:

Originally posted by BrianC:
I was driving up Route 93 in Boston this evening after work. It's bumper to bumper in all lanes, but moving reasonable by Boston rush hour standards. You enter from the left, which creates a fourth lane. Anyway, I want to move over at some point, so I waited until there was a gap in the next lane. When there was the pick up truck behind me swooped into the lane. Oh, well, I figure, next time. Then he swoops back in ahead of me. Wtf? Okay, numb nuts, you gained a full car length. It's not like I was blocking the passing lane or anything as there was none. I wonder if he tried to leapfrog any more of the 100 cars ahead of him?

Pretty much common occurrence around here! 4 lane highway, speed limit 55. Cruising speed of the "convoys" is 65+. Normal interval between vehicles 1-2 car lengths.

Dumb asses swap lanes without signals, forcing their way into the extremely short gaps between cars, etc etc ad nauseum.

If one of those assholes screws up there will be a real pile-up of cars! People will die and only good fortune will keep fire from breaking out from ruptured fuel tanks. Not to mention the damned 18 wheeler trucks that drive the same way!

But then, in the world of these entitled assholes, the laws of physics do not apply when the assholes are driving. Those 4 little patches of tire rubber will NOT stop your vehicle in 10 feet if you are doing 70+!