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Rude Drivers Reduce Traffic Jams
BuzzSkyline writes "Traffic jams are minimized if a significant fraction of drivers break the rules by doing things like passing on the wrong side or changing lanes too close to an intersection. The insight comes from a cellular automata study published this month in the journal Physical Review E. In effect, people who disregard the rules help to break up the groups that form as rule-followers clump together. The risk of jamming is lower if all people obey the rules than if they all disobey them, according to the analysis, but jamming risk is lowest when about 40 percent of people drive like jerks."
Funny. When I have driven there, I thought that ppl were actually pretty nice, though fast.
In fact, I normally speed at about 9 over, but was being passed all over in Atlanta.
Another nice place was Seattle, but they tend to be slow.
Denver Colorado has some horribly rude drivers (esp. Highlands Ranch), but these are the types that cause jams. They like to drive in left lane AND go slow. I do a lot of passing on the right because ppl here are so bad. Likewise, they like to jam up. I do my utmost to get pass idiots like that and be in the open where I do not have to worry about bad drivers. Drivers here will actually try to prevent you from passing them and will flip you off if you do. We have far too many Texans and Easterners.
I prefer the "u" in honour as it seems to be missing these days.
On a related note, my other biggest pet peeve is the slow people who speed up when they see you trying to pass them so that you can't, and then slow down again.
-"Those who fought today will die tommorow."-
It's not that throughput is cut down, it's that if you leave that much space, someone will move into it. In rush hour, it's IMPOSSIBLE to maintain more than a 2-3 car distance at any speed, because someone will immediately occupy a 5-8 car distance the moment it is created.
I forgot another less common, but still frustrating habit. For some reason, on two lane mountain roads (one lane each direction) the people who drive slowly 99% of the time suddently speed up to 65 when they reach the short stretch with a 2 lane passing zone (going up a hill etc.) so that only a few of the 20 cars stacked up behin them can actually get around them. Then, as soon as the extra lane goes away, they apparently feel more constricted and slow back down again. I just want to smack these jerks up-side the head!
the safe thing to do is you should have already switched lanes (if you're in the left that is) by the time they got to you if you see them coming up.
As someone living in CA, I agree that it's a nuisance (San Diego seems to be much better about this than LA), however, the left lane is NOT a passing lane in CA as it is in other states. All lanes of traffic are free for general travel, and it is expected that faster traffic moves left. In some states it is illegal to stay in the left lane, but not CA.
I'm out of my mind right now, but feel free to leave a message.....
I'm assuming this is only if the car is going slower than the speed limit.
I don't know how people justify speeding for any reason other than in a critical situation.
See http://trafficwaves.org/trafexp.html for a model of tailgating.
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There was a study on this. It is about Territory. Your car is Yours and sitting inside it you feel you are on your turf. Of course your turf is moving 60+ mph on a freeway surrounded by people on their turf. Of course things will clash. It's like the highway is a microcosm for how countries work and wars start.
D10 dice. Roll for enhanced "jerk". Less than 4 succeeds.
Remember, You are unique...just like everyone else.
Also means that people who get angry at lane splitters are often inappropriatly righteous feeling and ignorant.
I was surprised to have a motorcycle cop explain (traffic school) that it was not only legal, but often required in LA because motorcycles are often air-cooled and physically cannot sit still in a traffic jam at idle in 100 degree weather without overheating.
If the speed limit is 65 and and both lanes have people next to each other going 65, get over it, no law is being broken.
That just means that your legislators are utter failures. There does not exist an excuse for failing to prevent people from blocking the freeways. This is the primary cause of congestion and accidents.
I'm not going to move into the right lane and get stuck behind someone going 55, unable to change lanes because everyone on my left is going 25-30mph faster than me.
So you'll stick *everybody else in the entire passing lane*r behind your dumb, slow moving ass and you thing that's somehow ok while it's a great tragedy to expect you to keep up with the flow of traffic WTF you utterly sleazy self-centered piece of garbage wrapped in skin?!?!?! I'm truly amazed at how fucking vile some people go out of their way to choose to be.
*You* are the problem in this situation. *You* are the jerk, and *you* are the bad guy.
You refuse to keep up with the traffic in the passing lane yet you also refuse to remain in the lane appropriate to your speed and driving abilities.
The people going 85 in the *passing lane* are going with the flow of traffic and are driving appropriately for the conditions. You are not doing either of those things. You are intentionally and with malice aforethought blocking the passing lane in order to prevent other people from using the roads they pay for in a the perfectly safe manner they choose. You are increasing everybody's risk, and you're doing it solely so that you can be a jerk to the people around you. If you can not keep up with the normal pace of traffic in the fast lane, then the only decent, rational, or appropriate thing for you to do is stay out of the way of the people who are traveling at the proper speed. There is nothing about your actions that justify the problems you are willfully choosing to inflict on the poeple around you solely due to the fact that you can't be bothered to go the appropriate speed. The appropriate speed is never determined by the laws which you've already admitted your legislators are failures at determining, it's determined by the speed traffic is traveling. You are in the wrong and there is nothing that could possibly justify your active asshattery. Please stop it and start acting as if you were a decent human being instead of the malicious asshole you declared yourself to be.
You're not even helping yourself and you're fucking over tons of people around you. I mean think that through, Sparky, and consider what a vile scumbag your chosen course of action *proves* you to be absolutely and beyond any possibility of a doubt.
but if it's the latter, why should I make room for you to break the law (go over 65)?
At least in Illinois, it's the Law to move over to the right lane if there is faster traffic behind you. So in illinois, you would be breaking the law to enforce another one. Not to mention that it's just plain rude of you just move over to the other lane that's driving all legal and stuff. Or become a traffic cop. A real one. with tickets and stuff.
_ _ _ Go for the eyes Boo! GO FOR THE EYES!
In which case yes, they've made the practice as safe as it is likely to get. Unfortunately, drivers in most areas are still not used to motorcycles engaging in lane splitting because it just doesn't happen all that often, and are unlikely to be specifically watching for it.
As someone living in CA, I agree that it's a nuisance (San Diego seems to be much better about this than LA), however, the left lane is NOT a passing lane in CA as it is in other states. All lanes of traffic are free for general travel, and it is expected that faster traffic moves left. In some states it is illegal to stay in the left lane, but not CA.
California Vehicle Code: 21654. (a) Notwithstanding the prima facie speed limits, any vehicle proceeding upon a highway at a speed less than the normal speed of traffic moving in the same direction at such time shall be driven in the right-hand lane for traffic or as close as practicable to the right-hand edge or curb, except when overtaking and passing another vehicle proceeding in the same direction or when preparing for a left turn at an intersection or into a private road or driveway.
Yes, it is your fault. You are not the police. You are not God. Stop trying to control traffic with YOUR over-inflated sense of entitlement.
YOU are the single point of failure in these scenarios. You are outnumbered by the people wanting to go 69 (or whatever speed) in a 65.
I typically drive about 4-6 mph over on the freeway. I have no problem moving to the right (or even the center) lane when someone wants to go faster than me. Neither should you. The only reason in the world for you to think it's OK to sit in the left lane going the same speed as the person in the next lane over is because you think you are in control. You are a bad-ass wannabe traffic director.
Get out of the way of the other people needing or wanting to move faster than you.
When signs say "slower traffic keep right" they mean slower than the speed limit.
WRONG.
What part SLOWER TRAFFIC makes you think "but not faster than the speed limit." The law in most states says SLOWER TRAFFIC and implies relative speeds.
Here in California you may get a ticket for driving the speed limit but staying in the left most lane. It is a relative thing, not a "Speed Limit" thing.
Actual quotes from the California driver's handbook:
"However, if you block the normal and reasonable movement of traffic by driving too slowly, you may receive a ticket. When you drive slower than other traffic, do not drive in the "fast" lane. Move to the right when another driver is close behind you and wishes to drive faster."
Bottom line: Get out of the way, slow poke. It is not your job to regulate the speed of traffic.
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