Line cutters in traffic ...

some people think you will yield because you have a new car and don't want to risk damaging it.

i saw an H3 cut off people in traffic today.. no gap whatsoever.. he simply pulled his bumper in front of the next guy, and proceeded to cut him off. makes me wish i had a small pellet gun so i can put a hole in his tire.... if not that extreme... then maybe some jacks.. as he runs them over they would puncture his tires... but then others might run them over too....

i always get the urge to spit into their cab.. hehe...

 

In my particular case, being located in north Texas, the 'Prius Effect' does seem to be a factor... that is people who try to cut in front or just pass you because you're in a Prius. Usually said people have big trucks or a jeep, or a Ford Mustang (there are many here). I can sort of understand the reputation, as I've been stuck behind a slow great grandma Prius a few times myself. However, I tend to drive pretty quickly. So, if they cut me off, I just pass them and give them a good look at the unique rear windows and tail lights the Prius has to offer

 

Try leaving a bigger gap in front and drift along at the average
pack speed ahead; the cutters will take the gap and cram up
forward but not affect your rate of travel much at all. As
counterintuitive as it may seem to some people, it works, and
you may very well find your whole lane sliding along faster than
the others a little while later.
.
_H*

 

+1 from my experience too

 

I used to see this a lot in city driving during road construction. We called it "the prick move". Often a truck driver would pull over into the open lane and block all of the would-be line cutters. When the lane ended, the truck was allowed back in, leaving a big bunch of would-be line cutters stuck in one large stationary bunch.

Tom

 

I like this and have done it many times, just to piss them off!

 

A Saab did this very thing to me yesterday--twice by the same car. Cut in front of me, went to the left lane advancing by a few cars. Then my line advanced and, sure enough, went right in front of me again!

 

Being from the Midwest, I try to be "Midwest Nice" to
a certain category of such line cutters. If they just
seem to be in the wrong lane, are not just trying to
jump ahead, and they use their turn signal to indicate
intent, I often wave them in. I give them the benefit
of the doubt that for some reason they were unable
to get into their right lane. This has happened to me,
and I am always grateful when another driver yields
so that I wouldn't miss my turn, etc.

Where I draw the line is when someone speeds along
looking for a last minute gap to dart into, thus both
avoiding having to wait his or her turn and doing a
dangerous driving manuever. I won't try to block
them or race to close the gap, but I also won't open
up a spot for them.

Your case looks like it could have been either one of
the two. However, since he paused by you, rather
than continuing forward to jump a gap, I sense that
it might have been the former, benign situation.

In either case, if you do a random good deed by
waving him in, maybe he or she will do a similar
good deed for someone else later. You might feel
good about it, and one extra car getting in front
of you is not going to materially change your drive time.

 

People who enter a highway and try to merge before using all of the available acceleration lane and then get stuck in traffic are just bad drivers. You should move to the front of your available lane. You should not, however, use the right shoulder except in the case of the road being blocked by an accident.

 

There is a guy out there who has done research on this very subject. Here is a link:

SCIENCE HOBBYIST: Curing lane-merge traffic jams

He has several articles on what he calls "traffic waves" and tells you how to combat the speed-up/slow-down cycles caused by an accident in the roadway. Not surprisingly, the key is allowing plenty of room between us and the guy in front us, so we don't have to slam on brakes when he does.

It's a good read. Especially for us Prius drivers who get a benefit from driving gently.

John

 

Welcome to Pennsylvania where it is [apparently] OK to use exit and entrance ramps as right-hand passing lanes...

 

Yes, I've pointed at the "traffic waves" articles many times
and have a pointer to it in my linkfarm. Still and always good
advice and a sensible, real-life rundown on how things work.
.
On-ramps and merges? Easy. Match speed with the other line,
position yourself next to a *hole* [which may or may not stay
there, but we can adapt] or where a hole should open, because
we cannot pass solid through solid. In other words, where you
*will* merge in a short distance ahead. People see you setting
that up and for the most part, spread out to let it happen.
It's the naive ones who can't handle this or try to abruptly
lane-hop and wind up stalled at 45 degrees to the flow that
screw it up for everybody else. This is something that is NEVER
gone over in any drivers ed and desperately needs to be.
.
_H*

 

except around boston where many of the breakdown lanes have now been converted to travel lanes in the rush hours so there is no place to go when you experience u/d, because there is so much traffic and ancient highway system.

 

i have done this forever, you just have to accept the fact that people in the lane(s) next to you are going to keep pulling in and out in front of you because they think your lane is moving faster than theirs.

 

Why get your shorts all bunched up over it? That's why road rage is so common ... folks acting out. I like to find a nice tractor trailer rig and tuck in behind 'em and stay there. No one cuts in front of a car following a truck. Plus, when you're moving along, you get the added benefit of the drafting effect.

 

I hit a particularly boorish line cutter the other day.

It's a long story, but the short of it is that the line cutter was actually daring me to hit him -- so I did.

I ended up putting a small dent in his rear quarter panel, and scuffing my front corner and bumper strip a little (it'll buff right out).

The line cutter didn't even get out of his car, so I lived to tell the tale.

But I can't recommend my course of action to anyone.

 

I'd love to get a sh*tbox type of car and NOT yield to these obnoxious lane cutters. Who cares if I get a scratch ? A beater car is just that! However, I have to agree with what most others have said. It really is unhealthy to let this type of behavior get under your skin. If you really analyze the amount of time you save by doing these frequent lane changes, it really is miniscule. Just yesterday I was driving on the Belt Parkway in Brooklyn and I noticed an impatient driver (with CT plates) changing lanes with his signal from middle to right and then back again. He must have did this five times or so and I was minding my own business in the center lane. I still was able to see the schmuck seven miles or so later STILL changing lanes. If I was able to say something to him, it would be this "HEY MORON, PICK A EFFEN LANE AND STAY IN IT.... HOW MUCH TIME YOU GONNA SAVE? 20 SECONDS YOU AHOLE". THERE.... I feel much better now.