Line cutters in traffic ...

Another good read on this subject is Tom Vanderbilt's "Traffic". He reports that actually more traffic moves through a given spot if motorists use both lanes and merge at the end of the lines. Vanderbilt deals with this irritation and reports that in light traffic, merge early, but in heavy traffic use both lanes. Best of all, be patient and polite and leave lots of room between you and the car ahead, "three seconds" comes to mind.

Drive a Prius and watch your mileage climb when you are stuck in traffic.

 

I have read this and several other threads about how other drivers tailgate or cut in front of Prius drivers. Like the other posts, I regularly encounter rude drivers, although I don't think the frequency is different driving our Prius or in other cars. Sadely, I believe that the fast pace of modern life, autonomy that we feel hidden behind tinted glass and a ton of steel, and increasing number of people in our space combine to ensure that each driver receives less courtesy from others than they deserve. I propose that the solution to this problem will require that we each strive to be more courteous rather than changing the kinds of cars that we drive. Imagine if this courtesy spread beyond driving, to lines at the market when a new register is opened

 

I also read Tom Vanderbilt's "Traffic". It changed my mind about those line cutters. It actually does make traffic move along faster. I merged way to early recently and watched all the cutters fly by on the left. Since I was unfamiliar with the the road and how far away my exit off was, I (like a chump) waited.