List Your Good Bad and Ugly...

[nocturnal_steve]

I'll start the Bad list...

Driving the 447 Monday night just after sunset, after a three hour gate wait (no problem sharing snacks and stories as we pulse)...

I drove speed limit or as safe in my small 20' van with trailer . I did not tailgate & gave safe space between me and whatever vehicle was in front. Unbelievable how many cars and even trucks, bigger vehicles that insisted on passing me and multiple others in the left lane of the two lane road (into potential oncoming), cutting in front of me and forcing me to jam my brakes to allow them in.

The devil in me was tempted to "play chicken" and accelerate up to the car in front of me just to watch them cringe with fear when oncoming
headlights approached.... I avoided Satan's calling . They each gained one, maybe three or four max car lengths... one truck over-steered as he went back into the right lane and nearly ran off the road.

Pissed me off !



The Good

I realized "it was all about them" not a personal offense....tried consciously to assume a mental Lotus Position
and not rile me.

[Captain Goddammit]

That's just how most drivers treat all trucks and vehicles with trailers.
Most people perceive space between you and the car ahead of you as an indication you are going slower... to them, if you're not 6 inches off the bumper of the car ahead, you're not going as fast.

That's not the worst of it. The stupidest ones are the ones in some loaded up small car.
They pass me in my diesel pickup pulling the Land Yacht, next thing you know I am on their bumper because it turns out not only was I already going as fast as traffic or the law allowed but they can't even keep up with me when we hit the hills!

That's the real ass wipes. Make the pass whenever they can, then find out they can't even keep my pace. And it's illegal to run them over. Goddammit.

[tamarakay]

We witnessed some pretty scary drivers leaving Tuesday. Purple jeep guy that couldn't stay in his lane, asshat passing on a hill, guys hauling trailers trying to get back in line but obviously were clueless as to how long their trailers were.

We caught up to the asshat passing on the hill at oasis 29 getting a taco. I mentioned the fact to him. So stupid risking his and other people's lives like that to get in line before me for tacos.

The good: seeing vulture chow and graedog one more time at the taco stand!

[JohnEBGud]

"Have you ever noticed that anybody driving slower than you is an idiot, and anyone going faster than you is a maniac?”

― George Carlin

[Elorrum]

"Have you ever noticed that anybody driving slower than you is an idiot, and anyone going faster than you is a maniac?”

― George Carlin

Yep, a good way to gauge my serenity is to see how other people are driving. I can't attribute the quote.

Good: neighbors friends and campmates

Bad and ugly: all my faults for slacking on prep. Just an off year for me, and I had to leave early.

[DoctorIknow]

...
Most people perceive space between you and the car ahead of you as an indication you are going slower... to them, if you're not 6 inches off the bumper of the car ahead, you're not going as fast.

I was just this morning commuter traffic in Sacramento on Hwy 50, and this "6 inches off the bumper" seems to be normal commuter traffic style.

I think most everyone thinks they are a good driver, but those asshats, creeping up with their lane switching when it's easy to see (on any rise in the road) solid traffic for the next mile or more,,,,I believe THEY BELIEVE that all the commuters are as good a driver as they are, and therefore, their risky cutting is a known factor that everyone accepts and does themselves. What I believe is that all drivers are WORSE than me and at any second could risk having an accident, maybe with me part of it.

So, yeah, I give proper space (the best lesson from Drivers Ed in HS was to give one car length for every 10mph) and then someone cuts into it, I slow down, another cuts into it, rinse and repeat. And sometimes, an hour later in some traffic jam standstill, I'm right next to them. All their risking of fate got them nowhere...