Do drivers in your area do this?

[clamum]

Is it just in my area or will drivers go faster if there is another lane present? I see this regularly on my drive to work where a 55mph one lane road expands to 2 lanes. At least once a week a line of cars will be stuck behind someone doing 45-50mph on the single lane but as soon as it expands to two lanes that same person starts doing 55-60. Same speed limit

I see it on the express way too. 2 lanes? 71mph. 3 lanes? 82mph. Same car

Yep I've seen it often. If I remember right you're in Michigan somewhere? I lived in the U.P. for 29 years and now downstate and I've seen it in both places regularly.

Like someone else said, if I had to guess I'd say it was partially because people can't stand others passing them (maybe because they get the feeling that they're poking then). Other than that possible reason, I have no idea why. It's fucking annoying as shit and I mentally assign the driver to a "shit drivers" list in my head when I see it, cause they don't have a clue of what they're really doing.

 

[who?]

Highway trolls.

 

[MagnusTheBrewer]

Highway trolls.

Misery loves company.

 

[Ruptga]

Why is it that the majority of highway drivers never use cruise control?

Dumbshits.

 

[Exterous]

Yep I've seen it often. If I remember right you're in Michigan somewhere?

Usually. Sometimes I'm in your neck of the woods (IIRC) and get to see this happen when 94 goes from 2 to 3 lanes around US23

 

[rh71]

No, but just as asinine as when they speed up because they see they are about to get passed.

It's funny that we always have driver-peeve threads but nobody here ever admits to committing any of them. Is it really just everybody else?

 

[amdhunter]

My favorites are the ones who think the speed limit reduces whenever you are alongside a semi. I see it all the time. I always maintain proper distance from the car ahead of me. When that car ahead of me starts passing the slower moving semi in the right lane they will always slow down at least 5 mph sometimes more for no apparent reason other than they are next to a semi. As soon as they are past it they speed up. Moronic if you ask me as they usually slow down below the posted speed limit and are in the left lane to boot.

Pff I just drive under them to pass.

 

[rh71]

Why is it that the majority of highway drivers never use cruise control?

Probably because they don't live in the middle of nowhere and often there are cars in and out of each lane. Also, traffic areas. There is no such thing as 2-seconds between cars here. None. Same with left lane for passing only.

 

[Ruptga]

Probably because they don't live in the middle of nowhere and often there are cars in and out of each lane. Also, traffic areas. There is no such thing as 2-seconds between cars here. None. Same with left lane for passing only.

I live in the St. Louis metro area and I use cruise whenever possible, which is often. It's not rocket surgery; you merge, choose your speed based on conditions, set the cruise, then when someone does something stupid you go back to manual until you can get around them. Unless you're stuck in dense traffic like there is around rush hour, you should be using your cruise control while you're on the highway.

 

[rh71]

^ it's pointless using your cruise if you have to get off it often enough considering you're not too far off the next guy's bumper. And by "you" I mean us.

Besides, cruise puts me to sleep. People speed and change lanes on roads for a reason, and it's not always to get there faster. Our goal isn't always to be more efficient. I would've bought a Prius.

 

[crashtech]

Driver's licenses should be harder to get and easier to lose.

 

[FeuerFrei]

Not so much, unless the tailing driver has aroused my ire. I might slow and speed as I crest a hill or round a bend - lidaryouknow.

Pff I just drive under them to pass.

Merciful heavens!! Who drives a lifted semi?

 

[Ferzerp]

Why is it that the majority of highway drivers never use cruise control?

Because dumb cruise control sucks.

Good cruise control though is great. I keep mine on nearly all the time.

 

[yuchai]

^ it's pointless using your cruise if you have to get off it often enough considering you're not too far off the next guy's bumper. And by "you" I mean us.

Besides, cruise puts me to sleep. People speed and change lanes on roads for a reason, and it's not always to get there faster. Our goal isn't always to be more efficient. I would've bought a Prius.

Yeah, and I've found that it doesn't work in areas where there are stretches of road going uphill. People don't generally use cruise control and they don't do enough with the throttle to maintain speed going uphill.

 

[iCyborg]

I already ranted about this:
https://forums.anandtech.com/thread...messed-up-as-i-5.2484881/page-2#post-38444981

See notposting's reply couple posts below too.

 

[Ruptga]

^ it's pointless using your cruise if you have to get off it often enough considering you're not too far off the next guy's bumper. And by "you" I mean us.

Besides, cruise puts me to sleep. People speed and change lanes on roads for a reason, and it's not always to get there faster. Our goal isn't always to be more efficient. I would've bought a Prius.

Sure, I agree that in dense traffic it causes more problems than it solves. If the road is open idgaf what anyone does either, we can just pass when the need arises. Most highway traffic is in between though, and it is less frustrating and safer when cruise is used. I'd rather flirt with boredom than road rage and random accidents caused by erratic driving.

 

[MagnusTheBrewer]

One of the reasons I moved to the "middle of nowhere" was the lack of traffic. I always wondered why people put up with miserable living conditions for the sake of a job.

 

[Stopsignhank]

I use cruise as much as I can. Sometimes I make my way through a pack of cars, sometimes a pack of cars makes it way around me. Nothing like seeing 20 cars in a pack either ahead of or behind you and you have clear road for a half mile all around you. Of course sometimes you have to drive for the other person. For instance you are driving by yourself and some guy in your lane catches you and stays there. I pull into a different lane, let them pass, and then go back to my original lane.

 

[KMFJD]

Dominicans are only fast when behind the wheel and someone is in front of them, i'm convinced of this.... Yesterday i saw an ambulance coming up behind me, I pulled over and let him pass, the guy that was in front of me (in one of those really tiny ass Japanese minivans) decided that his leisurely drive was more important and kept blocking him from passing, ambulance finally was able to pass and purposely slammed into the minivan as he was pulling back into the right lane, this was meet with lots of hand gestures by the minivan driver. Never a dull moment driving here...

 

[feralkid]

It's not the two lanes. People speed up when anyone tries to pass them. You can be on a four lane road, overtake someone doing 55 and they'll speed up to 60, 65.

Yes, confirmed:

Open Freeway using cruise control; as one approaches slower car and switches to left lane to pass, other car suddenly accelerates.

 

[local]

I have to deal with this daily on my 32 mile commute with about half highway and half two lane road. Going home from work just before the road changes to a two lane about half the cars will fly around you going 20 over then drop to 5 under once they lose that second lane. But the really confusing part is the last 5 miles of my drive is on what I call a 1.5 lane road, narrow two lane country road with no dividing line. Upon turning onto this those same people that did 5 under on the two lane road now want to go at least 10 over even passing with two tires in the grass to fit. On my way to work I will have someone pass me on the 1.5 lane road only to block me on the two lane road before leaving me behind once they get their extra lane. In my daily driver I can't do much about passing them in the brief windows but it works great at intimidating them from behind, 2000 F250 with battle damage. The fun days are when I drive my Camaro because if they aren't pushing 600+hp they cannot accelerate fast enough to keep me from passing. All I ask is people go the speed limit and I will be happy.

My father told me about the speed matching thing when I was a kid and his favorite game was to slowly accelerate and see how fast he could get the other driver to go before realizing and slowing down. If I am bored on long trips I will do the same thing, almost got someone to 100 once but they usually back off around 20 over.

 

[skull]

Assholes everywhere. Atleast in my area they ride your ass even if you can see the red light. The second they get a chance they blow past you then slam on the brakes while you coast up next to them at the stop light. I can't figure it out. Seems like a waste of gas and brake pads to me.

 

[s0me0nesmind1]

Yup. It's because people are assholes. They can't bear the thought of someone getting ahead of them, and fuck you when there's no recourse for passing.

I don't know if it's that. Have you ever (and I'm sure you have) someone that was previously behind you far away gets right up behind you and just stays there for eternity? Even though theres 3 other open lanes? That's the result of dumbasses that drive so nonchalantly that they never even look down at their speedometer to realize how fast or how slow they are going.

I think that is the more likely culprit here for the OP - person in front has no one to follow the leader behind, so he goes whatever he guesses is acceptable speed... Then everyone else starts to go the higher speed because they are now playing follow the leader.

This is why cars drive in "packs", and one of the few things I very much remember from drivers ed. This is also why I specifically avoid being in packs

 

[local]

Assholes everywhere. Atleast in my area they ride your ass even if you can see the red light. The second they get a chance they blow past you then slam on the brakes while you coast up next to them at the stop light. I can't figure it out. Seems like a waste of gas and brake pads to me.

I see this every morning by people going 20 over in a construction zone. They risk getting double the fine for making the same time as someone going the speed limit.

 

[Ruptga]

I don't know if it's that. Have you ever (and I'm sure you have) someone that was previously behind you far away gets right up behind you and just stays there for eternity? Even though theres 3 other open lanes? That's the result of dumbasses that drive so nonchalantly that they never even look down at their speedometer to realize how fast or how slow they are going.

I think that is the more likely culprit here for the OP - person in front has no one to follow the leader behind, so he goes whatever he guesses is acceptable speed... Then everyone else starts to go the higher speed because they are now playing follow the leader.

This is why cars drive in "packs", and one of the few things I very much remember from drivers ed. This is also why I specifically avoid being in packs

Yep and yep. There are actual jackasses that do it on purpose, but in general it's just people that aren't paying attention. I prefer to pass packs, but if I can see that traffic is too compact for that I'll lower my cruise by 5mph and hang out in the safe space between the pack behind me and the pack ahead of me. I can predict what an asshole will do, but there's no telling what an incompetent will do or when, and I don't want anything to do with it.