Traffic challenge

The people on this thread advocating Offensive driving are just contributing to the provlem. I can't believe some of the stuff I'm reading espically when your pulling your TT. Just another day on RV.net where you get 3 pages of a thread asking for help and 6 plus pages for a rant.

I really want a set of big air horns right inside my right wheel well. Unfortunely, my navigator has Khrones disease. Best solution is to take an aurhorized "defensive Driving" course, then follow what you learn.

Don't believe turn signals are used in Memphis - likely an option and they decided against it. No, just change lanes....keeps everyone on their toes.

I love the drivers who believe by putting on their turn signal , they have the right to move over . We have a section of road that the right lane ends and has to merge left . In the mornings the important people fly down the right lane and try to merge left . Believing their turn signal gives them the right to just come over . Last week a rather nice BMW became friends with 5 traffic barrels .

Obewan wrote:
By "pitted" I mean caught her rear quarter panel with his front end, spinning herself around several times.

Got it. Thanks.

By "pitted" I mean caught her rear quarter panel with his front end, spinning herself around several times.

dodge guy wrote:
I never have a semi next to me. Especially when approaching an entrance ramp! Always know where your at and what's around you and what is coming up. This will allow you to change lanes to let others in stupid or not!

I take it you have not driven I-65 south of Indy. They are double stacked for miles. We went to Indy for a VA appt last week and there was a semi in the left lane next to another semi in right lane. He stayed there for almost 10 miles traveling about 66 mph in 70 mph zone for cars and 65 for trucks. The one in the left lane had cars backed up for a long ways behind him. I almost hate driving to Indy for this reason, but US-31 is even worst with its stop and go lights for 40 miles straight. I drive like all the rest of the drivers are idiots. Get to my destination safe and sound, whether 10 miles or 7,000 mile vacation trip across country.

dadmomh wrote:
Agree that not having a semi next to you is ideal, but if you're traveling busy interstates - as I-40 out my kitchen window - the chances are slim and none that you can avoid them. We tend to stay between about 58 and 62. Semis tend to be a bit faster and will most often pass us. And yes, we do generally drive in the right hand lane, but watch for incoming traffic that we might need to move over for. As the OP noted, he had no option for moving over, the incoming car was pacing and I think he did the best of the options available. If the situation allowed, slowing a bit could have been a choice, but sounds like that was not a choice. I've always been of the opinion that the incoming vehicle needed to adjust their speed to safely merge.

I've always felt that the public, as a whole, should be required to do 2 things in their life. One is to work retail. The other is to tow a trailer. The world would be a different place if folks had both perspectives.

In yer dreams, buddy! I ain't workin' retail! :B

ECones wrote:

dodge guy wrote:
I never have a semi next to me. Especially when approaching an entrance ramp! Always know where your at and what's around you and what is coming up. This will allow you to change lanes to let others in stupid or not!

With all due respect, how do you manage never having a semi next to you? This semi was passing me.

I'd entered that section of I-55 from the right and was in the slower right lane in moderately heavy traffic. I was maintaining a safe distance from the vehicle in front of me, and I couldn't have moved right before the entrance ramp without just pulling over in front of traffic putting several mph on me.

My truck / trailer combo is probably 45' total and one of the shorter ones around here. If someone consistently avoids driving next to anyone in heavy traffic, how do you manage that?

It'd be nice always to have a 60'+ hole next to us to move into as needed, but in my experience the other traffic is much more nimble than we are, and if they want in my "escape hole" they're gonna take it.

Sounds like you would be constantly speeding up or slowing down or changing lanes. This would not increase safety. It would decrease fuel mileage. It would be a giant pain in the butt all around. Now picture everyone on the road trying to do this at the same time! It would be a mess and no one would get anywhere. Defensive driving run amok. Kind of like the people who stop at an intersection with NO stop sign so they can wave through the guy who DOES have a stop sign. Then they wonder why they get rear ended.
Maybe if you drive in the middle of the night in the middle of nowhere you can drive in this fashion. otherwise you have to deal with what you've got.

Agree that not having a semi next to you is ideal, but if you're traveling busy interstates - as I-40 out my kitchen window - the chances are slim and none that you can avoid them. We tend to stay between about 58 and 62. Semis tend to be a bit faster and will most often pass us. And yes, we do generally drive in the right hand lane, but watch for incoming traffic that we might need to move over for. As the OP noted, he had no option for moving over, the incoming car was pacing and I think he did the best of the options available. If the situation allowed, slowing a bit could have been a choice, but sounds like that was not a choice. I've always been of the opinion that the incoming vehicle needed to adjust their speed to safely merge.

I've always felt that the public, as a whole, should be required to do 2 things in their life. One is to work retail. The other is to tow a trailer. The world would be a different place if folks had both perspectives.