Why do drivers speed up and close the gap when you try and change lanes?!!

Mr_Thrifty

Wongsky wrote: »

It's not YOUR lane

Actually, I'd say the 1 seconds worth of space immediately in front of me IS my patch of road when I'm going at 70mph...

Yes you have to be considerate and let other people out, easing off the throttle to make space to let people in when they need to do that, but they can't just pull out right in front of you on the motorway whenever they like even if there's only a tiny gap and force you to brake and assume that's safe.

I think we're just describing slightly differen situations. Having a 3 second gap and courteously easing off the throttle to let somebody in is one thing, having a 1.5 second gap and some boy racer shove his way in and force you to brake just because he almost missed his turning is another

Wongsky

Mr_Thrifty wrote: »

Actually, I'd say the 1 seconds worth of space immediately in front of me IS my patch of road when I'm going at 70mph...

Fleeting occupation!=ownership.

Mr_Thrifty wrote: »

Yes you have to be considerate and let other people out, easing off the throttle to make space to let people in when they need to do that, but they can't just pull out right in front of you on the motorway whenever they like and even if there's only a tiny gap and assume that's safe.

1. People will, whether or not - increasing speed, and trying to beat them to the chase, isn't helping you, them, or anybody else. It's just a transient ego-led, reaction that makes no sense whatsoever
17. A 2 or 3 second gap on a motorway, is not a tiny gap.

Lum

I always thought it was the 2 second rule, but it is annoying when you're one of the few people who actually tries to leave a safe gap, or is needing to leave a larger gap to compensate for a tailgater.

Problem is the 2 second rule simply doesn't work on today's motorways. They are too congested and people are too selfish to allow others in so your 2 second gap can fit 3 cars, so you either end up falling behind and having an unsafe gap as everyone under/overtakes you, or you match speeds and leave an unsafe gap. You simply can't win.

I guess this is why we're all going to be saddled with automatic braking in 2014?

adouglasmhor

arcon5 wrote: »

I wouldn't call a 2-3 second gap 'safe' for another car to jump in.

I was taught "only a fool breaks the 2 second rule" so I agree with you.

almillar

Rick - I would suggest that if you keep getting people flying up behind you at junctions flashing and beeping their horns, that they have not in fact sped up, but you have slowed them down, and should either accelerate harder, or wait for a bigger gap. Make sure you know the speed, as well as the distance, of the approaching car before you pull out...

Strider590

almillar wrote: »

Rick - I would suggest that if you keep getting people flying up behind you at junctions flashing and beeping their horns, that they have not in fact sped up, but you have slowed them down, and should either accelerate harder, or wait for a bigger gap. Make sure you know the speed, as well as the distance, of the approaching car before you pull out...

This.....

I swear some people deliberately pull out slowly JUST to "create" agro.

Wongsky

Strider590 wrote: »

This.....

I swear some people deliberately pull out slowly JUST to "create" agro.

Probably a very similar number to those that deliberately speed up just to create a problem - both when being overtaken, and on things like roundabouts, or other scenarios where the only reason following drivers can actually make an issue, is because they've pretty much had to floor it, to try and suggest they've been cut-up.

On a related note, I was in China a month or two back. Road rage was truly rarer than a rare thing, from what I saw. And people cut each other up, and queue jumped to a level I've not quite seen before, even after the best part of 2 decades commuting into a reasonably large city. They just didn't seem to let it get to them - for sure, there was lots of attempts at getting ahead, and jumping the odd queue, but no obvious anger as a result.

Which led me to another observation - in the UK, if you pull out onto a major road, with traffic approaching - not necessarily cutting it fine, so long as you got on with it - that didn't really happen over there. You'd get people pulling out onto major roads, slow as you like - as if they were in a funeral procession - in fact, I can't remember ever seeing somebody putting in any effort to get up to speed when joining a faster road.

Still, didn't see road rage as a result.

RICK..._2

almillar wrote: »

Rick - I would suggest that if you keep getting people flying up behind you at junctions flashing and beeping their horns, that they have not in fact sped up, but you have slowed them down, and should either accelerate harder, or wait for a bigger gap. Make sure you know the speed, as well as the distance, of the approaching car before you pull out...

I said I SEE it, not that I am involved. Dummy!

Also, I will add that my last example, I witnessed a few days ago. The person infront did NOT pull out slow, the driver coming around the roundabout DID accelerate to the point where his tyres were screeching and he almost lost control of it.

Some people eh...

almillar

Sorry Rick. When you say:

I see this all the time and it's not limited to motorways. Pull out of a junction with loads of space either way, person coming up the road floors it then slams the horn, flashing lights and starts tailgating etc.

Starting the sentence with Pull out.. gave me the impression it was you.
That sounds like really poor driving on that roundabout.
My point being that I don't like other people wasting my petrol, and causing me to slow down and accelerate again, rather than the constant speed I'd have kept if they hadn't pulled out. I do leave my braking late for these type of people (NOT speed up) so they see me right behind them, to TRY to let them know that they've inconvenienced another road user, hoping that they'll be more careful next time. Sometimes I get lovely hand gestures etc, like I'm the bad driver. Ah well...

Mr_Thrifty

u could do the PIT manoeuvre like they do on US hit TV show "Cops"

LOL

(don't actually do that by the way)