Get. Off. The. Phone.

[blas]

For the love of cheese.

Two For One Tuesday.

I got behind some business vehicle for some kind of electronics company. The employee driving was on a walkie-talkie phone or gadget. The van had massive side mirrors and I could see him talking on it.

He smiled and nodded and laughed as we slowwwwwwwwwwwwwwly got onto the merge to the freeway and I had to be an ass and one-up him right before the end because he was only going to merge at 45 mph!!!!!!!

I saw an opportunity and took it and got the hell around him. Sure enough, he could barely get in, he's lucky he didn't get ran off the road and others were paying attention, everyone flung into the left lane to get the hell around him.

A few miles later, all I see are brake lights and people flying into the left lane like crazy.

Some prick in a big green sedan was on his cell phone, and he was down to 55 mph on the freeway. In the middle of the morning suicide rush. Not going that slow just because he can (like some do) or because he's an ignorant bumpkin who doesn't understand the concept of a freeway like others, but because he is too busy on the phone.

If you have to drive for work, and talk on the phone, learn how to maintain your speed and watch what the hell you're doing. Otherwise, you may just want to get a job working in the store or behind a desk where you're more safe and others are more safe.

[roothorick]

I've merged at 45, behind a semi or dump truck that's struggling to get up to speed. I went eight miles going 45 on highway 41 to prove a point. (My friends were bothering me about my red light habits... I was pulled over on suspicion of drunk driving, but passed the sobriety test with flying colors.) It didn't seem all that dangerous... then again, it wasn't suicide rush time or anything. (The dump truck event has happened during rush however... people are smart enough to slow down, but I gotta wonder if that's because they see the big truck and if a smaller car would be so lucky.)

[blas]

I've had to merge that slow as well, because it was not safe to get over right away.

It's not like I gun it around the big truck and get all annoyed and scream. I had every right to be upset at this douche because he wasn't paying enough attention or care to merge at the proper speed. This wasn't a huge vehicle by any means.

You can drive slow, whether just because you can, or just to prove points, but what does it really prove? My cruise is always set to about 65-68, and I'm quite comfortable at that speed and feel no need to zoom zoom to/from work. But I don't get the point in going below 65 when the weather is ideal conditions.