Easy, There!

[blas]

I don't know why, but for some reason, this entire past work week, in my daily travels I've been stuck behind people who are really hard on their brakes. I don't know if these people have bad brakes, or if they are new/bad drivers, or what the deal is. But man, I'm not even following too close and I have to slam on mine.

Practically every stop sign or red light, the person in front of me just jams on their brakes. HARD. It could be that they are like my last boyfriend and don't start slowing down until the last minute. I prefer to coast and start slowing carefully and slowly. Ya know, cuz I can't afford new brakes all the time.

That and people who are just brake happy. Maybe they just keep thinking of Happy Gilmore, tap tap tap tap. Stop it. Damn you, I don't want to see those red lights illuminate unless you have a good reason. Toodling down the road in general is no reason to keep tapping your brakes.

And one bonus dumbass.

There's two really big mini-mall shopping centers on a road nearby all the apartments here (where I live).

One morning after work, close to 8 am, most of those places aren't open, but I was going down that road, in the left lane (it's two lanes both directions) and some retard just flew out of one of the parking lots without looking, and since I've become almost psychic to other people's habbits, KNEW this asshat was going to veer into my lane without looking, so I quickly veered onto the wrong side of the road (no one was coming, thank goodness) and tooted the horn.

Look back. The asshat didn't even have a reaction on their face.

[Pagan]

There's also people out there that drive with one foot on the brake and one on the gas. Kind of like they're driving a stick without clutch? Which means that they're applying just enough pressure to the pedal to activate the brake lights, but not slowing down. Drives me nuts being behind these people.

I've tried driving like that a couple of times and I can't do it. Throws my timing off completely. Plus I find myself jamming on the brake with my left foot.

[blas]

On my way home from my parents' tonight.....some moron merged onto the freeway at the second to last exit before the one I take..........was going at a decent speed well ahead of me.......

Up ahead I see those bright red flashing brake lights, for several seconds. I caught up quick.

No accident.

No one being pulled over.

No animals.

No cop in the median.

What. The. Hell?

And to the people who slow down to less than 50 mph when you see someone getting pulled over.......NOTHING to see here, MOVE ALONG. You don't need to slow down like that. What, you think the cop is really gonna hop back in his car and come after you if you dare go past at 70? Idiots. Just one jamming the brakes or refusing to get over makes everyone scramble and slow down.

[Andara Bledin]

I've tried driving like that a couple of times and I can't do it. Throws my timing off completely. Plus I find myself jamming on the brake with my left foot.

There is a certain degree of practice required to be able to two-foot drive without either mashing the brakes too hard because you're used to doing the clutch with the left foot, or having issues with running your feet together trying to get them both onto the brake.

The problem with people who do that is that they actually do slight damage to the return on the brake pedal which results in the lights coming on far more quickly than they should, which is why so many two-footers end up with their brake lights on so much.

And, yes, it's annoying as hell to be stuck behind one.

^-.-^

[blas]

I would never think to drive two footed in an automatic car. I suppose if you're used to manual, it's hard to get used to, but I'm at a point where all I've ever driven is auto, and it'd be just awkward and dangerous if I tried.

[Andara Bledin]

I had a car that would stall if you let it drop to idle, so I had to two-foot it to keep it running. And it was a manual. >_< That was not fun at all, but it's actually easier to use the left foot for both brake and clutch than to use the right foot for both brake and gas when you have to keep the gas running at least a bit. The only saving grace is that when you have the clutch in, you don't really need the brake that much unless you're on a hill.

^-.-^

[Beki710]

When I first passed my test I had a major accident after someone slammed on their brakes on a motorway for no reason. I thought I was at a good distance and I wasnt expecting someone doing 70mph to slam on their brakes... neither was the car behind me... i just think we were all lucky that no one had any major injuries, but it's made me seriously keep my distance if it's possible. It's made me terrified of tail gaiters though.

[Laund-o-rama Mama]

I call those "brake-happy people". How I hate them.

I don't want to see those red lights illuminate unless you have a good reason.

QFT~!

[RecoveringKinkoid]

The mysterious gridlocks for no apparent reason on the highway usually happen as a result of tailgaters.

If you control your speed with your accelerator instead of your brake, and keep a good long following distance, you rarely have to ever touch your brakes. Tailgaters do the opposite of this.

So when they hit their brakes (and they have to hit them often), the guy behind him does not usually know why. If he's not maintaining a good distance, either, he hits his brakes harder and longer. It may only be a tiny bit harder and longer, but if the guy behind HIM ends up having to do the same thing, you're looking at a whole line of cars doing it, and it will eventually grind to a dead stop on an otherwise unobstructed highway.

A handful of cars can actually break up this phenomenon before it totally stops by slowing waaaay down and avoiding hitting their brakes as much as possible because it keeps the increasing chain reaction from happening.

[Andara Bledin]

This is part of why, when driving, I try to watch up to three vehicles ahead of me. I like to know before the idiot ahead of me, when I'm going to have to slow down.

As RK mentions, you shouldn't have to hit your brakes that often. If you abide by safe follow distances and keep track of more than just the car directly ahead of you, it's a lot easier on your car and nerves.

^-.-^

[Pagan]

The mysterious gridlocks for no apparent reason on the highway usually happen as a result of tailgaters.

So that's what that is! I'm usually sitting there going, "Why am I seeing brake lights coming on?"

This is part of why, when driving, I try to watch up to three vehicles ahead of me. I like to know before the idiot ahead of me, when I'm going to have to slow down.

I'm glad I'm not the only one who does that. I seem to remember being taught that....somewhere. To not only pay attention to the car right in front of you, but to watch up the road as far as you can, too.

[RecoveringKinkoid]

Yeah, I saw some simulations of the phenomenon online. I was going to post them here but now I can't find them. I don't remember what they were called.

[Geek King]

Yeah, I saw some simulations of the phenomenon online. I was going to post them here but now I can't find them. I don't remember what they were called.

I found several searching under "ripple effect traffic sim" on google. Here's a link to one on theroetical circular roads and infinite roads: http://math.mit.edu/projects/traffic/

I believe that the California Highway commision, or somesuch, did an official study that lead to the laws there that you can get a traffic ticket for going slower that the flow of traffic--even if the flow of traffic is above the speed limit! I'm not sure if the results are available online, though.

[RecoveringKinkoid]

Hey, awesome! Thanks for posting this! I have not seen this before, but it really is interesting and informative. I like the vid of the simulation, too.

Gonna show this to my mom, she's very interested in this stuff, too.

[Merriweather]

That and people who are just brake happy. Stop it. Damn you, I don't want to see those red lights illuminate unless you have a good reason. Toodling down the road in general is no reason to keep tapping your brakes.

Makes me think of years ago, when for some reason everyone had stupid bumper stickers about braking. They went from "Warning, I brake for pedestrians" to "Warning, I brake for garage sales" to "Warning, I brake for unicorns". My favourite was one that at least had a ring of truth - "Warning, I brake for no apparent reason".