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Two similar sightings on the way home from work on Boxing Day.
Tailgater 1
*background* I've been listening to Michael Crawford's Christmas album for a few days in a row and I'm a bit tired of it and wanted a break to other Christmas music. But I didn't decide that until after I'd gotten onto the highway.
I made a point of waiting 4-5 miles until I crossed the state border, mainly because there's a welcome center there with a parking lot. So, I could make a quick pit stop without getting off the highway and yet not being in any one's way, or gluing my face to the ipod while driving etc.
So.. once that was all set up I headed back out and into traffic. The cars in the right lane were kind and swung out to the left to let the car ahead and my car into traffic. We were both doing about 75 (70mph) and there was a car or two to the left passing us.
I was doing about 75 in a 70 zone. The car ahead of me was doing just about that too and I had considered passing it just for room but... there were cars to the left. So no dice. All I could do was maintain speed and just wait for the other traffic to clear out.
Then zips in the tailgater. She came up close to me - and closer yet. Close enough that I stopped being able to see her plate. And yet I had nowhere to go. Couldn't go to the left, couldn't go faster. Yet she got closer still.
Finally at the last second she swerved to the left - just as the car or two there passed by - and started tailgating that car too.
Irony... she ended up taking the next exit to the right anyway.
Tailgater 2
Same trip, just about 3-4 miles down the road.
I didn't really feel like going fast. I was comfortable where I was - doing around 70-75 without crowding anyone else. The car head of me wasn't going fast either and normally I'd have never pulled around him except... we were coming up on another exit/merge and I could see a car on the onramp.
So I pulled to the left lane to give it room to get on and I take it up to 80mph long enough to get past both cars. And of course the left lane was clear to get into - the only vehicle there was a pickup truck some ways back... but I can tell that he's going at a good clip and would eventually reach me.
I pass both cars on the right and merge in behind a slow van. Of course as I was merging I took the foot of the gas so I could match the van's speed and maintain a proper following distance at 70. And since the cars I passed were both doing 70 as well, it's a smooth merge with proper distance all around.
Except for the pickup. I find it a bit odd he didn't notice the slow van on the right. And that there was like 20+ car-lengths ahead of that van of clear road... because he, still doing 80 or more, decided he wanted to be behind... me. and now I'm doing 70.
Yet like the car from the first story... he doesn't actually pull back into the left lane until he's right up behind me. and again I have a rear-view window full of his headlights.
Maybe it's me but what is SO HARD about scanning the mid-distant and distant road for traffic conditions? Sure sometimes you can't see past a truck but... there weren't many trucks in the area for either story. Just people who seemed to lack the ability to judge the speed of the cars ahead of them and see that "gee this car I'm coming up to is getting closer and closer and closer"
Tailgater 1
*background* I've been listening to Michael Crawford's Christmas album for a few days in a row and I'm a bit tired of it and wanted a break to other Christmas music. But I didn't decide that until after I'd gotten onto the highway.
I made a point of waiting 4-5 miles until I crossed the state border, mainly because there's a welcome center there with a parking lot. So, I could make a quick pit stop without getting off the highway and yet not being in any one's way, or gluing my face to the ipod while driving etc.
So.. once that was all set up I headed back out and into traffic. The cars in the right lane were kind and swung out to the left to let the car ahead and my car into traffic. We were both doing about 75 (70mph) and there was a car or two to the left passing us.
I was doing about 75 in a 70 zone. The car ahead of me was doing just about that too and I had considered passing it just for room but... there were cars to the left. So no dice. All I could do was maintain speed and just wait for the other traffic to clear out.
Then zips in the tailgater. She came up close to me - and closer yet. Close enough that I stopped being able to see her plate. And yet I had nowhere to go. Couldn't go to the left, couldn't go faster. Yet she got closer still.
Finally at the last second she swerved to the left - just as the car or two there passed by - and started tailgating that car too.
Irony... she ended up taking the next exit to the right anyway.
Tailgater 2
Same trip, just about 3-4 miles down the road.
I didn't really feel like going fast. I was comfortable where I was - doing around 70-75 without crowding anyone else. The car head of me wasn't going fast either and normally I'd have never pulled around him except... we were coming up on another exit/merge and I could see a car on the onramp.
So I pulled to the left lane to give it room to get on and I take it up to 80mph long enough to get past both cars. And of course the left lane was clear to get into - the only vehicle there was a pickup truck some ways back... but I can tell that he's going at a good clip and would eventually reach me.
I pass both cars on the right and merge in behind a slow van. Of course as I was merging I took the foot of the gas so I could match the van's speed and maintain a proper following distance at 70. And since the cars I passed were both doing 70 as well, it's a smooth merge with proper distance all around.
Except for the pickup. I find it a bit odd he didn't notice the slow van on the right. And that there was like 20+ car-lengths ahead of that van of clear road... because he, still doing 80 or more, decided he wanted to be behind... me. and now I'm doing 70.
Yet like the car from the first story... he doesn't actually pull back into the left lane until he's right up behind me. and again I have a rear-view window full of his headlights.
Maybe it's me but what is SO HARD about scanning the mid-distant and distant road for traffic conditions? Sure sometimes you can't see past a truck but... there weren't many trucks in the area for either story. Just people who seemed to lack the ability to judge the speed of the cars ahead of them and see that "gee this car I'm coming up to is getting closer and closer and closer"
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