Date:         Fri, 17 May 2002 11:02:32 -0500
Reply-To:     Chris Mills <scmills@TNTECH.EDU>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Chris Mills <scmills@TNTECH.EDU>
Subject:      Re: Bumper Stickers (a bit of a rant) - passing story
In-Reply-To:  <000001c1fd59$16d1f620$6401a8c0@tdaoffice>
Content-type: text/plain; format=flowed; charset=iso-8859-1

>Bottom line is that the person following you may have an emergency you are
>not aware of or just in a hurry.
>
>Pull over and let them pass. That's the only sensible thing to do. Wouldn't
>you feel like a real fool if you held someone up or threw them a finger to
>later discover they had a life threatening emergency.

I lived in Italy for 3 years thanks to the US NAVY. It was the best 3 years 
of my unmarried life. For much of that time I drove a 40 HP '72 Beetle. 
That's the same as a '73 over here.

The first long trip to Rome I took on the famed Autostrada, I discovered 
very good highways three lanes wide with guard rails the whole way on both 
sides. I rode in the right lane at ~60 mph only to discover that I was 
catching a passing alot of tour busses and heavy trucks. So I moved to the 
middle lane where everybody travelled.

I should probably mention that  there is an 80 mph speed limit. They don't 
enforce it unless you cause a traffic accident. If there is an accident and 
they can prove you were speeding then it's your fault no debate. $$$ or 
rather £ £ £ !

Anyhow we often ran 100 mph in my Rabbit convertible to Rome and back and 
got passed so it was not uncommon to see VERY fast cars zipping down the 
highway past us.

Back to the story...

I got in the left lane running ~70 mph to pass a tour bus that was passing 
a big truck. I glanced in the rear view mirror right before I did it and 
all was clear. As soon as I hit the "bow wave" coming off of the tour bus I 
couldn't pass the bus - lack of HP. I glanced in the rear view mirror and 
noticed flashing headlights WAY, WAY, WAY back there. I pushed the pedal 
into the floor a bit harder and gained no speed of course.

I glanced into the rear view mirror (just a few seconds later) and all I 
could see was the front end of a big Mercedes car on my rear bumper ~1 
meter away. Inside was an Armani suited, sunglasses wearing Italian 
Stallion cussing little Beetle bugs (I had local license plates so he did 
not know I was a recently arrived American).

I finally got past the bus and forever stayed out of the way. I learned 
that everyone took highway etiquette VERY seriously. Pass on the left only, 
slower cars to the right, etc. Left blinker says you are in the left lane 
and moving fast, get out of the way, blinking headlights meant here I come 
ready or not. And if you are driving an underpowered econobox (aka a 40 HP 
Beetle) stay out of the left lane no matter what.

On the return trip I was passed by a Jetta I think that was running 120 
mph+ and almost sucked my Beetle into the fast lane as he blew past me. 
Sports bikes were blinding fast on the autostrada too.

When I moved back to the states and found myself running faster than the 
traffic around me - say 80 versus 70 mph of the slower traffic - and not in 
a 40 HP Beetle - I discovered there is no highway etiquette at all. 
Flashing your lights means you are an impatient A*&hole that deserves to be 
stuck behind a slow truck. People apparently don't ever consider there 
MIGHT be a reason for this. I rushed to a hospital when I almost lost a 
couple finger and nobody would get out of the way - hazard lights, horn, 
etc. Most people will slow down than get out of the way. Last weekend I had 
one minivan driver pull up beside me (I was running slightly over the speed 
limit at 73 mph in a Honda) and slow. Once I did get behind him, he decided 
he needed to hold 70 mph while the traffic stacked up behind him - there 
was a 70 mph pickup in the slow lane. He literally forgot he was SHARING 
the road! <grin>

Lot's of people like that on this side of the ocean. Sure miss the Italian 
drivers - very serious drivers.

I did get around Mr. Minivan and put some distance between us for fun and 
to make the point that he did not alone set the pace out there on the big 
superslab. I doubt he even noticed.


Chris Mills in TN