Date: Fri, 9 Nov 2012 06:30:11 -0800
Reply-To: Don Hanson <dhanson928@GMAIL.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Don Hanson <dhanson928@GMAIL.COM>
Subject: Re: LED Tail Lights
In-Reply-To: <509C7723.1090002@turbovans.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1
On Thu, Nov 8, 2012 at 7:23 PM, Scott Daniel - Turbovans <
scottdaniel@turbovans.com> wrote:
>
> I have to shake people off frequently ...mostly when I am driving in one
> lane on a two lane in each direction road or freeway and people just
> cruise up tome ( mostly empty highway ) and 'lock on'.
> They love to do that in California. Extremely dumb drivers that way.
>
I encounter that behavior a lot. A car will catch up to me, come up
pretty close and then remain there for miles and miles. Out in the desert
and high plains country in the West, where the highway is just two lane but
there is no traffic and no terrain that blocks the view, drivers will still
sit on your tail despite unlimited passing opportunities.
Curiosity caused me to once allow a following car to stay on my bumper on
2-lane Wa. SR 14 along the shore of the Columbia River. I was curious to
see how long they'd remain there, despite them coming up pretty fast when
they 'arrived' on my tailgate. They followed along, about 20' back as I
traveled west at 55-60mph for over 50 miles!, until we hit the next
intersection at the 'town' of Maryhill. And.....That driver Glared at me
as he turned off, like I was 'holding him up' or something.....There are
probably only about a dozen miles along that stretch where a pass would
have been even a slight challenge, maybe two total miles of solid center
line in our lane over that 50 mile stretch. 65mph speed limit. Almost a
full hour of that car following me at ~20' back.....Nobody else in
sight.....Weird...
It's often necessary to slow up to about 30mph before some goof behind
you will finally take the plunge and go around. I don't want anyone who's
driving skills are so shaky on my tail for too long. When someone misses
multiple chances to pass me and sits there for more than a few miles, I
assume they're on the phone, putting on make up, doing their email or not
paying attention in some other way and I gradually slow up to force them
off my rear bumper.
It can also be challenging, in the Vanagon, when you encounter a gaggle
of vehicles where this 'following behavior' is going on. Getting past
multiple vehicles, all being held up by one driver who's too lame to
simply pass the slow vehicle....sometimes this isn't so easy....On my
sportbike..no problemo, but the Vanagon takes a bit of 'planning' to get
around multiple vehicles in one shot, or to leapfrog along a bunch
......and you must be very aware (and prepared to take action) if maybe,
just maybe that dullard who's been following the fruit truck or motorhome
for 10 miles without passing will finally decide to make his pass without
first checking his mirror, right then, when you are going around him....
At night, it is especially irritating to have someone hanging behind for
mile after mile, though I 'get it' that passing at night might be a little
beyond the skill-set of many city drivers who're only comfortable on
freeways and multi-lane lighted boulevards.
And of course, there's the Left Lane speed limit Enforcers we have here in
the NW who drive along on the empty interstate in the left lane at just
below the limit and give you the "Stink-Eye" when you pass them using the
right hand lane......
D. Hanson
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