Merging while towing(the other guy)

[c214dick]

So after 1200 miles of towing, for the first time in a year, I was reminded of how stupid, ignorant or inconsiderate the "other guy" can be. Because I try to maintain 60-62 mph while towing, I find myself being passed on a regular basis. As a result of that I always stay in the right lane like "slower traffic" should.

When I was in drivers ed they took us on the expressway so we could learn how to properly adjust our speed to merge with traffic. Now I know that it is never 100% and there is always instances where the merging traffic can't adjust to the right speed and so traffic in the right lane needs to help out, but......... There just seems to be more and more who don't have a clue. It's like when I lived in Ohio and one of my employees said the merge/yield sign means the expressway traffic should yield to the merging traffic. HUH????

My friend Wally, who drove a nice class A never let it bother him. He always said that he was bigger than them and it was their problem if they couldn't drive properly. A defensive driver he was not and I hope he has seen the light in that great CG in the sky when he passed away 2 years ago. Unlike Wally I yield to the merging traffic when they don't/can't merge properly. Besides if I lose there's way too much paper work to fill out.

Thanks for letting me rant,

[seahunter]

I hear you Dick - definite peeve of mine too. And people don't understand merging is speeding up to get in the flow of traffic or if you have to slow down and go in behind a vehicle if that is necessary.

[DQDick]

Too many times I find them speeding up to try and force their way in front of me when I have a semi next to me and another one tailgating me. Folks coming onto the freeway are the only major driving issue I experience regularly. Again it stems from the same thing, my setting the cruise control on 60 and refusing to go faster.

[Art-n-Marge]

The way I remember the description, merging means that the mainstream traffic is supposed to be letting in the merging traffic (hence the difference between merging and yielding). However, the merging traffic is supposed to have the sense to be speeding up to the mainstream traffic and when they don't, I'll cut them off. They are not supposed to slow mainstream traffic to merging speed traffic. This is what causes most of the tieups these days. In order to be considerate mainstream traffic often slows down to allow the ignorant merging traffic into the lanes. With all the braking and slowing down to allow this there will be a domino affect for the traffic farther behind and the recovery takes forever, if ever.

When towing I use your friend's Class A mentality. If they are too dumb to notice my rig coming down the road, then I won't hesitate to "school them". I've had to do this too many times, but this does wake them up. DW is real good at staring them down and shaking her head at them to humble them just in case they think they are in the right. This is why I try to travel on the second lane over, but only if there are enough lanes for me to sustain this.

It's terrible how obvious that there are so many ignorant or unaware drivers are out there. DW and I often make a game of these drivers and we can often predict way ahead of time when the driver is about to be an idiot. We'll start with, "Okay honey, we've got a live one coming up". And I'll already have my lights on just for some extra emphasis.

[steelpony5555]

Just drive thru Pittsburgh or Philly sometime, them people don't even look coming up the ramp, they just pull in. I have seen them sideswipe a car just cause the car was boxed in and could not get over.

[08UltraRider]

quote:Originally posted by Art-n-Marge

The way I remember the description, merging means that the mainstream traffic is supposed to be letting in the merging traffic (hence the difference between merging and yielding). However, the merging traffic is supposed to have the sense to be speeding up to the mainstream traffic and when they don't, I'll cut them off.

Art,

I couldn't agree more.

Where I come from both motorists have equal right of way. Otherwise there would be a yield sign.

[Bill-N-Donna]

We should always be more alert than the other guy and ready to make a defensive move even if we are in the right. Too many things can happen too quickly and a little extra care might sometimes avoid a bad situation.

[Pete Hanson]

In our area of the country most of the highway on-ramps have yield signs which obviously means that the merging cars need to yeild to the cars all ready cruising at high speeds. Seems to be common sense to me. Why do we expect that the high speed travelers should slow down for us to come onto the highway? We were always taught that if you can't get up to the proper speed to merge, which is the acceptable way to merge, then you yield. I find that people hate to be behind trucks or trailers so they will practically kill themselves to get ahead of us while entering the highway.

[Ozz]

That is the reason I put train horns on my truck. Austin Texas. I remember the 'merge' to this day, I was boxed in, she was smoking a cigarette and talking on the cell phone, almost hit us, I was blasting away with the truck horn, she just didn't hear me, didn't look.
They hear me now.

[Waynem]

Ozz, I love my air horn on the SOB, and when I had a motorcycle I had one on it. It moved some idiots over real fast that were "encroaching" with me having no place to go.

Just remember everyone, drive defensively. It is much better to slow down and yield than to have an accident and although you rigs are expensive, they are not worth a life.

[c214dick]

I like the air horn idea. If nothing else it will make me feel better when I do blow the horn at the airheads who don't know how to drive. On the other hand, Louise will probably be more ****** at me than I am at the drivers. Of course if I don't tell her about it she may think it's just another truck blowing it's horn.

[jjackflash]

Having driven a semi for many years I agree with your friend Wally. If a big truck has to slow down weighing out at 80,000 lbs. you can imagine the shifting that driver has to do in order to slow down and than shifting up to get back to speed. 18 gears makes a lot of work shifting,I always stayed at 55 to 60 MPH hoping the merging driver wakes up!
I've had drivers get upset because I wouldn't slow down,so they would either flip me their intelligence or come around in front of me and force me down to about 20MPH and than take off in the fast lane. Go Figure!

[Art-n-Marge]

Way to go jjackflash... I learned that move from semi truck drivers and apply it when I'm towing. I find I check my mirrors when towing than when I'm not. It's just a huge impulse to be more aware than when I'm not towing. All I need is the big horn and I'll be a better "teacher".

The opposite of all this is watching for the ever nimble and quick motorcycles. Those folks have the opposite mentality and can adjust themselves much better than ignorant drivers in vehicles. Because they have a much better sense of survival on the road, I tend to give them much more slack and they are much better at trying to preserve themselves. Their biggest fear is that they can lose the battle real fast with these same ignorant drivers, and I have witnessed this. Cell phones and inattentiveness do NOT belong on the road in any case.

[1retired06]

Bottom line, they will push in, and forget about a safety space between you and the car in front. Nobody want to be behind a fiver that blocks their view. Comes with the territory. Stay safe

[Waynem]

Happened to me again today. I was on the way home from the Cummins dealer and on the I-state. You lady is coming up on the on-ramp. Little puppy hanging out the drivers window, cell phone in her hand. I think she was texting. I Had nowhere to go with an 18 wheeler coming up on my left side. So about the time she got even with the front wheels I laid on the air horn, and I mean I stayed on it for at least 10 seconds. She sped up and got in front of me and that was the end of it. As the 18 wheeler came by me he waved. I did have to slow down a bit when she cut in front of me, but the exhaust brake took care of most of it.

Some one said the Id 10 T, and she was all of that.

[c214dick]

Now I know I'm getting an air horn.

[brenkco]

Since I began driving the 5er, I have all new respect for the big rig drivers that have to deal with this daily while they are making a living.

Ken

[c214dick]

I was in parts distribution for 32 years with 6 drivers. They taught me from day one how difficult it is for truck drivers way back than. I have and will continue to have respect for all drivers whether it be 18 wheelers, straight trucks or RVs. It's unfortunate that the driver's ed programs don't incorporate that into their on the road training.

And I am going out today to buy my air horns!!!!!

[richfaa]

http://www.catalogs.com/info/travel-...sign-mean.html ...............................................yie ld

http://wiki.answers.com/Q/In_USA_wha...r_traffic_flow.... Merge


Interesting.

[seahunter]

Well, I found a fundamental flaw in the one link which says:

“…At that point we practice correlating common sense with regulations…”

This is why people can't merge or yield, there is no longer any common sense! That, along with the techno-zombies who are texting or talking on their phones...