I TOTALLY 101% agree. In Texas, since I got my MINI, NEVER have I seen these ugly soccer moms and fatso SUV drivers so freaking MEAN as hell. What is their problem? I can't stand them BECAUSE they can't stand sharing the road with a car that isn't as fat as theirs. Ugh. Some people should not be allowed to drive. I mean it.

 

Agree completely! 99.9% of the truckers I've seen are true professionals. I don't think I would have the patience to put up with what they do everyday.

 

Most folks (I reckon) including truckers, don't expect the performance level of the Cooper S. Certainly when I join the freeway, I rely on 2nd gear to deliver me to 65 mph in a very big hurry - I choose my gap knowing that, but the other drivers choose differently because they expect slow.

So those of us that use the car occasionally must expect to surprise the public.

However.

For a professional driver - surprised or not - to roll on the throttle rather than off the throttle when another vehicle is aiming to merge ahead is a disappointing ( but not too surprising ) and inappropriate reaction.

As you note, it can also get damned desperate.

I'm glad you had a Plan B for that merge that worked.

It is what it is.

Cheers,

Charlie

 

*Probably just avoid reading this if you are/have been a truck driver.* I'm sure some are actually good blah blah but I've yet to see anything but crappy ones.

Truck drivers are the worst. First of all, this subculture, by nature, tends to drive without adequate rest and while on the phone. The trailers they pick up look like they haven't been inspected in ages and I can see their bald/damaged tires and rims, ready to go at any time. They love to ride side by side and back up traffic on the interstate (especially I26 from Charleston to the upstate of SC where it's 2 lanes for 200 miles). Can't count the number of times when they've started to merge into my lane when I would have been clearly visible in their mirrors.

A couple weeks ago, I saw a driver put a woman in a Forester (with child in back seat) off the interstate into the grass because he merged without looking. As we flew by the guy to get around him, myself and everyone to the front and rear blew our horns and gave him the bird, one by one. Family friend was killed when a truck driver crossed the center cabling on I85 and hit him head on, demolishing his Tahoe. Another friend was killed in a rollover accident on I26 near Charleston and was ejected onto the roadway. A semi hit him and kept going like nothing happened. Needless to say, I hate them and in the MINI I'm extra cautious.

And don't get me started on women in large SUVs. Their husbands put them there because they know they suck at driving and would prefer they killed someone else on the way to soccer practice.

 

This is crap. The person changing lanes (merging) now can legally not bother to get up to speed, not look for an open spot, just blindly cut over and to hell with anybody who is already in that lane. Which is the way it usually happens anyway.

 

Nice driving Bozo.

They say driving is no video game...................these days I beg to differ.

 

Agree. My personal take on driving is I try to conduct myself and my vehicle in a manner that does not require others to react to my driving aside from out of courtesy (pulling out on a busy road in traffic, etc.).

Too many idiots pull their big SUVs out in front of you and just assume you'll stop or brake for them. If I pull out in front of you, you're not going to have to hit the brakes because I'm on the gas. Bottom line is you can't rely on other drivers to do anything but suck at driving and keep texting/talking so expect nothing less.

 

I think you're going to have the Bozos no matter what. The 20/80 rule applies to drivers too. However, it's nothing more than the common courtesy that I bet you and 90% of the people on this board already show.

Examples: In Idaho, most of the freeways are 30 to 40 years old and have short ramps with speed limits of 75, so the (often sparse) traffic is moving at 75-80 mph. You see a slower vehicle accelerating on the on-ramp and can tell there will be a conflict. You move to the inside lane so they can enter the freeway. If the inside lane is occupied, you either speed up or slow down to make room and avoid the conflict. That's all the law requires.

In Boise, where I get on the freeway from my office, there are four westbound lanes. Oddly, everyone seems to want to ride bumper to bumper in the far outside lane. While most people in Boise are pretty considerate as drivers, I've had Bozos see me coming to merge onto the freeway and they close the space between them and the car in front of them to try to keep me from merging in front of them. They create a solid wall of cars blocking anyone who attempts to merge. I know they are impressed by how small a space I can fit my MINI in when merging because sometimes they honk the horn and signal that I'm number 1!

I don't think it's too much to ask that people don't accelerate to try to keep others from entering the freeway. That's how this thread got started. Seems so much better that people open up a little space for merging traffic. Yes, there will be the morons -- there always are and always will be. But a little courtesy goes a long way. Just my opinion.

 

Over the years I've learned that anyone driving faster than me is insane and anyone driving slower than me is an idiot.

 

I hate dealing with other drivers on the road. majority of them are complete idiots. you have to wonder what moron actually issued them a license. people nowadays have no common sense much less courtesy for other drivers. The highways here in CT are bad to say the least. I have driven cross country from CA to CT 4-5 times now. some states are better than others but most people do suck. I don't drive a semi but do drive a tanker hauling about 3,000 gallons of oil. the truck weighs around 50k pounds when loaded and doesn't stop for crap but no one seems to realize that when they cut me off or jam on their brakes. I get the morons that think the mini is a slow car and get quite upset when they find out it's not I usually get on the highway in 2nd or 3rd and when I see someone isn't going to let me in I just give it more throttle and slip in right in front of them.
And let's not even get started on construction zones and the idiots that can't read the signs saying lane closed ahead

 

In Kansas City they are doing construction on I70 and people fly down the lane that is going to end just to get ahead of everyone. once in a while a big rid or truck will ride 3/4 of the way in that lane to block people from getting in the front which is funny

 

If you think that's crazy, in Texas, people frequently use the emergency lanes to PASS people during rush hour. I cannot believe nobody has been hit by a car yet. But the tragedy is that it's going to happen one day. The morons who do this deserve to have their license suspended for two weeks. And if they accidentally kill someone, no driver's license for life. I find nothing excessive about that. That's why I'd be scared to death if I have to pull over in heavy traffic. Someone could be charging down the emergency lane at 75 mph just because they don't want to wait five seconds (yes, five s e c o n d s). Ugh. There's a reason the German police make it illegal to pass on the right. I learned why VERY quickly when I first drove on a highway in Dallas. One day, one of these idiots is going to hit me.

 

I had this happen to me a couple months ago by a US Mail Truck...a US Mail Truck??!!

On our commute home just last week some A-Hole in a White Chevy Pickem' Up was tailgating us, so I (the passenger) took a pic., he proceeded to move over into the middle lane, then swiftly back over into our lane, cutting us off, no blinker no nothing...all while pulling a 16' Trailer that came about 6" from hitting us!!

Seems like the roadways are getting worse and worse with people living in our "It's All about ME!!" society!!

 

I think this area was an exercise in how not to build roads, the lack of merge lanes is just befuddling and really makes me glad to have an S so I can avoid all the morons trying to kill me. Of course the other side of this is I typically move over to let people merge and then they never let me back over -_-;

 

Major +1