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From: kdh@houti.UUCP (K.HUNTER)
Newsgroups: net.flame
Subject: Re: 55mph & common courtesy
Message-ID: <365@houti.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 4-Aug-83 13:06:01 EDT
Article-I.D.: houti.365
Posted: Thu Aug  4 13:06:01 1983
Date-Received: Thu, 4-Aug-83 17:16:54 EDT
Lines: 46

WRT the following:

	... I think that I can safely say that the majority
	of us drivers who resort to getting close to the
	{G, g}uh`y in front of them as a hint to please
	pull over to the right have at that point gone through
	the normal hints - (getting moderately close, quick flick
	headlights...) only to be ignored or somehow not seen.
				(J. Morton)

Respectfully, I must disagree with this point.  In my experience,
which includes driving from New Jersey, New York, and a LOT in
Mass (I first got my license there)  I have seen relatively few
of the 90-mph-er's who do that.  Most of the ones I have encountered
roar right up to about 3 feet off your bumper, pause there, presumably
waiting for you to pull over through the car which is cruising on your
right, and, if you don't within 3.8 milliseconds, turn on the high beams.
I DO make it a point to pull over under such circumstances, but I get
highly annoyed that these people will not let me have the time to safely
pull out of their way, without speeding up to their speed to get around
the car to my right, or cutting him/her off sharply.  This is of particular
annoyance in heavy traffic, when it may be nearly impossible to pull
to the right, a fact of which these people must be aware.
	Which brings me to my own personal pet peeve.  Why is it that you
(that's a global, generic, not personal "you") people who claim to be
able to drive safely at high speed, to get less tired, etc., don't tend
to pass safely?  In the circumstance mentioned above, I have yet to see
a driver who doesn't begin to pass me when I have only about half pulled
over.  This applies to the 90-mph-up-the-middle-lane-pull-left-to-get-around-me
people too.  The net result of this is that your car comes within about 1.5
feet of mine (.5 meters, sorry), a distance which not only makes me highly
nervous, but which is an extreme safety hazard to me should something happen
in front of me.  (This actually happened - I was pulling over, when I saw
a HUGE pothole (the car I was pulling in behind swerved around it) and thus
pulled a foot or so back into my original lane (which I had only partially
left at this point) to avoid being creamed.  Lo and behold,
I find myself married to the front bumper of the Caddie which was trying to get
around me).
	Moral:  There are those of us out here who don't like to exceed
60mph, but who are perfectly willing to get out of your way if given
sufficient (a few seconds) time to do it safely.  Please let us do so
before you resume your previous velocity.

					I drive a Pinto and don't want to
					be rear-ended,
						Kevin Hunter