Happy Truck

I'm driving on my 40 m.p.h. road with a black Toyota SUV on my tail. I rarely have too much trouble on that road because the limit is 40, but it seems like it could be less. Then, I turn onto my 30 m.p.h stretch and the lady in the SUV turns as well. Now, I know I'm in for some serious tailgating. But, wait, what's that up ahead? It's a big dump truck averaging 25-28. I just get a big smile on my face because now I don't have to worry about annoying the lady in the SUV. It's not my fault; I can't go any faster.

Something Nice

Usually, I talk about all the idiots who follow too close and then flip me off for driving the speed limit, but today I'll mention someone nice. Last night on my way home, I was stuck in the right lane with my left turn coming up soon. There was actually a car in the left lane going slower than the speed limit (and a car in the right lane only going slightly faster) so the cars were lined up behind it. I was trying to find an opening to get over and slowing down to try to let the cars on the left get by, but nothing worked. Finally, I turned on my blinker without any hope, and big truck flashed his lights and let me in. It was a wonderful gesture and very much appreciated. It was a great reminder to be nice and drive calmly.

Classic Tailgater - Allergic to the Middle Lane

I usually don't have too much trouble on the highway because people can always go by (I don't spend time in the left lane). This morning, I was on a 3-lane highway in the right lane. A black Jeep pulled up behind me very close about at least a mile before my exit (and what turned out to be his). He had all the classic tailgating signs (aside from being very close): the hands thrown up in exasperation, the shaking head, the talking to himself, the drifting a little onto the shoulder as if he was going to pass on right. The funny thing is that there was very little traffic. He had plenty of time to pass on the left and get back over long before the exit. The exit lane was very small, and I thought he was going to pass me as I was trying to get off. Then, when we finally got off the highway, he zipped by. I didn't look, but I'm betting he gave me the finger as he went by.

Yo-Yo Tailgating

I hate being followed by a yo-yo. It's bad enough when someone is sitting on my tail, but I think it is worse when someone is constantly getting closer and farther away. This happened to me this morning. When someone is constantly close, I feel like they have to be hyper-vigilant to stay that close without hitting me. With the yo-yo, I get the feeling that the person is just not paying attention, speeding up and then slowing down again when the car gets really close, and could rear-end me at any time.

Cautious Caravaning

Yesterday, my family went to Lancaster, PA (an hour and a half away) to our annual trip to the Demuth Garden Tour. My in-laws came as well. We were in two cars. For most of the drive up, I was in front with my brother-in-law driving behind me. When we arrived, my father-in-law said to me, "You are a cautious driver." I said I was simply driving the speed limit.

On the way back, we didn't stick together. My brother-in-law shot out ahead of me. We were meeting at a restaurant near our homes. About 10 minutes before we arrived, I told my wife to expect a call on her cell phone any second to let us know that the other car had arrived at the restaurant. The call came...right as we were pulling into the parking lot. For all my "cautious" driving, we still arrived at the restaurant about a minute apart.

Corporate Tailgating

Today, for the last couple of miles of my trip to work, I was tailgated by a van from Butler Mobility. Before he started tailgating me, he was tailgating the person behind me, who was keeping a safe following distance from me. I was hoping I would be able to catch one of those "How's my driving" stickers, but I didn't see one when he finally went by.

Stupid Human Tricks

On my way to work this morning, a pick-up truck pulled up behind me on my longest 30 m.p.h. stretch. He was very close for a couple of blocks, and then, in a no-passing zone, he zipped by me. He must have gotten up to 60 (I suppose he had to in order to get by before the oncoming traffic came). Then, I had to laugh. As soon as he got by me, he had to slow down to stop behind a line of cars stopped at a red light, and I pulled up right behind him. When the light turned green, he turned right, and I went straight. I figure the chance of dying from passing in the no-passing zone must be about 5 percent, which is comparable to the number of seconds (about 5 seconds) he saved by passing me.

Back to the Grind

I was off all last week preparing for my daughter's Bat Mitzvah. I'm back to the grind today and was tailgated most of the way to work by a woman in a gray Toyota SUV.