Which is the devil and which the angel?

Every now and then, I find myself going too fast (OK, probably a little more than every now and then). When this happens, I usually try to slow down to get back to the speed limit. But I hate when I'm going several miles per hour over the speed limit, and I already have someone sitting on my tail. At that point, I have the little angel and little devil on each shoulder. I'm not sure which one is saying which thing, but one says that slowing down too much now is like false advertising; someone got behind you assuming you would be continuing at the current speed (even if it is too slow for them). The other is saying, screw the bastard; if he/she is already tailgating, he/she deserves to be slowed down even further. I usually compromise and slow down gradually, hoping the tailgater will turn off or find a good place to pass.

I hate BMWs

Today's loser car is a BMW. I was driving down the street in the right lane when I saw a man walking in the street. I thought the left lane would be a better bet at about the same time the BMW behind me thought the left lane would be a good lane to pass me. She honked, and I got over as soon as I got by the pedestrian (I think the sidewalk was still covered with snow). So far, that was pretty normal. But then the BMW just started weaving from right to left lane trying to pass everyone and not getting very far. The roads were pretty clear, but this driving was dangerous in any condition.

Lots of Snow -- Drivers Taking It Slow

The roads are pretty good, but there is still a lot of snow and slush around. I have been taking the highways and avoiding the side streets as much as possible. The highways are completely clear, and the drivers are driving normally (that is, fast). On the side streets, everyone seems to have dropped their speed so I'm only slightly below average now.

No ones driving today as we're snowed in. We are up to about 1 foot of snow, and it is showing not sign of letting up. It is supposed to keep snowing through the night.

Stupid Risks

I have no illusion that people driving faster than me aren't getting there faster. That is, I know that, on average, it takes me longer to get where I'm going. I can still hope sometimes. Today, I was driving, and an older Buick passed me by crossing the double yellow lines. The funny (or stupid) part about it was that he passed me just to get behind a line of three cars in front of me. For part of the way, we were all going less than the speed limit, and then the speed picked up so the group of three cars plus the Buick go ahead, just a bit. I could still see them most of the way until we got to a traffic light. At the traffic light, the Buick went around the other cars and through the red light. Had he not done that, his passing me wouldn't have gotten him where he was going any faster.

I sure hope he was going somewhere important...perhaps, he was late for his driving lesson...or traffic court.

Be Nice - Drive a Mercedes

I try to pay attention to what types of cars are behind me. I'm trying to figure out if there is a pattern (although I'm not being very scientific about it). On my ride to work, there is a big stretch of road that is 30 m.p.h., which is where the I run into the worst tailgaters. Today, for most of that stretch, a very nice looking Mercedes was following me. I had a theory that luxury-car drivers were the worst offenders as I've noticed a lot of Lexuses (Lexi?) tailgating me. But this Mercedes was a perfect gentleman, keeping a safe following distance the whole way. Then, I turned off onto another 30 m.p.h. road, and another Mercedes (an SUV) was behind me and also keeping a safe distance. I was disappointed when the Mercedes SUV turned off, leaving a taxi cab right on my tail.

I don't think this would work as a marketing campaign for Mercedes (Be Nice - Drive a Mercedes), but you never know.

Highway vs. Back Roads

Today, I had to stop for gas so I took the highway to work. It's about the same amount of time if there is no traffic, but there is usually traffic in the morning on the highway. Today, the traffic was fairly light, and the highway was great.

When I told a friend I was writing this blog, she said that she always drives close to the speed limit on the highway, but usually goes faster on the back roads. It's not that I never get tailgated on the highway, but I am finding the highway much easier and less stressful. The main stress comes on the back roads where traffic has no safe way to get by. As long as I stick to one of the right lanes on the highway, the ride is smooth.

Another friend once told me that limousine drivers will often drive the speed limit in the left lane to make the ride as comfortable as possible for their passengers. They don't have to deal with traffic getting on and off the highway and can generally keep a constant speed. Aside from feeling like a jerk (remember, I'm not trying to annoy anyone--just trying to drive safely), I would feel constantly stressed sitting in the left lane going slower than most of the traffic.