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Do you drive differently when you’re solo?

TarHeelMark

TarHeelMark

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I definitely drive more aggressively when I’m by myself than I do with family & friends in the car and I’m behind the wheel. I suppose it’s the paternal instinct that kicks in when my kids are with me.

Of course the world would be a better place if everyone drove as good as me. ;)
 
No, because I'm always solo.

1082
 
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Hark_The_Sound_2010 said:
Yes. Getting wherever I'm going 5 minutes slower is better than getting there 5 minutes earlier but having to listen to 15 minutes of the GF bitching that I was driving too fast.
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What you meant to say is that you drive more safely with her in the car because you have precious cargo aboard.

I'm here to help.
 
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I'm pretty much the same driver all the time, although I'm probably a little better with the dogs in the car. I drive the speed limit* and obey all traffic laws. Most people hate me. I don't care. I don't use my phone while driving, except when I'm using a bluetooth for phone conversations or having the Google Maps app open when I'm in an unfamiliar place.

* Speed limit should be changed to simply speed. If it says 45 mph, everyone should be required to go that speed. No more, no less, with some wiggle room for variation. Man I can't wait for self-driving cars.
 
Raising Heel said:
* Speed limit should be changed to simply speed. If it says 45 mph, everyone should be required to go that speed. No more, no less, with some wiggle room for variation.
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Agreed. Furthermore, if the speed limit is 45, I want you to get to 45 as quickly as possible. Like, if we’re at a red light, when the thing turns green, I want you to act like John Force on the drag strip. Mash that pedal, snap a neck and get going. Don’t slowly work your way up to 45 mph.
 
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gunslingerdick said:
Agreed. Furthermore, if the speed limit is 45, I want you to get to 45 as quickly as possible. Like, if we’re at a red light, when the thing turns green, I want you to act like John Force on the drag strip. Mash that pedal, snap a neck and get going. Don’t slowly work your way up to 45 mpg.
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Have you driven a Tesla? The 0-45 is especially impressive. Easily there in under 2 seconds
 
I do. I'm not really a speeder, but I'll take curves a lot harder when I'm alone in the car. When you're gripping 155hp of two liter, FWD fury, sometimes you've just got to let it roar. Hahaha.

I'm actually more prone to speed in my wife's Volvo than my Mazda. In the Mazda, you can feel and hear the speed. In the Volvo, it's all quite and bump-free, so speed sneaks up on you.
 
Raising Heel said:
* Speed limit should be changed to simply speed. If it says 45 mph, everyone should be required to go that speed. No more, no less, with some wiggle room for variation. Man I can't wait for self-driving cars.
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I'm honestly usually ok with people going a bit on either side of the speed limit. The ones who really chafe me are the ones going 10mph under on the interstate, so I go to pass them and they are going 10mph over the limit when I pull beside them.
 
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WhatTheHeel? said:
I do. I'm not really a speeder, but I'll take curves a lot harder when I'm alone in the car. When you're gripping 155hp of two liter, FWD fury, sometimes you've just got to let it roar. Hahaha.

I'm actually more prone to speed in my wife's Volvo than my Mazda. In the Mazda, you can feel and hear the speed. In the Volvo, it's all quite and bump-free, so speed sneaks up on you.
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What model Mazda you driving? I’ve got a 6 myself.
 
WhatTheHeel? said:
I'm honestly usually ok with people going a bit on either side of the speed limit. The ones who really chafe me are the ones going 10mph under on the interstate, so I go to pass them and they are going 10mph over the limit when I pull beside them.
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Yeah, that drives me crazy, especially if that person is riding the left lane. When you try to go by them, they get all offended and speed up so you can't. I don't know why some people get so bent out of shape when you want to pass them. It's nothing personal, I just want to drive at a higher speed than you. What's the big deal?
 
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coolwaterunc said:
Yeah, that drives me crazy, especially if that person is riding the left lane. When you try to go by them, they get all offended and speed up so you can't. I don't know why some people get so bent out of shape when you want to pass them. It's nothing personal, I just want to drive at a higher speed than you. What's the big deal?
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Exactly. But people in the right lane do that too... when you try to pass them, they speed up. WTH? Just set your damn cruise control and get the hell out of my way.
 
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WhatTheHeel? said:
The ones who really chafe me are the ones going 10mph under on the interstate, so I go to pass them and they are going 10mph over the limit when I pull beside them.
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TarHeelMark said:
Just set your damn cruise control and get the hell out of my way.
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I've said it before. Ninety percent of all highway problems could be eliminated if people would just a) maintain their speed and b) keep right except to pass.
 
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I'm pretty sure none of you would last a day driving in Atlanta. Your ass will get run over if you aren't doing at least 10 mph over the speed limit (during non rush hour times) and you have to drive aggressive. @TarHeelNation11 can back me up.
 
Driven in lots of places with bad traffic. I agree, Atlanta is “unique” with regards to speed, though.

Charlotte traffic is bad, but it moves. Most of the time.

Greensboro is as bad as Charlotte but there tend to be more idiots per capita who failed their driving test who suddenly decided that was OK. Worst is my morning commute. I run into the slow drivers in both lanes who pull that “speed up”’crap when you try to go around them. Ones I hate more than that are the ones who drive slow BESIDE another slow driver in the next lane so no one can get around. Since the highway I go to work on only has 2 lanes per side, that means no one can get past them for miles. Usually the moron in the passing lane speeds up and whips it around the other car about 20 feet before they have to exit. Then they look at you like YOU are the problem when you lay on the horn or give them the “look”.

Yesterday was a first for me though. On my way to work when a young dude in a POS Toyota decided to pass everyone on the exit lane on the right, then try to cut to the passing lane. He slammed on brakes, spun around, hit the concrete barrier and spun 2 more full times. Brought traffic to a stop. Homeboy spins it back around, takes off and exits before hauling arse through some side streets. Left part of his rear bumper in the road. Thankfully he didn’t hit anyone else, so I guess he figured all was good!
 
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tarheel0910 said:
I'm pretty sure none of you would last a day driving in Atlanta. Your ass will get run over if you aren't doing at least 10 mph over the speed limit (during non rush hour times) and you have to drive aggressive. @TarHeelNation11 can back me up.
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Inside the Perimeter, this is true. Atlanta's traffic is purely about volume and lack of alternate routes; it's not because people drive slow and cautious.
 
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Oh, and to answer the OP’s question, YES, I do. Mainly because my wife has neck problems so I have to drive a little more gingerly for her sake. When I’m alone in my truck, I am a little more free
 
Littlejon said:
Ones I hate more than that are the ones who drive slow BESIDE another slow driver in the next lane so no one can get around.
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Yes. These people are the bane of my existence. I don't have much problem switching lanes to get past the slower drivers, but when you get 2-3 of them driving the speed limit or below side by side, they screw over the rest of us that actually have somewhere to go.
 
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re: when people drive side by side at a slow speed on a 2-lane road,

Just get RIGHT behind the dude in the left lane and make him so nervous he gets over. If you ride someone long enough, they'll get over*




*unless it's two semis. Then they'll just say "f you" and keep the same speed.
 
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I don't drive differently when I'm solo.

I'm definitely a more conservative driver than I was in my teens and 20s, though. That comes from years of arriving at a stoplight or destination at pretty much the same time as the guy that was weaving, flooring it, and basically being a self-serving arsehole for the last five miles. You're generally not going to do much better than following the general flow of traffic; all you're doing is increasing your risk of an accident or ticket.

With that said, I still love to get on it from time to time on an open stretch or a piece of twisty road.

I do get frustrated with people who clog the left lane. And also with those who come flying around me and then pull back in my lane just to immediately turn off, forcing me to nail the brakes. Like, you realize you gained exactly zero seconds of time by doing that, right?
 
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In Atlanta, semis are not allowed to travel on 75/85 inside The Perimeter (Atlanta's bypass or belt line or whatever colloquial term you're comfortable with) as thru traffic, unless they're specifically making a delivery in Atlanta.

Sounds good in theory, but all it does is hopelessly clog the Perimeter. As a result, irony exists in that Atlantans avoid the "bypass" at all costs if they can because it's the complete opposite of a bypass.

BTW, @tarheel0910 are you aware this is even a thing? That semis have to use 285 and can't go through town on 75/85? I thought it was common knowledge, but I've talked to several folks lately who had no clue it was a thing.
 
Littlejon said:
Yesterday was a first for me though. On my way to work when a young dude in a POS Toyota decided to pass everyone on the exit lane on the right, then try to cut to the passing lane. He slammed on brakes, spun around, hit the concrete barrier and spun 2 more full times. Brought traffic to a stop. Homeboy spins it back around, takes off and exits before hauling arse through some side streets. Left part of his rear bumper in the road. Thankfully he didn’t hit anyone else, so I guess he figured all was good!
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I see ish like this almost every day in Charlotte. Just this morning, I was the third car in the left lane pulling up to a stoplight. A guy in the right lane weaved behind me, across the left lane, and into the unoccupied left turn lane...and then drove straight through the red light. The left-turning semi in front of us narrowly avoided hitting him. Almost wish he had.

Here's my new "favorite" move. You're waiting at a stop light, going straight through the intersection. As soon as the light turns green, the left-turning car from the opposite direction floors it and cuts in front of your path.

I had a woman in a red Mercedes convertible do this to me a few years ago. If I hadn't slammed on my brakes, I would have absolutely T-boned her car. I laid on the horn. Wouldn't have thought much of it again if she hadn't flipped me off after I honked at her. That got my blood boiling. I cut through a side street to intercept her. Ended up catching her parked in a handicap spot at the Episcopal church a block away. Her morbidly obese self was getting out of the car when I pulled up. She started mouth off before I interrupted her and said, "You know what you did. Maybe you should go inside ask for forgiveness." She just huffed at me and walked away. I thought fat people were supposed to be jolly.
 
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coolwaterunc said:
Semi trucks should be obligated to stay in the right lane at all times on the highway. No exceptions.
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This would cause even more problems, IMO. They would constantly have to adjust their speed (read: brake) to deal with merging traffic since some people are idiots and don't know how to merge. The result would be cars overloading the left lane to avoid being behind a semi, which could potentially make the problem even worse.
 
Raising Heel said:
I see ish like this almost every day in Charlotte. Just this morning, I was the third car in the left lane pulling up to a stoplight. A guy in the right lane weaved behind me, across the left lane, and into the unoccupied left turn lane...and then drove straight through the red light. The left-turning semi in front of us narrowly avoided hitting him. Almost wish he had.

Here's my new "favorite" move. You're waiting at a stop light, going straight through the intersection. As soon as the light turns green, the left-turning car from the opposite direction floors it and cuts in front of your path.

I had a woman in a red Mercedes convertible do this to me a few years ago. If I hadn't slammed on my brakes, I would have absolutely T-boned her car. I laid on the horn. Wouldn't have thought much of it again if she hadn't flipped me off after I honked at her. That got my blood boiling. I cut through a side street to intercept her. Ended up catching her parked in a handicap spot at the Episcopal church a block away. Her morbidly obese self was getting out of the car when I pulled up. She started mouth off before I interrupted her and said, "You know what you did. Maybe you should go inside ask for forgiveness." She just huffed at me and walked away. I thought fat people were supposed to be jolly.
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Pissed off road rage Raising Heel is one of my favorite Raising Heels. Not gonna lie.
 
TarHeelNation11 said:
BTW, @tarheel0910 are you aware this is even a thing? That semis have to use 285 and can't go through town on 75/85? I thought it was common knowledge, but I've talked to several folks lately who had no clue it was a thing.
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I didn't know about it. Guess you have to be one of the 7 people who were born in Atlanta to know about that kind of stuff.
 
Raising Heel said:
It's one of the only times I ever get mad about anything. Real Jekyll and Hyde stuff. You're gonna be disappointed by #RVlife since it's a relatively chill method of travel.
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There's couches, a fridge, and a TV.... I think I'll be okay without Road Rage Raising Heel. I can always just instigate a stupid debate over nothing if I really wanna get you worked up.
 
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Littlejon said:
Driven in lots of places with bad traffic. I agree, Atlanta is “unique” with regards to speed, though.

Charlotte traffic is bad, but it moves. Most of the time.

Greensboro is as bad as Charlotte but there tend to be more idiots per capita who failed their driving test who suddenly decided that was OK. Worst is my morning commute. I run into the slow drivers in both lanes who pull that “speed up”’crap when you try to go around them. Ones I hate more than that are the ones who drive slow BESIDE another slow driver in the next lane so no one can get around. Since the highway I go to work on only has 2 lanes per side, that means no one can get past them for miles. Usually the moron in the passing lane speeds up and whips it around the other car about 20 feet before they have to exit. Then they look at you like YOU are the problem when you lay on the horn or give them the “look”.

Yesterday was a first for me though. On my way to work when a young dude in a POS Toyota decided to pass everyone on the exit lane on the right, then try to cut to the passing lane. He slammed on brakes, spun around, hit the concrete barrier and spun 2 more full times. Brought traffic to a stop. Homeboy spins it back around, takes off and exits before hauling arse through some side streets. Left part of his rear bumper in the road. Thankfully he didn’t hit anyone else, so I guess he figured all was good!
Click to expand...

I stopped complaining about Charlotte after going through Greensboro a few times.
 
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TarHeelMark said:
Greensboro doesn't have as much gridlock as Charlotte or Raleigh, but I'm certain we have a higher percentage of idiot drivers.
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Amen, brother!

You want to see them in full force, drive 29 at 7:30 in the morning. About the only thing worse is when I get on Wendover off of 29 to get to the office. Talk about idiots!
 
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