Grumpy Old Guys in Traffic

[SomeSailor]

So... I'm coming up the on ramp onto I-5 South this afternoon and this old guy is bound and determined he's not gonna let me merge in ahead of him.

You can see him peddling faster and onto the shoulder to squeeze through. I was a full 5 car lengths ahead before he even made the ramp.

(Full disclosure; he had the right of way since I was merging from the left, but I was watching him coming up on my right to press the issue.)

Ya gotta watch these old guys out there... they will accelerate to own that lane.

You've probably all see these guys out there.

[Alaskanmutt]

Maybe his cruise control was stuck on butthead.....

[bobofthenorth]

Maybe his cruise control was stuck on butthead.....

Somebody's was for sure. But I disagree with your assignment of blame.

[SomeSailor]

Yeah. It was kind of funny really. I saw him speeding up and on our Lexus there's a pretty bad blind spot right about the 4 o'clock position. He was pretty determined to claim his lane. I had the speed turned off on my dash cam, but were accelerating a pretty normal pace too for the highway merge.

[Alaskanmutt]

Not sure he had the right of way. You were in front and merging, in merging you have to give way

[SomeSailor]

Somebody's was for sure. But I disagree with your assignment of blame.

Not blaming him for anything, and you're right, he had the right of way. He was making sure I couldn't merge in front of him and determined to beat me to the merge.

Just a grumpy old guy.

[Alaskanmutt]

Somebody's was for sure. But I disagree with your assignment of blame.

No where did I assign any blame.........

[SomeSailor]

Not sure he had the right of way. You were in front and merging, in merging you have to give way

He was just crowding me and willing to leave the roadway to do it. Some folks are pretty possessive of those lanes.

[bobofthenorth]

No where did I assign any blame.........

So ".... maybe his cruise control was stuck on butthead" was just your way of saying they were both being nice guys? Sorry for misunderstanding you.

[SomeSailor]

Wasn't really posting as an opinion of who had the right of way really, but thanks for the input. Actually, if you'll notice I was already past the merge line, and he was OFF the road when he passed me in my blind spot. But hey... thanks for the heads up.

[dmcb]

If you think that is bad you should try driving a motorhome. As soon as I signal I am going to pass or change lanes those behind me pull over to pass me. Happens all the time. I finally just keep going and let them slow down or hit me. No one has yet. They don't get I am signaling my intentions, not asking for permission.
Sometimes I Just don't signal. Goes better that way.
My gripe on those entering with a merger is going slower than traffic they are attempting to merge with. If I can't get over I usually slow to let them in. But often they do opposite of what happened with Mike. They don't kick it and get in but take the entire merge lane to finally get into the mainstream.
But what this guy did was stupid or he badly misjudged his ability or his car's ability.

[SomeSailor]

It seems like they're getting worse out there everyday too. You can watch them accelerate as soon as they see your turn signal. It's like they're offended that you will be ahead of them in the line. It's crazy.

[dmcb]

When your driving a 40' motorhome towing a vehicle, when you need to change lanes it sometimes takes a while to find an opening. Then to have someone speed up to deprive of you of the change, well you know.
Doug

[SomeSailor]

Yep. My step-dad was a truck driver and I can relate to the frustration. It's more about trying to find an opening than preference. I'll intentionally follow a truck's turn signal if I can and then slow to open him a gap. A quick flash of the lights will let him know that he's clear. Times have sure changed though.

What kills me is how people will act behind the wheel, but wouldn't do standing in a line somewhere. They get pretty brave (and foolhardy) behind the wheel.

[dmcb]

I always give a truck an opening when I can. I slow down to let them enter. They are working, earning a living and I have lots of time.
Another thing that bothers me. Entering an expressway. Many times you can't tell if you enter from the right lane or the left. May not make a lot of difference with a car but a large rig just can't change lanes quickly. One nice thing about driving with a GPS on a route is you know which way.