Audi Caravan

[ed armstrong]

Let me jump in here if I may....

As someone who has just experienced the amazing German
autobahns and even autoroutes of France and Spain (see
my post "European Impressions") I can say that the
underlying key to safe high speed driving is following
the axiom "Pass left, drive right." We may say that
this style is encouraged here (in the US) as well, but
over there it is followed like a religion. In Europe,
the fast drivers _expect_ you to move over from the
fast lane and they will _wait_ until you do so. They
themselves will move over too at the first sight of
clear traffic in the right hand lane. In 3000 km of
driving I only witnessed a "pass on the right" one
time!

What we are seeing in these discussions is a evolution
to the European driving style but they will never be
equivalent I'm afraid. There are just too many drivers
here who think driving the limit or 10 mph over the
limit gives them the "right" to stay in the left hand
lane (are pickups and SUVs the worst offenders here
??).

That said I think following the idea of not cruising
in the fast land and staying put if faster traffic is
gaining is probably a pretty good one in the US.
However, I personally would never pass anyone at a
high rate of speed on the right. I would slow down
behind them, give them a _chance_ to move over (how
else are they ever going to learn?) and then if they
are still hoggin make my pass at reduced rate of speed
on the right.




--- JShadzi at aol.com wrote:
> I agree with Marc.  Lets just say that ocassionally
> I go 20+ mph over traffic, and the last thing I'd
> want to for someone to move to the right lane right
> in front of me as I attempt to pass them on the
> left.  It happens to me all the time.  If someone is
> coming up on you with a 20mph speed increse, STAY
> WHERE YOU ARE unless you're looking to get rear
> ended.
>
> Generally speaking, I don't cruise in the fast lane,
> and that is what bugs me... but if I'm going 110 and
> coming up on a car going 75, I don't expect them to
> move over, I go around them, if they can even see
> me.  If the Audi that flashed you was at fault, it
> was for expecting you to move over in the heat of
> the moment, he should have just gone around you.
> Race track rules should have applied there.
>
> Bottom line:  Don't cruise in the fast lane, and if
> someone is gaining on you rapidly, stay put.
>
> Javad
>
> In a message dated Mon, 15 Jul 2002 2:41:26 PM
> Eastern Standard Time, Marc Swanson
> <mswanson at sonitrol.net> writes:
>
> >> If you are in the left lane and don't move over
> for a
> >> faster car, you are impeding traffic and you are
> in the wrong.
> >> You don't own the road, you only rent it. Very
> little irritates me more than
> >> people who dawdle in the left lane and refuse to
> move over. If 80 mph is
> >> 'your safe zone' for speeding you can do it in
> the right lane just as easy
> >> and move to the left when it comes time to
> pass... Instead you feel its your
> >> right to impose it on other people. If you are in
> a state with a law against
> >> passing on the right (most), you have just made
> the other guy either break
> >> another traffic law or hold himself to your
> standards of what is the correct
> >> speed on the highway.
> >
> >
> >While I mostly agree with you, some tolerance needs
> to be given for
> >situations where say, traffic in the left lane is
> moving at 60 on a
> >65mph 2 lanes each direction road and you move over
> to pass at say 75.
> >As you are passing say 2 or 3 cars doing 60 some
> traffic flies up at
> >well over 75... say 95 or 100.  Is the guy passing
> on the left at 75 in
> >the wrong for staying in the left lane long enough
> to execute his pass
> >and then move over?  I certainly agree that
> everyone should make use of
> >their rear view mirror and exercise common courtesy
> when
> >travelling/passing in the left lane but you
> shouldn't expect everybody
> >to floor it and complete their pass to get out of
> your way 5 seconds
> >faster than otherwise....
> >
> >
> >my $0.02
> >
> >--
> >----------------------------------
> >Marc Swanson, Software Engineer
> >Sonitrol Communications Corp.
> >Hartford, CT
> >
> >Email: mswanson at sonitrol.net
> >Phone: (860) 616-7036
> >Pager: (860) 948-6713
> > Cell: (603) 512-1267
> >  Fax: (860) 616-7589
> >----------------------------------
> >
> >


=====
-ed

__________________________________________________
Do You Yahoo!?
Yahoo! Autos - Get free new car price quotes
http://autos.yahoo.com