Driving Etiquitte

[Slo-Ride]

Left lane is for passing. It's inconsiderate for a driver to just "cruise" in the left lane.

I agree...
Left lane for passing ,,,slower traffic keep right

Unless we are cresting the hill at the same time and I have enough distance between us I go back into the right lane where I belong (trying to avoid a ticket hanging in the left lane draws attention to ya). Not my problem he or she cant maintain speed,,I drop speed also at times and I just gotta deal with it.

What really gets to me is;
Group of vehicles running along,Nice lil ride going for the last x amount miles,,, everyone spaced nice and comfortably,,Then the truck comes along and has to move into the gap we all have set..My thought is if he was passing the last truck in line why didn't keep going till he past us all..
I figure reason is these are same drivers that 1st poster started talking about,,,they just cant stand to see someone in front of them especially a box truck.. And it seems to be mostly day cab baby's that want to push traffic and beeech on the radio

 

[inkasnana]

Drivers training needs to involve more education about the differences between driving trucks (straight and T/T) and 4 wheelers. I had an advantage when I was learning to drive. My uncle and his son were both T/T drivers and they taught me about driving. I learned first hand about the huge blind spots trucks have, about how much longer it takes trucks to stop, how you have to be completely aware of what is going on all around you and how you have to be the one to drive defensively for everyone else.

Getting angry with the other driver and "getting even" is a lose-lose situation for everyone concerned. Patience, good manners and letting the "trouble maker" just continue on his way will allow you to safely continue on your way. Nothing is worth the lives you put in danger by succumbing to road rage, and the "satisfaction" you might feel by getting back at someone is short lived. There is just going to be another driver a few miles down the road who will infuriate you again, and the next time you give in to the rage you may end up in the middle of a twisted wreck with a loss of life that you can't take back. Will the "satisfaction" have been worth it?

Annoyances, irritation and frustrations are going to happen. There is no way to avoid them. How you approach those situations is what matters the most. Patience, good manners, common sense and the ability to allow those events to roll off your back make for a safer and happier driver.

 

[Slo-Ride]

Inkasnana:
Not trying to argue or anything like that and Ill agree to the fact that each driver does need (or should be)trained to the the piece of equip there are operting..But the rules of the road are rules of the road no matter what your running....some have restrictions others don't but i am referring to the basics driving..

What we are seeing out here today I feel is a product of our society and I think it will get even worst before it gets better

Yep road rage is a bad thing,,,something to stay away from even if your not involved in it. Just get clear of it if your moving down the road for safety sake...

 

[Big Al]

I usually drive the speed limit so in the rare occasion I actually pass a 4 wheeler I've noticed that usually within 15 minutes they are coming back around me. I chalk it up as my civic duty because the driver was probably asleep and when they realized that they had been passed by Big Al they came back around to protect their reputation.
It's actually a joke in our family.

Big Al
Branson,MO
Retried Navy

PS, We are opening the first Privately owned airport in the USA that will take sked. airlines here this weekend in Branson.
Big Airshow with the USAF Thunderbirds, Army Golden Knights, historical aircraft,etc

 

[inkasnana]

You're right, the rules are the rules and they should be followed. What I'm saying is that there needs to be more emphasis put into the particular challenges that driving a truck entails into drivers training. Young drivers especially need to understand the differences and the dangers. All drivers need to learn to always be aware of everything that is going on around them and to drive defensively. My uncle always reminded me that I needed to drive for everyone else and always try to anticipate what they were going to do.

It's just a lot of common sense and logic and drivers training needs to address more than just the rules of the road and the mechanical way to operate a vehicle.

 

[Slo-Ride]

I think the eduction is all ready in place for new drivers for the most part..what they get out of it maybe a different story??
Seems to me we are living in a,,,,Its all about me society..and this is causing alot of problems out here in the industry (on the roads)..Some of this is also brought on by time constraints on the freight,,,some drivers are so worked up about being in on time that they forget that driving is a defensive job and throw all courtesy and manners out the window for freight..

As easy as it is for anyone of us to make wrong move and get such deadly results out here I cant imange anyone not being defensive at all times..Freight just aint worth it,,do your best, but whats more imporant is to just get it there saeftly..

Look at how long we have been on drug abuse eduction,,has anything changed?? ( off subject I know)

 

[inkasnana]

As easy as it is for anyone of us to make wrong move and get such deadly results out here I cant imange anyone not being defensive at all times..Freight just aint worth it,,do your best, but whats more imporant is to just get it there saeftly..

True, no load is worth injury or death. Unfortunately there are those people who only practice offensive driving and they are a danger to everyone else.

Back on to the subject of etiquette, what is everyone's opinion on flashing of headlights at a passing truck to signal when they can move back over in front of you?

 

[cheri1122]

Flash an 'ok' by quickly turning your lights off then on - flashing the brights is not helpful, because they can temporarily blind the other driver. [Today's headlight are often waaaay too bright to begin with, IMO] Or is that just me?

 

[Slo-Ride]

depends on how many d/hill grades he passed me,,after the second one he is on his own

If ya ride as slo as me,,,,good way to wear out the switch

Seriously tho,,,I flash (the headlights) I see nothing wrong in it especially on rainy dark nights...Now if someone is drafting that truck I try to stay out of it in case the the second vechile makes a move inside and attempts to pass on the right.

 

[inkasnana]

I agree, headlights are very bright now days. Unfortunately we can't turn our headlights off while our truck is running. (That's really annoying, especially since our APU isn't working so we have to idle) So flashing my brights quickly to a passing driver would be very bad etiquette and possibly dangerous. I was wondering about that.

 

[cheri1122]

Maybe just wiggle the markers, like when saying 'thank you'?
I never flash the brights except at someone who is blinding me with theirs, and then just quickly - it's scary, being blinded, even just for a second.

 

[greg334]

I always flash my HBs for a quick second, the problem is that a lot of these guys/gals are not looking in the mirror and they can see the flash easier than taking their eyes off the road and waiting to see if they are clear.

The bigger problem for me is when they turn their turn signal on and get over without hesitating and with less than a couple car lengths away, it ia hard for me because of the wash being so close behind them with a small WB truck.

 

[inkasnana]

I turn our 4 ways on for a few flashes to say thank you. I think I'll just have to leave it up to the driver passing me to decide when they can get back over in front of me. I've tried turning my lights down, but the difference between my regular lights and my "down" lights is so small that it's hardly noticeable. The truck was built by Toyota. They have some strange ideas.

 

[Turtle]

I flash (the headlights) I see nothing wrong in it especially on rainy dark nights...

It's against the law, though. <shrug>

No bright lights within 500 feet of an oncoming vehicle, or within 300 feet of one going in the same direction in front of you, whether they're passing you or you're passing them. The law makes no allowances for how brief a time your brights are on. Even a momentary flash of high beams caught in the rear view mirror can make the eye pupils contract, thereby destroying a driver's night vision, right at the time they'll be changing lanes.

Just so you know, when old timers see someone flashing their high beams to let someone over, they all think the same thing - Rookie.

 

[greg334]

Turtle,
a lot of states also have "wipers on - headlights on" laws but I don't see those enforced at all.

It would be nice if these sprinter and van drivers would turn on their lights when it gets dark out during a storm but alas a lot of them don't.

 

[cheri1122]

It would also be nice if the slow traffic actually kept to the right too, [and it were enforced] but they don't. It's especially annoying when a four wheeler drives below the limit in the center lane, and we can't pass them on the left or the right.
Ok, sometimes it's a truck - but more often a car.
BTW: shouldn't our road taxes be prorated for the 1/3 to 1/2 of the road we can't use?

 

[nightcreacher]

They can give us daylite running lights,but can't figure how to turn the lights on with a wiper switch.I was in a state the other day that had signs posted,when wipers on headlightes on,to bad the cop i almost ran over couldn't read.His lights were off

 

[Slo-Ride]

It's against the law, though.

I meant flash em on and off,,
Dont hit em with high beam,,at my age I know what bright lights can be like

 

[pelicn]

At night I turn my lights off and on to signal to a truck that's it's safe to come back over. During the day, I flash my brights.
At night, I would much prefer the on/off because the brights temporarily blind me when I'm looking in the mirror.

 

[Dakota]

I turn our 4 ways on for a few flashes to say thank you. I think I'll just have to leave it up to the driver passing me to decide when they can get back over in front of me. I've tried turning my lights down, but the difference between my regular lights and my "down" lights is so small that it's hardly noticeable. The truck was built by Toyota. They have some strange ideas.

Yep I have a Hino also, since it has daytime running lights I have to flash the highbeams to let the trucks know it's okay to get over. We need to get with Hino and tell them we need a switch to turn off the DRL if even for a second.