From: jern@visual1.jhuapl.edu (Bob Jernigan)
Subject: Re: Signalling one's desire to pass
Reply-To: jern@visual1.jhuapl.edu (Bob Jernigan)
Organization: Johns Hopkins University
Date: Fri, 2 Oct 92 12:58:01 GMT

In article <BvG38H.5Kt@news.cso.uiuc.edu>, tmkk@uiuc.edu (Khan) writes:
|> 
|> In article <1addqnINNa66@gilligan.East.Sun.COM> mike@gilligan.East.Sun.COM (Mike Roncadori) writes:
|> > The dorks who cluelessly park in
|> the left lane doing 55 MPH are either *ssh*l*s who do it on purpose just
|> to piss people off, Homer Melchrome types who think they're doing
|> society a favor by "blocking" speeders and slowing them down, or Aunt
|> Thelma types who are merely unclear on the concept.
|> 
Such clear understanding... (Just as a preface to what I'm about to say, let me say that I've
been driving almost 40 years - :-) that's right you young'ns.  I've driven all over Europe and
the US and know of many driving conventions - flashing lights, rally driving on dirt, heel/toe,
merging and waiting.)  Driving and drivers used to be predictable but I think that now we are
suffering from entrophy, road entrophy, driver entrophy.  Used to be fast cars in the left
lane but 55 ruined all that and I suspect 99% of the readers here weren't driving pre-55. Could
it be that we are suffering a nostalgia for 55, 1955 that is, when there seemed to be such
order, and slaughter, on the roads?

What I have observed recently.  Many roads in the Wash. DC area have exits on the left and I
have had someone come up on me flashing lights - signaling a pass?  I don't think so.  Three
lanes to the right were empty.  I took this as a "I'M HERE GUYS, GET THE HELL OUT OF MY WAY."
signal.  Perhaps he couldn't see my left turn signal.  Used to be there was a convention to
stay out of the left lane except for passing, probably still is in some areas.  I was stopped
once in Colorado while driving 75 in the left lane because I lingered too long in the left
lane after passing.  

It seems to have become a convention here, drive up behind someone, wait awhile bumper to bumper,
then pass on either left or right.  I've given up on expecting sanity on the part of other
drivers.  I try to drive predictably, sometimes fast, sometimes not.  I don't always move over
when some jerk pulls up on my bumper and starts flashing his lights - I've found that as soon
as I signal that I'm going to move he will ofter try to beat me into that spot on my right.  
I've seen very little awareness of the real protocol for flashing lights, which used to be a
signal that a fast moving vehicle is approaching from behind.  Now flashing lights seem to mean
that some jerk is camped on your bumper.  Lights should be flashed far enough in advance
for the flashee to have time to check traffic and move in a non-perturbing way into another
lane.  Once you have entered another persons space all you are saying is that you wish to
further violate that space.

|> The only people who would understand what your flashing really means are
|> those people who won't get in your way in the first place.
... stuff deleted
|> This is why I don't bother to use my "flash-to-pass" feature much. For
|> the most part, it would be wasted effort.
|> 
Q.E.D.
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