From: ujmli@memstvx1.memst.edu
Newsgroups: rec.autos.driving
Subject: Re: Signalling one's desire to pass
Date: 6 Oct 92 08:52:47 GMT
Article-I.D.: memstvx1.1992Oct6.145247.3552
Organization: Memphis State University

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:
>>
>>I thought to myself "Self, how'd you like to get hit from be-
>>hind by bright lights off a vehicle that is a good 2 feet hi-
>>gher than your own?" Self answered "I'd be pissed.". So, I
>>thought "Self, how can we make this guy aware that we're here,
>>and would really like to pass, without pissing him off?".
> 
> There is no guaranteed way.
> 
>>bring to mind a question. Why is it that we have an accepted
>>signalling convention (left-hand blinker) to indicate one's
>>desire to pass, but that signal is so ambiguous that it is
>>often ignored. I think that the headlights off (in darkness)
>>or on (in the daytime) should be the way to signal one's de-
>>sire to pass, because it is much easier to see, and also not
>>quite as intrusive as flashing one's brights.
>>
>>Comments? Better ideas?
> 
> My car's owner's manual refers to the headlight flashing feature as the
> "flash-to-pass" feature (as opposed to the
> "get-your-lard-butt-out-of-the-left-lane,-dork!" feature). Based on this
> scant evidence, and the utter lack of anything contradictory, my guess
> is that flashing one's brights is and/or was accepted standard practice
> for informing forward vehicles of a rearward vehicle's
> about-to-be-initiated passing maneuver, i.e. the flash means "I'm here
> and I'm about to pass you."
> 
> The unfortunate reality on American roads today is that so many drivers
> are completely clueless as to make any such conventions useless. Take,
> for example, the "it's safe to merge back into the right lane" flash
> that truckers use. When truck A passes truck B, truck B will dip its
> headlights to inform truck A that its trailer is clear of truck B's cab
> and that truck A may safely merge back into the right lane. Truck A will
> respond by blinking his "thank you" lights which line the edges of his
> trailer.
> 
> Try this signal with your average car driver. At best you'll gt a
> dumbfounded look; at worst, the guy will get pissed off and try to run
> you off the road.
> 
> This type of intervehicle communication works with truckers because they
> are serious about the driving task - they're professionals, after all.
> Most of the people reading this group would also fall into the
> "professional" or at least "semi-pro" categories, IMHO. After all, you
> care enough about driving to read this group, so you probably have a
> fairly good idea about what you're doing. 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.
> 
> 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. They're aware
> of what's happening around them, they're courteous, and they're
> cooperative. They won't pull out and start a sluggish pass when their
> rear view mirrors reveal faster traffic approaching; they'll wait a few
> moments for that faster traffic to pass before beginning their own
> maneuver. They never pass sluggishly, so even if they were to
> accidentally block someone, it would be only for a very short time, not
> for mile after mile after mile. Heck, these drivers might even speed up
> a little bit in order to clear the way faster.
> 
> This is why I don't bother to use my "flash-to-pass" feature much. For
> the most part, it would be wasted effort.

Its not a waste, sometimes it works. Yesterday when there was a slow car on
the left, i flashed my lights. Then he sped up and pulled to right lane when
it was clear.

The part i'm not clear about is would it be alright to pass on the right when
driving in the city roads? Sometimes a people are on the left going slow
because they're slow drivers and are about to turn left.

Jason