Highway etiquette question...

[InfidelSerf]

I just had this jackarse flip me off and then attempt to swerve into me on my way home just a minute ago.

Here is the scenario:

3 lane 65mph highway has a sign saying the left lane will end 1 mile up the road.  The highway curves to the left and then a sign states you have so many feet left until it ends (approx. 1/8th mile)
You can't see the end of the lane when you see the first sign.

SO   traffic is backed up a bit in the right two lanes and no one is in the left lane.  I take the left and maintain a speed of no more than 5mph over the limit.  As I'm cruising along this guy in the lane to the right of me sticks his arm out the window and flips me the bird.  I shrug it off and continue up the left lane, the highway makes the curve to the left and then I see my opportunity to merge to the right safely and without being pushy to anyone.
A guy in a new Tacoma even blew by me at that time and merged just after the end of the lane.  I get up the road about 2 miles to my exit and as I'm sitting in the line of cars I see the bird flipping jackarse in my rear view mirror.

He swerves his car in real tight to me and flips me the bird again.

I know he's the one with the problem... I'm just curious as to what the consensus would be concerning the situation.

Would you feel someone was in the wrong if they chose to use a lane that is going to end?  Even though they know they have plenty of road to use the lane and then merge.

[Declaration Day]

Tell me if I've interpreted this correctly.

There is a traffic jam on the freeway, and most people are in the right two lanes because the left one ends soon.  Instead of waiting your turn, you jumped ahead by getting in that left lane, drove up to the end of it and cut back in line.

IF that is the case, then I don't blame others for being angry at you.  If that is not the case, it seems that those angry drivers thought it was.

[garyk/nm]

Yep. Jackass. Sorry.
When the first sign says that the lane is going to end, MOVE OVER!!! If you stay in that lane, after others have merged, you will be seen as a jerk. And if you get blocked out, too bad for you.  The reason that the thru-lane slows down, is that the jerks who continue to ride the closed lane have to merge at some point, slowing down all of the good folks who merged when notified.

[Azrael256]

Have to agree with the other two gentlemen.  

But obscene gestures directed at other drivers are always inappropriate.  The horn is for alerting another driver of an impending hazard, and the hand is for inviting another driver to proceed or thanking for a courtesy.  All other uses are rude and childish.

[cfabe]

One more vote in agrement with the others. When I see people pull the stunt you did, I intentionally do everthing I can short of being dangerous to keep them from merging in in front of me, they deserve to sit there on the shoulder of the closing lane for a good long while. Unfortunately there's almost always a nice guy who lets them in anyway, further slowing down the traffic lanes.

[Moondoggie]

Us 18 wheeler drivers call folks who do what you did "Zippers".

We normally coordinate via the CB so that one "Hero" slowly blocks traffic in the lane that's still open up to the point of the merge.  Another truck will let the "Hero" slide into the lane just ahead of him so that all of the 4 wheelers who were trying to get up to the front are stranded with a solid wall of (pissed-off) cars to contend with.

It's great fun irritating amatuer drivers!

And, yes, what you did sounds like a breach of etiquette.

[Chris]

Moondoggie,

Some of us  wheeler types actually appreciate it when you big rigs do this.  Heck, I'll let you in front of me when you're done.  Then again, I'm also in the habit of flashing y lights at big rigs signalling a lane change in front of me to let me know it's clear to come on over.  But that's just me.  

[InfidelSerf]

Interesting... perhaps a few more details may be in order here.

This is a permanent design in the road.  Not a temporary closure.

Traffic slowdown had more to do with the congestion on the far right exit.
Since the traffic was breaking up after that exit.. which is before the bend in the road.
IE there was plenty of road for the traffic to run 3 lanes wide, and then allow merging for the lane closure.

I will agree that I would have perceived it as wrong, had I been forced to push my way into the merging lane.
And if this was a temporary closure due to construction, an accident or some other irregular blockage.

However since the road is always like that, I don't understand why the rest of the traffic doesn't utilize the 3rd lane further than one mile before the first sign.

I'm also in the habit of flashing  lights at big rigs signalling a lane change in front of me to let me know it's clear to come on over.

I picked up that habit years ago on a trip to LA.  
That being a good protocol, how do most of you feel about flashing your brights when in the fast lane upon coming up on someone going slower in the fast lane?  I know that's a common practice in the EU.  
But it seems here it's perceived as rude.  
Personally I think it rather rude to do the speed limit or slower in the far left lane, if the lane to the right is open.

Still interested in more opinions.

[BozemanMT]

Hell no
you did it right
american's can't merge to save their life
go all the way to end (or close enough) and then merge (you go, i go, you go, i go)
otherwise the middle lane becomes all backed up.
the guy is just angry cuz he was too stupid to pick the right lane.
You did it right.  You were legally in your lane and merged over.
No foul

[bratch]

I'm not sure about a permanent merge but here in OK it is a ticketable offense to continue trying to pass people after the first merge sign in a lane that is about to close for construction.

I would avoid flashing my lights at people in front of me.  I often run 5-7 miles over the limit in the "fast" lane.  For some people this isn't fast enough I usually get over but when they run up on my butt or if someone ever flashed lights at me there is no way in hell I'm moving.

[grampster]

You were wrong.  When you know the lane is ending, merge as soon as you can after getting the info.  Doing what you did usually results in a slowdown which backs up traffic; drivers who have a better grasp of ettiquette.  The other guy's rude gesture and dodgem attitutude was wrong as well.

I won't let someone doing what you did to merge if I perceive you are trying to use the ending lane to get ahead of the pack.

[jefnvk]

I don't drive on the lane divider lines near merge points for no reason.

[Art Eatman]

Courtesy says merge early, not outrun folks to get in front of them.  Jumping in front is rude.  So you're ten or twenty cars ahead of otherwise.  This is some major accomplishment?  Duh?

Shooting the bird and all that is stupid and easily can lead to serious trouble.  That guy was terminal wrong.

Art

[Perd Hapley]

But obscene gestures directed at other drivers are always inappropriate.  The horn is for alerting another driver of an impending hazard, and the hand is for inviting another driver to proceed or thanking for a courtesy.  All other uses are rude and childish.

Quite.  I also use my horn when people fail to signal before crossing into the lane in front of me.  This is meant as a reprimand, more than as a warning.  It is not done in anger.  OK, sometimes in anger.    Happens about fifty percent of the time around here.

Why is it dangerous to pass in the right lane on a four-lane highway (two lanes each way)?  I have never understood the great danger here.  Who in their right mind is not going to check the lane before moving into it?  

Also, is it not true that on urban freeways, the right lane should be reserved for those immediately entering or exiting the freeway?

[Old Fud]

Looks like I'm disagreeing with most of you.   For what it's worth, here's my take.
The highway builders, in their wisdom, have laid down concrete.
Say it's three lanes wide, and labelled as such.  You are entitled to drive on all 3.
At some point, it will be reduced to two.  
You are entitled (AND EXPECTED) to drive on the marked lanes of concrete.

I have never understood those eager-beavers who instantly jump out of a perfectly good lane at first notice leaving nearly a mile of clear concrete and then get mad at people who continue to use the highway that has been built for them to use.

Most people will come down an ON-RAMP and follow the marked lines until they merge and expect to zipper at that point.  
But many of the same dunder-heads as above leap into the first thru-lane at earliest opportunity and then get mad at those who use the pavement provided for the purpose.  

Common sense is not a breach of etiquette.

Fud

[Azrael256]

The highway builders, in their wisdom, have laid down concrete.

True, but they have laid it down with a variety of conditions in mind.  The highway is meant to be used in a variety of weather conditions and with varying levels of traffic.  Etiquette is most important in adverse weather and traffic conditions.  I don't jump right off into the remaining lanes the instant I discover that my lane is ending.  I use the remaining roadway to find an appropriate place to merge into the next lane.

[...has left the building.]

It seems that you were not riding/driving at an excessive speed and that you did not hinder anyone else's progress with your rightward switch. Therefore I would say you did absolutely nothing wrong. You've just fallen victim to American Driver Syndrome. This effect would be amplified if you're driving an exceptionally nice car, a motorcycle, or a shitbox.

Take the autobahn for example, a car in the left lane sees headlights in the distance that are all of a sudden right on their bumper...they move over because clearly they are blocking the other driver. In America, you'd get somebody who would get all fired up and stay in the left lane indefinitely to "teach the other driver a lesson". American drivers are very rude IMO because they believe their own standards of speed should be applied to everyone around them.

[TarpleyG]

Why is it dangerous to pass in the right lane on a four-lane highway (two lanes each way)?  I have never understood the great danger here.  Who in their right mind is not going to check the lane before moving into it?

I think this is a throwback to those days when cars only had a side-view mirror on the driver's side of the car.

FWIW, I hate it when people do what you did, especially if it appears intentional.  We get jackaninnies here doing it all the time and it really screws up the flow because no one knows the proper merge ettiquette.  Maybe if they did it wouldn't be such a problem.

Greg

[bermbuster]

Moondoggie,

Some of us  wheeler types actually appreciate it when you big rigs do this.  Heck, I'll let you in front of me when you're done.  Then again, I'm also in the habit of flashing y lights at big rigs signalling a lane change in front of me to let me know it's clear to come on over.  But that's just me.  

I flash my lights too to signal to a truck that I am slowing to let him/her over.  Usually I get a light-flash back as a "thanks."  I try to be real careful around those folks.  I drove a big rental truck (the biggest you could rent without a commercial license) from SC to MA once and I came to a new level of appreciation for folks who do that for a living.  When they say, "If you can't see my mirrors I can't see you," they mean it.  Drivers do crazy things.

And, yes, flipping people off is always rude.

[grampster]

The idea behind a sign advising the lane is ending or closed is to let folks know that one needs to exit that lane soon.  The signs are placed at an appropriate distance to allow the merging to begin when one sees the sign.  Those folks who continue in that lane, having no intention of merging until the last minute,  cause traffic problems because at reaching the end point they have to merge or stop.  This causes the whole pack to slow down or stop. Once that happens the "freight train" effect occurs.  You can have backups several miles long because one or a couple people try and take advantage of getting ahead of the pack.  How many times have any of you been caught in a long line of creeping cars for several miles and when traffic begins to move again, there was no apparent reason for the slow down?  Well, all it took, again, were a couple of people who caused the line to slow or stop to let them in at the lane ending because they refused to merge when first warned of the impending lane ending..  

Frankly, this is one of my pet peeves.  I'll straddle a lane marking so that someone coming up from behind trying to beat the pack can't pass.  I've noticed I'm not the only one who does this.  Nothing makes me feel better to see one of these gibronies have to stop and go nowhere because no one will let them in.  Sometime's driving is fun.

[Art Eatman]

One guy blaring down the left lane of a three-into-two doesn't hurt anything.  When the crowd starts in, though, there's a jam-up at the choke point.  Not all drivers are competent.  I fail to see how saving a minute or two is worth having SOME OTHER CLOWN wrinkle my sheet metal.  So, I move over early-ish.  A few minutes of time costs me less than the deductible on my insurance, or the time-loss waiting to do the accident-report thing.

I dunno.  For some 40 years, now, I've been driving some 25,000 to 40,000 miles a year.  I've built and driven street machinery to 150 mph.  But maybe that's not enough experience that my judgement has any value...

Art

[grampster]

Art,
We just come from slower times.  "Don't hurry, don't worry, and don't forget to smell the flowers along the way."  Walter Hagen, professional golfer.  

[Firethorn]

I think this is a throwback to those days when cars only had a side-view mirror on the driver's side of the car.

FWIW, I hate it when people do what you did, especially if it appears intentional.  We get jackaninnies here doing it all the time and it really screws up the flow because no one knows the proper merge ettiquette.  Maybe if they did it wouldn't be such a problem.

Greg

Not necessarily dangerous to pass on the right, but it promotes 'weaving', where the faster cars are constantly switching left and right to move around the slower ones.  If the slower ones keep right, the faster left, then you have fewer total lane changes.  Also, if you have slow in the right, fast in the left, but an even faster approaching (on the left), if the fast temorarily moves left, you eliminate the need for a gap on the right large enough for the fastest to: move right while keeping gaps, pass the fast(but not fast enough) car, then merge left again.  If the fast car simply moves right and maintains, it can be done with a third of the length.

And yeah, when I see lane closing signs, I look for a safe merge.  I'm not going to worry about moving over immediatly, but I'm not going to hang around to the end either.

[Firethorn]

If the slower ones keep right, the faster left, then you have fewer total lane changes.

That might make moving over for an exit tricky.

Yeah, but you usually slow down when you're going for an exit, don't you?

Besides, if you're on a highway you're usually traveling longer distances.  Making a concession of what's usually less than a mile to get to your exit isn't that big of a deal.  It also means that faster traffic doesn't have to immediately deal with slower merging cars from onramps.

[...has left the building.]

The idea behind a sign advising the lane is ending or closed is to let folks know that one needs to exit that lane soon.  The signs are placed at an appropriate distance to allow the merging to begin when one sees the sign.  Those folks who continue in that lane, having no intention of merging until the last minute,  cause traffic problems because at reaching the end point they have to merge or stop.  This causes the whole pack to slow down or stop. Once that happens the "freight train" effect occurs.  You can have backups several miles long because one or a couple people try and take advantage of getting ahead of the pack.  How many times have any of you been caught in a long line of creeping cars for several miles and when traffic begins to move again, there was no apparent reason for the slow down?  Well, all it took, again, were a couple of people who caused the line to slow or stop to let them in at the lane ending because they refused to merge when first warned of the impending lane ending..  

Frankly, this is one of my pet peeves.  I'll straddle a lane marking so that someone coming up from behind trying to beat the pack can't pass.  I've noticed I'm not the only one who does this.  Nothing makes me feel better to see one of these gibronies have to stop and go nowhere because no one will let them in.  Sometime's driving is fun.

grampster,

I would agree but if he does not hinder anyone's progress on the lane switch, I don't see what he did wrong. I think it is far more distasteful to slow down at the first hint of a "Lane Ends" sign and forcing the lane to the right to let you in. I'd rather make a run for daylight if I can do it at a safe speed and not get in anyone's way.  

I understand what you mean about them being another factor in a traffic jam but the fact of the matter is that they will have to merge and be in front of someone. That someone just better not be me right? That idea is only slightly less selfish as people who go 25 mph over the speed limit in the left lane then cut people off when it ends.


Edited because I do not know my right from my left