Highway manners

Okay, given an ongoing disagreement in another forum, I am posting this poll as a sort of informal survey. Assume the following:

A driver on a major highway is coming up on a construction site. Several miles before the construction begins, there are signs saying "left lane closed ahead" "use right lane," etc.

Traffic is backed up bumper-to-bumper in the right lane.

However, this driver continues to drive in the left lane, passing up the cars stopped in the right lane. He figures, "I haven't reached the merge point yet, why waste a perfectly good lane?"

This person is... what? (See poll responses)

This person is...Machiavellian.

Quote:

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Originally posted by Niner
This person is...Machiavellian.

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That guy is usually me. Why waste a good lane when it's available? It's not like driving on the shoulder to get past the slow/stopped traffic (to any Italians on the board, that tactic is actually illegal in the United States ;) ).

Machiavellian is a good term...although I generally use "efficient." :p

I call them Herd Monkeys.

Of course the other terms would be "egotistical" or "selfish", but that just grates agains the "independent spirit".

Although you are told in kindergarten to play fair and share your toys, the praise always go to those who get ahead by any means (as long as they don't get caught).

...a prime target for my Walther. Welcome to New Mexico, #$%@bag!

It depends. Usually, I use this tactic too, but try to merge with the right line some time before the end of the left line. OTOH, I can be very annoyed when I see some people doing this and actually being the cause of the right lane slowing.

I'm perfectly fine with it until total traffic throughput gets slowed down because of it. Then it drives me up the wall. :D

IMHO it ALWAYS causes traffic to slow more, because some kind-hearted fool always stops to let the bastard merge. This causes a chain reaction down the line, and since trucks and semis take longer to get moving again, it just gets worse on down the line.

Few things please me more than seeing a guy drive by in the empty lane... and then seeing him again a half-hour later still waiting at the barrels because nobody will let him cut line.

Guess you can guess which side of the argument I was on, now.

Due to construction near where I work, I put up with this two days a week. (No traffic crush for my weekend night shifts) I'm tempted to stradle the line between lanes just enough to block the (deleted for security reasons) who try & zip ahead. :mad:

Quote:

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Originally posted by Niner
This person is...Machiavellian.

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Dude, you're going to give Machiavelli a bad name that way!

Quote:

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Originally posted by Sea Tyger
That guy is usually me. Why waste a good lane when it's available? It's not like driving on the shoulder to get past the slow/stopped traffic (to any Italians on the board, that tactic is actually illegal in the United States ;) ).

Machiavellian is a good term...although I generally use "efficient." :p

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Dude, I hope you mean forigners and not USA born Italians:D

Quote:

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Originally posted by First of Two
Okay, given an ongoing disagreement in another forum, I am posting this poll as a sort of informal survey. Assume the following:

A driver on a major highway is coming up on a construction site. Several miles before the construction begins, there are signs saying "left lane closed ahead" "use right lane," etc.

Traffic is backed up bumper-to-bumper in the right lane.

However, this driver continues to drive in the left lane, passing up the cars stopped in the right lane. He figures, "I haven't reached the merge point yet, why waste a perfectly good lane?"

This person is... what? (See poll responses)

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Probably from NY

Quote:

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Originally posted by Karg
Dude, I hope you mean forigners and not USA born Italians:D

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Well, USA born Italians are technically Americans. ;) I'm talking about Italians in Italy. Driving there is a different experience all together..you have to expect people to pull crazy stunts out there, or else you'll be hitting cars left and right.

Actually, 9 times out of 10, the guy in the left lane has been trying for the past 10 miles to get into the right lane, but most of the bone-headed cretins on the highways in North America (on both sides of the 49^th) steadfastly refuse to let anyone merge under these (or any) circumstances.

Remember, the leading cause of accidents is the loose nut on the steering wheel. :(