• Admiral Patrick
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    2 months ago

    I think the safety guidelines are 3 seconds of reaction time which comes out to about 1 car length per 10 MPH of speed.

    But yeah, good luck with that because other drivers just see that as space they can merge.

    • Annoyed_🦀 A
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      472 months ago

      It is a space they can merge. You leave gap in between car to make merging easy, then you release the pedal to slow down to achieve that desired gap again. It’s a coop, not competition.

      • Sometimes this is fine and works as expected. Sometimes it ends up with me going way under the speed limit as half of the other lane gets in front of me, as I continue to decelerate to keep proper stopping distance. (Bonus points if the people behind me also pass me because of this.)

        It’s occasions like those I’m glad I leave some wiggle room in my travel time.

        • the post of tom joad
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          42 months ago

          I was driving outside of Phoenix one time in stop and go construction traffic. 5 Lanes were going down to like 2 or 3 and i was leaving space in front of me in a non-ending lane for people to merge in. I dunno what was up but people were not having itthat day. No takers no matter how many lengths i gave. Honking, cussing, etc. i kept on, doin my thing until a fuckin winnebago swerved from my lame behind me just to fill the gap i made.

          I dunno if it was just hot that day or if phoenix hates merging or what, but i never forgot that wild shit

    • @baldingpudenda@lemmy.world
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      152 months ago

      Sometimes all traffic is speeding along, as in 5-10mph over the speed limit, and it looks like pack racing. I keep thinking, all it takes is one distracted driver and it’s a 30 car pile up.

      • Admiral Patrick
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        82 months ago

        Yep, exactly.

        When I notice that ahead, I always slow down a bit to put some good distance between it and myself.

      • snooggums
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        2 months ago

        When I was a kid the recommendation was 2 seconds (‘two Mississippi’) but that was when the speed limit was 55 mph on the interstate and cars weren’t as heavy as they are now. Glad to hear they bumped it up.

        • @Kaboom@reddthat.com
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          -32 months ago

          We also have much better brajes (discs and ABS) and tires (radials) now. So there’s much less stopping distance once you actually hit the brakes. But reaction times are the still the same.

    • Rhaedas
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      122 months ago

      Let them merge. I’d rather give space for those who drive aggressively than be hit. It won’t really affect the time it takes to get from A to B, it reduces stress and accident probability, and I don’t lose points for some race we’re not in. I know some people get mad at passive drivers, but if I’m going around the speed limit in the right lane minding my business, why are you so mad I’m not participating in increasing insurance profits?

      • @CrazyLikeGollum@lemmy.world
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        42 months ago

        If you’re in a country that typically drives on the left, and you’re driving in the far right lane on a three or more lane road, you’re still doing it wrong. That lane is for merging and exiting. The far left is for passing and the center lanes are for cruising. There might also be turn only lanes, which unless you’re turning can be safely ignored, because the only valid reason to be in a turn lane is if you’re turning.