Fuel Economy

[BailOut]

Originally Posted by ECHOKnight2000

Especially if a big truck is barreling down and since I have to slow down going around a curve let alone the clover leaf I have to floor it to get back up to speed when I get to the highway that was under the one I got off on, so I don't get crushed. So do you experience that?

I experience the scenario you're talking about but it looks much different to me. If I'm going the speed limit, or at least close it, I don't care if there's a big truck bearing down. If he's speeding that's his problem, not mine, and with my blinker on well in advance I merge. If it's a scenario where he's doing the speed limit or less and we're going to be in the same place at the same time I just drop back and let him pass before I merge. At no point in any of that does my throttle pedal get depressed any more than the speed limit, or a reasonably lower speed, requires.

Originally Posted by ECHOKnight2000

Oh even if you are taking it easy sort to say, in rush hour there are some moments you have to slam on your brakes, tell me you come accross that, well even generally just for safety reasons. I know you are aware but you can only do so much...and plus people might cut in front of you and what not or the light will change and you realize you don't have time so you put the breakes on or the person in front of you puts the breaks on.

Again, this is where situational awareness comes in. No, I can't remember the last time I had to stand on my brakes in heavy traffic because I use the DWB (Driving Without Brakes) technique to avoid the jackrabbiting, and it requires constantly readjusting your forward speed to kind of pre-react to events that are unfolding up ahead before they become a problem. Yes, people often jump in front of me but I always have enough of a gap to absorb this without a problem.

I did have to stand on my brakes once last Winter, though, on Mount Rose. A tourist in an inappropriate vehicle (read that as a RWD rental SUV) lost control around a sharp and icy corner as they came downhill, and they were careening off the inside snowbank and outer guardrail like a pinball. They were completely out of control and their movement was so erratic that it was impossible to judge what the safest thing to do was so I just moved as far right against the snowbank as I could and then stopped as quickly as possible in order to eliminate my kinetic input in case we would collide. Luckily they missed me by a good margin and I was able to continue on my way unscathed.

Even then, though, because I was paying attention I had more time than I needed in order to come to a decision and implement it. I was in position and stopped from 35 MPH and just watching this fellow for a good 4 seconds before he passed me.

The same held true when my driver's door got hit this Summer. I didn't have enough time or space to fully get out of that guy's way after he failed to give me the right of way so I made a calculation and stopped where I thought he would only hit my door rather than scraping down the entire side of the car. It worked. My door got creamed but the damage was isolated only to the door. I saw him so early on that I had more than a full second to just sit there and simply watch him coming to hit me. heh

[voodoo22]

Originally Posted by BailOut

If I'm going the speed limit, or at least close it, I don't care if there's a big truck bearing down. If he's speeding that's his problem, not mine, and with my blinker on well in advance I merge. If it's a scenario where he's doing the speed limit or less and we're going to be in the same place at the same time I just drop back and let him pass before I merge. At no point in any of that does my throttle pedal get depressed any more than the speed limit, or a reasonably lower speed, requires.

I usually do what you do and gradually slow down more if a transport is bearing down on me. Once I've decided someone is tailgaiting me to such an extreme as to endanger my safety, I figure the only way to cancel out their stupidity is to increase the space in between me and the car in front of me to enough space for both of us to stop. This results in various gestures and horn blowing, but that's their problem. On the 401 it doesn't matter if you're going 100 or 150 you will get tailgated and I'm not exaggerating one bit.

The merging part is a lot harder in the GTA, because of the huge volume, but I find the best way to merge is to put my signal on a while before the solid line turns dashed and gradually start hedging towards the left side of the lane. Usually people will slow down or get out of the merging lane, because most people here are going to merge whether there is space or not and usually without signalling. Signalling seems to be a lost art around here. You can never signal too early or too much.

I think the whole key is to become confident in your ability to control traffic as much as possible. For example, one trick I use to feel less pressure from bad drivers about going a reasonable speed is to find a transport truck going 90-100km/h and follow them but stay well back to avoid rocks etc. I find people will usually not cut you off if they have to change lanes in a few seconds again to pass a transport, plus I'm also supplying merging drivers with a huge corridor where they see they can safely accelerate into.