HWY/Freeway etiquette.

[4Vman]

Having spent some time recently commuting distances at 100 and 110kph i can honestly say there are alot of morons on our roads.

Cruise control.. USE IT, or learn to drive at a consistent pace.. nothing worse than sitting on the Hume with cruise set at 112kph and having to pull right to pass a slower car, then being passed by the same damn car that sped up who wizzes by at 120 then proceeds to pull back into the left lane and slow down to 100 5 times because they're unable to hold a constant speed. :

Posted limits.... PAY ATENTION.... no its not fun to share roads with people who sit on 95 or 130 on a freeway with a 110 limit.... the speed differential between cars is not only a pain to navigate through but damn dangerous. :

Merging traffic... SYNCHRONISE..... why hold a car out and try to run them onto the grass when they're just trying to merge from an off ramp? is it too hard to speed up/ slow down or move right to let them in?? : Also merging traffic... try to merge at or close to the posted limit to minimise inconvenience...

Idiots abound our major roads....

[chrisfpv]

Originally Posted by 4Vman

Having spent some time recently commuting distances at 100 and 110kph i can honestly say there are alot of morons on our roads.

Cruise control.. USE IT, or learn to drive at a consistent pace.. nothing worse than sitting on the Hume with cruise set on at 112kph and having to pull right to pass a slower car, then being passed by the same damn car that sped up who wizzes by at 120 then proceeds to pull back into the left lane and slow down to 100 5 times because they're unable to hold a constant speed. :

Posted limits.... PAY ATENTION.... no its not fun to share roads with people who sit on 95 or 130 on a freeway with a 110 limit.... the speed differential between cars is not only a pain to navigate through but damn dangerous. :

Serious question, do the majority of cars on our roads have cruise control? Various speeds by certain vehicles isn't something that i've noticed to be honest as I don't do much highway/freeway driving myself, but does it really get annoying?

Originally Posted by 4Vman

Merging traffic... SYNCHRONISE..... why hold a car out and try to run them onto the grass when they're just trying to merge from an off ramp? is it too hard to speed up/ slow down or move right to let them in?? : Also merging traffic... try to merge at the posted limit...

Idiots abound our major roads....

Good god yes. As stated above I don't do much highway/freeway driving but I cannot stand this when I am. I was told by my parents to always move to the right lane (if possible) to allow merging traffic in. I'm not 100% sure if they have right of way, but it's just common sence in my opinion.

The amount of times ive seen another driver have to rapidly slow down coming off the on ramp is amazing. Then when they manage to duck in behind the car that either wasn't paying attention or couldn't be bothered changing lanes, they are going extremely slow!

[Chilla]

Originally Posted by 4Vman

Having spent some time recently commuting distances at 100 and 110kph i can honestly say there are alot of morons on our roads.

Cruise control.. USE IT, or learn to drive at a consistant pace.. nothing worse than sitting on the Hume with cruise set on at 112kph and having to pull right to pass a slower car, then being passed by the same damn car that sped up who wizzes by at 120 then proceedes to pull back into the left lane and slow down to 100 5 times because they're unable to hold a constant speed. :

Posted limits.... PAY ATENTION.... no its not fun to share roads with people who sit on 95 or 130 on a freeway with a 110 limit.... the speed differential between cars is not only a pain to navigate through but damn dangerous. :

Merging traffic... SYNCHRONISE..... why hold a car out and try to run them onto the grass when they're just trying to merge from an off ramp? is it too hard to speed up/ slow down or move right to let them in?? : Also merging traffic... try to merge at the posted limit...

Idiots abound our major roads....

What you have just written is 100% correct. It is a constant worry and is an action akin to sitting on 75-80kph until reaching overtaking lanes then accelerating to the posted limit as others are attempting to overtake.
Mr. Lay and cohorts should be made very clear about these practises and then explain to us how speed cameras will catch/stop them before they kill or maim someone.
We have highway patrol cars and personal for a reason....lets use them!

[Lightning Strike XR6]

If you dont like those going 120-130 stay out of the right hand lane!

[4Vman]

Originally Posted by Lightning Strike XR6

If you dont like those going 120-130 stay out of the right hand lane!

Pretty hard to when you're constantly negotiating slower traffic in the left lane.... and those morons fly up your clacker and tailgate you till you get past the slower cars......:

[rodderz]

Completely agree. Nothing worse than putting your own car on cruise but constantly changing it or turning it off due to a car fluctuating its speed in front. Not all cars have c/control, but they can concentrate on being consistent.

As for merging, just as frustrating. Some stop or try to push in, other block or are oblivious to those trying to merge.

[Copie]

Originally Posted by 4Vman

Having spent some time recently commuting distances at 100 and 110kph i can honestly say there are alot of morons on our roads.

Cruise control.. USE IT, or learn to drive at a consistent pace.. nothing worse than sitting on the Hume with cruise set at 112kph and having to pull right to pass a slower car, then being passed by the same damn car that sped up who wizzes by at 120 then proceeds to pull back into the left lane and slow down to 100 5 times because they're unable to hold a constant speed. :

Posted limits.... PAY ATENTION.... no its not fun to share roads with people who sit on 95 or 130 on a freeway with a 110 limit.... the speed differential between cars is not only a pain to navigate through but damn dangerous. :

Merging traffic... SYNCHRONISE..... why hold a car out and try to run them onto the grass when they're just trying to merge from an off ramp? is it too hard to speed up/ slow down or move right to let them in?? : Also merging traffic... try to merge at or close to the posted limit to minimise inconvenience...

Idiots abound our major roads....

Welcome to what i deal with 5+ days a week. You get used to it in the end and just becomes routine. However those Mexicans towing caravans are the worst lot of them all, couldnt keep a consistant speed to save their life.

[lubby1]

I agree with you 4vman i also do a lot of hwy k's, mainly on the pacific hwy. One of my gripes is when you come up to a truck and the person behind changes lane to the right hand side of the road and then is too scared to actually overtake in fear of being crushed thus leaving the rest of the traffic to sit behind him.

Then you get to the stretches of single lanes and if the speed limit is say 100 you get some wax head sitting on 60 or 70 km annoying all the people behind him. That is where other drivers become frustrated and take unnecesary risks on the road leading to accidents.
It would be great if there were laws against driving too slow and being uncurtios.

[vztrt]

Originally Posted by 4Vman

Having spent some time recently commuting distances at 100 and 110kph i can honestly say there are alot of morons on our roads.

Cruise control.. USE IT, or learn to drive at a consistent pace.. nothing worse than sitting on the Hume with cruise set at 112kph and having to pull right to pass a slower car, then being passed by the same damn car that sped up who wizzes by at 120 then proceeds to pull back into the left lane and slow down to 100 5 times because they're unable to hold a constant speed. :

Posted limits.... PAY ATENTION.... no its not fun to share roads with people who sit on 95 or 130 on a freeway with a 110 limit.... the speed differential between cars is not only a pain to navigate through but damn dangerous. :

Merging traffic... SYNCHRONISE..... why hold a car out and try to run them onto the grass when they're just trying to merge from an off ramp? is it too hard to speed up/ slow down or move right to let them in?? : Also merging traffic... try to merge at or close to the posted limit to minimise inconvenience...

Idiots abound our major roads....

CC, not all cars have them, some are afraid to use them, and speedo's vary so that does get difficult for some people, but people should try to stay at a constant speed.

Speed limit, people sitting 10 below the limit is gonna get more common when they are worried about getting a ticket. It has nothing to do with safety. Also now in Vic where the highway cars can pass you and if your speeding the car takes a photo and you get a ticket...no more pull you over and actually do something about your speed.

Agree with you but it goes both ways, its just stupid to be getting on the free way at 80kph, but it happens and people need to deal with it and not increase the risk of an accident.

[ED Classic]

Originally Posted by 4Vman

Having spent some time recently commuting distances at 100 and 110kph i can honestly say there are alot of morons on our roads.

Cruise control.. USE IT, or learn to drive at a consistent pace.. nothing worse than sitting on the Hume with cruise set at 112kph and having to pull right to pass a slower car, then being passed by the same damn car that sped up who wizzes by at 120 then proceeds to pull back into the left lane and slow down to 100 5 times because they're unable to hold a constant speed. :

Posted limits.... PAY ATENTION.... no its not fun to share roads with people who sit on 95 or 130 on a freeway with a 110 limit.... the speed differential between cars is not only a pain to navigate through but damn dangerous. :

Merging traffic... SYNCHRONISE..... why hold a car out and try to run them onto the grass when they're just trying to merge from an off ramp? is it too hard to speed up/ slow down or move right to let them in?? : Also merging traffic... try to merge at or close to the posted limit to minimise inconvenience...

Idiots abound our major roads....

I agree 110% with you but because of the sad fact that idiots will never change we are the ones that have to adapt :

Oh and you forgot the one about drivers who sit way below the limit who are obviously $h$t scared of police or just plain smart allochs then when you pass them and are either alongside or infront they get a huge burst of energy and want to sit close as to you

[g220ba]

i agree with everything you've said so far in this thread 4vman. It really irks me to have to overtake the same car 4-5 times because the driver finds it so hard to maintain a reasonably steady speed.

In regards to cars merging from an on ramp, i've always been taught to merge at or near enough to the posted speed limit of the road i'm merging onto. It is extremely dangerous to merge onto a 100kph road at 70-80 yet some people can't comprehend that.

[vztrt]

Originally Posted by 84ltd

In regards to cars merging from an on ramp, i've always been taught to merge at or near enough to the posted speed limit of the road i'm merging onto. It is extremely dangerous to merge onto a 100kph road at 70-80 yet some people can't comprehend that.

How can people comprehend that when the government constantly tells us the faster you go the bigger the chance of death? No one actually thinks about difference in speed of large objects and the damage that it can create if they collide.

[Kryton]

Wait till you hit country roads where there are no overtaking lanes and only 1 or 2 places to overtake 'safely'.
I drive 35km each way to work, luckily it is early in the morning and late at night.
However, those days that i have travel in the day time, your lucky to do 80km for the whole trip.
Even then, its not a constant speed.
I honestly dont understand why it is such a big issue for some (most) people to do 100kmh and stay at that speed.
I dont care if 100kmh on your speedo is actually 95kmh - just do a constant speed.

[DoreSlamR]

Better throw in the idiots who sit on or just below the limit whilst out in the right lane, I'm starting to notice this more and more on the freeway in Perth.

They just crawl along barely passing the cars in the left lane and when there is an opportunity to move over and let others pass, they don't. They continue to sit out there because they're slowly approaching another car in the left lane and it's obviously easier (for them) to just stay there.

I've had to floor it and undertake them in these tiny gaps a few times, not without sitting back patiently initially waiting for kays on end mind you, it is a last resort move brought on from pure frustration and opportunity.

Maybe I'm too impatient but god it sh$^%s me.

[Copie]

What i love doing to other drivers, is getting to an overtaking lane (or if its dual lane) then attempting to overtake another truck, as im lucky to be going 1kmh faster then him, and holds up everyone else behind me (serves them right for sitting up my *** and then flying past me and cutting into my braking space)

Edit: overtaking a car in the left hand lane isnt undertaking, undertaking is heading out onto the shoulder/merge lane and getting around someone.

[Franco Cozzo]

My driving instructor told me not to move over or slow down for the traffic merging in and that they have to give way to me. Funny, because I get conflicting opinions from driving instructor who told me that and Dad who says back off/speed up/move over to let them in.

Originally Posted by Copie

What i love doing to other drivers, is getting to an overtaking lane (or if its dual lane) then attempting to overtake another truck, as im lucky to be going 1kmh faster then him, and holds up everyone else behind me (serves them right for sitting up my *** and then flying past me and cutting into my braking space)

Edit: overtaking a car in the left hand lane isnt undertaking, undertaking is heading out onto the shoulder/merge lane and getting around someone.

I've seen this happen with my bus and another truck, the bus driver wouldn't slow down and the truck was probably only going 1-2km/h faster so he was on the opposite side of the road for a very long time, until our bus driver braked because another car was approaching in the horizon.

[Copie]

Originally Posted by XCPWSF

My driving instructor told me not to move over or slow down for the traffic merging in and that they have to give way to me. Funny, because I get conflicting opinions from driving instructor who told me that and Dad who says back off/speed up/move over to let them in.



I've seen this happen with my bus and another truck, the bus driver wouldn't slow down and the truck was probably only going 1-2km/h faster so he was on the opposite side of the road for a very long time, until our bus driver braked because another car was approaching in the horizon.

Its always been the law for as long as i can remember you have to let in merging traffic, its a law that actually makes sense, not only that is just common courtesy.

And yeah ive seen that done as well, i will never do it on a single lane highway, overtaking lanes/dual lane is an exception.

[220]

Originally Posted by XCPWSF

My driving instructor told me not to move over or slow down for the traffic merging in and that they have to give way to me. Funny, because I get conflicting opinions from driving instructor who told me that and Dad who says back off/speed up/move over to let them in.

And people wonder why I think driving instructors are a waste of money. They are only interested in getting you to a standard to pass a test not survive on the road.
FFS I'm not going to let a B-Double run into me just because I'm in the right a little bit of common sense needs to be applied sounds like your dad has the right attitude.

[dannyhilton]

Originally Posted by 4Vman

Cruise control.. USE IT, or learn to drive at a consistent pace.. nothing worse than sitting on the Hume with cruise set at 112kph and having to pull right to pass a slower car, then being passed by the same damn car that sped up who wizzes by at 120 then proceeds to pull back into the left lane and slow down to 100 5 times because they're unable to hold a constant speed.

Well said. But it's this point that annoys the crap out of me the most. If you don't have cruise control, then at least keep a constant speed. I was driving down the Bruce Hiway and overtook, then got overtook by a Peugeot 207 about 207 times. Slow down, speed up. What a ************.

[GasoLane]

Originally Posted by 4Vman

Having spent some time recently commuting distances at 100 and 110kph i can honestly say there are alot of morons on our roads.

Cruise control.. USE IT, or learn to drive at a consistent pace.. nothing worse than sitting on the Hume with cruise set at 112kph and having to pull right to pass a slower car, then being passed by the same damn car that sped up who wizzes by at 120 then proceeds to pull back into the left lane and slow down to 100 5 times because they're unable to hold a constant speed. :

Posted limits.... PAY ATENTION.... no its not fun to share roads with people who sit on 95 or 130 on a freeway with a 110 limit.... the speed differential between cars is not only a pain to navigate through but damn dangerous. :

Merging traffic... SYNCHRONISE..... why hold a car out and try to run them onto the grass when they're just trying to merge from an off ramp? is it too hard to speed up/ slow down or move right to let them in?? : Also merging traffic... try to merge at or close to the posted limit to minimise inconvenience...

Idiots abound our major roads....

So ?

Other than cruise control nothing has changed over the last 45 years!

[XR6_190]

Spot on Norm, I can't stand these clowns that don't know how to drive on a freeway, I swear most of them are city people that only venture out onto the Freeways once in a blue moon, and then kak themselves in the process. One of many things that need to be adressed about the state of our drivers.

I honestly believe that it is the attitude and ability of drivers that is the biggest problem on our roads, not speed and alcohol.

[galaxy xr8]

Another thing while we are talking about staying at a constant speed, I see this often, I usually set my cruise control at 112 klm/h when travelling down the Calder, now I see vehicles comming up behind me from afar obviously gaining, they then when they reach my rear end, they sit there, instead of indicating and passing and moving on, they will sit there and follow for miles,
I'm also sick of setting my cruise at 112 and slowly gaining on another vehicle infront, to pull out and pass them without touching my cruise, only to find that they speed up and I have to either speed up myself or pull back in,
I use my cruise all the time on the hwy and at the speed I mentioned, and it can be annoying at time's with what has been mentioned above.

[Copie]

Originally Posted by galaxy xr8

Another thing while we are talking about staying at a constant speed, I see this often, I usually set my cruise control at 112 klm/h when travelling down the Calder, now I see vehicles comming up behind me from afar obviously gaining, they then when they reach my rear end, they sit there, instead of indicating and passing and moving on, they will sit there and follow for miles,
I'm also sick of setting my cruise at 112 and slowly gaining on another vehicle infront, to pull out and pass them without touching my cruise, only to find that they speed up and I have to either speed up myself or pull back in,
I use my cruise all the time on the hwy and at the speed I mentioned, and it can be annoying at time's with what has been mentioned above.

My theory behind them sitting on your rear end is that they are using you as a shield from roo's/other cars/police its fairly common practice in country areas especially late afternoon/night/dawn.

I do it occasionally (hey if it saves me from hitting a roo its worth it)

[DoreSlamR]

Originally Posted by Copie

My theory behind them sitting on your rear end is that they are using you as a shield from roo's/other cars/police its fairly common practice in country areas especially late afternoon/night/dawn.

I do it occasionally (hey if it saves me from hitting a roo its worth it)

I've had to do this when my headlights blew out on my XF and had a couple hundred kays to drive at night, trailed a landcruiser the whole way, I thought it was a brilliant idea lol

[djjase]

The law should be do at least 5 - 10 km close to the speed limit otherwise don't go on a highway.
Living in the country driving highway speeds is normal to get anywhere.
There is nothing worse than doing 100km on a country road and then there is someone ahead doing 60 -

Remember living in Sydney where some would do 80 in the right lane on the M4 where it was 110 - just makes you wonder where these people get their licenses - these are the ones they should be targeting for creating accidents

[whynot]

I could not agree more 4Vman.

I am rather proud of the fact that when I taught my two daughters to drive we spent a lot of time on learning how to hold a consistent speed, using audio queues like the transmission whine and tyre noise. It took them awhile, with dark mutterings that their old man is a loony, but now they are both adroit at holding a constant speed without resorting to the speedometer. We also had lots of fun gunning the FG down various onramps so that we could spend more time safely merging at 100 kph.

As for setting the cruise control ... Falcon drivers have been spoilt in this area for a long time. The FG is brilliant in how is has a tight 3kph deadband before actively downshifting to control excessive speed. Not sure of the current VE, but, my old VZ fleet hack, when set on a nominal 100, on anything but a billiard table flat road, would drift anywhere between 90 to 120. Ditto with the current model Aurion that I recently drive in Tasmania, the control systems feedback loops associated with the cruise control is abysmal.

[DJM83]

Originally Posted by 4Vman

Merging traffic... SYNCHRONISE..... why hold a car out and try to run them onto the grass when they're just trying to merge from an off ramp? is it too hard to speed up/ slow down or move right to let them in?? : Also merging traffic... try to merge at or close to the posted limit to minimise inconvenience...

Idiots abound our major roads....

Dont get me started on people that cannot do a simple task like merge onto the freeway/motorway. :

Originally Posted by 4Vman

Merging traffic... SYNCHRONISE..... why hold a car out and try to run them onto the grass when they're just trying to merge from an off ramp? is it too hard to speed up/ slow down or move right to let them in??

no i will not lock them up to let you in when there is plenty of room behind me or i saw you cut in from the traffic

[kinksta]

the people who go 130km can sit on my bumper for all that I care, simple don't speed or you can sit on my a$$, especially the ones in ************ box vehicles.

I do alot of highway miles and cruise control is my best mate. And there are alot of cars that would have it fitted that I pass, but they wouldn't know anything about it or scared because of old wives tales. It's frustrating I know.

The other thing is people seeing a police car on the side of the road, and hit the brakes for no reason, merely because oh no it's a cop shhh. Or even worse a cop doing 100km (here in SA) and no one willing to overtake, probably cos police shoot anyone who over takes them????

Look what happened it Haiti, and we are sooking about this hehehe

[bathurst77]

AFF. home of all the superior drivers.

Isnt it funny how its always other people who dont know how to drive.

Everyone who drives slower than me is an idiot holding up the traffic and doesnt deserve a licence. Everyone faster is a fool and a reckless maniac and deserves to be booked.