I’ll start. Stopping distance.

My commute is 95 miles one way to work, so I see a lot of the highway, in the rural part of the US. This means traveling at 70+ mph (112km/h) for almost the entirety of the drive. The amount of other drivers on the road who follow behind someone else with less than a car’s length in front of them because they want to go 20+ over the speed limit is ridiculous. The only time you ever follow someone that close is if you have complete and absolute trust in them, and also understand that it may not even be enough.

For a daily drive, you likely need 2-3 car lengths between you at minimum depending on your speed to accurately avoid hitting the brakes. This doesn’t even take into account the lack of understanding of engine braking…

What concepts do you all think of when it comes to driving that you feel are not well understood by the public at large?

  • Pat12@lemmy.worldEnglish
    5·
    1 year ago

    The passing lane is for passing.

    I know, I know… tough to understand, what with the fact that the lane is named after what it is meant for and all.

    I didn’t actually know this was a thing until recently. I’ve always heard people call it “the fast lane”

    • TeckFire@lemmy.worldOPEnglish
      11·
      1 year ago

      If you have a 4 lane highway, it goes:

      L: Passing LM: Fast Lane RM: Cruising Lane R: Entrance/Exit lane

      If you have 3:

      L: Passing M: Fast Lane/Cruising R: Cruising/Exit

      If you have 2:

      L: Passing R: Cruising/Exit

      There is always a passing only lane specifically for creating the opportunity for others to move around slow or stopped traffic, and for emergency vehicles to (in theory) have a clear path. Most people treat this as a fast lane though, and moreover, most driver’s tests do not ask you about this.

      • HonytawkEnglish
        11·
        1 year ago

        No it isn’t.

        Right lane is the driving lane. Every other lane is a passing lane.

        Unless you are passing someone, you drive in the most right lane.

        • TeckFire@lemmy.worldOPEnglish
          1·
          1 year ago

          That… doesn’t work for most multi-lane highways. For a 2 lane highway, yes. But you try driving in a city with a 4 lane highway with on ramps and exits all over the right lane and you’ll see why everybody who is not entering or exiting and just wants to go at a constant speed is a problem.

          So they cruise in the next lane over. There is still another two lanes for them to pass. Technically, the “fast lane” is just another term for “long term passing,” as in they’re going faster than the other traffic for a long period of time… passing them in the process. They’ll move over when they are able to.

          Ever see signs that say “TRUCKS USE RIGHT TWO LANES” and such? There’s a reason it’s not just the rightmost.