Advanced Driving Hub

Today I drove to Birkenhead and back (don't ask).

Apart from the rather curious driving habits of them wot live in the Wirral, I had time on the M40, M42, M6 etc to contemplate one of the mysteries of life:

Why do people lurk in your blind spot? Is it a thing like the V-formation of geese? Are they happier just following you along watching your progress ten metres from their nearside corner? Why don't they just get on with it and PASS?

I call them parrots

Triquet wrote:Today I drove to Birkenhead and back (don't ask).

You have my sympathy: my town of birth and childhood. It used to be a thriving place with lots of industry and busy docks. Now, it's a wasteland.

If you want to play more games, contemplate why people seem happier with spatial stability than speed stability (ie people would rather sit in lane 2 and vary their speed according to meeting other cars in lane 2 than sitting at a fixed speed and changing lane when necessary to overtake).

Or indeed why when I approach them to pass in the outside lane, some people will fractionally increase their speed as my nearside front comes alongside their offside rear. I didn't get there by going the same speed as them, I haven't varied my speed; but they give me the choice of exceeding (my interpretation of) the limit, sitting in their blind spot or dropping back and starting the whole thing over again (until they meet a slower vehicle in lane 2).

Alternatively we could just drive our own cars as best we can, and not bother about the oddities displayed by others. Just a thought....

Best wishes all,
Dave - just as laid back (and unhelpful) as ever.

TripleS wrote:Alternatively we could just drive our own cars as best we can, and not bother about the oddities displayed by others. Just a thought....

Best wishes all,
Dave - just as laid back (and unhelpful) as ever.

Unfortunately other peoples oddities often have an adverse affect on us.

Nigel.

Yeah, I am just as puzzled as you are. The last time I drove in France, my sat nav stopped working so I found myself on a nice country road. I wasn't in a hurry so decided to enjoy the opportunity, but then something odd kept happening: every time I would catch up to a car, they would noticeably up their pace, and each time I would go for an overtake, at least half of them would frankly accelerate, only to slow down noticeably once they were in my rear view mirror.

Maybe humans are just naturally/genetically programmed to prefer being close to other humans and that is more or less expressed depending on the local culture. And then, that would simply manifest itself as we drive.

Or maybe I have just had a long week...

ChristianAB wrote:Maybe humans are just naturally/genetically programmed to prefer being close to other humans.

I'm really thinking lately on whether this is actually a reason for tailgating, i.e. cars bunching up on the open road. Certainly seems like a valid idea.

fungus wrote:

TripleS wrote:Alternatively we could just drive our own cars as best we can, and not bother about the oddities displayed by others. Just a thought....

Best wishes all,
Dave - just as laid back (and unhelpful) as ever.

Unfortunately other peoples oddities often have an adverse affect on us.

Nigel.

Yes of course; but we have to learn to deal with them. I just don't think it's worth spending a lot of time trying to understand why they do what they do.

Best wishes all,
Dave.