Dr. Driving's Selection of Driving Psychology Issues --
Part 5 --
Merging When Lane is Coned
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Date: Wed, 27 Nov 1996 08:14:26 GMT
From: Leon James
To: Newsgrps: rec.autos.driving
Subject : Re: Road rage and hostility: How are you contributing?
On 21 Nov 1996, CT wrote:
Somehow, poor drivers need to be made aware that their driving is bad.
So if you see another driver driving dangerously or inconsiderately,
don't get angry; *pretend* to be angry.
> Get the idiot's attention and let him think you're really pissed. After
a while, they may begin to see a pattern.
Please... it's our only hope.
Leon James answers:
This is funny! I said "Don't get angry" so you answer "OK, don't get
angry. Pretend to be angry." I like that. It's far better than getting
angry. And I bet you can't do it!!!!
Bottom line:
Remember that your hope is in vain. Nul chance. Zero. You can't make
other drivers to behave in a way you want them to behave. This is both
irrational and ineffective -- and leads you to all sorts of folly!
This is not what you can pin your hope on. Instead, work on yourself.
Get rid of the desire to reatliate or punish or force others to change
their beahvior. This is not your job. Not the job of other drivers.
Learn to live with reality. Support community action groups for the
education of drivers so all of them learn to drive with social
responsibility. This is out best hope, in my considered judgment after 20
years of research in traffic psychology.
Date: Wed, 27 Nov 1996 08:14:26 GMT
From: Leon James
To: Newsgrps: rec.autos.driving
Subject : Re: WHY I TAILGATE
Leon James :
Multiple entry points surely is not as efficient as a single entry
point at the end where there is alternating merging. Surely this
is easy to see. Isn't???
On Thu, 28 Nov 1996, GM wrote:
I've given it a lot of thought in the several days since I first read
your post, (sorry about the slow response, but it's been a busy week),
and I just don't see how that would be the case. In either scenario,
cars from one lane get in between cars from the other lane. I don't
understand how a single entry point would more efficient than multiple
ones.
Leon James answers:
Because with multiple entry points each car trying to enter blocks the way
so that cars behind just sit there. With only one entry point, both lanes
are occupied fully and only one merge point exists. It's faster, and
less dangerous because (1) the diagonally placed cones help you merge (no
one can actually block you) and (2) it's visible and predictable vs.
random multiple entry points open to the whim or opportunity (with no
cones you literally have to force your way in).
Yes you're right -- it takes coordination and mutual agreement. This is
why I think we need continuing driver ed along with license renewals so
that drivers may learn how to be orderly and cooperative.
I would think that a traffic flow engineer should be able to prove the
greater effectiveness of one merge point vs. multiple random entry points.
From: Leon James
Date: Wed, 27 Nov 1996 08:14:26 GMT
To: Newsgrps: rec.autos.driving
Subject : Re: WHY I TAILGATE
On Thu, 28 Nov 1996, CC wrote:
Sorry, don't see it....ideally the merging should be accomplished
WITHOUT stopping traffic. (note, I said *ideally*---if anyone is
living in the ideal world, let me know where it is...) If we
merge as soon as practical after noting the sign, that would tend
to eliminate the person shoved against the cone in the left lane
who forces someone to stop and let him or her in....all because
he or she ignored the sign.
Leon James answers:
You say "If we merge as soon as practical after noting the sign" -- Yes,
if the other lane (right lane) is not dense with cars it's then
practicable to merge as soon as you can. I agree. But quite often the
right lane is packed and the left lane is coned. What happens? Drivers
in the left lane now try to force their way into the right lane. Someone
has to stop to let them in. Meanwhile they block the left lane so both
lanes are now stopped. Now consider this happening multiple times
simultaneously. The right lane is now stopped at multiple points!!!
The only sane thing to do is for all cars in the coned lane to drive all
the way to the cones then merge by alternating at a single merge point.
If this is done with coordination and saneness, the right lane merely has
to slow down to allow for the merge. Both lanes keep going this way.
Oh my I'm getting frustrated. This is so obvious. Someone figure out why
we're not agreeing on this simple thing...
Date: Wed, 4 Dec 1996 16:29:51 -1000
From: CT
To: leon@hawaii.edu, tomlinsc@ix.netcom.com
Subject: Re: Road rage and hostility: How are you contributing?
Newsgroups: rec.autos.driving
On 21 Nov 1996, CT wrote:
Somehow, poor drivers need to be made aware that their driving is bad.
So if you see another driver driving dangerously or inconsiderately,
don't get angry; *pretend* to be angry.
Leon James comments:
This is funny! I said "Don't get angry" so you answer "OK, don't get
angry. And I bet you can't do it!!!!
Actually, I do occasionally try to glare at drivers who did something
mildly stupid to another driver (i.e. not me). I don't try too hard to be
convincing, but I try to look more displeased than I really am. OTOH,
when someone pulls a bonehead move on _me_ (or a really dangerous move on
someone else), my displeasure is quite genuine.
I don't enjoy feeling angry, but as a reaction to a casual (or deliberate)
threat to my safety, I think anger is entirely justified. One good side
effect: I pay more attention on the driver who made me angry, so I can
react to them more quickly if they make another unwise move.
Leon James comments:
Remember that your hope is in vain. Nul chance. Zero. You can't make
other drivers to behave in a way you want them to behave. This is both
irrational and ineffective -- and leads you to all sorts of folly!
Believe me, I'm not optimistic about the success of any type of feedback
to poor drivers, but I do think that most poor drivers would rather not be
perceived as unpleasant people.
Regular negative feedback from total strangers *might* move them to figure
out why other drivers are angry at them. Of course, it might not, but
since most poor drivers (IMHO) think that they are good drivers, total
lack of feedback will only strengthen their bad habits.
Leon James comments:
This is not what you can pin your hope on. Instead, work on yourself.
Get rid of the desire to reatliate or punish or force others to change
their beahvior. This is not your job. Not the job of other drivers.
As I've said before, I believe any driver who just placed other people's
lives in jeopardy should be made aware of it, and right away. Until Big
Brother puts driving instructors in every passenger seat, poor drivers are
unlikely to realize *on their own* that their driving habits are bad.
Leon James comments:
Learn to live with reality. Support community action groups for the
education of drivers so all of them learn to drive with social
responsibility. This is out best hope, in my considered judgment after
20 years of research in traffic psychology.
Driver's ed will only work on new drivers. After several years on the
road, few drivers feel they have anything left to learn. Sadly, it's the
people who know the most about driving who realize how much they don't
know. Unless all drivers are *forced* to take substantial driver's ed
courses (not likely IMHO), the poor drivers will stay out of school.
Leon James comments:
Yes, it's not likely now but in the future there will have to be a recognition that driver education starts in Kindergarten, goes on throughout secondary school where people get a driver's license, then starts again as
Continuing Driver Education and goes on for life. The content of this driver education (school-based and continuing adult) must along three domains of the driver's personality:
- Sensorimotor (accurate vision and motor coordination)
- Cognitive (correct judgment and reasoning about safety)
- Affective (learning emorional control and road morality)
You can check out my further elaborations of this issue
in this article.
Date: Fri, 6 Dec 1996 10:01:54 -1000
From: JR
To: leon@hawaii.edu
Subject: enjoy this... don't be offended...
On Thu, 5 Dec 1996, AP wrote:
If, however, a space comes up before your
"merge point", and you move into
it without stopping, then you have managed to
merge without stopping the
traffic. This will definitely cause no more trouble
than waiting to merge,
and might even stop some, since there is every
chance that you will reach
the merge point and not have a space
available.
Leon James wrote back:
OK, good. If you can merge because spaces are
still un-packed, go ahead
and merge. However, if the right lane is already
packed full, you can't
merge from the left. You then have a choice:
1) Try to force your way in. To do this you have to
stop and wait for
some driver to make room for you. In the
meantime you're blocking the
left lane -- that's bad!!
JR comments:
No, you don't have to stop!!! All the traffic is still
moving at this point.
And tooooo baaaaad if the left lane is blocked
while you wait for someone
to let you in... you are practicing common
courtesy!!! And there's nothing
wrong with that. Let 'em wait.
If it's so bad to block other drivers while you are
waiting for someone to let
you in, well, let's make sure the brats don't have to
wait AT ALL!!! ...if no
one lets you in after 5 seconds... JUST YANK the
steering wheel to the left
and stuff it in the median!!! Come on, Leon, can't
you understand why there
is such strong reaction to those brats who want to
fly up to the cones and
get in front of everyone else?
It's simply not right for these drivers to assume that
their desire to continue
unimpeded is more worthy than everyone else's.
Imagine if you tried to run two ticket lines at a
theatre in a similar manner.
I know the analogy is not without its flaws, but you
CANNOT sanely advo-
cate any system that allows any ticket buyers who
arrive after 20 other ticket
buyers are in the lines, to buy a ticket before those
20 buy their tickets.
The best scenario would be for everyone to merge
at speed, but that can't
always happen, of course. There may be an
accident blocking one lane.
But in situations where there is a planned merge
for construction, several
temporary "merge right - left lane closed ahead"
signs could be placed
MUCH further away from the obstruction. Allowing
for the anticipated
volume of traffic, someone should be able to figure
out how far away they
need to be placed. Let's say midday traffic on an
urban interstate dictates
putting the first sign 5 miles away from the
obstruction... put up two more
in the next two miles for those who didn't see the
first one. This will
improve things somewhat, but only a little...
Now here is where the fun starts.
System A:
The decent people in the left lane will
turn on their right turn
signals, pace the traffic in the right lane, and wait
for someone to let 'em in.
The decent people in the right lane will let 'em in...
and let's hope there are
about the same number of each in the two lanes.
If there hasn't been enough merging completed by
the time the left lane gets
to the cones, then of course everyone just has to
make the best of it from
there on.
But System A doesn't please all the brats... they
are in the left lane,
tailgating, flashing their lights, and blowing their
horns... so I have come
up with "get tough" System B in their honor.
System B:
Put up "Do not pass" signs 100 yards
past each "merge right"
sign. Put a couple of troopers on the median and
ticket any brats who ignore
the signs. This way no one would get away with
selfishly flying up to the
cones and taking advantage of everyone else (we
give no thank-yous here to
the morons who would let 'em in, either).
I know, you guys... we have murderers and drug
pushers that need to be
tracked down, yadda-yadda-yadda... but this type
of thing wouldn't even
need to be considered if the brats weren't trying to
take a wrong advantage...
And when you pull these jerks off the road, you may
find more than a few
who ARE murderers or drug pushers...
Now let's say all drivers have seen System B
operating nationwide for a year
and have decided to "behave" like their momma
taught 'em, (pipedream)
and so System B is not necessary anymore
(pipedream again, but fun to
consider).
We still have a problem, however.
Rubberneckers. Those who want to screw up a
decent traffic flow past all
obstructions by slowing down to 15 MPH to get a
goooood lonnnng look at them. So we now have
System C
in their honor.
System C:
Put up temporary "Keep moving -
minimum speed __ MPH."
Different conditions may make the appropriate
speed anywhere from 30 to...
who knows? Let someone who has some brains
set the speed. Everyone
moves past at that speed and the posted limit, and
everyone is on their way
in a minimum amount of time.
But, just in case this doesn't work and we have
bozos who want to creep
past it and make everyone else wait for them...
yep, we now have good ol'
System D.
System D:
You have your temporary "Keep
moving - minimum speed __"
signs, but in addition, you have a couple of
troopers just past the obstruction,
and they write you up so you actually have to pay
money if you want a good
look at the obstruction. Like selling tickets to
watch a building burn down.
Who could possibly object?
Now, just for fun, how about...
System E:
Instead of writing you up, we pull you
over, you get out of your
vehicle, and we have a very large forklift there to
pick up your vehicle and
stack it into the honorary "Rubberneckers Pile" off
on the grass so we keep
the emergency lane open. We would let Geoff
drive the forklift. Go get
'em, Geoffrey!!!!
Leon James wrote :
2) Go all the way to the cones, then alternate. No
one can stop you
because the cones are set diagonally. You're not
blocking the left lane.
JR comments:
This is unbelievably inefficient. Both lanes have
to stop and start, stop and
start, stop and start, stop and start... surely you
jest, Leon.
Leon James wrote :
Bottom line:
A single entry point at the cones allows lawful and
orderly and least
dangerous merging of the two lanes!! So, next
time, DON'T BLOCK the left
lane trying to merge when there is no space
anyway (in the right lane).
Just keep driving all the way to the cones!!
JR again:
Least dangerous because everyone is only going
10 MPH, sure... thanks a lot.
We don't need genius ideas like this.
I seem to detect a little anger there in "DON'T
BLOCK"... are you getting
frustrated? Control yourself, please. Mellow out,
dude. Someone could
get hurt. You never worked for the post office, did
you?
Leon James wrote :
At the same time, if there is space in the right
lane and you can get in,
go ahead and do it.
JR says:
Agreed.
Leon James wrote :
Now who is going to disagree with this obvious
solution???
JR says:
With the last one, probably no one, but if you are
talking about playing
"you go first... no, you go first" tippy toe at the
cones, forget it.
Date: Thu, 12 Dec 1996 17:38:21 -1000
From: EDM
To: Leon James
Subject: Re: WHY I TAILGATE
Newsgroups: rec.autos.driving
Leon James wrote :
Now who is going to disagree with this obvious
solution???
1) the guy in the right lane who's been waiting 20 minutes in stop-and-go
traffic only to see some guy in the left lane trying to cut in front of him.
2) traffic _at_ the end of where the left/merge lane closes is slow
already....it is worsened because of people alternating in from the left.
3) if there are no backup near the end of the left/merge lane, at least the
right lane would be moving moderately...so it's not that bad if you block
traffic on the left lane midway or so.
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