Your Attitude Towards People Who Drive Gas Guzzlers

[lazygood4nothinbum]

One thing I think is kinda cute is when someone tries to bully you out of the way or into speeding up by tailgating you. 

i just kick in a few of the 300 horses, get around the guy in front of me and then use him to block the original guy. anyone for a cup of roadrage?

 

[cute fuzzy bunny]

I just let the idiot in.

No reason to risk my life, my families life, or my expensive car because someone has a brain deficiency.

Although I have to admit to a minor preference for idiots who at least have some sort of benefit to gain from stupid car maneuvers. Far too often I see people do something completely stupid that has no benefit at all, even a lousy one.

I'm in the left lane of a 2 lane road thats about to merge the right lane into the left. Guy runs up the right lane, cuts me off cold, then 50' further up the road gets in line behind 2 other cars to take a left. Still sitting there as I drive by. Not one car within view behind me. Could have just pulled in behind me, gotten in line for his left, and "lost" nothing. Had I not been paying attention, it could easily have caused an accident.

What the hell goes on in peoples brains when they're behind the wheel of a car is beyond me.

 

[lazygood4nothinbum]

i'm certainly not into cutting people off (though i might weave a tad) but my guess is he was thinking: if only i made it in time for that left turn arrow...

 

[Andre1969]

Another one that's fun is when I'm the only car on the road, with nothing behind me as far as the eye can see. Yet from a side road, parking lot exit, driveway, etc, someone will pull out right in front of me, so close that it's dangerous, and then not make the slightest effort to speed up. When they could have just waited the 3-5 seconds it would have taken me to pass them, pull out safely, and then just be on their way.

One day an old early 80's Dodge Colt tried this stunt right in front of me. Literally ran a red light, without stopping, to make a right turn onto the road in front of me. Nothing behind me as far as the eye could see. I didn't bother to slow down. The driver probably wet his pants as he made a quick evasive maneuver off onto the grass. Yeah, yeah, I know, he could have had a gun. But I had a Buick. A big 'un! And besides, for all he knew, I could've had a gun, too!

Oh, and on the safety perspective, yeah, I know what I did wasn't the safest thing in the world. But I was paying attention to my surroundings, and if that Colt hadn't gone off the road, I had time to react. There was nothing coming the other way, so I did have the option of going onto the other side of the road to pass him. If there had been traffic coming, I wouldn't have pulled this little scare tactic.

 

[Nords]

There's that psychological problem of yours again...

At least I can read.

C'mon, guys, is that the best you can do?  Why, your momma  [insert your favorite punchline here]...

On second thought maybe you both should back away to neutral corners and tell me whether I should buy more Intel.

Change the subject: Is this a Hawaii phenomenon, or do the rest of you experience "sympathetic braking"?  This is where a driver in one lane will slam on their brakes and everyone in the adjacent lanes (not behind, not in danger, but another lane entirely will also slam on their brakes to see why the first driver slammed on HIS brakes.  Needless to say this "better safe than sorry" attitude can really screw up a six-lane highway at rush hour.

 

[Andre1969]

"sympathetic braking"...yeah, I've seen it on occasion, too. One rationale I can see for it is if the car beside you, or in another lane ahead of you is braking, there's the possibility that it may suddenly change lanes for whatever reason, so cars around might brake too, just in case they have to suddenly take evasive maneuver.

That's one reason why I try to stay between traffic packs on the highway. But it's kinda hard to do once the highway becomes one big pack!

 

[cute fuzzy bunny]

C'mon, guys, is that the best you can do?

Eh, I was trying to be nice, even though I was called a peckerhead for spending $50 a month on gas by someone who probably uses far more than that. I figured I'd soft pedal the reading problem rather than go in with the drinking problem

I dont know how much INTC you bought, so I cant say if you should buy more! If more than 5, maybe 10% of your total portfolio is INTC, I'd leave it at that.

"experts" had all sorts of trouble trying to simulate actual traffic, until they introduced random, irrational driving behavior into their models. People who drive slow for no reason, stop for no reason, chain reaction stopping, sympathetic braking, etc. Then the models miraculously worked fine.

 

[Nords]

I dont know how much INTC you bought, so I cant say if you should buy more!  If more than 5, maybe 10% of your total portfolio is INTC, I'd leave it at that.

Oh, no, just 1% so far. I could go as high as 5% but that wouldn't leave me much cash for the solar-cell manufacturers that I'm eyeing.

"experts" had all sorts of trouble trying to simulate actual traffic, until they introduced random, irrational driving behavior into their models. People who drive slow for no reason, stop for no reason, chain reaction stopping, sympathetic braking, etc. Then the models miraculously worked fine.

So their problem was applying logic to a traffic jam, and their problem was solved when they started thinking irrationally? I can see that.

 

[Cool Dood]

We should all be so lucky as to have a drinking problem

I don't have any single stock that's as high as 10% of my portfolio. I guess if it's a big company like INTC there's no problem, and likewise people might have big chunks of their holdings in something to which they have a personal connection, e.g. if they got tons of stock options from working at a place.

Or am I too diversified? Probably doesn't matter especially much either way, just thought I'd mention that I don't have any one stock as 10% of my holdings.

Hm, for something totally off-topic, this is rather more dry than the usual boobies....

 

[brewer12345]

I don't have any single stock that's as high as 10% of my portfolio. I guess if it's a big company like INTC there's no problem, and likewise people might have big chunks of their holdings in something to which they have a personal connection, e.g. if they got tons of stock options from working at a place.

Or am I too diversified?

I think it depends considerably on one's risk tolerance.  Having said that, I consider myself reasonably risk tolerant and I start getting the heebie-jeebes when an individual equity starts climbing over 10%.

And I will avoid commenting on another poster's "*******" problem.

 

[lazygood4nothinbum]

Is this a Hawaii phenomenon, or do the rest of you experience "sympathetic braking"? 

That's one reason why I try to stay between traffic packs on the highway. But it's kinda hard to do once the highway becomes one big pack!

i think andre1969 identifies this correctly as pack mentality, possibly imported to hawaii with the introduction of cattle and tourists. you'll notice the same thing when you try to get ahead in traffic, or when you go to pass someone. they'll do 40 mph in front of you or alongside but when you try to pass they do 50. they think they are pack leaders but they are merely pack followers who happen to be one car ahead. again, i find a minimal of 300 hp seems to dust that issue.

on a related issue, did you ever notice how traffic comes to a stop for what seems to be no reason at all and then starts again. there was an interesting pbs thing on this. they showed that when a car breaks in traffic, or breaks sympathetically lane to lane, they slow traffic so much at that spot that because there are always more cars behind the breaking spot then in front of the breaking spot every car behind has to slow down until you get to that spot and then because there are less cars in front of that spot than behind (because they've already gone by) you get to accelerate again.

not sure if i described that very well but the graphics on pbs sure made sense.

 

[JB]

Let the free market function.  If they chose to spend their money that way, thats up to them.

Yup, but problem is that the costs are subsidized by the taxpayers (future taxpayers).

Let's start by imposing a $3/gal tax to pay for Iraq and competitive bidding for drilling rights. Then consider the environmental costs.

Once the real price is accounted for let the market function.

 

[lets-retire]

I think the sympathic braking is due to the possibilty of seeing boobies.

 

[Andre1969]

i
on a related issue, did you ever notice how traffic comes to a stop for what seems to be no reason at all and then starts again. there was an interesting pbs thing on this. they showed that when a car breaks in traffic, or breaks sympathetically lane to lane, they slow traffic so much at that spot that because there are always more cars behind the breaking spot then in front of the breaking spot every car behind has to slow down until you get to that spot and then because there are less cars in front of that spot than behind (because they've already gone by) you get to accelerate again.

One reason for this phenomenon might also be simply the fact that a car, any car, can brake much more quickly than it can accelerate. Even if the driver floors it to get back up to cruising speed, if you were going along at 60 and had to suddenly slow to 30, it's still going to take you longer to get back up to 60. And then if you multiply that by the number of cars that are behind the first car to brake, the effect just gets amplified, with the cars further back having to slow down even further, and then susequently take longer to get back up to cruising speed.

Or is that kinda saying the same thing? I dunno...it's late. I want to go home.

 

[REWahoo]

I think the sympathic braking is due to the possibilty of seeing boobies.

My dog goes into sympathetic barking and howling whenever she hears an ambulance siren or whenever a C5 flies over. No other aircraft, just a C5. Go figure.

Oh, you said sympathetic braking. Nevermind.

 

[Danny]

I think the sympathic braking is due to the possibilty of seeing boobies.

What is it with boobies, I don't get it....what's the big deal with them anyway and why brake for them aren't they just for babies? least that's what my girlfriends in high school & college used to tell me...
did I miss out on something...

 

[MikeD]

And he must really, really hate america.

Are you questioning his patriotism?

 

[brewer12345]

Are you questioning his patriotism?

Wouldn't be the first time. :

 

[audreyh1]

I don't really care if someone is spending his/her hard-earned dollars to fill his guzzling gas tank (to each his own).

What really pisses me of is if he/she complains about how much it costs to fill the tank!!!!

The gall to think you're entitled to cheap gas just because you like to burn a lot of it. Makes me want to slap 'em upside the head!

Audrey

 

[audreyh1]

Gas guzzlers.....

My 30,000 lb motorhome averages about 8 mpg of diesel fuel - and that's while pulling a jeep behind it.

How many mpg does your home get?

Of course we don't drive it everyday/everywhere either.  Only put 8000 miles on the first year.

It's pretty light on the utilities too - much less consumption than a standard house.

Oh yeah - an on the potential to flatten a passenger vehicle: I do make sure to put 5 secs between me and the passenger vehicle in front - even when someone cuts right in front of me without thinking!

Audrey

 

[kz]

I don't really care if someone is spending his/her hard-earned dollars to fill his guzzling gas tank (to each his own).

What really pisses me of is if he/she complains about how much it costs to fill the tank!!!!

The gall to think you're entitled to cheap gas just because you like to burn a lot of it.  Makes me want to slap 'em upside the head!

Audrey

That reminds me of the idiot on CNN a few weeks ago that was complaining that when he bought his Range Rover a few weeks before the prices weren't that high. Did he think gas prices were going to fall once he got his gas guzzler?? I just don't understand people like him.

 

[laurence]

Nightly news did a special on a woman who said gas prices were affected her family's budget, made a big deal of her going down the grocery store aisles with her kids, telling them "no" for a lot of items, then showed them climb into their Cadillac Escalade XLT Grande edition (or whatever).

Some people seem to see the mega vehicle as a God given right, as if taking it away from them would be worse than having a domestic eavesdropping program oh never mind.

 

[SLC Tortfeasor]

Let the free market function.  If they chose to spend their money that way, thats up to them.  I personally wouldn't drive an SUV if you gave it to me for nothing.

   Grumpy

Ordinarily I would agree with this 100%.  Unfortunately, the market isn't functioning well in this situation.  The costs of gas overconsumption aren't limited to the overconsumers.  They're borne by everyone who breathes polluted air -- there are documented scientific links between the increase in asthma and other respiratory illnesses and air pollution.  The costs of oil overconsumption are also borne by everyone who pays taxes, because our government subsidizes petroleum consumption in more ways than one.  And need I point out that our national security is fundamentally weakened by our dependency on foreign oil.  Worried at all about America's global trade deficit?  Blame it in large part on oil imports, because they're one of the the largest components of the deficit.

The "free" market in this case really isn't free.  It's heavily subsidized and regulated.  And the exceedingly high costs of overconsumption are spread around to every man, woman, and child, whether they drive a gas guzzler or not.

FULL DISCLOSURE: I drive a sports car that gets 20-26 mpg.

 

[Gumby]

Ordinarily I would agree with this 100%.* Unfortunately, the market isn't functioning well in this situation.* The costs of gas overconsumption aren't limited to the overconsumers.* They're borne by everyone who breathes polluted air -- there are documented scientific links between the increase in asthma and other respiratory illnesses and air pollution.* The costs of oil overconsumption are also borne by everyone who pays taxes, because our government subsidizes petroleum consumption in more ways than one.* And need I point out that our national security is fundamentally weakened by our dependency on foreign oil.* Worried at all about America's global trade deficit?* Blame it in large part on oil imports, because they're one of the the largest components of the deficit.

The "free" market in this case really isn't free.* It's heavily subsidized and regulated.* And the exceedingly high costs of overconsumption are spread around to every man, woman, and child, whether they drive a gas guzzler or not.

FULL DISCLOSURE:* I drive a sports car that gets 20-26 mpg.

..

 

[getoutearly]

This is America, right? Then let the market decide.

If we are going to decide what size car people should drive (guess we should let the government decide who is elegible to drive the SUV's? Gee, I bet that turns out real well), then why don't we let them decide what size house everyone deserves, who get's to own a motor home, who get's to live in the parts of the country that consume the most energy cooling their homes.

Better yet, we sholod let the police enter people's houses at will when they think they may have their A/C units turned down too low.... Where does it end? I for one don't want to find out. Believe they tried this in the good ole USSR, to rave reviews...

Was at least glad to see that the largest vote on this poll was in the Let the People Decide category.

Think I'll go out and start my 2 HUGE SUV's and let them run all night while I turn the A/C down and get a good night's sleep...