Changing lanes on the highway
 

My girl friend is constantly yelling at me because when I change lanes on the highway I do it abruptly, moving quickly from one lane to the next. I mean, I signal well in advance , but the act of moving the car into the other lane is swift with about a 30-40 degree turn of the wheel. She on the other hand, changes quite slowly, floating into the other lane with a 20-30 degree movement of the wheel. If both cases are in open traffic, which ones better (safer)? Does it matter? Is it maybe time for a little "vacation" from my girlfriend (for her sake as well as mine)?

My wife is "motion sensative" so my lane changes are slow. Plus I learned to drive on the ice where fast is bad.

Too fast and you're a distraction and an attention getter of badge wearers. But tooooo slow you'll apear as an idiot.

I do slow lane changes on the open highway...I save the abrupt ones for heavy traffic...:rolleyes:

And my wife is also annoyed at abrupt steering changes of ANY sort!

I don't think slow lane changes make you look like an idiot...it's the not turning off the turn signal afterwards that does! ;)

Why jerk the wheel?
 

Medium speed is the safest. Changing lanes too fast offers less control and more body pitch. Too slow and it hogs both lanes too long and that could be dangerous. Jerky drivers are scary. What's the hurry? Smooth is controlled.

Smoooooooth. My aim is for my passengers to not know we changed lanes unless they could hear the click of the signal flasher. Watch your passenger's heads. Try to drive so that their heads never bob or weave. When you brake to a stop, do you creep the last foot or so, so that the front end does not "bob" when you stop completely? When parking, use the foot-brake so the car doesn't roll and startle someone that bails as soon as you stop. Never "chop" the throttle, but roll it on and off. Same for the brakes.

Then when I'm alone I can drive like the maniac I am...:D

i try to do it smoothly, not for passenger comfort, but for the least effect on the stability of the car, since this is being done at high speed.

my favorite passing maneouver is over a high-speed bend of the highway: if the highway turns left and I want to switch one or more lanes to the right, I just follow a larger arc than the natural bend of the road.

if the road bends right and i want to overtake a left-lane bandit, i just overtake on the right, hitting the apex of the bend and gradually merging into the left lane. Quite thrilling especially if done across 2 lanes.

driving styles
 

"Champagne stops" are the norm for me when friends or family are in the car. I try to be as smooth as possible while maintaining illegal speeds unbeknownst to my passengers; it’s kind of a game I suppose.

What’s weird is that I drive slow when alone on open freeway and always the speed limit, but when traffic backs up and my forward progress gets impeded, I drive more aggressive and faster in an attempt (futile most of the time) to get around the annoying slower traffic! I often remain more aggressive for the balance of the tourney because of this. I have to work on that.:rolleyes:

Changeing lanes:
If you own a big SUV you just turn the wheel. Anything you hit is smaller and will be crushed.:D
My favorite is driveing in the left lane doing 60 mph (around here if you don't want to do 80+ the left lane is not for you) with your left blinker on. Not paying attention to all the people behind you, you are ticking off. Saw a 300SD doing this recently.

Your young and drive on Long Island. New York tends to teach drivers to be aggressive. Iknow I grew up there and my family is there. What your setting yourself up for is an accident. With enough miles under your belt you will come across the time when you change lanes and do not see the other car in your blind spot. Its not a matter of your skill and experience in driving its a matter of time. You will have this happen to you. Additionally at your age you feel invincable. Slow your lane changes down. It may save your life and the Mercedes one day. Even in flying, we strive to be smooth. Aggressive when necessary, but always smooth. The majority of the time its is NOT necessary to be aggresive in daily life. So slow your lane changes down and allow that car in the blind spot, who will one day be there, to honk at you and allow you to move back to your lane.

Dave

Germany driving tests tell you to take no more than 3 seconds to change lanes.

3 second lane changes do seem abrupt and fast.

at the same time i don't like it when people take 3 minutes to change lanes. the just creeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep over. and drive down the middle most of the time.

I drive exactly like blackmercedes (with passengers) regardless of whether I'm alone or with one or more passengers.

Eric

Ditto
 

Like a professional limo driver. Barely any perception of movement on acceleration, stops, or lane changes. Impossible to keep that rule on turns although it can be minimized with practice.

dmorrison, I was makeing fun of SUV drivers. I don't drive one. I drive very safely, I am the one my friends want to ride with, no near death experances with me. The reason I hate left lane bandits is because other morans do stupid crap to get "even" with them. I saw a big Caddy suv almost run a little Ford Ranger off the road, for doing 60 in the left lane. I don't change lanes more than I have to, to prefer to run 75-80 in the left, traffic permitting of course. But when I do I make sure it is clear and change, slow I guess. Fast movements get the cops attention, moving with traffic and blending is the best way to avoid it.

Lane changing takes maybe 5 seconds for me. There have been cases when I had to get over quickly because of approaching traffic, but if it looks like I'll have to jump over abruptly I won't go at all. It's just not safe. I get enough fun (and comments from the wife) from taking turns quickly; jerking the car back and forth at highway speeds isn't really needed. :)

I try and drive as courteous as possible for 2 reasons: 1. Driving a MB makes one a sort of target for anyone who is having a bad day and is looking to get even - anywhere, anyhow (I've been a victim) and 2. I usually have my 3 and 5 year old kids in the car.

I could go one for pages about driving habits of other people in CT but I'll vent on just one habit that almost everybody does. Suppose you are behind some one in the right lane going too slow and some one else is behind you too. A faster traveling car is coming up on the left and I have to wait until they pass to pass the car in front of me. Inevitably the car behind me swings out right on the tail of the left lane passing car and blocks me from passing until they pass too. No respect or courtesy. I'm done.