Do you enjoy driving?

[Sundae]

None of the above.

I enjoy driving but haven't done so for about 6 years now because I can't afford a car.
I am a very patient driver, not phased by jams, lights, queues or anything like that.
I love being a passenger. Even with a car it's my preference, not because I don't like driing, I just like being driven. In fact I even enjoy public transport for this reason - the only stress and hate I get is that it never ever runs on time and I am punctual to the point of depravity.

[Undertoad]

I really ask BrianR, whose vehicle would be large enough to create a tremendous draft effect.

[Stormieweather]

I love driving my corvette...the sense of power beneath my body, the instant responsiveness to my controls, the top notch stereo flooding my tiny space. It's a rolling orgasm.

Now, if I am taking the kids somewhere, the Lincoln is the ticket. I bought it because of it's roominess, ultra comfort, automatic everything, and I can escape from the squabbling.

That said, I don't like driving when I HAVE to do it and with other people. Any forced travel is a chore and burden. I want it over and to be wherever I am going already. Driving is wonderful if I am in control of the speed and direction of, as well as the sounds in, my vehicle.

I have driven long distances in short time spans - 19 hours from Florida to New Jersey straight through. 24 hours from Florida to Mexico with a 1 hr stop. I was fried afterwards, though.

[BrianR]

UT - yes, yes, no and no
it is incredibly unsafe.

When a driver drafts my truck, his/her eyes are naturally drawn to my taillights to the exclusion of all else. With their eyes totally focused on my rear lights, drivers tend to miss things like signs, turn signals, exits, even other vehicles.

And the fuel savings aren't enough to matter on a per-tankful basis. I should post a picture of what happens to a car that gets squished under a truck back there, but no one would look at it.

Bottom line, please stay back 50 feet, or one trailer length to give yourself enough time to react to anything that might happen. The air back that far is still disturbed enough to ease the power burden on your engine and fuel economy. Tailgating like that is a primary offense in many jurisdictions so I may also be saving you a traffic ticket. I *am* saving your life!

Brian

[BrianR]

Oh, I am reminded that I did do it to a truck once. I did ask permission and kept two-way comms with the driver at all times.

It was an emergency.

I was crossing the Chesapeake Bay Bridge in heavy rain when my wipers quit. There was no place to pull over and no separator back then. It was just two lane-55 mph traffic, wind driven rain, gulls and spray. I was driving blind and couldn't stop. So I called the truck ahead of me and got his permission to get close enough to him that some of the water was blocked and I could see his taillights enough to be sure I was still in my lane. He would let me know if he was about to use his brakes so I could back off. That guy pulled me several miles to the first turn off where I could get off the road and stop and get help. He received profuse thanks.

lesson learned: CBs, not loud pipes, save lives

[lumberjim]

how do you call the truck in front of you?

[jinx]

License plate numbers should correspond to your cell phone.
Also, drivers licenses should be issued based on ability. "Ma'am do you realize you were going 75mph and passing on the right?" "Oh, never mind, your license indicates that you can handle that no problem, have a nice day."

[BrianR]

LJ - nearly all trucks have a name on them. So, hypothetically, I would call the "northbound Schneider at mile marker 109". That is usually sufficient to identify them (if they "have their ears on"). If there are several identical trucks that fit that description, one driver may come back with "which one?", meaning please identify the one you want further, there are several like that.

Used to be ALL truckers had a radio and used it professionally. These days, many don't even bother installing one and rarely use it when they do because of the childish and unprofessional chatter that is endemic. It's much like an IRC chat room, complete with "radio Rambos" (trolls). Radio talk should be much more professional than it is. Listen to an aircraft receiver one day and you'll hear an example of professional talk. Turn on a CB and you'll wince. I do that for all my student drivers. Let them hear what a professional sounds like, set a good example and they will learn good habits. I even provide a list of common (and not so common) CB terms to help them translate at first. Soon, it becomes second nature.

Or so I fervently hope.

Brian

[BrianR]

Jinx, I have advocated graduated licenses and mandatory training for years. It disturbs me that a 16 year old who just got his license that morning can jump into a Corvette and go tearing around the town. The same phenomenon can be observed with motorcycles. Any kid can get the license and hop on a superbike capable of 200 mph. And they WILL try to hit that, despite being barely able to get it from point A to point B without crashing it at low speed. Come to think of it, why do we need such motorcycles available to the general public anyway? The highest legal speed in the country is 80 mph (in rural Texas). I can see 100 mph. But 200? And then the owners further modify the bike to go even faster? But that's another rant.

I think drivers should be limited to a class of vehicle consistent with their demonstrated abilities and type rated for certain designated "high performance" vehicles to show that they are able to safely drive and handle that vehicle. Much like pilots are licensed. I can fly certain classes of airplane without restriction. If I want more power, I simply get an instructor to sign off on me. If I want to move up to the next class, I need a checkride from an FAA examiner and a logbook signature. If I want to fly a P-51 Mustang, I need a type rating from a specialist. Just because my license allows me to fly single-engine, land aircraft with engine power over 250 hp and complex systems, does NOT mean that I can handle a 1300 hp thoroughbred with quirks all it's own.

[Aliantha]

I like driving and do most of it for us as a family. Dazza is a terrible driver and he really only drives if I've been drinking. It's rare for me to get to sit in the passenger seat.

I'm not fond of peak hour traffic and can usually be seen swearing beneath my breath at the stupid things people will do to save 2 seconds in a traffic jam. I'm a safe driver and in my 20 years behind the wheel have only ever had one minor fender bender although I've paid more than my share of speeding fines.