See I used to ride people's asses and honk at them, but it never seems to help. Now I just go around them on the right when I get a chance.

In my Mark VIII it's pretty easy, but in the miata I sometimes have trouble. That's why I'm here.

I wouldn't be in the left lane.
Then again I probably would not be doing 5-10 over either. Wasting gas just isn't worth getting somewhere a few minutes early.

Also Yellowihss your truck looks just like a newer version of the one that rear ended me. He decided because I was slowing down a little early for a red light he would drive an inch from my bumper. When I down shifted he hit me. Needless to say there was a court battle and I won. I would never ever suggest tailgating anyone.

Is that what is pulling the chump car out to VIR?

A friend warned me this fall that state cops in MA were going to start actively pulling over left-lane bandits. I haven't seen it, but it's nice to think.

Crossing from Mass into CT on I-84 off-peak, you can set the cruise on the sunny side of 80, stay in the right lane, and pass pretty much everyone. It's a kind of lane discipline in reverse - everybody snoozes in the center and left lanes, only trucks and me use the right.

If it's rush hour, I treat it like I would on a track (haven't been to one yet, but from what I understand ;) ). I keep my lane near on/off ramps and I get out of the way on the straightaways to let the faster cars through.

Larger trucks coming up fast from behind are a bit intimidating. I let taller cars, in general, get around me. I hate having bright lights in my mirror.

I dunno, at night, lights closing in on you are equally visible with a miata or a big truck.

I'm with a lot of responders here - I drive "enthusiastically" but also courteously. One of my personal rules is never do something to make the other guy evade you or hit the brakes. I don't ride someone's ass unless they can move over and they don't. I don't stay in the left lane unless actively passing. I move aside for other cars, even when I'm in the right lane, someone wants to get on the road in the same direction as me - I move to the left lane if open so they can get on sooner. (BTW very, very few drivers ever do this)

I've always noticed that after a race I find myself gently, half asleep pulling into a gap that must have INCHES of extra space, and watch cars on both sides freak out... Till I realize that no one is used to it. Only lasts like the first 10 - 20 minutes on public roads, but it's kinda funny when you first notice what's happening and decide to act like a human being again.


Uh huh. It's a different experience in my $1000 van, little shiny miata and the GF's lexus SUV. In different places on the size/value/manuverability chart for sure.

There are WAY too many people here in socal (I imagine elsewhere as well) who just plain aren't aware. And a lot that hope if they don't give you room you won't take it. Basically it comes down to knowing where your car ends. I've maybe had one person not back off when I just put myself where I want to be. If they are being assholes, they are generally the most afraid. Either way, moving into what small percentage of their field of vision isn't taken up with iPhone typically lets them know that the blinking light they are seeing means you want to get over.

Don't you love driving with people who won't signal until there's an opening? Miles and miles will go by while they speed up and slow down waiting for a gap before letting anyone else in on their secret.


I think there might be something to the roof mounted headlight idea. And don't get me started on focused, tracking mirrors specifically for asshole with high mounted lights and their brights on.

But an insight!
When I had Serious Airhorns on my car, I noticed that every single time I used them, without fail, cars would instantly jerk away from me. Oh, sure, most would look over, and continue on their way. Some would look over, see a miata and get right back underfoot.

But as you're saying, instead of 80% ignoring you till they figured out who you were, they would just MOVE as if the horn was attached to a freight train. (This isn't for passing, per se, but general collision avoidance). In nutshell: Airhorns if you don't want to get run over. It really, really, REALLY works.


Heh. I was like that. When I was 16.


Never gone to court and never been to prison, but I have certainly been parked on the highway or surface streets because some truck refused to go around me more than a few times. I'll go one fucking mile an hour or park and set up a picnic on my trunk before I'll ride the ass of the guy in front of me... If there's nowhere for me to go, I'm not going. If there IS somewhere for me to go, and also a place for you to go, fuck off, go around.

I'm generally pretty good about it, but sometimes the amount of effort for the world at large is smaller if you back the fuck off. Once you turn it into a fight, it's a fight. And once you're riding that close, I'm not convinced you've got the ability to squeeze by me once I start to move over without hitting me. I'd rather stay in front where there's a good legal standing that you're 100% at fault.


Yeah - perhaps it comes from years of motorcycle riding, but I'd like to think that if everyone else on the road were blind it wouldn't change my 'flight path' at all.

Odd. True, but odd. Probably ridiculous, but I tend to think of the total amount of fuel/brake/money/environmental-impact cost to the world. Changing lanes: About a fart in the wind. Dropping from 85 to 60 mph, then getting back up to speed, for two cars? Enough to drive a mile or two.

Nice brodozer. And I mean that. I like the truck.

I thought I was the only one who did this...

Big John needs some warpaint on his face.

Yes sir.

I want to go buy a bus like that now from an auction. They are so cheap. I do not think my apartment complex would be pleased though.

the law even says get the fuck over if you're holding up traffic at any speed most places.

what drives me nuts the most? people who merge way over to the left to drive slower than everyone. derp.

Yeah in mass they're actually supposed to pull over a left lane camper before a speeder. They really need to start enforcing the minimum speed limit around here too.

TX folk love to wait to see the whites of your eyes before they pull out in front of you. Happens daily in the miata. Never once had it happen in the 3500 Ram.

lol put some cages on that black bus and type prison transport. See how many stay in front of u.

Around here theres this road with 3 lanes closing into 2. Left lane ends. Usually you get people cutting in front of you. More than once i've had people change from my lane behind me to try to over take me just before the left lane ends forcing me to brake to prevent getting side swiped. Depending on the time of day once in a while i'll pull ahead of them forcing them to merge behind me again and then its "hello exact speed limit". I've once had a cop pull over the idiot that did that trick... gotta say it made my day after the person cutting me off.

I'd never drive slower.

I'll speed up to get around a car, then set my cruise back at 70 in the right or middle lane whatever it may be. I'd never hold up traffic, you want to get around me you can wait for me to make my pass.

This is the thing that gets me about drivers like Erat: They are so sensitive and so egoistic. They take things so personally and prefer escalation to accomodation and courtesy. It's an alien thought process to me.

On the topic of egos, I drive mostly rural roads. If I pass a pickup truck in the Miata the odds are high that the driver of the truck will speed up and ride my ass as if to send me a message. (What message?)

I am a courteous driver. I don't tailgate (except left lane campers to get them to move over.) When I pass, I'm certainly not doing it in anger, but some people just can't stand to be passed by a Miata.

I remember passing a little something, Fiesta maybe? Something like that. It was going 45 - 50 on windy roads. That's fine, I don't care how fast he chooses to drive, but I wanted to go faster. So I passed. A minute later I'm going 75 and I see the little car in the rear view mirror, probably going as fast as it could, with kids in the car, trying to catch me. Why? Evidently I insulted the guy by passing him, even though I did it safely.

That's the shit that pisses me off.

Isn't passing with a miata equivalent to dropping the bar of soap in the prison shower?
You attract some attention to your rear end (from some)... :makeout: