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Author Topic: highway driving tips? Jonathan Althaus Master Film Handler Posts: 435 From: Bedford, TX Registered: Dec 2008 posted 12-29-2009 05:46 PM                     More snow in Dallas today, all the shitty drivers have come out again.  |  IP: Logged Sean McKinnon Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1712 From: Peabody Massachusetts Registered: Sep 2000 posted 12-30-2009 11:58 AM                        You are right about that Scott... At this point though I almost feel like id rather have worse roads and less construction traffic!  |  IP: Logged Richard Hamilton Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1341 From: Evansville, Indiana Registered: Jan 2000 posted 12-30-2009 12:11 PM                     quote: Jonathan Althaus More snow in Dallas today Stay off the interstates, especially if theres any construction.  |  IP: Logged Randy Stankey Film God Posts: 6539 From: Erie, Pennsylvania Registered: Jun 99 posted 12-30-2009 12:17 PM                     quote: Also it always seems traffic will be dead stopped for 5 miles then when you finally get up to the work site there is NOTHING going on. Drives me nuts! It's a kind of "reverse propagation" effect. One person suddenly stops, slows down, swerves or does something else unexpected which causes all the cars in close proximity to stop, slow down or swerve to avoid the first car. Then all the cars, in sequence, behind them will have to take action in response to the cars ahead. On a busy stretch of highway, especially during rush traffic, you get a reverse propagating wave of slowed or stopped cars which can stretch for miles behind the original incident. The reason why there appears to be no cause for this is because, by the time you have stopped, waited for traffic to clear and started moving again, all the cars responsible for the tie-up in the first place are long gone. If people would remember that, during high traffic times, it is important to keep moving in a steady, predictable manner these "phantom traffic jams" would not occur. Try to keep moving at the prevailing speed of traffic but, if you can't or don't want to go that fast, get into the slow lane on the right so that others can go around. If you know you are going to have to exit the freeway soon you should get into the exit lane as soon as is reasonably possible so that you don't have to cut in front of other cars at the last second. If you see an accident or come upon a construction site, try to change lanes or take evasive action as early as possible so that you don't have to make an abrupt change in your speed or direction at the last second. The key to avoiding "phantom traffic jams" is to keep all traffic moving at similar speed in predictable directions. Unfortunately, most people don't even know what "phantom traffic jams" are, much less how to avoid them. There is a section of I-81 between Bristol, TN and Knoxville, TN that is famous for "phantom jams." http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=35.814717,-83.47047&z=8&t=h&hl=en People in that area regularly drive in excess of 80 MPH but they don't seem to take into account for the fact that I-81 branches off into I-40 and TN-321 somewhere around Jefferson City. So you'll get these idiots in rusty Ford pickup trucks, confederate flags, shotgun racks and all, flying down the highway in excess of Mach-I who will suddenly "dive" for the exit ramp at the last second, causing traffic tie-ups that stretch for 5 miles or more. I spent a lot of time driving that stretch of road. When I was working for Cinemark, my two WORST theaters were in Bristol (#277) and Knoxville. (#246) There were times when I spent half my time driving back and forth between those two theaters. I would fix up one theater and head toward the other and, literally an hour later I'd get a call telling me that they had broken something else. I'd have to turn around and go back. Those two theaters and the shitty driving between the two of them are one of the prime reasons I quit the job!  |  IP: Logged Martin McCaffery Film God Posts: 2481 From: Montgomery, AL Registered: Jun 99 posted 12-30-2009 12:35 PM                        Just drove back to Montgomery from DC I-95 to I 85. I usually take the US Hwy system for the scenery, but was in a hurry this year. Always avoid the DC area, the traffic always sucks. The worse traffic outside of DC, surprisingly, was in SC. Several "phantom" roadblocks. I'm pretty sure one of the longer delays was that 85 at the hour and direction I was on it points directly into the sun so you are driving totally blind and everyone slows down and leaves lots of room. Doesn't explain the delay in the other direction. 85 was also awful from Salisbury to Charlotte. I just got off and too US 29  |  IP: Logged Randy Stankey Film God Posts: 6539 From: Erie, Pennsylvania Registered: Jun 99 posted 12-30-2009 12:47 PM                     I had theaters on both those towns. Salisbury, NC (#243) and one near Charlotte, NC in Matthews. (#211) When there was no construction in that stretch, traffic wasn't so bad. Once you get near the NC/SC state line it could get hairy, especially at rush hour.  |  IP: Logged Richard Hamilton Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1341 From: Evansville, Indiana Registered: Jan 2000 posted 12-30-2009 01:52 PM                     I had one experience where traffic just came to a sudden stop. After about 15 minutes, i shut off my car because we weren't moving and I had less than a half tank of gas. Every so often, a car would do a u-turn through the median, or a car would fly by on the shoulder of the road. I just reclined my seat and put in a good CD. After about an hour, traffic inched forward about 15 feet. Traffic wasn't moving, the space in front of me opened because someone way up front did a uturn.I wasn't going to start my car to advance 1 car length. The driver behind me decided to drive on the shoulder and cut in front of me. I did an immediate "what the fuck?" and started to get out, but my wife grabbed my shoulder and said it wasnt worth it, probably the only smart thing she ever said. We ended up stuck there for about 3 hours. When we finally started moving we got to the crash site which was in the opposite lanes, motorcycle wreck, yellow police tape, ambulances, firetrucks, but all in the opposite direction. Not sure why our lanes were shut down?  |  IP: Logged Martin McCaffery Film God Posts: 2481 From: Montgomery, AL Registered: Jun 99 posted 12-30-2009 04:44 PM                        Had a similar thing happen outside of Auburn, AL about a year ago. Traffic was shut down in both directions because it the closest access to the interstate was from the on ramp on the side of the highway opposite the accident.  |  IP: Logged Pravin Ratnam Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 844 From: Atlanta, GA,USA Registered: Sep 2002 posted 12-30-2009 11:04 PM                     Just go through I-75 all the way unless you are traveling during rush hour. If you drive 14 above the speed limit, you are in no danger of getting ticketed. And you will probably have some guy like me going 80-90 anyway. So all you have to do is go slower than that person and stick to the right lane. There are more cops as you cross the 285 intersection. You will not see many speed traps once you cross Northside Drive until you get close to the southside of 285. Also, I would take the 285-W loop instead of the 285-E loop if you want to avoid downtown even if you want to end up on I-75 because the I-85/285 junction is usually bad traffic.  |  IP: Logged

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