[geeks] Stuff fo' sale

[Michael Parson]

On Wed, Aug 16, 2006 at 12:52:41PM -0600, Dan Duncan wrote:
> On Wed, 16 Aug 2006, Charles Shannon Hendrix wrote:
>> It's dangerous to constantly change speed on major throughways.  Good
>> steady speed is a lot safer than everyone slowing at intersections.
>
> Can you imagine the increase in rear-endings if everyone suddenly
> slowed at intersections?  It would propagate backwards to the previous
> intersection, etc, until suddenly everyone was slower everywhere.
> That won't work.
>
> On a 40mph road, I feel everyone should be going 40mph at least
> through intersections.  It's FAR easier for people trying to turn if
> oncoming cars are going the speed you expect.  Merging is easier too.
> I like to accelerate hard sometimes, but I can't necessarily hit 80
> in the length of some merge lanes.  (I imagine this is partly from
> intersections built when the speed limits were lower?)  There there's
> the people who won't accelerate up to speed to merge or, even worse,
> go to the end of the merge lane and JUST STOP waiting for a huge gap
> to come along.  This is why I need smiting power.

This is how I was in my first car accident.  Dumbass comes to a stop
at the end of the merge/onramp to the highway.  Guy behind him came to
a screeching halt, I came to a screeching halt, HS kid in town for the
weekend in his dad's brand-new custom pickup truck did not stop and
slams into me, I hit the guy in front of me, guy that was stopped in the
front was not hit and he drove off.

Truck looked like a loss, my car (a 67 Ford Galaxie) suffered minor
body damage and broken lights, guy in front of me got broken tail light
covers and a few bumper scratches.

-- 
Michael Parson
mparson at bl.org