Drivers who can't discern between safe following distance and going slowly

[toto_48313]

I use the TACC most of the time and set it at 1, but there are still driver considering the gap is big enough for them...

BTW I would like to have the option to use the cruise control as TACC or as standard cc.

 

[RDoc]

Generally around here I keep it on 2 on the highway which IMHO is a bit tight, but at 3 too many people cut me off. In stop and go close to Boston however, I'd really like to have a fractional setting, say .5 to .75, 1 is just too far apart at 30 mph or less in heavy traffic to keep people out of my lane. It also reacts too slowly when traffic speeds up so there's a gap in front of the car for as much as a second.

 

[yobigd20]

If I see that the car in front of me has a large enough gap that other cars keep getting in front of you and pushing you back, you bet i'm going to whip around you and give you a dirty look for driving too slow in the fast lane and then cut you off. sorry, but that's just how it is.

 

[jgs]

If I see that the car in front of me has a large enough gap that other cars keep getting in front of you and pushing you back, you bet i'm going to whip around you and give you a dirty look for driving too slow in the fast lane and then cut you off. sorry, but that's just how it is.

"Sorry." I don't think that word means what you think it means.

 

[JohnQ]

Had a Tesla in the left lane this morning on I-95 who must have been using TACC. The gap was enormous. I slipped in and many others did, too. The cold, hard fact is that if you leave more than a couple car lengths around here it will continually happen. One either tightens up the gap or lives with people filling it.

 

[Max*]

Had a Tesla in the left lane this morning on I-95 who must have been using TACC. The gap was enormous. I slipped in and many others did, too. The cold, hard fact is that if you leave more than a couple car lengths around here it will continually happen. One either tightens up the gap or lives with people filling it.

Or follow the law and don't drive in the left lane...

 

[AnOutsider]

If I see that the car in front of me has a large enough gap that other cars keep getting in front of you and pushing you back, you bet i'm going to whip around you and give you a dirty look for driving too slow in the fast lane and then cut you off. sorry, but that's just how it is.

...it sort of is. Why should I stay behind you if I'm trying to advance on the road (you know, PASSING cars)? You're traveling at a cruising/content speed, and the car that's several lengths in front of you isn't going to feel at all pressured to move over. If they're doing the same, then car in front of them will as well etc. If I have space to pass you in the right lane, then chances are, that's where you should have been IMO.

The point re: others moving in and pushing me back is valid as well.

Had a Tesla in the left lane this morning on I-95 who must have been using TACC. The gap was enormous. I slipped in and many others did, too. The cold, hard fact is that if you leave more than a couple car lengths around here it will continually happen. One either tightens up the gap or lives with people filling it.

Or move over. Every situation is different, but in most cases, it usually comes down to moving over.

 

[AB4EJ]

I have noticed drivers filling up the space in front of me in my area any time I am not tailgating... regardless of speed, what car I am driving, road conditions, etc. I find that I have to tailgate unless I am willing to keep opening up a safe following distance, and then be driving on average a slower speed than the rest of the traffic. It has often occurred to me that fully autonomous vehicles (since they are programmed to allow a safe following distance) will often end up going a slower speed, on average, than the rest of the traffic (even if the rest of the drivers are not speeding), because drivers will continuously pull into the space in front of them. It sounds like this is exactly what is happening with TACC in these traffic conditions.

 

[Ugliest1]

If I see that the car in front of me has a large enough gap that other cars keep getting in front of you and pushing you back, you bet i'm going to whip around you and give you a dirty look for driving too slow in the fast lane and then cut you off. sorry, but that's just how it is.

Sure, I get that. I'm not saying I'm 2 km back. I am VERY focused on not tailgating because (touch wood) I DO NOT want any kind of bumpety-bump to be happening. If that costs me some "dirty looks" I'm ok with it. But I haven't seen any yet so I think what I'm doing isn't what yobigd20 and a few others are describing.

I have to also say I'm well aware of what the traffic around me is doing, and I'm very conscious to NOT impede anyone. It's a bit of a dance, and as others have said elsewhere, driving is best as a team sport. I don't go slowly in the left lane - when I'm there I pass and then change back. I don't go slowly at all; I just don't tailgate.

 

[Denarius]

Here during rush hour I always keep TACC on one, and even then people cut in. I usually have to tighten the gap further to keep people out.

 

[ItsNotAboutTheMoney]

This is a very common occurrence where I drive as well, but I will say this: Slower traffic should stay to the right! I quite often see cars just cruising in the center passing lanes when they are not passing any cars to their right. When I mention this to people I get responses like "I can't be bothered changing lanes all the time when someone else is going even slower", or "I have to move over whenever someone is merging on an on-ramp so I just stay in the center lanes". Really? That's called "driving". North American drivers seem really bad at lane discipline on freeways IMHO.

OMFG isn't that annoying? Recently drove to Pittsburgh and back for vacation. Living in Central Maine I'm used to Interstates being two lane, but got to experience the insanity of the 3-lane Interstate, with passing lane, travel lane and undertaking-merge-and-exit lane.

 

[jgs]

It has often occurred to me that fully autonomous vehicles (since they are programmed to allow a safe following distance) will often end up going a slower speed, on average, than the rest of the traffic (even if the rest of the drivers are not speeding), because drivers will continuously pull into the space in front of them.

With autonomous vehicles there's likely to be a sharp inflection point when they become the dominant type of vehicle on the road, especially if they're autonomous and communicating. They'll be able to safely follow each other very accurately at very high speeds, and average speeds may well go up quite a bit. This will depend on there being few enough meat-piloted vehicles on the road that they don't get in the way too much with their slow reflexes and poor judgement.

But even now, I think our intuition is often wrong. Suppose you have 100 cars squeeze in front of you over the course of your trip, and suppose you lose 50 feet each time. That means you get edged back about a mile over the course of your journey -- losing less than one minute at sixty miles an hour. I will gladly sacrifice that one minute in exchange for a more relaxed drive.

I heartily agree with the posters in this thread griping about floaters in the left lane, but as for those complaining that I don't tailgate, I'm just sadly shaking my head.

 

[S4WRXTTCS]

I set it to 4 or 5, and I just deal with it.

It's annoying because I know people merging in and out is the one spot where the TACC needs some time to adapt. So I have to interrupt my rest and make sure my foot is ready to hit the brake. I don't keep a ridiculous amount of space, but a decent amount of space even without TACC. I don't think TACC really changes the following distances I use. It simply reduces/eliminates that "Oh, no you don't" reaction I'd typically have because that would require doing something. Apparently with the Tesla I've become a really lazy driver on the freeway. On surface streets I'm just going to take the fifth. No one needs to know what I do with my teleportation device.

On freeways TACC needs to do battle for me. So I propose we have Tesla add an a-hole mode to TACC. So it can defend itself.

Without that the only solution is to mandate TACC or something similar. That way everyone can chill out, and we can all be lazy but safe drivers. Still checking, and being aware. But, just being more chilled and relaxed about it.

 

[Ugliest1]

On freeways TACC needs to do battle for me. So I propose we have Tesla add an a-hole mode to TACC. So it can defend itself.

Well... there's always this (peaceMaker)

 

[sowbug]

I have noticed drivers filling up the space in front of me in my area any time I am not tailgating... regardless of speed, what car I am driving, road conditions, etc.

I'm with you on this part.

I find that I have to tailgate unless I am willing to keep opening up a safe following distance, and then be driving on average a slower speed than the rest of the traffic.

I decided to go the other route on this part. I recite the Serenity Prayer repeatedly, reel TACC all the way out to 7, keep the speed setting a reasonable value above the detected speed limit, and let the gap-fillers go around, which they'll do no matter what (as you say).

In the extremely rare case where traffic is actually moving above the speed limit (99% of my driving is SF Bay Area commuting, so this never happens), I typically drive in one of the middle lanes rather than the leftmost (carpool) lane. But even then, the gap-fillers fill because obviously I haven't learned my lesson yet, even after decades on this planet.

 

[Atebit]

Or follow the law and don't drive in the left lane...

The law also says there is this thing called a "speed limit". I see people here talking about driving 80+. I don't think there's any place in the U.S. where that's a legal speed. So indeed, "follow the law".

 

[deonb]

The law also says there is this thing called a "speed limit". I see people here talking about driving 80+. I don't think there's any place in the U.S. where that's a legal speed. So indeed, "follow the law".

80mph is actually fairly common, and parts of Texas goes up to 85mph:
Speed limits in the United States - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[martinwinlow]

I would very much like to see Tesla provide the option to make the 'safety gap' relative to speed rather than an absolute number of car lengths. If you are doing 70mph you very obviously need a much bigger safety gap than when you are doing 40. At 70 even the 7 lengths max is too short in terms of safety - certainly so if you apply The UK Highway Code's '2 second rule' - leave 2 seconds between you and the car in front. 2 seconds at 70mph : distance = speed x time : 2/60/60 x 70 = 0.04 miles x 1760 = 64 yards. Average car is 5 yards long, 65/5 = 13 car lengths!

This is supposed to give you a reaction time and some more to do something constructive to avoid a collision.

As someone else said, if people want to undertake you, let them. Also, consider that by leaving a good gap in front it allows others to move out to overtake more safely and, thus, adds to the safety of everyone else. I understand those who feel you appear to be going slower if there is a big gap in front. It is natural (wrong, but natural). It would be nice to have some sort of tell-tale on the rear of your car that says "I'm in TACC mode" for everyone to see. At least they'll realise its your car, not you, that is annoying them! MW

 

[Atebit]

80mph is actually fairly common, and parts of Texas goes up to 85mph:
Speed limits in the United States - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The highest limit I have seen is 75, I did not know about 80-85+. I counted 5 states with portions of 80, and Texas appears to be the only state with portions of 85. Thanks for the correction. I'd be curious to know what speeds people actually drive in those areas.

 

[!S4]

Jumpers don't bother me (I've trained myself!) and I've found I'm much more relaxed and happy.

I drive in heavy traffic on a daily basis and this is the truth. I've been using techniques to eliminate traffic waves and it really does help traffic. Especially for standing waves caused by traffic merging on from a ramp.

I think most people drive with some extra space and one or two aggressive drivers fill the space and they quickly say "forget this!" What usually happens though is the aggressive drivers do what they're going to do and once they're filtered out you're left with just reasonable drivers behind AND next to you. Then you'll drive a very long time with no one else filling the space.

TRAFFIC WAVE EXPERIMENTS

By the way, I started using these techniques driving my manual transmission with a really heavy clutch in Chicago traffic. The start/stop was killing me so by smoothing out my starts and stops I found that I was way more relaxed and it became a game. Can I avoid stopping where I see everyone else come to a complete stop? Once I got over the fear of getting "cut off" I never worried again. Watch how the trucks drive, they're doing the same thing.