RE: Hmmm...

[Matt Knowles <matt@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

>I don't do a lot of freeway riding, but when I do I always make it a
>practice to ride at a faster speed than traffic is going.

I and others I know or have read about (Rider's safety writer Lawrence
Grodsky comes to mind) feel the same way, that on a freeway I want to be in
the fast lane, going faster than the lane to my right. That doesn't mean
I'm tailgating the person in front, nor am I going to hog the lane if
someone faster comes up from behind, and if traffic is light, I'm usually
in the next lane over. But I like knowing that I only have to worry about
people on my right, and by staying in the left side of my lane, I have
ample warning when someone is making a stupid lane change. So what's wrong
with this picture?

I'm always breaking the law doing it, by exceeding the speed limit. I'm
sure a police officer, a judge, and my insurance company would all love to
hear my defense of how I was driving with safety in mind. Nope, in this
country speed kills. Plain and simple. Why it's amazing we don't just
instantaneously burst in flames as soon as we hit 70mph!

Now you Europeans are much more civilized, at least from what I saw while
driving in England. Even though the speed limit on the M's is 70, it didn't
appear to be enforced. However what I really liked was the adherence to the
rule of using the faster lanes for passing only. You picked the lane with
the comfortable speed for you. People on one side are going faster, people
on the other side are going slower, and none of the "weaving in and out so
I can get to work 5 seconds faster than you" mentality that we have to put
up with in the states.

Ok, I'll turn rant mode off now.

Matt Knowles - mattknowles@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
http://home.earthlink.net/~mattknowles
Aesthetic Design & Photography - (408) 977-1804
http://www.aestheticdesign.com



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