45gunner

My bride and I took a 3 night, 4 day road trip in the C6 Convertible. Going west we took secondary roads and never got over 65 MPH. Eastbound we took a major road which was a divided highway, two lanes in each direction. The posted speed limit is 70 MPH. I set the cruise control at 75. The signs along the roadway state, "Slower Traffic Keep Right." Every once in awhile, while running at 75 MPH, I would be passing a car that was much slower in the left lane. As soon as I passed and preparing to transition to the left lane to pass a slower car in the right lane, the guy in the left lane would speed up to prevent me from passing. He played this cat and mouse game a couple of times until I faded back, waited for the opportunity and then blew by him, passing him and the other slower car.
At first I thought it was just some idiot doing what idiots do. However, about 20 miles or so later, I came across another (expletive deleted) moron that tried the same thing as the other idiot.

This is my third Vette and never experienced this before. I have had muscle cars my entire life and had this happen only once when I was much younger and that driver was looking for a race. Now, I am wondering if this is an anomaly that is peculiar to Vettes (mine is Velocity Yellow and can't be missed) or is it low I.Q. drivers showing off to the beautiful blonde sitting in the right seat (my wife)?

The third and last time it happened was a women in an Infiniti SUV. I am at a loss as to their goals. Has this happened to you and why do you think these people do this sort of ridiculous stuff?

dmk0210

I think people zone out, then when someone tries to pass them they feel they need to speed up because maybe they are going too slow.

Another thing they may be afraid of is you might be one of those people that passes someone, then slows down in front of them (staying in the left lane of course and blocking them in).

I don't know. Other than being passive aggressive idiots, that's the only reasons I can come up with.


People do this to me in my WRX too so it's not just a Corvette thing. Honestly, I think people take passing as some sort of insult sometimes.

Best thing is do what you did. Downshift, use your power advantage and blow by quick before they can react. Then get back in the right lane please! When you give people the opportunity, they often try and block you. Plus it's better to get passing over with as soon as possible and get freedom to maneuver anyway.

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jimmymac25

Sound advice. Set them up early and hard. Then once commited, never bail. If needed, the idiot will move over enough for a three wide pass.

jrose7004

People driving on the highway get "White line fever" and don't realize they're holding you up until you try to pass them. Others are just ignorant and know exactly what they're doing!

AL_Jazz

I have this happen all the time no matter what I am driving. Yesterday coming back from MS on business in a Ford Exploder someone did that to us. We had a discussion about how often that happens and also the anomaly when you do pass someone on the right after you have been following them for a while, they move over into the right lane! WTF? The third frustrating action of a left lane hog is coming up behind them and having to hit your brakes to disengage the cruise control and then they decide to floor it just to show you they can go fast too before moving to the right.

wayback

Happens all the time to me. Some don't like you to pass on the right but most want to set how fast you can go on the hwy. 75 for some 78 for others......

I passed some ahat that was hogging the left lane and he sped up as usual. I gave it just a little more pedal and passed him and a HP. Guess who got pulled over? For once it was not me.

AL_Jazz

Quick! Go buy a lotto ticket!

Cooter Tech

Yes, I have had them do this while pulling a 16 foot trailer (with my pick up truck) on Ohio turnpike. I passed her, as I got in front, turned on my turn signals to merge back into right lane, then watched her as she sped up to block me. Then flipped me off as she passed me. Most are pretty courteous when pulling a trailer. I bet truck drivers have some good stories.

BadAV

It happens all the time, no matter what I am driving. I agree with dmk0210's comments - oblivious drivers who unconsciously speed up when another car comes alongside them, people who don't want a "Vette" passing them, people who play games, etc. Unfortunately, today there are more than one of these in every crowd.....SMH.

the kid C6

It's similar to my theory on tailgaters, some of them don't even realize they're doing it, others are road bullies.

I suspect women are more prone to road rage than men; we just hear about the incidents with men because they escalate to some guy getting out of his car with a baseball bat or a gun.

TxLefty

Pet Peeve: Line of cars in the left lane passing a truck/motorhome/whatever, someone rolls up on the right and forces their way into line near the front. Everyone gets a brake check.

Lane discipline is horrible in this country. On the sections of the autobahn I got to drive, passing on the right was illegal. But people didn't hang out in the left lane so it wasn't a problem.

jimmymac25

I don't mind passing a bunch of people who are waiting in line for a pass, but I make sure I'm not in anyone's way. In other words, I'll sneak in front of you, but I would never hit my brakes. I might downshift though...

sluggballz

Two of my faves, when you roll up behind someone in the left lane on the interstate and cannot see their eyes or any part of their head in any of the mirrors. So you have to wonder wtf they actually see behind them when they do look.
Second, an angry jerk in the left lane that won't let you pass and their car barely, BARELY does the speed limit. Had that one before, took me 20 miles to get around him, and he was flipping me off and yelling at me. It's nationwide and not limited to any one geographic area.
I love to drive. It's fun and can be a joy. But people who don't care about anyone but themselves( and sometimes not even that) make traveling on any road an unpleasant adventure.

Welker1

Happens to me and friends who drive Corvettes, Camaros and Challengers frequently on I15 here ... and it's not because the other drive has zoned out, it's because they're being a-holes. Common sequence of events ... come up on person driving in left lane, they don't pull over to clear right lane, I move to right lane to go around, they speed up, come up on other slower vehicles in right lane, person in left lane, slows back down until we pass the group in right lane. This repeats until we hit a stretch of road where both lanes are clear long enough for me to jump on it and pass them. Some people just like being jerks ....

RagTop69

It happens all the time and it isn't because I'm in a Corvette. It happened with my '13 Altima, my '00 Camaro, my '04 Safari van, etc. People who are dragging their anchor in the left lane will either hold the lane on the assumption that they are going fast enough or they will pull over to the right and immediately increase their speed to prevent you from passing in the left lane. There are also the idiots who force you to pass them on the right and then accelerate to trap you against the back of the next car in the right lane. I just drove a little over 200 miles yesterday on California's I5 and got several doses of this behavior. Some of it is due to people who aren't paying attention and then decide to speed up and some of it is totally intentional. I can't tell which unless the moron tries to drag race me to prevent me from getting back into the left lane ahead of him. Even James Comey could figure out the intent there. On the other hand, I was also treated to the fools who will cut into traffic with inches to spare at 75 mph and dart in and out between lanes to get one or two cars ahead. Somehow they seem to think that turning on your turn signal is fair warning, if they even do that much.

RagTop69

Does anyone know if the Germans still flash their headlights to ask you to pull to the right? I used to do that with my full sized '83 Bronco. I'd give them a little flash and they would generally move over. I'm betting I might get shot at today.

Ben101er

This happens to me a lot, but I don't give them the opportunity to keep me from passing them, and getting into the left lane. If they try to do it, they had better have a lot of hp.

dmk0210

I get that a lot too. I always picture this conversation going on in the car after I pass them.

Driver: Look at that crazy Corvette passing me on the right. I'm doing the speed limit. What's wrong with people on the road today?

Driver's wife/gf: Well maybe if you weren't going exactly the speed limit in the left lane, you wouldn't have people passing you on the right.
..
Driver: <sigh> (moves to right lane mumbling under his breath "...people ... still crazy")


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dmk0210

In the US, when you flash to pass or for any warning, I think it just gets people aggravated.

I was coming down a steep mountain on a four lane few months ago and saw a guy edging up to pull out on to the highway. I flashed my lights just to make sure he saw me. After I flash, this idiot pulls out across my path giving me the finger as he does. I had to brake hard and swerve into the shoulder to miss him. Obviously, from a gene pool Darwinism should have taken care of years ago.

Last week there was a big pickup towing a couple cars on a trailer. When I came up on him he was passing a semi at about 50mph. I downshift, hold back and he takes his time passing, gets by the semi and there's about a whole truck length in front of the semi, but he doesn't move over. The semi turns his lights off and on to show clear. Nope staying in the left lane. I flash my lights to let him know I'm there. Nothing. Still not even doing the speed limit. So I double flash to make sure he's watching me and pass him on the right. He gives me the finger as I pass. The entire time I saw him in my rear view, he never moved over despite about a dozen cars passing him on the right.


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gsflyer2011

The problem is there is no lane discipline Because there is no such education or culture here. Everyone thinks that they can drive in any lane and they own it. It is easier to get a pilots license in US than a drivers license in Europa. It included complete and long physical examination, 3 hour written test where you did not just checked boxes and a 2 driving tests where there was oral test also before i was allowed one. Here the joke is, how many fingers can you see ( showing 2) the person says 4, the reply is close enough. Even what should be in training is not followed like turning into your lane. I bet half the drivers cannot explain the difference between yield vs merge as they stop at merge signs almost causing pile ups. It is mayhem i tell you! Hate driving in FL.