The Rolling Roadblock

You're bopping along on a two (or three) lane highway. Traffic is nicely spaced out and is running smoothly at whatever speed. All is well with the world. Suddenly, there it is the "Rolling Roadblock." All is no longer well with the world.

Traffic mysteriously begins to slow down and bunch up. You "forward look" and sure enough, up there ahead, are two or three cars running side by side at a significantly slower speed. Ahead of them are miles of wide open road.

No one can get past the Rolling Roadblock and as more miles go by, your formerly placid fellow drivers are starting to bunch up and steam up. It's impossible to safely pass the rolling roadblock, so what's a Driverthink driver to do?

The first thing we need to do in this predicament is to chill, and analyze the situation. If nothing else, this will keep our driving brain active as we dawdle along.

This aggravating road hazard is comprised of two very distinct components. We have the slow lane driver to the right, and beside him, a slow driver in the left, passing lane. So who's the better driver?

Well the guy in the right lane is entitled to be moving more slowly. We may normally associate these drivers as the lesser skilled, but it certainly isn't always the case. The vehicle in the left lane however, is in the passing lane and is obviously not passing. We can immediately classify him at the very least, as a less than astute driver.

Between a driver who may be oblivious to the condition (the right lane driver) and one who is obviously clueless, (the left lane driver), we could immediately suggest that if either of these parties attempts to brake up the bottleneck, it would be the one in the right hand lane the more likely astute driver.

When a Driverthink driver finds herself in the right lane of a Rolling Roadblock, she will immediately attempt to open up the bottleneck. She will speed up a bit, allowing others to pass the pokey behind her, and move back over to the left lane, or if uncomfortable with the higher speed, will slow down further, allowing the flow to swing in front of her and back around the clueless road hazard.

But wait, there's more to consider. Let's study that left lane component for a few more moments. Why is he clogging up the passing lane?

Is it an inexperienced driver who got trapped in the passing lane and can't figure out how to get out of it? Tailgating or flashing the lights will only make her more nervous.

• 1
• 2
• next page >>

---

Add your voice

Know something about Driving: Pet peeves and solutions?
We want to hear your view. Write now!