Highway Driving

Guess I'm used to being vulnerable as I come off many years of motorcycle riding.  I also have a classic Mini Cooper which is even smaller.

Ya know, statistically the Freeway/Highway is safer than side streets.  Most accidents happen at intersection and as you know, there are no intersections on the Highway.

So just tell yourself that and get back on that Highway!  Man up Cowboy!

The trick is to space yourself.  Either you lead or you follow.  Don't try to fight the traffic.  If someone tries to ride your ass wave them past you. People want to take a look but usually wil ride on by.   

What Marty said and he has plenty of freeway and interstate miles to back up what he stated.

My own highway driving calls for not letting anyone get near me in my Speedster.  I'd pull over to the shoulder if a tailgater was on my rear and never get close behind any other vehicle.

Also when passing anything I make sure I scoot around them quickly so that the least amount of time is spent near them. 

I have an air horn that is plenty loud although I don't need to use it but it's there if ever needed.

And just like riding a motorcicle when on non-freeway highways, you can always count on that person sitting at a shopping center in front of you to pull right out in front of you.  After the wreck they always sai "I didn't see him".  That's where 4 wheel discs come in handy as a light weight Speedster will stop on a dime if you press the brake pedal in time to avoid an up close and personal event.

Be careful out there and you'll be fine.

GROWING UP IN SOUTHERN CA THAT IS ALL U DO

NEVER HAVE THOUGHT ABOUT IT

You said it ,Jack. It's called Zone Control Driving. I taught the course for the company I worked for many years ago, and it works. Always look way down the road, keep a safe space and always have a way out if something happens. Pass quickly, and stay out of the other guy's blind spot. Once you get used to it , it becomes natural.  Tailgaters are the worst. If I look into my mirror and see a young girl following too closely and looking down at the radio or phone I get very nervous. We've had 2 killed here this year while texting, and the worst thing is they crossed the road and took out other people as well.

Hey Al---amen to what you said. I never knew that style of driving had a name but that sure makes sense.

The biggest issue that I have is people thinking I'm further away (due to the small size) & accelerating slower (my car really takes off :-)).  I had somebody cross dierectly in front of me.  I was able to brake and go behind them...barely.  I'm looking forward to rear disc brakes.

To quote Robin Williams....." Death is Mother Nature's way of telling you to slow down. "

i drive the highway all the time (nearly everytime i drive my speedy)

i honestly treat every single car / truck/motorcycle on the road as they are about to hit me.

never drive in blind spots, leave Tons of room when stopping

Like most have replied, Defensive Driving......  I drive 12 miles on the freeway to work and 12 miles home again, daily and figure if I am the fastest, I only have to worry about what is in front of me..   Just kidding. 

I have done a lot of highway driving also.  In the 9 months i have owned my car I have put 7,000 miles on.  500 of that was driving from Fullerton to Reno.  I also have driven I-80 West over the Sierra's.  Just like riding my motorcycle, I take the mind set that I am invisible to all others on the road and to look out only for me and my safety.  But unlike being on my bike, if someone comes over on me I can't kick their door or mirror.

Stephen

All good advice about effective, defensive driving techniques. I do prefer to drive as much as possible with the roof down for better visibility. Many years of bike riding has taught me the real benefits of vehicle spacing.Considering the spectacles on the outskirts of Lundy's lane, I'm quite surprised about your question in the first place. :-)

I have always believed that if some has an accident and reports that "I didn't see him (or her)" that should be grounds for immediate and permanent revocation of driving privileges.  If a driver can't see you in your Speedster or on your motorcycle, what chance does a kid on a bike have?  BULLFEATHERS!  No see um, no drive um. 

Hoss---at the first Riders Safety Course I attended back in the early 80s, the instructor told us about an old man who pulled right out in front of a giant red fire truck with sirens wailing and lights flashing.  There was a video of him being interviewed and the last line of his explanation was "I didn't see it".  If that fire truck was invisible how much so am I in a Speedster!

Guys, there a lot of very smart posts in this thread from some very experienced road warriors---this thread should be  a sticky!

"Zone Control Driving"...

Thanks.  Now I too have a name for what I have done for over forty years.

Brian:  I drove my Roadster from Guelph to NOTL a few years ago, and I imagine it is quite a change from what you were used to in the Great White North.  I hope you get used to it, but the QEW is a lot worse than what it used to be.  120 kph seems to be the minimum these days, at that, and the lane changers are completely crazy!

Cheers

Jack, I am a veteran of both the basic and experienced riders course and the belief that we are "unseen" on bikes is a living reality.  I was riding my Softail Custom (tm) through Westchester, IL on a nice quiet street and this old fart pulls right out in front of me.  At the next stop sign I asked him if he saw me coming, to which he growled back, "get back on the sidewalk where you belong"!  Afterwards, I realized the best reply would have been, "I probably wouldn't be safe around you even if I was on the sidewalk". 

Thank you for the replies and the encouragement to get back on that horse.  I've driven some crazy roads, like in Portugal where it seems everyone goes like a bat out of hell, but its the sheer volume that gets me here.  And the fricken tailgating.  I can't get over the people who ride your a$$ like in a cheap porno flick.  And when they pass you all they do it go up to the next guy and ride his a$$.  Rarely, if ever, do they actually speed away.

David, I had to think for a while....I don't remember crazy traffic out Lundy's Lane?  I remember being chased at gun point down the Lane when I was a kid but that's a different, illicit substance related story that I won't go into.  I think I clued in eventually as I HEARD that there are some pretty good gentleman clubs out that way.  I HEARD that in the summer its not unusual that these clubs each has upwards of 150 very nice and polite young ladies willing to dance for you, for a price.  Like I said, I heard this, I've never gone to one of these places even though they are upstanding corporate citizens providing gainful employment for some of the areas needy.  I HEAR these young ladies are so destitute that they actually have very little to wear.  Such a shame people have to live like that in this day and age...

back to driving...its a mindset then.  Defensive driving to the Nth.  However, does that not take the enjoyment out of the experience?  I think I will be planning most of my drives along the service roads and lesser highways, the ones that go through all the little towns.  Lots more to see and a lot less stressful.  I'm retired so WTF...got time until the times up.

"and this old fart pulls right out in front of me."

John:  Wouldn't that make two of you?

Bob, just read your post.  You must be a real road warrior to drive from Guelph to NOTL!  We moved from the NWT to go to school in Guelph for one semester back in '87.  The roads you must have travelled are some of the worst in Ontario....the 401, highway 6 (is that the right one?), 403 and the Q.  Highway 6, the one from Hamilton up to the 401, has been the scene of many horrific accidents...its absolutely insane to drive on that when its busy.  Having moved back here after 30+ years its the shear volume of traffic that gets me.  Then factor in fricken cell phones and you've got chaos.  Its supposed to be illegal to use a hand held cell phone in a moving car here but a day does not go by that I don't see lots of people with their phones up to the sides of their heads.  I can only hope that the radiation from those phones fries their noggins, and sooner than later.  (well, not really, but you get my frustration...)

Actually, I headed down the Guelph Line instead of Hwy 6.  The Guelph Line is very scenic, and with some very nice curves.  I still had to contend with the QEW, though.

Like you, I am now retired (as of last Friday), so I can lolly gag on back roads too!

I'll have to try that.  In early Oct I'd like to go to Waterloo to visit my brothers and then to St Jacobs , stay at a B&B and then to the market on Sat.  The IM would be a nice ride for that, weather permitting.

Hitting the interstates in these little replicas can be intimidating at first. Keep at it; you will get comfortable. Follow all the advice here about defensive driving. These guys didn't get to be old farts by hot-doggin' it everywhere they rode.

I was on I-83 out of Baltimore at lunch today. Curvy mess of potholes mostly plied by semis and dudes in big pickup trucks. Did what all these guys say, which is second nature: lots of room in front of me (four-wheel drums, thank you), let the speedy folks go by if they want (I'm 1300ccs of gnat-like fury!), stay out of people's blind spot.

Lived to tell the tale. Again.

The joy of these things (even my cheesy little TD-shaped bug) on any road is mutual. People love seeing them at least as much as you like being admired. Having them out on the interstate is extra special, since people don't expect to encounter a working model of a 195X anything out where they're driving. It's a civilizing force.

Be safe, and . . . smile.

If everyone understood defensive driving it would be a much safer world. Now, who knows how to talk to deer?

I'm in the middle of a 5000 mi (or so) trek to the west coast, with about 1000 mi of mountain driving in Northern CA thrown in. I leave to start the return trip in the morning. I agree completely with all that's been said-- but the biggest advantage you can give yourself is to keep the top down. Being able to see in panorama is a huge advantage.

Drive it like any other car. We here in TX, By me anyhow, is a stretch of I-130 that is 80mph, and the next section is going to 85 mph. Most back roads here are 70 mph already. I blow along at 75 with no problem, Tach at just under 4K at 70. I let go of the wheel, straight and true. When your number is up, your going whether you plan it or not. Yes be careful, but don't be afraid ether. (I ride a motorcycle too, and I fly in very old planes) no go play with the toys, and have fun.

Stan--I envy you my friend---what an adventure.  Start a new thread and give us some updates on the return trip!

Personally all my highway driving is with the top up.  Less noise from the wind passing, less  buffeted by said wind, less sunburn, and generally a more [pleasant drive.  Top goes down when I get where I'lm going.

You definitely are correct about better vision with the top down though.  I just never make a land change without verifying with a "head check" that I'll be the only one in that same space

where I want to move to.

EVERYTIME I COME BACK TO THIS THREAD I WANT TO DO A MARLON BRANDO FROM THE GODFATHER AND SLAP SOMEONE AND SAY WHAT KIND OF MAN ARE U

A WO MAN     

Drive on the highway with the top up?  No way, unless it's raining.

Remember where you live, RonO'BlackFromChilliwac (I love me some rhymes!)

Here, the top up on a long drive saves you from serious sun and wind burn.  Generally makes the trip more pleasant.  It does make you rely on your mirrors a bit more, though.

Seriously, Lane?

I'm coming at you live from a beautiful no-name Pakistani-run hotel ($29, all in, all done) in Wendover, Utah. Total miles driven today: 740. Total miles so far is over 4000. I've had the top up for 10 of them (it was a driving rain, and I'm ashamed).

They're made to be driven with the top down.

Stan, of those 3900, how many were driven in the 85-100mph range? I highly doubt the other 10 were going that fast, but who knows.

We're not worthy, Stan.

Stan, are you driving solo? Where are you putting your luggage when driving top down? 

Lane: Sure, you are. Just put your top down... and stop talking about selling, man!

Marty: There's lots more space up front without the radiator, and more space behind the seats with a speedster. Jeanie flew out to California and met up with me for our time out there. The Motel 6 experience out and back is all solo.

I'm in Salt Lake for the next couple of days. I'm having Art Thraen's shop make some "improvements" to the engine and transaxle. Too much= just enough...

Madness, indeed.

I dunno. The last hour of the Carlisle caravan took a certain Speedster(Roadster?) driver and I about a half hour, top down and a sunny 85 degrees. No problem! And I would do it again in a heartbeat. Thanks to one Massachusetts resident with a black car.........that was fun!

My first Carlisle trip home was made with no top, occasional showers, and one super downpour 20 minutes from home, with sloshing inches of water on the floor. 235 miles in three hours flat. Claustrophobic driving with the top up is doable occasionally, but pretty well hated by the driver!

^ this. i drive mine on the freeway all of the time but i treat other vehicles as if they are explosive bombs that are planning to detonate and kill me. everyone acts really stupid about the car on the freeway and people have boxed me in. it's annoying and being on the freeway is kind of scary.

Driving up to LimeRock two weeks ago on that winding foothill road (Rt. 7, designated scenic highway) I was pushed hard for about 10 miles by a 911. It was exhilarating... but sometimes I was on the ragged edge of scary!... The guy had more torgue and lot more nerve than I had.

A gas station with a 'Free Coffee' sign gave me the excuse to save face and pull over so the 911 could have his head. When finally parking in the Porsche Corral the 911 driver, seeing me drive in...Gave me a nod and a 'thumbs up'...Just as Juan Fangio would have done.  

driving a car that is so light that it doesn't seem to think that it necessarily has to stick to the road instead of jumping here and there is a new experience.

It should not feel like that at all.