Sure are some mighty strange driving patterns out there compared to recently, as more people are trying to stretch their mileage.

Sometimes traffic flows really fast....like gas is still $1.00/g, other times I'm passing cars in the basins.
Other die-hard muscle dare-devil speed freaks swerve lane to lane to keep the thrill.
Gas is $2.69 today and I think people are more aware of their driving habits.
Some are so slow and apparently don't know just how to save fuel.
I wish more were educated in this rather than bottling up traffic.
Any thoughts?

 

LOL, no kidding. It always amuses me, mostly because I don't change my driving methods, to see the drastic relative change, especially on expressways.

When there was that last big surge in prices last summer, I often found myself in the left lane on expressways, going 60-65 MPH, because I was going faster than the rest of the traffic.

Lately, I've noticed that on my commute I'm passing more vehicles. And being passed by others moving even faster than usual. I'm talking so fast I can't tell you the sex of the driver from watching them approach in the mirror to passing me and being gone.

I suppose this is where I should make my SMUG comment.

 

Some people around here seem to know how to save fuel, others are nothing short of a hazard. (And I'm not even talking about the pack of 15 sportbikes that passed me on the highway this weekend at 100+ splitting lanes). Sometimes I'll coast up to a stoplight on a four-laner and find that someone (usually in a civic or corolla) is pacing me several car lengths back. Other days, like today, I'll have an old lady in a Camry riding my bumper (attempted bump draft?) even though I'm 5-over and gaining down a gentle hill because she would like to charge oncoming traffic. It doesn't help any when an overloaded pickup makes a left in front of me and parks at 40mph, completely killing any excess kinetic energy that I wanted to carry into the next rise. I love connecticut drivers, so courteous . The real test will be what happens on the highways over the next few months and into the summer fuel price peak. At the moment I can do 60 in a 65 and be passed by every single car, truck, and bike on the road. I'll know they get it when I start to pick up travelling buddies at that speed.

 

Same thing happening in SoCal... or at least my Burbank to T.O. commute on the 134 to 101 freeways. Ever since last August, I've seen more people - some SUVs, some regular old sedans - driving 60-65mph in the far right lane, than before last August. But it's been a minority. The last couple of days, on a section of the 101 that's 5 lanes wide, the 2 far right lanes were full of autos going 55-65, and with my cruise control set to 62 I was passing most of them in the middle lane. I *rarely* get into the middle lane nowadays! It almost felt like I was driving my 328ci again!

 

After riding for 200 miles with my brother yesterday (brother age 27), I think I drive like a "old grandma." At least I feel I will live, however.

His car (2004 Mazda 6 - 4 banger) can handle 100 mph well and rides smooth. Something about racing BMW's at 100 mph on city interstates just scares me. Not sure how it effected his gas mileage, but I know it couldn't be good. With his crazy / aggressive driving he gets about 28-31 on the highway.

If he let me drive it, I'm sure I could push 40 even in an auto. Next time, I'll drive my truck (~28mpg on the highway), spend a few more dollars and feel a whole lot safer

 

Gas at $2.89 this morning and I'm still the slowest car on my mostly-up-long-hills of 91 commute in central CT doing roughtly 65mph.

 

Hot_Georgia_2004,

Are some of your neighbors going back and forth to buy beef jerky?

(See CNN Users Respond to High Gas)

 

I haven't been harassed once this week and I'm getting my best around-town mileage to date. I was nearly rear-ended yesterday by a woman who insisted on flossing in her Camry, and I nearly plowed into another one who thought that a left turn on a red light is a good idea. But hey, I'll take outright stupidity over aggression any day!