Have you noticed people are starting to follow you?
 

I use to be the ******* chugging along in the slow lane ( I dont know why I was an asshold because I was doing 55 on the slow lane but people still got pissed :rolleyes: )

Now I'm starting to notice I'm the guy that gets the ball rolling and instead of going around me people are starting to just follow me.

On my trip back from woodland hills to San Diego I did 55 the whole time and I noticed there was at least 8 cars behind me at all times :p

I drive behind trucks the last few miles home to fontana once i get on the I-10 from the 15. That is where i notice the same thing. Lots of cars follow on level ground. I wonder if cops are having to cite people on one headlight and seatbelts, stuff usually ignored. At the same time I dont want to be the slowest out there on the road, as thats a red flag for potential drunk drivers. I have a clean record but dont wish to be scrutinized if i dont have to be.

I had a teal blue minivan follow me for about 10 miles last night. I was going 5 under the speed limit, and there was very little traffic on a 6 lane highway. They had pleanty of opportunity to pass if they so desired.

-Jay

Around here the traffic volumes are up. Colonial Williamsburg, Bush Gardens, Virginia Beach, Yorktown Battlefield, beaches, museums, a battleship, more civil war battelfields than you can count, blah blah.

I have noticed a lot of people on my back roads now. Here you have the old US routes from before Interstates, and they run parallel to the Interstate. Many of the locals are just staying of I64 becasue most of the time the traffic is crawling.

I notice a lot of people going slower. It doesn't bother me if they follow me as long as they realize I am sometimes P&G ing, but it is very subtle. I think some of them realize I am driving for high mileage and just figure if they follow the lead they will do better themselves.

regards
gary

yeda ive noticed this too, ill get a small chain of people behind me, usually the guys in the late 30's-older. the yuppies still whip Around you along with the soccer moms, but the guys in the older cars tend to just float along when im going 50 in a 55road...

Have not had anyone follow me yet. Although i have seen some caravans behind big trucks. When i travel its usually the 710, 405, 91, 5, 605, 10, 210, 55, 57, PCH, Yikes, 110, 60, 134, 2, 105, Help, and streets in between all the above.

Yes i have noticed more cars following me when i'm coasting to a light. also have noticed that the ones that do pass me don't flyby.

Just today I had yet ANOTHER stupid woman call the cops on me for "going too slow." Despite the fact that she was 4 feet off my bumper (a situation for which I ALWAYS slow down) and I was doing 25 in a 25 zone, she (and about a dozen behind her) were late for work. People regularly do 50 in that particular 25 zone downhill. I do the speed limit or a little below, as it's an upper, not a lower limit.

It may tick people off but I don't care. Going the appropriate speed in low-speed areas (it comes up on a school zone for instance) is a good thing. If they are late, they should have left earlier.

Plus it saves gas on higher speed roads when others are forced to stay behind you if you're doing the speed limit in the "fast" lane and the speed limit or below in the right lane.

I have started to drive at 56mph, it feels so strange to me but my FE loves it, nobody has followed my example yet.

My maximum highway speed is 60mph...and, yes, I do have a lot of company in the right lane.

101mpg, have you considered calling the cops and complaining about the speeds of other drivers on that road? If they get enough complaints they might do some more enforcement on that road (the ticket revenue is always welcome). Then, if the speed limit is unreasonable for that road, people will complain and maybe eventually the limit will be raised, and you can drive at a more efficient speed than 25mph (unless your car really is most efficient at 25!).

As 101mpg says : "If they are late, they should have left earlier."

I would think those people would drive the same even if it were the highway was clear for 20 miles either way and they had left home an hour early.

Those people DO drive the same if they are early and the road is clear. Actually - they will drive FASTER if that's the case.

Calling law enforcement around here is fairly pointless. The problem is that there is about nowhere for the cops to stay - it's all private houses. It changes from the county to the city at the top of the hill, you go ALL the way down the hill (and can do 60 if you have no regard for children, animals, etc. stepping out in front of you) until you turn yet another corner where everyone slows down because of the school & church there, where the cops sit.

Have seen turtles over 2 feet long run over by SUVs because no one slows down. They are just wasteful. WV is the fattest state in the union, people here buy into EVERYTHING. You don't find cars over 10 years old because they run them to death and then crush them. A relaative of my wife said about recycling, "If we run out of landfill, we'll go find another holler and fill it up - there's plenty of empty room."

Stupid mindset, people here think that everyone else is the problem. Diesel vehicles are never turned off, people HAVE to have a $50,000 truck even if it means going broke, just so they look good to other people.

Maybe one of these days things like the Chevy Volt become commonplace and people will compete to see how big their FE numbers are, but it's not likely here. You know what they say....the bigger the truck, the smaller the guy's....well, you get the idea.

And since the men around here set the example for the women - pretty much everyone drives like idiots.

Yep, I have noticed it as well. Ever since the price started its little run up last month. I feel awful now, as when I drove 10 -15 mph over the speed limit, I always had a train of cars behind me as well. Now I feel kinda like I am keeping them safer (and saving them money) as well.

Now, the funny thing is even knocking it down to 65 mph on a 70 mph interstate, I still pass folks every now and then!

Ah, I figured as much. I usually think the same thing, but I got the idea when I saw the bit about the woman who called the cops about you going too slow. I figured if it works that way, maybe it'd work in the other direction too. I think usually the residents (and not just one but a few) have to complain before anything happens.

This morning on the way to work I started a long coast to a stop sign when I noticed an SUV behind me. I thought great this ******* is going to be on my bumper honking in about 2 seconds. To my surprise he seemed to be doing the same thing. I have also noticed that I am not the only one slowing down.

hmm kinda sound slike what i saw today, started noticeing every car truck landbarge from texas was going 80 in 75 and riding peoples butts in thier v8 /diesel trucks... i saw on emaybe 2 civics or so and about 30 huge suv's with u guessed it 2 adults and one kid....

i hate those people who try to keep up with the jonses so to speak...try to one up thier neighbors with cars, tv's, landscape, etc...

I have noticed that some people are starting to follow behind me, but there are still plenty of people out there with no regard for the speed limit or how much gas they're using up. When I am driving in city conditions, I shift into 5th as quickly as possible - usually around 30. I put the cruise control on at that point. It's just so funny though. Everyone feels they need to play speed racer at the traffic lights, but in my gas saving coasts, I always end up passing the same person who just flew by me at the next light.

On the Interstate I go anywhere from 50 - 60. Occasionally I will go 65 if I am able to catch a slight draft off a large truck or suburban.

That's because your on a two-way highway... ;)

No, seriously, I have noticed the same thing at times but for the most part, maybe it's because the jackasses here are real loose on their money, they whip around me like I'm butta.. Like they HAVE to get to that red light faster then me...:mad:

FWIW, I suspect that most people aren't really interested in getting to the red light sooner, but rather feel antsy at speeds slower than they expect/want. I sometimes suffer from that, but I don't know what to do about it.

IMHO, I think that if they just go your same speed then they will thank you later. If they have a problem they can always kiss my gas tank.

I used to drive a Toyota Yaris - The closest thing I could drive close to a hybrid FE without even trying I think (heck, short of DFCO-ing and driving a not ridicously high speeds cause of fear :P, and I still got 38-39 mpg) . Unfortunately, I got got stupid and careless and had a car accident that totaled it. :(

Then I decided I needed a car with more safety features and got a Mitsubishi Lancer. Because it's FE is less than stellar (specially compared to the Yaris and I got spooked by the accident, I drive at the speed limit (setting the cruise control whenever possible). I've noticed that some people follow me, specially in the highway, and/or if they pass me, they don't get ticked off.
Who knows?

I have found that since I started driving slower on long trips I feel better when I get there than I did when I used to drive 75-90mph. I think it's because you are able to relax a little more not worrying about running over someone or getting a speeding ticket. I have also found that I can set my cruise on 55 and drive 100 or more miles and never have to turn it off because of constantly catching up with slower traffic and not being able to change lanes because the other lane is occupied. On a 500 mile drive it only added about 1 hour to the total trip because I was constantly having to slow down for other cars. I have chronic back pain and my pain level is also lower on longer drives since I slowed down. Less stressful, less pain, more mpg, more money a winning combination. It doesn't seem to bother most drivers with the exception of some tractor trailer drivers, but I don't like it when I come to road construction or an accident and they are hogging both lanes to keep people from passing them, but I deal with it so I guess they will have to deal with my slower driving.

About a few weeks ago, I started driving at about 50 mph down the freeway at night and noticed that a few other cars will drive by at about 80 mph and when that happens, it would remind me of the time about five years ago when I've seen a car race past me on I-610 in Houston at an estimated speed of about 120 mph.:lol: I am forced to drive on the left lane through a busy interchange due to constantly merging traffic, but others will either follow or pass by peacefully.

Yes I have but as someone else mentioned Nascar rejects still abound...
But yes, some folks apparently are starting to pay attention.

They've got years of learning ahead of them.

I've definitely noticed it also...