Twelve Hundred and Fourteen Straight Days with the Top Down.
141. On Grove, Turning Onto Bridge Rd.
Another balmy October day; making the most of my summer tires.
Don't tell anyone I turn the steering wheel like that on occasion. I'm standing still or practically standing still, but that's no excuse.
The Worst Driving I've Done Today.
Going home on I-94, just after Telegraph Rd, I was looking at other traffic for a few seconds and completely missed a car that was stranded on the shoulder. Normally, I turn my lights on in a situation like that, but with just 200 feet to go there was no point. As it turned out, the driver was elsewhere, so no close shave. But I missed it because I focused on one spot for too long. Bad driving.
The Best Driving I've Done Today.
Driving north on I-375 there were two cars in the far right lane, that ultimately exits to Gratiot. I was in the next lane over, from which one can exit to I-75 S. The front car was indicating right, the second car was just driving there. I kept a distance, because quite frequently drivers in that lane either change their mind, or become aware very late that to go to I-75 S they need to be one lane over. This was the case today, too: the tail driver just moved across a solid line without indicating; the lead driver kept his right blinker on and moved left across the same solid line. I'm not saying they would have hit me if I had been driving there, but staying behind them was good driving. This is a good example of using knowledge of local road situations to anticipate otherwise unexpected behavior.
The Worst Driving I've Seen Today.
There was a lot of competition for this award today. Besides the two I-375 drivers above, there was the driver of the white van below; but the worst was a driver on I-94 W before the Ecorse exit. Driving in the center lane behind a Conway semi overtaking slower traffic, the driver moved into the right lane when there was only just the slightest possible gap. Unfortunately, the Conway driver had also just decided to move back to the right lane. I have found Conway drivers to be consistently reliable and predictable, right-lane driving being one of their trademarks. R+L and Schneider drivers are like that, also. But the driver of the car trying to squeeze through didn't know that, and apparently didn't know anything. Because of the speed differential, car and truck were practically side-by-side as the semi continued its lane change. The car was likely in the truck driver's blindspot, anyway. How the two managed not to collide is a mystery to me. The car driver then foolishly tried to swerve back into the center lane, but realized in time that there was now other car traffic, then slammed on the brakes to avoid disaster. Another good example of piss-poor driving that did not end in tears.
The Best Driving I've Seen Today.
A silver Fusion was following me today on I-94 W, two seconds behind me, no matter what I did. Just before I-275, I came upon an erratically driven delivery van that at one point slowed down to 45 mph. I kept my two seconds distance and the Fusion driver kept another two seconds. Very good driving! It happens so infrequently that when it does, it must be noted. The two second rule is the de facto law in Michigan, and a safe rule of thumb to maintain. In a no-fault state like Michigan, when someone behind me does not keep that distance, I must logically increase the distance to traffic ahead of me, so that in the event of an emergency I can brake more slowly, and allow the driver behind me the extra room needed to stop safely. With the silver Fusion behind me I didn't have to worry about that. Good driving.
Honorary Mention:
My tires! They drive better than anything else I've seen today. I am surprised at how much understeer I have, but it stays that way; unlike the Bridgestone/General combination where understeer wavered from severe to almost none. That's no surprise: the Bridgestones lost traction at a different rate from the Generals. With all Dunlops there is no such contrast, and whatever goes at one speed goes at any other speed. Beautiful, predictable traction or loss of traction. It's great.