2 ms·

I'm no traffic jam expert, but driving manuals in west coast traffic (Highway/Interstate) has taught me its best to find a large semi-truck, ideally with an emp

I'm no traffic jam expert, but driving manuals in west coast traffic (Highway/Interstate) has taught me its best to find a large semi-truck, ideally with an empty flatbed trailer, and just follow it. The semi driver doesn't want to ever completely stop (if they can avoid it), they have a much better view since they're somewhat higher up, and they accelerate/decelerate much slower, so its easier to predict their movements. The result is they tend to continue moving forward without the stop/start of normal cars. I just sit behind them in 1st gear or whatever and since no one wants to "get stuck behind a semi" people don't usually care if you leave the larger gap, so you don't have to deal with drivers sliding in front of you and eating up your cushion of space. My left leg isn't exactly going to atrophy from the lack of clutching, but it certainly does save it a fair bit of work.

war1025 7y ago
Took me a minute to realize by "driving manuals" you meant driving a manual transmission car. At first I thought you meant the behavior you described was recommended by the drivers manual that the licensing test is based off of. :) Seems like good advice.
throw0101a 7y ago
> I'm no traffic jam expert, but driving manuals in west coast traffic ... From what I can gather, I'd rather ride a motorcycle for my commute and lane split. In Toronto I can ride for seven months of the year (Apr-Oct), and with the more moderate climate of the Pacific Ocean, it'd be possible to do it year-round. The occasional downpour during the wet season can easily be handled with Goretex(r). (I also pedal cycle some days of the week for commuting just to get some cardio.)