I've been to many countries and I would have to say that the Germans and Dutch are the best and most courtious drivers I've seen. They actualy drive on the shoulder to let you pass.

As for LA, it's just too hard to drive a 6 spd., talk on your cell phone, check your palm pilot, drive and shoot left handed at the same time at 85 mph without some proper training. I sent my daughter to Advanced Driving Concepts that teaches advanced driving skills in gang bang territory in Irwindale. Best $350 I spent on her. They teach a great techique where if you are surrounded by gang bangers and you cant' get out by going forward, they do a quick reverse, flip the car around within the length of the car and take off going the other way. Great class. It's takes all my years of experience in driving a cab in NY, dealing with snow and then moving to LA traffic that has a life of it's own and rolls it into a one day class.

 

I too have been to many countries including about 100,000 miles of driving in Europe, and agree that German drivers are the best. They actually know what lane discipline means! However, I lived in the Netherlands for 3 years and have also experienced Dutch drivers in other countries and I can't be too positive about them.

The worst experience with a Dutch driver was in England, when I was driving a RHD Peugeot 205 up the M6 Motorway at 100 MPH, I passed (on the right) a Dutch-registered Audi 100 (aka 5000) that was going slower. He evidently took offence at a smaller car passing him and sped up, pulled right in front of me and did a brake stand. I backed off and followed from a distance for some while so I could have a few words with him if he stopped at a Little Chef or other layby, but he never did.

The other reputation that the Dutch have in Europe is of people driving 30% under the speed limit with overloaded trailers, clogging up holiday traffic on the way to the Côte d'Azur or Costa Brava. Some Germans even call them "Potato Bombers" as their trailers are usually overloaded with sacks of Dutch potatoes (jummi jummi)!

German drivers are generally very good, though they do tend to tailgate each other in the fast lane, even if they're all moving at the same high speed. I've also run into one German driver that sucked big time. He was in an Opel Kadett 1.3 and I was in a Renault 5 TL 1.1 and he just could not let me pass him without a challenge on the Autobahn one day - we were both at top whack (150 on the flats, 170 downhill) and he'd slowly pull away on the flats but I'd nab him on the downhills (due to the exceptionally long gearing of my car) and this would drive him nuts. We were in a big rush to get to Paris, but this guy though we were racing him and was making all sorts of rude gestures at us. Us ignoring him just made him more infuriated. Luckily he did not follow us into France!

The best Autobahn experience I've had was when we were doing 175 km/h on the nearly deserted Autobahn A9 south of Nürnberg in a Renault 5 TR and a Ferrari Berlinetta Boxer went ripping by at about 280 km/h! This car had very loud exhaust (definitely not TÜV approved) and you could hear the throttle position as he roared ahead of us, lifting off to avoid a truck then opening her up again. Man, that was something else. 110 MPH seemed pretty pedestrian.

 

Tail Gate Accident?

 

ya know....there was a time when I had my Dodge Ramcharger ... I used to keep tennis ***** rolling around in the back...I'd just reach for a few and flip tennis ***** out the window at any offending drivers....
Now that was always fun!

 

It depends. If traffic is clear in front of me and I see someone coming from behind me I will get over.

If I am in the left lane and there is traffic as far as I can see and someone tailgates me I will slow down, and then when they try to pass me I will floor it. Once they are forced to get behind me I slow down again until they try to pass again, and you guessed it, I floor it again. I have done this with people for the better part of an hour.....you want to see someone pissed off!

I know this is a total ****** move, but I only do it if someone needlessly tailgates me in heavy traffic.

 

YOU ARE NEVER, NEVER, NEVER JUSTIFIED TO BE IN THE LEFT LANE UNLESS YOU ARE ACTIVELY PASSING A CAR ON THE RIGHT. DID I REMEMBER TO SAY NEVER.

Minivans and SUV's never have a achance to tailgate me. When I get the occasional Sports Car or Sedan that wants to drive faster than I do I accelerate and get in the right lane as soon as it is safely possible.

 

I'm still waiting for the Brabus smoke screen/ oil slick kit.

Until then, just let them pass. Follow them home and do a few donunts on their front lawn while blasting your horn. Sure, you might spend a few hours in the pokey, but other drivers will benifit from your sacrifice.

 

I seldom get tailgate because I mostly travel 10-20 above speed limit. I check my rear mirror frequently so if I see a car approaching behind me fast, either I will speed up even more or speed up and move over to the right on the next opening. For people who tailgate me for no reason, I start washing my windshield.

I don't have problem with people coming up behind me fast, I have problem with people driving below speed limit and refuse to move to the right. Or seeing 3 or 4 cars taking up 3-4 lanes and driving exactly the same speed, at limit or below and blocking 20-30 cars behind them.