Mole wrote:
But they don't "opt out of overtaking" by maintaining a narrow gap - they "opt OTHER PEOPLE out of overtaking" by doing that!
They are opting out of both overtaking and being overtaken.
Mole wrote:
You seem to be saying that if people want to drive at 2/3 of the speed limit, hold other motorists up and fail to leave a suitable gap between themselves and the car in front, well, that's just human nature, learn to live with it.
They don't actually "fail" to leave a gap - they do it on purpose. That's because they are "queuing", and (right or wrong) that is what one is trained to do in a queue. And if one queues behind someone doing 2/3 of the speed limit, then the front guy sets the speed.
Mole wrote:
Whereas if someone wants to drive closer to the speed limit and overtake the "leg iron", they're somehow in the wrong?!
It's only "wrong" if you don't wait your turn. If one queue jumps, one is wrong on these counts:
a) two or more drivers can collide by queue jumping simultaneously (no coordination)
b) due to the opt out, you must overtake all or nothing (meaning you are longer in the critical section).
c) you create bad will with the people who you jump past.
d) you cannot see road markings and hazards from way behind in a queue.
There are more things as well that make it a risky idea. Basically, we may dislike queues, but they
are here to stay, I'm afraid.