"Oh, and he really can't stand when drivers turning left at a light, who have a green light but must yield to oncoming traffic, refuse to pull out into the intersection to get a head start, nevermind that they (and very often he) would then be blocking the intersection if they are never able to make the turn during the cycle and opposing traffic gets the green with them stuck out there.?

aaaaaaaagggghhh!!! No! No! A thousand times no! you have got this one so 100%, totally wrong! And you have hit upon my biggest pet peeve about driving!

When you are making a left hand turn the proper prodecure is not 1) to gun it across the intersection as soon as the light turns green (as most people seem to think in my area - Boston). It is rude, obnixious, and unnecessary. Or 2) sit at the stop line, hoping that some kind soul going the other way will stop to let you make your turn. If you do this you may never make your turn during the entire light cycle (this seems to be a pattern in another city I've lived in - Seattle - by far the worst drivers I've experienced in the country, by the way.) This method is timid and just plain stupid.

The proper procedure is this. When the light turns green, you pull your car half way out into the intersection. You leave your car parallel to the road (not nosing out into the oncoming traffic, in other words - trying to intimidate someone into stopping). You wait patiently until someone lets you through or until the light turns red and then simply make your turn. The cars going the other way will not be impeded in any way. If there are cars behind you during this time, it allows them to get around you on your right, and be on there way. If you don't move at all, the cars behind you are stuck because of your timidness. Also if another car is behind you wanting to take the left, they will be able to right behind you when the light turns red rather than having to wait another light cycle.

I distinctly remember learning this procedure in drivers ed. Doesn't anyone else?? It makes sense, It is safe and efficient. Not rude, obnoxious, tinid, or stupid. (By the way I'll take rude and obnoxious over stupid any day - the reason I hated drining in Seattle).

One more thing - who sits at a right on red when the can safely go??

By "morons", I meant the kids in the video, not anybody here. So don't take it that way.

I guess a college education doesn't exempt you from being an ignorant asshole. The 55 speed limit was created to SAVE GAS, morons, not to piss people off. And it certainly does save on gas. I drive at 55 on the highways, because at $2.65 a gallon, I can't afford to be running around like a gas-guzzling idiot.

And I'll bet that at least one of those kids would claim to be concerned about the environment. Yeah. Right.

My dad is one of those obnoxious drives who swears, honks and gestures when he has to pass someone who has the gall to drive the speed limit in the right hand lane. How dare they? And he *hates* people who don't turn right on red. I have explained over and over to him (as has my law officer husband) that people *may* turn right on red after stop in some places, but they are not required to. He would rather them endanger themselves and others by pulling out when they are uncomfortable than making him wait a few more seconds. Oh, and he really can't stand when drivers turning left at a light, who have a green light but must yield to oncoming traffic, refuse to pull out into the intersection to get a head start, nevermind that they (and very often he) would then be blocking the intersection if they are never able to make the turn during the cycle and opposing traffic gets the green with them stuck out there.

One of the best days of my life was when I purchased my own car, and could then refuse to ride with my father ever again. He is not allowed to drive my son anywhere, either. I've told him flat out that I fully expect to get a call someday that he has either been killed in a traffic accident of his making, or that he stroked out from road rage. If he had been stuck behind those Georgia college kids, I'd have a big fat inheritance by now.

My dad reads Salon, so...

I saw this a few weeks ago. The idea was interesting. Pulling it off was dangerous, and perhaps not real smart. The filmaking aspect was horrible! That would have been at most a D in any filmmaking class above the HS level. It would have been interesting to see this pulled off by good student filmakers and maybe with the help of law enforement. Maybe have a few highway patrol cars doing 55 to avoid the dangerous drive arounds? They were great video but somebody could have been hurt.

Don't try this at home!

I have to admit that I've had the fantasy of doing just what those kids did, namely getting some friends together and doing a rolling roadblock at the speed LIMIT. But the possible dangers alone kept me from going beyond even considering it.

However, I occasionally actually stick to the speed limit, staying in the right lane of a multi-lane highway, and it's quite amazing to see people still get irked when they come up behind me and have to pass to maintain their clearly over the speed LIMIT speeds.

IF people would voluntarily stay at the speed limit, this country could save substantial amounts of oil and expenditures. The decrease in MPGs for every 5 MPH above 55 or so is quite amazing. Also, I suspect that a substantial number of lives could be saved if people drove at the speed limit and more uniform speeds were maintained overall.

But I don't hold out much hope for change. The savings in time for exceeding the speed limit are probably slim in the grand scheme of things, but everyone seems compelled to rush everywhere nonetheless, and for those with the powerful SUVs and cars, I suspet there's a lot of ego involved in just showing who's the fastest, biggest, and toughest on the road. "Slowpokes" (i.e., civilly obedient folks) just don't impress anyone.