It seems there are a lot of people stopping nearly a full car length behind the broad white line at traffic lights lately. This was once a rare occurrence (old people who can’t see, stoned kids, etc.) but I’m seeing it every day now as I drive through town.
Is this some new cultural phenomenon, or do we suddenly have more pot smokers in Moscow, Idaho?
It is the same here in central Ky. I also have noticed an increase in “creepers”. People that stop 1 or 2 car lenths from the car in front of them, then creep up a few inches at a time.
It just makes me think people are “asleep” at the wheel.
Do you have red-light cameras? It was recently reported here that because of a quirk in the Texas law, municipalities were able to codify “phantom” lines in the road several yards back from the painted line, and counted it as running the red light if you stopped past this unmarked, phantom line.
Stopping one car length before the white line is a standard safety technique taught in the “Smith Driving System”. It also advocates 5 car lengths between vehicles when in motion.
http://www.smith-system.com/
It’s becoming common here in Reno, too, along with increasing distance between stopped vehicles. It’s especially irritating when you get the combination at a short left turn signal.