Brought to you by Solairis
Dictionary of patterns observed on the highway systems of the world.
A Buddy is someone who likes the speed you're going and/or the way you drive and, because of this, follows you for hundreds of miles. You may feel a tinge of sadness when either you or your Buddy must exit the highway. Often times you will wave as your paths part.
The Passing Lane Owner is the vehicle that hangs out in the passing lane and doesn't move over for anyone trying to overtake. This forces the other vehicle to overtake in the non-passing lane which is often impossible, difficult, unsafe, and/or illegal. It is especially difficult in situations where there would be enough room for the Passing Lane Owner to move over and let cars by but there is not enough room to get around otherwise.
The reasons behind the existence of the Passing Lane Owner are unknown but theories include: Being oblivious, speed vigilante, and lack of sympathy for other drivers.
The Slow Passer is the person who drives at acceptable highway speeds until they need to pass someone. Once the pass is initiated they will slow down by 20-30% and closely match the speed of the vehicle being passed. It will usually take them 5 minutes to pass a car, which often brings them into the realm of Passing Lane Owner. Once the passee has been cleared they will slowly accelerate back up to an acceptable velocity.
This fluxuation of speed makes the Slow Passer frustrating to travel with as you will catch up to their bumper whenever they pass but then they will pull away when the passing lane clears up. They can be almost, but not quite, as bad as the Soft Passer.
The Soft Passer is the car who either slowly catches up with you or you with them, however, after your lives intersect, their speed will vary wildly. And for unknown reasons, they have chosen you. After passing you they will slow down a little bit. Then you will pass them but as you start to overtake them they will increase speed slightly, causing you to get somewhat stuck in the passing lane. Finally you will give up and slow down a little and pull behind them, only to have them slow down even more. So you will set your cruise a little faster than you're comfortable with to get around them and leave them behind you, only to have them increase their average speed to perpetuate the pattern. The only thing to do with a Soft Passer is to exit the highway and take a break.
The Soft Passer is related to, but follows a different behavioural pattern than, the Slow Passer.