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xzzy posted:Brake checking is hideously dangerous and I see the wisdom of not doing it, but when you got a shitheel glued to your rear end mad at you being a speedbump, I can kind of see why it happens. You want to let them know you're pissed off, and there's not much you can do to discuss it sensibly. Yeah, telling someone to gently caress off always diffuses any situation.
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Jun 1, 2016 01:33
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| # ? May 13, 2024 08:36 |
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Who gives a poo poo about diffusing, if you want to flip someone off to make yourself feel better, flip 'em off.  At least you're not maiming anyone by doing it.
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Jun 1, 2016 01:38
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If you at any point have the option of changing lanes, you have no right to be pissed off at someone tailgating you. Yes, it's dangerous and bad, but you need to take responsibility for your own safety, and that should involve getting out of the way of the dangerous rear end in a top hat if you can, even if they are completely in the wrong. Safety is a collective responsibility, it doesn't matter who's right and who's wrong.
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Jun 1, 2016 02:27
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xzzy posted:Brake checking is hideously dangerous and I see the wisdom of not doing it, but when you got a shitheel glued to your rear end mad at you being a speedbump, I can kind of see why it happens. You want to let them know you're pissed off, and there's not much you can do to discuss it sensibly. Why not go faster or move out of the passing Lane? How is "gently caress off" valid? What reason does someone else have to need to slow others down on a multi-line road? I drove through AL, TN, and KY on Monday and wished repeatedly for signs that said something like "IF THERE IS NOBODY IN FRONT OF YOU AND A LONG LINE OF CARS BEHIND YOU, YOU ARE A SELFISH CHILDISH rear end in a top hat. PLEASE GO FASTER OR MOVE OVER" It's just the same poo poo you get everywhere with lots of people, where they have no situational awareness and don't give a gently caress about anybody but themselves. There is no cost to moving over or speeding up. There is a cost to being trapped behind some douchebag hauling a pontoon boat at five under the limit in the left lane for three-hundred miles.
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Jun 1, 2016 02:37
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I will tailgate, once in a while, if there's nobody ahead of the person in front of me, and we are in the passing lane, and I want to be passing, but we aren't. I do it because I intend to communicate my desire to pass. I have tried flicking my highbeams, which is one way to indicate "get over!" politely, but that almost always earns a dumb vengeful maneuver like a brake check or the bullshit where they move over and keep matching speed so you can't pass. If you're not passing, move over. If you're on your phone move over and also gently caress yourself. If someone is on your rear end, let them by. There's no reason not to. Call the cops on them if it bothers you so much.
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Jun 1, 2016 02:45
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kastein posted:gently caress tailgaters... it doesn't achieve anything Except that it sometimes does. Around here, the passing-lane cholesterol is only intransigent half the time. The other half, they're just clueless and if you fill their mirrors in a manner that unambiguously says MOVE IT, they will. Obviously if they respond to your tailgating with a brake check, they are the former and the right move then becomes the undertake-honk-bird triple combo.
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Jun 1, 2016 02:59
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SlapActionJackson posted:Except that it sometimes does. Around here, the passing-lane cholesterol is only intransigent half the time. The other half, they're just clueless and if you fill their mirrors in a manner that unambiguously says MOVE IT, they will. I agree. I count 4 types of left lane drivers 1) clueless informed: this driver knows why the left lane exists but forgot he's in it. If you tailgate or pass him on the right, he'll usually move over. 2) clueless uninformed: this driver does not recognize the left lane as being the passing lane. Will remain reactionless when people zoom by in the occasional gap on the right. Smiles absently, forgot the car has mirrors. 3) chip-on-shoulder: may or may not understand purpose of passing lane. Looks at tailgating or passing on the right as a personal offense. Will fight to keep position in left lane despite not wanting to pass. Will use left lane even if he's the only person on the road. 4) clued-in informed: uses the left lane to pass. Conscious of rear-view and will move right when someone approaches from behind. The only driver using the system as intended, and seemingly the rarest of the bunch
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Jun 1, 2016 03:22
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Number 1 Sexy Dad posted:Why not go faster or move out of the passing Lane? How is "gently caress off" valid? What reason does someone else have to need to slow others down on a multi-line road? People tailgate for many more reasons than a moron puttering in the passing lane. 
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Jun 1, 2016 03:27
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xzzy posted:People tailgate for many more reasons than a moron puttering in the passing lane. True; however, the first troubleshooting step when being tailgated should be "move over"; if they follow you and persist then you've at least made a reasonable effort to let them go somewhere other than your bumper.
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Jun 1, 2016 03:36
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I'll be sure to keep that in mind the next time I've got vehicles off all four directions during rush hour where we're all stuck going 35. Gotta make room for that special snowflake!
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Jun 1, 2016 03:46
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xzzy posted:Who gives a poo poo about diffusing, if you want to flip someone off to make yourself feel better, flip 'em off. Escalating the situation might get you a bullet in the head these days, you never know who's carrying a gun and road rage incidents end in people getting shot all the time. Not worth it really.
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Jun 1, 2016 04:47
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Today I had a tailgater really on my rear end when I came up to a light at a stale yellow, and decided because of the cameras I'd have to do a quick stop because it was certain I'd run it otherwise. Tailgater had to swerve onto the shoulder to not hit me and boy was he pissed off. Does that make me the rear end in a top hat in this situation? Because I feel like the rear end in a top hat.
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Jun 1, 2016 05:12
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leica posted:Escalating the situation might get you a bullet in the head these days, you never know who's carrying a gun and road rage incidents end in people getting shot all the time. Not worth it really. This right here is what makes me the most sad about society today, that people drive like poo poo all the time and have so much of a sense of entitlement they will attempt armed or vehicular manslaughter just to prove they are right. That said, if I am going a reasonable speed in the passing lane (faster than the right lane) and some rear end in a top hat starts tailgating me, I won't brake check people, I will simply remain in the passing lane "oblivious" to the car behind me. The way I see it, moving out of a tailgater's way is just rewarding lovely behavior and encouraging that driver to tailgate the next car they come across. A line of cars behind me would be different, then I would move over or speed up. But I usually try to be an observant driver and avoid the left lane as much possible. Most mornings I find it is far more relaxing and enjoyable to go the speed limit (65, 90% of the other people do 70 to 75) in the right lane. I played the left lane game too much, even if I do 90 some rear end in a top hat will still tailgate because they can't stand having any cars in front of them. . . which usually leads to them slowing down as soon as I let them pass.
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Jun 1, 2016 05:13
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I stay out of the left lane as much as possible. If somebody is tailgating me in traffic and I can't move over, I don't brake check; I just let my foot off the gas. Eventually they fly around me and usually flip me off.
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Jun 1, 2016 05:27
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Grave $avings posted:Today I had a tailgater really on my rear end when I came up to a light at a stale yellow, and decided because of the cameras I'd have to do a quick stop because it was certain I'd run it otherwise. Tailgater had to swerve onto the shoulder to not hit me and boy was he pissed off. No, it makes him and redlight cameras assholes.
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Jun 1, 2016 05:31
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Beach Bum posted:Maybe Street Survival should be opened up to more people than just teens. I've instructed at Street Survival a few times. It's a fantastic program and I really wish we could get it to every single teenager.
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Jun 1, 2016 05:44
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leica posted:Escalating the situation might get you a bullet in the head these days, you never know who's carrying a gun and road rage incidents end in people getting shot all the time. Not worth it really. 375 fatal crashes that resulted in 418 deaths in 2014. (total deaths, not shooting deaths, but lets call them all shooting deaths just for the hell of it) out of 32,675 total deaths in 2014... So 1.3 percent. (Source, NHTSA data for 2014) I'm far more scared of regular idiots than road ragers.
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Jun 1, 2016 06:12
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nitrogen posted:375 fatal crashes that resulted in 418 deaths in 2014. (total deaths, not shooting deaths, but lets call them all shooting deaths just for the hell of it) I agree with nitrogen, if you can't eliminate all risk, you shouldn't eliminate any of it. Further abusing statistics, only 328 of those fatal accidents were in a convertible, so a convertible is the safest vehicle to drive.
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Jun 1, 2016 06:22
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My favorite tailgaters are the really impatient ones who can't wait for me to get a safe distance in front of the semi before I move over to let them by. They always seem to choose the exact second I begin my move to try to dive bomb the right lane and undertake.
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Jun 1, 2016 12:15
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One thing my dad taught me when I was a kid was, if you're in a rush, "be the second-fastest," in case of a speed trap. If I'm passing and someone wants to go a lot faster than me, I am usually thankful. It means I can get out of their way and pick up my speed a bit more myself and they will probably absorb the risk of getting pulled over. Look at your tailgater as a cop distractor and you have an incentive to be courteous. It's like you're a whale and he's one of those small fish that follows you and eats the itchy algae off your fins or whatever.
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Jun 1, 2016 12:29
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Guys, chill out.
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Jun 1, 2016 13:31
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Why brake check when you can just let off the throttle and coast, I find that pisses them off pretty good while not being dangerous
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Jun 1, 2016 16:11
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Still dangerous, don't do it. Just ignore them and complete your maneuver. Don't try to get back at them or "teach them a lesson".
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Jun 1, 2016 16:18
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I just push the brake down a hair to turn on the lights while keeping the same speed. Has the same effect without putting anyone at risk.
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Jun 1, 2016 16:25
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Dave Inc. posted:I just push the brake down a hair to turn on the lights while keeping the same speed. Has the same effect without putting anyone at risk. No it's still pretty dangerous because the tailgater is fully aware of what they're doing, and are primed to mash their brake pedal if they see brake lights. If they're a lovely driver this will probably include swerving and cause a wreck.
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Jun 1, 2016 16:37
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xzzy posted:No it's still pretty dangerous because the tailgater is fully aware of what they're doing, and are primed to mash their brake pedal if they see brake lights. If they're a lovely driver this will probably include swerving and cause a wreck. I've never seen it happen; because my car doesn't slow down at all they tend to just let off the gas and then stay further back. Actually works pretty well.
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Jun 1, 2016 16:43
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Booourns posted:Why brake check when you can just let off the throttle and coast, I find that pisses them off pretty good while not being dangerous This is literally what I was taught in Drivers Ed. This was assuming you couldn't get out of the lane or pull over.
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Jun 1, 2016 17:06
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Why brake check or try loving with the other guy when you can just get out of the lane you clearly shouldn't be in if someone behind you wants to go faster?
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Jun 1, 2016 17:09
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PCOS Bill posted:Why brake check or try loving with the other guy when you can just get out of the lane you clearly shouldn't be in if someone behind you wants to go faster? Because nobody's ever been tailgated in traffic which was too heavy to go the speed they desire to drive at, right?
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Jun 1, 2016 17:12
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The goon collective has determined that if you are being tailgated, you should exit the roadway immediately and take a five minute break in a parking lot to make sure you don't offend them further.
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Jun 1, 2016 17:15
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Disgruntled Bovine posted:Because nobody's ever been tailgated in traffic which was too heavy to go the speed they desire to drive at, right? You still shouldn't be in the left lane. You're part of the problem.
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Jun 1, 2016 17:16
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Why the gently caress do people stack up all in one lane where more than one lane is available, and they don't want to turn? Between the pedestrians blocking a right-turner for half the light cycle, and all the people behind him wanting to go straight, precisely one car is able to turn left from the other direction during an entire light cycle. Easily avoided if the people who wished to go straight just used the available left-hand lane (which cannot be blocked, because the intersection in question is with a one-way street). I think a lot of our traffic problems are simply caused by idiots who don't know how to use the road they have available to them.
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Jun 1, 2016 17:17
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I avoid the left lane but I find that it doesn't matter which lane I drive in. Tailgating fuckheads will get on you no matter the lane and they'll refuse to change, even when there's a lane to the left available. Tailgaters, brake checkers... they're just more of the stupid shitheads you share the road with and neither has the moral high ground. Just try not being a goddamn idiot when you're driving/riding/walking.
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Jun 1, 2016 17:20
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PCOS Bill posted:You still shouldn't be in the left lane. You're part of the problem. I'm sorry, please explain this to me. I'm in moderate traffic doing 70 mph in the left lane. The middle lane is doing 60 mph and I am continuously passing people. There is a long row of cars in front of me, so I can't speed up, and I am passing people, thereby using the passing lane as it is intended. I would like to be going 80 mph, but that is not possible, so I stay in the left lane and continue passing people. The guy behind me wants to go faster than 70 mph (could be 90 mph, could be 75 mph, I have no way of knowing) but like me, he has no where to go. Rather than accepting that he tailgates me, thinking that maybe I will get out of his way. In order to do so I would have to slow down and switch to the middle lane, let him pass, then switch back over to the left lane to continue passing people in the middle lane. This accomplishes nothing and requires me to slow traffic down to accomplish it. It also rewards him for tailgating me, encouraging the idea that if he does it he'll get in front of people, even in traffic where it gets him nowhere. Why do you feel that the fact that he is tailgating me entitles him to be in front of me, when I might very well be driving faster than him if the traffic allowed it? Oh, it's because you're a troll, isn't it? Edit: I will move over if someone's tailgating me and there's actually room for them to go faster than me, or there is room in the middle lane for me to move over without slowing down. In fact I try to use the middle lane rather than the passing lane as much as possible, but generally I'm going faster than the normal flow of traffic so that's usually for no more than a few hundred feet before I have to pass someone. Disgruntled Bovine fucked around with this message at 17:34 on Jun 1, 2016 |
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Jun 1, 2016 17:21
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Yeah I don't know how many times I've had tailgaters undertake me while we were in heavy traffic and then proceed to stay one car ahead of me for the next 20 miles going the same speed as me (and the hundred cars ahead). Good job, dude, you did it. You won.
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Jun 1, 2016 17:29
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PCOS Bill posted:Why brake check or try loving with the other guy when you can just get out of the lane you clearly shouldn't be in if someone behind you wants to go faster? Someone obviously hasn't been to Maryland. They pass on the right there. Moreover, they go slow in the left lane, UNTIL someone passes them on the right. Then they make it their motherfucking life mission to play leapfrog with that car, even if it means crossing 3 lanes of traffic, passing everyone on the shoulder, and cutting all the way back over to the left. Dave Inc. posted:Yeah I don't know how many times I've had tailgaters undertake me while we were in heavy traffic and then proceed to stay one car ahead of me for the next 20 miles going the same speed as me (and the hundred cars ahead). Good job, dude, you did it. You won. This is usually the end result of said dangerous driving. Coolstorybro: I was coming home from the beach on Monday. 495W in MD. Traffic was moving along about 45-50 mph. Cop coming Eastbound on the opposite side of the road SLAMS on his brakes and pulls to his left (middle) shoulder, after just cresting a hill. He then proceeds to fly BACKWARDS UP THE SHOULDER WITH NO LIGHTS ON past me. I'm still going 50, and this cop is doing at least 70 backwards on the shoulder into oncomming traffic without his lights on.  He cuts into the "Authorized vehicle only" crossover in the median with a chrisp flick of the wheel and tight powerslide. Reverses into traffic in front of me and floors it forward without ever breaking momentum. Why would an officer drive so recklessly and dangerously? I have no idea but he pulled over some black guy in a silver altima that had been chillin in traffic in ahead of me for the last 15ish miles. I'm sure it was a good reason. GnarlyCharlie4u fucked around with this message at 17:45 on Jun 1, 2016 |
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Jun 1, 2016 17:33
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edit: ^^ I am also a Beltway/270 dweller and I swear people on 270 hog the left lane because they see the HOV diamond and think if they have 2 people in the car they must use that lane, despite the fact that it's Sunday evening and that's only an HOV lane for 3 hours on weekdays. Sometimes the people tailgating have no desire to pass, and only do it because when they learned to drive their hillbilly father told them a good rule of thumb is that as long as you can see the rear tires of the car in front of you, then you're at a fine distance. You know, regardless of what speed you're traveling or how low your hood is or how high up you're sitting? I married such a person.
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Jun 1, 2016 18:00
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No poo poo I first learned about maintaining space between cars from this commercial: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4flX6xaH46M
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Jun 1, 2016 18:10
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Observed on I-82:  lovely picture, but you might notice that the towed vehicle isn't really straight. At all. That guy flew by doing 75, with the Mustang (?) swerving back and forth behind the U-Haul, bouncing off the (bad) road like mad, too. Maybe lock the steering wheel in a straight position next ime? Or, I don't know, rent a full trailer instead of a 2-wheel dolly? I've never seen anything like it.
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Jun 1, 2016 18:15
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Last time I got brake checked, I wasn't even tailgating but was riding the yellow line so my headlight was in his side view mirror. After he jumped on his brakes, I dropped my speed and moved to the right, then kicked it up past what I'd been cruising at to undertake him and put some distance between us. He took this as a challenge and gunned it past me, engine screaming, doing maybe 120.. with a giant cloud of smoke trailing him. Fine bud, go right ahead! I thought he'd drifted into the breakdown lane and was kicking up dust, but it just kept pouring out as he went. He was about 1/4 mile ahead of me before he started slowing down, still smoking and smelling very sweet, I'm guessing he blew a coolant hose or lost his water pump. 10pm on a Saturday night out in the middle of nowhere is a great time for that!
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Jun 1, 2016 18:26
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