What burns you about other drivers?

 

Bob's Soapbox: 14 Things that I hate about drivers

1) Drivers that hog the left lane

New Yorkers, Texans and Michigdaners are by far the worst (totally my opinion, but NJ is very close behind....). A New Yorker will stay in that left lane until the end of time, then make the mad dash straight onto the exit ramp at the last minute, determined to win the prize for the most accrued time in the left lane. The turn signal is optional (see number 2).

2) Drivers that don't signal lane changes (or turns)

A buddy of mine had a good name for that phenomenon. He called it the "ESP signal". You should have known that that person was going to turn, the ESP waves from that car told you so. If they don't signal, does that mean that they aren't turning?

3) Drivers that have NO CLUE where they are going...

...and drive 20 MPH below the limit looking for that street, or address, or hamburger stand, or shoe store (you get the idea). It's kind of like the Winnebago in the National Park. There's a line of cars 30 deep, and this fool is in the front on his own planet, having no clue about what's going on around him.

4) Drivers on the interstate that cannot maintain their speed

I set the cruise, usually 10 miles above the limit. Safe, but not the fastest on the road. You come upon this fool, and you move into the left lane to pass, and they speed up. They then move into the left lane to overtake someone else, and slow down to pace this person. Now they belong in category number 1. What also happens too often is you approach someone, and pass them without incident. They then leap frog back in front of you, and slow down again. They just don't want to give up the lead, but they are slowing everyone else (and me) down. Errrrr.....

5) Drivers that want to follow you, and hang on your wing

I don't mind that someone wants to leech off of my speed, but buddy get out of my blind spot. You sit on my fender and expect me to merge back over? You put the signal on, and they speed up but not fast enough to pass you, just enough to *&^$ you off. This routine could continue for a couple of states.

6) Drivers that speed up when you try to overtake them

Here it is, three cars on the road. You in the left lane, another car in front of you, and the dude in the right lane a ways behind the guy in front of you, I'm talking four or five car lengths. There's plenty of room for you to move up and over, but wait. Mario Andretti in the right lane has found the accelerator, and moves up, next to the dude in front of you and now they sit, neck-to-neck for the next fifteen miles, or until the next mobile road block comes along. (The dude going exceptionally slow in any lane that breaks up the two side by side guys).

7) Drivers that swerve to the left just before making a right turn

This one perplexes me. The right signal is on, the car is safely in the right lane, but then they swerve a couple feet to the left (sometime breaching the next lane) just before making the turn. DUDE, you're not a driving a Peterbuit, stay the hell to the right!

8) Drivers that will sit on the side street/driveway until you're just about up to where they are...

...then they decide to merge. You have to lose a couple of millimeters of brake lining just to avoid hitting them. Then they drive so slow, you could read the logos on the wheel covers. Dude, what's the friggin' hurry to merge, huh? There isn't anything behind me but "Space, the Final Frontier" but you had to be in front of me!! Come on pal, Christmas is coming!!!! Get outta the way!!

9) Drivers distracted with the cell phone...

...or the newspaper, or the map, or the makeup, or shaving, or reading the paperback (yes, I've seen that more than once). Most people couldn't drive well with no distractions, don't give 'em an excuse to drive any worse. Why is it, most of the time, when I see a driver on the cell phone, there's usually more people in the car? Other people that could be talking on the phone instead of the driver? What's up with that?

10) SUVs

Face it, most of these people deserve their own category. With all the rain that we just got, the SUV drivers seemed to tool along the slowest. They come to a complete crawl at the sight of a pothole, or a puddle. Aren't these things supposed to be bulletproof, and able to leap tall boulders in a single bound? Lets face it, cars today are pretty water tight. If your vehicle has been properly maintained, it won't stall at the mere sight of standing water. Just yesterday on the Northern State, I had to crawl along for three miles because there was an inch or so of water on the roadway just west of South Oyster Bay road. If you're going to slow down for standing water, get out of my way because I plan on hitting it at speed! Here's a question. Why do Floridians own SUVs? It doesn't snow down there, the highest point above sea level is about 180 feet, they outlawed most beach driving a while ago. 4 wheel drive for??

11) Drivers that will stay in the entrance ramp until it ends

Then they will wait for the end of time for a gap large enough to merge into. 'It's called an ACCELERATION LANE there skid plate!' The opposite effect is my morning ride into work. The Northern State merges onto the LIE. There's four lanes doing nothing on the LIE, but the right lane is for exiting onto the 135. The LIE traffic coming off of the Northern will stay in the exit lane until the solid white line starts turning off the LIE. The legitimate turners have no choice but to sit and wait for these fools, because there is nothing but a guard rail to the right.

12) Drivers that have to wait for both or all three lanes of traffic to be free before they can merge

This one really gets my goat. Half of the time, there is no merge and the lane we're in is protected and doesn't end, but the guy in the front will sit and wait for armageddon before he will turn his wheel and move out into the intersection.

13) Drivers that put their turn signal on 14 miles before they have to exit...

...then they the proceed to sit in the right lane, slow down, then exit. That strip of pavement to the right there buddy...it's called the EXIT RAMP. You use that to slow down before you have to get off. Get outta the way! errrrr.........

14) Drivers that don't know that all roads are connected...

...so they backup on the expressway or parkway. They are strictly working on the belief that "you can't get there from here". Or they're like the idiot I saw yesterday. Banged a u-turn in one of those "official use only" cutouts in the middle of I-95 in Maryland. Hey stupid, next exit, there's a return ramp for you in the other direction! Doesn't that beat risking life, limb, and maybe a stiff fine?

I wrote this in 2004, and it still holds true....

--
Striving to make the NYC Metro area project the best.
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I just met a new breed of moron...

In the lovely streets of Brooklyn last night, I enter the left turn lane, and Moron (yes, capital. That's his name!), pulls up NEXT to me, on the other side of the double yellow, and makes the left ahead of me after the light turns green.... Granted the streets looked like a frozen Beirut and most streets were down to a single lane with cars plowed under and such, but since when did Mayor Bloomberg relax the driving laws? Jeez... confused Must be that his 4WD vehicle has priority over us mere FWD vehicles. Bleah...

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Striving to make the NYC Metro area project the best.

already

camerabob wrote:

In the lovely streets of Brooklyn last night, I enter the left turn lane, and Moron (yes, capital. That's his name!), pulls up NEXT to me, on the other side of the double yellow, and makes the left ahead of me after the light turns green.... Granted the streets looked like a frozen Beirut and most streets were down to a single lane with cars plowed under and such, but since when did Mayor Bloomberg relax the driving laws? Jeez... confused Must be that his 4WD vehicle has priority over us mere FWD vehicles. Bleah...

already had run in's with this type of Moron, the ones here didn't have the excuse of snow on the road.

Me too...

blake7mstr wrote:
camerabob wrote:

In the lovely streets of Brooklyn last night, I enter the left turn lane, and Moron (yes, capital. That's his name!), pulls up NEXT to me, on the other side of the double yellow, and makes the left ahead of me after the light turns green.... Granted the streets looked like a frozen Beirut and most streets were down to a single lane with cars plowed under and such, but since when did Mayor Bloomberg relax the driving laws? Jeez... confused Must be that his 4WD vehicle has priority over us mere FWD vehicles. Bleah...

already had run in's with this type of Moron, the ones here didn't have the excuse of snow on the road.

I've run into this type of Moron myself. I was doing 5MPH over limit and so was the SUV in front of me, and Moron crossed the double yellow to pass us both (must have been doing over 60 in a 40MPH zone). I guess we weren't going fast enough for him

Where are the cops when you need one? (cops won't bother you around here for 5MPH over limit unless you do something stupid, like Mr.Moron did)

--
Garmin nuvi 1300LM with 4GB SD card Garmin nuvi 200W with 4GB SD card Garmin nuvi 260W with 4GB SD card r.i.p.

It's amazing how well the roads work.

Given the wide range of driver competence, it is amazing that driving around in a car is as problem free as it is.

What burns you about other drivers?

david_kahn wrote:

Given the wide range of driver competence, it is amazing that driving around in a car is as problem free as it is.

Amen to that. I sometimes wonder how I get from point A to point B in one piece.

My pet peeve, and it's widespread in this area, is red light running, and I don't mean just the close ones, I'm talking about the guy who, 500 feet from the light, which just went amber, has to speed up to 60 mph in a 30mph zone to try to beat the red. Having had several close calls, I've learned to wait at least 2 or 3 seconds before even trying to proceed on the green.

And then there are the ones who'll park on the hashmarks in a handicap space, the ones designed and designated for vans? They don't have a handicap placard or plate, so they think that makes it OK. Of course, for the person who was parked there first, in the proper spot, who now has to try to get his wheelchair into his van, it makes it difficult if not impossible.

And of course there are those who don't think fire lane restrictions apply to THEM....

Overall, most drivers are competent and polite, but the bad apples certainly do stand out.

.

theoldsourdough wrote:

Having had several close calls, I've learned to wait at least 2 or 3 seconds before even trying to proceed on the green.

Yes! I put this into practice years ago, and it's saved my cookie a few times.

--
nüvi 3790T | Those who make peaceful revolution impossible, will make violent revolution inevitable ~ JFK

Definitely #1 doing #4

And to top it off, they're talking on the cell phone. I loaded the TANK vehicle on my wife's GPS because she believes she should be able to blow them out of her way.

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Harley BOOM GTS, Zumo 665, (2) Nuvi 765Ts, 1450LMT, 1350LM & others | 2019 Harley Ultra Limited Shrine - Peace Officer Dark Blue

Went on,e step further

bear007 wrote:

And to top it off, they're talking on the cell phone. I loaded the TANK vehicle on my wife's GPS because she believes she should be able to blow them out of her way.

I actually tried and placed an order for a CVRT. No cannon there, just a big machine gun in its turret !

And then the sales didn't pull through, I got it "sniped" from me - ya gotta hate eBay sometimes !!! razz

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Ain't nuthin' never just right to do the things you wanna do when you wanna do them, so you best just go ahead and do them anyway ! (Rancid Crabtree, from Pat F McManus fame)
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