Inconsiderate Drivers (share your stories, etc.)

fintail

Maybe you get honked at so much that you now tune out horns as background noise :P

PF_Flyer

It's like DRL's. A great addition to a vehicle when no cars had them. Really made you stand out and be noticed. Very safe. But now, with more and more vehicles with DRL's, they sort of just blend in with the masses. But that's just an aside to get me to a real pet peeve...

DRL's are NOT headlights. Those of you who run around in the dark with just your DRL's on need to come to this realization :surprise:

Certainly not speaking to anyone here, since we're all in the extreme upper percentiles of the driving public :P

gogogodzilla

Well, if there's no traffic around... and thus safe for me to get back into the flow of traffic, then I'll just pop back into the lane I was in.

But if there is traffic, then I'll take the turn and then find a way to eventually get back on the road I needed.

:shades:

(no right turn from a left hand lane for me...)

gogogodzilla

That's true, so very... very true.

I can begin to recall the number of times I've been on an empty road... in the right lane, puttering along. Only to find someone zoom up my rear... and stay there.

Empty road... empty passing lane... but the driver of the car behind me simply wants to be aggravated that I won't speed up to his preferred speed in the slow lane of an empty multi-lane highway. Passing, of course, is out of the question. Braking furiously, honking, flashing lights, tailgating are all proper behavior to the 'herd' mindset.

It's the 'pack mentality' in a nutshell.



(Flame me if you want, but that kind of behavior is something I find to be the hallmark of someone needing to lose their license)

snakeweasel

I have never had that happen to me on a multi lane highway. I have had that happen on two lane roads and around here it is rare not to have a good clear passing lane within a mile. The road will be flat and straight with no oncoming traffic and they will not pass but try to "push" you to go faster.

imidazol97

I still like DRLs. I have seen cars that I might have overlooked until they were closer because of their DRLs.

My pet peeve is cars without DRLs driving after dusk starts because it's ?cool?, i.e., no lights. I also hate those drivers who turn on their lower height driving lights instead of their headlights and drive at dusk with those.

They're driving lights for open road and should be on only with high beams. Somehow these have morphed into chic to use to blind oncoming drivers or be on with low beams. Pontiac Grand Prixs seem to have them aimed up and into oncoming drivers' eyes; other brands seem to have a light pattern problem or aiming problem with them also.

ruking1

While the rational for DRL's is logical, as you point out there are unintended consequences. There has been no verfication study/s indicating whether or not the use of DRL's achieves its intended objective/s. The oem's when faced with requirement and implementation of DRL's, applied for and were granted a 9% mpg exemption. Why? mpg results are lower when operating the vehicle with the lamps in 24/7 use. Use of DRL's further causes shorter lamp and battery life. Indeed even with 100% (or close to it) lamps on at night; night has always been shown to be a more dangerous time to drive.

Upshot: NOTHING prevents anyone from driving with lights on!! Indeed one could argue it is more dangerous to drive at night with DRL's and NOT the full complement of lamps on.

kelshm

Last night I was coming home from visiting friends. I was driving down a 4 lane road (2 lanes each direction with a median) and was in the left hand lane. I was trying to get into the right hand lane but the Chevy Cavalier next to me would speed up as I sped up and slow down when I slowed down. Yeah this is inconsiderate but he's actually not who I'm writing about.

I still cannot get over and now I see blue lights flashing ahead of me so I'm less inclined to speed up more to get around the Cavalier. In this area when you see one policeman you can just about guarantee there will be 2 or more.

This mid 80's remnant of a Chevy Blazer came up behind me. This is nothing major but then suddenly he came around me, in the median, nearly going sideways coming back up on the road and just missing a bridge! He then swerved into the right hand lane nearly taking the front end off another car. He then swerved back into the left lane cutting off another car. This went unnoticed by the officer sitting to the side of the road.

We called him in to 911. We followed him, carefully, to see where he would go and so the 911 operator could relay the information.

We came up to a redlight and were 2 cars back from the Blazer. It turns out there were 3-4 guys in the vehicle, jumping all around and throwing beer bottles out the windows and hanging out the windows inciting fights with the vehicles around them. When they started being chased by a Suburban with MORE guys in it, we backed off. Funny though....they started trying to outrun the Suburban and the streets were suddenly swarming with sheriff's officers! I guess they got theirs!

I've read every post in here from day one. I guess it is time for me to join in. I already feel like I know you all and that I am a better and more considerate driver for it!

1racefan

"I've read every post in here from day one. I guess it is time for me to join in. I already feel like I know you all and that I am a better and more considerate driver for it! "

Welcome. Back in college, we use to drive from our campus to downtown to go to the bars (about a 10 mile drive). We would see some interesting stuff (behavior) on the road on the way (car loads of other college kids like us going to the bars also).

imidazol97

The DRLs are low-power high beams. The bulbs have never burned out on any of my three cars that have had DRLs. It's not using as much wattage as the regular low beams or high beams.

Unless you park and leave them on (mine turn off after 10 minutes automatically) would you affect the battery life; when the car is running the alternator is carrying the power load for DRLs.

ruking1

In the two vehicles I have with DRL's, one lamp so far in each has burnt out. This is in stark utter contrast to NO lamp failure at all to vehicles I have had over 37 years!! In addition both failures were at very low miles where the DRL lamps have failed. Yes I do know they are half power.

In addition battery failures occured at 39 mo and 4.25 years. Previously across all makes I had been used to 9/11 year old battery life till failure.

1racefan

"is in stark utter contrast to NO lamp failure at all to vehicles I have had over 37 years!"

I have noticed a lot of the GM fullsize pickups, '99-'02 models on the road with only 1 DRL working. Seems like out of all the cars with DRLs, these are the ones I notice the most burnouts on.

You are lucky with not having had a burned out headlight in 37 years. My wife's previous car had a burned out headlight, and side marker light, so I had the dealer fix them (under warranty). A week later, the same head light burned out again, so I took it back to the dealer where they put in another new bulb. A couple days later, same bulb out again. At that point, I asked them to check for electrical issues. They told me the car was fine, and they had gotten in a bad batch of bulbs, and would this time install a bettery quality bulb. Never had an issue after that.

ruking1

Well for sure there are a lot of statistical issues. For me it was DRL in two non related makes, one Euro the other American. Both DRLS have (at this writing) their opposite DRL's still functioning. I am assuming both sets were from the same batches!?

xwesx

Only marginally related (to college, not so much to driving), back in April 1998, when I lived on campus, we had just finished with "campus cleanup day." This is where a subset of campus residents would get up at about 0600 and just scour the campus clean. It was an amazing post-winter transformation of a landfill into a tidy landscape. About 30 minutes after finishing, I was walking in front of one of the halls when a couple of guys (obviously underage) sitting in the bed of a pickup threw three beer bottles onto the adjacent lawn. I walked over, picked them up, and placed them gently in the back of the truck. One of them started to yell profanities at me and I responded with saying that they could keep the bottles in the back of the truck or take them to the nearest trash receptacle for disposal, but if they threw them out of the truck again then I would have a police officer respond. Phone in hand, they decided not to take a chance on whether I was bluffing (which I was not!).

A waited there for a few minutes until the driver came out of the hall and he said as he walked up, "I told you to get that **** out of my truck!" One of the guys in the back jumped out, took the bottles to the trash bin about 20 feet away, and jumped back in. Now, why was it so difficult to do that the first time around?

ruking1

I really don't know, but it does trigger the thought that there are a whole bunch of people who drive pick up trucks, etc., that have stuff unsecured or secured incorrectly which has the potential to be lethal if it falls off and hits a following vehicle.

CA state passed a law several years ago requiring stuff to be netted or secured but it is almost totally ignored even by commercial haulers (dump trucks) etc.

jensad

Dear kelshm

My compliments to you for your common sense for not get into a problem with them, but also for making the call. I am gratified to see that the sheriffs got them.

Good luck to all and stay safe. (As kelshm did)

jensad

snakeweasel

Do you know that under certain circumstances having DRL or headlights on could coma flog your vehicle?

tallman1

No one had better flog my vehicle into a coma!!

ruking1

Please explain? Such as having a white car in a blizzard? Opposite being a black car at night with no lamps on?

snakeweasel

In my travel to work I sometimes go down this winding two lane road that goes about 3 miles and has no passing zone. As I am going down this road some clown runs up behind me and sits on my rear end. this bothers me but not long after that someone runs up behind him and tailgates him. By the time I got near the end of this run there was 4 cars behind me all closely tailgating each other. If I would have slammed on my brakes it would have resulted in a five car accident (and there are deer in this area).

Now I will also let you know that there was a long line of cars not to far ahead of me so I really couldn't go any faster

snakeweasel

Certain lighting conditions can cause a brighter area behind the vehicle that has the same brilliance of the headlights. When this happens the lights blend into the background and appear to disappear into said background. Since the car is behind the lights the car gets hidden. This usually happens when there is open sky behind the vehicle.

During WWII the Allies used this effect on airplanes. they would put lights along the wings of aircraft on submarine patrols and turn them on. The planes would then blend into the sky and make it harder for men on the submarines to see.

210delray

You may very well be right about the DRLs with open sky behind the vehicle.

Still, on my first cross-country trip back in 1971 (before a lot of the interstates were completed), I noticed many drivers on western 2-lane roads used their headlights during the day. It make oncoming cars a lot easier to spot if you were trying to pass someone.

I then made it a regular practice to turn on my low-beam headlights when driving in daytime on rural high-speed 2-lane roads. Sometimes, oncoming drivers would "flash" me to tell me that I had "left" my lights on.

Now with DRLs, I don't have to turn on the headlights, AND no one flashes anyone anymore (for that reason at leaat)!

210delray

I have noticed a lot of the GM fullsize pickups, '99-'02 models on the road with only 1 DRL working. Seems like out of all the cars with DRLs, these are the ones I notice the most burnouts on.

Me too -- these are "dedicated" DRLs (they aren't used for any other purpose) and must have a design problem that causes their bulbs to go out prematurely.

OTOH the most annoying DRLs are those on the mid-late 90s Saturn S series cars. These use the high beams, but they're not sufficiently dimmed, and they are set way inboard. They're particularly blinding if the driver fails to turn on the regular headlights at dusk.

210delray

Most cars from the factory that have auxiliary lights are fog lights, not driving lights. By regulation, these can only be activated with the low beams (for the same reason you don't use high beams in fog).

Of course, this doesn't stop individuals from rewiring these lights so they come on independently -- I see it here frequently, mainly on pickups and some SUVs for some reason.

Then there are the much more frequent poseurs who feel it's cool to run around at night with the fog lights constantly on, despite the absence of any real fog (relatively rare here).

imidazol97

Those pickups and large SUVs have a different type lamp for DRL instead of using the headlamp. And a lot of those burn out and never get replaced; I don't think the owner ever knows they're burned out. GM used the same setup for the early Century replacement in ??? 1997 ??? but it was amber and a little too bright.

nightvzn

Then there are the much more frequent poseurs who feel it's cool to run around at night with the fog lights constantly on, despite the absence of any real fog (relatively rare here).

I find that my fog lights are immensely helpful if the road is wet, since they aim incredibly low. As such, I always use them when it's raining. Granted, the reflective dots on the California roads help a lot when it's wet, but still, the fog lights help.

In fact, I don't think I've ever used them in actual fog. Yet.

1racefan

"The only way to tell is to put it in nuetral and hope the ground is level, or block the wheels and then get out and look... or have someone look while you have your foot on the brake. But it is a pretty good hassle to check."

I live in a "mixed use neighborhood" where we have mostly single family homes, mixed with a few townhomes, as well as some retail businesses.

2 or 3 times a year, I will take our cars (1 at a time) up to the retail area, late in the evening when the stores are closed. A few of the shops have huge glass windows on their storefronts, and once it is a little dark out, the glass acts like a mirror. I will start out by having the front of the car face the glass, and I can check all the lights in the glass (turn signals, low beams, high beams). Then, I will turn the car around, and check the rear lights (brake lights, turn signals, reverse lights).

I guess I could just buy a large mirror, and install it on the back wall of my garage, but I have found this current method works well.

1racefan

" find that my fog lights are immensely helpful if the road is wet, since they aim incredibly low."

I used to have a full sized pick up truck. I installed a set of fog lights, that would work independantly of the headlights (a lot of factory fogs turn off when you use the high beams, since you arent supposed to use your high beams in fog). The reason I did this, was because I traveled a 2 lane road, at dark for my commute to work. Deer were abundant on this road, so I found that I could use my high beams, in conjunction with the fogs, and essentially had a "wall of light" in front of me to help me look for deer.

Obviously, I didn't use the high beams with on coming traffice, and the fogs were aimed low enough to not be a distraction.

snakeweasel

The only way to tell is to put it in nuetral and hope the ground is level, or block the wheels and then get out and look... or have someone look while you have your foot on the brake. But it is a pretty good hassle to check.

Ever pull up to a store in a strip mall with a glass front? You can see it in the reflection. I sometimes use that to check my brake lights when I am backing out when I am parked on the other side of the lot.

snakeweasel

What I miss are amber colored fog lights. Every car I see with those factory fogs have white lens. Fog lights need to be an amber or yellow color to be better seen in a fog.

xwesx

Amber and yellow do work much better in fog, as the light does not reflect off the particles as much (creating that white haze in front of the car). Blue works very well for snow - essentially allows you to see right through it. Most of the truckers up here have at least one large set of "LightForce" driving lights on their rigs, usually with blue filters.

snakeweasel

The thing about yellow or amber is to be seen. White lights tend to disappear in a white fog as the color of the fog and the color of the lights are the same. Yellow or amber tends to contrast the color of the fog and are far more noticible at a distance.

While I don't know about where you are but I am pretty sure that here it is illegal for a car to display a blue light (other than emergency vehicles).

210delray

I agree that the fog lights can be helpful in heavy rain to see the lane lines. But what I'm complaining about are those who use them on clear dry nights.

210delray

I thought those 1997+ Centurys used what I call "inverse turn signals" for DRLs. The same was true for the C5 Corvette (with the hidden headlights) and final generation Camaro and Firebird. That is, the turn signals on both sides are lit continuously, except when you signal a turn -- in that case, the bulb on the appropriate side of the car starts flashing.

210delray

Doesn't happen to me all that often, given that my daily commute is mainly on a 4-lane highway and in the opposite direction of most people.

Anyway, my wife today was relaying the story of a very impatient young guy behind her when she had pulled into the gas station intending to get in line for the car wash (rather than gas).

And I said I don't run into idiots much anymore. Well, within 10 minutes or so, we did.

We're on a main "cut-through" that's basically a residential road through suburbia. We're going the speed limit, 35 mph, which is reasonable given the environment.

So this middle-aged guy in a first-gen Explorer comes up on our rear and starts getting really close, then flapping his arms with a disgusted look on his face. The funny thing about this is that the road widens to 4 lanes with a higher speed limit in less than half a mile.

So when we get to the point where the road widens I point with my right arm to the "40 mph" speed limit sign. By this time, my wife is looking back at him, and up comes the one-finger salute. He then passes us, but keeps his right wheels over on my side of the lane lines, making like he's going to "teach us a lesson" I suppose.

At that point I lay on the horn, and he goes into the left turn lane to make a left at a light just ahead. As we pass him, my wife got out her cell phone as if to take a photo of him.

What an idiot -- couldn't wait maybe 20 seconds or so for the passing zone, and only to turn left anyway. So how much time did he "lose" by my "blocking" him?

gogogodzilla

Yeah, that's a personal pet peeve of mine.

To be driving at night and seeing all the idjits out there driving around with their fog lights on (and no fog, of course).

Fog lights are for fog, not to look 'cool'.

imidazol97

Often those lights are just a spray pattern and aren't even as bright as the low beam headlamps. But some, Gran Prixs, and others are brighter. Maybe the owne replace them thinking it shows more Power on his part or they were designed badly by the manufacturer. But some of these are blinding.

I just turn on my high beams to let the driver know there's a problem with their lights. It's ridiculous to have people thinking they need driving lights (for those who have replaced or added driving lights) in 99% of the driving people do in this country!!! To and from work at 35 mph on highly traveled roads. Aren't many deer or elk likely to run out needing to be seem with the exra distance of well aimed driving lights would give; fog lights don't add crap to distance for safe vision and in fact they may decrease ability to see objects at a distance.

oregonboy

fog lights don't add crap to distance for safe vision and in fact they may decrease ability to see objects at a distance

Amen, Brother!!! The last thing you need when trying to see far down a dark road is bright illumination in the foreground.

james

xwesx

While I don't know about where you are but I am pretty sure that here it is illegal for a car to display a blue light (other than emergency vehicles).

Sure, but these are off-road lights anyhow, and so are only used in the absence of traffic ahead. Once a driver sees headlights oncoming (regardless of distance), off go the driving (off-road) lights. Plus, they do not flash.

imidazol97

Showing my ignorance--how "blue" are these lights?

oregonboy

I would be curious to see what the note said. Perhaps he left the note just for the benefit of witnesses. I wouldn't expect someone with no regard for other's safety to have much respect for other's property.

The note may have said: "Bummer, Dude! Catch me if you can!!!"

james

xwesx

The lamps themselves are clear, with shatterproof (I can attest to this, as both of mine that were mounted on top of my '96 Outback were ripped from the car when it turned over, yet both sustained only minor cracks in the housing and no cracks in the lens covers - they are fully reusable and I plan to mount them on my '76 plow truck when I acquire it later this spring) housings and lens covers/filters. The basic cover is also clear, providing a white ("halogen yellow") light. The filters are a snap off/snap on cover that can be replaced in about 10 seconds. This link shows an image of the filter covers available. The blue does make the light source look blue from an "oncoming" perspective, but outgoing it only looks considerably softer - lighting surfaces without seeming to light the distance between so much (if that makes any sense!).

As for using them on-road, truckers use them on the Haul Road and the Parks Highway as a matter of procedure, but they are all very good about cutting them out at the first hint of oncoming traffic. As bright as they are, I am actually surprised at how well they see light reflections around corners, etc., and dim the lights before the oncoming driver might be blinded by them. One rarely hears about a trucker hitting a moose, so they must help. Passenger cars, on the other hand.....

akangl

Did you hear about the excitement on S Cushman last night? Talk about inconsiderate!! I feel for Affordable Used Cars, expensive night for them. Not to mention the car I've been drooling over for weeks is now a twisted wreck!

If you didn't hear about it I'll fill you in, my little brother was nearly in the middle of it.

sky23213

Talk about inconsiderate
That would perfectly fit the thread May we hear about it?
Speaking of last night, after the snow storm here, the actual carnage has began - Snow Emergency declared, meaning pretty much only one thing. The City will be raking it in. One of the local stations even had a reporter at the Impound Lot... So glad I live in the burbs.

akangl

Little brother called me yesterday to tell me about the excitement Saturday night. He said he had just left work and started home, but realized he forgot his keys. He went back and got them, then headed back home. Well, it turns out it was a GOOD thing he forgot his keys or he would have been in the middle of this mess.

Guy in a early to mid 90's Oldsmobile Ciera was hauling butt down S Cushman, little brother figures he was going close to 100 mph. Probably drunk. He lost control in front of Affordable Used Cars. He hit a 2006 Chrysler 300 (the car I've been drooling over), launched off that, across/through the nose of a 2005 Toyota Camry, and into a 2007 Camry Hybrid (little brother thinks that's what it was), which spun the Camry around into a 2007 Chevy car (not sure what it was). The Olds flipped on its side and skidded down S Cushman 20-30 feet.

Little brother came along just as everything was coming to a rest. Police came, closed S. Cushman, arrested the guy. I feel for Affordable, those guys are really awesome, but now they are left with 1 damaged car and 3 totals. Ah well, insurance will sort it out I'm sure. :sick:

Its really amazing that nobody got hurt/killed in this. Usually there are people on the sidewalk or looking at cars there late at night (I know, I've done it).

fintail

Typical Bellevue car, typical Bellevue driver

xwesx

:surprise:

No, I did not hear about that! I have been living my blissfully ignorant, cocoon-like life. But, I did go to my friend's house for "game night" on Saturday and did not come across any psychotic, drunk, or otherwise impaired drivers. It was a bit chilly, though...

I am quite surprised that there were no injuries or deaths as that is a very busy part of town - especially at night on the weekend. Chalk that one up to the cold temps, otherwise it might have been a real mess. Property is replaceable. :mad:

xwesx

Hah! Is that one of those "I my foot slipped of the brake" instances? :sick:

210delray

Follow-up: I realize no one commented, but I came up with a semi-interesting calculation.

The distance that I "blocked" the tailgater was 0.4 miles -- I measured it yesterday. Going that distance at the posted 35 mph takes 41 seconds. If Mr. Impatient was able to go 50 mph, it would have taken him 20 seconds.

So my being in the way cost him a whopping 21 seconds. Then he had to make a left at a green light, so if there had been oncoming traffic (or the light had been red), he very well could have lost all of the time he would have otherwise "gained."

Was it worth the arm flapping, middle finger salute, and threatening to sideswipe me? :sick:

fintail

Maybe...or an "I thought it was in reverse" instance.

My grandpa did that once. In a rented Chevette, at a convenience store...in Hawaii.