Inconsiderate Drivers (share your stories, etc.)

magnette

You have to hope that somewhere there is a right to render practical assistance without regard to potential litigation - or else we might as well go back to living in caves

snakeweasel

Well take that message to Congress. I hope you have more lobbying funds than the trial lawyers have.

fintail

Today I took the old car out on the highway, as it was dry this morning. I was on a 4 lane in each direction major highway, light traffic, second to right lane, maybe going 60-65 in a 60 (the flow of traffic). Not far ahead in the far right lane is a woman in a Corolla going maybe just under the limit. As I get close to her, she makes an abrupt lane change in front of me, and doesn't speed up. That lane did end about 8 miles ahead, maybe she was thinking of the future? Sometimes you just know how aware the driver is by their car. I passed her, and a couple minutes later she was so far behind me I couldn't really even see her, so she must have slowed down even more. Corolla!

Later I was driving along a 35mph 4 lane suburban arterial, and I came up behind a dirty old Villager loafing along at about 25 in the left lane. I passed on the right, speeding up as I did so (probably not much more than 40) and by the time I completed the pass the guy was speeding up, and then tailgated me at 40 until he turned. I was really tempted to brake check him, but I suspect he had no insurance. Another new to the states driver too, I should add.

ruking1

The word has long been out, the left lane is THE defacto SLOW LANE. :lemon:

ponderpoint

"The word has long been out, the left lane is THE defacto SLOW LANE"

I watch this all the time.... I'm a geezer right-laner and I HATE the interstate but have to put up with it. I am constantly amazed at how the left lanes will mindlessly jam up while the right lanes will occasionally un-congest.

At times I will catch up to a car that had passed me a few miles back, slowed by the pack. Sometimes they take note of me and are infuriated - bolting out of the left lane for a little while only to return to the frenzy of lemmings in the left lane. The process then repeats.

The right lane does have its perils however, I think I wrote a while back about getting almost rear-ended because a Porsche in an apparent fit of road rage swung wildly over to the right lane only to find me, his view of my little Miata blocked by a large S-Useless-V. I slammed the accelerator and went for the shoulder while I saw the Porsche do that sickish jiggle with road dust flying while doing hard braking. We missed by inches....

ruking1

Thank heavens there are still scofflaws like YOU ! :shades: There seems to be few of us left.

jensad

You are so right ruking1. Driving the freeways around the Bay Area, the fast lane is usually the far right or the next on to the left.

Indeed we were driving north on I 5, this last Sat coming back from the High Desert, i.e. Mojave Desert. We were behind a steady stream of vehicles all traveling in a pack at about 75 mph. Suddenly everyone slowed to about 45 mph.

We did this about 10 minutes when we passed a Toyota with the four way flashers on, going about 30 mph in the slow lane. This was north of Bakersfield.

The driver was sitting straight up (rigid) in his seat, and had to good old "death grip " with the steering whell. When we got passed that soul, we all sped up again to 75.

About 100 miles further we stopped at a rest stop and stretched our legs for about 25 minutes. We then got back on I 5, and guess what? We are in another long line of cars, all going 45 mph. The reason appeared in about 5 miles as we again passed the death gripped driver going 25 mph.

There are about three ways to get north from LA. I 5, 101, and 99. The driver must have driven about 200 miles or more in the same driving position. I was grateful the driver did not drive in the left lane as he would have been a harazard to others.

But then in Disneyland there is something new and exciting every day as one travelings the "freeway" which are slowly falling apart due to no money to fix. (Example, I 5, Altamount Pass, 101 up from San Jose.

Hope all had a wonderful holidays. Good luck and stay safe.

jensad

Kirstie_H

A reporter from a large national newspaper would like to talk to consumers whose reasons for purchasing cars have changed. In the past, their car might have been the primary reflection of their personality, but now they are basing their purchases on other factors -- cost, features, the environment, etc. If you are interested in speaking to the reporter, please contact ctalati@edmunds.com no later than January 12, 2009.

explorerx4

a inconsiderate husband(ricardo patrese, ex F1 driver) driving with his wife.
some choice italian spoken

xwesx

Hahha; that was hilarious. She was a nervous wreck while he was perfectly calm, composed, and stoic. That really helps you appreciate the difference of perspective. You don't have to speak the language to appreciate what happened there.

ilmbg

I didn;t read 655 pages, but did read alot of them- so if this is a duplicate of someone else's I apologize.
I drive frequently with a three horse trailer with small living quarters. I have a dually truck, that is weel equipped to haul.
I get absolutely livid when an idiot cuts in front of me, then immediately slows down about 30mph or more- I have LIVE horses in my trailer that have a hard time standing when I have to slam on my brakes so I don't hit the guy!
Where are peoples brains??!! I am carrying an animal that is standing up in a trailer- these horses have legs that are not much thicker than a man's arm- some horse's legs are smaller than a man's arm!! When someone does this, the horses are slammed against the stall dividers. GEE MR IDIOT- I PAID MORE FOR MY HORSES THAN YOU'LL EVER PAY FOR A CAR- HAVE SOME COURTESY!!
These drivers seem oblivious to the fact that I can't slow down from 65mph to 30mph in 200 feet- WHAT THE H*LL ARE THEY THINKING??!!

Please- drivers- when you see someone hauling live animals- give them some room...

Geez- I get upset just thinking about it!

The rudest city for driving is San Antonio, Texas in my book.

snakeweasel

Please- drivers- when you see someone hauling live animals- give them some room...

After getting stuck next to a semi hauling hogs I have to agree with you.

imidazol97

>After getting stuck next to a semi hauling hogs

Years back we were going out to eat cross town. Got stuck behind a hog semitrailer, the one with multiple levels, on I75. There was a drizzling rain that day. The mist and spray with hog manure washed off the trailer into the spray behind it. Then it ended up coating the air intake for the heater at the front of the windshield. So we smelled hog the rest of the way to the restaurant and back home.

It took a spray-it-yourself car wash and a several days for the scent to disappear.

210delray

Just what you needed to whet your appetites!

ruking1

I hope that is not what they mean when they say "in hog heaven, or living high on the hog!! "

You guys better stop !! You are going to make me look at pork products in a different light ! :P

I have been break in two new sets of tires. It was time to change out an oem set with 112,000 miles. It was a catch 22 situation as the set is going on its 6/7 year, yet still serviceable, but I had bought a set (times ticking off the 6 years on it) because most folks having that oem tire said they got 50,000 miles TOPS out of them. Anyhow since I bought them before the 30% price rise, they are not a bad deal.

To the point of the topic of the thread, I have been taking to the roads in the SLOW lane doing the 300 miles to 600 miles break in gig. Tis a brave new world doing 40-55 miles per hour on highways where even the highway patrol doesn't ticket @ 80-90 mph. I do have to say most see me coming up fast and pass. So in that sense, going this slow is a pretty cool experience, once you get past the fact that literally EVERYONE is going by and passing you. For my .02 cents compared to watching paint dry, breaking in tires is soooooooooooooooooo slow as to making watching paint dry an adrenaline sport !

xwesx

Please explain the process of "breaking in" tires. I have not heard of anyone doing that before....

ruking1

I am not sure I understand the question? This has been standard operating procedure for longer than I have been driving? However I do know a lot of folks do not follow it. It is covered in tire oems literature and also vehicle oem owners manuals. Or am I missing what you really are asking?

stever

I don't follow any set procedure when I get new tires either, but then again, I'm not doing burn-outs or otherwise driving like an idiot most of the time.

Breaking In Your Tires

ruking1

And to think tire break in used to be easy !!!!!! :shades: For folks who like to cut to the chase Steve's www.tirerack.com link lists A-Z a min of 35 related subject articles !!!!

Since I have not read ALL those articles and sub linked articles elaborating on the sublinks.... , to use an old flint lock musket analogy: I hope I am not going off half cocked? Wonder if they have an article on how to get more than 112,000 miles on an el cheapo oem tire set??....

So in light of that link what was XWESX originally asking?? :confuse:

stever

I skimmed most of the tire tech topics at Tire Rack and the only street tires that require you to go slow during the break-in are studded tires. Tires for racing are a different breed, but so long as you don't exceed the speed rating of the tire, I don't see anything at Tire Rack that says to drive 40 to 50 mph on the Interstate for the first 600 miles of ownership.

xrunner2

Tire Rack mentions thatnew tires sometimes have oils on the tread/sidewall. First time I ever noticed this about 7 years ago after getting a new set of :Pirellis installed. Did research on this Pirelli model and Tire Rack customer feedback was mostly favorable for dry or wet cornering, braking.

Day I got tires installed it rained as I was leaving tire dealer. We had had recent rains in area, so streets were pretty clean of oil residue.

Within one block of leaving tire dealer, I realized something goofy about tires in traction giving very dangerous handling, stopping. Apparently, oils used in manufacturing process were on the tires. Drove home very carefully, then waited till next day (dry) to drive it again. When next rain came some days later, there was no problem in traction in that lots of dry driving, heat generated, etc, got rid of oil.

tallman1

So in light of that link what was XWESX originally asking??

Wes said that he had never heard about breaking in a new set of tires. He was asking what that meant. The article that Steve linked did a good job of explaining it.

I remember hearing about taking care not to corner too sharply while the tires "seated" themselves but when I asked an installer about that several years ago, he said not to worry, just drive. The oil issue makes sense and I always take it easy when I first get tires anyway.

I've never heard about needing to keep the speed down though, although I don't drive at very high speeds anyway.

xwesx

Yes, basically. I know that new tires can be squirrelly due to the residues on them, but I was not aware of a specific procedure to break in a tire. I was thinking of it in regard to a typical "break-in" process, whereby following a given procedure is intended to result in an optimal service life; for example, breaking-in an engine/vehicle. In that context, the thought of breaking-in a tire was foreign to me.

-Wes-

jensad

I agree with you ruking1 as to the lack of CHP on the roadways. We drove to the High Desert to pick up our 9 week old puppy. Going down I 5, from Concord Ca., we were being passed at 80 + mph and we did not see a unit until the Wheler Ridge, i.e. the "grapevine". I know if I was working the freeway and was not seen on my area of coverage they bosses would ask "where were you". And that is a fair question.

Going east from Gorman a unit tried to clock me but at 58 mph in a 55 zone was not worth it for the officer. Still crazy to drive the grapevine as it always has winds, and drivers who don't have a clue but are out there at 80 +.

I can image at 45-50 mph, it must have been an experience to have a 60000 or 80000 pound big rig come up and pass you!!!

Good luck to everyone and stay safe.

jensad

snakeweasel

Five cars in a row in the left lane. First car didn't appear to have any damage, second car had a pretty messed up rear end, third car had a very messed up front end, fourth and fifth car seemed undamaged (might have just stopped to offer assistance). So apparently the third car struck the second car in the rear at a rather high rate of speed. This same third car was covered with a thick (maybe a foot) coating of snow. While we have had a lot of snow in the last week we have had none in two or three days.

davethecarnut

When my truck was new, I had to break in the cup holder. First week with 12oz cans only...then worked up to the Bladder Buster 64 from my local 7-11. :P

ruking1

Right, What I said comes right out of owners manuals. So if your owners manual has it and you want to ignore it, it is your car. If your doesn't have it and you want to follow it anyway again, it is your car. So for example, I can make no representation for what owners manuals on cars say or do not say, which I do not have, hopefully for obvious reasons. So here are some snippets.

..."Breaking in new tires and brake pads. New tires should be broken in carefully for the first 350 miles (560 km)" . ...

So for example Good Year LS-H's were run for 112,000 miles with 38 psi front and rear and 10,000 mile rotations and alignment was not needed. Is that a guarantee ALL similar tires will get 112,000 miles ?? Absolutely NOT !!! It is common sense that a gradual to slow tire break in break in, can and does aid in longer tire life, even as if the manual says dont exceed .75 of the speedometer reading of 160 mph or 120 miles per hour, during the first 600 miles of engine break in. Another logical question would be do the tire manufactures want you to buy new tires at say 112,000 mile interval or at FAR more frequent intervals? Now since the tire is H rated or @ 130 mph by inference, they are good to go to 92.3% of max rated speed. :surprise:

oregonboy

Ruking, I mean no disrespect, but could you please proof-read your messages before you post?

Sometimes it hurts my brain to try to make sense of what you write.

ruking1

Too many concepts eh?

euphonium

Punctuation, sentence structure, & logic need a lot of proofreading Ruking.

ruking1

Well guys, all you need do is to ask those kinds of one sentence answer questions. If the answer was provided in some to all of those 35 some odd articles, perhaps it was timely that Steve cited them. If any one had any questions after reading all of those articles, about my original post, fire away.

tallman1

all of those 35 some odd articles

Maybe I'm missing something but I only saw one article about breaking in tires. The rest had to do with other aspects of tires and tire shopping. :confuse:

ruking1

If folk's questions are answered about the original post. Let's move on.

stever

I think the answer was that you don't have to go 45 in the left lane of a four lane when you have new tires like the idiot I got stuck behind this morning was doing, cell phone glued to her ear the whole way. About a dozen cars passed her and then cut her off getting back in the fast lane and she was oblivious the whole time.

The way she was driving, the adhesive tire labels on the treads weren't going to wear off for months. :P

imidazol97

>the adhesive tire labels on the treads weren't going to wear off for months.

That extends the tread life of the tires--she knows what she's doing!

I'm still looking for an inexpensive jammer to use when within 60 feet of a driver on a cellphone that's a danger to traffic.

ruking1

If that is true, my original post indicated that one CAN (go 45 mpg) , albeit in the far RIGHT lane !! Obviously the one you described didn't get the memo about the correct lane choice !!!! Evidently your law enforcement doesn't care either !?

stever

That's a speed limit issue, not a new tire one.

I didn't see any links that said otherwise, except for competition tires taking laps.

ruking1

Agreed. The other truth is what I originally posted. The tires "break in" represent YOUR nickels. I just provided the objective numbers, all are free to do as they see fit.

ruking1

Different day, same issue: tire break in (still hate it ) . Again I was in the slow lane going 45 mph (or so) in the right (slow) lane. Jensad would know the EXACT freeway, but I digress, as most folks move along at 80-95 mph ! I look way ahead and see what seems to be a highway patrol again parked perpendicular to on coming traffic. As I come within better sight of the officer, he has the radar gun going on, and I maintain 45 mph and surprisingly so does EVERYONE else in the other lanes, for a couple of miles beyond the parked patrol cars location !

xrunner2

Inexpensive jammer? Now, who would be the inconsiderate driver?

Maybe a plot for a b movie with a 2009 version of Charles Bronson, with a jammer driving around and breaking up calls. But, could that be more dangerous in that the cell phone driver would then get upset and try to redial and would fumble around. The ultimate Bronson jammer would, of course, fry the cell phone.

euphonium

"I'm still looking for an inexpensive jammer"

Upscale opera houses and symphony halls have powerful jammers that can cease all cell phones in the auditorium.

Personal jammers for use in quiet restaurants are available for less than $300. I don't know if their radius of effectiveness will reach into adjacent vehicles, but they would be handy while riding the bus or commuter train.

snakeweasel

While on a divided 4 lane road (not a highway) I noticed in my rear view mirror that someone was behind another car in the left lane flashing their brights (as this car had fallen behind the group of cars that I was behind. Funny thing was that there was no one in the right lane blocking her from passing. Eventually she did pass on the right.

Ok she passed on the right got back in the left lane and caught up with the rest of the pack. She got about a car length ahead of me (I was in the right lane) and was blocked. Now there was several cars in front of her but she just got behind the one car infront of her and turned on her brights.

snakeweasel

Upscale opera houses and symphony halls have powerful jammers that can cease all cell phones in the auditorium.

Upscale opera houses and symphony halls have a lot of concrete and steel beams that block cell signals. They don't need to jam anything as you wouldn't be able to get a signal unless there is a repeater in the building.

oldfarmer50

"...she just got behind the one car infront of her and turned on her brights..."

She was probably trying to get out of a dead cell area so she could tell all her friends how she was saving the planet by driving 45 in the left lane.

snakeweasel

Remember I said it wasn't a highway, FWIW I think the SL is either 40 or 45 on that road.

euphonium

Not always true in most locations.

jensad

Hey oldfarmer50, anyone that dumb is probably from another planet or California, er, Disneyland. Ruking1 and myself know that everyone in Disneyland are so courteous that they ALL drive safely in the left hand lane.

However, I have determined that the best lane to speed in is the one left of the right lane. But Ruking1 was so correct, that when the drivers suddenly see a CHP with or without a radar gut suddenly they all get halos and wings. Ergo, they slow and act "normally".

Oh, in my time, (1960s-1980s)we did not have radar guns because the Legislators in those days did not believe we should use them. Instead we had to drive up to outrageous speeds to get behind a high speeder, and then clock their speed. After a while, many of us could just look at the car as it flew by and we could within 5-10 mph and determine their speed.

Too many officers were injured and/or killed in clocking. So many times speeds at 110 mph down to about 85 I would estimate, and then cite for 75 in a 65.

And if you were found to be an "expert witness", (not very had to do) you could testify to the speed in Court, and the judge would usually accept it.

You learned early on that your life was worth more than driving 120-130 mph to catch up to clock some jerk at 110 mph. Several of my friends died on those freeways but that was a condition of the job we all knew when we became law enforcement.

Sorry about the rambling good luck to all and stay safe.

jensad

the_big_al

Here's a conundrum I think ran into the other day. I will often come across cars in a parking lot that have had their lights left on. To a lot of people, the thought comes to their mind to take down the license number and once inside the store have the description paged out across the store in the hopes that the owner will hear the often unintelligible garble coming out of the overheads and realize that that the message is intended for them. This in my eyes is indeed a noble cause and just might prevent the embarrassment of having a dead battery and having to hunt down someone that either has jumper cables or is willing to give you a jump provided you were smart enough to have your own. I wonder though does it really work and does anyone really pay attention to what is being said over these things?

I have long ago decided that this often does not work and have resorted to a much better course of action. It is probably different in larger cities, but in the small town were I live, I have found (myself included) that people don't lock their doors all the time. So in the cases where I have come across a vehicle that has had its lights left on, the first thing I will do is check to see if the door is open. More often than not surprisingly it has been open and I have been able to just reach in and shut the lights off. Problem solved. I now do not have to search for something to write on or try and remember a license plate number or anything. I just go about my journey and know that this person won't have a dead battery when they return to their vehicle...

Case in point. The other day I happened to be downtown taking a test and a lady came in and asked if any of us in the room drove a red Mustang. No one replied in the affirmative and I asked if she had tried the doors to see if it was open. She looked at me incredulously and I just said I would have checked and then shut the lights off if I could. Since it was only right outside the door, I walked out to the car and sure enough the door was unlocked. I opened the door, reached in and shut off the lights. When I got back inside the receptionist had this "I can't believe you just did that look" on her face.

I have never really thought anything of it before, but now that I do, maybe I am overstepping some bounds that I shouldn't? I mean I know it can be seen as though I were breaking into a vehicle that isn't mine, but if I can help prevent possible future problem with just a 2 second action then why not?

snakeweasel

Just hope that when you do that the owner is not some nut job or gang banger approaching his car at the time.

imidazol97

I saw a car with the keys hanging out of the door lock at Lowes. Because it's not a desirable area, I wouldn't even touch the keys to take them in to the service desk. I found an employee picking up carts in the low and told him they needed to go inside or a manager take care of them.

But because it was a less-than-idea area, the keys needed to be taken out of the lock. But there's no way I was touching them or the car.