Did you recently take on (or consider) a loan of 84 months or longer on a car purchase?
A reporter would like to speak with you about your experience; please reach out to PR@Edmunds.com by 7/25 for details.
Options

Inconsiderate Drivers (share your stories, etc.)

13031333536478

Comments

  • thor8thor8 Member Posts: 303
    Lets not forget the millions of drivers that every minute are blocking the left lane, they think if they are traveling at the speed limit it is their right to establish a rolling barricade and stay door to door with a precision that would make the Blue Angels turn green with envy and all this is done with out any conscious effort, or the driver that in the last second pulls in front of you to pass the truck in front of him at a rate of about a foot per minute, by the time he is finish passing we are at the next rolling barricade (he couldn’t wait the 5 seconds it would take to pass him but is OK to wait for the 5 minutes it takes him to pass the truck) this process is repeated from departure to arrival and makes it a pain to drive in the US, and lastly those that seem oblivious to what is happening behind or around them, they must think the rear view mirror is there to check the eye balls.
  • bolivarbolivar Member Posts: 2,316
    "Lets not forget the millions of drivers that every minute are blocking the left lane, they think if they are traveling at the speed limit it is their right to establish a rolling barricade..."

    This is an invitation to 'wrestle with -kindley-'. And he loves to get dirty!
  • newtobostonnewtoboston Member Posts: 31
    How many out there apply the rules of the road to pedestrians as well.

    *Walk on the right side
    *Yield/Merge when coming out of a store onto a busy sidewalk
    *No LLCing, let someone by if they want to walk faster than you
    *No parking in the middle of the road, if you need to stop pull over to the side

    Pedestrians are twice as inconsiderate as drivers. Or maybe I'm twice as neurotic as the average joe!
  • kinleykinley Member Posts: 854
    being prevented from practicing anarchy? Millions? Naw, only thousands.
  • PF_FlyerPF_Flyer Member Posts: 9,372
    Driving around this morning, I came across an area of road construction that involved a small network of three intersecting streets. From the central point of the network, the roads reach about 1/2 mile or so in each direction. On each street, at the start of the construction area are big signs saying something like, "Construction zone. Turn on headlights. State Law" You cannot NOT see these signs.

    While not a scientific study, my observation after a couple of trips through the area is that 40 to 50% of the drivers either are blind, can't read, or chose to not obey a law. I suppose I SHOULD be encouraged that 50 to 60% of us had our lights on, but I'm not...

    PF Flyer
    Host
    Pickups & News & Views Message Boards
  • oregonboyoregonboy Member Posts: 1,650
    Never thought of myself as an anarchist before... still don't.

    If the US of A was a true democracy, the interstate highway speed limits would be higher. Why, you ask? Because the majority of drivers have "voted with their right foot" for higher limits. Kinley is just trying to stuff the ballot box for compliance with posted limits, regardless of whether or not they are reasonable.

    -james
  • vchengvcheng Member Posts: 1,284
    ...the evidence upon which such a law was enacted?

    I fear we have now reached a point where the impossibility of complying with the myriad of laws is engendering indifference. Or was it evidence similar to the one that led us to have DRLs in the first place? (Interesting editorial in Car & Driver on that one some time ago.)

    Whatever happened to switching on the headlights in poor visibility and leaving it to the driver, who, after all, has been deemed trustworthy to drive by law? Now we are told we must do it with wipers, with work zones, etc etc. What's next: flashing strobe lights at all corners like garbage collection trucks? Of course we will back to the same level of individual visibility once everybody is in a six foot high vehicle with flashing lights everywhere.

    In upstate New York, some people are now using full brightness high beams during daylight dawn and dusk to increase their visbility and perceived saftety, oblivious to blinding other drivers.

    Sorry for the rant, but why is our system of government on a downward spiral in trying to meet an ever dropping lowest common denominator when it comes to driving skills?
  • vchengvcheng Member Posts: 1,284
    "You have a vehicle that's very unforgiving when it's on the edge of instability," said Clarence Ditlow, executive director of the Center for Auto Safety in Washington D.C. "It's easier to make vehicles more stable than it is to make better drivers. No moment of inattention should result in your death."

    Well duh....

    "You have a vehicle that's very unforgiving when it's on the edge of instability"

    Then don't buy it! Get only what you can handle. It is a truck fer cryin' out loud.

    "It's easier to make vehicles more stable than it is to make better drivers."

    This is the sort of crap that gets me. Let's just legislate our way out of a mess since that is easy. Why the hell won't we make the effort to improve drivers? The only way to make an idiot-proof system is to remove the idiot.

    "No moment of inattention should result in your death."

    Well, in a moment of inattention, I might get my foot chopped off by my lawnmower, or my hand by my snow blower, or bleed to death while fileting a fish, ( and a million other examples) but while driving, oh no! I should be safe from my own stupidity, and of course I need these well meaning politicians and bureaucrats to watch out for my safety! (Most of this crap is either for re-election, or for raising revenue or a power ploy something similar cloaked as safety improvements.)

    Well if we all thought that driving is a serious activity requiring our attention in order to ensure our and other's safety, we will pay attention to it.

    What a moron.
  • vchengvcheng Member Posts: 1,284
    ...is that this is one of the many factors that lay the foundation of inconsiderate drivers and godawful driving. Not because they are mean (by and large) or passive-aggressive obstructionists (except kinley), but because they are oblivious idiots protected and nurtured by a system that benefits from perpetuating their stupidity.
  • vchengvcheng Member Posts: 1,284
    "One would think that if we just make vehicles safer, the problem would be resolved," Dr. Jeffrey Runge, NHTSA's administrator, was quoted as saying in Automotive News this week. "There is a false impression being created."

    Remember, this is about SUVs. Maybe we need some people like him to pay attention to driving standards.
  • loncrayloncray Member Posts: 301
    The reason we've got laws like that is that people don't exercise common sense - it almost has to be legislated. Take headlights with wipers - it makes sense to be seen when it's raining, no? But too many people left them off - some of them got killed or killed others. And the families of the dead were probably among those who went after their legislators to enact the very laws that you're railing about now.
  • pjyoungpjyoung Member Posts: 885
    Here's one last "inconsiderate" pet peeves of mine - directed towards Pickup drivers -

    Were you not aware that when you toss your fast food bags into the bed of the pickup that the winds in the bed will pick it up and deposit it on the side of the road? I know the intentions are good - you'll throw it away when you get home, but haven't you noticed that your truck bed is surprisingly free of trash when you finally GET home? Keep it in the cab, like most us car drivers do.
  • kinleykinley Member Posts: 854
    You might have the privilege of voting with your foot, but you don't have the right, position or standing to ignore the law. When you want to exceed the speed limit, obey and submit to it or personally do the necessary to change the law. Thus, you have a choice, change it or obey it.
  • idletaskidletask Member Posts: 171
    at least here in France, have been established in the 70s. They were probably accurate for the cars of these times. Today they're not. This is the main problem.

    I like the expression of "voting with the right foot". Most people just understand that for today's vehicles these limitations are irrelevant. However, they get it so wrong on other factors (tailgating, misusing headlights/turn signals/whatnot) that it gives an excuse to the government for keeping those stupid limits. And said government doesn't do anything to make better drivers either. Paradox.

    "Blew through" at 75 mph the other day on a 55mph limited road in front of a laser radar... I wasn't pulled over. Duh. Maybe they were just calibrating?
  • eharri3eharri3 Member Posts: 640
    Yes, sometimes inconsiderate pickup drivers dont think to remove trash from their bed. But sometimes...take this from someone who's owned a pickup a few years from now... passerby on the street will consider the bed of your truck to be their own personal trash bin and toss garbage in there as they walk by. Or debris just flying along with the wind will land in there. You dont even realize there's anything back there until you're doing 60 in the highway and see a Wendy's bag floating around in the wind vortex behind the cab trying to decide if it wants to stay there or float away. There's a reason my bed cover stays down most of the time.

    Update on inconsiderate parking: I REALLY REALLY HATE Hummer H2 drivers now. Not only is it a big, fat, piggish, yuppie status symbol, toy of a vehicle that takes serves no purpose other than to take up space, but the one in the airport parking lot has been occupying two spaces for a FULL WEEK NOW and Im starting to think this ditz deserves to at least spend a little time reinflating a tire after a nice, long flight. Anybody know if those things have that central tire inflation system like the regular Hummers? Id never slash it, just let the air out. If you are going to ivnest 40 grand in a gargantuan SUV, why not learn how to maneuver and park it properly? OR does the very fact that they bought such an idiotic thing indicate that these drivers have more money than taste or common sense?
  • davv62davv62 Member Posts: 76
    >>If you are going to invest 40 grand in a gargantuan SUV, why not learn how to maneuver and park it properly? OR does the very fact that they bought such an idiotic thing indicate that these drivers have more money than taste or common sense? <<

    The latter.
  • kinleykinley Member Posts: 854
    "The road to owning a Hummer is a long and arduous one, paved with the accomplishments of the driver. We Hummer owners have truly earned our right to park the way we like. We know what we have done to obtain this superiority and we also know what others did not do in accepting their own mediocrity."
  • oregonboyoregonboy Member Posts: 1,650
    Given the outlandish width and limited maneuverability of a Hummer, centering it between the lines of a parking space could be a long-term occupation. I'm sure that Hummer owners are too important and too busy to be bothered with such trivial concerns.

    -james
  • oregonboyoregonboy Member Posts: 1,650
    Morning commute down Meridian Ave. Five lanes: 2 each north/south and a center turn lane. I'm driving my Toyota Tacoma (V-6, 2WD), trying to read the traffic, choose the faster lane, but without being rude or conspicuous.

    I notice Ford Ranger pickup coming up fast from behind... tailgating... no-signal lane changes. I'm in left lane... I pass an 18 wheeler... signal and move right. He follows. Two cars ahead of me signal for right turns. Ranger switches back to left lane anticipating a slow turn-into-parking lot slowdown in right lane. There is a separate right turn lane, so slowdown doesn't happen. Ranger now trapped in left lane and has lost several "positions in the grid".

    Approaching a traffic light on red... several cars stopped in each lane. I see the Ranger fly past in the left turn lane. "He must be trying to make the light", I think, but a glance at the light shows that it is red as he approaches at speed (maybe 50 MPH or so). The light for through traffic was green, and the cars that had been stopped at the light were just getting rolling as he hit the intersection in the left turn lane and slalomed to the right, to continue straight through the intersection: ahead of the pack and unencumbered. SIMPLY AMAZING !!!!!

    What a bold and audacious move! What timing, what grace and good fortune! And had it not quite worked out, what a glorious collision! And had a cop been present, what a magnificent citation.

    The sad part is that this joker was undoubtedly enormously pleased with himself and will brag to all his buddies, which will encourage them (and himself) to attempt to repeat such public highway foolishness.

    -james (drive quick, but drive safe)
  • thenebean9thenebean9 Member Posts: 37
    here's a similar incident that happened to me the other day. i was coming off an exit ramp and behind me was an old beat up VW truck thing. at the end of the ramp there's a light, and i went straight through. now this becomes an entrance ramp either to the highway i was just on, or a 4 lane (2 on each side) road.

    so i merge on to the 4 lane road, and the vw is right behind. i switch over to the left lane for 2 reasons, to pass the slower guy in the right, and because i will be making a left hand turn about a mile down anyways. well the VW follows me. we go through one light all fine and dandy, then as we approach the second red light, there is a car in front of me, and a car in the right lane almost between where my car is and where the car in front of me is, so we're staggered.

    well this guy behind me doesnt LIKE that we're slowing down, and so he proceeds to pass all of us by driving in between the two lanes! like there is some magical third lane that only he can see. what makes this even worse though is that the ONLY progress he gets is that he can be at the red light first in front of the guy in front of me. what an idiot! was it really worth it? but i guess driving a beater lets you do whatever the heck you please right? sheesh!
  • pat84pat84 Member Posts: 817
    Maybe the VW driver forgot he wasn't on his motorcycle. They can split lanes in CA.
  • kinleykinley Member Posts: 854
  • thenebean9thenebean9 Member Posts: 37
    yeah i cant see how splitting lanes at ALL can be legal! what if someone goes to switch over, you arent expecting someone to be plowing down the middle...but safety issues aside, its much more feasible to do it with a bike than with a car! this guy was nuts...i think we need to make it harder to get your license, or at least have refresher courses every 5-10 years...some of the people out there driving are insane!
  • eharri3eharri3 Member Posts: 640
    When they knew all along they were gonna have to make a torn from a certain lane, or be in a certain lane to exit, but the next lane over is moving faster. And they just can't stand to be stuck in the slower moving lane, they fly by in the faster moving lane and wait until the very last possible second so they can cut someone off and jump over just in time to make their turn or exit.

     Anyone familiar with I-76 in Philly where it branches off onto Route 1 knows what Im talking about. 2 lanes continue as I-76, two branch off to the righ onto rt 1. NEver fails, there's always a long line of stupid idiots who need to continue in the two left lanes, but those are always the slower moving lanes. So these idiots will keep going in the two right lanes until right where the highway separates, and then come to a sudden complete stop and block traffic behind them that wants to continue onto route 1 while forcing cars to their left to stop while they bully their way in. 9 times out of ten I will be a meanie and block these people out. If I have to be patient and wait in line, I could care less if you dont want to. But dont expect to cheat and bully your way through and then slide in front of me.
  • caramocaramo Member Posts: 93
    Their time is just SOOOOO more important than yours, don't you see? The sea of traffic should just magically part for them, since they're very important people doing very important things, and shame on the peons on the road for getting in their way.

    <<<<<heavy sarcasm>>>>>>
  • kinleykinley Member Posts: 854
    an important meeting of fellow captains of industry to decide who will be included in the next batch of lay offs.
  • blh7068blh7068 Member Posts: 375
    That also sounds like a common scenario for when a lane is shut down for construction or something of the like. Plenty of warning to those in the lane that will soon merge with the other one...but no, there are those must drive fast and "bully" their way in as the angled cones are just feet away from the merging car. Why dont these people realize that heeding the warning and MOVING OVER when first instructed the flow of traffic will be much less impeded. After all, thats what they are "avoiding" in the first place.
  • ruking1ruking1 Member Posts: 19,826
    I think they are probably drama queens and that somehow think the signs does not apply to them! :)
  • kinleykinley Member Posts: 854
    "wear soft clothing".
  • gambit293gambit293 Member Posts: 406
    Now that the weather is improving (slowly), I am starting to see more "fast and furious" action on the streets.

    Now I love sport compact cars and I love the whole stigma of the car mod scene (I own a celica), but I am starting to see lots of stupid and dangerous actions on the streets.

    About a week ago, we were heading down a two lane highway in my gf's jetta. Out of the blue, two racers (eclipse and civic?) flew up from behind. Since our car was "in the way", the eclipse chose to pass us to the right, using the shoulder. We didn't even see them until they were "around" us. They continued at around 85-95, weaving in and out of other cars.

    It's okay to have some fun, but NOT when it's taking stupid risks, and NOT when it's endangering the lives of other motorists. I drive my celica pretty tamely, but this will hit me anyways, b/c cops will inevitably become more agressive with ticketing as a result of the FnF wannabes.
  • pat84pat84 Member Posts: 817
    You may have "drama" queen confused with "drag" queen. "Drag" queens wear "soft" Nomex suits.
  • ruking1ruking1 Member Posts: 19,826
    You guys are KILLING ME ! :)
  • kinleykinley Member Posts: 854
    where do the "Drama Queens" show up? IOW, what the heck is a "Drama Queen"?
  • ruking1ruking1 Member Posts: 19,826
    Drama Queen? First question. Have you ever lived with more than one woman in the household? In the context of inconsiderate drivers: A drama queen can loosely be defined as one who makes a crisis where none exists and gets a thrill out of the emotional crisis that has just been created, ...usually on someone elses nickel.
  • tbonertboner Member Posts: 402
    You mean like the fuss my wife and oldest daughter both make when they see a bug in the house. You would think Jeffery Dahmer himself was in the living room.

    Now that's "a crisis"

    Fortunately, so far the 4 year old takes her queue from dad, and realizes that even she is much bigger than that scary little bug 8^)

    TB
  • PF_FlyerPF_Flyer Member Posts: 9,372
    As much as we can relate to the drama queen stuff... let's stick to the topics :)

    PF Flyer
    Host
    Pickups & News & Views Message Boards
  • pat84pat84 Member Posts: 817
    I think J. Dahmer was a very inconsiderate driver. First, he would stop anywhere and pick up a hitch hiker. Then, he would drive along, totally distracted while eating in his car, swerving all over.
     He was given a prison sentence for his inconsiderate habits..
     Later, he was killed by the other inmates on "all you could eat" night.
      This could happen to other distracted, inconsiderate drivers.
  • scotianscotian Member Posts: 1,064
  • lmp180psulmp180psu Member Posts: 399
    LOL! I especially like the "Honda Civic" sign, the "bullseye on the biker" sign, the "Stoptional" sign, and the "you do not belong on the road (biker)" sign.
  • jaserbjaserb Member Posts: 820
    Fairly busy freeway, 3 lanes in each direction. Traffic is fairly heavy but moving well, 65-80 MPH depending on the lane. Winds are fairly heavy - not gale force, but gusty enough that I'm keeping both hands on the wheel. I'm in the center lane behind a black F350 Superduty Crewcab. One of my pet peeves is when people buy these things instead of the minivan they really needed, but I digress. The Ford is driving very erratically - drifting into the left lane, then the right. At one point I see the driver twist around and reach into the back seat of the truck. As it drifted to the right I decided to pass and put some space between us.

    As I pass the truck, I see the driver is a 20-something blonde female. What's she doing? She's flipping through a stack of 35mm prints, driving with her knee! I've seen people reading, picking their nose, talking on the phone, drinking coffee, etc. instead of driving but this was a first.

    I mean really, people. Is it too much to ask that you pay at least token attention to the road as you barrel down it in your 6000 lb. monster truck?

    -Jason
  • thenebean9thenebean9 Member Posts: 37
    people like that should be arrested and thrown in jail for attempted murder...because thats what it really boils down to! especially with something as HUGE as an F-350!
  • steelengsteeleng Member Posts: 71
    I actually passed somebody once who was using both hands to hold a book across the steering wheel while going down the freeway in heavy (but fast) traffic. I hope that I am not the only one that thinks these are not compatible activities.
  • jaserbjaserb Member Posts: 820
    Back in '99-2000 when the tech industry was booming everybody I worked with at the time was buying these monsters. The first guy I had no problem with - he has about 50 acres, meaning he has horse trailers to tow, etc. He was even looking at buying a used semi to move around some of his equipment, since his Ford was barely adequate to do the job.

    The second guy probably could have gotten away with a half ton, but at least he did have one horse and a small trailer, as well as a couple acres of land.

    The third guy was a complete and utter poseur. He jacked his truck up something like 6", even though he admitted it would never go off road. He ostensibly needed something to tow his (small) travel trailer, and then sold the trailer for a down payment! He lives in my neighborhood, on a .2 acre lot. He has a couple of dirt bikes but they don't fit in the truck, because he got the short bed so it would fit in his garage. He got it because it looked cool and would seat 6. In other words, because he didn't want a minivan.

    <sigh>

    -Jason
  • scotianscotian Member Posts: 1,064
    Who actually wants a minivan? Yech!

    Anyway, I dislike anyone who drives any SUV, truck, or minivan when they never or rarely use its towing/carrying capabilities. They are nothing more than mobile obstructions in that case.
  • pat84pat84 Member Posts: 817
    I 've owned 2 minivans. When I had 3 children and my wife going on vacation, I even used a car top carrier. Oh ! the shame of it.

    Once, I saw a guy eating a bowl of soup, holding the bowl in one hand and the spoon in the other, driving with his knees in 45-50 mph traffic. I had to check it out twice, it was so hard to believe.
  • idletaskidletask Member Posts: 171
    There's a young mother of two children in my neighborhood who drives a Mitsubishi Pajero. Uh.

    Fortunately it's the short chassis, not the long one, but still. What use is that?

    Bah.
  • scotianscotian Member Posts: 1,064
    A minivan often filled up with people/stuff is fine, except it is still a moving obstruction. My mother pretty much has to drive a large/tall vehicle (Odyssey) due to her physical condition, so that's fine. If I ever have children, I'm getting something no taller than a station wagon.

    I still can't comprehend anyone buying a large and tall (especially tall) vehicle, without the intent to really fill it up with stuff, just because they think it's "cool" or something. It's not cool -- if anything, they are ugly (some much more than others), and should only be purchased for reasons of necessity. I must say that I find the rather grotesque Avalanche to be strangely attractive, though. If I ever need a pickup, I'll get one of those.

    I once saw a guy "driving" a crappy old car down a crowded freeway while reading a thick, oversized book laying on and completely covering his steering wheel.
  • caw103caw103 Member Posts: 63
    was weaving in a Ford Aspire with a DVD screen. He was watching a music video while he held a drumstick in each hand and drummed on the steering wheel. I almost got too distracted staring at the source of his distraction.
  • lmp180psulmp180psu Member Posts: 399
    Now I've heard it all! A drumstick? LOL
  • romulandmzromulandmz Member Posts: 7
    So far the most unique distracted driver Ihave seen was a guy in this late 20s early 30's. He was SHAVING HIS HEAD while driving his car. I-495 outside boston.

    He managed to beat the woman blow drying her hair with the AC ducts I saw a couple of month previously.

    Massachusetts drivers.......every time you see em you have to wonder how they survive.
Sign In or Register to comment.