Inconsiderate Drivers (share your stories, etc.)

ranald

I know all too well about MA drivers. I think I've already mentioned the time I saw a young woman putting on *eye makeup* (yes the real deal with 2 hands and vanity mirror) in traffic.

I once heard someone comment that MA had some of the highest accident rates per driver/mile in the country, but among the lowest rates for fatalities. Seems you just can't get going fast enough there to get killed.

eharri3

For maybe the second time in my 6 years of driving, Ive seen a jerk get exactly what they deserve. Im cruising down the right lane Broad Street, a main Philly thoroughfare, late last night when a white late model Mustang Cobra in the left lane suddenly darts in front of me between me and the SEPTA bus Im behind, swerves into the bike/right turn lane, guns it, and goes flying past the bus to try to jump ahead in the line of traffic. All this in plain view of the marked police car sitting on the left side of the bus, which I saw but Mr. mustang didnt.. I cheered and pumped my fist with glee when I drove buy but he was too busy reaching for his license and registration to see. For once, I got to see the cops give a hard time to someone who deserved it instead of collecting speed limit revenue.

oregonboy

Lucky you! It's a rare thing to be at the right place and time to witness a jerk get his just reward. I'm sure that it happens frequently, but one has to be lucky to witness it.

-james

pjyoung

Several years ago, my wife and I were riding our bikes around a park. A bunch of kids in a Camaro drove past and tossed a water balloon out the window at us, hitting my wife. She was startled but was able to maintain her balance. They then accelerated away from us...but just up the road was a cop, so his brake lights came on. The speed limit was 25 mph, which isn't difficult to do on a 21 speed racing bike, so I kicked it in and rode up behind the carload of kids. As we got to the cop, I stopped and pointed to the car and told him what they had done. On came the lights and over went the Camaro. The officer escorted them out of the park, and on our second lap around flagged me down and told me that if I saw them in the park again that day to let him know...

caw103

Did you not press charges? Throwing a water balloon at a person is battery. I would love to see those guys calling their parents from jail. "What are you doing in jail son?" "Uh we were throwing water balloons at people."

idletask

there's a police office (well, not quite, since it's a "gendarmerie" and they are indeed military but nevermind) located near a quite heavy traffic crossroads.

Each and every day, there are dozens and dozens of people burning the red lights, "forgetting" their turn signals or, worse, not respecting the pedestrian lanes. Not to mention going over the speed limit but then who doesn't.

Needless to say, daily they miss that many opportunities to "deliver" deserved fines. OTOH they go and fine people going 15mph over the limit on desert 4 lane roads at night. Where is the logic?

vcheng

....called speed limit tax revenue, cloaked in the garb of safety for the public.

ruking1

The other sad thing is that while they ticket in the name of public safety, they actually enable habitual accident causers like folks convicted of multiple DUI's to continue driving. In most cases they continue to drive impaired and with NO insurance, cause it is now too expensive for them to have!!!!!!!

CA also preserves the right of the NON insured ie even those that cause the accident ie DUI to sue the victim!!!!!

ed_scott0013

Okay... here's the situation. I'm heading to my little brother's high school to practice for a musical (they need trombone players and the music teacher is a friend of mine), anyway, school's out and the schoolbuses are ready to take the kids home. Some kids are walking and some are biking.

I'm probably no more than 75 meters (around 250 feet) from a stop sign well into the school zone travelling around 40/50 km/h (around 25/30 mph) looking out for kids running across the street and such. This is a residential street with one lane in each direction.

Then this lady in a Hyundai Accent comes up from behind and passes me at well over 65 km/h (40 mph) and has to slam the brakes to make the stop sign, which she then promptly rolls right through.

Now here's the kicker... her destination? The high school! I was thinking of letting her know how I felt about her (reckless) driving, but I decided to warm up in the music room instead.

Frig! Imagine is she creamed some kid coming around the bend! There never seems to be a cop when you need it.

Actually, I retract that statement. This morning on my way to work (starts at 6:00 AM) a woman in a minivan was tailgating me. Then coming the opposite way was a police cruiser (I think it was an Intrepid). The woman backed right off...

In any case, I just wanted to let off some steam.

For any of you in the Ottawa/Kanata area, the musical "Guys & Dolls" will be running May 28-30. If any of you are interested, sent me an e-mail. I'll be the one in the back playing the bass trombone.

kinley

natedog1227

On my way home stopped at a stop sign busy intersection. Lady in a new Hyaundai Elantra is waiting to go in front of me. Several chances to make the turn and she finally makes her move a gentlemen has to slam on his brakes and go from 45 to 0 in a short time. Guy barely misses the lady. I am glad he had good reflexes because the way he would have hit her backend may have spun her around and thrown him right in to my front end. I could see the lady look to her left and ignore looking to the right... Lucky for her this guy was being a defensive driver

ed_scott0013

I don't get it...

loncray

Ya know, the last two stories involve Hyundai drivers, and I've seen plenty of inconsiderate drivers in that car. Wonder if there's some sort of correlation? It used to be Oldsmobile drivers, and Buick drivers - putzing down the left lane at below the speed limit. Has anybody else noticed a particular brand of car that seems to be inconsiderate around them?

PF_Flyer

Another day, another close call/near miss...

Moderate traffic on a five lane road. Two traffic lanes in each direction with a center lane left turn only for all the businesses along the road. Traffic light ahead of me turns red, cars are stopping. I check my rear view and see a car approaching behind me and there's ONE hand on the top of the steering wheel. That's ALL I can see! I ease up on the braking to keep moving forward as much as i can while still slowing down and start to look for ways out of this... look in the mirror again... STILL just one hand and nothing else in sight. Finally, the girl driving pops up from where she was apparently laying down across the seats to the passenger side, cell phone stuck to her ear, and she stands on the brakes and locks them up. I dove into the left turn only lane to get out of her way and she stopped about even with my rear door. I really felt like getting out and slapping her silly ESPECIALLY since she simply continued her cell phone conversation as if this was a normal day on the road!

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ed_scott0013

It could have been coincidence, but it could also be a trend in driver behaviour. I'll have to keep my eye out for more Hyundai drivers to see if the trend continues.

On a totally unrelated note...

Just the other day, there was a Porsche 911 (993? Maybe a 964?) parked by the side of the road. This road is a two lane residential road, one lane in each direction.

So far so good.

But there's this woman standing on the driver side of the vehicle with her hand holding the door handle and other hand holding a cell phone to her ear. It's like she wants to get in the car, but she's just standing there, taking up the whole lane (car + arm distance + person).

We're coming up on her and she doesn't seem to notice that she's blocking one lane of traffic. I have yet to see someone more oblivious than that.

kinley

since she simply continued her cell phone conversation as if this was a normal day on the road!

For her: It was!

i_luv_toyota

I'll name a few I've had trouble with:

1) Hyundai Accent
2) Nissan Pathfinder
3) VW Jetta
4) older Honda Accords
5) Honda Civic
6) American brand Trucks/SUVs (smaller models)
7) Mercury Villager
8) Older Nissan Maximas
9) DCX minivan trio
10) some Mitsubishis

By bad driver, I mean they have some or all of these traits. 1)No turn signals; 2)No lights in bad weather; 3)Driving recklessly; 4)tailgating, etc.

eharri3

Ive seen lots of newer Accura Sedans sniff my butt and weave in and out. Seems like the nicer newer cars in general tend to be the ones being jerks on the highways. In the city, older clunkers tend to pull out into traffic without looking, run stop signs, and make turns without signals. Guess the clunkers cant go fast enough to drive obnoxiously on highways.

neon99

more like very dangerous.

I was travelling down a 4 lane street (2 lane each way), I was in the right lane and about 50ft ahead of me in the left lane was a full-size PU with a cage. I wasn't paying attention to him as I started to brake for a light that just turned red.

Well, this truck had to brake rather hard to stop in time for the red. As he came to a stop, two 2x4 come flying off his truck and go straight like bullets through the intersection. Even though I was behind and two the right, it really freaked me out.

For the rest of the day, I was haunted by an image of what if someone was ahead of him. It would of been probable that the beams would of gone right through the back window and taken out the driver and any passengers.

gambit293

Times like that, I really wish a cop was nearby to lay the smack down. You could write down his license plate and contact the police anyway. Depending on your local/state laws, perhaps something could've been done.

Another story:

Not necessarily inconsiderate...perhaps mean and sadistic, or at least oblivious

My coworkers and I were leaving work Tuesday evening. It was still fairly light out, and we were lined up one behind the other at the traffic light that leads out of the company.

We were held up because about three families of Canadian Geese were waddling across the road. Plus the light was red for us anyway. There were perhaps 7 adults and 20-some baby geese.

I was so intent on watching the geese that I didn't even notice the truck. This semi came barrelling down and pulverized about 5 or 6 of the baby geese.

I am inclined to believe that he did it on purpose. Like I said, it was light out. None of us heard any brakes, heard any horn, or saw any flashing headlights.

I'm not a huge animal rights buff, but it still amazes me that some ppl have so little disregard for life.

neon99

By the way, I noticed my mis-use of two above. I hate that.

Two girlfriends is too many to deal with. See, I know how it's supposed to work.

eharri3

Encountered one of these today, in a newer VW PAssat. We're all traveling at 25 mph. But OH, MR. VW has the ultimate lane jumping skills, and if he jumps back and fourth between the left and right lanes enough times within the space of a minute, he'll miraculously find himself out pacing everyone around him. NOT! I made approximately 1 lane change for every 5 or 6 he did and somehow found himself a quarter mile ahead of him, but of course I could still see him back there in my side view mirror darting from one lane to another every 20 seconds when it looked like it was going faster, forcing cars around him to brake suddenly over and over. I really wish sometimes people could see how stupid they look on the road.

pat84

What's this about a tubine on someone's head ? Was it held on by suction ?
 Would "Your turbine really sucks, dude." be an acceptable comment ?

ruking1

Ya gotta love those GE turbines!!

jaserb

to completely despicable. Congratulations.

Anyhow, saw a situation yesterday that made me wonder why on earth we even have cops on the roads. A contracter-looking guy in a loaded down heavy duty pickup towing a trailer is so engrossed in his cell phone conversation that he fails to realize he's in an exit-only lane. Without turning on his signal, glancing in his mirrors, or interrupting his conversation he swerves to the left across the shoulder (he was already well onto the exit) and back onto the freeway, trailer rocking wildly from the drastic move.

A county sheriff, 5 carlengths behind and with a perfect view of the idiot, blithely continues on his merry way without so much as a second glance at the truck driver. So much for public safety, I guess. Probably going to get another donut on his way to the next speed trap.

-Jason

eharri3

That contractor was probably doing only 55-60 while he nearly jack knifed. As lon as he obeyed the speed limit nothing else matters, right?

PF_Flyer

The server service kept me from getting to this topic for a bit...

Just a reminder to stay away from the "ethnic characterizations" here. We're close enough to the edge when describing these "road warriors" without taking the flying leap off the cliff into unaccepatable postings...

'nuff said!

Hope everyone has a safe holiday weekend!!

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grbeck

In the truck driver's defense - whatever his ethnicity - it's pretty hard to see baby geese from the cab of a semi. I seriously doubt he could have stopped in time even if he did see them. I've almost missed seeing ducks and ducklings crossing the road when I'm in my car!

carguy58

It seems like when it rains not hard but medium its fustrating to drive because everybody is going at all different speeds. Whenever I am in the fast lane when it rains I always look in the rear view mirror to see if there's somebody coming closer to me or tailigating so I can move out of the way so they can pass me without making them mad. If I see a clear opening in the right lane(wet or dry weather)I'll move out of the fast lane and into the right one so I don't hold anybody up. If I have more cars to clear they can curse at me in their cars I don't care.

As for makes of car that drive crazy it seems like VW, Audi, and Mercedes like to drive crazy. Some Acura TL divers are crazy but most of them are nice. People with older cars do have a habit of having a concept of driving not very responsibly. I was behind a mid 80's Civic once and he must have done been doing 50 mph in the fast lane on a dry day. Nothing wrong with 50 mph in a 55mph zone on a rainy day but a dry day its like move over. I'm a 60 mph driver myself. I just have a heavy foot at times.

PF_Flyer

I'm not so sure that there are makes of cars that "drive crazy". I know it sure seems that way sometimes, but I'd wager that the kid driving like a lunatic in his import with the seat in full recline and the stereo thumping away would still be driving like a lunatic in a domestic station wagon.

I can recall my Dad getting animated about what he called "Volkswagen drivers", but he also would use the same moniker for anyone who did stupid stuff on the road. As in, "You drive like a VW driver!", so I'm not sure that he was attributing it to the vehicle. The "bug" may have made it stand out, but the nut behind the wheel is responsible in my book.

Guess I must be a "Sentra driver"...

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jaserb

It's certainly better than being a "monster truck I have absolutely no need for, other than to mask my various insecurities" driver...

-Jason

pat84

As I recall, most VW beetls had a fairly quick first gear. They could get up to 15 mph faster than almost all the cars on the road. They then sort of died what with 40 Hp engines.
 So what made people angry was for a VW to quickly accelerate to 15 get in front of them and then take the next 5 minutes to get to 55. Your father was not alone in his assessment of VW drivers.

PF_Flyer

That's a semi-logical explanation!

We'll write that one down in the big book of auto facts!

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curmidgeon

VW Beetles had all of 60hp, at least in 1968. I always hated getting on the freeway for that reason...I'm not trying to be an inconsiderate driver - I'm going 45mph with the accelerator pedal smashed and I have to merge NOW! My bit of consideration is to rarely drive on the freeway.

ed_scott0013

I'm in a parking lot and I'm backing up slowly and this guy carrying groceries walks right behind me, so I press the brakes. He then pounds my car and yells, "Hey, you almost ran me over!"

Well, if I was travelling faster, maybe. Then again, just as one doesn't stand on train tracks when a train is coming, one doesn't stand behind a car when it's reversing (or going forward, for that matter).

And of course, the best comback always comes to you 5 minutes after... erg!

Then of course, there's the "leaning on the horn for no reason" thing. I was making a left turn (little traffic) and this car (coming towards the intersection) honked at me as if I was in the wrong. I'm still puzzled as to why this guy honked me. There was plenty of space; maybe this guy was thinking, "I don't want this guy in front of me, so I'll honk..." or something like that.

Add some bumper huggers/tailgaters, stop sign runners and double parkers and we have a day filled with driving morons.

Makes me wish I had some vehicle mounted weaponry, like the James Bond-esque rocket launcher or machine gun...

There's my rant... I just wanted to let off some steam...

pat84

This guy must have only had one sack of groceries to pound on your car with the other hand.
BTW a good come back is to put your car in neutral and rev it up. Then tell him where to go, or suggest an unnatural act for him to perform, as he hurries to get away as he thinks you are now out to run over him, for sure.

kinley

In this day and age, it is highly recommended that you not try to get even or smart off to anyone, anytime. You really don't know who you are dealing with at the time. What if the sack carrying guy was a plain clothes cop? Opps!

pat84

The guy beat on his car. You're right an arrogant cop would be so brazen. I'd give him more than my usual amount of obscenities.
 I was given a ticket by a cop once. I asked him how he measured my speed.( He was away from his car and had no radar unit when he waived me over.) He replied "How did you measure my speed ..what ? He wanted me to repeat the question with officer or sir. I repeted the question and called him an ( anterior anatomical opening).

ed_scott0013

pat84: I was actually thinking of rolling down my window and saying, "Okay.... Since you can't seem to see where I'm going, I'll tell you exactly what I'm going to be doing for the next five minutes. I'm going to roll up my window and maybe pick my nose if I feel there's a booger there, then shift my car into drive, then turn the steering wheel and press the gas pedal. Do you understand or do I have to tell you again?"

Or something Matrix-style, "How about, I give you the finger... and you stop touching my car?"

kinley: No one around here carries guns as much as in the US, and even if he did pull out a gun, he IS still right behind me.

I doubt a plainclothes officer would pound my car like he did. Plus, there's never a cop around... especially around parking lots... (Then again, I could be the first person to discover one!)

Anyway, it is a good idea to keep things to oneself just in case the guy happens to be one of those paranoid-hyper-obsessive-revenge people.

(All the more reason for laminated glass and stuff... or a MB Guard Edition S-Class... Neither of which I can afford right now...)

Anyway, I feel much better today than I did yesterday. Hopefully I can stay that way tonight when I go out driving...

oregonboy

Interstate-5 just south of Portland OR... 55 zone, 4 lanes each way, traffic moving at 70+ MPH. I'm one lane over from the far left lane and see a cop car coming up in the passing lane. I slow a little and he passes. Just ahead in the left lane is a Honda Civic wagon that had recently passed me... he was cruising about 75 (that's 20 mph over, good for a ticket just about anywhere).

Now this Civic had been in the left lane for a long time. I knew this because I had passed him earlier going uphill where he was only going 70 but was disinclined to move right for faster traffic. So as the cop car moves up on him I'm watching... anticipating. Civic rolls down the road oblivious to the cop just south of his rear bumper. The cop changes lanes and passes on the right. Disappointment!

Civic driver regains consciousness as cop moves past. "Oh gracious a police car!" Changes lanes and slows down after the danger has past... so typical. Fortunately for him the cop already had his target locked in.

The cop moves up on a group of cars and slides into line behind a late model Acura. His overheads light-up and he follows it to the shoulder.

I have no clue what the Acura did to draw the attention of the Law. He wasn't speeding, (any more than anyone else), because he hadn't passed me. All I know for certain is that he saved the Civic driver from a no-brainer ticket. (Too bad)

-james

PF_Flyer

This morning on a stretch of (the mis-numbered) I-99, traffic moving at about 65MPH, a large construction dump truck coming up behind me going between 65 and 70... not a real problem. the two lanes expand to three with the right lane being an exit. Dump truck is in the left lane. Guesstimating here, but somewhere less than 500 feet to the exit, the trucker flips on his right turn signal and bull-merges across the three lanes of traffic, sending everyone scrambling for a spot to not be squashed. In the next half mile, the two lanes continue on around a lefthand bend where we have to merge with a road that we will pass under. The right lane disappears and traffic has to merge left. A cement mixer, also going about 60, is in the right lane, but faster traffic (including me) is coming up from behind. With NO signal he moves into the left lane and slows down to about 40. No brake lights, so he must have been carry a load because this thing looked like it stopped. Again, traffic has to scramble to find a way to survive as traffic lanes disappear, cars are trying to emergency zipper, and we all are trying to merge into traffic coming off the overpass.

Be careful out there folks!

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eharri3

And it amazes me... the stupid crap other people will do because they always assume you can see them, when that is not necessarily the case. Because of the decreased rearward visibility from my new cap, I have to pull out of spots VERY slowly in parking lots. I usually prefer to back in but sometimes it just wont work out that way. People coming down the row in the parking lot, both on foot and in cars, sometimes will not stop. It's that ignorant, 'me first' attitude... they're in too much of a hurry to take 30 seconds and stop and let me finish pulling out. This can make things quite nerve-wracking.. inching out of a spot, inching, inching, then a car comes around the corner and flies by behind me forcing me to stop suddenly. Pedestrians strolling casually, assuming I can see them so they walk directly behind my rearward moving vehicle without hesitation. Whats the big deal.. you see a vehicle backing out of a spot, stop and just give him 30 seconds to finish.

ruking1

I have taken to backing in rear first, the majority of the time. When you back in first, your actions are at choice and generally you are in full view of the cross traffic in which you speak. The chances of them crashing into you are less because they can be held partly to fully responsible for it is obvious you are parking. When you go in front first and now HAVE to back out, you are no longer at choice due to the reduced visibility and are at the mercy of the cross traffic in which you speak. In fact if you back out in front of them and they hit you or you hit them, more likely than not, it will be you at fault.

jaserb

My wife was driving down our residential street yesterday. Two cars were stopped on the right half of the road facing opposite directions, with no space between them - meaning the car facing my wife was parked in the oncoming traffic lane. The women drivers were engaged in what was apparently an extremely important conversation - it must have been, for them to be tying up a public road like that. After 30 seconds or so, my wife decided to go around the road block on the left, since neither car appeared to be going anywhere.

At that point, somebody HONKED at her! She's not sure which car it was, but talk about nerve! Apparently, the idiots expected her to sit quietly behind them until they finished their conversation. I wish I'd have been there.

-Jason

ed_scott0013

------------------------------------------------------------
Originally Posted by Jason:
At that point, somebody HONKED at her! She's not sure which car it was, but talk about nerve! Apparently, the idiots expected her to sit quietly behind them until they finished their conversation.
------------------------------------------------------------

I know the feeling. Somehow, in all their great wisdom, having a conversation in the middle of the street while blocking traffic is okay, while someone trying to get around is "obviously" in the wrong...

The same kind of thing happened to me when I was stopped at an all way stop. I arrived first, then some guy in a Jeep (with the light bars and huge tires) stops, going in a direction perpendicular to me. I go first, then the Jeep guy cuts in front of me (we were both heading in the same direction since I was turning) and gives me the finger, as if I was the one who messed up.

It's this kind of thing that makes me wish I had a "dash-cam" style video camera. You never know, your video may be featured on The Very Best of the World's Worst Drivers ## or Real TV or some other reality type show. Don't some of them give money for submissions?

eharri3

People who choose to stop in the middle of the street to have a conversation or let out passengers directly next to a curb side parking spot long enough to fit a yellow school bus.

eharri3

Ive been on the 6-3 shift the last week so I catch traffic pretty bad on the way home. In heavy stop and go bumper to bumper traffic, why do some knot heads insist on leaving like a quarter mile's space between them and the car in front, as if they think there's real danger of rear ending somebody if they have to stop suddenly doing 10 mph and they're less than 5 car lengths from the vehicle in front. So everybody else behind them is stuck hardly moving because the cars in the next lane over keep cutting into the gigantic space in front of that person to move a few car lengths ahead. It's enough to make me want to give them a little love tap from the rear as a hint that maybe since they're not doing 120mph so there's no need to be afraid to move forward and close the gap by 3-400 yards or so.

eharri3

Sorry if this is hard to follow, Im just basically writing my stream of consciousness from when I pulled away from the house on a typical morning till I pulled into the lot at work.

" Oopes, Im sorry, I forgot traffic rule number one. If your stereo and rims cost twice the value of your car and you're playing the radio at 2000 decibels or more you're excused from having to wait your turn at a stop sign. Just cruise on through, even if I already stopped AND started going way before you got there... Brilliant, you paid 37,000 dollars for 305 horsepower. Go ahead, get the most for your money... merge onto a highway where the average speed is 75 doing 45... Oh, yup, dont mind me in the merging lane behind this idiot doing 45 trying to safely get onto the highway. You jump into the lane I need to merge into to pass a slower car anyway, speed past me, dont give me any ground at all. Please run me into the concrete barrier at the end of the merging lane, whatever you have to do, just as long as you are not stuck behind a slower driver for another 5 fricking seconds... Yeah I didnt really want to completely pass this big rig that's weaving in his lane. I got into the left lane because I wanted you to pass him half way but then slow down right next to him and trap me right exactly in his blind spot because that's where I feel safest, cruising right where this guy in this 20 thousand pound tractor trailer CANNOT see my truck... Oh Im sorry I didnt want to interrupt your cell phone conversation by being present directly next to you in the lane you wanted to move into without checking your mirrors. And then I had the nerve to be even more inconsiderate by honking angrily. Please forgive me. And give Marge on the other end of the line my apology too...Yup you wanna make sure you leave plenty of space between you and the car in front. We're moving at a whopping 10 mph now, so the usual rule of thumb dictates you give them at least 20-25 car lengths of breathing room. Good job... Dont worry about sprawling across two spots, anyone paying more than 30 thousand dollars for a car automatically buys 2 parking spots in any lot they ever park in..."

tboner

but really it's because I'm driving a stick, so I try to ride the bubble.

However, I won't get upset if you cut in front either.

Keep in mind that if I close up the 20-50 feet in front of me, you still won't get there any sooner in bumper to bumper traffic.

TB

eharri3

And it makes things a bit more congested...first everyone in the next lane over is cutting in front of you, keeping my lane from moving. Then people behind me in my lane are barging into the next lane over and cutting in front of you too. Makes things slower and more chaotic.

I drive a stick too but I can idle along at low rpms and keep from using the clutch excessively and still keep within a couple car lengths of the car in front.