Inconsiderate Drivers (share your stories, etc.)

stever

Reminded me of all those VW Bugs back in the 60s, often ones owned by principals, that wound up on gym roofs or in second floor classrooms. One or two were probably run up flagpoles.

My crowd was tame; we just picked one up by the bumpers and did a 180 with it so it was parked facing the wrong way on the side of the street.

fintail

I knew a girl in high school who had a Ford Festiva (an "L" model, we called it the "Festival"). One time a bunch of us guys, maybe 8 in total, picked it up and placed it in the foyer of a school building. The joke didn't go over well. She fared better than the dorky substitute teacher who had his unlocked car filled with snow, anyway.

gogogodzilla

I don't really care about the fatality rate. What I'd like to see is the rate in which men/women simply get into accidents, regardless of fatality.

In my experience, 9 out of every 10 drivers doing something ridiculously stupid have been women.

And for the odd man in the mix, it's always been one of two actions, speeding at a rate *FAR* too high for the traffic on the road... or weaving in and out of traffic. Nothing else.

Which, coincidentally, is what I never see women doing. I'll see 'em run the gamut including:

1. coming to a complete stop on an interstate highway without pulling into the emergency lane
2. crossing four highway lanes from the passing lane into an offramp at the very last minute
3. stopping at the entrance of a highway merge ramp hoping that traffic will clear for them to gently merge at 15 miles an hour
4. driving 15 mph on residential roads with a posted speed limit of 35 mph on a clear day with no traffic
5. I could go on, but you get the picture

Which, to me, looks like men underestimate their speed, but are more aware of their surroundings... whereas women drive slower, but are oblivious to everyone else.

fintail

"3. stopping at the entrance of a highway merge ramp hoping that traffic will clear for them to gently merge at 15 miles an hour"

So you have been to Bellevue lately, I see. :sick:

Male drivers are best at two sins - extreme excess speed and intoxication. The fairer gender owns low speed ineptitude and zero situational awareness, from my experience.

I am in a small town right now, and one thing bugs me - not the insanely low speeds in general (limits here are a good 5-10mph lower than in 21st century locations), but how slow people will turn. I've seen numerous cars that get down to what seems like literally under 5mph when turning - from a wild 25mph cruising speed.

fintail

Drove back from podunk this morning - nice drive most of the way, got out early enough so traffic was light, set cruise at 65 on state highways and didn't get passed once. Then got onto I5, not too bad south, but as Seattle neared, LLCs started appearing - saw maybe 6 of them. Most memorable was a TX plated Isuzu Ascender (that combination so far from home has to be the equivalent of a unicorn) going about 59 in the left lane. Another annoyance of note was a U-haul weaving between the carpool lane and left lane of 405 but not moving fast enough for either, old people in an 02-06 Camry going maybe 53 in the left lane, and an early 00s Suburban on 5 going about 70-75, weaving in and out of traffic. But all in all, not bad, not nearly as bad as it can be.

fintail

Mid-day jaunt to Costco - very light traffic volumes almost everywhere, almost had me thinking something was the matter. But still saw a couple of dopes to light up my day. First and best was a BC plated (California plate frames though) Infiniti G. Took off slow from a light, but I was in no hurry so I didn't care. It crawled, then stopped, then moved over into a right turn only lane and stopped again, then I passed it by, then it made a left turn from that right turn only lane and went down a street with a large "TRANSIT ONLY" at the entrance. I won't use my timesaving stereotype description to elaborate on the driver :shades: How much does it cost to buy a license in Vancouver? Are tests really this easy?

Then at Costco - not too crowded. Got behind a RX in the parking lot, at a crawling pace, looking for that golden parking space. It turned left, I turned right and parked 20 seconds later. As I was nearly at the store, on foot of course, I saw it still creeping around, trolling for a close spot.

hammerhead

18 in a 35, for no reason at all.
Couldn't ID the driver type (not that it matters).

xwesx

The coolest thing happened on Saturday!

Our community does an annual "spring cleanup" event to pick up trash along the roadways after it all melts out of the winter snow pack. Volunteers gather to pick up the trash, place it in bright yellow garbage bags along the road side, then a fleet of pickups gather the bags to haul to the landfill.

Generally, it is held the second weekend in May (which would have been this weekend), but for some reason it was moved up to the first weekend this year. Because of that, I missed it. I noticed, however, that there was a short stretch of road (maybe 1/8 of a mile) that was left uncleaned, with a sizable amount of trash strewn along the road. So, I resolved to take my children out to pick it up on Saturday morning.

As planned, I took them out to do the gathering, but with one hiccup... my wife decided she had to use the Forester that morning, so I had to take my Escort. That means I didn't have room to haul the trash away and so would need to come by again with the Forester to collect it. So, off we went, despite the howls of dismay at how cruel I was to have them pick up trash that wasn't even theirs, and did the clean up. We filled up four bags, plus a few miscellaneous auto parts that wouldn't fit in the bags, and placed them all in a pile next to the road. Then, I drove us down a ways to the end of that stretch to finish off what we couldn't do with the first set of bags, and we worked on that last little bit.

As we were doing this, a car drove by and gave a series of short toots on the horn. My son (7) says, "That was rude! They just honked at us!" I laughed and said, "It wasn't rude, they were just saying thanks." Then, I looked back up the road to where the bags were left... and they were gone! So awesome... the driver had stopped to haul away the trash we collected! Thanks to that, we had just enough room in the trunk of my car to haul off the last of the stuff we were collecting, and there was no need to make another trip through there to haul it all away. :shades:

Were there more people like that driving this road, the trash wouldn't even accumulate in the first place!

jwilliams2

Very cool story......

the_big_al

where's the like button??

whahappan

We were even tamer. We'd just put the back wheels of someone's light front drive vehicle on the curb. Only took two or three guys to lift the back end of those early eighties econoboxes. Come to think of it, once or twice me and my friends used this technique to park in a very tight spot in NYC, meaning the parking spot was so tight it was almost impossible to park normally, so we'd angle it in as best we could, then lift the back up and swing it in straight. :P

fintail

Saw a biker split lanes here - the worst part wasn't that it is illegal, but just the danger involved in this area full of wannabe traffic deputies and generally oblivious drivers. Taking your life in your own hands. Also saw a midlife crisis Harley rider with no gear but a brain bucket helmet - even in shorts and short sleeved shirt. When he dumps it, I get to pay, yay.

fintail

Early this morning, merging onto I-90, got behind a late model MB GL with a driver I won't describe as to not irritate the oversensitive :shades: . Anyway, got to about 39 on the ramp, accelerated to about 45 on the highway, made a beeline for the second to left lane, and apparently just sat there. I shot past on the right and I don't think I was even going 60. I can't grasp why people who come from regions where traffic is a maniacal free-for-all drive like chickens with their heads cut off when they come to the thoughtless order and regulation of driving here.

Also saw a very old woman in a Sonata creeping along a fast crowded arterial with her hazards on. I don't think the car was having a problem, she just wanted people to watch out for her. It was a distraction anyway, I don't know if somewhat sad because she reached that point, or good because she thought to warn others.

fintail

Saw a 90s Impreza turn left in front of an oncoming X5 - BMW driver skillfully hit the brakes and horn at the same time, and the woman in the Subie (I bet I was on a phone) zipped out of the way. What would happen when that heavy bus t-bones an old Impreza at 35-40mph? Won't be pretty.

snakeweasel

First was a Saab in a dedecated left turn lane who didn't realize you can operate the steering wheel and the gas pedal at the same time. The light turns green and this guy (gal?) barely does any speed while making the turn, like it is barely over idle. Then as he straightens out from the turn the guy just floors it. :confuse:

Second was another idiot at a dedecated left turn lane, only this person couldn't decide if they wanted to turn. As they approached the intersection this one would drift almost all the way into the turn lane then almost all the way out. Back and forth a couple of times. Give him credit as he signaled each time.

Last one was some idiot in a Honda who apparently didn't like the fact that I was doing 40 in a winding forested road with a 35 MPH SL. Several times this idiot dropped back behind me then gunned it and ran right up onto my bumper. Now I have talked about this road before, winding with several areas of limited sight distance, no shoulder, foleage right up to the edge of the road and plenty of deer. I was imaging some deer running out infront of me forcing me to slam on my brakes as this idiot was playing his games just to get to a stop ligh 10 seconds faster. :mad:

stever

Maybe the Saab stalls out in turns.

stickguy

what, you never heard of torque steer?

tjc78

Last night the Fiance is driving us home and a Chevy HHR cuts 2 lanes right in front of us, then realizes they got into an exit only lane cuts back to the left one lane. She had to slam her brakes on twice within 20 seconds.

stever

An App to Publicly Humiliate 'Parking Douches' (Business Week)

fintail

Saw almost nothing annoying in commuting today, but while jogging, saw two cars turn right from straight only lanes, and several sidewalk crowders. City really needs to enforce this, I suspect they can be held negligent in an accident when one happens, it has and will again. But I guess there is more money in cherry picking people speeding on underposted wide open downhill stretches of smooth road.

I swear, Range Rover is the most represented crowding brand, too. Maybe we need to make like others and relate fines to wealth.

snakeweasel

Getting off I-55 at the end of the off ramp stopped at a light 4 cars back. The first two cars were SUV's and as I looked at them their positioned seemed a bit off. That was because while this right turn only lane was wide it was still simply one lane and the second SUV was trying to create a second lane.

Well there came a moment when there was an opportunity to make a right turn on red and they both took it at the same time and instantly collided. Then stayed there at the end of the off ramp blocking it yelling at each other. :sick:

fintail

I got to run a red light this morning - yet another local light is functioning incorrectly. I pull up to it alongside another car around 0530 - red. Oncoming lanes plus turn lane have green - no oncoming cars, however. I wait for maybe 20 seconds, say to hell with it, and go. By the time the road turns and I lose line of sight, maybe half a mile, I can see the other car still hasn't moved, and the oncoming lanes still have green. I wonder if he ever got to go. I think the problem is with the turn lane sensor, which is supposed to have a blinking yellow at lower volume times, but when someone uses it, it still stops the opposing traffic, and never lets it go again. Go engineers!

hammerhead

So report it - they won't know it needs fixing until someone speaks up.

fintail

Already done. No reply. The light has been this way for weeks, not the first time I have ran it, I was just irked more than usual this morning.

Also no reply about the light sensor that doesn't make sense on a couple other intersections, will throw a red when a long vehicle like a bus passes under it, stranding all those behind it.

Makes me think they are itching for light cameras and are wanting to muck things up in order to encourage violations.

stever

Just refile it with "second request" and cc the mayor or city manager or your assembly rep. The pols love helping constituents.

Of course when they write back, they may have their hand out for a contribution to their reelection committee. :P

hammerhead

What Steve said. If you call *every* time it adversely affects you, they'll get to it if for no other reason than to stop hearing from you.

fintail

I'll try to remember to send another email this evening (calling is virtually impossible). We'll see if it gets a reply...they probably have my address on spam filter now :shades:

I doubt including the higher ups will help, not like these people are really scrutinized.

stever

Funny how that works though. The mayor calls the department head and the department head calls the supervisor and the supervisor walks down to the cubical where the bureaucrat says the complainer is a crank and the supervisor says just fix it, we're getting heat all the way from the top. Pigeon management - someone has to walk down the hall and crap on someone's desk.

But yeah, letters still get more attention than emails. An email to a fax machine works pretty good though.

fintail

Maybe if I pretend to be one of the local 1%ers, I can get it through. Money talks, something else walks :shades:

xwesx

These sorts of things probably fall into what friend calls the "three nail priority system." The first time someone complains about something, it gets put on the first nail. Eventually, if it is important enough, the person will follow up with a second request. The item is then moved from the first nail to the second nail.

Then, if the requester was genuinely serious about the issue, he follows up again. This time, it is put on the third nail, and only the stuff on the third nail ever gets done.

xwesx

I had to travel 4500 miles (one way) to a conference to give an hour-long presentation on Tuesday. In this age of communication, I still don't understand the value of it. *sigh*

Anyway, I was walking in the downtown area of Morgantown Tuesday night, when I saw a truck blow a red light. There was another truck passing through the intersection from the right of that vehicle, and both were traveling about 20-25 mph. Given the narrowness of the streets and sidewalks, there's no way one could see the other prior to entering the intersection, though. Even more interestingly, there was another car following not far behind the first truck (that had the green).

So, the offending truck slams on the brakes as he enters the intersection, missing the crossing truck by millimeters, and then guns it, with the second car missing him by the same amount. Amazingly, everyone came out of it just fine, and the guy who ran the light just kept going as if nothing had happened; he didn't even look into a mirror as he drove by.

It looked like something out of a movie.

ruking1

Saw this going in the opposite direction on a local 4/5 lane freeway. It would seem upon first look that a fully loaded tractor trailer took an ON ramp curve way TOO fast, for how he was loaded and flipped on its side. When I went by, (opposite direction) there were easily 10 highway patrol cars, a few fire trucks, LARGE truck wreckers, CA trans, ambulances, and I think a copter or two, many many rubber neckers rounded out the event. Later I heard on the radio, there was a (truck) driver fatality.

xrunner2

Already done. No reply. The light has been this way for weeks, not the first time I have ran it, I was just irked more than usual this morning.

Probably reporting it to the wrong place. Back in the day in Chicago, to get anything fixed, the place to call was the precinct captain or the alderman.

fintail

A new email is about ready to be sent off, we will see what happens. They usually have about a 50% reply rate, maybe something will be done.

On the inconsiderate topic, easy drive home tonight, lights worked properly (no buses to throw off the sensors - brilliant engineering there), but I did see one annoying thing. Woman in a late model TT, going slow, but would speed up when people passed her. Holding a phone, of course. Colorado plate frames and a Law Enforcement Memorial plate, if anyone here might know the airhead.

fintail

I wonder if the cops could be a more efficient line...contact their business number and report it. Probably would get transferred to a slow boat to China public works line, though.

xrunner2

I wonder if the cops could be a more efficient line...contact their business number and report it. Probably would get transferred to a slow boat to China public works line, though.

Look to Chicago. They get things done. They put a guy in the white house and one of that guy's former handlers is now running Chicago. Find out who is the alderman where the lights are not working.

the_big_al

There is a small "downtown" section of a small town I drive through regularly at 2 am after giving a buddy a ride home from work. It has 2 lights in this section that are timed, not sensor-ed. I use to run the red all the time after coming to a complete stop, looking and waiting several seconds before continuing because it is pointless to have to stop on a thoroughfare when there is absolutley NO traffic.

I stopped doing so however after witnessing a revenue generator, sometimes law enforcer sitting at this same intersection with no cross traffic. I though to myself, if I ever get caught doing this, how would I ever be able to fight it?? Even arguing safety probably wouldn't work because in this small town, you get ticketed for even having a plate light out. Plus I don't need the hassle of being pulled over at 2 am and being run through the ringer for DUI, insurance, yadda yadda yadda when all I want to do is get home to bed.

This intersection has been this way for YEARS. I suspect it has purposely been left like this not because of lack of funds to renovate and upgrade the two lights, but to generate revenue from people like me who like to use common sense. In fact, upgrading would even mean a loss of revenue! In fact the previous light at the highway intersection and the following three lights (one still in town, the others at a freeway interchange, but still technically in the city limits) are on sensors and work flawlessly. I never have to stop for them at 2 am.

ruking1

Printed news update indicated the flipping truck (loaded with broccoli) and driven by a 30 year old man landed on a Toyota Camry crushing a 20 year old passenger to death. The printed article indicated the Toyota was flat bedded to some location so the coroner could extricate the body.

stever

Maybe it is the money (it's not cheap to redo traffic lights and stick sensors in the road). Maybe the state kicked in money on the other three because of the highway intersection and freeway interchange (i.e. maybe the state owns those roads). Shouldn't be that expensive to put a nighttime flasher option on them, unless they are really outdated signals. But you'll never know the answer unless you ask the powers that be.

Sounds like a stupid waste of gas.

fintail

Definitely something revenue based there, even if they trap it only once a week.

I live in a fairly busy area, and even here, the lights should blink from maybe 0000-0600. But for some reason, the controls have to remain on 24/7. If only I lived in a region where traffic circles weren't so mystifying to the dumbed down lowest common denominator.

This morning had another light issue. Took a different route to work, to avoid the dumb sticking light. Arrived at an intersection, car on the cross street was waiting to get a left turn arrow. I stopped, expecting it to get the arrow, then cycle through to let me go. But nothing happened. The other car backed up and went forward to trip the sensor, didn't work. Then randomly, I got green, and went. Turning car finally got to go after me, even though it appeared to have been there much longer.

Such a waste of gas and time. Maybe some class action proceedings need to be sought - even if it mostly helps bloodsucking lawyers, it will at least show someone is being negligent at best, or in many cases, very likely intentionally making this mess.

xwesx

That sounds awful. I wonder what caused that scenario to play out?

ruking1

If I had to guess, load CG shift due to taking a curve too fast. From what I could see, the truck was also trying to merge with a Camry on its left side as it fell over. The Carmy sadly was in the wrong place, at the wrong time.

xwesx

Ah, yes.... the battle for first.

I hope the Camry driver learned a lesson from that one, as I strongly suspect the truck was ahead on the roadway and the Camry driver tried to overtake. That doesn't really excuse the truck driver from taking the curve too fast, but it also doesn't mean the Camry driver was some innocent victim, either. The person who paid the dearest cost, however, likely was. :sick:

tjc78

So the Camry driver who lets assume legally was passing the truck should share the blame because a truck couldn't keep his/her rig under control? I can't agree with that.

fintail

Yeah, I don't get that...passing someone doesn't put you in the wrong.

I once saw a beat up overloaded box truck get up on two wheels on a sharp highway corner. Commercial vehicles in this area anyway appear to be held to no safety standards at all. Gotta be business friendly.

xwesx

The information provided by ruking1 sounded to me like there were two lanes there merging into one. If the truck was in the right lane and ahead of the car (which it must have been if the car was in the "crush zone"), and the lanes were actively merging, then the car's driver was in the wrong by not yielding to the lead vehicle in the lane. You don't pass during a merge; you merge.

If the lanes were not merging, then no, the driver wasn't in the wrong and the truck driver simply took the curve too fast. I am not going to rule out the former as at least as likely of a situation as the latter from what I see on the roads constantly in terms of the behavior of car drivers around big rigs.

Either way, it is highly unfortunate for that passenger!

ruking1

I just got a fast look at it, as there were MULTIPLE scenarios and things going in. I do know that there are multiple blendings that actually allow for cars and or trucks to be along side each other, i.e. one getting OFF the freeway and one wanting to merge ONTO further same upcoming freeway. While I could be incorrect, it appeared legal, as the literal killer was the truck flipping on its side.

gogogodzilla

I've noticed the same phenomenon here in Maryland. That driver's can no longer turn left from a stop light... and use the gas pedal at the same time.

There must be some breakdown in the human genome over the last 16 years that is responsible. I mean, this is a relatively new phenomenon here... with no problems of this nature previously noted. So, it's got to be the new drivers.

And if all people are created equal, as we believe, then this shouldn't exist. But it does, so people aren't. Therefore, something is lacking in these drivers.

But as we all know, no one will ever claim they suck at driving.

Therefore, their skills are just fine. They just have a body incapable of performing such skills.

Thus, we have a situation were the youth of America is genetically inferior... as per my original assertation.

:P

It's tragic... it must be global warming that's damaged our youth's genes, making them so incapable.

:P

the_big_al

... at the Fred Meyer gas station next to the Taco Bell I went to. The place is a mad house. Of course it is when gas is only 4.15 (4.05 with your Fred Meyer card) and everyone else short of Arco is charging 4.39. It's also a logistical nightmare to get in and out with only a couple staggered entrances combined with a Taco Bell entrance. I drive around the backside to where I would only have to make one right turn with a stop. However some idiot in an old Chevy x-cab, long bed truck pulling a trailer has straddled the two lanes coming into the station area. His straight-thru/right-turn only (no lefts allowed) and my right turn lane I need to get out. He's so far over into my lane, other cars can go to the right of him to get into the station. Instead of going right to the far side of pumps, several cars and I are forced to wait until he can pull straight enough to the pumps and out of the way (About 10 minutes). I would have turned around, but that would have just added to the already congested nightmare that was happening. Note to self, never go to that Taco Bell again during gas-up time. It was just insane. Costco as I drove by it was also jammed at least 10 deep at every pump line.

The other nut of the day involved a big rig further down the road. At the traffic light controlled intersection a big rig had pulled out of a gas station (an empty one at that, but they were also charging 4.39) and into the left turn lane. Only because this station is on the corner he didn't make it fully into the left turn lane and left his entire trailer hanging out in the oncoming traffic's left hand lane. Because he also had to wait for his green arrow to turn, that meant that oncoming traffic barreling through the intersection at 45-50 MPH had to switch lanes in the intersection to avoid hitting him. Or in my case had to stop and wait for traffic to clear in the right hand lane as did several other cars.

elias

death from above stories like that one make me miss previous vehicle: volvo xc90 with boron/strongest roof, the one where they stack up 5 on top of each other, or whatever, in the tv commercial.