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Inconsiderate Drivers (share your stories, etc.)

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Comments

  • kdshapirokdshapiro Member Posts: 5,751
    All I can say is: LOL. Glad you weren't involved.
  • PF_FlyerPF_Flyer Member Posts: 9,372
    I got to watch the whole thing unfold!

     

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  • imidazol97imidazol97 Member Posts: 27,674
    >then motions for ME to move out of her way!

     

    That's when I just sit and wait for them.

    2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,

  • andre1969andre1969 Member Posts: 26,023
    but for some reason I was feeling nice and forgiving at that point. I'll make sure not to make the same mistake twice! ;-)
  • nine51nine51 Member Posts: 77
    Last week, I'm driving down E. Washington Ave. Stoplight city, one every block. I'm in the right lane of a 6 lane city street, and the light goes red. I stop. The car in the center lane rolls to a stop too. He looks both ways, and when cross traffic clears, he takes off!

     

    Yes, he was on the phone.;>
  • kscctsksccts Member Posts: 140
    Sounds reasonable to me. Why wait?
  • pat84pat84 Member Posts: 817
    Lately I have noticed some drivers that keep their headlights on high beam while driving on 2 lane roads that do not have overhead lights. I'm not talking about those that keep their fog lights perpetually on, or those blue beams, I'm talking high beams. I drive a 4Runner that has higher headlights than a car and has some really bright high beams. When I flick them to high beam to alert the on coming high beam vehicle, nothing but continual high beams.

      This is happening more and more as the days get shorter.
  • isellhondasisellhondas Member Posts: 20,342
    A car was approaching me traveling the opposite direction. It was a very dark street and he had his blinding high beams on. I gave him a quick flash of mine but he didn't drop them.

     

    I did it again, leaving them on a bit longer and at that point, he turned on his red and blue lightbar for a second.

     

    Yep, a damm COP of all things!

     

    Guess he can do whatever he wants to?
  • mohatumohatu Member Posts: 21
    Be glad he didn't ticket you. :-P
  • andyman73andyman73 Member Posts: 322
    I have found that most people will react and turn off their highbeams, if I leave mine on. If I just flash, most of them don't notice, since they are too busy not driving to see what's going on. However steady highbeams will get their attention, and they notice that theirs are on, when they want to flash back. Usually they disengage, and I follow suit. I try to watch the road ahead, and turn off my high beams just as I get in range, or come around the bend, or over the hill crest. You can easily see the oncoming headlights reflecting on power lines, or dust in the air.

     

    Had a young girl in a Mazda 929 try to rearrange the driver's side of my Contour, this evening. I was on the way to work, on Rt. 30W, and she thought to come over my way, no signal, probably didn't see me, had a cellphone surgically implanted on the R side of her head, partially obscuring her peripheral vision, and creating a semi sized blind spot. A little horn broke her conversation just long enough to get her back into her lane.
  • oldharryoldharry Member Posts: 413
    Last week I went shopping with my wife, and in fit of environmentally motivated political correctness, drove the car instead of my truck. We parked in a large parking lot between two cars, but when we came out of the store, there was an Expedition to my left and a Suburban to my right. From the drivers seat of the car visibilty was almost non-existant, I hoped noone was using the aisle of the lot for a speed test.

     

    I feel sorry for those who drive very small cars, and experience the same visibility problems parked between two Grand Marquis.

     

    Harry
  • gambit293gambit293 Member Posts: 406
    Now that the midwest is coated in a nice layer of snow and ice, I'll post my usual rant:

     

    Are SUVs and pickups REQUIRED to speed and tailgate when the roads are wet and slippery?

     

    Also, does no one know that an intersection with broken traffic lights means FOUR WAY STOP?

     

    Okay, I'm done (for now...)
  • PF_FlyerPF_Flyer Member Posts: 9,372
    It's surviving that first stretch of winter driving, when a good chunk of the population thinks the road conditions haven't changed until they finally notice their vehicle getting sideways, another portion thinks that ANY snow inthe sky means the roads are death traps and so they crawl along and become another immovable object to navigate around, leaving the rest of us who are aware of what the first snows on the road really requires of us behind the wheel to dodge and avoid until things settle out!

     

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  • imidazol97imidazol97 Member Posts: 27,674
    Now that we have a 16 inch coating of snow in Dayton area, the SUV drivers think they have to tailgate to show that they are superior in stopping ability and can see over the cars.

     

    I have seen several drivers today wallowing through snow ruts where the plows in other suburbs had not plowed a lot of the snow with a cellphone up to their ear. It's easy to hit snow piles in the intersections while turning and end up stuck; they're talking on the phone. I got tailgated by one today (a man).

     

    Does this happen in other areas or is it Ohio's poor drivers that do this.

    2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,

  • derekgdwderekgdw Member Posts: 51
    A couple of weeks ago in Schaumburg on Roselle road I was in a group of cars heading for a traffic light that had turned red. I stopped along with everyone else aside from one guy in the right most lane that ran the red a few seconds after it had turned.

     

    This guy in a Camry, not to be outdone, flies from the back of the line in the center lane into the left lane and then into the left turn lane and floors it through the intersection (thankfully the car that was going saw this moron and stopped). He nearly hit my car and a median in the process.

     

    Now where was Mr. Camry man going in such a hurry? Well he sat at the entrance to I-90 East waiting at that red light!

     

    Yeesh if you're going to run one red light in a maniacal way why not just run the other? Do you only get one freebie per day?

     

    Just amazing.



    Oh and Imidazol . . . It's everywhere. . . Ahia doesn't have the monopoly on bad SUV drivers. ;-)
  • kdshapirokdshapiro Member Posts: 5,751
    because we don't notice bad Civic drivers, bad Camry drivers, bad Lexus ES330 drivers, and in general bad and stupid drivers in the compact to mid-size range.

     

    In these parts in the snow the SUVs may tailgate the smaller cars cut you off. I'd rather be tailgated by a SUV then cut-off.

     

    In an crash, the vehicle in back is responsibile. I've seen a number of situations, where a driver got cut-off only to have traffic stop and then hit the car that cut them off.
  • imidazol97imidazol97 Member Posts: 27,674
    because we don't notice bad Civic drivers."

     

    Phooey. The SUV drivers can see over your car so they tailgate blatantly. The Civic, Camry, LeSabre driver can't easier see through your car, so they keep a reasonable distance -- in most cases.

     

    The SUV drivers also have a sense of invincibility because of their huge size (and gas consumption), so they believe they can stop quicker, etc., if they need to do so.

     

    SUV drivers also pull up next to you at stop sign intersections so you can't see traffic coming through their huge bulk. They will squeeze into a little space next to me to make a right turn while I'm trying to observe traffic to make a left turn. They can't even wait.

     

    I don't observe this behavior from minivan drivers and Pacifica drives, e.g.

    2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,

  • kdshapirokdshapiro Member Posts: 5,751
    "Phooey"

     

    Well phooey on your phooey. Just because the car is smaller doesn't make the behavior any less excusable. Tailgaiters will tailgate the same independent of the vehicle. The same driver who is a tailgateer will tailgate in a Civic, SUV, or an 18-wheeler. Obviously being tailgated by an 18-wheeler is much more dangerous than a Civic, but it doesn't lessen the potentially bad consequences of either.
  • imidazol97imidazol97 Member Posts: 27,674
    on viewpoint about some SUV drivers. I've driven loaners that we small SUVs and have nephew's Explorer in the driveway now while they've flown to Philadelphia. It's a different feeling when I'm up above; at least it is to me. I can hear the readers changing channel already with this discussion; I'll let you add the last word.

     

    Merry Christmas everyone and Happy New Year.

    2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,

  • kdshapirokdshapiro Member Posts: 5,751
    Don't disagree with anything you say except the stereotype that all SUV drivers are tailgaters....
  • gambit293gambit293 Member Posts: 406
    I second the first phooey. IMO, SUV drivers tend to be more oblivious and/or agressive. Like I said, IMO. It's just one of those things we can argue about forever, kdshapiro, but we're never going to agree. Sorry for the off topic.

     

    Peace!
  • andre1969andre1969 Member Posts: 26,023
    is that SUV's might attract a portion of the population who is normally a more aggressive driver to begin with. Same with sports cars, BMW's, Benzes, pickups with gun racks, etc.

     

    However, I think the main reason that SUVs get targeted is simply because they're more visible. For example, if a Honda Civic or Toyota Corolla is riding my rump, who cares? It's not like it's going to hurt me, and if he centers his car, I won't even see it in my side view mirrors! It becomes more of an annoyance than a threat.

     

    However, SUV? Whole different story. First off, it'll block the vision in your mirrors, and at night time, the headlights are going to be dangerously blinding. And if you get rear-ended by a good-sized one and you're driving a car, you have a pretty good chance that your car becomes a writeoff for the insurance company. And if you're not lucky, you might be, too!
  • ruking1ruking1 Member Posts: 19,826
    On another thread:" hate SUV's: Why don't you?", it has been mentioned a few times, (by me also) that the statistics tell a FAR different story. Small cars get in the majority of accidents and fatalities. In fact, % and volume for accidents and fatalities (given the population of SUVS) is very very low for SUV's.
  • ruking1ruking1 Member Posts: 19,826
    I would agree, when an SUV does it, the only real difference is it is MORE noticeable.

     

    While almost everybody knows what tail gating is, i.e., something the GIB (guy in back) does, which means by default "ME" NEVER DOES IT :):( ) you will get almost no agreement as to the "real world" definition. Under good conditions, I consider good following time (and resultant distance) 1 Mississippi 2 Mississippi 3 Mississippi. You ask almost any non suv driver that has to do a commute and they will say "don't leave any space." To me this "rule" by definition is "TAILGATING" So I would agree, when an SUV does it, the only real difference is it is MORE noticeable.
  • imidazol97imidazol97 Member Posts: 27,674
    "SUV's might attract a portion of the population "

     

    The domination desire...

     

    "when an SUV does it, the only real difference is it is MORE noticeable"

     

    I disagree with that. The SUVs are driven differently by _some_ people, probably not by you, but by others

     

    "Small cars get in the majority of accidents and fatalities. In fact, % and volume for accidents and fatalities (given the population of SUVS) is very very low for SUV's"

     

    There are _more_ small cars; when they get in accidents, especially with larger vehicles, there will be a higher percentage of fatalities.

     

    SUVs may not get in as many accidents, but they probably cause more injuries and death in the accidents they do cause, and they cause accidents where they drive away untouched.

    2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,

  • grbeckgrbeck Member Posts: 2,358
    kdshapiro: In an crash, the vehicle in back is responsibile. I've seen a number of situations, where a driver got cut-off only to have traffic stop and then hit the car that cut them off.

     

    Not necessarily...we had a call from a constituent who complained that the police officer cited him for "brake checking" the vehicle behind him, thus causing a rear-end collision.

     

    The constituent, of course, denied everything, but the police officer's determination stood.

     

    imidazol97: There are _more_ small cars; when they get in accidents, especially with larger vehicles, there will be a higher percentage of fatalities.

     

    SUVs have outsold small cars (Civic, Focus, Corolla, etc, and below) for quite some time. Small cars account for a disporportionate share of accidents and fatalities, including single-vehicle accidents.

     

    A few years ago, USA Today, which is hardly an apologist for SUVs, ran an article on small car safety, and noted that around 56 percent of all fatalities in a small car result from single-vehicle accidents.
  • kdshapirokdshapiro Member Posts: 5,751
    "The domination desire... "

     

    SUV drivers have never concerned me even when I'm driving my compact car, it's the idiots in the other compact cars that think there car can go where no others can get to.

     

    Smaller cars will lose to larger cars in an accident and certainly an out of control truck driver can do more damage than an out of control Civic driver.

     

    But that's no reason to stereotype people who drove the larger SUVs.

     

    "Not necessarily...we had a call from a constituent who complained that the police officer cited him for "brake checking" the vehicle behind him, thus causing a rear-end collision."

     

    Hmmm. Sounds a little fishy. Even if brake checked the cops will usually ticket both drivers. The front driver for intentionally trying to cause an accident and the back driver for unsafe driving. I know of a case where this happened. I guess that's the difference between PA and NJ.
  • fintailfintail Member Posts: 58,414
    I saw a guy in a new series LS430 emblazoned with "Rossi" bumper stickers (people in the pacific NW will know about that mess) shaving with an electric razor while driving. Then he started talking on the phone. I was hoping he'd run off the road and crash. I also saw an old man in an Escalade trying to bully his way through I5 traffic by tailgating...my car accidentally sped up when he tried to pass me (as I was going 15 over in the left lane, precisely the speed of the car ahead of me)...oops
  • isellhondasisellhondas Member Posts: 20,342
    Not the kind of behavior I would expect from a fellow Republican! :)
  • fintailfintail Member Posts: 58,414
    The guy was also varying his speeds between 50-80...I shot past him and laughed out loud at his shaving, then he flew by me, then I passed him again as he yapped on the phone. Not doing his politicial affiliation any good...unless he was recruited by the opponent LOL
  • andre1969andre1969 Member Posts: 26,023
    I was stuck in bumper-to-bumper traffic on the Balt-Wash Parkway. Sometimes it would slow to a crawl, then sometimes it would get up to around 45-50 or more, but still bumper-to-bumper, which is very dangerous at those speeds!

     

    Anyway, ahead of me there was a GMC Sierra pickup that was weaving in and out of traffic. In my mind, I formed a mental picture of some angry, impatient teen who was trying to make like Charleton Heston parting the Red Sea.

     

    Well, I caught up to him when my lane sped up a bit, and saw that it was an older Asian guy, who looked more like he was just being inattentive, than aggressive. Had a blank look on his face as he'd get up on the car ahead of him, sometimes as close as maybe 2-3 feet off its bumper, and even move towards the left a bit, as if to block the side view mirror of the car in front of him.

     

    I can never understand people like that. How in the world is tailgating the car in front of you going to make traffic move any faster, when there's nothing but a sea of brakelights ahead of you?!
  • pat84pat84 Member Posts: 817
    Phooey. The SUV drivers can see over your car so they tailgate blatantly. The Civic, Camry, LeSabre driver can't easier see through your car, so they keep a reasonable distance -- in most cases

      I fail to see the logic that because a SUV driver can see over your car they are tailgaters.

    I drive a SUV.

     Do you know I can't see over or through minivans, delivery vehicles, other SUV's. or 18 wheelers any better than someone driving a car. When I get 2 SUV's or minivans on both sides of me in a parking lot, I might as well be driving a car for all the good my capability to see over cars,does me in those situations.

      If you are behind a SUV in a car, and can't see through the SUV, how do you know the SUV driver is tailgating ?

      Maybe those of you who camp in the left lane, not passing anyone, get tailgated by lots of vehicles, not just SUV's

       

    .
  • kdshapirokdshapiro Member Posts: 5,751
    Ahhh, a voice of reason. :)
  • carlisimocarlisimo Member Posts: 1,280
    Yesterday was the first big rains in a while. I realized just how invisible vehicles are without their lights on, even big ones (especially in certain colors).

    Typically the most aggressive drivers around here are in pickups with chromed parts. In the rain, same thing. One of them was doing his weaving on a street with many stoplights. One time he tried to stop, his rear end wobble a little, and he stepped on it instead and zoom through. Didn't try stopping at the red beyond that. Luckily they had just turned red so cross-traffic was coming out very slowly due to the puddles.
  • imidazol97imidazol97 Member Posts: 27,674
    be the exception to the tailgating SUV drivers. That's good.

     

    I find more tailgating by SUVs than by regular vehicles, based on the proportion on the roads at the time.

     

    We have multilane roads in this area; and it is possible to tell the distance between other vehicles to determine tailgating on two-lane roads.

     

    I've even been tailgated after our 16-20 inch snowfall, by lady SUVer with a cellphone to her ear. And sorry to spoil your schtick, but I was in the right lane going below the speed limit, prima facie limit applies.

    2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,

  • pat84pat84 Member Posts: 817
    The roads were surely plowed or you wouldn't get your car through 16-20 inches of snow. I'll bet they had spread sand and calcium chloride to melt the snow and provide traction.

     I learned to drive in the snow in Chicago with heavy old rear wheel drive cars. Once the roads were plowed, we drove like the snow wasn't there.

      I have seen many people who are very uncomfortable driving in the snow. They are usually driving 25 MPH max, and continually tapping their brakes. I don't know why they don't stay home if they are so uncomfortable driving in the snow.

        In the DC area, when more than 2 inches of snow falls, those afraid to drive in the snow, abandon their cars in the road

      My wife is a nurse. I had my 4Runner out in over 2 1/2 feet of snow, the first Winter I had it, (That snowfall set a 137 year old record for most snow in 1 day in Baltimore).I took my wife to work. They didn't plow our sub-division for 4 days. I didn't have a problem, having learned how to drive in snow.

       BTW my 4Runner has Vehicle Skid Control, ABS, and full time 4WD. It also has over 9 inches of ground clearance.

    I have a cell phone in it. I pull off to the side of the road to use it.

    SUV's are much better for tailgating than are cars.

    I can carry much more food in coolers and a large grill. I get to the football stadium 2-3 hours early and have a lot of fun tailgating.
  • gambit293gambit293 Member Posts: 406
    Of course no one here said that ALL SUV drivers tailgate. But the point is that generally it is easier for SUVs to tailgate without suffering the drawback of reduced visibility. If you drive a CRV and are stuck behind an Excursion, then naturally you won't be able to see much. But relative to a car, an SUV can see much better than a normal car when closely following another vehicle in most situations. Improved visibility is one of the biggest selling points of SUVs.

     

    Also, Pat be careful when switching your use of the word "tailgate." You threw me off when you switched definitions in your last post. Or was that intentional? :)
  • pat84pat84 Member Posts: 817
    from post 3360

     

    Phooey. The SUV drivers can see over your car so they tailgate blatantly. The Civic, Camry,

         LeSabre driver can't easier see through your car, so they keep a reasonable distance -- in most cases.

             The SUV drivers also have a sense of invincibility because of their huge size (and gas

        consumption), so they believe they can stop quicker, etc., if they need to do so.

              SUV drivers also pull up next to you at stop sign intersections so you can't see traffic coming through their huge bulk. They will squeeze into a little space next to me to make a right turn while I'm trying to observe traffic to make a left turn. They can't even wait.


     

     Did you see the words "some SUV drivers" in the above ? Or was it a generality about SUV drivers ?

      I am now going to start tailgating cars. At night, since my head lights are so high relative to a car, I'll tailgate with my high beams on. I'll light up the car's interior like day light. I wouldn't want to disappoint my fellow SUV drivers.

     I deliberately used a different definition of the word "tailgate" as a humorous way of dealing with the post cited above.
  • PF_FlyerPF_Flyer Member Posts: 9,372
    We've already had the I don't like SUV's "discussion"... we do NOT need to do this again. Move along...

     

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  • imidazol97imidazol97 Member Posts: 27,674
    on cell phone in left lane of interstate at 65 while traffic moved at 70-75 in other lane. She got to construction at I75 and slowed down immediately to 55. Formed a real blockade. She was oblivious to the real speed of the traffic (usually 65 up to the cloverleaf & construction since the snows have melted).

     

    I lit her up with my high beam flash. But nothing changed. She was a local driver so she knew the layout.

    2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,

  • pat84pat84 Member Posts: 817
    I was being sarcastic.
  • black_tulipblack_tulip Member Posts: 435
    She got to construction at I75 and slowed down immediately to 55.

     

    Isn't that what everyone is supposed to do ? What would you have her do? Blow through the construction zone at 100 mph? Perhaps you are willing to pay the ticket when she is stopped?

     

    I lit her up with my high beam flash.

     

    Now, that is illegal.
  • imidazol97imidazol97 Member Posts: 27,674
    Most people roll into this area at 70 and gradually slow down to 60 in the actual construction area. Since there's been no work there for the last several weeks, most don't slow down to 55. This driver did that in the left lane. She didn't stay with the flow of traffic at all.

     

    Since she was on her cell phone, she just slowed down quickly. Lucky I wasn't one of the Kansas trucks that has been on the road for 12-14 hours behind her. They would have run her over.

     

    "Now, that is illegal.":

     

    Tulip: I'll apologize when she apologizes for not driving with full alertness.

    2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,

  • oldharryoldharry Member Posts: 413
    While I see tailgaters in all varieties of vehicles, including SUV's, the one combination that seems to be tailgating any time I see it is: The small RED car driven by a young woman. In larger cars, or other colors of small cars, young women are no worse than anyone else. The small red car just seems to set them off.

     

    Harry
  • eharri3eharri3 Member Posts: 640
    I don't understand this issue with tailgating that everybody else seems to have. I am almost never, ever tailgated. Coincidentally, I always keep up with the flow of traffic, only use the left lane to pass, and get over immediately when cars come up behind me. I wonder if there's any kind of connection between all these things.
  • oldharryoldharry Member Posts: 413
    I live outside a small town (15,000 population, and they count people in the prison) and drive two lane paved country roads to work. Going to work mornings, I consider that I am being "tailgated" if there is less that 2 car lengths behind me to the next car while driving over 60 mph. Someone will tailgate me on the way to work at least twice a week, and young women in small red cars are the most frequent. I recognize three of them that I see often.

     

    Traffic is such at 6:30 am when I go to work, that I am less than 6 car lengths behind the vehicle I am following by the time I get to the place where all must slow down.

     

    Harry
  • ruking1ruking1 Member Posts: 19,826
    I would agree there is a very causal relationship between all these things.

     

    I happen to do (conceptually) what you do! I do NOT get tail gated with NEAR the frequency or intensity that a majority of those folks who express this as a problem, do.

     

    While I usually drive in the higher percentile ranges, I really mean this at all points of the spectrum.

     
  • davv62davv62 Member Posts: 76
    Man, you're right on.

     

    Every once in a while, I get tailgated inappropriately by some nimrod, but it's not too often since I follow the same rules that you do. I use the left lane for passing, and if somebody wants to get by me, I move over.

     

    People who impede the flow of traffic don't have too much of a right to complain about tailgating.
  • fintailfintail Member Posts: 58,414
    Here's something I also consider inconsiderate - not maintaining your car. Today I saw an old 1st gen Saturn sedan, pretty thrashed, that was burning oil to the point that it was smoking like a mosquito fogger. It was so bad it was almost funny - almost but not quite. Luckily the wind was blowing the volcanic plume away from my car as the poor smoky old beast sputtered down the road at a good clip. I saw the thing from some distance and shut down my cars ventilation system to avoid the smell.
  • ruking1ruking1 Member Posts: 19,826
    I would also agree, pulling off to the side of the road because you failed to do proper maintenance is not only dumb, it can be fatal. People seem to have a gravatational pull to a car in trouble pulled off to the shoulder of the road!!???

     

    I am also not appreciative of dodging body parts that are mortared at you at 55-80 mph! :(
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