Inconsiderate Drivers (share your stories, etc.)

fintail · October 2009

Now my friend is told there's a better chance than not it won't be totaled - unless there is hidden damage. 2 weeks is the estimated turnaround time.

fintail · October 2009

Today's commute, miserable rainy weather - surface street traffic moving just fine, save for a dopey aging yuppie type in a late model Denali, left lane, 26 in a 35, yapping on the phone. I think the rig had a sticker on the back with the name of a local property developer cartel...no surprise one of the least accountable industries in the land has people driving like that.

tallman1 · October 2009

I went to Ellensburg and back this afternoon/evening. Let me tell you how enjoyable the rain was from the pass to highway 18 and then I-5. :sick:

At one point I passed about 10 cars that were in the left lane on Snoqualmie. And I was going about 5 under in the right lane. :confuse: :confuse:

The road work from Cle Elum to Easton was a mess too. Dry though.

euphonium · October 2009

I 5 on Friday and Sunday afternoons within a 100 mile radius of Peoples Republic of Seattle is usually a parking lot so am not surprised to hear the same clogs on I 90 at the same times.

Same situation on US 26 in OR going over Government Camp only worse. Will they ever 4 lane that stretch? No, but there will be transit trains from Hillsboro to PDX.

hammerhead · October 2009

Are there stud ruts in the right lane?
I'm certainly not excusing LLC's, but it might explain it somewhat.
There are lots of them (LLC's AND stud ruts!) over here on the dry side - just wondering.

Cheers!
Paul

tallman1 · October 2009

Actually, at that location along Lake Keechelus, they repaved the road recently.

xwesx · October 2009

That's a good point. On I-90 through Minnesota, I spent the whole 300 or so miles in the left lane except when traffic approached because the left lane was fairly smooth while the right one was terribly noisy and each seam in the concrete jarred the whole vehicle. As noted, I did move right for other drivers, which were few, but then came back left after the pass.

stever · October 2009

Man pleads guilty to DWI in motorized La-Z-Boy (NPR)

The cops confiscated it and you'll be able to buy it on eBay soon. (Proctor Journal)

jensad · October 2009

I would predict that now that one Lazy Boy chair is motorized, that others will mortorize their chairs too.

I would guess that within one year someone will get a vehicle license plate and drive down a city street. I wonder if that man's chair had a refrigerator and maybe a bar attached in the side pockets? Oh well, life goes on...

Good luck to all and stay safe.

jensad

xwesx · October 2009

...and now it is winter! This is Subaru weather, for sure, and I am loving it! I am not, however, loving the inconsiderate drivers that like to occupy the left lane at 5-10 under the SL while not passing anybody. :mad:

snakeweasel · October 2009

Ok saw two interesting things today. First was on the way into work, I was approaching a traffic light. I was in the right lane with only one or two cars at the light in the right lane, but five or six more in the left lane. So as I approach this a car came out of the parking lot to the left at the last minute and gets into the right lane with me having to pretty much slam on my brakes to keep from hitting me. Now at this time there was a police car behind me (and yes it was marked). After the light turned green the car that cut me off makes a right turn and as I enter the intersection the police car turns on its lights and goes after that car.

Second was going home. I normally take this route that goes along this road thats one lane in each direction. It ends at a T intersection at a light. Well traffic usually backs up past another intersection with a neighborhood street. Well its not unusual to see someone pass stopped traffic on the wrong side of the road and today someone did that. As soon as I saw that guy pass me I saw a car behind me light up like a Christmas tree and go after him (her?).

tallman1 · October 2009

Wow... a 2fer in the justice served category. That rarely happens even once.

jensad · October 2009

Yes once in a while I could actually catch the ones who really were very discourteous. One instance I appreciated giving out tickets was on our 242 freeway, in No. Cal.

During the commute in the am iIt was bumper to bumper traffic and there was a slight hill which I could pull over to the shoulder and get out of my patrol car and stand just under the top part of the roadway.

As usual, cars would pass probably about 30 cars on the right on the shoulder and as they drove over the top of the freeway they noticed me. I would motion them over and they got a moving citation.

What was amazing was that as the drivers in the cars in the lawful lane would pass me and clap, honk their horns or smile and wave. I enjoyed that I could actually do something to help the courteous drivers, and catch the scofflaws.

Now I am retired and in the que of traffic and the scofflaws pass all of us on the right shoulder but I got some good memories and I am soooo grateful to be retired.

My wife and I were in Illinois visiting our son and his family in Rockford/Roscoe. I observe many highway patrol persons working the freeway and I am glad I could just watch and keep on driving.

Good luck to all and stay safe.

jensad

tallman1 · October 2009

That story reminds me of a couple of places around here where state troopers get out of their cars and just point people over to the side of the road. Both involve carpool lanes.

One was an onramp when there was only one Tacoma Narrows bridge. The troopers would park under an overpass that had a turn off to the last onramp right before the bridge. That onramp was carpools only from 3-7 pm. Drivers couldn't see the troopers until they were on the ramp. The troopers could easily see how many passengers were in the car and simply point them to the side of the road. When the new bridge was built, the backup was gone so they took the carpool restriction off.

The other was near the Southcenter shopping mall south of Seattle. The carpool lane separates from the rest of I-5 for awhile and then rejoins it. The troopers can just stand on the side of the road at the rejoining point and wave cars over. Busted! :shades:

hammerhead · October 2009

Same thing happens here, on I-90 through the Valley. WSP motorcycle troops stand next to their bikes between the fog line & jersey barrier & aim the laser downrange. They activate the rear lights on their bikes & wave cars over. Occasionally they have to drive a bit to catch up to the violators that don't react so quickly.

Part of that stretch is a transition area from 70 to 60, which makes it a target-rich environment.

Seems a bit dicey to be standing on such a narrow strip of roadway.

Cheers!
Paul

snakeweasel · October 2009

WSP motorcycle troops stand next to their bikes

Speaking of motorcycle cops there were 4 of them standing outside of work this morning with their bikes. As I walked by I asked if it was a Village People reunion.

rcarr7 · October 2009

So did you fit right in?

euphonium · October 2009

"I am soooo grateful to be retired."

Begs the question, should you have been in a different profession? For if you enjoyed your work, you'd miss it.

jensad · October 2009

Dear euphonium

I got into law enforcement because we were expecting a baby soon and I needed to support my family. So I joined Berkeley Police Dept which was an excellent choice as it taught me how to be a professional law enforcement officer AND how to survive.

Later I joined the Calif. Highway Patrol and later retired from that entity. I supported my family and attended college, grad school, and then after retirement I went back to grad school and graduated with a MS in educational psychology which was quite different than my science and law school experiences.

So I did change from law enforcement into helping middle school students that had psychological/academic issues. I began to co-facilitate group therapy sessions with students that were failing and needed help to go to the next grade. I very much enjoyed working with these wonderful young people who were in the 6th thought 8th grades, Its wonderful to see them make positive changes in their lives.

I worked with them for 10 years, and then actually retired. The good news was that almost all of them improved their grades, learned how to interact with peers in a positive way without violence, and from their feedback of their group experience their self esteem was higher.

Now to answer your question, yes I should have been in a different profession instead of law enforcement but it worked out as it was supposed to be, i.e. destiny/karma.

My wife of 45 years will retire in 1 1/2 years we will enjoy our trips and enjoy retirement together. and with our children and our grandchildren.

I hope this makes sense and sort of answered your question.

Sorry for the diversion from discourteous drivers, hope I did not offend anyone.

Good luck to all and stay safe.

jensad

fezo · October 2009

Makes tons of sense to me.

I've known a lot of cops of different sorts over the years and I can't think of any that weren't counting the days to get out by the time they were halfway there. It's a tough, often thankless job that has to get done.

tallman1 · October 2009

I can't think of too many retired people who aren't grateful to be in that position. As someone who was able to retire early, every person I know is jealous of my position.

Besides, even if someone loved their work and truly missed it, I'll bet there has been at least one time in their life when they haven't made a statement like that, especially in jensad's position.

euphonium · October 2009

Thank you for your reply. I now understand that Educational Psychology was where you wanted to be and I admire that pursuit. It takes a lot of moxie to deal with the emotions that range from the 7th grade boy to the 9th grade girl. What impresses me is that you advanced all on your own with personal drive knowing the goals could be reached. Congratulations on a job well done.

stever · October 2009

"In a new study of college undergraduates, those with a common genetic variation scored 20 percent worse in a driving simulator than their counterparts."

The upshot is that one in three people are more prone to car accidents.

Dont Tell Geico: You May Be a Natural Born Bad Driver (Wired)

munchvin · October 2009

With limited enforcement of motor vehicle laws, a larger percentage of drivers are much more aggressive than previously on the roads. Consideration for other drivers has fallen and it is much more dangerous to even drive in a slow lane versus excessive speeds in the passing lanes.

elias · November 2009

not true around here (MA), munchvin. our state police force may be the biggest in USA by some metrics, and uses many unmarked vehicles. and they are particularly targetting people who hammer it in the right lane. I see it every day -
enforcement around here is 'unlimited' lately - greatly increased compared to a few years ago.

stever · November 2009

Had to go to town this morning for an appointment and returning around noon, a woman pulled out of a Starbucks across the 4 lane collector street from me. She straddled a small part of the right turn lane as she was waiting to turn left. I was turning right and she pulled out and assumed that I'd stick to the right lane as she landed in the left one. She was really glued to her cell phone.

My BP was almost immediately eased by the sight of a guy in the next block out walking 3 llamas on the sidewalk (this was still in view of the capitol building, but perhaps 3/4ths of a mile from the downtown core).

british_rover · November 2009

Yeah but this is Idaho you still have some unpaved streets in the capital doncha? :P

stever · November 2009

You laugh but some places are returning to gravel roads since they are cheaper to maintain. I think it's happening in the Dakotas, but I could see it happening more around here, at least outside the air quality attainment areas. I'm about 1.5 miles from a gravel road if I want to go play drift racer in the Outback.

xwesx · November 2009

I can't imagine driving on a gravel road. I am so glad we don't have any of those around here.

stever · November 2009

lol, I see where someone fell into the Chena River up there in Fairbanks already. Guess it really doesn't count since she was on foot and trying to rescue her dog that fell through the ice.

tjc78 · November 2009

I can't imagine driving on a gravel road

Being from NJ I didn't even know we still had gravel roads in this country. I was in Montana (Helena area) and went to dinner with my customer and was stunned when we drove about a half hour on a gravel road complete with a route# and S/L signs!

stever · November 2009

Guess it was Michigan I was thinking about.

"It takes about $10,000 to grind up a mile of pavement and put down gravel. It takes more than $100,000 to repave a mile of road."

british_rover · November 2009

Yeah I think I saw something about Michigan doing the same thing for some of the rural roads there.

It makes sense in lesser traveled areas to do that especially with the frost heaves you get in that part of the country.

xwesx · November 2009

Yeah; it is finally getting chilly here. Last night was our first below-zero night of the season! It is amazing that we are into November before that happened, but I'll take it!

At least the gal was rescued and nobody came away with any serious injuries. Not as foolish as the guy who jumped into a geyser to save his dog - that one didn't turn out so well.

I was joking regarding the gravel road comment - most of the roads in Alaska are gravel. I have not been in New Jersey more than a couple of hours in my life, but given the level of urbanization there, I would not be surprised if gravel was a rare surface. I suspect that Montana is more like Alaska than any other state in the union; well, except they have far more roads and much higher speed limits.

tjc78 · November 2009

I suspect that Montana is more like Alaska than any other state in the union; well, except they have far more roads and much higher speed limits

I couldn't believe that the two laners are posted at 70 and the once limit-less highways are at 75. There is a whole lot of nothing. I was traveling between two towns on the highway about 80 miles, cruise on 84 mph and never touched the pedals. Just a wee bit different than Jersey

jensad · November 2009

Hate to say it steve, but Idaho sounds abit like the Bay Area of Berkeley Ca.

My wife is up in Idaho Falls at a Del Monte conference. When she calls tonite, I'll tell her to look for 3 llamas but if I do, she will think I am more nuts then she thought!!

Also thanks to all for your comments about my work endeavors.

Good luck to all and stay safe.

jensad

stever · November 2009

Just found the Idaho stats - we have 18,435 miles of asphalt roads and 13,262 miles of gravel.

For those who don't get the Chena River reference, every year it freezes over and people drive over it in one (or two?) spots as a shortcut. And every year a car or two breaks through the ice.

Unless they've fenced off the shortcuts finally xwesx?

xwesx · November 2009

No, people still drive over it. Even when it is "fenced off," people still go over, through, or around the barricades. The ice roads are actually not overly unsafe; it is when people drive off the roads and go up or down river that it can be a problem. Due to heat pollution, there are many spots on the river that have thin ice and/or open water depending on the ambient temperatures, so you really must know the river to safely take a vehicle on it.

Add to that the typically deep snow pack that covers the ice, and it can make for a challenging set of conditions.

For the longest time (or so I hear), University Avenue did not include a bridge over the Chena River. The road simply ended on each side of the shore. In the summer, drivers had to go all the way through Fairbanks to use the Cushman Street bridge in order to access the other side. During winter, they could drive over the river. The installation of a power plant in Fairbanks put an end to that, though, as the ice never gets thick enough to support a vehicle now. I am not sure when the bridge was installed, probably sometime in the early 70s, but it was a long time before I moved here.

xwesx · November 2009

Where did you find that information regarding Idaho road surfaces?

imidazol97 · November 2009

>For those who don't get the Chena River reference, every year it freezes over and people drive over it in one (or two?) spots as a shortcut. And every year a car or two breaks through the ice.

Sort of like "Ice Road Truckers"!!!!!

british_rover · November 2009

Good chance the Idaho Transportation department has that info. If not them then maybe the Federal DOT does.

stever · November 2009

I got that info from this link. Took some digging to find it.

Local Highway Technical Assistance Council

It's probably at the DOT somewhere too like Brit says.

xwesx · November 2009

Fantastic. Thanks, fellas! Alaska DOT did have the information you listed (but for Alaska). Pretty striking numbers, really.

One can pretty much guarantee that close to 100% of the "unkown" roads are gravel or less...

So, in the entire state of Alaska, there are 15329 miles of public roads. Of those, ~32% are paved. Just over 15,000 miles of road within an area of 586,412 square miles. Heck, we have over twice as many miles of shoreline as we do roads.

snakeweasel · November 2009

Gee that's almost 140 feet of road per square mile. Chicago, on the other hand, has 21.5 miles of road per square mile (about 4,300 miles of road in about 200 square miles).

british_rover · November 2009

Grr try this again...

30% of people are genetically predisposed to drive poorly

Wow that explains a lot.

euphonium · November 2009

Hopefully the auto insurance industry will be able to discern those who have a propensity to drive poorly and increase their premiums accordingly. Wouldn't it be interesting to know what other adverse propensities will come to light as well?

oregonboy · November 2009

Typically, specific genetic anomolies tend to be more common in specific racial groups, like sicle-cell anemia in black populations. If this "poor driver trait" was most prevelent in a minority population, it would be politically incorrect to attempt to adust their rates. :P

stever · November 2009

Really bad parking job is really good PR for Hyundai (walletpop.com)

tallman1 · November 2009

Way cool. :shades:

210delray · November 2009

I agree, cool!

I wonder if the "perp" will be able to weasle out of this one.

The reason I say this is that my co-worker's wife had her car struck in a hit-and-run incident in a parking lot. There was a witness who recorded the license number of the car that left the scene, but didn't get a good description of the driver. When the case went to trial, the woman owner of the car got off because it couldn't be proved that she was driving the car at the time of the incident. :sick:

Inconsiderate Drivers (share your stories, etc.)

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