Inconsiderate Drivers (share your stories, etc.)

imidazol97 · January 2006

I can't see how the design makes it more likely than any other brand of stalk-controlled high beams to get switched without knowing. The high beam symbol lights up in the speedometer cluster too.

I have switched mine if I'm clumsy getting in or out and touch the lever or it catches on a coat sleeve.

mark156 · January 2006

Imidaz.... it IS easy on the LeSabre and many other GM products with the same stalk configuration for a person to accidently engage the high beams. I also see this on the big GM vans. This stalk is the cheapest I've ever seen. It feels like it is going to break in your hand when using it.

In my Mercedes and Land Rover, you push the turning signal stalk towards the dash for the high beams to come on, in most GM cars, you have to pull the stalk towards you for it to click. Older people, apparently, don't have much flexibility in there hands and accidently pull the stalk in while maneuvering the turning signal in the up or down position.

Try if for yourself in a GM car with that "cheap" lever and you will see what I am talking about.

And just a note, older folks don't look to see if the "blue" high beam light is on, they just look forward because, as you know, they will drive with their turning signals on too! :surprise:

Mark

snakeweasel · January 2006

Just remembered that 15 years or so ago it happened that when I was getting into my car my coat pocket managed to catch the turn signal level as I was entering in my car. Now this action broke off the turn signal level and as it did this it turned on the brights. I had no way to turn them off and since it was winter most of my driving was at night.

yep so I drove with the brights on that night, but got I dropped it of at the service station the next morning and got it fixed.

carlisimo · January 2006

My '91 Toyota Tercel was fine until about last year. At that point the turn signal + high beam stalk connection wore down. When I flicked it to turn, it would easily go forwards and turn on the high beams.

Got it mostly fixed by playing around with it... turns out there were crumbs in there. I blame my siblings.

mark156 · January 2006

I go to Walgreens to see if my photo's are ready and what do I see... an older lady backing out in her 1978 Buick Riviera with the brights on. It's not dark outside but it was very overcast. Those cars have the "dreaded" cheap GM stalk (my parents also had a 1977 Olds 88 with the same stalk).

Then, coming home after having dinner with my Dad (dark outside), I see a late model Oldsmobile Alero with their high beams on.... blinding everyone coming towards them. The street is very well lit, has 2 lanes each way with a center turning lane.

Make a point to notice what brand of cars that you see with their brights on and I think you will see a lot GM's with this problem. :sick:

Mark

andre1969 · January 2006

with most of those GM stalks, but it was probably because I was raised on cars from that generation that used that stalk, so to me it's not that bad. Plus, I've owned a few Mopars from that era, and trust me, compared to them the GM stalk feels like utter and total perfection! I swear, the stalk on my '79 NYer feels like it's going to break off in my hand.

Now one thing I did notice, when I bought my '76 LeMans, is that I tend to engage the high beams when I'd use the turn signal. The LeMans stalk seems a bit different from the later cars though...much more sensitive. I think that was the first year you could get the stalk-mounted high-beam switch on the LeMans (it only came on the Grand LeMans, and the base version still had the floor mounted bulb...in fact my '76 actually has a rubber plug down there where the bulb would have been) So maybe they were still experimenting with the feel of it, and improved the design on the later cars? Although I can hear some of you snickering at my suggestion that they actually IMPROVED it! :P

210delray · January 2006

I didn't realize GM put the high-beam control on the turn signal stalk before the '77 model year. I thought the all-new B/C bodies for that year were the first.

Back to my cross-country drive, all in all, there was really no inconsiderate driving that stands out. Of course, there were no OTHER drivers, period, on some stretches (like 3 oncoming vehicles in about 150 miles on US 6 in Nevada, and NONE going our direction).

And we even had some very considerate truckers pull over on steep upgrades in WV to let us by.

Plus going the legal 75 mph in Utah on a short stretch of I-70 allowed us to enjoy passing all the semis (with none tailgating and passing us).

Oh yeah, there was one idiot in a small car (Hyundai or Kia I believe) who passed us on double yellow line on an uphill curve in eastern Nevada. Then he (she?) proceeded to pass the UPS truck in front of us in the same manner. It was unbelievable how long he spent in the oncoming lane -- clearly he didn't have a Hemi.

I didn't toot or flash him. Figured he'd be dead meat if an oncoming SUV hit him.

euphonium · January 2006

"one idiot in a small car" Kamakaze's usually drive small, underpowered, 4 cyl, Japanese makes. The Japanese
Mitsubushi manufactured the Zero fighter in WW II. It too had a high rev engine and the fuselage didn't have any armour protection (for weight reduction) which made them extremely vulernable.

carlisimo · January 2006

The Zero got great mileage too!

snakeweasel · January 2006

Yeah but it didn't get past the turkey shoot.

xwesx · January 2006

Haha.... probably. There's a law for everything, but, as with all aspects of life, thinking individuals must learn to mull through all the noise to get at that the heart of the matter.

mark156 · January 2006

On our local news last night a women was caught robbing two credit unions.

The story goes.... A black women and her 2 year old baby go to our local Mercedes-Benz dealer to test drive a 2004 Land Rover Range Rover. During the test drive, she hijacks the car from the salesman and goes on a robbery spree. She was caught and the baby was put into protective custody.

I would love to find out what happened to the salesman. I'll have to ask my service guy the next time I see him.

Mark

xwesx · January 2006

Hooray! I agree with this method. I've been flashed may share of times and I usually have only my low beams illuminated. I do not mind it and simply give a quick flash back to let the oncoming driver know that WYSIWYG! The only time I get annoyed is when an oncoming driver waits until the vehicles are within a few lengths of each other and then flips on the highs to give me a nice blinding out of spite. I had a night in Canada with heavy rains when a bunch of them were doing it (though I was only using my lows and nobody else on the road had ever flashed me for my lows before) just that way and I tell you what, I got darned fast with my "take that!" reaction. I mean, what was the point to flashing me at all if not for spite? It certainly was not to let me know the other driver felt I had highs on and to ask me to dim them.

xwesx · January 2006

Speaking of adjustments, most of the times I get blinded by a headlight... it's only one of the headlights. Which (I assume) means an adjustment problem.

I have a headlight like this on my Subaru, but I am all but certain it does not affect oncoming drivers. The problem is that the assembly is mounted with plastic mounts and those mounts are all broken. There is no way to adjust it and have it actually stay put. I could replace the assembly for about $300, but since it is aiming to the far right of the roadway, I'd say the trees have more reason to be upset.

imidazol97 · January 2006

Maybe you should check your low beams' aim or have a garage do it if you're not comfortable doing it

xwesx · January 2006

No, it happens when I drive my '69 Chevy and I think it is a result of the sealed beams I am using. They are much brighter than stock, but mostly because they spread the beam out a lot more to light up the peripheral of the vehicle - a traditionally dark area when using the old round sealed beams. I have them aimed correctly, though I do not make provision for the driver's side lamp like I have seen done on "eastern" cars. When running empty, I have no problems. But, I often run with loads... I mean REAL loads, and though it takes a lot to make it squat, it will squat and raise the beams up.

It might bother oncoming drivers when it happens, but they'll get over it and it is rare enough that it is not worth re-aiming them so that I can only see effectively if I happen to be hauling a load. I think it is mostly a combination of the truck sitting up higher than a sedan, the squat, and the extra intensity of the bulbs.

imidazol97 · January 2006

I understand. I always like foggy days because I can see where the beam of the headlight is aimed and then I can make adjustments on a dark street or after I get home. But yours is because the rear suspension is changing due to weight.

loncray · January 2006

In Virginia, headlight aim is one of the things checked every year at inspection time - xwesx' would NEED to buy a new assembly or his car won't pass inspection. Does anyone live in another state that checks this?

imidazol97 · January 2006

Ohio doesn't check. Apparently the mechanics lobby hasn't been able to get the checks implemented to bring them business. Ohio just gave in to the whining of a small group and got rid of its effete E-Check pollution check done to get cars that are polluting and aren't maintained off the road.

Now they'll complain about the gasoline they're going to have to pay more for and have to use to reduce pollution statewide.

xwesx · January 2006

Actually, the state of Virginia was the one of which I was thinking when I mentioned "eastern" light adjustments.

That damned state is ridiculous in the amount of inspection requirements (and cost and frequency). I knew someone for a short while who had lived in Virginia and I asked her about all the stickers she had cluttering up her windshield. She said, "Well, this one is for headlights, this one is for emmisions, this one is for...." Driving the car, the driver's headlamp was near useless because of how low and to the right it was aimed - but hey, at least it did not glare at the oncoming drivers! Apparently, the car would not pass inpsection if there were any blemishes in the windshield etc.

So, between my 20+ rock dings in my windshield, my buggered headlight, the tear in my bumper, and probably the mileage of the car in general, I'd likely be out a good vehicle or a hefty chunk of change were I foolish enough to live in Virginia - where form precedes function.

210delray · January 2006

Well, I've lived in VA for over 26 years, and it's not that bad. The frequency of inspections was reduced from two to one a year in the early or mid 80s, and I've never had my lights re-aimed from the factory settings.

Also my old Volvo 240 had a lot of pitting and scratching on the windshield (no dings though), and it was never flunked for that. My wife did eventually make me replace the windshield because it was dangerous when driving into low sun.

Besides, if you find a local "drunken Dave" like we had here (before the police busted him), you could get a new sticker with hardly a glance from his mechanic. (It took Dave longer to write the VIN and other info on the new sticker than the "inspection" itself.) I swear I only used him once, on my then-one-year-old Camry, as if there'd be anything wrong with it.

The inspection cost increased a few years ago from $10 to $15, but coupons for free inspection aren't hard to come by.

Emissions testing is required only in the large metro areas, as is true in most other states.

BTW, technically VA is a commonwealth, not a state.

snakeweasel · January 2006

That means Stupid Little Sports Cars. driving home yesterday turning left from one two lane road to another. Well two cars in front of me was this SLSC (we will call him SLSC1) and approaching the intersection from the other direction with his right turn signal on was another SLSC (lets call him SLSC2). Well SLSC1 had enough time to make the left turn but just barely, actually he should have waited because there was no traffic behind SLSC2.

Well as soon as SLSC1 starts to make the left turn SLSC2 guns it and races around the turn at what appeared to be an unsafe speed almost hitting SLSC1. Now SLSC2 rides the rear end of SLSC1 flashing his brights and both are racing down this two lane road.

210delray · January 2006

Well, it goes without saying you know the types of people who are attracted to such vehicles....

This reminds me of a situation many years back. I made a right turn on red onto a 2-lane road from a 4-lane divided highway. At the same time, an Escort (2-door I think) was beginning a left turn from the opposing direction on a green arrow. I knew he was coming, but easily had enough time to get in front of him without hindering his progress, because of the width of the intersection.

Well, he wasn't going to have any of it, so he roared up on my rear (I still had my '90 Sable at the time) and started flashing his lights at me. I just pulled off to the right and let him go, even though I live less than a mile up the road. Why bother with the aggravation, I thought?

I suppose an Escort ZX2 qualifies as a psuedo-SLSC.

xwesx · January 2006

That is interesting - I wonder why her headlight was set so incredibly far out of whack if "factory settings" are okay? This definitely was NOT a factory setting. I wonder if there are discretionary differences between inspection points. She was living in an "urban" area, though I cannot remember which, so additional inspections applied to her. I think she said she spent around $150 a year on them. Thanks for letting me know, though - helps me reduce my unusually blunt bias against those eastern...... locations - I've never been one to like dense populations.

snakeweasel · January 2006

I suppose an Escort ZX2 qualifies as a psuedo-SLSC.

Yeah I suppose so same with the Focus. A while back I was with a friend driving the Caddy we were driving through the country with the cruise control set at 75 or so. When we hit the towns we always disengaged the cruise and do speed limit through town and re-engage when we get out of town.

Well one time as we were leaving a small town that had a speed limit of about 35 MPH a Focus decided to try and pass us just as I hit the resume button on the cruise. He was just starting to get a head of us when the throttle kicked in almost full blast and left him in the dust.

xwesx · January 2006

Delray, didn't you know that it was THEIR lane!?! Hahhaa.... the "ZX2 Parkway."

This reminds me of when one is making a left turn into a single lane where someone else is turning right and the right turner (obviously having ROW) stops to wait for the left turner because the driver entered the intersection already (to wait for a safe opportunity to turn, as is the correct procedure).

Or, even better, when there are TWO lanes of travel in the direction a left turner plans to go and so the driver takes the turn because the only oncoming traffic is someone taking a right turn. Then, the right turner (or left turner, as I've seen that done as well) turns into the wrong (far) lane either cutting off the other driver or being cut off and proceeding to honk and mouth profanities at the other driver for driving correctly. People are amazing.

I had a good one a week ago. I came up to a large intersection at which the lights were all flashing red rather than their appropriate cycling. This is simple enough - just treat it as a 4-way stop and proceed with caution. Well, there was this fella in a Camry (not making any stereotypes here) on my left who wanted to go straight across the intersection. He was there before I ever even made it to the intersection (I was in a left turn lane) and should have gone just about the time I got there. But.... he didn't. So, I think about it and figure that this person is just feeling uneasy about crossing a large intersection without a dedicated green light. Lately, I have taken to trying not to give up on such people by just ignoring the person and going because all that does is add to the person's uncertainty. So, I chose to wait - hoping the person would get the hint that it was HIS turn! Well, he didn't get the hint because drivers from all other points in the intersection just kept ignoring him and going. Finally, I rolled down my window, pointed at him, and then emphatically pointed down the road in his intended path. Amazingly, he went! Unfortunately, I doubt he understood when it was he actually should have gone, but at least we got him across safely!

xwesx · January 2006

Oh..... isn't that the best?

I think it is hilarious (yet annoying) when I'm driving between Fairbanks and Anchorage in the winter months. I always drive within 5 of the SL up here unless conditions warrant something slower (Alaska is one of those places where there are no roadways on which sustained faster speeds are reasonably safe... in my opinion). So, I am on the Parks driving 70 and a SL reduction warning comes up for a 55 (or less) zone ahead. I dump the throttle and let it slow to within 5 of the new zone, pass through that zone, then resume speed once I enter the new zone. Most other drivers on the road go much slower than me in the winter months on the open road, but many of them do NOT slow down for the towns along the way. So, they drive 60 or so on the open road and keep up that pace through the 45. Invariably, I will get one of these yahoos passing me about 100 yards short of the resume sign in a no-passing zone only for me to overtake them 1/2 mile up the road. :mad:

snakeweasel · January 2006

Ok this guy almost literally blew me away. While filling up I notice some idiot (yes idiot is the perfect word for him, well the perfect word that Edmunds would let me use) who just finished filling up his car take out a cigar and while still standing next to the gas pump start to light it (the cigar not the gas pump silly).

I tell you that is a perfect example of someone just to stupid to live.

xrunner2 · January 2006

who just finished filling up his car take out a cigar and while still standing next to the gas pump start to light it

Not anywhere near as bad, but I regularly see people fail to shut off their engines when filling up. Signs are prominently posted on this matter. I will generalize and say that more often than not, it is a pickup, and usually one with loud exhaust. Is this inconsiderate or what? And, these folks most always pay cash, so they leave their vehicles running while paying.

snakeweasel · January 2006

A few gas stations that I have gone to apparently monitor that. On more than one occasion as I was filling up I heard on the stations PA system "Pump number X turn off your engine before we can authorize the pump".

hammerhead · January 2006

Almost as bad as folks who smoke with nasal cannulas of oxygen in their noses!

Cheers!
Paul

xwesx · January 2006

I see this ALL the time during the winter months in Fairbanks. I only do it when temps drop to less than -35 to -40F (or C, take your pick!) because it is so cold at that point it takes a LONG time to heat the car and only a few moments for it to chill back down. After standing out in the cold for a fill up, I'm ready to warm back up, not continue to freeze behind the wheel.

As for the other folks who do it all winter long? Apparently they feel the same way as me, except at any temps below +40F!

imidazol97 · January 2006

I do it when the temps below 35 F (positive in my case) but I touch the metal door frame as I get out and I touch the car and then the gas nozzle to discharge static.

snakeweasel · January 2006

Thought I would share this. One of our towns fire stations is along my commute. This station sits at a corner with a traffic light with a traffic light on the other side of the station about 1/8th a mile down. All the traffic lights in town have sensors that detect the flashing lights of an emergency vehicle and change all the signals to red except for the light for the emergency vehicle which gets a green light.

Well this station everyday during rush hour checks its equipment including the lights in the driveway of the station. The sensors on the traffic lights would pick up these lights and act accordingly thereby stopping traffic in all directions while the fire department checks its equipment.

docnukem · January 2006

A fire truck caused my only accident. I was in rush hour traffic approaching a large, congested intersection. I was about 1/3 of the way through a few seconds after the light had changed, when an engine coming from my left turned on the siren. A blue-hair-driven Buick two cars ahead of me decided to stop while still in the intersection. While I was trying to get through the intersection and looking for the location of the siren, I rear-ended the Blazer in front of me. We pulled off to the side beyond the intersection to do the exchange. Five minutes later, the engine is coming back the other way and stops to see if everything is all right. I think the crew decided that they didn't want to wait at the long light and just cruise on through. Returning moments later told me it couldn't have been an emergency.

snakeweasel · January 2006

Five minutes later, the engine is coming back the other way and stops to see if everything is all right. I think the crew decided that they didn't want to wait at the long light and just cruise on through. Returning moments later told me it couldn't have been an emergency.

Its very likely that they were recalled, it happens at times. false alarms and the like.

docnukem · January 2006

No, I understand. It is still my fault for not paying attention to what was in front of me. But the Buick stopping in the intersection and the fire truck contributed. I also should have mentioned that the truck was not coming from a fire station, it was just on the street and turned on its siren as it was arriving at the intersection. Yes, it may have just then received the call, but the timing and the return trip was suspicious (not as suspicious as if I had seen powdered sugar on their fingers and shoes when they returned, though). That particular intersection always took a long time to get through at that time of day.

xwesx · January 2006

Now that you mention it, there is a TRAIN that goes through town at about 1715 EVERY day of the week and crosses easily one of the busiest roads in town and shuts it down for about 10 minutes. By the time the train is gone, it takes 30-40 minutes for traffic to finally decongest.

Additionally, we have another road in town that has a light-controlled intersection fairly close to either side of the point where these same tracks intersect it. When the train is crossing, both intersections completely shut down (solid reds all around) until the train passes. I can understand shuting down the incoming lanes, but the outgoing or totally uneffected lanes? There's something moronic about that. If I find myself in one of these lanes when a train is going through, I just stop, look, and go. My time is too valuable for such patronization. I guess the city must not be able to afford more appropriate traffic control equipment.

carlisimo · January 2006

We have the same superslow train problem here (possibly the NUMMI plant's fault) but cross traffic at the nearby intersection gets flashing reds. Works out pretty well until traffic backs up enough, that you can't get into the left-turn pocket.

black_tulip · January 2006

Yesterday while returning from work, I saw everyone was passing a Lexus ES 330 on the right. The Lexus was doing no more than 60 in a 65 zone. When I got close, I got a chuckle from his personalized license plate, which read "U R DUST"!

Then again, it could be a religious reference-"dust to dust"...

hammerhead · January 2006

Snake: We have a similar system in my department. Bring this item to the attention of either the station officer or the department administration. There's no reason those guys can't check the lights inside. I oughta know

Cheers!
Paul

snakeweasel · January 2006

Where I used to live there was this one intersection that had train tracks running at a slight angle to an east/west direction. It crossed the east/west road about 100 feet east of the intersection and the north/south road about 20 feet north of the intersection with a commuter station just east of the first crossing. Of course this would stop traffic in all directions when a train would come through. When the gates went up the east/west road got the first green.

The big problem is that during rush hour trains would stop at the station to load and unload passengers. The east bound trains were not a problem as the got to the station after passing the intersection but the west bound ones would tie up traffic sitting in the station. To make matters worse the timing of trains often ment another train going the other way would hit the intersection with in a minute of that train leaving the station. Thus allowing the east/west road a green light but getting to the intersection before the north/south road got a green light.

There have been times where I would get caught by this mess and wait 15-20 minutes for a green light, and it would back up traffic for over a mile.

snakeweasel · January 2006

Ok I am going home last night. I am in a line of cars going through a 4 way stop with another 4 way stop not far beyond that and a traffic light not far beyond that. During rush hour it is not unlikely that traffic backs up through these intersections. Well the car right in front of me goes through the intersection but stops immediately after getting trough because of traffic. Now if I go through and stop behind him I will be stopping in the middle of the intersection so I stay and wait for traffic ahead of me to clear.

Well almost immediately the guy behind me lays on his horn. I guess he wanted me to block the intersection because no one was moving in front of us.

euphonium · January 2006

When that happens to me, I just turn on my 4 Way flashers and wait. Sometimes the bum comes up to my window and asks what's the problem. That's when I say something like, "Bitter - sprechen ze doitch?" They just go back to their cars shaking their heads.

xwesx · January 2006

Eech.... the next time I am held up by the local trains, I will remember your story and feel much better.

xwesx · January 2006

Hahaha.... this was so frustrating it was hilarious.

I was the driver of this "inconsiderate" automobile. At lunchtime today, I volunteered to gopher a much-needed box of packaging tape. The mission was to drive about 4 miles across town, fetch the box (for which I had arranged pickup in advance to preclude delays!), and return ASAP. No problem, I think. The only kink.... I do not have a vehicle with me today. The manager tosses me her keys and gives me a quick tutorial on the intricacies of her auto-start system (she has a 2001 manual Subaru OBW).

I get in the car, follow all instructions perfectly and things are going smoothly until I am just about to drive out onto the roadway. As I am slowing to a stop, the car shuts off. Not stalls... but shuts off. I try to restart, and it does not respond. Scratching my head, I proceed to start from square one (as if it is parked and shut off) and follow her directions precisely. No luck... car will not respond. I try the key again.... it works! Yay... though it took me about a minute to get it started. I drive about 1/2 mile.... the car shuts off again as I'm driving down the road. I follow the same procedure and eventually it starts back up. Another mile down the road.... same thing. ARGH!!!

Once I get it going again, I make it a full two miles without any further problems. Then, at a light with a loaded tractor-trailer behind me, I stall the stupid thing and end up with the same drama as the random shut-down scenario. So now I have a green light, a dead car, and a tractor driver tooting his horn at me and probably seething because I had pulled ahead of him in that lane not long before the light - I can completely empathize, but there's nothing to do but go through the same tedious startup procedure.

As I am in the midst of getting it restarted, the driver of the other rig maneuvers his truck into the right lane and waits for the next available green. As the light turns green again I get the car started. Just after the intersection, the right lane merges with the left, so I could either jump off the light and get ahead of the tractor since he was loaded down, or be polite and wait for him since I had no idea if the car would shut off on me again during the next stretch of roadway. I went ahead and did the polite thing. As we were crossing the intersection, he obviously knew I could have passed him up, so when I held back and let him go (giving him the quick double-flash of off-on-off-on to let him know he was clear of my vehicle), he responded with a quick flash of his aux backup light in appreciation and hopefully his blood pressure dropped back to normal. Whew - it's tough to make ammends on the roadway these days!

Without further complication, I made it to the vendor and almost back to my workplace before it shut off again, and then no more complications.

That was the first time I had ever driven a Subaru manual, and I tell you, that clutch had a very precise trigger point! Not too big of a deal except that I had to give it some gas as well or it would stall and I am used to driving my '69 C20 pickup which does not need any gas from a stop so my timing was a bit shaky. I did well enough for only stalling it once, but darn the shut down! The car's owner was baffled by it and is convinced I did not have the key in the correct position so the autostart was shutting the car down. Far be it for me to argue. I was just glad to make it back!

xwesx · January 2006

Oy. I am a terrible storyteller. I need to figure out how to leave all the details OUT and make the story interesting (AND CONCISE!).

All apologies.

mark156 · January 2006

210delray · January 2006

Me too! Easy to understand.

I'm still amazed that there's so much traffic in Alaska, of all places!

snakeweasel · January 2006

Gee when I lived in Kodiak we considered one car in front of you a major traffic jam.

Anyways I have a friend that lives in a average sized southern ILL town. The main road is so congested it is almost impossible to make a left turn onto it. Yet every road that leads into/out of town is empty. Its almost like the town hires people to drive up and down the street.

Inconsiderate Drivers (share your stories, etc.)

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