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Inconsiderate Drivers (share your stories, etc.)

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  • ruking1ruking1 Member Posts: 19,826
    fintail said:

    That's good. I support private testing for motorcycles, as the instructors will have more skin in the game, but I am leery of privatized license exams, especially the driving test.

    On the thread topic, I was thinking of making a compilation dashcam video of non-signalers, but it's going to be too much work - sometimes it seems like signal use is below 50%. Phone use remains off the hook, too - whenever I see that idiotic underhanded turning procedure, I know a phone is involved.

    stevedebi said:



    She has to go to the DMV to get a driving test behind the wheel. She already took the written test - at the DMV.


    Here is a can do easy. (albeit anecdotal) Track signaling (either on coming or following) for a LEFT handed turn @ a guided signal LIGHT. I consistently note app 75% NON signaling.
  • fintailfintail Member Posts: 57,097
    Is that in a turn lane, or a normal lane? I can excuse no signal in a turn lane - seems redundant. But not signalling to get into the turn lane is common.
    ruking1 said:



    Here is a can do easy. (albeit anecdotal) Track signaling (either on coming or following) for a LEFT handed turn @ a guided signal LIGHT. I consistently note app 75% NON signaling.

  • ruking1ruking1 Member Posts: 19,826
    edited March 2015
    fintail said:

    Is that in a turn lane, or a normal lane? I can excuse no signal in a turn lane - seems redundant. But not signalling to get into the turn lane is common.


    ruking1 said:



    Here is a can do easy. (albeit anecdotal) Track signaling (either on coming or following) for a LEFT handed turn @ a guided signal LIGHT. I consistently note app 75% NON signaling.

    Either and/or both should yield similar results (right turns also) . For me, the reason/s why one SIGNAL/s light/sans light, really does not change: to tell/show those behind (and in front, sans signal) what one is going to do. The more automatic reaction(signaling) the better!
  • ruking1ruking1 Member Posts: 19,826
    edited March 2015
    This has to be a good one ! I hope Fintail can catch a North Western version.

    http://lanesplitter.jalopnik.com/this-is-why-you-dont-road-rage-on-two-wheels-1691454862/+Kyosuke
  • fintailfintail Member Posts: 57,097
    Good point on the signal in a turn only lane thing - it is redundant, but the lowest common denominator needs all the reminder they can get - as lane markings and signs aren't enough. Speaking of turns, caught another turner from a straight only lane, but it made me launch a profane tirade, so I didn't upload it :)

    I wouldn't be surprised if motorcycle ridership here is among the lowest, per capita, than anywhere in the lower 48. Weather here often isn't good for it, and in cities, the local "driving" skill makes it Russian roulette.
  • xwesxxwesx Member Posts: 16,762
    fintail said:

    it made me launch a profane tirade, so I didn't upload it :)

    You can just cut out the audio track or replace it with something else (like elevator music - LOL). Camtasia is a fairly affordable software that does this well. I'm not sure if there is "freeware" available that does it.
    2018 Subaru Crosstrek, 2014 Audi Q7 TDI, 2013 Subaru Forester, 1969 Chevrolet C20, 1969 Ford Econoline 100, 1976 Ford F250
  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    Last I checked, you could grab copies of Movie Maker free from Microsoft and use it to edit clips and audio. VLC works too and it's open source.
  • fintailfintail Member Posts: 57,097
    I think the software that came with the camera might even allow it, Oh well, file is gone now, but there will be another.
  • hammerheadhammerhead Member Posts: 907
    edited March 2015
    There are a boatload of motorcycles (pardon the mixed metaphor) over here, fin... and given our incredibly unseasonable weather, they (yours truly included) have been out in droves. But riding in the rain is no fun for the sane among us.


  • fintailfintail Member Posts: 57,097
    True, but the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue MSA does have over 3.5MM people, so there should be a few. It's that time when the 1100lb cruisers are dusted off.

    I think per capita though, it is lower - at least compared to places I have been. Sunnier places, but most are. I live in Bellevue, still can't see risking it on weekdays here, given the quality of local motorist stock, and how it doesn't seem to be improving. I know of a few bad incidents within a short distance from me, due to local talent. And I have no wet riding desire, either. I was on a pretty big kick to get a bike, but it seems to have waned, I started worrying about storage. About a half block from me, someone has a Ducati hypermotard, and when I see it, I want it. It's always parked outside too, tempting :)
  • jjackson12jjackson12 Member Posts: 46
    fintail said:

    sometimes it seems like signal use is below 50%.

    I came from a town so small that turn signals weren't required. Everyone already knew where you were going! :D
  • ruking1ruking1 Member Posts: 19,826
    edited March 2015
  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    Dang, one of the commentors knows my excuse for when I wreck:

    "Officer, there was a bee or wasp in the car, I was stopped and needed to get it out of the car quickly."
  • isellhondasisellhondas Member Posts: 20,342
    Well, I HATE bees and I have to tell a not so funny story.

    One day, a huge black bumble bee got into my car while I was driving. I yanked the car off the road and I flew out the door leaving it open of course.

    No bee.

    So I opened the other door and waited.

    No bee.

    I very carefully inspected the interior and saw nothing, heard nothing.

    Slowly I reentered the car and drove off leaving the windows open.

    The NEXT DAY, I was driving along and out of the corner of my eye, I saw it crawl out of the passenger defrost vent! Again, at record speed I pulled over and I waited.

    Ten minutes later, out it comes and it headed straight for me!

    I ran like I did in high school doing my 100 yard dash!

    Finally it decided to head elsewhere.

    I'm sure the neighbors thought I was nuts.
  • fintailfintail Member Posts: 57,097
    Lane splitting - you couldn't pay me to do that around here. Oblivious driving combined with the famously passive-aggressive population will make things messy.

    I saw an M6 Gran Coupe using signals today, I was shocked. Less shocked by an S3 going a little too fast down a narrow path/road, no signal use as is typical for that class.
  • xwesxxwesx Member Posts: 16,762
    HILARIOUS, Isell!

    I nearly wrecked my Dad's 1979 F150 back when I was a senior in high school due to a bee (or, rather my reaction to it).

    It was late summer, I was coming home from work with the windows down, and a bumble bee sweeps in through the open driver window, hits me in the left eye, and is instantly trapped between my eye and my glasses! I have an allergy to bumble bee stings (not necessary life-threatening, but extreme swelling and discomfort is a given), so I quickly fling my glasses off and bat the bee away from my face in near-panic.

    Then, I remember I am still driving at 55 mph down the road (still pretty new to the whole driving thing at this point), look ahead, and see that I am headed off the road and into the field (narrow, no-shoulder eastern Oregon back roads aren't very forgiving to the inattentive driver). I started to over-correct, realized the error mid-way through, got control of it, and then eased it back onto the road as I came to a stop.

    There was no sign of the bee or my glasses, so I rooted around for them for about five minutes until I found them tucked between the passenger door and the bench seat, resettled my nerves, and headed home with the windows rolled UP. LOL
    2018 Subaru Crosstrek, 2014 Audi Q7 TDI, 2013 Subaru Forester, 1969 Chevrolet C20, 1969 Ford Econoline 100, 1976 Ford F250
  • fintailfintail Member Posts: 57,097
    edited March 2015
    Not going to get clips of the small things that irk me, many of which I saw this afternoon in this wonderfully diverse driving paradise:

    Civic timidly merging onto an open I90 at about 42mph, hit 45mph and then veered into the left lane with no signal.

    Beigegrey Lexus RX going 5 under, white Prius following far behind it randomly tapping brakes, some stuck behind.

    Stereotypical late model X3 that mostly wanted to stay in the left lane, but would wander over a little - I had to honk at that one.

    Oblivious young woman in a Camry blows through a red light, never a cop around of course.

    Is it possible to drive a 6cyl Infiniti without launching at 4K RPM every time, and changing lanes without signals?

  • fintailfintail Member Posts: 57,097
    Out in the fintail today, old guy in a Tribeca pulled in front of me like I wasn't there, then crawled at well under the limit. Oops, there's my horn.

    Also got behind an A6 that just had to jump a queue and get in front of people, then randomly hit the brakes and turned - hitting the signal well after the wheels started turning. Oh, there's the horn again.

    Years ago, Top Gear claimed that Audi was attracting the flamboyant jerky drivers known to love BMWs - it seems true all too often.
  • euphoniumeuphonium Member Posts: 3,425
    Since 15 March I've driven 3,000 miles on a road trip that included Cuppertino, Walnut Creek, Indio, Yosemite, & home using I-5 through OR into CA, I-280, I-680, & I-505. I-280 included a soccer mom's car rearending a stopped vehicle in which both cars were totaled. Don't know about injuries. On the way North on a state road to connect with I-5 we saw the worst crash where the two lane road turned right, but the adverse driver drove into an oncoming car head on each doing at least 55 mph. As we passed by the scene we saw CPR being applied to someone laying on the ground about 100' from the highway. Each car was so damaged, it was not determined what they were.

    CA drivers are first to launch away from a crosswalk & race each other to the next light braking hard. The bikers split lanes throwing caution to the wind. While driving 5 over the limit in the middle lane, the idiots race up to us - hugging our bumper expecting us to get out of their way while on my right is an 18 wheeler. When climbing a hill with only two lanes, it is not uncommon to see an 18 wheeler pass another. I clocked one taking 1.4 miles to slowly pass the trucker. I also noticed the truckers swing over to the center lane to allow a brother trucker to get on the freeway, but when the car wants on board, the trucker stays the course. In general, it is wise to be very alert while traversing the major highways as the Californicates don't behave any better in OR.

    The most considerate drivers were noticed in Menlo Park, Walnut Creek, & Indio. They notice our WA plates and motion us to go first at the 4 way stop signs. We arrived home w/o a scratch. PTL.
  • fintailfintail Member Posts: 57,097
    Californicators, indeed. That term is a classic here.

    This afternoon I saw a Prius blow through the new red light camera at 8th and 112th in Bellevue. He had it coming, aimlessly wandered into the intersection way too late.
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    I'm on high alert on some California freeways. Hwy 880 through Berkeley Oakland past the Bay Bridge is a pot-hole ridden, narrow-laned, booby-trapped mess of a road. New or timid drivers are dead meat on that stretch.
  • ruking1ruking1 Member Posts: 19,826
    According to a local newspaper article, that area is part of one the top 10 worst commutes in the NATION !
  • slorenzenslorenzen Member Posts: 694
    I-505 is the real racetrack whenever we visit the Walnut Creek area from Oregon. I have been passed by trucks and SUV, towing a ski boat or utility-type trailer, while my cruise was set to 85.

    Those people are crazy...

  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    I wish I can Fin's dash cam. I could convince all of you that the 880 corridor is THE worst commute in the entire country. It has a lethal combination of crazy drivers, huge trucks, enormous potholes, ruts and bumps, crossover entrances/exits, (we call them mousetraps) coastal fog, treacherous shoulders, construction delays, accidents galore and unceasing intervals of stalled "accordian" traffic.
  • xwesxxwesx Member Posts: 16,762
    You had me at "lethal." :p
    2018 Subaru Crosstrek, 2014 Audi Q7 TDI, 2013 Subaru Forester, 1969 Chevrolet C20, 1969 Ford Econoline 100, 1976 Ford F250
  • ruking1ruking1 Member Posts: 19,826
    edited April 2015

    I wish I can Fin's dash cam. I could convince all of you that the 880 corridor is THE worst commute in the entire country. It has a lethal combination of crazy drivers, huge trucks, enormous potholes, ruts and bumps, crossover entrances/exits, (we call them mousetraps) coastal fog, treacherous shoulders, construction delays, accidents galore and unceasing intervals of stalled "accordian" traffic.

    Actually the (SJMN http://www.mercurynews.com/news/ci_27823979/san-jose-sf-traffic:-getting-worse-but-still-better-than-la) article puts LA higher than the "SF" (Highway 880 corridor.) down through the SJ area. I am far from being a regular commuter on the Highway 880 drill and even less so (visitor) to the LA area, BUT I would agree that as a whole, I can see why LA tops SF and SJ in that dubious "best of the worst" competition.

    Indeed, on an anecdotal basis, I have "sampled" the commute traffic in all top ten "contenders" areas. I would add, THAT and $5.00 will get me a Starbuck's coffee and hopefully some change. ;)

    On a practical basis, a LONG commute, where a short one will do is really a defacto speed LIMITER and $$$'s fuel WASTER, In that sense the scenarios are government approved and controlled pollution generator among a plethora of other things. The real tale is in the TAPE. To,... FOLLOW the monies.

    So for example, a 27 mile commute taking 60 min to 90 mins really has an AVERAGE speed of 27 mph to 18 mph. Government statistics (obviously opaque) indicate that even in the LA area, pollution from daily commuting is only 12 to 14% of pollution. :D

  • euphoniumeuphonium Member Posts: 3,425
    And those "Call Phones" along the shoulder - do they really connect?
  • fintailfintail Member Posts: 57,097
    Where I live, we welcome new and timid drivers. Diversity! It really makes everything better. Everything. Some not-patronizing and not-irresponsible people tell me so.

    Local traffic consistently the 4th worst in the nation - and the crawlers here would definitely suffer a nervous breakdown and be eaten alive in much of CA.

    I'm on high alert on some California freeways. Hwy 880 through Berkeley Oakland past the Bay Bridge is a pot-hole ridden, narrow-laned, booby-trapped mess of a road. New or timid drivers are dead meat on that stretch.

  • MichaellMichaell Moderator Posts: 240,145
    fintail said:

    Where I live, we welcome new and timid drivers. Diversity! It really makes everything better. Everything. Some not-patronizing and not-irresponsible people tell me so.

    Local traffic consistently the 4th worst in the nation - and the crawlers here would definitely suffer a nervous breakdown and be eaten alive in much of CA.

    I'm on high alert on some California freeways. Hwy 880 through Berkeley Oakland past the Bay Bridge is a pot-hole ridden, narrow-laned, booby-trapped mess of a road. New or timid drivers are dead meat on that stretch.

    All this talk of commute horror stories makes me glad I work from home. And that the wife and daughter can commute to work on back roads and avoid the local interstate entirely.

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  • ruking1ruking1 Member Posts: 19,826
    LOL! Lately on Evening TV News, there have been a RASH of Cars crashing into HOMES !
  • fintailfintail Member Posts: 57,097
    edited April 2015
    Don't honk at an inconsiderate brave warrior out protecting and serving, he might freak out - I wonder what the pension and bennies cost for this one. Untouchable good old boys frat.
  • fintailfintail Member Posts: 57,097
    Some people are lucky, I guess.

    A major employer needs more space, and is moving from my backyard into an area that already has unbelievably bad congestion and poor infrastructure planning - maybe my employer will take over their old building, I could walk to work.
    Michaell said:


    All this talk of commute horror stories makes me glad I work from home. And that the wife and daughter can commute to work on back roads and avoid the local interstate entirely.

  • imidazol97imidazol97 Member Posts: 27,132
    VW Cabrio older small car. Stop sign edge of campus. Waits through openings for the cars that are hundreds of feet away (45 mph limit) where she could have gone. Then starts to pull out in front of one. Stops and waits through a car coming opposite direction where there was plenty of time. This is a rural road essentially.

    I honked. Her bumper sticker said "Woman for peace." Her license was pet friendly. She just raised both arms in response as if she had no opportunity to move.

    When we ended up beside her at a light she was talking away, not on cell phone, but to another woman in the car. Preoccupied.

    2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,

  • fintailfintail Member Posts: 57,097
    Shocked it wasn't a phone.

    Nothing too bad lately, save for the typical slow which the area is renowned for. I did see a big semi towing a big fire truck - have fun getting behind that thing. Oh, and an E60 M5 making a poorly planned U-turn was amusing, so few can estimate their turning radius.

    Just heard on the news that Oregon is thinking of increasing its hilariously underposted and widely questioned speed limits, the lowest in the entire PNW.
  • euphoniumeuphonium Member Posts: 3,425
    The Oregon bill has not been passed by both houses, but if it does, she will veto it due to the state's driving record that includes crashes. If I-5 is increased to 75, will the truck limit then be 65? Hope not as now they don't stop in time with the SL being 55 for them.
  • eliaselias Member Posts: 2,209
    the smart states are eliminating the different speed limits for bigrigs... hooray!
    personally i prefer to drive the roads which are all/mostly bigrigs, they are much safer drivers than car drivers , whether cruising at 80 mph or idling at 55 mph.
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    The area of 880 I was talking about is called the Nimitz Freeway---I'm not sure it was named to honor the man or to indicate that the highway had been destroyed by aircraft from the Nimitz. San Jose is a mess for traffic but the roads are actually very good. There are parts of 880 around Oakland where your car shakes so violently that you wonder if you lost a few parts backaways. I've driven on better roads in Turkey.
  • euphoniumeuphonium Member Posts: 3,425

    personally i prefer to drive the roads which are all/mostly bigrigs, they are much safer drivers than car drivers , whether cruising at 80 mph or idling at 55 mph.

    Tractors pulling triple trailers at 80 mph on I-5 is a crash to bet on. They just don't stop quickly regardless of the professional level of the ignorant drivers. If "bigrig" drivers are safer, why do they take 1.4 miles to slowly pass each other?

  • fintailfintail Member Posts: 57,097
    Watch out for trucks when you get north of Everett or so, people from the area will know what I mean.

    Oregon's speed limits are too low, trucks or no trucks. When everyone else around them does it different, one has to wonder who is right and who is wrong.
  • euphoniumeuphonium Member Posts: 3,425
    The semis can't stop on a dime like a Miata which makes slower rightfully correct. Faster always appeals to the immature, uninformed, & liberal minded individual.
  • fintailfintail Member Posts: 57,097
    edited April 2015
    The talk about semis is a tangent, my original post was about Oregon's backwards and obsolete speed limits which appeal to people who have been bypassed by time, progress, and evolution, and likely appeal to those with diminished faculties and easily swayed emotions. Let the semis move at 60, but cars can go faster. Every state surrounding Oregon has higher limits, even up in nannystate Canuckistan. Those who are too scared or lack the competency for such dull speeds can stick to the secondary roads, where they belong. When you have nowhere to go and all day to get there, sometimes it is a better choice.
  • hammerheadhammerhead Member Posts: 907
    Lots of ways to get around here and avoid
    euphonium said:

    The Oregon bill has not been passed by both houses, but if it does, she will veto it due to the state's driving record that includes crashes. If I-5 is increased to 75, will the truck limit then be 65? Hope not as now they don't stop in time with the SL being 55 for them.

    I-84 was a 75mph limit prior to the implementation of 55. 65 is absolutely boring. 70 would be better, back to 75 would make the most sense. Keep the trucks at 65 or so - their tires can't always handle the combination of speed, weight, and heat.
  • euphoniumeuphonium Member Posts: 3,425
    Keep the national speed limit on the best & least crowded roads to 70 mph. As the quality of the roads decline, so should the SL accordingly. This, naturally, will be safer for the young and inexperienced driver whose MVR is blacker than the score for Beethoven's 5th because he thought he could handle that which in the end handled him.
  • fintailfintail Member Posts: 57,097
    I don't believe I have seen any credible data claiming the SL is too high for road quality - even as our infrastructure continues to slowly decay while we endlessly fund a failed war on "drugs" and infinite profit-based foreign action, et al. Speed isn't the issue, and the roads are safer than ever, even with limits that finally came out of the 70s dark ages, and with endless distractions. Plenty of data supports that. Maybe the timid and those with diminished capability should simply keep off the interstates. The secondary road network is still in existence, and is often competent, for those who don't care about time.
  • euphoniumeuphonium Member Posts: 3,425
    Understand Canada rates DUI a felony. Americans with a DUI on their record are turned back at the border. Those folk who have been denied the privilege of entering BC & other areas of Canada, often refer to our friendly neighbor as the nannystate Canuckistan.
  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    My understanding is that Canada just has civil and criminal offenses. No "felonies". Lots of Alaskans started getting turned back at the border ~10 years ago when customs started checking DUI offenses more closely. Screwed up a lot of people's travel plans. A little time (and money) can usually get you "rehabilitated" and allowed entry.
  • fintailfintail Member Posts: 57,097
    edited April 2015
    So what? Another weird tangent. This was about speed limits.

    And yes, Canada doesn't have "felonies" per se. Money can solve all similar problems, no matter where it comes from.
    euphonium said:

    Understand Canada rates DUI a felony. Americans with a DUI on their record are turned back at the border. Those folk who have been denied the privilege of entering BC & other areas of Canada, often refer to our friendly neighbor as the nannystate Canuckistan.

  • euphoniumeuphonium Member Posts: 3,425
    Note: One can not "speed" in Canada when he can't enter the country. Tangents can be a problem for some folk.
  • fintailfintail Member Posts: 57,097
    I suspect most people here have no problem crossing the border into the Great White North.

    On thread topic, took the fun drive to the south sound via 405/167 yesterday. Drive down was a breeze, drive back was more crowded - no real dangerous drivers, but more than a few LLCs - I passed on right enough to make the average Brit have an apoplectic fit due to "undertaking", I bet. Something about 167 and LLCing, it just happens there.
  • andres3andres3 Member Posts: 13,729
    euphonium said:

    The Oregon bill has not been passed by both houses, but if it does, she will veto it due to the state's driving record that includes crashes. If I-5 is increased to 75, will the truck limit then be 65? Hope not as now they don't stop in time with the SL being 55 for them.

    The problem isn't the truck drivers' speeds, but there attention to braking when braking is necessary. Distraction is the problem.
    '15 Audi Misano Red Pearl S4, '16 Audi TTS Daytona Gray Pearl, Wife's '19 VW Tiguan SEL 4-Motion
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