Moronic Driving Tendencies

I don't know if it's because it's starting to get cold here in DC and the lower temperatures are causing brain function to process slower than the usually sloooww but good got.

On the way to work today mild overcast, no bad weather, sun is out. I counted 6 people driving with flashers on for no reason. People driving 20mph under the speed limit for no reason. Braking for phantom turns and phantom road debris.

On the way home - it seemed like everyone had their high beams on. No exaggeration. Hazards on like 4 more cars. Driving 20mph under the speed limit again.

Oh and then you can't forget people who bought their cars with the no turn signal option. But I think that is just a metro DC area thing along with the high beams on at all times.

Today was a combined "pace traffic in the right lane so nobody goes anywhere," "keep interstate following distance in stop & go traffic," and "what does the green one mean again, oh, and which is the forward pedal?" Day for me. Most infuriating.

DirtyBird222 wrote: Oh and then you can't forget people who bought their cars with the no turn signal option. But I think that is just a metro DC area thing along with the high beams on at all times.

I think people do this everywhere, I still signal 99% of the time, but the people who see someone merging into their lane (with plenty of space) and think that means left foot on the floor, and one hand on the horn and the other with a raised middle finger out the window seem to help train people to not signal anymore.

Summer is over. Fall is in the air! Maybe they were preparing for Leaf looker season.

the high beam thing is a real pisser ....

most people are coming to the understanding that if your wipers are on then your headlights have to be on ... but WAY to many don't seem to be able to see the faint blue light in the instrument cluster that indicates that the brights are on .... nor do they respond to having brights flashed at them ... shiny happy people

I'm big on space. I hate seeing people riding eachother's bumper at 75mph, and I hate the stop and go in congestion. You being right next to me will not get you there sooner.

I dont have a highbeam indicator,not tjat my highbeams do much. Lol. And turn sognals in florida just let people know to not let u over. Its annoying.

There is a DOT booth on the south bound side of I95 where it enters Florida. You are required to stop there where they remove the turn signal function. Seems like it anyway.

the turn signal problem isn't JUST a FL thing ... every state I've ever driven in has the same problem ... changing lanes ? no signal ... turning left or right ? no signal ... and it's not relegated to "civilians" ... here the po-po is just as bad as everyone else

And this is why I drive for an extra 5-10 minutes to drive through the country and bypass the entire 4 lane highway. (That and the construction.) I've traded the extra time it takes for the less stress it provides.

I've almost been head on'd while on the bike and about got hit twice yesterday in the sho......it must be stupid(football) season

The number of people who drive around here (Philly-Balmer axis) with no lights on after full dark is almost berking pandemic. I blame DRLs and electroluminescent gauges.

I maintain the DC metro is the worst driving I've experienced in the first world.

• 20 under? sure. Or 30 over.

• At highway speeds, irrespective of my speed, and I've generally got cruise on, cars will follow me at a sub-1 second distance. I have to move over and brake hard to shed them. When you find someone who will sit a car length per 10 mph behind you, keep them there at any cost.

• Turn signals? Frankly I'm surprised when I see them used. Unless it's a left signal left on for miles on a Prius going 53 in the left lane of an interstate.

• Make sure at stoplights to leave 25-40' between you and the next car so you can text w/o worrying about being too close.

• Be on the phone, at all times.

• If you're in Rock Creek Park and you encounter a road cyclist, sit behind them 'til there's a break in the oncoming traffic. Then Swing violently left putting all 4 wheels on the other side of the center line while flooring it.

• Green only means go when you're paying attention which is never.

I travel all over the country for my job. I've driven in at least half the states.

The worst drivers I have experienced, are:

Third Place: Ohio

Second Place: Florida

FIRST PLACE! Pennsylvania

Last week i got to experience another fun use for a derelict-looking E36 M3ty old 80s econobox.

There's a large portion of highway that goes right through the city that's shut down right now, which is making for some challenging traffic conditions elsewhere.

I was leaving work (i park in the parking garage of a rather large sports complex), and there was an event that night. When i leave, i go up a street until i get to the first onramp to the highway that's still open. Unfortunately, this is also where everyone that was going to the event was getting off. There's a small side street between the highway, and the road i was traveling, that i need to get onto to get to the onramp.

I'll be damned if these morons didn't think that little side street was a one way street. I sat there on the main street for a good 2 minutes trying to figure out how the hell i was going to get in there, with my turn signal on, while these morons are just funneling out two at a time. How that works into a 1 lane road is beyond me. You'd think someone would figure out that they're berkeleying up.

So naturally I get honked at. So i just started making my right anyways directly into oncoming traffic that was in the wrong lane.

Apparently my car looks so terrible that everyone got the berkeley out of my way. It was like a parting of the Red Sea.

Kind of fun. Really stupid. Extremely irritating.

motomoron wrote: I maintain the DC metro is the worst driving I've experienced in the first world. - 20 under? sure. Or 30 over. - At highway speeds, irrespective of my speed, and I've generally got cruise on, cars will follow me at a sub-1 second distance. I have to move over and brake hard to shed them. When you find someone who will sit a car length per 10 mph behind you, keep them there at any cost. - Turn signals? Frankly I'm surprised when I see them used. Unless it's a left signal left on for miles on a Prius going 53 in the left lane of an interstate. - Make sure at stoplights to leave 25-40' between you and the next car so you can text w/o worrying about being too close. - Be on the phone, at all times. - If you're in Rock Creek Park and you encounter a road cyclist, sit behind them 'til there's a break in the oncoming traffic. Then Swing violently left putting all 4 wheels on the other side of the center line while flooring it. - Green only means go when you're paying attention which is never.

+1

Only, when you have someone who follows at the correct distance, someone will slice in there almost taking off someones bumper. All because they think they can gain one carlength in almost gridlock traffic.

Noone has ANY courtesy or patience around here and only think about getting ahead of someone.

I get nervous driving my Miata, was really thinking about getting rid of it for a P71 with ram bars there far awhile.

I've been encountering a lot of "Earnhardts" lately. "BOY, YOU AIN'T PASSIN' MAH Z71 IN NO HOWN-DUH!!!"

Okay. Cool. I'll tuck in behind you then. "I AIN'T GOIN OVER NO SPEED LIMIT NEITHER!!!"

Simple minded motherberkeleyers.

Sky_Render wrote: I travel all over the country for my job. I've driven in at least half the states. The worst drivers I have experienced, are: Third Place: Ohio Second Place: Florida FIRST PLACE! Pennsylvania

I might switch Florida for Illinois, but I have to agree with the rest.

Using signals up in ma is equated to desimination of information to the enemy.

poopshovel wrote: I've been encountering a lot of "Earnhardts" lately. "BOY, YOU AIN'T PASSIN' MAH Z71 IN NO HOWN-DUH!!!" Okay. Cool. I'll tuck in behind you then. "I AIN'T GOIN OVER NO SPEED LIMIT NEITHER!!!" Simple minded motherberkeleyers.

I get that constantly.

I also seem to attract the kind of shiny happy person that likes to pace you on onramps.

Or the one that sees me trying to move into their lane and makes damn sure i don't get in there because it's MY LANE GODDAMNIT AND I'LL DIE PROTECTING IT.

Forgot my other fun story.

I was in the Cherokee two weekends ago, which is now lifted and rather tall. It's not huge, but suffice it to say, you'd REALLY have to work at not noticing it bearing down on you.

So i'm in the left hand lane, waiting to make a left onto a 4 lane road (2 coming, 2 going) at a light. I get a left hand turn green light, so i go.

Now, i've been trained by years of dealing with the vapid morons here while driving, so i don't cross over lanes anymore. I made sure i turned into the left lane. Also because i saw a fat mom in a gross looking mom van in the right turn lane across the intersection with no turn signal. (Hahah first clue!!!)

So of COURSE, as i'm making the turn, i see her make her right, LOOKING IN MY DIRECTION. I think nothing of it, so i just continue to make my tight turn to stay in the left turn, thinking that she's stupid, but i'll do my part as a good citizen to ensure that no messy accident happens, because the Cherokee would have obliterated her, and she was on the bloody side of the car.

We both successfully make our turns, and are now side by side, the front of my Cherokee about level with her rear door.

She then starts to merge over into me. No turn signal, no looking, just merged.

I came THIS close to just letting her do it and laughing at the damage that would have happened, i probably wouldn't have had much choice but to pit maneuver her to stay out of oncoming traffic. I quite literally sat there and let it happen, thought about it, weighed my options, remembered i had my buddy in the passenger seat and he was freaking the berkeley out.

So i lightly tapped the brakes so that she merged a whopping 6 inches in front of the truck. At that moment, she decided that it'd be a good time to go 35mph in a 45mph limit zone. I tap the brakes again, just to maintain the 6" gap because i'm pissed at this point.

I laid on the horn and flashed my lights for a good 30 seconds.

NO REACTION. NOTHING. SHE DIDN'T LOOK, DIDN'T FREAK OUT, NOTHING. WHAT THE ACTUAL berkeley?

I ended up just swinging around and flooring it to get far the berkeley away from her, because it was pretty plain that she was going to kill someone that day. I don't know what the berkeley kind of drugs she was on, or not on, or what the deal was. She was definitely eating a Ho Ho when i went past, though.

Seriously. The berkeley.

I get more freaked out about the people who appear to have no idea whats going on then the speed racer who is thinks traffic is a slalom. I can see speed racer boy coming in my review, the clueless person blends in.

Lane discipline, highways mostly, but surface streets are always the most idiotic ones I see. If you want the highway turning right onto the service drive, TURN FROM THE berkeleyING LEFTMOST RIGHT TURN LANE. Sometimes I want a ratty pickup so i can just play bumper cars with these idiots.

Also, no your suburban is not properly parked when you leave it in a a compact space at a 20* angle, unless you intended to take up 3 spots.

Kenny_McCormic wrote: If you want the highway turning right onto the service drive, TURN FROM THE berkeleyING LEFTMOST RIGHT TURN LANE.

What? I need a better explanation of that one.

In reply to Streetwiseguy:

You have two right turn lanes turning onto a freeway service drive, which lane do you turn from if you want to go on the entrance ramp immediately past the intersection?

That's one of my pet peeves. If there is two lanes turning right and you know your next turn is a left, then you should be on the outer right turn lane. SO many times I've wanted to pit maneuver those douche bags into the shoulder when they cross in front of me DURING the turn.