Bad driving, and what can be done about it..

[dr wogz]

On the way out to a job site, we were listening to ‘talk radio’. And the subject they were discussing was "bad drivers – have you seen something that you had to tell someone, felt strong enough to get the authorities involved?"

So I ask this question, and hope it’ll stir some debate / opinion / conversation…

My biggest peeve with today’s drivers are the inconsiderate ones who, during rush hour, fly past you in the ‘exit lane’ then only cut into the [almost stopped] sludge of traffic at the last moment (he had no intent to exit, he just used it as a run-up to gain 150’) And usually has someone at the last minute braking hard, one who actually wants to exit! What makes them soo special that they have to resort to this, and why can't they wait in line like teh rest of us?

Also, dunno if it a problem in other cities (I’m sure it does), but since when did it become OK to make a left hand turn from the right hand lane, or visa versa. The left turn lane has 15 cars in it. Instead of waiting probably two lights, they come up beside you, and then turn with you, or scream past you as you turn…

Others? People who read while driving? The ones who ‘have to’ make it though the light, even though it’s just turned red.. People on the phone, and are obviously working in their car…

Are we becomming more risky, taking more risks when driving? "Since they did it, and with no cops about, I'll do it too." and it soon becomes the norm; u-turns in the middle of the street, double parking (even when a space is avaliable a few feet up), rolling disregarding stop signs, disregarding (speeding though) school zones, insisting we have teh 'right' to speed at 100mph, and weave in and out of traffic, etc...

And the apparent 'lack of interest' most cops seem to show.. Do we need more cops, more 'traffic specific' cops?

Why do we all need to move miles away 'from it all' only to be festerin in hours of traffic. Why do we need to speed everywhere!

Is it wrong to shoot others with a paint pellet gun? The ones who cut you off, cut in front, weave in and out, blow though / roll thought stop signs stop lights, etc… I'm sure my southern neighbours would use real guns! Or the occasional golf club!

 

[wwattles]

I live in Southern California, the (arguable) capital of Road Rage. Typical speeds here are 15mph over the posted limits on freeways - anything slower and you'll be passed and sworn at.

I've personally discovered that the thing that causes the most traffic jams is people who stay in the onramp lane as long as they can, just to pass as many people as they can before the onramp lane ends, then they hit the brakes and force their way between two cars in the flow of traffic, causing everyone else behind them to have to stop suddenly to avoid a chain reaction collision.

Many states now have laws against driving while talking on a cell phone without using a hands-free device. Many different studies have found that a person talking on the phone has the same reaction times as a person who is legally drunk!

As for calling the authorities, yes, I've done it a few times. Twice were to report obviously drunk drivers (swerving, weaving, and other erratic behaviors), and a couple others were to call company vehicle dispatchers. Nothing like having an electric utility company truck tailgate you, zip around you, flip you a bird, cut you off, and speed off, leaving you juuust enough time to get the number of his vehicle and the "How's my driving? Call 1-800-....." I love reporting those buffoons.

All in all, though, we San Diegans are pretty safe drivers. Aggressive, yes, but safe. In order to have this many people on the roads at any given time, we have to drive fairly close together (drives my country-folk inlaws nuts when they visit), but we generally are very alert for the dangers that are zipping along at 80mph just a couple feet away from us.

WW

 

[jflis]

oooooohhhhhh, *good* coffee house thread

Man, after decades of driving, I have a few stories of my own, beleive me! Here are three of them....

First off, In the past year or two I find myself in a situation where I need to keep a phone by me so I have a cell phone. I agree that cell phones shouldn't be used in cars while driving but if you feel the need, there are ways to be safe... To help keep me as safe as possible, I have a head set that I keep on and plugged in while driving. I have a phone that, when a call is coming in, I can answer by pushing *any* button, so I can answer without need of looking at the phone. Just mash a button. I then look for a place to pull over and stop...

IN any event...

1) 4 lanes at a stop light. The right two lanes are for going straight. The left two lanes are for LEFT TURN ONLY with a proper *arrow* light. I am in the center most right lane. To my left (in the center most *left* lane) is a Cop in a cruiser. He has his window down and is talking to the driver in the car in the left most lane. I guess he forgot where he was because when the light went green he went *straight*. This forced me into the right most lane and the car in *that* lane up into the cemetary. The cop never noticed, paused, nor anything. I had had it, so I went to the police station and filed a formal complaint. He got repremanded on the spot.

2) MOTORCYCLES between lanes of traffic! What IS this??? What right/privilege do motorcyclist have that they can go down the white line in bumper to bumper stalled traffic? I see these bumper stickers that say "Motorcycles! They're everywhere!" and I make a point of keeping my eye open because they *can* be hard to see if you aren't paying attention. Well I have a clue for you motorcyclist. These fools running between lines of cars are giving you a bad name. You should be working hard to educate and/or stop them. Sheesh!

3) Putting on makeup in the car... Forgive me, I couldn't resist... I was behind this young woman for about 10 miles while watching her put on her makup in the car.... She would drift thorugh yellow lights turning red because she was busy with the mirror. She would sit stock-still when the lights turned green because she wasn't paying attention... She would drift in and out of her lane, making other cars get out of the way because she was steering with her knees... It was driving me nuts and my blood began to boil....

At the last light she drifted through it and on to the next where she stopped. I was at the previous light. I got the green but her light was still red. I could see her using her mirror to put on lipstick and I *did* it... I checked to be sure there were no other cars around me then I gunned my truck, got her up to about 35MPH then slammed on the breaks, squealing and smoking the tires about 25 feet behind her....

Last I saw, she was screaming somthing at me that I probably couldn't repeat here and she had lipstick running up one side of her face and down the other.

i couldn't resist...

I'll tell more after others have joined the fun
jim

 

[seo]

Originally posted by jflis

2) MOTORCYCLES between lanes of traffic! What IS this???

Don't ever go to Bangkok!

That is SOP there!

 

[sandman]

While driving a district sales manager of mine around the metropolitan Detroit area all day, he asked me a question.

He was from New York city and he had been wondering this all day, he asked me, "Why doesn't anybody in Detroit use their horn?"

"Because," I answered, " they all have handguns!"

"Don't draw attention to yourself!"

 

[rabidsheeep]

in the city it drives me nuts howi f theres 6 inches you can pull up you better do it, because you know those 6 inches are life threatening for the 3 cars behind you, and if you dont they will remind you with a great barrage of horns blowing. i cant understand what is so important about these 6 inches. you pull up and stop. whoohoo? good job bud, you just moved 6 inches. burnt 6 inches worth of gas, and now you get to sit and wait untill another 6 inches comes along and another barrage of horns reminds you that those 6 inches can save almost a WHOLE .001 of a second to get to your next intended location, which seemingly always is the next 6 inches of the road. :kill:

 

[wwattles]

As for the traffic cops...

I got a speeding ticket a couple months ago. It was a motorcycle cop who I had seen out in front of me, he looked in his rear mirror, saw me, dropped back behind me, and pulled me over. I had been going the same speed as the rest of the traffic, about 10mph over the limit (totally normal for that stretch of road). He wrote me a ticket that didn't say how fast I was going, just 60+ (limit was 55). He didn't get my license right, didn't get my state right even. Couldn't copy my birthdate either.

After he pulled away, he got back on the freeway, and within another 1/2 mile, he had pulled another guy over and was writing him a ticket. Over the course of the next 50 miles of driving, I saw no less than 7 highway patrolmen with people pulled over. That's when I realized it was the last day of the month and it was quota time!

If they'd been doing their jobs during the rest of the month, they wouldn't HAVE to play "catch-up" on the last day! duh!

WW

 

[arthur dent]

You will all be pleased to know that we have all these problems on our roads over here in the U.K.In a country that is a lot smaller than the U.S.A.we have around 24,000,000 drivers and they all seem to be on the road at the same time as me.Not everybody can be a good driver in the same way as not everybody can be a good artist,but people who cant draw tend not to bother were as bad drivers just jump in to their cars and away they go.Add to this the road tax we have to pay,the 35,000 or so static speed camares,the mobile speed traps,average speed traps and the unmarked police cars that patrol our motorways and im sure you'll agree that brit drivers are getting a raw deal.To add insult to injury we are paying over £4 a gallon for the old motion lotion, thats around $7 folks.

 

[Missileman]

I drive 50 miles 1 way to work every day so I see it all.
I have reported at least 4 drunk drivers that I remember and half a dozen accidents that happened right in front of me!!!
One in particular I will never forget.
5 lane road 2 each way and a turn lane.
Late at night. a car on a side street with his hood up.
The car pulls out in front of me with his hood still up!!!
Slowly drifts accross the lanes and hits a young lady head on.
When I checked for injuries the driver was passed out accross the seat with a mostly empty wisky bottle next to him.
I have been ran off the road numerous times, cut off ect..
I find occasion at least once a month to give someone a special hand signal I use to let them know what I think of their driving.

 

[rocketkid88]

well, as a driver of *almost* two months...

today i did my first 1hr+ trip down the turnpike with my mom, and notice a buncha people doing weird things. Besides the people that go 75+ in the 55 zone, there were two particualry bad drivers (besides myself ) that we noticed.
1. I was driving down, with my mom in the pasengers seat (i still have my permit only) and this person right in front of me at the light has her right blinker on... thats fine, we were in the right lane of a 3 lane section of road. a few seconds later and the right blinker is off, and she has the left blinker on and has moved forward a few inches and turned the weel as far left as posible. at this point i couldn't figure out what in the world she was trying to do, but the light changed and she squezd into the middle land and then tried to keep going on into the left lane! after almost taking out a car she realizes there is no hope and goes straight, and ends up right infront of me again (oh joy)... now she's going like 25mph in a 45 zone, and as she starts to pass an entrance she turns on her signals and starts to slow down. i guess she figured she couldn't make it, so she just kept going... at the next light she went right and i went straight, but......
Then as we were coming home on the turnpike again there was this guy in the left lane of the two lane high way, going like 55mph (in a 55 zone) so all is fine, exept that almost everyone else wants to go like 65 mph, so has to swerve around him and pass on his right (which your not suposed to do).
of course, there was the other time i tried to turn up a hill going to fast and almost took out a van, cept that my dad grabbed the wheel b/c i was really messed up with trying to shift and turn and slow down... that was like one of my first times actually driving somewhere, tho.

the only other thing i really hate are thoz people with huge, gass guzziling beasts of cars. I have a Ford Festiva... 40mpg in the city, 45 or so on the highway. awsome little five speed, considering it was $300

 

[illini]

As you might imagine we have plenty of bad drivers here in the DC area. However, here they do us the favor of putting a special license plate on some of the worst drivers. Those are the ones carrying the word "Diplomat".

 

[powderburner]

Originally posted by wwattles
He didn't get my license right, didn't get my state right even. Couldn't copy my birthdate either.

You take that ticket to court and dispute it. It will probably get thrown out.

 

[MissileDaughter]

As a new driver myself, I have found that people ride my bumper, especially in not-so-good situations. I have been stuck behind people going 35 mph in a 50 mph zone and have not been able to do anything about it.
I have had people pass me and four other cars at the same time. Today, I witnessed a person tailgate another person so closely that I had my cell phone ready because I was sure there was going to be an accident.
I have been nearly hit by people running stop signs and people who cut me off. I have been nearly hit in the side when people make a left turn into the turn lane then try merging into the other lane.
On day, a four lane road melted down into a two lane road. I was in the inner lane and this guy try merging in front of me. I went to slow down so he could get in and he slowed down then tailgated me.
I get so many people riding my bumper (just ask my mother and a friend of mine) that my mother wants to get me a bumper sticker that says, "If you can read this, you are too close."
Granted, I am not the best driver. However, I am learning from every mistake that I make. And, so far, no speeding tickets. (When I see a police officer, I get into a panic mode and go 5 mph below the speed limit). lol.
And just to think of all the horrors my father sees every day...It just makes my skin crawl.

 

[dragonshiprider]

My pet peeves are some of the following:
People who don't understand"Slow Traffic Keep Right"
People who don't know why the left lane is called a "passing lane"
People who break their necks to get out in front of you and then creep down the road.
People who hog the left lane on a highway and go exactly the same speed or slower than those in the left.See the first two in this list.
People who cuddle up beside a semi truck and just hover there.
People who tailgate.What is it with people who just don't understand that being two feet off of someones bumper as opposed to two hundred DOESN'T make you go any faster!You can go as fast as you want and never cause a pileup if you leave plenty of room.Did anyone see the 80+ car pileup outside of Baltimore a few weeks ago?
People who slow down to a crawl if they see so much as a dead rat on the side of the road.An actual wreck?Forget it!
Needless to say I am a firm supporter of an American Autobahn with everything done exactly as they do it in Germany.I am also a firm supporter of kids not being allowed to drive until they're 21 and then only after an extensive defensive driving course like the cops get.Period!Hassle on the parents?TUFF!!!

 

[powderburner]

To you new drivers who are just learning----

Don't do what we do. Don't drive like an idiot. Don't prove that you are the fastest. Don't show that you are brave/reckless/stupid enough to cut someone off in traffic.

It is not worth spending $500 on deductibles, and then getting back a car that is never 'right' again. It is not worth two weeks' worth of begging rides from friends to get to work while your car is in the shop. It is not worth the hike in your insurance rates that you will pay for the next five or ten years.

It is not worth the potential bodily injury that may occur (a friend of mine lost all his teeth on a steering wheel at the age of 24). It is not worth finding out if the a**hole in the other car has a gun. It is not worth a ticket if a policeman sees you do it. It is just not worth it to prove your macho-hood to some stranger that you don't know and will never see again.

Take a breath, slow down, defer to as many others as you can and still get where you are going. Choose a less-busy route next time. Watch the time of day and try to avoid rush-hour. Try really hard not to ever become one of 'them.'

 

[cydermaster]

/me is glad he doesn't drive!

Let the train take the strain!

 

[Chuck Rudy]

When you can walk into a car dealership and get a car with NO credit history, NO money in your pocket and a one month work history YOU can get a car!!! It's too easy.

When three lanes are going forward the right is the slow lane......the middle is the faster lane for cars AND the passing lanes for trucks as they are not permitted in the third lane on most highways, now you know why they get bent out of shape when you're holding them up from making money and keeping them from making a living quick order......the left lane is the hammer lane for the cars. Here they just instituted a brilliant law, IF you are passed on the right you get a ticket for holding up traffic.

The red merge sign means yield unless traffic does not allow, then it's a stop sign. It's not a merge at all costs sign.

If drivers were to drive in the proper lane, and learn how to merge the interstates would be far safer. I'm guessing but I believe it 's an educated guess that 75% of all accidents on interstates are the result of someone attempting a lane change.

In town red means stop, green means go and yellow is not stale green, it means red is coming, get ready to stop not hit the accellerator.

School bus light blinking means kids are getting on. Stop your car no matter which side of the street you are careening down.

If you are folllowing a person on a motorcycle give them space in the event they have a problem, to rear end a car is one thing, the run over people who've fallen is another. If they are not wearing a helmet, disregard this paragraph.

If you NEED to talk on the cell phone park the car and put a quarter in the meter. There should be a PhoneDrunk law in every state enforced to the limit.

The lines are for parking, park between the lines. Where there are no lines is where one drives to get to the parking spots. When you park there people cannot get out.

If you can't park it, don't drive it.

When people are walking on the road, slow down until you can give them a wide berth when you go around them, don't 'just miss' them. When people are bicycling, you don't have to squeeeeeeze through at full speed, slow down and let oncoming traffic pass......you will screw up one day, and you will be in the wrong.

Driving manners have disappeared because everyone is so selfish in their world that they are caught up in their own importance. Introduce yourself to the brake pedal, being so important you should know everything there is to a car.

 

[rocketdad0934]

as a tractor trailer driver with over two (yes two) million miles logged I truely enjoy reading you in the car complain, imagin what its like in a truck that weighs in excess of 100,000 lbs and a honda has to get out in front of the truck and then in less than 200yds comes to acomplete stop to make a left (my brakes are still smoking from the entrance never mind, now they just don't work).
:kill: the rule of thumb is the bigger the chance the shorter the distance.

 

[sandman]

If I were king of the world...

Everybody would be tested for common sense. The result of that test would be.

Stupid people would not be allowed to;

Drive

Vote

or Breed!

 

[Chuck Rudy]

Originally posted by rocketdad0934
as a tractor trailer driver with over two (yes two) million miles logged I truely enjoy reading you in the car complain, imagin what its like in a truck that weighs in excess of 100,000 lbs and a honda has to get out in front of the truck and then in less than 200yds comes to acomplete stop to make a left (my brakes are still smoking from the entrance never mind, now they just don't work).
:kill: the rule of thumb is the bigger the chance the shorter the distance.

Drove over-da-road for a couple years before my wife said enough. I loved the golden age of trucking when radar would confuse the new fangled anti-lock braking system and lock up all 16 back wheels. Almost killed me when we was haulin' the mail across Hohio doin' 80........the birddog went off and the third truck in line got the lockup. We were headed left right, and pushed the brakes until the pancakes screamed. He called in on the radio asking to make sure everyone was alright, said his birddog chirped and everything locked up, he was too busy tryin' to drive straight. He aplologized but said he never touched the brakes. I had heard a half dozen other similar stories, one which turned fatal with a gas tanker.

After I made the requisite change of undergarments I headed home and never ran quite so close in a train again. But I learned a lot about air and drafting in those wild runs.

 

[dr wogz]

Yeeehaaaw!!

Don't ya love when a thread really takes off!

Thanks guys, and keep 'em commin'! way cool! (And nice to know some thing are international!)

We in Quebec have recently joined the rank with most of N. America. We can now turn right on a red.

Except on the island of Montreal.
(Quebec's biggest city, one big 'merged' island)
Considered 'too dangerous'.

Weird eh? Yet, you cross a bridge (10 minute drive) and you can turn right. Mostly..

Of course, we boast the highest chance of jaywalking. We do it all the time.

But I hate the fact you get soem, who, think that this is now a right, and will force you into the intersection so they have 'just' enough room to scoot through.

Or they do it anyways...

I was slowing down one night, light was yellow. About to turn right onto Atwater St. (from N. Dame). So I snuggle up to the right hand side of the street to wait out the light. Wasen't too busy, traffic wise.

The truck behind me didn't want to wait for a light. With probably seconds to spare, he pulls out, passes me, then swings around me to make his right turn.

Brave. A keester head, but brave.

If I can brag, I've driven Montreal to Vancouver.. 7 times. Vacations..

Oh, and how much is your gas (haha, motion lotion!! )?
92.9¢/liter here (was about 89.9¢ yesterday.. and will probably be that in about 10 days...)

 

[wwattles]

I saw a thing that apparently was filmed in the UK about preventing traffic jams caused by rubberneckers. The police, upon arriving on the scene, erect a tall screen around the disabled vehicle(s). Without anything to lookie-loo at, traffic keeps right on flowing normally!

We need those out here in the rest of the world!

Regarding the different lanes on the highway, I was raised with the rule that the right lane is for driving, the left lane is for passing. You get to a reasonable distance behind someone, shift over to the left lane, pass them, then shift back to the right once you can see both their headlights in your mirror.

As for the truckers, I figure I'm a guest in their workplace/office, and I try to defer to them whenever I can. Besides, they're a LOT bigger than I am! I'll frequently back off and let them over with a quick flash of my headlights if I can see they want to get over. After all, if I'm nice to them, they might be nice to someone else down the road.

WW

 

[HeadHunter]

Is a good thread but…

As a firefighter, retired due to injury, I have seen the difference that those 10 or 20 mph’s do in an accident. Car manufactures make vehicles so that you may survive at 55mph or less, if you are unlucky enough to get in an accident. At 65mph that changes to very lucky to survive and at 70mph you are experiencing divine intervention.

It took us 2 hours to cut a drivers body out of his car after he ran into the back of a big rig climbing a hill.

After a wrecker stood up a big rig that had been cut off by a driver trying to race down the on-ramp while getting on the freeway instead of slipping in behind him, we recovered a man, his wife and 4 of his children from under the trailer that crushed them.

I could go on, but I think you get the idea. So the next time that officer seems inappropriately upset with you because you were only 10mph over the limit, understand he may have been helping a firefighter sort body parts into a body bag for the coroner for the last hour or so…

We now return to the entertaining thread you were reading...

 

[Stymye]

I've had a gun waved at me twice in the last 5 years,

what a timely thread....
the last time was just last saturday morning, I was driving home from getting a haircut, just cruising along at (or about)the speed limit.

A young man barreled up behind me and was inches from my bumper.all I could see in my rearview was his windshied and the top of his head (he was slumped way back in the seat)

when the road went from one lane to two, I figured he would blow on past me.. well he didn't but continued to ride a couple inches from my bumper ... so I gave the brakes a couple good taps hoping he would get the message and go on around.. well he did,
he blew past me ,, pulled in front of me and came to a complete stop..(there were two open lanes and no traffic !)..

he reached in the glove box and pulled out a pistol and purposly waved it so I could see it thru his rear window.. he than sped off and took the next right turn ,stopped ,and waited for me to join him in a little shootout I suppose.

I just gunned it(slumped way back in my seat at this point!) and went on home...I than realised I never thought to get his liscence plate number.

I also had a man in front of me at a red light fire 2 warning shots into the sky , because the lady in front of him didn't move fast enough when the light turned green(she was on her cell phone).. this was in broad daylight, during morning rush hour traffic.

the first time I got the gun wave, was on the interstate , on the way home, rush hour traffic , again the person was tailgating me but I was surrounded by cars,,, not sure why he was mad at me , because I was stuck in slow traffic just like him .and couldn't go any faster than the 100 cars in front of me, when he was finally able to pull up beside me , he displayed his colt python, took a sip of beer.and started tailgating someone else.
this time I just smiled and waved back

around here atleast, you have to be carefull and not loose your temper. because you can get in alot of trouble in a hurry. I just grit my teeth and let the offencive drivers go on, rather than aggravate them any further.

 

[Elapid]

Originally posted by dragonshiprider
My pet peeves are some of the following:
People who don't understand"Slow Traffic Keep Right"
People who don't know why the left lane is called a "passing lane"
People who break their necks to get out in front of you and then creep down the road.
People who hog the left lane on a highway and go exactly the same speed or slower than those in the left.See the first two in this list.
People who cuddle up beside a semi truck and just hover there.
People who tailgate.What is it with people who just don't understand that being two feet off of someones bumper as opposed to two hundred DOESN'T make you go any faster!You can go as fast as you want and never cause a pileup if you leave plenty of room.Did anyone see the 80+ car pileup outside of Baltimore a few weeks ago?
People who slow down to a crawl if they see so much as a dead rat on the side of the road.An actual wreck?Forget it!
Needless to say I am a firm supporter of an American Autobahn with everything done exactly as they do it in Germany.I am also a firm supporter of kids not being allowed to drive until they're 21 and then only after an extensive defensive driving course like the cops get.Period!Hassle on the parents?TUFF!!!

another vote for American Autobahn!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
*vrooooooooooooom!*

and.. when you see me coming in your rear-view mirror... just pull over... i'll be gone before you know it.

 

[Elapid]

It might cut down on hospitalization costs...
back in the 60s i dont' recall anyone complaining about the lack of seatbelts in cars. i think it may have kept the genepool cleaner.

Originally posted by HeadHunter
Is a good thread but…

As a firefighter, retired due to injury, I have seen the difference that those 10 or 20 mph’s do in an accident. Car manufactures make vehicles so that you may survive at 55mph or less, if you are unlucky enough to get in an accident. At 65mph that changes to very lucky to survive and at 70mph you are experiencing divine intervention.

It took us 2 hours to cut a drivers body out of his car after he ran into the back of a big rig climbing a hill.

After a wrecker stood up a big rig that had been cut off by a driver trying to race down the on-ramp while getting on the freeway instead of slipping in behind him, we recovered a man, his wife and 4 of his children from under the trailer that crushed them.

I could go on, but I think you get the idea. So the next time that officer seems inappropriately upset with you because you were only 10mph over the limit, understand he may have been helping a firefighter sort body parts into a body bag for the coroner for the last hour or so…

We now return to the entertaining thread you were reading...

 

[Miss Riley]

Originally posted by cydermaster
/me is glad he doesn't drive!

Let the train take the strain!

Yeah, Cyder....or leave it to some other poor sucker at the IRW!!

I consider myself a reasonable driver (some would say despite being blonde and female!), but there are some things that REALLY annoy me.

The jerk who just cannot wait to join the queue on the motorway, so flies down the left hand side of everyone patiently waiting to join, then expects ME to let him in without a murmur! I wouldn't put up with queue-jumping in the supermarket so why does everyone think it's OK on the road?

There is a fairly recent trend over here for the boy racers who can't afford a car to get one of those little moped/scooter thingies. They're a blinkin menace and just need to be used to fill holes in the road! Don't get me wrong, I don't mind "proper" bikers, you know, the kind who look before they pull out to go round a parked car. I have friends who are bikers, and will quite happily pull in as far left as possible to let them pass, but the boy racers on mopeds....forget it.

Mobile phone users - need I say more?

MIDDLE LANE HOGS!!!

Better stop now - I'm getting stressed just thinking about it.

Deep breaths.......ommmmm, ommmmmm.

Angela

 

[arthur dent]

Yep i totally agree infact instead of seatbelts we should have a metal spike sticking out of the steering wheel,that would definately slow down speeding drivers

 

[sandman]

I have "ridden" in the UK...never drove...my brother-in-law in London has my fingerprints permanently imbedded in his dashboard!

The double decker busses...well I felt kinda helpless when one decided it wanted our lane and removed our side mirror in the process...and kept on going...

For us Yanks that are unfamiliar with driving in the UK imagine this; The cars are just as fast as ours, some are just as wide as ours, drivers are just as rude (why do people do things in a car they wouldn't do to you face to face?) , they drive on the OTHER side of the road and...

The roads/lanes are smaller!

The funniest was watching a Chevrolet Camaro with left hand drive trying to negotiate around Trafalgar Square...it just didn't fit!

 

[Planet Andy]

Originally posted by rabidsheeep
in the city it drives me nuts...

Yeah rabid et al, also in NYC when there's like ten people crossing in the crosswalk and I'm politely waiting for it to clear. Yes I've got a green light but bottom line is they are pedestrians. The boneheads in the cars behind me that lean on the horn like I'm gonna plow through the intersection and run people over.That and the people like you said who lean on the horn when there's no forward place to go. Do they think my car is gonna magically levitate and give them the space? The other hazardous side is when I am the pedestrian just clearing the crosswalk and the drivers are leaning on the horn or worse barreling right down at me. It is just unbelievable.

Andy