Can't anyone steer their fucking car anymore?!

The BBQ Pit
1

OK, I don’t drive. I bike. But that’s neither here nor there, since this has got to be noticed by drivers as much as cyclists.

Scenario 1:

I’m behind a car in a left turn lane. We get some open space to go and I think "good, we can start moving now. Slip into pedal and start to go. I am filled with lightweight joy. But wait, the car in front of me is barely moving. Is there a pedestrian crossing the road on the other side, and the car in front of me is merely being courteos? No, nothing there, any other hazards? No,…no, nothing at all. What gives? I realise that I have to actually put my foot down since the car is moving so slow that I am belwo my minimum blance speed. I am practicallly walking my bike behind this person? I wonder if perhaps it is an elderly driver? No, looks like a normal woman, age anywhere from 20 to 40, but nothing to indicate a need for lack of speed. In the end, I barely get my back tire out of oncoming traffic, and turning woman speeds away, now feeling the inevitable flipping of her car at any speed over 5 mph in a wide 90 degree turn danger has passed. I can only shake my head.

Scenario 2:

I’m on a Divided 4 lane street with a bike lane. I am happily biking down a very empty street. All is good. Up ahead, the light is green. An SUV coming the other way reaches the turn lane, and starts to turn. I am concerned and take note, but my speed is not fast enough that he will be cutting me off. No problems!

But wait, he’s making a U-turn! OK, still no problems. That vehicle, despite its size, has a decently small turning circle, it would seem. All is good… but wait, the driver has straightened out his/her turn? What the heck? Now he’s drifting too far to the right!. Shit!, He’s slowed down and fucked up his turn!. He’s so far right that he’s gone not only into the bike lane but into the parking lane. If there were cars there he would have hit them! I have to break while this bozo lumbers through a turn that he should have easily made. Geez, people! Is turning really that hard?

Sort-of-scenario 3:

OK, this has happened several times. Now, as you may know or have noticed, large vehicles such as trucks must often cut left before making a right turn. This is needed to prevent the rear of their vehicles from dragging large chunks of stuff off parked cars, or whatever else is on the corner. Now, a quick cut left does make make for a tighter right turn, and in fact some bike manuals reccommend this as an emergency maneuver when you are cut off by a right turner. But let me make this clear:

There is no Freaking need to pull this stunt with even the largest of cars!

The roads are designed for vehicles like yours. You won’t be dragging anyting like a trailer would. So stop doing it goddamn it! I’ve had several of these fools almost pinch me when I left room on a right turn lane, they come damn close to hitting the cars next to them! What the hell folks! Stop doing that!!!

OK,I feel better now.

2

The lane width in the UK is about 3/4 of the standard lane width in the rest of Europe. The rear wheels of big trucks hit the sidewalk during most turns.

3

…unless I was in the 1965 Ford.

I can make a U-Turn in one smooth shot in ever car I own except the old truck. Armstrong Power Steering, you see. But I feel your pain.

The point is they give damn near anyone a driver’s licence. You don’t need to exhibit any real driving skill. All you need is the fee and a corpse, with proof of its age. Pathetic.

I ride motorcycles, so I know of what you speak. Its freakin’ maddening.

When I take over, things will be different. I might even instigate the “Death penalty for cell-phone use while driving” rule. Yeah!

I plan on living forever. So far, so good!

4

They can’t steer their cars because they’re too busy talking on the phone, smoking, and shifting.

I actually saw a driver doing all 3 today. :wally

5

Every day I drive home on a windy road through the hills. The speed limit on this road varies from 35mph on the straightaways to 15mph on the one hairpin turn. For some reason, more often than not, the person in front of me seems to have major difficulty keeping their wheels on the correct side of the double-yellow line in the middle. Since I am going no faster than them, and neither of us is going, say, 20 mph over the speed limit, and I am having no trouble steering my car without drifting over the line, I can only conclude that steering a car is more difficult than I thought it was.

Since there is only one lane going in one direction, and one lane going in the other direction, and there are several blind curves, I am amazed that head-on collisions do not result from this apparent inability of the majority of drivers to navigate this curvy road correctly. :slight_smile:

6

I don’t know what this particular woman was thinking, but I’ll be honest–if there were a bike behind me in a turn lane, I’d start out slow, too. I’ve had bikes zip past me because, you know, they’re not cars so they don’t have to wait in line with the rest of the traffic. Or stop for stop signs, or lights, or whatever else. Bike zipping past me plus I’m making a turn can easily equal badly injured biker. so maybe she was slow until she was certain you weren’t going to suddenly appear in her path.

Now, it’s obvious from the story that you’re not one of these, and it’s not every biker I run across who does that sort of thing. But just one biker going splat across my hood is more than I want, so I get extra cautious when there’s a bike in traffic anywhere near me.

7

I bike to work just about every day. It is a 3 mile (one way) trip, but there are several cross streets along my route and lots of businesses as well. In other words, lots of opportunities and motive for people to turn off the main street.

There is a well marked and well used bike lane. Very often as I’m biking up to the red light there is a long line of cars on my left. The light changes, and we all start going. Well, sure enough, one of those cars will come up from behind me, pass me, then proceed to nearly run me off the road while turning right. It happens almost every single day. I just don’t get how they can pass me and not know I was there.

8

I’m so jealous of bike riders. The free, fresh wind in your hair, life without care… But some of them just have no clue about the rules of the road and I can see that maybe the left-turn woman in the OP was just making sure you werent one of those impatient types.

To add my 2 cents to this steering conundrum, I see no reason in making any turn (on a clear, dry, view-unobstructed lane), less than 15 mph. not from a dead stop you understand, but say, a right hand turn). Hell, even 20mph. Say you’re on a two lane road, one lane going each way. It’s likely someone will want to turn left, and it’s likely you’ll have to slow, even come to a complete stop. I accept this. But if a car in front of you wants to make a right turn - WHY WHY WHY must they come to a complete stop first??? I HATE this. There is no reason to if there are no pedestrians or other vehicles blocking your way. I leave plenty of safe driving distance in front of me, I don’t speed, and still I end up slowing to a LITERAL CRAWL, yes even a complete STOP, while Gertie gets her steering wheel turned all the way once around to make tha tright turn. I make perfectly safe controlled turns at 20mph quite often. Ok, maybe youre driving that old Ford pickup, or your fat SUV that just may roll over - I’ll cut you some slack. But your 2002 Corolla??? Honestly, can someone explain this?

9

I originally read this as:

“…talking on the phone, smoking, and shitting.” :eek:

(Back to the topic of steering, or lack thereof.)

As additions to the rant:

Idiots turning onto the road who can’t make the turn sharp enough to avoid veering into other lanes. This is espically bad when they’re turning onto a two-lane road with oncoming traffic.

Idiots turning left onto another road who make the turn too sharp and nearly take off the bumper of the poor car sitting near the center of the road. (Either in their left turn lane or in the left most lane of their side.) One time I was puttering down the road, and had moved into the left turn lane when I saw someone who was turning left onto the road I was on take the turn waaay to sharp… and was using my left turn lane as a driving lane! Good thing I’m quick with the pedals, else I would have had a new Oldsmobile-shaped hood ornament!

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