American drivers

The BBQ Pit
1

I’m getting so sick of driving. Of course there are bad drivers all over the world, but there are some behaviors that are particularly common in America that I just can’t get used to:

[ul]
[li]Speeding is common everywhere, but the rudeness of American speeders is astounding. You are not actually entitled to drive 20 mph above the limit, you know. Could you at least refrain from crossing the double-yellow lines, using the right-turn lane, or using the shoulder to pass a car doing the speed limit?[/li][li]What’s with passing on the right? I acknowledge that it’s not illegal, but I thought “slower cars on right” is still a rule, or at least a guideline. If I have open lanes on the right and left of me, why the heck would you choose the right lane to pass? [/li][li]On the same note, if I’m in the left of two lanes, and I turn on the right turn signal, it means I’m moving to the right lane to let you pass. Why would you try to beat me to the right lane?[/li][li]In congested traffic, if a driver on the right lane signals a left turn, he/she probably needs to make a lane change in preparation for a left turn shortly ahead. Can’t you extend the courtesy of letting that person change lanes, instead of gunning your engine and closing the gap? Most likely you won’t even be delayed - you’ll get back to the same spot after that car has turned left. [/li][li]In a strip mall or parking lot, if you’re stopping to load/unload/wait, turn on the damn hazard lights! Otherwise how am I supposed to know you’re not just waiting for a pedestrian to cross in front of you?[/li][/ul]

Yeah, I know, if these things bother me, maybe I shouldn’t drive. That’s why I drive as little as possible, though a bit more this year because illness and injuries kept me off the bike. I just don’t understand how you guys put up with it…

2

You sound like my arch nemesis on the highway. The person I scream at every day on the Beltway in DC. Driving the speed limit in the left lane of a two lane road, it’s uncalled for, you know there are speeders, get the hell over in the right lane, would ya? THank you ! :wink:

3

I miss California Rules. As a native of that state, I’m used to them. Yes, people drive fast and close. And there are a lot of jerks. But everyone knows The Rules, so generally people get along OK. (Generally. There are a lot of crashes too.) But up here in Washington things are… different.

I’ve noticed that a lot of people tend to drive 5 mph below the speed limit. Doesn’t matter what the limit is. If it’s 70 they’re doing 65. If it’s 50 they’re doing 45. I’m in constant dread of coming upon a 5 mph zone. Then there are the Canadians. They’re either very slow, or very fast. I don’t mind the fast ones too much. But mix them in with the slowcoaches and it appears a little dicey sometimes.

The worst thing though is that people won’t get the hell out of the way. They’ll stay in the left lane even when they’re slower than everyone else. When I started driving my dad told me, ‘If people are passing you on the right, you’re going too slow for the lane. Move over.’ Not here. I want to know who appointed these people Pace Car.

In California the CHP tend to leave people alone unless the people are being jerks. Speeding a bit? You’re probably OK. And there aren’t that many CHP compared to the number of drivers. Up here it seems as if it’s one-to-one. (It’s not, but there sure are a lot of State Patrol.) And they’re anxious to pass out the citations. Gotta pay for those bowties, you know.

In practice it seems that California allows drivers to bed the rules within reasonable limits. The upshot is that, in my experience in West L.A., traffic generally moves along pretty well. (Another disclaimer: There are points that do get jammed. But still, I’m a fast driver and I’ve had to move right to let others by.) And if you’re on a motorcycle you can split lanes. I’ve got over 100,000 miles on motorcycles on L.A. freeways. Lane splitting is great. The motorcyclists get through quickly, and they get out of the way of cars so the cars don’t have to worry about rear-ending them. No lane splitting up here, so it takes away a lot of the utility of riding.

And ‘gawker’s block’. I thought it was bad in SoCal. People slow down if someone is waaaay over in the right lane changing a tire. Up here it’s worse. There could be an abandoned car at the side of the road and people will slow down to look at it. It’s not a factor, dammit! Tuesday there was a bad crash on the freeway. It was closed. There was a helicopter on the road. (Not running, lights off.) I’d coincidentally gotten off of the freeway at the right time, and then took a parallel road. People were pulled over on the narrow road to look at the accident. Pulled over, out of their cars. Criminy! What part of ‘Traffic is not a factor’ do you not understand? Keep moving!

I don’t drive as fast as I used to. A Cherokee is not the tool for that. No worries, I’ll move over for faster traffic. But The Rules are different up here. Rules like ‘Don’t check your rear view mirror.’ ‘Don’t move over for overtaking traffic.’ ‘Slow down for no reason.’ ‘Never use cruise control.’ ‘Don’t be courteous, because nobody else will be.’ It’s better when The Rules are more like ‘Hey, we’re all in this together. Let me have this this time, and I’ll let you have it next time.’

4

I didn’t say I did that regularly, I thought my second point made that clear. I’d only use the left lane if I’m turning left soon, or if I’m approaching an even slower vehicle. Normally I wouldn’t use the middle of 3 lanes either, except if the traffic is very light and there’s no difficulty passing me on the left.

The situation I had in mind on my 3rd bullet point is: I’m driving at the 65mph limit, and there’s a truck ahead at 55 mph. I change lanes in anticipation of passing the truck. While I’m still behind the truck, a car approaches me at 90 mph, so I turn on my right turn signal, with the intention of getting back behind the truck. In the 2 or 3 seconds between the time I turn on the turn signal and I actually start the lane change, the car behind me moves to the right lane. What the heck is the point of that? Isn’t it easier for you, not to mention safer for both of us, to stay on the left lane?
:confused:

5

Up here the truck would cut you off at the last second and then stay there for a couple of miles.

6

calm down, I’m just messin with ya. :wink:

7

I can count on one finger the number of times I see someone doing this in any given year.

Actually, it is illegal in a lot of places - here in PA being one of them. No idea about where you are.

Hint: if there’s no pedestrian walking in front of them, they are not waiting for a pedestrian to cross.

It would be if everyone just got the hell over, but they don’t. Too often, someone in your position will simply stay in the left lane doing 60.1 MPH and attempt to pass the cars doing 60 in the other lane at a glacial pace.

8

I’ve been passed illegally at least 5 times in the past year, and I only drive about 4000 miles a year. Admittedly a couple of those cases happened when I was below the speed limit, but those were in multi-lane roads - there’s no excuse for using the shoulder or right-turn lane to pass.

(These days I usually drive at 55 mph or at the speed limit, whichever is less, because I found out my car’s fuel efficiency drops off rapidly above 60. That means I drive right at the speed limit on 2-lane roads, and below the limit on wider freeways. I’d think that would be acceptable for other drivers, assuming I stay on the right lane whenever possible…)

Right, because all pedestrians are taller than cars and SUVs. :rolleyes:

That’s why I’m using the turn signal to indicate I’m getting the hell over.

9

Wait three seconds. If someone emerges from in front of the tall car, the tall car was waiting for that person to cross. This is not rocket science.

10

What bothers me is, there are certain situations when there is a reason I shouldn’t pass the car, but the reason is not standard-sized and standard-speed pedestrian. Maybe someone is picking up an item that fell off the shopping cart. Maybe there’s a slow-moving wheelchair.

If everyone used the hazard lights to indicate when they’re temporarily parked, then a lack of the hazard lights means something: it means the car is waiting for the way to clear, and I should just wait. But if nobody uses hazard lights, then the lack of hazard lights means absolutely nothing.

11

Rebecca Gayheart, is that you?

12

A few more things that drive me crazy:

[ul]
[li]When driving on a divided highway (grass and/or guard rail meridian), there’s NO NEED to slam on your brakes for an emergency vehicle coming in the opposite direction on the other side[/li][li]School buses are restricted to 45 mph on the highway here. YOU are not forced to queue up behind them. The speed limit is 65 mph for you, and you CAN pass the bus.[/li][li]I’m sure hearing about your BFF’s latest adventure at the mall is reallllly important, but if you have to drive in the far left lane while you chat on the cell, at least go the speed limit.[/li][/ul]

13

If everyone would follow this one simple rule, driving wouldn’t be nearly as dangerous or irritating:
Do not cause other drivers to change inertia.
Don’t pull out in front of people then go slow, cut them off in traffic, hang out in the left lane or weave around while you fuck with your cell phone.

I seethe at the whole “aggressive driver baaaaad” meme. It’s the passive aggressive, underskilled, impaired and/or distracted drivers that are the problem. Many of the aggressive drivers are driven to it after being delayed, obstructed or even nearly killed by the actions of the aforementioned.

14

One of THE most annoying things: Nobody in NYC knows how to “zipper merge”. It’s your lane, than my lane, then you lane, then my lane-- not drive up on the shoulder and skip every body then shove your way in.

Not knowing how to zipper merge in NYC is a major problem seeing as how they’ve never finished actually building it and probably never will. Another factor in this non-merge knowing problem is that it can get you shot by the police.

15

This is my #1 annoyance. And it happens ALL THE TIME. On residential roads where they could have made their right turn and gone directly into the other, EMPTY lane instead of making me brake (and it’s happened when I’ve been in both the right or left lanes). And on the highway, way too often. I have to drive on inerstate 70 often to go see my boyfriend - it’s 2 lanes for the majority of my trip. And oh god people, on a 2-lane highway, get the fuck out of the left lane! Unless you are going faster than anyone will ever go, get out! I don’t appreciate trying to go 75-80 and getting stuck behind your slow ass and therefore also boxed in by semis. The only time I’ll be a bitch and pass on the right is on that highway because on beautiful, clear, light traffic days, some asshole is always hogging the left lane going 62 (and the limit is 70).

16

Ooh, that’s another one. In L.A. I noticed people did tend to ‘zipper merge’, whether at an on-ramp or because of a blocked lane. In Washington people seem to be unaware of the concept.

17

Yeah, and those sons a bitches in semis when one 18-wheeler going 50 miles per hour is being passed by another 18-wheeler going 50.5 miles per hour on an upgrade. Look asshole, if it’s going to take you three or more minutes to get around the guy, just stay behind him.

18

When I used to drive I-81 through Virginia a lot, this was one of my pet peeves.

I-81 goes through a lot of rolling, hilly terrain. Over and over again, I’d see one semi pull out to try to pass another, when almost at the bottom of the downslope. The passing truck would catch up to the truck being passed early in the upslope, just as its momentum was waning, and then they’d go up the rest of the uphill side by side. Dozens of cars would pile up behind them as they’d both be going about 50 by the top of the hill. Grrrr.

19

If I’m in the left lane on the Interstate at 70 mph starting to pass a couple of cars doing 60, and someone roars up behind me at 85 mph, I am going to complete passing those cars at 70, then get back into the right lane. Regardless of whether I alter Mr. 85 mph’s “inertia”, or if he flashes his brights or otherwise acts like a jerk.

If I don’t have room to immediately get back into the right lane, I am not obliged to a) make a dangerous maneuver, b) speed up to 85 myself, or c) pull off into the ditch to please a super-speeder.

20

And what An Arky said.

It’s a wonderfully elegant statement, btw. It applies to slow drivers in the fast lane, people who cut off other people trying to pass, people in a hurry to pull out of a side street without stopping at the stop sign, but not in much of a hurry once they’ve pulled out in front of you…dozens of situations.

Do not cause other drivers to change inertia.

I want that on a…bumper sticker. :slight_smile: