# Are you a candidate for Idiot Driver of the Year? Take the following test and find out! **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [August 20, 2012, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-a-candidate-for-idiot-driver-of-the-year-take-the-following-test-and-find-out/632067 "2012-08-20T16:50:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![John\_DiFool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_difool/32/19543_2.png) [@John\_DiFool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_DiFool)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2012, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-a-candidate-for-idiot-driver-of-the-year-take-the-following-test-and-find-out/632067/41 "2012-08-22T16:15:31Z")
> [@Cat\_Whisperer](#): > > I ran into (no pun intended) a similar situation yesterday - I was in the far right lane because I was turning off shortly, and people were merging onto the high-speed road I was on. One car merged in front of me, no problem. The second vehicle tried to merge right **into** me, then waved his arm at me when I honked as I slammed on the brakes to avoid hitting him. Dude, you have to pick a spot and make it happen - your spot is not right where I am driving. This is known as “weaving” in road engineering parlance, and is one reason why cloverleafs are going out of style. The bad news is that the flyover ramps which have been replacing them cost buku bucks to build, even if they are safer. > [@Ludovic](#): > > The worst for that is I-95 in the Carolinas – definitely SC but maybe parts of NC as well. Whenever I take I-95 through SC I can reliably hit a pair of semis riding side by side, for miles, at least once. It’s mystifying to me why they do it-wouldn’t it make more sense to form a 2 truck convoy in that situation than to try to force a pass like that? Do truckers even purposely run in convoys at all anymore? ---
**Author:** ![Topologist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/topologist/32/3208_2.png) [@Topologist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Topologist)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2012, 2:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-a-candidate-for-idiot-driver-of-the-year-take-the-following-test-and-find-out/632067/42 "2012-08-23T02:04:04Z")
> [@fachverwirrt](#): > > I’ll play. > > You are at a highway interchange in a cloverleaf pattern. You are entering the highway; I am exiting. Because it is a cloverleaf, your acceleration lane is also my deceleration lane. You need to go faster to match highway speed; I need to go slower to successfully navigate the rather sharp curve of the exit. You are currently about 3/4 of a car length ahead of me and going the same speed. My turn signal is on and I am clearly slowing down. > > Do you: > > A) Continue to accelerate so I can smoothly pull into your lane behind you as you pull into mine in front; or: > > B) Slow down (at the exact same rate as me), forcing me to either slam on the brakes and risk a rear end accident by going too slow in a travel lane or stomp on the accelerator to get by you, then slamming on the brakes to avoid losing control on the curve. > > If A, congratulations; you can merge. If B, welcome to St. Louis. You’ll fit right in. Or the reverse: The parkway entrance I usually use on my way to work is rather short and doubles as an exit lane. (Northern State Parkway on Long Island, built for much slower speeds long ago.) I regularly get a car coming up from behind me on the parkway, wanting to exit, but speeding up to get in front of me to make the exit. So, they’re speeding up to the exit while forcing me to slow down while trying to enter. Worst was a pickup truck that ended up so fast he almost didn’t make the turn. ---
**Author:** ![Enkel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/df705f/32.png) [@Enkel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enkel)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2012, 3:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-a-candidate-for-idiot-driver-of-the-year-take-the-following-test-and-find-out/632067/43 "2012-08-23T03:41:15Z")
> [@voltaire](#): > > I gotta say, if you were the type of person I’ve seen, who passes, then for no reason _immediately_ merges back in front of the vehicle you just passed, then slows-down/hits the brakes enough that they have to do likewise, then you were the original and bigger asshole. > > I do hope that’s not the case, but the fact that the RV towing a pickup was able to pass you right back, and do the same thing, sure does make it sound that way. When I’m hauling, it is always little car passes on the up hill, then once we crest the hill and I can reach the speed limit again, the dufus in the little vehicle is sitting right there and I have to ride my breaks to avoid squishing them. I’ve also had to sit in the left lane for extra long times because some driver starts passing on the right, then falls back, then edges up. The only way I can safely get back over is to pass ANOTHER car that will keep them from creeping into the space that I’m trying to use because once I start into that lane, if I have to swerve back, it isn’t going to be good for anyone involved and if they’ve crept up on my tail end, I won’t feel much more than a thump when I send them off the side of the road. After dark, I always flash trucks so they know they can safely merge over and I bless anyone who shows me the same curtsey. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2012, 4:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-a-candidate-for-idiot-driver-of-the-year-take-the-following-test-and-find-out/632067/44 "2012-08-23T04:04:33Z")
> [@Enkel](#): > > \ I bless anyone who shows me the same curtsey. I’m not sure how much of my curtsey you can actually see 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Enkel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/df705f/32.png) [@Enkel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enkel)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2012, 4:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-a-candidate-for-idiot-driver-of-the-year-take-the-following-test-and-find-out/632067/45 "2012-08-23T04:12:03Z")
> [@Cat\_Whisperer](#): > > I’m not sure how much of my curtsey you can actually see 😃 _shakes fist_ damn you autocorrect! ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2012, 11:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-a-candidate-for-idiot-driver-of-the-year-take-the-following-test-and-find-out/632067/46 "2012-08-23T11:08:34Z")
> [@slumtrimpet](#): > > I’ll support any time someone gives the troopers a little “fuck you”. I’m happy to be stuck behind a pair of truckers that are doing that. I didn’t mean that they were doing it specifically to avoid an upcoming speed trap: they just do it all the time on I-95. Although the thought did cross my mind that perhaps the cops are really anal about ticketing truckers in the Carolinas. ---
**Author:** ![slumtrimpet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@slumtrimpet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/slumtrimpet)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2012, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-a-candidate-for-idiot-driver-of-the-year-take-the-following-test-and-find-out/632067/47 "2012-08-24T01:41:52Z")
> [@Ludovic](#): > > I didn’t mean that they were doing it specifically to avoid an upcoming speed trap: they just do it all the time on I-95. Although the thought did cross my mind that perhaps the cops are really anal about ticketing truckers in the Carolinas. Until I saw the speed trap they had saved me (and my fellow car drivers) from, I was snarling and bitching right along. It was only when I realized what they had done that I appreciated it. And, to be honest, it was a pretty rare event. But I will cut truck drivers that start to pass and hit a hill and lose their momentum some slack. It must suck to be a speed limit driver that passes them on the uphills and has them blow by on the downhills though. Asshats that can’t maintain a steady speed on the highways drive me nuts. Unless there’s traffic I set my cruise control at about 9 miles over the speed limit (so’s I’m not likely to get pulled over). If I start to pass someone who’s doing 8 miles over the speed limit I step on it until I’m well past them and then resume my speed. I love when they then pass me and resume their 8 miles over the speed limit in front of me. WTF? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-a-candidate-for-idiot-driver-of-the-year-take-the-following-test-and-find-out/632067.md?page=2)