# I Pit People Who Drive Like Maniacs **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [August 9, 2011, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-people-who-drive-like-maniacs/592102 "2011-08-09T17:19:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2011, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-people-who-drive-like-maniacs/592102/41 "2011-08-09T22:10:27Z")
> [@Frank](#): > > Will I slow down 20 or 30 miles an hour to let someone in who doesn’t have the brains to use the on-ramp for acceleration while they’re eyeballing the highway for open spots? Ha. And what about places where people entering are forced to come to a complete stop with no room to accelerate? I always slow down to let people in if it’s possible. ---
**Author:** ![Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2011, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-people-who-drive-like-maniacs/592102/42 "2011-08-09T22:17:49Z")
> [@Acsenray](#): > > And what about places where people entering are forced to come to a complete stop with no room to accelerate? I always slow down to let people in if it’s possible. Like where? I’ve done a lot of driving, and I have never come to a complete stop when merging onto a freeway. (Well, except when the freeway traffic was also at a complete stop.) Certainly there are configurations where it’s difficult to get up a lot of speed, or where it’s difficult to get a good view of highway traffic for choosing your merge point, but difficult does not equal impossible. Are there a lot of stop signs on freeway on-ramps in your neck of the woods? ---
**Author:** ![Chopper9760](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/cdc98d/32.png) [@Chopper9760](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chopper9760)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2011, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-people-who-drive-like-maniacs/592102/43 "2011-08-09T22:22:07Z")
> [@OneMissedPost](#): > > So I’m a douchebag if I have to put on my breaks to avoid hitting someone? Yeah… that makes so much sense. Leave an appropriate gap between you and the next guy. Pay attention to the flow of traffic. Unless there’s been some sort of catastrophic accident you should really be able anticipate the flow of traffic without using your brakes. We’re all going 75-80mph, maybe use your fucking eyes and you won’t be slamming your brakes. But yeah, by all means pile into someone, that’s obviously what I meant. ---
**Author:** ![Polycarp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/82dd89/32.png) [@Polycarp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Polycarp)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2011, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-people-who-drive-like-maniacs/592102/44 "2011-08-09T22:44:19Z")
> [@Wheelz](#): > > Nope. > It might very well be courteous to do as you describe, but the driver changing lanes has no claim whatsoever to right-of-way over a driver in the through lane. Or do you also think it’s my responsibilty to get out of your way when you’re turning, and it’ll be MY fault if you hit me? That’s just stupid. In a great many states, it is in fact the law that when a lane reduction is in effect (either permanently or temporarily), cars in both lanes have equal rights of way, meaning that cars from each lane alternate in accessing the one remaining open lane. You do in fact have the right of wazy to your lane over a car wishing to change from another lane _which remains open_ – but not in the instance under discussion, where a lane ends or is temporarily closed. ---
**Author:** ![Chopper9760](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/cdc98d/32.png) [@Chopper9760](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chopper9760)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2011, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-people-who-drive-like-maniacs/592102/45 "2011-08-09T23:01:44Z")
> [@Acsenray](#): > > None of these rules are relevant to urban rushhour driving when cars are packed together with less than a car’s length in between. In the city, there’s no such thing as a passing lane, regardless of whether you’re on a surface street or on a controlled-access road. They’re all driving lanes and they’re all going at pretty much the same speed. The 2-5 lane traffic on the stretch of I-90 I drive is urban enough to piss me off and if Kootenai County and Washington drivers would remove their heads from their collective sphincter and drive the way I outlined my Fridays would improve. YMMV - mileage, ha! > [@Acsenray](#): > > In these conditions, the people who act like they just have to go faster than everyone else and can’t slow down for the car in front of them to make turns are not only jackholes, they’re also the ones causing daily accidents, which causes even more delays. There’s a middle ground where people don’t slow down to a crawl and act like feeling one scintilla of g-force will kill them. Let’s not drag out the tired old “you’re not entitled to speed” argument. How about we all just drive properly? ---
**Author:** ![Bri2k](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/48db29/32.png) [@Bri2k](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bri2k)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2011, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-people-who-drive-like-maniacs/592102/46 "2011-08-09T23:30:47Z")
> [@Frank](#): > > Like where? I’ve done a lot of driving, and I have never come to a complete stop when merging onto a freeway. (Well, except when the freeway traffic was also at a complete stop.) Certainly there are configurations where it’s difficult to get up a lot of speed, or where it’s difficult to get a good view of highway traffic for choosing your merge point, but difficult does not equal impossible. > > Are there a lot of stop signs on freeway on-ramps in your neck of the woods? Here in W. PA, PennDOT is having their semi-annual You Can’t Get There From Here Festival and it’s quite common to have stop signs at the end of freeway entrance ramps during construction. May you be fortunate enough to never have to experience this. Bri2k ---
**Author:** ![OneMissedPost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8e7dd6/32.png) [@OneMissedPost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OneMissedPost)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2011, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-people-who-drive-like-maniacs/592102/47 "2011-08-09T23:32:52Z")
> [@Frank](#): > > You probably shouldn’t be dancing and driving anyway. You should be operating the gas and brake pedals. I love how people create sentences only they can understand. ---
**Author:** ![Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2011, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-people-who-drive-like-maniacs/592102/48 "2011-08-09T23:38:37Z")
> [@OneMissedPost](#): > > I love how people create sentences only they can understand. You misspelled “brake” as “break”. ---
**Author:** ![OneMissedPost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8e7dd6/32.png) [@OneMissedPost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OneMissedPost)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2011, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-people-who-drive-like-maniacs/592102/49 "2011-08-09T23:39:19Z")
> [@Frank](#): > > Will I slow down 20 or 30 miles an hour to let someone in who doesn’t have the brains to use the on-ramp for acceleration while they’re eyeballing the highway for open spots? Ha. How fast do you drive? There’s no need to slow down that much. You don’t always accelerate on an on-ramp. You don’t eyeball. You check your side mirror to make sure that you are clear to merge. ---
**Author:** ![Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2011, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-people-who-drive-like-maniacs/592102/50 "2011-08-09T23:40:54Z")
> [@Bri2k](#): > > Here in W. PA, PennDOT is having their semi-annual You Can’t Get There From Here Festival and it’s quite common to have stop signs at the end of freeway entrance ramps during construction. Well, I would riposte with, “I’m certain freeway traffic is not going 80 through a construction zone,” but you did say Pennsylvania, so I won’t. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2011, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-people-who-drive-like-maniacs/592102/51 "2011-08-09T23:43:34Z")
> [@OneMissedPost](#): > > How fast do you drive? There’s no need to slow down that much. When the person trying to merge is going 20 or 30 and freeway traffic is going 60 or 70? > [@](#): > > You don’t always accelerate on an on-ramp. You don’t eyeball. You check your side mirror to make sure that you are clear to merge. Oh. You said you were a defensive driver. You didn’t make clear that you are an incompetent driver. ---
**Author:** ![OneMissedPost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8e7dd6/32.png) [@OneMissedPost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OneMissedPost)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2011, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-people-who-drive-like-maniacs/592102/52 "2011-08-09T23:46:08Z")
> [@Frank](#): > > When the person trying to merge is going 20 or 30 and freeway traffic is going 60 or 70? > Oh. You said you were a defensive driver. You didn’t make clear that you are an incompetent driver. _Yawn_ ---
**Author:** ![Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2011, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-people-who-drive-like-maniacs/592102/53 "2011-08-09T23:49:00Z")
> [@OneMissedPost](#): > > _Yawn_ If you’re only using your side mirror, and you haven’t looked at the highway at all, what’s in your blind spot? ---
**Author:** ![OneMissedPost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8e7dd6/32.png) [@OneMissedPost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OneMissedPost)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2011, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-people-who-drive-like-maniacs/592102/54 "2011-08-09T23:55:59Z")
> [@Frank](#): > > If you’re only using your side mirror, and you haven’t looked at the highway at all, what’s in your blind spot? Okay, I probably misspoke there so I admit I was wrong on that. I do check the high-way as well as the mirror. I’m not exactly sure why I wrote that I don’t check the high-way. ---
**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 10, 2011, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-people-who-drive-like-maniacs/592102/55 "2011-08-10T00:09:58Z")
> [@Bri2k](#): > > Here in W. PA, PennDOT is having their semi-annual You Can’t Get There From Here Festival \ That made me laugh out loud (mostly because Calgary likes to have those every summer, too - we were trying to visit Jim’s parents a couple weeks ago, and hit three or four different constructions blockages and bottlenecks, one right after the next). ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Girlfriend](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.girlfriend/32/193_2.png) [@Dr.Girlfriend](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Girlfriend)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2011, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-people-who-drive-like-maniacs/592102/56 "2011-08-10T00:28:31Z")
I have to drive through a notorious speed trap on my way to work, and I can always tell the people who don’t drive that road on a regular basis. The speed limit is 30, most traffic goes 35, but there’s always one joker who flies through at 60. There’s a sound barrier wall along one side of this road, and about two mornings a week there’s a cop hiding behind that wall. It makes me smile to have someone go flying past only to see them pulled over by the cop further up the road. You don’t know which morning the cop’s gonna be there, so if you have any sense at all you drive at a reasonable speed! ---
**Author:** ![OneMissedPost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8e7dd6/32.png) [@OneMissedPost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OneMissedPost)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2011, 12:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-people-who-drive-like-maniacs/592102/57 "2011-08-10T00:37:57Z")
> [@Dr.Girlfriend](#): > > I have to drive through a notorious speed trap on my way to work, and I can always tell the people who don’t drive that road on a regular basis. The speed limit is 30, most traffic goes 35, but there’s always one joker who flies through at 60. There’s a sound barrier wall along one side of this road, and about two mornings a week there’s a cop hiding behind that wall. It makes me smile to have someone go flying past only to see them pulled over by the cop further up the road. You don’t know which morning the cop’s gonna be there, so if you have any sense at all you drive at a reasonable speed! Some people just think they are invincible when they drive, which I never understood. I’ve seen some people just screech their tires and go full blast down the road with no respect for anyone on the road. I just think people need to be careful when they drive. Driving a big hunk of steel is a huge responsibility. ---
**Author:** ![Morgenstern](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Morgenstern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgenstern)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2011, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-people-who-drive-like-maniacs/592102/58 "2011-08-10T00:52:50Z")
> [@OneMissedPost](#): > > How fast do you drive? There’s no need to slow down that much. > > You don’t always accelerate on an on-ramp. You don’t eyeball. You check your side mirror to make sure that you are clear to merge. If you drive like that, you’re an accident looking for a place to happen. While accelerating on the on ramp, quickly turn your head and check your blind spot, then merge into a preselected open space. Quit expecting others to adjust to your driving. Plan ahead and merge. ---
**Author:** ![OneMissedPost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8e7dd6/32.png) [@OneMissedPost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OneMissedPost)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2011, 1:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-people-who-drive-like-maniacs/592102/59 "2011-08-10T01:04:39Z")
> [@Morgenstern](#): > > If you drive like that, you’re an accident looking for a place to happen. While accelerating on the on ramp, quickly turn your head and check your blind spot, then merge into a preselected open space. Quit expecting others to adjust to your driving. Plan ahead and merge. Thank you for the advice even though I never asked for it. Also, thanks for assuming. It’s great when people make such broad assumptions about people. ---
**Author:** ![Silver\_Fire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e4f/32.png) [@Silver\_Fire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Silver_Fire)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2011, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-people-who-drive-like-maniacs/592102/60 "2011-08-10T01:54:52Z")
> [@Frank](#): > > Are there a lot of stop signs on freeway on-ramps in your neck of the woods? In Mpls/St. Paul (and in other places too, but that’s the one I know for sure) they have ramp meters which are essentially stop lights near the end of the interstate on ramp. Admittedly they are only in use during expected rush hour in the AM and PM but the highway traffic isn’t necessarily (or even usually, in my experience) stopped when the meters are on. Trying to get from a complete stop up to speed before trying to merge into bumper to bumper traffic in a relatively short distance is something a lot of people haven’t mastered and when somebody from a location that doesn’t have ramp meters sees them for the first time, they think it is the most retarded thing ever. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-people-who-drive-like-maniacs/592102.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-people-who-drive-like-maniacs/592102.md?page=4)