# "Other drivers" **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [February 21, 2018, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/other-drivers/809298 "2018-02-21T21:58:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Tired\_and\_Cranky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a87d85/32.png) [@Tired\_and\_Cranky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tired_and_Cranky)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2018, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/other-drivers/809298/41 "2018-02-22T18:44:38Z")
> [@StraightTalk](#): > > Except that, presumably, people don’t back out of their spot unless there is no one in the driving lane. And, therefore, no one to block. > [@Sailboat](#): > > One of my traffic peeves (it’s a long list) is when I am backing out of a nose-in spot and someone rushes up to pass behind me. [snip] I couldn’t have planned a more fortuitous simulpost. Sailboat: People are racing by you because they believe that you are going to be more slow and frustrating while backing than the people who frustrate the OP while backing in. Rear cameras, rear sensors and beeping aren’t enough to stop people from backing into things in parking lots. These aids should keep all but brain dead drivers from hitting non-moving objects but they aren’t working, which suggests that drivers are backing into moving people and cars. To prevent that, carmakers are installing automatic braking for reverse. [The Next Big Thing In Car Safety Is Automatic Braking In Reverse](https://jalopnik.com/the-next-big-thing-in-car-safety-is-automatic-braking-i-1823222452) You people backing out of parking spots are the real problem. It’s not like you’re strangling kittens for sport but you could be better. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2018, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/other-drivers/809298/42 "2018-02-22T18:45:46Z")
> [@StraightTalk](#): > > One thing your casual observer test didn’t consider is the effects on the driving lane in the parking lot. If you are going to back in to the spot and I’m behind you, I have to stop and wait for you to pull forward, change gear to reverse, and then back into the spot (in however many attempts it takes you to aim your car right). I have to wait for you rather than driving on. > > Generally, if you pull in forward, you can just pull in and I can drive by. I would think people are better at aiming going forward than in reverse - and faster too. Then, after I’m gone and the lane is clear, you can straighten up. > > I think, in general, backing in will affect more other people than pulling in forward. Even worse, many of the parking lots where I live have slanted spaces. Pulling into them is fairly easy, but it would be impossible to back into one in your lane of traffic. You’d have to back up into the space on the opposite side, blocking both lanes, and then be pointed the wrong way when you leave. ---
**Author:** ![Baker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bb73d2/32.png) [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2018, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/other-drivers/809298/43 "2018-02-22T18:52:45Z")
Distracted drivers weaving in their lane because they are doing something with a mobile device. They can be killers. ---
**Author:** ![Dobbs](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Dobbs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dobbs)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2018, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/other-drivers/809298/44 "2018-02-22T19:02:38Z")
> [@Voyager](#): > > Even worse, many of the parking lots where I live have slanted spaces. Pulling into them is fairly easy, but it would be impossible to back into one in your lane of traffic. You’d have to back up into the space on the opposite side, blocking both lanes, and then be pointed the wrong way when you leave. Is that a thing? I’ve been driving for over 40 years, and I’m fairly sure I’d remember ever seeing that. ---
**Author:** ![Misnomer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/misnomer/32/14897_2.png) [@Misnomer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Misnomer)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2018, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/other-drivers/809298/45 "2018-02-22T19:03:59Z")
I will never understand how regular-sized 4-door sedans, when turning, suddenly become 18-wheelers that need to swing wide (often veering slightly into the lane of the traffic that is not turning, which is very much like someone changing lanes in front of you without signaling _or looking_). > [@zoog](#): > > My personal “other driver” pet peeve of the moment: I’m pulling up to a red light in the right turn lane. I want to make a legal right turn in red when it’s safe to do so. An “other driver” comes up into one of the lanes to my left and stops well past the stop line, blocking my view down the street so I can’t make that turn. Bonus points if they keep edging forward. This, too. There is literally nothing that car can do except block my view. > [@TRC4941](#): > > -When sitting at a red arrow light in a left turn lane, why does it take the first two cars FOREVER to move forward? Those lights aren’t green for very long as it is. Related: the driver turning left on a green arrow who either isn’t paying attention or feels the need to trail 3 car lengths behind the vehicle in front of him, not being aware that the light has a sensor and will change sooner rather than later if it thinks turning traffic has slowed/ended. That dude usually gets through the light, but screws several of the cars behind him. > [@QuickSilver](#): > > Hell is “other drivers”. Seriously. Why can’t everyone just drive like me?!? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![scr4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2018, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/other-drivers/809298/46 "2018-02-22T19:29:12Z")
> [@Scoobysnax](#): > > Living in Southern California, where 1 in 5 drivers has no insurance, we get a lot of hit and run drivers. The trailer hitch on the back of my wife’s F-150 has protected her truck from damage from several people that have decided to run off after hitting her. Isn’t the trailer hitch attached to the truck frame? I would have thought hitting the hitch would cause more damage than hitting the bumper. ---
**Author:** ![MonkeyCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e99b99/32.png) [@MonkeyCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MonkeyCat)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2018, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/other-drivers/809298/47 "2018-02-22T19:36:16Z")
> [@Velocity](#): > > I must first admit that as someone who often doesn’t turn bright lights off or use the turn signal, I am more often the “other driver” that others vent about, than one who has much venting to do. > > That being said… > > I drive a Smart Car. A small car. When people in big cars in front of me are backing up, I am terrified they’ll ram into me because they may very well not be able to see me, or not notice me. I once had to honk madly to stop someone from backing into me that way. And was hit already before, before that, on another occasion. > > Another time in Virginia (unrelated to SmartCar,) one driver decided to play this game called “Don’t let \*\*Velocity \*\*switch lanes.” He knew I had to switch lanes and would deliberately keep his car abreast of mine, speeding up or slowing down with me, to keep me from switching lanes by obstructing me. I’d be terrified if I drove a Smart Car, too. Hell, my lights on my car are so low as they are, I don’t think people notice when I keep my brights on. And it’s cultural where I am to not use turn signals anyways. So I’m bad, too. Also I drive like everything’s a race car. Oops. ---
**Author:** ![overlyverbose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/9dc877/32.png) [@overlyverbose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/overlyverbose)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2018, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/other-drivers/809298/48 "2018-02-22T20:03:43Z")
> [@Velocity](#): > > I must first admit that as someone who often doesn’t turn bright lights off \*\*or use the turn signal, \*\*I am more often the “other driver” that others vent about, than one who has much venting to do. > > That being said… > > I drive a Smart Car. A small car. When people in big cars in front of me are backing up, I am terrified they’ll ram into me because they may very well not be able to see me, or not notice me. I once had to honk madly to stop someone from backing into me that way. And was hit already before, before that, on another occasion. > > Another time in Virginia (unrelated to SmartCar,) one driver decided to play this game called “Don’t let \*\*Velocity \*\*switch lanes.” He knew I had to switch lanes and would deliberately keep his car abreast of mine, speeding up or slowing down with me, to keep me from switching lanes by obstructing me. How on earth do you rationalize not using a turn signal (bolding mine)? That’s both illegal and incredibly, incredibly dangerous. Are you one of the guys who hovers next to the lane they want to be in expecting that people will magically know you want to switch? Please, please tell me that you leave lots of room between you & other cars. My pet peeve is the pickup that routinely pulls on through from the parking spot diagonal to me to the one right next to me when I get to work. I generally leave a space between me and the car next to me because I usually walk around to grab my stuff out of the passenger side of the car where it’s sitting on the seat. Given my grace, I’m paranoid I’ll scratch up someone’s car opening the car door. Having someone park as close to me as this guy usually does (guess he can’t see all of his car’s dimensions?), I wind up having to drag my laptop bag, lunch bag and gym bag over the console and pile them in my lap, which irritates the hell out of me. ---
**Author:** ![WOOKINPANUB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wookinpanub/32/132_2.png) [@WOOKINPANUB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WOOKINPANUB)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2018, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/other-drivers/809298/49 "2018-02-22T20:07:30Z")
My hatred of other drivers burns too hot and too long for me to list but one I don’t think I see mentioned here is people leaving giant gaps between them and the car in front of them, _when stopped at a light._ WTF? It’s rush hour, and everyone is taking all the same routes. They know people will be wanting to get into left turn lanes yet they still just stop . . .wherever , and it takes three cycles to make the turn because they couldn’t be bothered to look up from there phone and move forward. ---
**Author:** ![GargoyleWB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gargoylewb/32/199_2.png) [@GargoyleWB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GargoyleWB)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2018, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/other-drivers/809298/50 "2018-02-22T20:17:08Z")
> [@zoog](#): > > My personal “other driver” pet peeve of the moment: I’m pulling up to a red light in the right turn lane… Old fart here that remembers the days without tall SUVs or tinted windows when you could reliably look through the windows of the other cars to see traffic coming. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2018, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/other-drivers/809298/51 "2018-02-22T20:17:53Z")
> [@Dobbs](#): > > Is that [slanted spaces] a thing? I’ve been driving for over 40 years, and I’m fairly sure I’d remember ever seeing that. They’re pretty common in the US. [Here’s an example near here](https://www.google.com/maps/@41.4525852,-81.7994359,113m/data=!3m1!1e3?hl=en). Where are you driving? ---
**Author:** ![Scoobysnax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c4cdca/32.png) [@Scoobysnax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scoobysnax)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2018, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/other-drivers/809298/52 "2018-02-22T20:18:53Z")
> [@scr4](#): > > Isn’t the trailer hitch attached to the truck frame? I would have thought hitting the hitch would cause more damage than hitting the bumper. most impacts have been in the 5-10 mph range. A trailer hitch will go through a lot of fairly soft stuff (plastic bumper, grill, radiator) before hitting something solid. The hitch receiver is also almost flush with the rear bumper. Any significant impact will damage the frame with or without the hitch in place. ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2018, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/other-drivers/809298/53 "2018-02-22T20:50:32Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > They’re pretty common in the US. [Here’s an example near here](https://www.google.com/maps/@41.4525852,-81.7994359,113m/data=!3m1!1e3?hl=en). Where are you driving? I think they meant they’ve never seen someone \*\*back into \*\*a slanted space? ---
**Author:** ![TRC4941](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trc4941/32/6792_2.png) [@TRC4941](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TRC4941)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2018, 1:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/other-drivers/809298/54 "2018-02-23T01:40:42Z")
Thought of another one: As I’m approaching a stop sign, the driver that’s making a left hand turn into the lane next to me doesn’t make the turn wide enough so that as I’m about to stop they’re coming partially into my lane head on! I have to stop short to avoid hitting them. UGH ---
**Author:** ![Jennshark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Jennshark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jennshark)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2018, 3:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/other-drivers/809298/55 "2018-02-23T03:17:04Z")
People who fling open their doors open and ding other cars in parking lots accidentally or because they simply don’t give a shit. I’ve worked hard for the money to buy my nice cars and I put in a lot of sweat equity keeping them nice. I love my cars. Whenever possible I park in spaces far away from others or park next to another well-cared for car. Grrrrrr! ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2018, 4:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/other-drivers/809298/56 "2018-02-23T04:19:07Z")
> [@Nava](#): > > You realize you might get someone killed doing that and choose to do it anyway, or do you just not understand that driving blind isn’t healthy? You understand that by “brights” he meant high beams, right? He was not talking about shutting off the headlights but kicking down to low beams. Far from “driving blind”. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2018, 4:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/other-drivers/809298/57 "2018-02-23T04:37:44Z")
> [@Velocity](#): > > I must first admit that as someone who often doesn’t turn bright lights off or use the turn signal, I am more often the “other driver” that others vent about, than one who has much venting to do. > [@Nava](#): > > You realize you might get someone killed doing that and choose to do it anyway, or do you just not understand that driving blind isn’t healthy? > [@eschereal](#): > > You understand that by “brights” he meant high beams, right? He was not talking about shutting off the headlights but kicking down to low beams. Far from “driving blind”. I interpreted **Nava** ’s comment to mean that he’s blinding _the other drivers_. He does, after all, say he doesn’t turn his high beams off, not doesn’t turn them on. > [@TRC4941](#): > > -When sitting at a red arrow light in a left turn lane, why does it take the first two cars FOREVER to move forward? Those lights aren’t green for very long as it is. Here 15% of the time they’re not paying attention to anything and just staring into space, 10% of the time they’re fiddling with their stereo, and 75% of the time they’re fucking with their phones, which aren’t even supposed to be in their hands by law. ---
**Author:** ![Dobbs](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Dobbs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dobbs)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2018, 4:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/other-drivers/809298/58 "2018-02-23T04:48:00Z")
> [@gigi](#): > > I think they meant they’ve never seen someone \*\*back into \*\*a slanted space? That would be correct. I’ve seen plenty of slanted spaces, but never seen someone back into them. It’s stupid enough that I’d like to think I’d remember it. ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2018, 5:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/other-drivers/809298/59 "2018-02-23T05:37:43Z")
We have one store here where all the diagonal spaces are on a parallel, so it could happen and make sense. But the other store near it has the diagonal spaces in a herringbone, so all the parking lanes are one way and no one ever backs into one of those or takes a sprew. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2018, 7:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/other-drivers/809298/60 "2018-02-23T07:08:30Z")
Should have read the rest of the thread [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/other-drivers/809298.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/other-drivers/809298.md?page=4)