A couple weeks ago, I was in St. Paul and getting ready to take a right onto Grand Avenue (next to Dixie’s, locals). Across from me, another driver (female, young, new VW Jetta) was trying to get on Grand by taking a left. Who had the right of way? I did. But noooooooo… she cuts me off, looking directly into my eyes, albeit vacantly. She further proved that no one was home (knocking on forehead) by stopping THREE TIMES for people jaywalking across Grand. I was flabbergasted.
To top it off, she decided to get the jump on others wanting to turn left on Lexington by getting into the middle lane way too early. She was immediately cut off by another driver who wanted to take a left in the other direction. My car was directly next to hers when she realized she was cut off… She didn’t even LOOK before trying to pull back into my lane. I laid on the horn. She looks at me, shocked! I mouthed “What the Hell are you doing?” to her and she just stared back, slack-jawed, holding her MOBILE PHONE.
Hang up the phone and drive, beeyotch!
I’ve lived in many places, including the East coast, California, Texas and Germany. Minnesota has the worst drivers I’ve ever seen.
My advice to Minnesota drivers:
Be courteous to those trying to get on and off the highway by not impeding their progress.
Use your turn signal.
Get off my ass. Leave at least two car lengths, at least! IIRC in Drivers Education they said to have one car length per ten mph of speed. 60 mph means six car lengths.
I have a friend who admits she tailgates. “I have good reflexes!” she justifies. Puh-fucking-leeeze. When you end up in the front seat of the car you’re tailgating, tell me again about your reflexes. You MORON!
BTW, it is merely coincidence that both of the drivers about whom I have complained are female. I too am female. IMHO, bad drivers come in both flavors.
Not wanting to open my own thread I just want to vent here…
WTF is up with rude drivers? I’m used to rude males but this morning I was given the finger by some bitch in a black civic.
So she’s crusing the left lane and I’m approaching at well over the limit. I flash her and stop my approach to about 2 car length at 65-ish mph. She then gives me the finger and changes lanes? What the hell?
Why are women like this so stupid? What the hell prevents me from cutting her ass off, braking as hard as I can (and my Matrix is known for it’s braking power over normal cars) and causing her to pay me big bucks?
She’s fucking lucky I wasn’t in a bad mood and I was going to work. I won’t lie, I drive fast and will pass on the right but I have never, ever, been rude to other drivers.
And Gazelle, it isn’t just cell phones. Also today I got behind some guy changing radio stations while slowing (must have coasted while doing it) in the left lane below the limit! I was one of six cars that blasted by this loser.
I swear I need to install a camcorder in my car, just so I can post videos online and release some rage.
Earlier this spring, I had the unfortunate displeasure of sharing the road with a person who apparently thought he had x-ray vision. I was driving down a main highway at about 40-45 mph due to very dense fog in the area, when the slack-jawed, brain dead troglodyte behind me thought it would be a magnificent idea to pass me, despite the fact that you couldn’t see more than 100 feet in front of you. I immediately took my foot off the gas to get as far away from him as possible, and watched with alarm as the dumbass wound up having to swerve onto the opposite lane’s shoulder to avoid hitting head on with a car coming from the other direction. It’s a minor miracle there wasn’t an accident due to Mr. Dumbass Driver’s poor decision. Makes me wonder if they’re starting to give away driver’s licenses as prizes in a Cracker Jack box or something.
Minnesota drivers. Ugh. The only thing worse is the Wisconsin drivers in Minnesota.
If I come upon a Saturn, with Wisconsin plates, with a jesus fish (Not a religious bash folks, just an observation) I brace myself for an idiot driving episode.
It’s sad how many Minnesota drivers don’t know that right turns have the right of way (that includes my wife, who still must be reminded). The “I stopped first, I get to go first” elementary school type driving mentality is pervasive here.
…and people, please use the fuckin gas pedal when merging. Not the brake.
I saw a driver who decided that since he couldnt merge because all the traffic was going faster than him that he would be better off *stopping* in the emergency lane. He still had plenty of merge lane left to use but thought that stopping would somehow give him the edge up on the rest of traffic. God forbid he floor the gas and get up to speed. Hes probably still waiting for an opening to merge into.
Its best to be going faster than traffic when attempting to merge. You can always slow down when you find a break and slide right in. This way youre not relying on others to make room or slow down or speed up.
The other ones I hate, going back to the OP, are the dingbats in the left lane who are oblivious to the fifteen cars backed up behind them. If they don`t notice the guy flashing the lights or laying on the horn behind them then they have no business behind the wheel. When there are two other lanes to use, be couteous and leave the left lane for those of us who like to speed.
Who are you people that need to slow down to eighteen miles per hour on the freeway to watch a cop giving someone a ticket?
Even if its a ten car pile-up on the opposite side of the freeway, there is no reason to slow down and create a hazard on *this* side of the road. What wont you see at 60 mph that you can see better at 18 mph? It`s just an accident people - keep going. Please!
While sharing your vitriol, Gazelle, the problem is widespread asshattery at the driver testing level. Were I Emperor for a day, all operators would need to demonstrate knowledge of their vehicle and inspection procedures required by CDL holders.
Much bile has been sucked by this poster when fucktards jump into my forward safety zone and slam on their brakes, oblivious to the fact that I might make bumper chow of them. Sorry folks, I can’t stop a tractor trailer in the same distance as you can an Acura Integra.
Beyond that, if I apply my lane change signal, it indicates somethig that I plan to do shortly, not a red flag for you to speed up and get into my safe passing window. Grrr!
I hear you, dances - speeding up when you see a blinker is pretty messed up. Also annoying is the converse of that - people who think their turn-signal means, “I, the most important person in the universe, want to change lanes NOW, so everybody get out of my way”.
Yeah, what is it about people who can’t get out of your way quick enough? Can’t they see you’re busy breaking the law and don’t have time for their dithering???
Because it would be dangerous and get you charged with reckless, aggressive driving?
I’m sure the judge will take that into consideration. Courtesy is soooo important while risking the lives of those sharing the road around you.
I agree with the fine British poster immediately above me. If I’m driving 75 or 80 in a 65 in the left lane on a three-way highway full of traffic and you come up behind me at 90, fuck you. If I’m driving 50 in a 35 on a country road, have you tailgating me for two miles, and then you pass me at 60 on a double lined straightaway, fuck you, and don’t look amazed at the single digit on the way by.
Frankly, I don’t give a flying fuck if you’re a danger to yourself, but driving is one of those lovely activities that gives you the unique opportunity to be a danger to innocent people as well.
And don’t even get me started on passing on the right.
I never understand why people tailgate. Regardless of how close you are to the car in front of you, you’re most likely still going to travel the same speed, if not slower. And normally, if I see anyone tailgate me, I tend to slow down and leave a wider space in front of me incase I have to stop.
I came across a bad driver today too. Except this bad driver was driving one of those huge trucks. The kind that carries around sand in the back. I was heading home and I live in one of those quieter neighbourhood streets. There’s this T-section right before I turn into my house, and I was driving along, going straight when this bastard from the sand truck decided that he wasn’t going to stop and check both directions before making a left turn. If I hadn’t been driving 60km/hr, he would have struck me and probably killed me.
There was a lot of “YOU FUCKING BASTARD” and “YOU SHOULDN’T BE DRIVING THAT FUCKING TRUCK. YOU’RE A FUCKING HAZARD!” and a lot of flipping the bird and honking.
I can sometimes cut people off, or speed a little, but making a left turn in an intersection with no traffic lights without stopping? WTF?
All I can say about bad drivers is that I’m lucky I’m a very aware and observant driver. I can usually spot “trouble drivers” before they have the chance to do something stupid around me, so I can be cautious around them.
Then again, I can’t catch them all, like that fucking STUPID teenage girl that almost nailed my drivers door when she was burning out in a left turn out of a parking lot. Stupid bitch!
The other day I saw a woman pull a u-turn in the very middle of an intersection with traffic coming from behind her and toward her in the opposite lane. She didn’t slow or signal… just all of a sudden swooped around and starting going in the opposite direction. What in the hell possessed her to think that was a good idea, I’ll never know.
Sometimes I think it’s just a lapse in judgment–we all make mistakes. Other times, it can’t be anything other than sheer, pervasive stupidity.
The problem with Ohio drivers is that they all seem to go 10 miles BELOW the speed limit, but they’re all so damn nice on the highways I can’t really get mad at them. True, I’ve been stuck behind them on I-77 going 57 (and I don’t typically go more than 71 in a 65 MPH, so I speed, but not in a maniacal fashion), but once they realize that I’m behind them, they get into the right lane as soon as possible - unlike VA drivers, who stay in the passing lane out of spite. So although that Ohio driver is annoying me, I don’t get too upset. I do wish they’d all learn to go at least the speed limit in the left lane, however. My boyfriend is guilty of this as well, and I’ve tried to tell him that he’s going to have to learn to drive more defensively when he moves to VA.
Although now I realize why my best friend who grew up in WV would always say “Damn Buckeyes!” in college when we passed an Ohio driver on the highways.
Now where did I infer I got impatient? Reckless driving? Huh?
Oh wait, are you a stupid slow driver that holds the left lane while not passing and are against “speeding” because, you know, we speeders are dangerous buggers that should be shot for thinking our cars are safe while doing 75 mph? You know all the problems the autobahn (sp?) has with all them speeders crashing and spontaneously blowing up because everyone is proceeding at 120 mph while keeping right?
FUCK YOU.
So, getting back to defending myself. 2 car length is the “legal” limit as per the officer that once pulled me over for following too closely (charge dropped). So these days I approach to no closer than 2 car length in good, clear conditions.
Reckless driving (aka careless driving) is an accumulation of charges including speeding, unsafe lane changes, following too closely and various other charges (there is, AFAIK, no such thing as “unsafe stopping”). 3 must apply so in the strictest of terms I broke 2 laws (speeding and, if you wanna be picky, following too closely). I technically cannot be charged with reckless driving for stopping in front of anyone. I stated fact when I said my car can stop far faster than most which means unless you’re 150 feet away from me (hah!) if I stand on my brakes, you’re going to crash into me. The only reason why I don’t want to do this is because I love my car.
Wait, you’re in the UK, shouldn’t you know what flashing my lights means? Maybe you’re one of them fuckers who think I’m flashing to be rude?
And yes, courtesy is very fucking important. Because if you’re going to break the law you might as well be nice about it. I break the law every day. I drive gasp over the limit! I dislike being blocked by slow drivers! HELL I EVEN FLASH MY BRIGHTS! I thought only people here didn’t understand what that means.
I also have no patience for slopping driving (this includes taking on-ramps at half the speed limit and then jumping happily into traffic). Sorry, but I find safety in speed.