# Which of these driving errors do you perpetrate? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 5, 2011, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-of-these-driving-errors-do-you-perpetrate/584420 "2011-06-05T18:53:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2011, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-of-these-driving-errors-do-you-perpetrate/584420/41 "2011-06-06T15:47:22Z")
Around here (Chicago suburbs), it seems you cram as many people into the intersection to make a left turn against traffic as possible. And then another three cars decide to bolt for it and make the turn after the light turns red. I’ll admit that I’m guilty of squeezing into the intersection but I don’t do the “turn on red” thing. ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2011, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-of-these-driving-errors-do-you-perpetrate/584420/42 "2011-06-06T15:58:55Z")
None. I’m the best driver in the world. Everyone else is a moron. ---
**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:** [June 6, 2011, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-of-these-driving-errors-do-you-perpetrate/584420/43 "2011-06-06T16:16:30Z")
Very interesting results. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2011, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-of-these-driving-errors-do-you-perpetrate/584420/44 "2011-06-06T16:19:37Z")
Stop sign. Late at night on back roads. ---
**Author:** ![Scumpup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce73a5/32.png) [@Scumpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scumpup)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2011, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-of-these-driving-errors-do-you-perpetrate/584420/45 "2011-06-06T16:25:30Z")
I am sometimes guilty of rolling stops on side streets when there is no traffic. ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2011, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-of-these-driving-errors-do-you-perpetrate/584420/46 "2011-06-06T17:17:56Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > And, to top it all off, you are backpedalling from your previous assertion that you intentionally slow down in the left lane because someone behind you is trying to get you to follow the rules of the road. Now you say you leave the left lane as soon as possible. > > Your argument self-refutes. Please point out my “previous assertion” where i allegedly said that i “intentionally slow down in the left lane.” The post you quoted was my first post to this thread. I made no such assertion. ---
**Author:** ![Swallowed\_My\_Cellphone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9d8465/32.png) [@Swallowed\_My\_Cellphone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Swallowed_My_Cellphone)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2011, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-of-these-driving-errors-do-you-perpetrate/584420/47 "2011-06-06T17:45:42Z")
> [@Moonlitherial](#): > > I also chose following too closely because I know I do but the sad truth is the instant there is more than a car length in front of me someone is trying to get into it. Me too. If you’re in the big city, if you leave more than a car length in front of you, some other car will leap into that space and cut you off. ---
**Author:** ![BMalion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e274bd/32.png) [@BMalion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BMalion)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2011, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-of-these-driving-errors-do-you-perpetrate/584420/48 "2011-06-06T17:53:09Z")
> [@CitizenPained](#): > > None of them… Same here, there was no choice for “none” so I added one vote on all of them, so as not to scew the stats. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2011, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-of-these-driving-errors-do-you-perpetrate/584420/49 "2011-06-06T17:56:34Z")
I would need a “none” option, because the list didn’t include speeding. ---
**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:** [June 6, 2011, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-of-these-driving-errors-do-you-perpetrate/584420/50 "2011-06-06T17:57:28Z")
My next poll will be, “Which excuses do you use to commit driving errors that are known to cause collisions?” 🙂 (I’ll include “I don’t make any errors while driving” on that one.) ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2011, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-of-these-driving-errors-do-you-perpetrate/584420/51 "2011-06-06T20:14:04Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > And, to top it all off, you are backpedalling from your previous assertion that you intentionally slow down in the left lane… I’m waiting, **BigT**. Please demonstrate how i backpedalled on an assertion that i never made. ---
**Author:** ![what\_do\_I\_type\_here](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/a5b964/32.png) [@what\_do\_I\_type\_here](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/what_do_I_type_here)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2011, 2:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-of-these-driving-errors-do-you-perpetrate/584420/52 "2011-06-07T02:42:22Z")
Honestly, I don’t do any of those things on a regular basis. I follow the rules pretty closely, not because I’m a goody two-shoes but because I know if I let myself slip, a cop will magically appear out of thin air. That’s the kind of luck I have. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2011, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-of-these-driving-errors-do-you-perpetrate/584420/53 "2011-06-07T02:49:09Z")
With my van, lane changes are a bit tricky. Have to check the mirrors and then swivel my head to look out the side windows for any tiny cars hiding in my blind spot. Even then sometimes I have to abort the lane change if I see something out of the corner of my eye. If a cop were following a few cars back it might look a bit dodgy. Not much I can do. Blind spots are always with us. Having people drive like their butts are on fire doesn’t help either. You get a glimpse of them and then they are by you in a blur. With those damn loud tailpipes roaring. Cell phone in their face. It’s amazing anyone wanting to change lanes in traffic does it without getting killed. ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2011, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-of-these-driving-errors-do-you-perpetrate/584420/54 "2011-06-09T20:37:36Z")
Didn’t vote. I don’t do any of those, honest. At my age I’ve mellowed out, cruise at the speed limit in the rightmost lane, and have learned to do everything the right way. Including being courteous and thoughtful of everyone else. And anticipate lane changes well in advance. I’m the safest, nicest driver I know. My major peeve is the fools who insist on turning into the _wrong_ lane—and then get all pissy at _me_ because I turn into the _proper_ lane! It seems to be the second-most ignored traffic rule, after turn signals. And about that: WTF is wrong with drivers who can’t find the muscular strength to apply a few lousy micronewtons to the turn signal lever? You don’t even have to shut it off after turning, because it shuts off automatically in the turn. How frickin’ onerous can it be? :rolleyes: And following too close: When I’m cruising at the speed limit in the rightmost lane, how _frickin’ brain-dead_ does a person have to be to \*tailgate \*me _there_ instead of passing on the left?! (Or are they from England and think the right lane is the fast one?) Fortunately that doesn’t happen too often, but when it does, I seriously lose my faith in humanity. Oh yeah, fiddling with distractions like cell phones, big macs, makeup, etc. I’m surprised that isn’t on the list either. And tossing lit butts out the window ought to be a federal felony. Yes, that means you, nicotine-face. ---
**Author:** ![salinqmind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3ec8ea/32.png) [@salinqmind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/salinqmind)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2011, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-of-these-driving-errors-do-you-perpetrate/584420/55 "2011-06-09T21:31:58Z")
I’m pleased to say I drive following all the rules. (Once got a ticket for rolling through a stop sign - in the middle of frickin’ nowhere! I notice now on some stop signs, there is a smaller sign attached informing the public “stop means STOP”. Ok. OK!!!) I piss off people behind me by driving the speed limit. And when it comes to a 4-way stop, I am still sometimes confused who goes first. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2011, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-of-these-driving-errors-do-you-perpetrate/584420/56 "2011-06-09T21:50:04Z")
I only follow “too closely” when following further away would result in a car inserting itself into my safety zone, and thus causing me to follow too closely anyway. And I go one better when I get tailgated. If they’re riding my ass _when there are cars in front of me_, I don’t pull over when I get a clearing. I don’t slow down, but I also don’t speed up to the speed I _would_ have been going if they hadn’t been tailgating me. Then, when they get an opportunity to pass me on the right, I speed up as fast as I can to the speed I wanted to go in the first place. ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2011, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-of-these-driving-errors-do-you-perpetrate/584420/57 "2011-06-09T21:57:53Z")
> [@salinqmind](#): > > I’m pleased to say I drive following all the rules. (Once got a ticket for rolling through a stop sign - in the middle of frickin’ nowhere! I notice now on some stop signs, there is a smaller sign attached informing the public “stop means STOP”. Ok. OK!!!) I piss off people behind me by driving the speed limit. Yay, another one! Glad I’m not the only speed-limit weirdo around. Good on ya, sister. > [@](#): > > And when it comes to a 4-way stop, I am still sometimes confused who goes first. > Edit— But I don’t do it to piss anyone off, I do it because it’s the safe and sane way to go. Staying all the way to the right actually results in fewer pissed-off people behind me. But for the life of me, I still can’t fathom what’s up with fools who get all proctological on me when I’m in the rightmost lane. You can be as astute and competent as can be at 4-ways, and still have difficulty when one or more of the other drivers gets befuddled. That goofs up the coordination, the rhythm. Like trying to play in a band with people who have no musical talent. ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2011, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-of-these-driving-errors-do-you-perpetrate/584420/58 "2011-06-09T22:04:01Z")
(nm) ---
**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:** [June 9, 2011, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-of-these-driving-errors-do-you-perpetrate/584420/59 "2011-06-09T22:04:28Z")
It’s harder to figure out who goes first in four-way stops when no one actually _stops_ (first one to stop is first one to go - tie goes to the driver on the right). **Johanna** , we had a driver who was trying to merge (badly) the other day shake her head at us and act like we’d done something wrong - there was a ton of room in front of us, and if she’d gotten up to speed, she would have slipped into traffic no problem. Jim didn’t alter his driving because she had so much room to merge in. All we could figure was that she doesn’t actually know how to merge, so she thought Jim had done wrong, and the same probably goes with people turning into the wrong lane - they probably don’t even know they did something wrong. There’s a t-intersection here in town with three left turn lanes side by each, and you can practically see drivers’ heads exploding as they try to deal with it (it has proper signage and the lanes painted, of course, but they seem to need someone to actually motion them through the intersection like the guy with the flashlights at an airport). ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2011, 1:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-of-these-driving-errors-do-you-perpetrate/584420/60 "2011-06-10T01:50:48Z")
> [@Cat\_Whisperer](#): > > It’s harder to figure out who goes first in four-way stops when no one actually _stops_ (first one to stop is first one to go - tie goes to the driver on the right). When there are only two, it’s so easy. I was talking about when all 4 stop signs are filled up at the same time, each with more cars lining up behind it waiting their turns. That’s when you have to get all 4 drivers in tight coordination. Ideally, and with nobody turning, both N and S go at the same time. Then E and W take their turn at the same time. Seems simple in theory. Except there’s always one driver who gets befuddled each time, and that’s all it takes to goof up the system for everyone else. There’s a 4-way like that near Reston Town Center in Virginia that is always filled up. > [@Cat\_Whisperer](#): > > All we could figure was that she doesn’t actually know how to merge, so she thought Jim had done wrong, and the same probably goes with people turning into the wrong lane - they probably don’t even know they did something wrong. There’s a t-intersection here in town with three left turn lanes side by each, and you can practically see drivers’ heads exploding as they try to deal with it (it has proper signage and the lanes painted, of course, but they seem to need someone to actually motion them through the intersection like the guy with the flashlights at an airport). How _do_ these people get (and keep) their licenses? 😕 It ain’t right. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-of-these-driving-errors-do-you-perpetrate/584420.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-of-these-driving-errors-do-you-perpetrate/584420.md?page=4)