Minor things that bother you

[hbelkins]

I've gotten in such a habit of using a turn signal that I sometimes catch myself using it when I pull out of my gravel driveway in a rural area onto the road.

[kkt]

People who drive honkin' ass big pickups that can't park them, taking up 2 spaces.

I get the impression that a lot of these folks don't even care that they're taking up two spaces.  They feel entitled to two spaces.

I don't have a problem with huge trucks using two spots. They may be able to squeeze into a regular spot, but with very little neutral space between surrounding cars, it becomes an annoying experience as people cannot open their doors barely far enough to even exit their vehicles.

Trucks should be able to use two spots, but only in the back-forty.

My big-ass truck, and it literally has a big ass being a dually, gets parked in the boonies and I expend precious calories to transport myself to the front door.  It's surprising how many retailers really don't consider the width of larger vehicles when striping their spots.  If I don't have a choice, I'll shoehorn into one spot by backing in, which puts the width where it affects others the least.  It's a courtesy and safety thing.

I have actually designed parking lots on a semi-professional level. The widths are quite standardized and are significantly affected by zoning codes. Increasing the width of each spot could reduce total spots below the required minimum for the square footage of the lot improvements. You could increase the stall sizes, but that would result in more compact stalls elsewhere in the lot.

I like the variation where there are double lines between each space. It helps enforce a buffer zone between vehicles, even when someone does a mediocre job of parking.

The same goes for shiny, fancy sports cars.  Want to take up two spaces to avoid risk of door dings?  Great, just be sure to park in the back of the lot where no one else might need that second spot.

I have seen a car take up four spaces (2×2) at the Corning NY Wegmans. It was way far back, farther than the red car in the link above, and it was a Rolls-Royce.

Shocking that they do their own shopping at that level of financial attainment.

The chauffeur was picking up a cold bottled water to be ready for the passengers when they've finished their errand.

[interstatefan990]

I don't know if anyone else feels this way, but using my turn signal is actually satisfying for me. The snap of the lever coming into place and subsequent clicking of the signals is oddly soothing. Maybe the inner kid in me just likes fidgeting with things, but who knows?

[GenExpwy]

You know you're in a small town when no one uses their turn signals, because everyone knows where you're going.

My favorite is when oncoming drivers both want to turn left (at a 4-way), but neither one moves because each is waiting for the other to go straight. 

[GaryV]

Okay I know I'm late to the pickup discussion but there is a peeve of mine that always bothers me:

Using a pickup truck just because "you want to drive a big car".

You need to remember, you don't buy a vehicle for your minimum needs.  You buy it for your maximum needs.

When our kids still lived at home or were in college we had a minivan.  Even though we usually didn't "need" it - often times it was driven with only 1 or 2 people.  But because sometimes we did need it, we had it.  We also had a smaller car for the other driver to use.  But when both of us needed to drive somewhere, one of us drove the larger vehicle.

It isn't practical to have 5 different cars just so you can choose which one to drive based on your current need.

[noelbotevera]

Okay I know I'm late to the pickup discussion but there is a peeve of mine that always bothers me:

Using a pickup truck just because "you want to drive a big car".

You need to remember, you don't buy a vehicle for your minimum needs.  You buy it for your maximum needs.

When our kids still lived at home or were in college we had a minivan.  Even though we usually didn't "need" it - often times it was driven with only 1 or 2 people.  But because sometimes we did need it, we had it.  We also had a smaller car for the other driver to use.  But when both of us needed to drive somewhere, one of us drove the larger vehicle.

It isn't practical to have 5 different cars just so you can choose which one to drive based on your current need.

If you're carrying people, then sure a minivan is reasonable. Maybe you go out with friends a lot and having everyone in one car is simply more convenient.

I think it's impractical to own a pickup truck if you rarely haul objects. Consider that a pickup truck tends to have a lower MPG than a sedan or SUV. For the greater price you spend on gas, you could've rented a U-haul (or Penske or whatever) for cheaper.

[US 89]

When you work hard to pass a truck on a rural 2 lane road, only for him to pass you back where the road widens to 4 lanes in the next town because he didn't slow down to the speed limit like you did.

[Bruce]

Okay I know I'm late to the pickup discussion but there is a peeve of mine that always bothers me:

Using a pickup truck just because "you want to drive a big car".

You need to remember, you don't buy a vehicle for your minimum needs.  You buy it for your maximum needs.

Better would be buying for your maximum need on a regular and expected basis. A small SUV would be enough for most people except for maybe once or twice in a year...which is a good time to just use a rental for a larger vehicle.

I certainly wouldn't want to try and park a pickup on a crowded city street or a narrow trail parking space. My small-ish SUV is enough to not be blinded by literally every oncoming vehicle at night but short enough to not have blind spots that I really have to worry about.

[formulanone]

When you work hard to pass a truck on a rural 2 lane road, only for him to pass you back where the road widens to 4 lanes in the next town because he didn't slow down to the speed limit like you did.

Or you wait 20 minutes for the best passing opportunity, but that passed vehicle just shuffles off the same route 30 seconds later.

[webny99]

I can't imagine why someone would selectively not use your turn signal.  I find I'm far less likely to forget to do something if it is a habit and part of my routine.  Not signaling every time one turns seems like a good way to randomly forget to use the turn signal even in traffic.

I agree with this, but strangely tend to not use my signal when turning into the driveway. It's not a busy road, so I guess I feel like I'd probably be recognized by anyone who might be around.

[webny99]

When you work hard to pass a truck on a rural 2 lane road, only for him to pass you back where the road widens to 4 lanes in the next town because he didn't slow down to the speed limit like you did.

I guess I'd keep an eye on the rearview and punch it if I saw that happening! 

(Granted, "four lanes in the next town" isn't even applicable in much of the Northeast...)

[JayhawkCO]

I'm late to the discussion about turn signals, but quick question for those here: do you always use them when in a double "left turn only" situation?  I've found myself a couple of times using my blinker to get over to the lane, but once I'm in the lane, since I don't have any other options but to turn, I turn it off.  Mostly this is because if I'm in the rightmost left turn lane, my car will beep at me due to blind spot monitoring (since there is someone to my left when I want to be turning left).

Chris

[J N Winkler]

I'm late to the discussion about turn signals, but quick question for those here: do you always use them when in a double "left turn only" situation?  I've found myself a couple of times using my blinker to get over to the lane, but once I'm in the lane, since I don't have any other options but to turn, I turn it off.  Mostly this is because if I'm in the rightmost left turn lane, my car will beep at me due to blind spot monitoring (since there is someone to my left when I want to be turning left).

I always keep the signal blinking when I am waiting to turn.  The legal test is whether I am in the signalling envelope (100 ft on surface streets/300 ft on the open road), and I very rarely encounter a situation where I can be stopped waiting to turn while outside the envelope.  On occasion, however, I sometimes change into the turn lane on one signal and then prepare to make the turn on a separate signal, on the basis that the time interval between the two emphasizes that the rightmost left-turn lane is not a through lane (such as at northbound Zoo Boulevard in Wichita approaching Windmill Road, where worn markings and occlusion of lane assignment signs by large trucks can fool drivers).

For me, the key is to remember that the turn signal is one way to avoid being rear-ended.  This is why I quite often begin signalling outside the envelope (e.g., at the last cross street before the turn even if it is more than 100 ft away).

[roadman65]

I hate when toothpaste stains on your shirt or in the sink. You wet it, wash it with a cloth until it appears clean. Then when the water evaporates the stain returns.

Because it becomes invisible when wet, you have no idea how good of a cleaning job you have until later on. It can be embarrassing when you go out, and when you get to your destination you notice it never disappeared even though it vanished when you cleaned it.

[J N Winkler]

In regard to the overtaking scenarios described upthread, I'll describe a situation where I ended up making what I have since come to believe is an error of judgment.

I was on US 54 just outside Liberal, Kansas, returning to Wichita after visiting Arizona.  An 18-wheeler was behind me and pulled out to pass when a passing lane opened up just past the Cimarron River bridge.  The driver did not put on speed while he was going downhill, however, and as we entered a mild uphill incline, he was barely keeping abreast.  Eventually we were about to run out of passing opportunity, so I put on some speed to merge back before the taper.  This apparently infuriated the driver, who proceeded to ride my back bumper all the way to Plains, ten miles later.  I did not feel I could pull over onto the shoulder at any point because it was littered with debris.  When we reached the start of the four-lane section through town, he leaned on his horn to make sure I pulled to the right lane.

No-one was injured or even seriously inconvenienced, but it was a nervous-making incident.  The truck driver's aggressive behavior was unexpected but not altogether impossible to predict.  In retrospect, I think I should have made a different choice when I realized he was not going to put on speed to complete his overtake while he was actually in the passing lane.  (I am not sure why he didn't; I couldn't tell whether his vehicle belonged to one of the major trucking lines and so might have been fitted with a governor.  The trailer was a generic long white box and I didn't see any branding on the tractor doors that I recognized.)  If, for example, I had slowed to a crawl in the driving lane so that he overshot me, I would have been in his rear, which is a more tactically favorable position when dealing with other drivers who are prone to road rage.

[webny99]

In retrospect, I think I should have made a different choice when I realized he was not going to put on speed to complete his overtake while he was actually in the passing lane.  (I am not sure why he didn't; I couldn't tell whether his vehicle belonged to one of the major trucking lines and so might have been fitted with a governor.  The trailer was a generic long white box and I didn't see any branding on the tractor doors that I recognized.)

That's very generous of you, but it sounds to me like it was the truck driver that should have made a different choice. From what I can see on Street View, it's quite a lengthy passing lane. Surely he would have had enough time to get past if he was set on doing so.

[snowc]

In regard to the overtaking scenarios described upthread, I'll describe a situation where I ended up making what I have since come to believe is an error of judgment.

I was on US 54 just outside Liberal, Kansas, returning to Wichita after visiting Arizona.  An 18-wheeler was behind me and pulled out to pass when a passing lane opened up just past the Cimarron River bridge.  The driver did not put on speed while he was going downhill, however, and as we entered a mild uphill incline, he was barely keeping abreast.  Eventually we were about to run out of passing opportunity, so I put on some speed to merge back before the taper.  This apparently infuriated the driver, who proceeded to ride my back bumper all the way to Plains, ten miles later.  I did not feel I could pull over onto the shoulder at any point because it was littered with debris.  When we reached the start of the four-lane section through town, he leaned on his horn to make sure I pulled to the right lane.

No-one was injured or even seriously inconvenienced, but it was a nervous-making incident.  The truck driver's aggressive behavior was unexpected but not altogether impossible to predict.  In retrospect, I think I should have made a different choice when I realized he was not going to put on speed to complete his overtake while he was actually in the passing lane.  (I am not sure why he didn't; I couldn't tell whether his vehicle belonged to one of the major trucking lines and so might have been fitted with a governor.  The trailer was a generic long white box and I didn't see any branding on the tractor doors that I recognized.)  If, for example, I had slowed to a crawl in the driving lane so that he overshot me, I would have been in his rear, which is a more tactically favorable position when dealing with other drivers who are prone to road rage.

My mother had a wrecking ball hit her car (not literally! ) when one of the NC 540 (and I95) workers SLAMMED into her passenger door on the RAV4. Took at least a MONTH to repair that sucker. :colorful" 

[vdeane]

In retrospect, I think I should have made a different choice when I realized he was not going to put on speed to complete his overtake while he was actually in the passing lane.  (I am not sure why he didn't; I couldn't tell whether his vehicle belonged to one of the major trucking lines and so might have been fitted with a governor.  The trailer was a generic long white box and I didn't see any branding on the tractor doors that I recognized.)

That's very generous of you, but it sounds to me like it was the truck driver that should have made a different choice. From what I can see on Street View, it's quite a lengthy passing lane. Surely he would have had enough time to get past if he was set on doing so.

I would go so far as to say that the truck driver should lose his licence.  That "I don't actually want to go faster than you, I just want to be in front, even if it's inconvenient for you and gains me nothing" attitude is appalling even when it's just a regular car.  If he didn't want to go faster, he shouldn't have passed.

[SSOWorld]

I can't imagine why someone would selectively not use your turn signal.  I find I'm far less likely to forget to do something if it is a habit and part of my routine.  Not signaling every time one turns seems like a good way to randomly forget to use the turn signal even in traffic.

got one word for ya,

AUTOPILOT!

if they get rid of the clock sounding relay, then MAYBE, I'll use it. 

then again, one scenario where I will use the signal religiously is when i CHANGE LANES!!!.

Speaking of drivers who want to get so close to kiss your car's ass with their grille, People who come up 1 inch behind you, hold there for 2 miles, then move over - NO SIGNAL!  pass you, then move over so YOU are 1 inch behind them!

[hbelkins]

I hate when toothpaste stains on your shirt or in the sink. You wet it, wash it with a cloth until it appears clean. Then when the water evaporates the stain returns.

I typically brush my teeth after showering but before getting dressed.

[jakeroot]

I hate when toothpaste stains on your shirt or in the sink. You wet it, wash it with a cloth until it appears clean. Then when the water evaporates the stain returns.

I typically brush my teeth after showering but before getting dressed.

Do you always shower prior to brushing?

[renegade]

Do you always shower prior to brushing?

Not a question I need an answer to.

[jakeroot]

Do you always shower prior to brushing?

Not a question I need an answer to.

Ideally it was rhetorical. If you always brush after showering then, in theory, you shower at least twice a day.

[webny99]

Do you always shower prior to brushing?

Not a question I need an answer to.

Ideally it was rhetorical. If you always brush after showering then, in theory, you shower at least twice a day.

Or maybe a revised phrasing... "Do you ever brush your teeth without showering?" ... might have been more along the lines of what you were actually wondering based on the context.

[jakeroot]

Do you always shower prior to brushing?

Not a question I need an answer to.

Ideally it was rhetorical. If you always brush after showering then, in theory, you shower at least twice a day.

Or maybe a revised phrasing... "Do you ever brush your teeth without showering?" ... might have been more along the lines of what you were actually wondering based on the context.

I'm perfectly happy with my original question. But sure, that's fine too.