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Scariest part of driving?

Started by Roadgeekteen, June 24, 2020, 05:26:21 PM

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kphoger

It isn't the scariest part of driving, but it's tangentially related.

One of the toughest things for me was, after a year of driving on my own, still making smart decisions when nobody else was in the car with me.  Being a young driver with new-found freedom can lead to tempting situations.
Keep right except to pass.  Yes.  You.
Visit scenic Orleans County, NY!
Male pronouns, please.

Quote from: Philip K. DickIf you can control the meaning of words, you can control the people who must use them.


Ketchup99

Quote from: kphoger on June 26, 2020, 10:29:23 AM
It isn't the scariest part of driving, but it's tangentially related.

One of the toughest things for me was, after a year of driving on my own, still making smart decisions when nobody else was in the car with me.  Being a young driver with new-found freedom can lead to tempting situations.
This. Especially with windier roads with lower limits around here, I've had to tell myself several times not to pass a car going 60 in a 55 on a two-laner... I will admit that I did it one time, had to push it to near 80, and resolved never to do it again because it freaked me the hell out.

webny99

Quote from: kphoger on June 26, 2020, 10:29:23 AM
One of the toughest things for me was, after a year of driving on my own, still making smart decisions when nobody else was in the car with me.  Being a young driver with new-found freedom can lead to tempting situations.

Great, great point. I had the same problem. I did a lot of stupid and potentially dangerous stuff during my first year of driving on my own every day, but I also learned a lot of important lessons. I'm much more chilled out now: I don't get as mad about left lane hogging, passing on the right, or micro-passing.
There is still one location where I will use an acceleration lane to pass and get ahead of slow people in both lanes. I do it less than I used to, but it still happens.


Quote from: Ketchup99 on June 26, 2020, 11:30:45 AM
This. Especially with windier roads with lower limits around here, I've had to tell myself several times not to pass a car going 60 in a 55 on a two-laner... I will admit that I did it one time, had to push it to near 80, and resolved never to do it again because it freaked me the hell out.

That can be scary, but let me tell you, road rage can be a lot scarier if you or another driver (or both) flies off the handle. It's more important to remain calm, cool, and collected at all times, than it is to necessarily always do the safest and most cautious thing.

Roadrunner75

Quote from: Ketchup99 on June 26, 2020, 11:30:45 AM
Quote from: kphoger on June 26, 2020, 10:29:23 AM
It isn't the scariest part of driving, but it's tangentially related.

One of the toughest things for me was, after a year of driving on my own, still making smart decisions when nobody else was in the car with me.  Being a young driver with new-found freedom can lead to tempting situations.
This. Especially with windier roads with lower limits around here, I've had to tell myself several times not to pass a car going 60 in a 55 on a two-laner... I will admit that I did it one time, had to push it to near 80, and resolved never to do it again because it freaked me the hell out.
Two passing stories:
Years ago I got stuck behind a line of cars on a two lane road.  I finally found a long downhill section and I pulled out and passed maybe 6-7 cars (impressive in my Pinto wagon to get up to that speed) before I had to force my car back into the line.  I then pulled back out and got around the final 5 cars or so and finally passed the hearse at the front of the pack........

More recently on Route 70 in the NJ Pine Barrens (2 lane road) I pulled out to pass 4-5 cars that were moving slowly.  As I rapidly approached the second car, he suddenly pulled out right in front of me to pass the cars in front of him.  To avoid hitting him, I pulled all the way over into the oncoming shoulder and passed him on the far left (good thing it was a wide paved shoulder).  We were three cars wide all going the same direction on a 2 lane road.

Don't be afraid to pass cars on a 2 lane road.  Sometimes you just have to do what you have to do.   In time you'll get better at judging distances and a paved shoulder on the opposite side always helps!  It's also a good place for the oncoming traffic to bail when you come right at them!


kphoger

Quote from: webny99 on June 26, 2020, 11:44:30 AM
That can be scary, but let me tell you, road rage can be a lot scarier if you or another driver (or both) flies off the handle. It's more important to remain calm, cool, and collected at all times, than it is to necessarily always do the safest and most cautious thing.

I learned to chill out on the road the hard way.

One morning, on the way to work, I got frustrated with a left lane hog on the Interstate, and I did a stupid jerk maneuver to tick him off (not proud of that).  The other driver then decided to chase me down.  With me being in front, no evasive action on my part could shake him.  I only got away by going past my exit (diamond interchange), then driving the wrong way down the on-ramp.

That day was a turning point for me.
Keep right except to pass.  Yes.  You.
Visit scenic Orleans County, NY!
Male pronouns, please.

Quote from: Philip K. DickIf you can control the meaning of words, you can control the people who must use them.

jmacswimmer

Quote from: kphoger on June 26, 2020, 12:01:52 PM
Quote from: webny99 on June 26, 2020, 11:44:30 AM
That can be scary, but let me tell you, road rage can be a lot scarier if you or another driver (or both) flies off the handle. It's more important to remain calm, cool, and collected at all times, than it is to necessarily always do the safest and most cautious thing.

I learned to chill out on the road the hard way.

One morning, on the way to work, I got frustrated with a left lane hog on the Interstate, and I did a stupid jerk maneuver to tick him off (not proud of that).  The other driver then decided to chase me down.  With me being in front, no evasive action on my part could shake him.  I only got away by going past my exit (diamond interchange), then driving the wrong way down the on-ramp.

That day was a turning point for me.

I think that's actually the aspect of driving that scares me the most: someone trying to chase me down because I either inadvertently or intentionally pissed them off.  Especially with the crazy roadrage headlines you see every now and then... :wow:

Over time I've tried to remind myself that doing the aggressive stuff to get around a left-lane hog or micropassers isn't necessarily worth it.  Sometimes I have to check myself if, say, everyone on the beltway is doing 55-60 and I want to go 70.  Usually it works out better if I just chill out, ease off the gas, and go with the flow versus trying to weave around and possibly pissing people off along the way.
"Now, what if da Bearss were to enter the Indianapolis 5-hunnert?"
"How would they compete?"
"Let's say they rode together in a big buss."
"Is Ditka driving?"
"Of course!"
"Then I like da Bear buss."
"DA BEARSSS BUSSSS"

kphoger

Keep right except to pass.  Yes.  You.
Visit scenic Orleans County, NY!
Male pronouns, please.

Quote from: Philip K. DickIf you can control the meaning of words, you can control the people who must use them.

webny99

Quote from: kphoger on June 26, 2020, 12:01:52 PM
Quote from: webny99 on June 26, 2020, 11:44:30 AM
That can be scary, but let me tell you, road rage can be a lot scarier if you or another driver (or both) flies off the handle. It's more important to remain calm, cool, and collected at all times, than it is to necessarily always do the safest and most cautious thing.

I learned to chill out on the road the hard way.

One morning, on the way to work, I got frustrated with a left lane hog on the Interstate, and I did a stupid jerk maneuver to tick him off (not proud of that).  The other driver then decided to chase me down.  With me being in front, no evasive action on my part could shake him.  I only got away by going past my exit (diamond interchange), then driving the wrong way down the on-ramp.

That day was a turning point for me.

Yeah, I think I recall you recounting that previously on this forum. Scary stuff!  :-o

I've never gotten involved in anything quite like that. I'm sure I've recounted this as well, so I'll spare the details, but I did get a rock (or small hard piece of something... not 100% sure) thrown at my car. It wasn't for retaliating against a left lane hog, though. It was for me refusing to let them in to an exit ramp after they tried to schmooze past a 1.5 mile line of slow/stopped traffic and cut in at the last second.




Roadrunner75

Quote from: kphoger on June 26, 2020, 12:01:52 PM
Quote from: webny99 on June 26, 2020, 11:44:30 AM
That can be scary, but let me tell you, road rage can be a lot scarier if you or another driver (or both) flies off the handle. It's more important to remain calm, cool, and collected at all times, than it is to necessarily always do the safest and most cautious thing.

I learned to chill out on the road the hard way.

One morning, on the way to work, I got frustrated with a left lane hog on the Interstate, and I did a stupid jerk maneuver to tick him off (not proud of that).  The other driver then decided to chase me down.  With me being in front, no evasive action on my part could shake him.  I only got away by going past my exit (diamond interchange), then driving the wrong way down the on-ramp.

That day was a turning point for me.
Not having done this since I was in my late teens/early 20s (we did a lot of stupid things then), but a good way to shake a driver chasing you down on a freeway at least is to lead them in the left/middle lane, passing another car on the right (or preferably a large truck) as you approach an exit.  Just as you clear the car you are passing on your right (and with the chasing car right on your tail), you suddenly swerve across to the right in front of the car on your right and up the exit at the last possible second.  They are blocked by the car/truck for the moment, and are forced to stop and back up if they want to keep the pursuit. 

But I like the wrong-way ramp maneuver or any method to step it up one notch above what they are willing to do.

Fortunately, I matured and have curbed the road rage in my old age.  It helps to:  Not have a bunch of your friends in your car egging you on, not having some of those same guys playing car tag with you in their own cars, owning a newer car you are making payments on, and having your wife and kid in the car!

J N Winkler

Even using your windshield washers on the freeway can elicit a rage response.  Again, being faithful about maintaining a space bubble helps with this, not just because it puts you further out of the reach of other drivers with hair-trigger tempers, but also because it generally tends to reduce the likelihood of abrupt maneuvers that can ignite road-rage incidents.
"It is necessary to spend a hundred lire now to save a thousand lire later."--Piero Puricelli, explaining the need for a first-class road system to Benito Mussolini

Ketchup99

New entry. I was driving from Williamsport to State College today, and it started raining. Wipers on. Then it started raining heavier. Wipers all the way. Then the sky opened up. I never really realized the meaning of "sheets of rain," and I always thought it was hyperbolic. Turns out, it isn't. Normal rain feels like the sky is exercising some restraint, but this didn't. I slowed down from 70 to around 55, turned my lights on, and kept going. It then proceeded to get worse. I slowed it to around 45-50 and punched the hazards, leaning all the way forward to try to make out what I could have the road. Nobody else put on headlights, which was a concern. I was waiting for an exit - so that I could get off the road - but there wasn't one for a while. Then it started coming down even heavier. At this point visibility was literally zero, and so I pulled off into the shoulder, put the car in park, and took a deep breath. I sat there for about five minutes waiting for it to end, and it didn't. But I forgot to take into account the fact that I had to pull back onto the road... and when I couldn't see cars that was a major problem. I rolled down the window, stuck my head out to look behind me (visibility was better that way) and found an opening and pulled the car onto the highway again. I don't think I've ever accelerated a car that fast - I was stuck between the three bad options of a) accelerating in a shoulder that barely fit my car, b) pulling onto the road and accelerating slowly, meaning I'd be driving ~30mph on the highway for quite a bit, or c) pulling onto the roadway and flooring it, risking hydroplaning. I chose option C. My hazards were flashing, and I kept my foot hard on the gas until I hit about 45, when I let up a bit and coasted to around 52. Lo and behold, I did hydroplane, but got out of it okay... the scariest part wasn't the hydroplaning, but driving in no visibility. Ultimately the sky cleared up, and I made the last half-hour drive relieved to be able to drive 80 without any problems.

I'd like to retract my post on two-lane roads that I made last week... this was the first serious weather I drove in and it was both oddly calming - it cleared my mind of everything else - and also terrifying. Suicide passes, you can pick whether to pass... you can't pick the weather.

CoreySamson

I'm scared about merging onto a roundabout (haven't yet).
Buc-ee's and QuikTrip fanboy. Clincher of FM roads. Proponent of the TX U-turn.

My Route Log
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Now on mobrule and Travel Mapping!

Ketchup99

Quote from: CoreySamson on June 27, 2020, 10:31:03 PM
I'm scared about merging onto a roundabout (haven't yet).
From my experience, that isn't that bad. It seems scary at first but it ends up being pretty intuitive.

RobbieL2415

From my experience:

-Driving without corrective lenses. I had to do go from Stockbridge, MA to my home in South Windsor, CT without my contacts because one of them fell out.  It was at night with periods of sleet and freezing rain. It was the most nerve-wracking drive I've had to date

-Running out of room in a passing zone because of oncoming traffic. That said, the most satisfying thing about driving is passing multiple vehicles in a passing zone.

-Wheel lock-up. This is becoming rare as non-ABS cars disappear, but I've owned two without it and it's scary trying to steer after losing traction and nothing happens. Slow down early and learn how to pump the brake pedal.

-Running your fuel level down to E and panicking about possibly running out of gas.

jmacswimmer

Quote from: Ketchup99 on June 27, 2020, 10:27:39 PM
New entry. I was driving from Williamsport to State College today, and it started raining. Wipers on. Then it started raining heavier. Wipers all the way. Then the sky opened up. I never really realized the meaning of "sheets of rain," and I always thought it was hyperbolic. Turns out, it isn't. Normal rain feels like the sky is exercising some restraint, but this didn't. I slowed down from 70 to around 55, turned my lights on, and kept going. It then proceeded to get worse. I slowed it to around 45-50 and punched the hazards, leaning all the way forward to try to make out what I could have the road. Nobody else put on headlights, which was a concern. I was waiting for an exit - so that I could get off the road - but there wasn't one for a while. Then it started coming down even heavier. At this point visibility was literally zero, and so I pulled off into the shoulder, put the car in park, and took a deep breath. I sat there for about five minutes waiting for it to end, and it didn't. But I forgot to take into account the fact that I had to pull back onto the road... and when I couldn't see cars that was a major problem. I rolled down the window, stuck my head out to look behind me (visibility was better that way) and found an opening and pulled the car onto the highway again. I don't think I've ever accelerated a car that fast - I was stuck between the three bad options of a) accelerating in a shoulder that barely fit my car, b) pulling onto the road and accelerating slowly, meaning I'd be driving ~30mph on the highway for quite a bit, or c) pulling onto the roadway and flooring it, risking hydroplaning. I chose option C. My hazards were flashing, and I kept my foot hard on the gas until I hit about 45, when I let up a bit and coasted to around 52. Lo and behold, I did hydroplane, but got out of it okay... the scariest part wasn't the hydroplaning, but driving in no visibility. Ultimately the sky cleared up, and I made the last half-hour drive relieved to be able to drive 80 without any problems.

I'd like to retract my post on two-lane roads that I made last week... this was the first serious weather I drove in and it was both oddly calming - it cleared my mind of everything else - and also terrifying. Suicide passes, you can pick whether to pass... you can't pick the weather.

I hadn't even considered torrential downpours when I first posted in this thread, but I definitely agree with this.  It's happened to me several times, but the absolute worst one I drove thru was on I-95 heading northeast out of Baltimore.  Visibility dropped to near zero, and everyone slowed down to 15-20 mph.  Luckily I was a couple miles away from the Maryland House Service Plaza when it started, so I limped along to there and then waited it out in the plaza parking lot.  The downpour continued for a good half hour, by which point the parking lot resembled a pool :wow:

On the bright side, I got a free carwash at least!
"Now, what if da Bearss were to enter the Indianapolis 5-hunnert?"
"How would they compete?"
"Let's say they rode together in a big buss."
"Is Ditka driving?"
"Of course!"
"Then I like da Bear buss."
"DA BEARSSS BUSSSS"

J N Winkler

Quote from: CoreySamson on June 27, 2020, 10:31:03 PMI'm scared about merging onto a roundabout (haven't yet).

It is dead easy since you don't actually merge.  Modern roundabouts are designed so that you have a binary decision as to whether to enter or to wait for another vehicle to pass, unlike the case with the old rotaries where the design assumed entry by merging at speed regardless of whether the priority rule favored traffic already in the circulatory carriageway.

Quote from: Ketchup99 on June 27, 2020, 10:27:39 PM
New entry. I was driving from Williamsport to State College today, and it started raining. Wipers on. Then it started raining heavier. Wipers all the way. Then the sky opened up. I never really realized the meaning of "sheets of rain," and I always thought it was hyperbolic. Turns out, it isn't.

I treat my windshield with a silanizing compound (Rain-X or similar) so that if I move at speed, raindrops will simply roll off without my having to use the windshield wipers.  However, it has been my experience that rainfall intensity is now more likely to spike at higher levels than I can remember encountering back in the nineties when I started driving.  This leads to conditions that are (as you discovered) very nervous-making, with good reason--I've ridden out such spikes only to get further down the road and see vehicles spun out.

I generally take things fifteen minutes or so at a time since I've found these spikes rarely last longer than that.  The key is to do what you did--maintain visibility and slow down so you don't hydroplane.

Quote from: RobbieL2415 on June 28, 2020, 12:57:05 AM-Running your fuel level down to E and panicking about possibly running out of gas.

My personal trigger for worrying about running out of gas is not the needle getting to E, the low-fuel light coming on, or (on cars equipped with trip computers) range remaining going down to zero.  Under all of these conditions, there is always some reserve capacity left.  This said, any of them will prompt me to set the bar quite high for passing up an immediately available refueling opportunity in favor of one further down the road (rule of thumb:  gas not guaranteed in the next town unless it is the county seat or has at least 1000 population).

Running out of gas at least once takes out a lot of the fright--I've done it about four or five times over the course of my driving career--but it does represent an unplanned inconvenience.  One time I had to buy a gas can just to carry the gas needed to get the car running again.  Another time I had to hitchhike to the nearest station, borrow a gas can, and hitchhike back (second ride was with a young woman who wanted to be sure I knew she had a gun, in case I tried any funny stuff).
"It is necessary to spend a hundred lire now to save a thousand lire later."--Piero Puricelli, explaining the need for a first-class road system to Benito Mussolini

wanderer2575

Frankly, the scariest part of driving for me lately is being on the emptied city freeways (due to the coronavirus) with the increasing number of idiots who think it's an open invitation to live out some repressed fantasy of driving 90+ mph while weaving in and out of traffic, with several near-misses.

webny99

Around here, you can do 80 mph on most freeways without weaving at all. There's not much traffic, and everyone always keeps moving (especially since the start of the pandemic). I don't get the needle up to 80 very often, though, because (a) cops and (b) mostly 55 mph limits.

Not sure about 90 mph though... can't think of many roads or daylight hours where I'd feel comfortable with that except for the Thruway.

Bruce

The absolute scariest is backing out in a parking lot.

I traded paint with a car today because we were both in our blind spots at the same time. Parking lot design also tends to be abysmal, so that helps.

kphoger

Quote from: CoreySamson on June 27, 2020, 10:31:03 PM
I'm scared about merging onto a roundabout (haven't yet).

Other than an old, large rotaries, you should have already slowed down to about 15 mph before getting to the roundabout.  At such a slow speed, it's no big deal at all.

Quote from: J N Winkler on June 28, 2020, 12:30:18 PM

Quote from: RobbieL2415 on June 28, 2020, 12:57:05 AM-Running your fuel level down to E and panicking about possibly running out of gas.

My personal trigger for worrying about running out of gas is not the needle getting to E, the low-fuel light coming on, or (on cars equipped with trip computers) range remaining going down to zero.  Under all of these conditions, there is always some reserve capacity left.  This said, any of them will prompt me to set the bar quite high for passing up an immediately available refueling opportunity in favor of one further down the road (rule of thumb:  gas not guaranteed in the next town unless it is the county seat or has at least 1000 population).

Running out of gas at least once takes out a lot of the fright--I've done it about four or five times over the course of my driving career--but it does represent an unplanned inconvenience.  One time I had to buy a gas can just to carry the gas needed to get the car running again.  Another time I had to hitchhike to the nearest station, borrow a gas can, and hitchhike back (second ride was with a young woman who wanted to be sure I knew she had a gun, in case I tried any funny stuff).

Spoken by someone who's never run out of fuel in a diesel vehicle, I assume.  NEVER run rout of diesel.

Quote from: Bruce on June 29, 2020, 12:52:31 AM
The absolute scariest is backing out in a parking lot.

I traded paint with a car today because we were both in our blind spots at the same time. Parking lot design also tends to be abysmal, so that helps.

In Mexico, I often have to back out of the driveway shown below.  The driveway inside is parallel to the street, and the wall blocks any view of traffic.  I can't usually back in, for practical reasons I won't bother getting into.  As such, I have no idea if any traffic is coming when I back out.  Even after having done this probably more than 20 times, I'm still a little nervous every time.

Keep right except to pass.  Yes.  You.
Visit scenic Orleans County, NY!
Male pronouns, please.

Quote from: Philip K. DickIf you can control the meaning of words, you can control the people who must use them.

cjk374

Running out of new things to see. Scares the hell outta me.
Runnin' roads and polishin' rails.

webny99

Quote from: cjk374 on June 29, 2020, 04:21:05 PM
Running out of new things to see. Scares the hell outta me.

Are you really in danger of that happening, though?

Roadgeekteen

Quote from: cjk374 on June 29, 2020, 04:21:05 PM
Running out of new things to see. Scares the hell outta me.
There's millions of miles of roads, you could live 200 years and still not run out of roads.
God-emperor of Alanland, king of all the goats and goat-like creatures

Current Interstate map I am making:

https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/edit?hl=en&mid=1PEDVyNb1skhnkPkgXi8JMaaudM2zI-Y&ll=29.05778059819179%2C-82.48856825&z=5

kphoger

Quote from: Roadgeekteen on June 29, 2020, 04:52:03 PM

Quote from: cjk374 on June 29, 2020, 04:21:05 PM
Running out of new things to see. Scares the hell outta me.

There's millions of miles of roads, you could live 200 years and still not run out of roads.

Roads ≠ Things to see

First, let's eliminate all the mileage with nothing to see...
Keep right except to pass.  Yes.  You.
Visit scenic Orleans County, NY!
Male pronouns, please.

Quote from: Philip K. DickIf you can control the meaning of words, you can control the people who must use them.

GaryV

Quote from: kphoger on June 29, 2020, 05:02:53 PM
Quote from: Roadgeekteen on June 29, 2020, 04:52:03 PM

Quote from: cjk374 on June 29, 2020, 04:21:05 PM
Running out of new things to see. Scares the hell outta me.

There's millions of miles of roads, you could live 200 years and still not run out of roads.

Roads ≠ Things to see

First, let's eliminate all the mileage with nothing to see...

Like Kansas?    :poke:



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