Extremely annoying things about roads and idiots driving on them

[webny99]

Being in the "fast lane" has nothing to do with it.  Happens to me all the time (or did, prior to 2020) passing someone who is in the right lane.

I'm not sure I agree. The right lane is the travel lane, so the person on the left is ultimately responsible to be actively passing. If it's you, and someone comes up on the right and parks in your blind spot, speed up a little and move right. Problem solved.

[Ned Weasel]

You know what I hate?  When I'm approaching someone in the left lane from behind, and before the gap starts to become inadequate following distance, I put on my signal, and if the right lane is clear, I calmly move to the right lane while maintaining my speed, and then the car I was about to pass immediately moves to the right lane in front of me because "ZOMG NO, CAN'T LET SOMEONE PASS ME ON THE RIGHT!"

[webny99]

You know what I hate?  When I'm approaching someone in the left lane from behind, and before the gap starts to become inadequate following distance, I put on my signal, and if the right lane is clear, I calmly move to the right lane while maintaining my speed, and then the car I was about to pass immediately moves to the right lane in front of me because "ZOMG NO, CAN'T LET SOMEONE PASS ME ON THE RIGHT!"

I'm OK with that. They should have been on the right to begin with: It's unfortunate they waited until you moved right, but at least they did what they were supposed to, even if it was delayed.

[corco]

Something that's been happening more and more often, although perhaps I'm just starting to notice it, is, when I'm driving on the interstate, I will spot someone following behind me, not especially closely, but for miles and miles and miles, all without passing or falling behind. If I slow down a bit, they slow down to match, and if I speed up a bit, they match that too.

It drives me crazy, especially at night, when the glare from their headlights in my side mirrors never moves.

For whatever reason, this happened again and again when I was on I-75 in Florida, but recently it's also been happening about once a day elsewhere. It used to be much more rare, though.

Now, I've realized that sometimes, these are just people who are getting off at the next exit, and so passing me isn't really an option for them, but at other times, I've had to slow down quite a bit, down to 45 miles an hour or so, just to get them to finally move ahead of me.

A lot of newer cars (even cheap cars) have radar cruise control that matches the speed of the car in front within reason - this could be part of the problem. I agree it's annoying.

[Scott5114]

What's even more annoying is driving a car with one of those. We rented a car that had that once and I hated it–I would come up behind someone who was going slower, and before I could change lanes and pass them, the adaptive cruise would kick in and slow me down. Then the entire population of Kansas would pile into the left lane to pass both of us, and I was stuck dawdling behind the slower car.

There was no way to turn it off completely, only reduce the distance that was triggering it. If I owned a car that had that I'd see if I could get a mechanic to aim the sensor at the sky or something.

[kphoger]

You know what I hate?  When I'm approaching someone in the left lane from behind, and before the gap starts to become inadequate following distance, I put on my signal, and if the right lane is clear, I calmly move to the right lane while maintaining my speed, and then the car I was about to pass immediately moves to the right lane in front of me because "ZOMG NO, CAN'T LET SOMEONE PASS ME ON THE RIGHT!"

I'm OK with that. They should have been on the right to begin with: It's unfortunate they waited until you moved right, but at least they did what they were supposed to, even if it was delayed.

I'm OK with it too.

[webny99]

What's even more annoying is driving a car with one of those. We rented a car that had that once and I hated it–I would come up behind someone who was going slower, and before I could change lanes and pass them, the adaptive cruise would kick in and slow me down. Then the entire population of Kansas would pile into the left lane to pass both of us, and I was stuck dawdling behind the slower car.

LOL. You would love the NYS Thruway. That happens even without adaptive cruise control.

[Ned Weasel]

You know what I hate?  When I'm approaching someone in the left lane from behind, and before the gap starts to become inadequate following distance, I put on my signal, and if the right lane is clear, I calmly move to the right lane while maintaining my speed, and then the car I was about to pass immediately moves to the right lane in front of me because "ZOMG NO, CAN'T LET SOMEONE PASS ME ON THE RIGHT!"

I'm OK with that. They should have been on the right to begin with: It's unfortunate they waited until you moved right, but at least they did what they were supposed to, even if it was delayed.

I'm OK with it too.

I get that the other driver should have been in the right lane to begin with, but should've, could've, would've--we've all been there.  If you can see that someone's about to pass you on the right, just wait a few seconds and then move over when the lane's clear.  Don't cut off the passing driver just to prove your sudden stroke of enlightenment about which lane to be in!

There's a real reason why this annoys me so much.  When you're approaching someone slower in the left lane and you want to pass, there are three ways to go about it: the smart way, the dumb and dangerous way, and the pointless way.  The smart way is to make a careful lane change to the right when you notice other driver is going slower, and pass the other driver on the right ("careful lane change" meaning, be sure the lane is clear and don't just shove your way in).  The dumb and dangerous way is to tailgate the other driver (i.e., illegally follow too closely) until they change lanes, under the simultaneous assumptions that they actually care and won't brake-check you.  The pointless way is to follow the driver in the left lane at a two-second following distance until the other driver moves over, which might be never.  If you don't want to waste time, do it the smart way.  If the other driver pulls a "ZOMG, NO PASSING ON THE RIGHT!" move on you, then the other driver is wasting your time just to prove a point that really doesn't help anyone in said situation at said time.

[vdeane]

Being in the "fast lane" has nothing to do with it.  Happens to me all the time (or did, prior to 2020) passing someone who is in the right lane.

I'm not sure I agree. The right lane is the travel lane, so the person on the left is ultimately responsible to be actively passing. If it's you, and someone comes up on the right and parks in your blind spot, speed up a little and move right. Problem solved.

They don't come up from behind.  I start passing them and they speed up.

[Rothman]

What's even more annoying is driving a car with one of those. We rented a car that had that once and I hated it–I would come up behind someone who was going slower, and before I could change lanes and pass them, the adaptive cruise would kick in and slow me down. Then the entire population of Kansas would pile into the left lane to pass both of us, and I was stuck dawdling behind the slower car.

There was no way to turn it off completely, only reduce the distance that was triggering it. If I owned a car that had that I'd see if I could get a mechanic to aim the sensor at the sky or something.

Huh.  Last rental I rented had the capability to switch between adaptive and traditional cruise control.

Adaptive cruise control is just annoying and inefficient.

[1995hoo]

My wife's Acura has adaptive cruise control. It can be switched to work like a traditional cruise control, but the way to do it is not intuitive (I'd have to look it up in the owner's manual). Neither of us has ever done it, and I'm not inclined to change it because of the obvious safety concern if I forget to change it back and then my wife uses the cruise control thinking it's the adaptive one that's active.

I've gotten to like the adaptive cruise, but it did take some getting used to and adjusting. The default following distance was too far, so people would cut into the gap, which in turn makes adaptive cruise control self-defeating because it'll slow down when someone cuts in. So we changed the setting to have to follow more closely than the default. More important is to get a sense for what will cause it to brake and when it's likely to do so, in order to allow us to hit "cancel" on a preemptive basis to prevent abrupt braking or similar when we don't want it to slow down. (An example of this might be the situation Scott5114 cites. If we're on a highway that has a reasonable amount of other traffic such that the passing lane won't be empty when we catch that truck up ahead, for example, I'll often cancel the cruise control in advance of catching the truck in order to ensure the system won't slow me down when I'm getting ready to change lanes–essentially, in other words, I want to be prepared to put the hammer down at any time. Not a big deal to me now that I'm used to how it works. I do appreciate that Acura has long included a "Cancel" button on its cruise control controls, as that allows you to deactivate it without hitting the brake or turning off the master cruise switch that then erases the set speed memory.)

Once you get used to it, it can be a nice feature to have. I use it in heavier traffic than I'm willing to use the conventional cruise control on our other cars. It just sometimes requires a little more thinking ahead as you drive, which is never entirely a bad thing. I also sometimes use it on surface streets when I want to keep my speed down. I use the cruise control in all of our cars at 26 mph on the 25-mph street leading in and out of our neighborhood just to annoy the people who want to go 45 to 50.

One day just for fun I didn't hit the brakes approaching a stopped car at a red light (though my foot was poised to slam on the pedal). The adaptive cruise brought the car to a stop behind the stopped car. Downside was, it accelerated too slowly when he started moving again and I wound up taking back control myself.

The feature my wife complains about is "lane-keeping assist." At speeds higher than 45 mph, if you try to change lanes without a signal, it'll push back. She complained about that and she didn't like my answer when I said it's easy to avoid that by using your blinker like you're supposed to, especially in her Acura where a quick flick of the stalk gives three blinks (and is enough to satisfy the lane-keeping assist). I don't know why she thinks she's exempt from using her blinkers.


(Edited twice to add additional comments I thought of later.)

[jemacedo9]

Being in the "fast lane" has nothing to do with it.  Happens to me all the time (or did, prior to 2020) passing someone who is in the right lane.

I'm not sure I agree. The right lane is the travel lane, so the person on the left is ultimately responsible to be actively passing. If it's you, and someone comes up on the right and parks in your blind spot, speed up a little and move right. Problem solved.

They don't come up from behind.  I start passing them and they speed up.

This happens A LOT.  I once read somewhere that if the person you're passing isn't using cruise control and they aren't really paying attention, it's a natural reaction for that person to subconsciously try to match the speed of your car since it's a specific reference point vs nothing at all.   

[Flint1979]

I was on US-23 yesterday and had a white Cadillac doing about 60 mph in the left lane between I-94 and M-14. After the M-14 interchange it runs multiplexed with US-23 for a couple miles and the freeway gets a third lane. So I'm on the stretch between I-94 and M-14 behind a white Cadillac that refused to move over to the right lane while traveling at about 60 mph. I was able to pass the Cadillac just before Plymouth Road and kept looking back and that Cadillac just remained in the left lane doing 60 mph. I was like I don't at all understand why that Cadillac won't move over, there was a massive line forming behind the Cadillac and he just stays there in the left lane thinking oh I'm not doing anything wrong. The hell you aren't you are impeding the flow of traffic.

[kphoger]

You know what I hate?  When I'm approaching someone in the left lane from behind, and before the gap starts to become inadequate following distance, I put on my signal, and if the right lane is clear, I calmly move to the right lane while maintaining my speed, and then the car I was about to pass immediately moves to the right lane in front of me because "ZOMG NO, CAN'T LET SOMEONE PASS ME ON THE RIGHT!"

I'm OK with that. They should have been on the right to begin with: It's unfortunate they waited until you moved right, but at least they did what they were supposed to, even if it was delayed.

I'm OK with it too.

I get that the other driver should have been in the right lane to begin with, but should've, could've, would've--we've all been there.  If you can see that someone's about to pass you on the right, just wait a few seconds and then move over when the lane's clear.  Don't cut off the passing driver just to prove your sudden stroke of enlightenment about which lane to be in!

There's a real reason why this annoys me so much.  When you're approaching someone slower in the left lane and you want to pass, there are three ways to go about it: the smart way, the dumb and dangerous way, and the pointless way.  The smart way is to make a careful lane change to the right when you notice other driver is going slower, and pass the other driver on the right ("careful lane change" meaning, be sure the lane is clear and don't just shove your way in).  The dumb and dangerous way is to tailgate the other driver (i.e., illegally follow too closely) until they change lanes, under the simultaneous assumptions that they actually care and won't brake-check you.  The pointless way is to follow the driver in the left lane at a two-second following distance until the other driver moves over, which might be never.  If you don't want to waste time, do it the smart way.  If the other driver pulls a "ZOMG, NO PASSING ON THE RIGHT!" move on you, then the other driver is wasting your time just to prove a point that really doesn't help anyone in said situation at said time.

I don't assume that someone changing lanes wants to pass me.  There have been many times I've been in the situation you described (either as the faster or slower driver), and the faster driver was actually changing lanes in preparation to exit the highway.  In that case, the slower driver basically just got out of the way of the other faster drivers wishing to pass on the left.

[Ned Weasel]

I don't assume that someone changing lanes wants to pass me.  There have been many times I've been in the situation you described (either as the faster or slower driver), and the faster driver was actually changing lanes in preparation to exit the highway.  In that case, the slower driver basically just got out of the way of the other faster drivers wishing to pass on the left.

I'd agree that this sort of thing varies from situation to situation.  I understand, generally agree with, and try to abide by the "keep right except to pass" rule (law in some places).  But in practice, I think it's more like "keep right, except to pass, and except any other reason that warrants being in the left lane for a little bit."

If I was in the left lane and saw someone approaching from behind on the right, if I could see that car approaching me faster than my own speed, I would wait for them to pass, and then I would move to the right.  If it didn't look like they wanted to pass on the right, I would move to the right as soon as I found it clear and prudent to do so.

And sure, maybe some drivers who change lanes to the right in front of a faster driver don't have a clear impression that the driver from behind is already trying to pass on the right, so I'll give them the benefit of the doubt and not be so annoyed if they're way ahead of me.  But there are some times where it seems pretty blatant that they just want to block someone from passing on the right, because their sense of pride doesn't want to allow them to be passed on the right, because they know they should have been in the right lane but were a bit late to move over.  It's the people who pull that sudden move just to prove a point who really get on my nerves.

[webny99]

I get why you might find it irksome, but personally, I don't mind being the one that's slightly inconvenienced, if it means the system will now work as intended for the next five or ten cars that want to pass.

[kphoger]

And sure, maybe some drivers who change lanes to the right in front of a faster driver don't have a clear impression that the driver from behind is already trying to pass on the right, so I'll give them the benefit of the doubt and not be so annoyed if they're way ahead of me.  But there are some times where it seems pretty blatant that they just want to block someone from passing on the right, because their sense of pride doesn't want to allow them to be passed on the right, because they know they should have been in the right lane but were a bit late to move over.  It's the people who pull that sudden move just to prove a point who really get on my nerves.

You can tell their motives by that?

I sometimes move right in that situation precisely because I don't want the other driver to be annoyed that I made them pass me on the right.  Not pride, but rather consideration. 

I get why you might find it irksome, but personally, I don't mind being the one that's slightly inconvenienced, if it means the system will now work as intended for the next five or ten cars that want to pass.

Agreed.  If someone does that to me, I gladly shift back to the left and pass them–happy, in fact, that they finally moved over to the right and allowed the highway to function as intended.

In these situations, I rarely find only the two vehicles in play.  Generally, the driver moving right ends up allowing multiple drivers to pass on the left.  If he waits for the first driver to pass on the right, it may be too late to then move right, because five other drivers have decided to pass on the right as well by then.

[Ned Weasel]

You can tell their motives by that?

Sometimes the Force is with you, and sometimes the Force, well, isn't.

[Scott5114]

What's even more annoying is driving a car with one of those. We rented a car that had that once and I hated it–I would come up behind someone who was going slower, and before I could change lanes and pass them, the adaptive cruise would kick in and slow me down. Then the entire population of Kansas would pile into the left lane to pass both of us, and I was stuck dawdling behind the slower car.

LOL. You would love the NYS Thruway. That happens even without adaptive cruise control.

If the entire population of Kansas were on the NYS Thruway, then I could finally realize my dream of taking over the state of Kansas while they're all up there.

[Ned Weasel]

If the entire population of Kansas were on the NYS Thruway, then I could finally realize my dream of taking over the state of Kansas while they're all up there.

How are you going to fix all of Oklahoma's signs from up here?

[webny99]

What's even more annoying is driving a car with one of those. We rented a car that had that once and I hated it–I would come up behind someone who was going slower, and before I could change lanes and pass them, the adaptive cruise would kick in and slow me down. Then the entire population of Kansas would pile into the left lane to pass both of us, and I was stuck dawdling behind the slower car.

LOL. You would love the NYS Thruway. That happens even without adaptive cruise control.

If the entire population of Kansas were on the NYS Thruway, then I could finally realize my dream of taking over the state of Kansas while they're all up there.

Oh, they're not all Kansans, but the entire population of Kansas was a good approximation.  (Sorry to spoil your plans )

[Scott5114]

If the entire population of Kansas were on the NYS Thruway, then I could finally realize my dream of taking over the state of Kansas while they're all up there.

How are you going to fix all of Oklahoma's signs from up here?

I'm just going to enjoy yours, and let the Texans deal with everything south of Braman, I guess.

[TheHighwayMan3561]

Why is it that so many idiots forget the "ON RED" part of RTOR? That means when you clearly see me making a U-turn while you have a red light, YOUR ASS SHOULD NOT BE MOVING INTO MY TRAVEL PATH (unless "U-Turn Yield to Right Turn" sign is present).

[kphoger]

for no reason?

Are you saying...  keeping TheHighwayMan394 from occasionally getting annoyed isn't reason enough to annoy 85% of drivers on the road every day?

[TheHighwayMan3561]

for no reason?

Are you saying...  keeping TheHighwayMan394 from occasionally getting annoyed isn't reason enough to annoy 85% of drivers on the road every day?

I would say almost getting into an accident because morons not understanding that RTOR is a privilege, not a right, is a little more than "occasionally getting annoyed".