Regional driving etiquette

[chrisdiaz]

Not necessarily driving, but here in the Carolinas, it is somewhat common to see cars parked on the side of the highway/freeway with a white cloth/bag/fabric hanging out of the driver's window. This is a sign that the driver plans on returning to either retrieve the car or have it towed on their own. It's also a sign that the car isn't abandoned.

[bwana39]

Texas:

Drivers at a four way stop always (and I mean always) yield the right of way to another driver at the intersection if both arrived there at the same time, regardless of whether they actually have the right of way.

Straddling the line allowing for someone to pass is definitely something I've only seen in Texas. In fact, I like doing it myself.

As a general rule, Texas drivers are usually the most courteous and nice you'll find anywhere, except on the freeway, where they turn into wholly different creatures.

I have lived in Louisiana, Mississippi, and now I have been a Texan for 11 years...and Ive driven to and from New England... Ive driven in 18 states...and I have to agree with you... Texas has some of the most courteous drivers, aside from the odd incident on the freeway, especially in thick traffic...
Except for Dallas....people in Dallas are just...kind of rude and not considerate...on the road or otherwise. As opposed to Houston and San Antonio which have always seemed like incredibly friendly and welcoming places to me.

For me, it seems far easier to drive in North Texas. Houston is much less predictable.

[Bitmapped]

Not necessarily driving, but here in the Carolinas, it is somewhat common to see cars parked on the side of the highway/freeway with a white cloth/bag/fabric hanging out of the driver's window. This is a sign that the driver plans on returning to either retrieve the car or have it towed on their own. It's also a sign that the car isn't abandoned.

This is also widely done in West Virginia.

[Rothman]

Not necessarily driving, but here in the Carolinas, it is somewhat common to see cars parked on the side of the highway/freeway with a white cloth/bag/fabric hanging out of the driver's window. This is a sign that the driver plans on returning to either retrieve the car or have it towed on their own. It's also a sign that the car isn't abandoned.

This is also widely done in West Virginia.

I thought this practice was quite widespread...if not countrywide, at least all over the East.

[zachary_amaryllis]

In the High Country, specifically Avery, Mitchell, Madison (not really High Country but it still applies), and Yancey counties, drivers on the mountain roads are very courteous. If you're stuck behind a slower driver on a mountain road, a lot of the time they'll pull to the side on one of the gravel turnouts found in the area and let you pass them. I usually thank them by letting my hazards flash twice.

i live on a mountain road, and almost no one extends this courtesy. this road is also a state highway that people that live here use to commute to work. almost daily, i find myself stuck behind someone in a small vehicle pulling way too much trailer. there are numerous posted 'slow vehicle pullouts', but they are rarely used, except by me. two passing areas between here and town, and it's rare that they can actually be used due to oncoming traffic.

in the rare occasion that someone actually DOES use one to let me by, i will also give them a 'thank you' blink.

[davewiecking]

I fully agree with the old man, that was a fine tradition that EVERYONE used to follow, you pull off, get out of your car, and remove your hat.
Funeral processions do have the right of way in some states, and I think we should just extend that to making people pull over, get out of their cars, and remove hats. Should be a ticket able offense.

Would be a nice touch, but I have a hard time picturing 3 lanes of vehicles heading in 2 different directions being able to find room to park so the drivers can get out of the car and pay their respects.

[mrcmc888]

Maryland and Delaware:

The person next to you signaled they will move over with their blinker.  Obviously, you can't have them getting into your lane without having to earn it, so speed up to get on their quarter panel, even if you can't pass them.

[Bruce]

Funeral processions are unheard of here for civilians. And honestly it sounds like a recipe for disaster in any area with congestion, as untrained drivers won't be able to keep their formation.

[jakeroot]

Funeral processions are unheard of here for civilians. And honestly it sounds like a recipe for disaster in any area with congestion, as untrained drivers won't be able to keep their formation.

I was thinking the same thing. Funeral processions are one of those things that I see for either (a) very specific individuals or (b) in movies.

According to WA law, funeral processions only have right-of-way over other traffic when accompanied by a police service, and getting that sort of escort outside of very special situations is definitely unheard of.

[1995hoo]

Based on what I observed in Maryland today, in said state–or at least in Montgomery County–if you don't like the speed the driver in front of you is going, you are entitled to pass via whatever means you like (going straight from a turn lane, driving the wrong way down a one-way street, whatever).

[US 89]

Sounds like the free-for-all I often see in Atlanta. Driving today in the greater exurbia, I was driving 55 mph or so on a 2-lane highway posted at 45, which apparently wasn't fast enough for the dude behind me, who tailgated me for several minutes before passing me in a two-way left turn lane. Right after he did that, we came to a red light, and I was so satisfied that his aggressive driving would be all for nothing ... until he ran the light.

Also, apparently you may turn across oncoming traffic if your protected arrow has been green at any point in the past 15 seconds even if it has changed since.

[machias]

Utica, New York - all left turns must cut across the inbound perpendicular lane and nearly clip off the front of the car waiting for the opposing light or stop sign. I've driven all over the country and I've never seen people cut left hand turns so short as they do in Utica.

[NoGoodNamesAvailable]

North Jersey: On narrow residential streets without room for two cars to pass, DON'T pull over to let oncoming cars pass, or even alter your path to accommodate them in any way! I don't know who's problem it is, but it's not yours. Treat the road like a one way street. And if you're driving a luxury brand car, this applies doubly. Good luck everybody else!

[epzik8]

Right on red even when the signal says no turn on red.

[GaryV]

Right on red even when the signal says no turn on red.

That's because you can't see the No Turn On Red sign, because it's behind your rear bumper when you pull up to the stop line.

[1995hoo]

Right on red even when the signal says no turn on red.

That's because you can't see the No Turn On Red sign, because it's behind your rear bumper when you pull up to the stop line.

epzik8 lives in Maryland, so more likely it's because the person never stopped and never saw the sign.

[jeffandnicole]

Right on red even when the signal says no turn on red.

That's because you can't see the No Turn On Red sign, because it's behind your rear bumper when you pull up to the stop line.

This is one thing PennDOT is very good at. A NTOR sign must be placed next to a traffic signal head in front of the driver.

[index]

It frustrates me to no end when people don't pull into the intersection to turn left. There are some locations where this is literally the only hope of being able to move at all - everyone is entirely dependent on one or two cars going on yellow/red and if they don't, you might as well park in place because it could be a half-hour or more before there's a gap on green. When someone doesn't pull forward in this situation, I truly find it to be one of the most unbelievable displays of stupidity that you can encounter while on the road.

At that point it's kind of on the DOT for not putting in a protected left.

I fully agree with the old man, that was a fine tradition that EVERYONE used to follow, you pull off, get out of your car, and remove your hat.
Funeral processions do have the right of way in some states, and I think we should just extend that to making people pull over, get out of their cars, and remove hats. Should be a ticket able offense.

What the fuck? Some of us want to use the road to go somewhere. If someone wants to put on a performance about how much they respect some dead person they don't know in order to try and fail to convince themselves and everyone around them they're a good person, despite knowing deep down they're not, that's what Facebook is for!

That and it'd probably violate the first amendment, so there's that. I can understand pulling over to some extent, but if I'm driving it's probably because I have errands to run and appointments to make. I'd rather get a nasty look than pay a late fee and miss something like my blood work that I need done monthly.

[index]

Here's some more Boone Driving Etiquette™:

   
• Compact car spaces mean nothing. Park your massive pickup truck or luxury SUV in there, if someone needs to get out of their car that's their problem. Bonus points if you spill over the lines or fit just in the lines with absolutely no more room, further preventing people from getting in or out of their cars.
• When you need to make a right turn at an intersection that has a sidewalk, make sure you run up as close as possible to the sidewalk, or on the sidewalk if you're feeling good that day. If you see a HAWK signal turning on, make sure to blow right through it as soon as the pedestrian light turns white. Recreational pedestrian hunting is a popular pastime in Boone, although hunts usually yield little kills.
• If a turn lane is full at a light, don't overflow into the center turn lane. Wait until it turns into a one way turn lane, then angle your car to get into the lane and wait until you can get in, holding up traffic that needs to go straight.
• Lane centering isn't necessary when going around curves on winding roads. The oncoming lane is just as good as your lane to use. If someone almost head-ons you, that's their fault, they should know better.

[kalvado]

Not necessarily driving, but here in the Carolinas, it is somewhat common to see cars parked on the side of the highway/freeway with a white cloth/bag/fabric hanging out of the driver's window. This is a sign that the driver plans on returning to either retrieve the car or have it towed on their own. It's also a sign that the car isn't abandoned.

This is also widely done in West Virginia.

I thought this practice was quite widespread...if not countrywide, at least all over the East.

I believe it was the way to call for help in pre-cellphone days in NY.

[jakeroot]

North Jersey: On narrow residential streets without room for two cars to pass, DON'T pull over to let oncoming cars pass, or even alter your path to accommodate them in any way! I don't know who's problem it is, but it's not yours. Treat the road like a one way street. And if you're driving a luxury brand car, this applies doubly. Good luck everybody else!

Is this meant to be sarcasm?

One thing that bothers me on narrow one-lane streets is drivers trying to take turns. That's not at all efficient. Go when clear, and always go in groups. Always follow the car in front.

[Rothman]

North Jersey: On narrow residential streets without room for two cars to pass, DON'T pull over to let oncoming cars pass, or even alter your path to accommodate them in any way! I don't know who's problem it is, but it's not yours. Treat the road like a one way street. And if you're driving a luxury brand car, this applies doubly. Good luck everybody else!

Is this meant to be sarcasm?

One thing that bothers me on narrow one-lane streets is drivers trying to take turns. That's not at all efficient. Go when clear, and always go in groups. Always follow the car in front.

Wut?

[oscar]

One thing that bothers me on narrow one-lane streets is drivers trying to take turns. That's not at all efficient. Go when clear, and always go in groups. Always follow the car in front.

Similar to the standard advice for crossing one-lane bridges in Hawaii.

[webny99]

North Jersey: On narrow residential streets without room for two cars to pass, DON'T pull over to let oncoming cars pass, or even alter your path to accommodate them in any way! I don't know who's problem it is, but it's not yours. Treat the road like a one way street. And if you're driving a luxury brand car, this applies doubly. Good luck everybody else!

Is this meant to be sarcasm?

Almost certainly yes...

One thing that bothers me on narrow one-lane streets is drivers trying to take turns. That's not at all efficient. Go when clear, and always go in groups. Always follow the car in front.

Wut?

Yeah, I'm confused too... jakeroot, are you talking about one lane streets with two-way traffic? That sounds chaotic, and I don't know of any examples of such here in the US, aside from maybe something like this.

[jakeroot]

One thing that bothers me on narrow one-lane streets is drivers trying to take turns. That's not at all efficient. Go when clear, and always go in groups. Always follow the car in front.

Wut?

Yeah, I'm confused too... jakeroot, are you talking about one lane streets with two-way traffic? That sounds chaotic, and I don't know of any examples of such here in the US, aside from maybe something like this.

I don't mean physically forced by curbing or something. Parked cars along either edge create a residential street with a single bi-directional lane of traffic. Extremely effective calming solution.

https://goo.gl/maps/g7mb7JiY6QfVT2MB9

Very occasionally, traffic will take turns on either side of the stretch, but this is very inefficient. Always follow the car in front, and go when there is a gap in approaching traffic. Right of way is granted to whoever can fit into the gap first. Once the gap develops, you go, and then any oncoming traffic (and everyone behind them) will then wait for you; meanwhile, traffic waiting behind you tails you through the single-lane stretch. The process reverses naturally.

There is no way streets like this are relegated to the Pacific Northwest (where virtually every major city has a majority of their residential streets operating like this -- Vancouver, Seattle, Portland, Tacoma, Spokane -- Everywhere). You don't need two lanes when we're talking about a residential street.

One thing that bothers me on narrow one-lane streets is drivers trying to take turns. That's not at all efficient. Go when clear, and always go in groups. Always follow the car in front.

Similar to the standard advice for crossing one-lane bridges in Hawaii.

It's always made sense to me. My apartment overlooks a single-lane street in Tacoma, and usually, cars do what I do, but now and then, I'll see traffic try and take turns, and it quickly backs up through adjacent intersections. The only bypass is an alley halfway down the block. It's too long to take turns.