Skill level of the driving public seems to be on the decline

[Crash_It]

As shown in my most recent video it seems that the general skill level of the driving public is actually declining rather than improving. The Covid-19 pandemic seems to have exacerbated this moreso. I have clips from before and during the pandemic as comparison. You'll see various areas of Chicagoland in this video as well. Thoughts as to any other reasons why this is? I mean, I'm not necessarily bothered by it as it will always provide me with some content to produce once my backlog runs out.

[jeffandnicole]

As shown in my most recent video it seems that the general skill level of the driving public is actually declining rather than improving. The Covid-19 pandemic seems to have exacerbated this moreso. I have clips from before and during the pandemic as comparison. You'll see various areas of Chicagoland in this video as well. Thoughts as to any other reasons why this is? I mean, I'm not necessarily bothered by it as it will always provide me with some content to produce once my backlog runs out.

90% of the issues you present really aren't issues.  Many of the issues you create yourself by speeding up to the other vehicle and tailgating. 

Someone slowing down to make a right turn is bad driving? Seriously?

I'm not sure how a before and after video comparison is meaningful.  You're driving around for hours and taking small 5 second clips of bad drivers.  Nothing different than a news reporter talking to 20 people.  19 have 1 viewpoint.  The 20th has a different viewpoint.  News reporter airs report with that single person's viewpoint because that's the narrative of the story they want to broadcast.

[Crash_It]

As shown in my most recent video it seems that the general skill level of the driving public is actually declining rather than improving. The Covid-19 pandemic seems to have exacerbated this moreso. I have clips from before and during the pandemic as comparison. You'll see various areas of Chicagoland in this video as well. Thoughts as to any other reasons why this is? I mean, I'm not necessarily bothered by it as it will always provide me with some content to produce once my backlog runs out.

90% of the issues you present really aren't issues.  Many of the issues you create yourself by speeding up to the other vehicle and tailgating. 

Someone slowing down to make a right turn is bad driving? Seriously?

I'm not sure how a before and after video comparison is meaningful.  You're driving around for hours and taking small 5 second clips of bad drivers.  Nothing different than a news reporter talking to 20 people.  19 have 1 viewpoint.  The 20th has a different viewpoint.  News reporter airs report with that single person's viewpoint because that's the narrative of the story they want to broadcast.

I'm not speeding up to the other vehicles at all or tailgating. Making a right turn without signaling is bad driving as is not turning onto the correct side of the roadway. These are snapshots in time of a person's bad driving, it is possible that during their drive beforehand or afterwards, they weren't making any mistakes. Just that at that point in time, they did.

[Max Rockatansky]

As shown in my most recent video it seems that the general skill level of the driving public is actually declining rather than improving. The Covid-19 pandemic seems to have exacerbated this moreso. I have clips from before and during the pandemic as comparison. You'll see various areas of Chicagoland in this video as well. Thoughts as to any other reasons why this is? I mean, I'm not necessarily bothered by it as it will always provide me with some content to produce once my backlog runs out.

90% of the issues you present really aren't issues.  Many of the issues you create yourself by speeding up to the other vehicle and tailgating. 

Someone slowing down to make a right turn is bad driving? Seriously?

I'm not sure how a before and after video comparison is meaningful.  You're driving around for hours and taking small 5 second clips of bad drivers.  Nothing different than a news reporter talking to 20 people.  19 have 1 viewpoint.  The 20th has a different viewpoint.  News reporter airs report with that single person's viewpoint because that's the narrative of the story they want to broadcast.

I'm not speeding up to the other vehicles at all or tailgating. Making a right turn without signaling is bad driving as is not turning onto the correct side of the roadway. These are snapshots in time of a person's bad driving, it is possible that during their drive beforehand or afterwards, they weren't making any mistakes. Just that at that point in time, they did.

So when someone critiques your driving it's not okay?  It's only okay when you critique others?

[Crash_It]

As shown in my most recent video it seems that the general skill level of the driving public is actually declining rather than improving. The Covid-19 pandemic seems to have exacerbated this moreso. I have clips from before and during the pandemic as comparison. You'll see various areas of Chicagoland in this video as well. Thoughts as to any other reasons why this is? I mean, I'm not necessarily bothered by it as it will always provide me with some content to produce once my backlog runs out.

90% of the issues you present really aren't issues.  Many of the issues you create yourself by speeding up to the other vehicle and tailgating. 

Someone slowing down to make a right turn is bad driving? Seriously?

I'm not sure how a before and after video comparison is meaningful.  You're driving around for hours and taking small 5 second clips of bad drivers.  Nothing different than a news reporter talking to 20 people.  19 have 1 viewpoint.  The 20th has a different viewpoint.  News reporter airs report with that single person's viewpoint because that's the narrative of the story they want to broadcast.

I'm not speeding up to the other vehicles at all or tailgating. Making a right turn without signaling is bad driving as is not turning onto the correct side of the roadway. These are snapshots in time of a person's bad driving, it is possible that during their drive beforehand or afterwards, they weren't making any mistakes. Just that at that point in time, they did.

So when someone critiques your driving it’s not okay?  It’s only okay when you critique others?

I'm not claiming that I'm a perfect driver, I even say that in the disclaimer. I'm just saying that when you do so, reference a law that I supposedly broke. Says that in the disclaimer too. It's perfectly okay to critique as long as it's done constructively. I may not be the best driver, but at this point in time..those drivers were worse. I have not ever done any of these maneuvers shown in this video.

[Max Rockatansky]

As shown in my most recent video it seems that the general skill level of the driving public is actually declining rather than improving. The Covid-19 pandemic seems to have exacerbated this moreso. I have clips from before and during the pandemic as comparison. You'll see various areas of Chicagoland in this video as well. Thoughts as to any other reasons why this is? I mean, I'm not necessarily bothered by it as it will always provide me with some content to produce once my backlog runs out.

90% of the issues you present really aren't issues.  Many of the issues you create yourself by speeding up to the other vehicle and tailgating. 

Someone slowing down to make a right turn is bad driving? Seriously?

I'm not sure how a before and after video comparison is meaningful.  You're driving around for hours and taking small 5 second clips of bad drivers.  Nothing different than a news reporter talking to 20 people.  19 have 1 viewpoint.  The 20th has a different viewpoint.  News reporter airs report with that single person's viewpoint because that's the narrative of the story they want to broadcast.

I'm not speeding up to the other vehicles at all or tailgating. Making a right turn without signaling is bad driving as is not turning onto the correct side of the roadway. These are snapshots in time of a person's bad driving, it is possible that during their drive beforehand or afterwards, they weren't making any mistakes. Just that at that point in time, they did.

So when someone critiques your driving it's not okay?  It's only okay when you critique others?

I'm not claiming that I'm a perfect driver, I even say that in the disclaimer. I'm just saying that when you do so, reference a law that I supposedly broke. Says that in the disclaimer too. It's perfectly okay to critique as long as it's done constructively. I may not be the best driver, but at this point in time..those drivers were worse. I have not ever done any of these maneuvers shown in this video.

But do you critique constructively?  Nothing you've posted on this forum seems to suggest to me (to which I'm stating my opinion from watching the materials presented thus far) that is actually the case.  Your posting regarding driving behaviors always struck me as though you are someone who gets angry and frustrated easily at the actions of others.  It certainly doesn't help that you cherry pick clips of your driving which still show you not to be all that beyond the people you are being critical of. 

[Crash_It]

As shown in my most recent video it seems that the general skill level of the driving public is actually declining rather than improving. The Covid-19 pandemic seems to have exacerbated this moreso. I have clips from before and during the pandemic as comparison. You'll see various areas of Chicagoland in this video as well. Thoughts as to any other reasons why this is? I mean, I'm not necessarily bothered by it as it will always provide me with some content to produce once my backlog runs out.

90% of the issues you present really aren't issues.  Many of the issues you create yourself by speeding up to the other vehicle and tailgating. 

Someone slowing down to make a right turn is bad driving? Seriously?

I'm not sure how a before and after video comparison is meaningful.  You're driving around for hours and taking small 5 second clips of bad drivers.  Nothing different than a news reporter talking to 20 people.  19 have 1 viewpoint.  The 20th has a different viewpoint.  News reporter airs report with that single person's viewpoint because that's the narrative of the story they want to broadcast.

I'm not speeding up to the other vehicles at all or tailgating. Making a right turn without signaling is bad driving as is not turning onto the correct side of the roadway. These are snapshots in time of a person's bad driving, it is possible that during their drive beforehand or afterwards, they weren't making any mistakes. Just that at that point in time, they did.

So when someone critiques your driving it's not okay?  It's only okay when you critique others?

I'm not claiming that I'm a perfect driver, I even say that in the disclaimer. I'm just saying that when you do so, reference a law that I supposedly broke. Says that in the disclaimer too. It's perfectly okay to critique as long as it's done constructively. I may not be the best driver, but at this point in time..those drivers were worse. I have not ever done any of these maneuvers shown in this video.

But do you critique constructively?  Nothing you've posted on this forum seems to suggest to me (to which I'm stating my opinion from watching the materials presented thus far) that is actually the case.  Your posting regarding driving behaviors always struck me as though you are someone who gets angry and frustrated easily at the actions of others.  It certainly doesn't help that you cherry pick clips of your driving which still show you not to be all that beyond the people you are being critical of.

Where do you see me being angry or frustrated besides in the 2019 section at one clip? I politely call out the driving behaviors.

[jakeroot]

I'm not claiming that I'm a perfect driver

Well that's a relief! Based on these clips, you're not even close to perfect. Your aggression is alarming. Then again, fairly par for the course for most of these dashcam posters.

These bad driver videos are so insanely lame. They have to be one of the most passive aggressive series on YouTube. They highlight nothing except the uploader's driving style and a bunch of everyday, very normal things that any driver would see and be expected to deal with without having to honk, slam on the brakes, etc. Plus, you can almost always count on an overreaction on the "cammers" part to get something good for their YouTube videos. I'm 99% sure most near-hits are caused by dashcam users trying to get a clip.

[Max Rockatansky]

As shown in my most recent video it seems that the general skill level of the driving public is actually declining rather than improving. The Covid-19 pandemic seems to have exacerbated this moreso. I have clips from before and during the pandemic as comparison. You'll see various areas of Chicagoland in this video as well. Thoughts as to any other reasons why this is? I mean, I'm not necessarily bothered by it as it will always provide me with some content to produce once my backlog runs out.

90% of the issues you present really aren't issues.  Many of the issues you create yourself by speeding up to the other vehicle and tailgating. 

Someone slowing down to make a right turn is bad driving? Seriously?

I'm not sure how a before and after video comparison is meaningful.  You're driving around for hours and taking small 5 second clips of bad drivers.  Nothing different than a news reporter talking to 20 people.  19 have 1 viewpoint.  The 20th has a different viewpoint.  News reporter airs report with that single person's viewpoint because that's the narrative of the story they want to broadcast.

I'm not speeding up to the other vehicles at all or tailgating. Making a right turn without signaling is bad driving as is not turning onto the correct side of the roadway. These are snapshots in time of a person's bad driving, it is possible that during their drive beforehand or afterwards, they weren't making any mistakes. Just that at that point in time, they did.

So when someone critiques your driving it's not okay?  It's only okay when you critique others?

I'm not claiming that I'm a perfect driver, I even say that in the disclaimer. I'm just saying that when you do so, reference a law that I supposedly broke. Says that in the disclaimer too. It's perfectly okay to critique as long as it's done constructively. I may not be the best driver, but at this point in time..those drivers were worse. I have not ever done any of these maneuvers shown in this video.

But do you critique constructively?  Nothing you've posted on this forum seems to suggest to me (to which I'm stating my opinion from watching the materials presented thus far) that is actually the case.  Your posting regarding driving behaviors always struck me as though you are someone who gets angry and frustrated easily at the actions of others.  It certainly doesn't help that you cherry pick clips of your driving which still show you not to be all that beyond the people you are being critical of.

Where do you see me being angry or frustrated besides in the 2019 section at one clip? I politely call out the driving behaviors.

I mean, what other explanation could there be that makes logical sense based off your driving style?  You're the one who seems to be hyper concerned with how other people drive.  Unless you're a police officer or a driving instructor it's hard to fathom as an onlooker why this is stance you choose to take so frequently with the driving ability of others?  Either way, you don't present much evidence in your videos that you're any more skillful than the drivers you are being critical of.  While I would agree that the generalized level of skill has declined among the driving  populace I also think you're missing a couple reasons why that is:

-  Roads for the most part are designed better.  That said, I can attest to the fact as someone who lived in Chicago for a time that the area is definitely not the best example. 
-  Cars don't require the same level of skill to operate that they did 30 years ago, especially in a suburban setting.  Suburban drivers (my opinion living in a mountainous region) in my experience generally don't obtain the same skill set that others in more rural/more difficult settings do.
-  Your expectations of others are far too high.  These are still people driving these cars and not machines.  People get frustrated, make errors in judgment, might have poor skill, or some other human factor.

[hotdogPi]

(I posted this in the District of Columbia thread by accident at first...)

Didn't Kemp allow people to get a driver's license by taking only the written test?

[jeffandnicole]

Where do you see me being angry or frustrated besides in the 2019 section at one clip?

Every single time you speed up to pass someone.

Every single time you have to describe what the issue is when it's not apparent.

Every single time you get right on someone's ass after they do something wrong.

Every single time you hit the horn.  Sometimes it's good to alert someone to a danger. Honking the horn at someone who already turned right without a turn signal means nothing to the offender.

[Crash_It]

Where do you see me being angry or frustrated besides in the 2019 section at one clip?

Every single time you speed up to pass someone.

Well, who wants to be stuck behind someone driving 15mph under the posted limit for no good reason other than to do it? When you're stuck behind someone travelling slow, you get more red lights, you have to brake often because again, they aren't sure of what they're doing and will keep changing their speed or brake excessively. And also, sometimes it's best to accelerate out of a dangerous situation than to brake

Every single time you have to describe what the issue is when it's not apparent. Has nothing to do with anger or frustration.

Because sometimes, the audience won't know what's going on or understand why it's wrong even if it's apparent.

Every single time you get right on someone's ass after they do something wrong.

Where do you see that?

Every single time you hit the horn.  Sometimes it's good to alert someone to a danger. Honking the horn at someone who already turned right without a turn signal means nothing to the offender.

Still not angry or frustrated when I honk unless it's a really bad situation almost causing an accident. Most of the time I just laugh or sing what they did to whatever song is playing.

[Max Rockatansky]

^^^

I think you're missing the mark if you were looking for affirmation here.  That was a pretty detailed break down of your driving which isn't something I think you were expecting.  Also wasn't just one person who was seeing the same average/sub-par driving behavior, I see the same things.  This is all kind of weak sauce on your part trying to twist the narrative around to anything other than a typical day of urban driving.  Maybe you'd have better luck on a dedicated Facebook group for this kind of "outrage"  stuff?

Edit:  Suffice to say you must be passionate about this (for whatever reason) considering how many videos your channel has.  I guess everyone needs a hobby.

[Brian556]

As shown in my most recent video it seems that the general skill level of the driving public is actually declining rather than improving. The Covid-19 pandemic seems to have exacerbated this moreso. I have clips from before and during the pandemic as comparison. You'll see various areas of Chicagoland in this video as well. Thoughts as to any other reasons why this is? I mean, I'm not necessarily bothered by it as it will always provide me with some content to produce once my backlog runs out.

90% of the issues you present really aren't issues.  Many of the issues you create yourself by speeding up to the other vehicle and tailgating. 

Someone slowing down to make a right turn is bad driving? Seriously?

I'm not sure how a before and after video comparison is meaningful.  You're driving around for hours and taking small 5 second clips of bad drivers.  Nothing different than a news reporter talking to 20 people.  19 have 1 viewpoint.  The 20th has a different viewpoint.  News reporter airs report with that single person's viewpoint because that's the narrative of the story they want to broadcast.

I'm not speeding up to the other vehicles at all or tailgating. Making a right turn without signaling is bad driving as is not turning onto the correct side of the roadway. These are snapshots in time of a person's bad driving, it is possible that during their drive beforehand or afterwards, they weren't making any mistakes. Just that at that point in time, they did.

So when someone critiques your driving it's not okay?  It's only okay when you critique others?

I'm not claiming that I'm a perfect driver, I even say that in the disclaimer. I'm just saying that when you do so, reference a law that I supposedly broke. Says that in the disclaimer too. It's perfectly okay to critique as long as it's done constructively. I may not be the best driver, but at this point in time..those drivers were worse. I have not ever done any of these maneuvers shown in this video.

But do you critique constructively?  Nothing you've posted on this forum seems to suggest to me (to which I'm stating my opinion from watching the materials presented thus far) that is actually the case.  Your posting regarding driving behaviors always struck me as though you are someone who gets angry and frustrated easily at the actions of others.  It certainly doesn't help that you cherry pick clips of your driving which still show you not to be all that beyond the people you are being critical of.

Where do you see me being angry or frustrated besides in the 2019 section at one clip? I politely call out the driving behaviors.

I mean, what other explanation could there be that makes logical sense based off your driving style?  You're the one who seems to be hyper concerned with how other people drive.  Unless you're a police officer or a driving instructor it's hard to fathom as an onlooker why this is stance you choose to take so frequently with the driving ability of others?  Either way, you don't present much evidence in your videos that you're any more skillful than the drivers you are being critical of.  While I would agree that the generalized level of skill has declined among the driving  populace I also think you're missing a couple reasons why that is:

-  Roads for the most part are designed better.  That said, I can attest to the fact as someone who lived in Chicago for a time that the area is definitely not the best example. 
-  Cars don't require the same level of skill to operate that they did 30 years ago, especially in a suburban setting.  Suburban drivers (my opinion living in a mountainous region) in my experience generally don't obtain the same skill set that others in more rural/more difficult settings do.
-  Your expectations of others are far too high.  These are still people driving these cars and not machines.  People get frustrated, make errors in judgment, might have poor skill, or some other human factor.

As shown in my most recent video it seems that the general skill level of the driving public is actually declining rather than improving. The Covid-19 pandemic seems to have exacerbated this moreso. I have clips from before and during the pandemic as comparison. You'll see various areas of Chicagoland in this video as well. Thoughts as to any other reasons why this is? I mean, I'm not necessarily bothered by it as it will always provide me with some content to produce once my backlog runs out.

90% of the issues you present really aren't issues.  Many of the issues you create yourself by speeding up to the other vehicle and tailgating. 

Someone slowing down to make a right turn is bad driving? Seriously?

I'm not sure how a before and after video comparison is meaningful.  You're driving around for hours and taking small 5 second clips of bad drivers.  Nothing different than a news reporter talking to 20 people.  19 have 1 viewpoint.  The 20th has a different viewpoint.  News reporter airs report with that single person's viewpoint because that's the narrative of the story they want to broadcast.

I'm not speeding up to the other vehicles at all or tailgating. Making a right turn without signaling is bad driving as is not turning onto the correct side of the roadway. These are snapshots in time of a person's bad driving, it is possible that during their drive beforehand or afterwards, they weren't making any mistakes. Just that at that point in time, they did.

So when someone critiques your driving it's not okay?  It's only okay when you critique others?

I'm not claiming that I'm a perfect driver, I even say that in the disclaimer. I'm just saying that when you do so, reference a law that I supposedly broke. Says that in the disclaimer too. It's perfectly okay to critique as long as it's done constructively. I may not be the best driver, but at this point in time..those drivers were worse. I have not ever done any of these maneuvers shown in this video.

But do you critique constructively?  Nothing you've posted on this forum seems to suggest to me (to which I'm stating my opinion from watching the materials presented thus far) that is actually the case.  Your posting regarding driving behaviors always struck me as though you are someone who gets angry and frustrated easily at the actions of others.  It certainly doesn't help that you cherry pick clips of your driving which still show you not to be all that beyond the people you are being critical of.

Where do you see me being angry or frustrated besides in the 2019 section at one clip? I politely call out the driving behaviors.

I mean, what other explanation could there be that makes logical sense based off your driving style?  You're the one who seems to be hyper concerned with how other people drive.  Unless you're a police officer or a driving instructor it's hard to fathom as an onlooker why this is stance you choose to take so frequently with the driving ability of others?  Either way, you don't present much evidence in your videos that you're any more skillful than the drivers you are being critical of.  While I would agree that the generalized level of skill has declined among the driving  populace I also think you're missing a couple reasons why that is:

-  Roads for the most part are designed better.  That said, I can attest to the fact as someone who lived in Chicago for a time that the area is definitely not the best example. 
-  Cars don't require the same level of skill to operate that they did 30 years ago, especially in a suburban setting.  Suburban drivers (my opinion living in a mountainous region) in my experience generally don't obtain the same skill set that others in more rural/more difficult settings do.
-  Your expectations of others are far too high.  These are still people driving these cars and not machines.  People get frustrated, make errors in judgment, might have poor skill, or some other human factor.

Suburban drivers (my opinion living in a mountainous region) in my experience generally don't obtain the same skill set that others in more rural/more difficult settings do.

My observations tell me that big city drivers have much better driving skills. Driving in a big city is much more challenging than in the country. In spite of this, people from rural areas seem to have way more accidents, despite the fact that driving in these rural areas in incredibly easy and simple. I can see your point about how driving in a mountainous area requires a higher/ separate skill set that is not obtained from driving on flat land

[Max Rockatansky]

^^^

For clarity, I'm mainly referring to rural mountainous regions.  For example; I wouldn't expect someone in rural Florida to carry the same skill set as a rural part of the Colorado Rockies. 

[kphoger]

Failing to use a turn signal?  Really?  People do that all the time, all over, and they have for years and years and years.  If anything, I've noticed compliance improving with time, not diminishing.

Turning into the wrong lane?  Really?  People do that all the time, all over, and they have for years and years and years.  Get over it.

Chaos is not ensuing because of these missteps.  Crashes are not happening because of them.  Traffic flows just fine despite them.  You need to let people be people, not expect them to be robots programmed to obey all of the laws you're concerned with.  You also need to spend some time driving in some other country where rules are even looser than here.  Come with me to Mexico sometime, for example.  That'll cure a lot of your hang-ups.

Where do you see me being angry or frustrated besides in the 2019 section at one clip?

Every single time you speed up to pass someone.

Well, who wants to be stuck behind someone driving 15mph under the posted limit for no good reason other than to do it? When you're stuck behind someone travelling slow, you get more red lights, you have to brake often because again, they aren't sure of what they're doing and will keep changing their speed or brake excessively. And also, sometimes it's best to accelerate out of a dangerous situation than to brake

So, then, you admit that you were angry or frustrated?  Just that you were entitled to be so?

Also, my experience driving in Chicagoland is that driving slower doesn't usually result in getting more red lights.  I used to experiment with various driving speeds in DuPage County, and I found that a difference of 5-10 mph hardly made any difference at all to my arrival time.  Sometimes, if I consistently drove under the speed limit, I would arrive to a certain point at the same time as another driver who consistently drove over the speed limit–because that driver kept getting all the red lights, whereas I was rolling up to them as they changed to green.

Suburban drivers (my opinion living in a mountainous region) in my experience generally don't obtain the same skill set that others in more rural/more difficult settings do.

My observations tell me that big city drivers have much better driving skills. Driving in a big city is much more challenging than in the country. In spite of this, people from rural areas seem to have way more accidents, despite the fact that driving in these rural areas in incredibly easy and simple. I can see your point about how driving in a mountainous area requires a higher/ separate skill set that is not obtained from driving on flat land

I agree that urban and suburban drivers are both more skilled at driving, and I also hold that rural drivers are less likely to obey certain laws like signaling and choosing the proper lane.

[Max Rockatansky]

^^^

I actually thought about bringing up Mexico and comparing how traffic rolls in places like Guadalajara.  I think some of the driving norms and lack of traffic control would be a huge shock to the OP. 

[jeffandnicole]

^^^

I actually thought about bringing up Mexico and comparing how traffic rolls in places like Guadalajara.  I think some of the driving norms and lack of traffic control would be a huge shock to the OP. 

Other countries as well.  My experiences in Punta Cana, DR, are quite memorable...the taxi driver that made a right-turn at a traffic light, made a u-ey, then another right turn getting back on the road to avoid a 30 second red light was experienced on our first trip there. 

And yet, they have, arguably, better traffic lighting equipment than we have in the US. The stick-figure person actually walking for the pedestrian walking light is one of my favorites.

[corco]

https://youtu.be/R1yIeDSiFWQ?t=100

Uh, you might want to look up how a two way stop works -  as the vehicle going straight, the BMW has the right of way there. You would absolutely have been at fault in any accident. The rules that apply at four way stops (the vehicle that gets there first goes first) do not apply at two way stops.

[Max Rockatansky]

^^^

I actually thought about bringing up Mexico and comparing how traffic rolls in places like Guadalajara.  I think some of the driving norms and lack of traffic control would be a huge shock to the OP. 

Other countries as well.  My experiences in Punta Cana, DR, are quite memorable...the taxi driver that made a right-turn at a traffic light, made a u-ey, then another right turn getting back on the road to avoid a 30 second red light was experienced on our first trip there. 

And yet, they have, arguably, better traffic lighting equipment than we have in the US. The stick-figure person actually walking for the pedestrian walking light is one of my favorites.

International travel to Central and South America can be especially adventuresome no matter where it is from my experience.  I did a break down on Jalisco State earlier this year after spent two weeks down there:

https://www.aaroads.com/forum/index.php?topic=26480.0

My personal was crossing 54D via some dirt/cobblestone roads to get to a family ranch.  The only comparison I can think of State Side is I-10 and I-40 in rural Texas.

[kalvado]

One thing they told me a lot when I was learning to drive:

Always remember - you're not the only idiot on the road. Others also make mistakes. Treat those mistakes as you want yours to be treated.

Decades and hundreds thousands miles later, I still fully appreciate that approach. 

[kphoger]

https://youtu.be/R1yIeDSiFWQ?t=100

Uh, you might want to look up how a two way stop works -  as the vehicle going straight, the BMW has the right of way there. You would absolutely have been at fault in any accident. The rules that apply at four way stops (the vehicle that gets there first goes first) do not apply at two way stops.

Can you provide the reference?  I'm looking through the Illinois Vehicle Code, and I don't see anything that corroborates your assertion.

General rule for yielding to the right when two drivers approach at the same time:  625 ILCS 5/11-901(a).  Does not apply, because neither drive is to the left or right of the other.

What to do at a stop sign:  625 ILCS 5/11-904(b).  Just says to yield to a vehicle "which has entered the intersection from another roadway or which is approaching so closely...".  Does not apply unless the other driver has already started going straight.

General rule for turning left:  625 ILCS 5/11-902.  Just says to yield to a vehicle "approaching from the opposite direction which is so close as to constitute an immediate hazard".  Does not apply unless the other driver has already started going straight.

[NWI_Irish96]

I stopped watching after the first clip. You passed a guy, on a city street, when there were other cars no more than a block ahead of him.

You're the kind of guy who tailgates me in the left lane of an interstate while I'm behind a semi going 66 that's passing another semi going 65, and when you get even more impatient you pass me on the right to cut in front of me because the safe distance I'm keeping behind the semi is a big enough space for you to squeeze into.

[corco]

https://youtu.be/R1yIeDSiFWQ?t=100

Uh, you might want to look up how a two way stop works -  as the vehicle going straight, the BMW has the right of way there. You would absolutely have been at fault in any accident. The rules that apply at four way stops (the vehicle that gets there first goes first) do not apply at two way stops.

Can you provide the reference?  I'm looking through the Illinois Vehicle Code, and I don't see anything that corroborates your assertion.

General rule for yielding to the right when two drivers approach at the same time:  625 ILCS 5/11-901(a).  Does not apply, because neither drive is to the left or right of the other.

What to do at a stop sign:  625 ILCS 5/11-904(b).  Just says to yield to a vehicle "which has entered the intersection from another roadway or which is approaching so closely...".  Does not apply unless the other driver has already started going straight.

General rule for turning left:  625 ILCS 5/11-902.  Just says to yield to a vehicle "approaching from the opposite direction which is so close as to constitute an immediate hazard".  Does not apply unless the other driver has already started going straight.

If they both start going at the same time, which appears to be what they are doing in the video (and code would suggest they have the right to do), then the below would apply:

(625 ILCS 5/11-902) (from Ch. 95 1/2, par. 11-902)
    Sec. 11-902. Vehicle turning left. The driver of a vehicle intending to turn to the left within an intersection or into an alley, private road, or driveway shall yield the right-of-way to any vehicle approaching from the opposite direction which is so close as to constitute an immediate hazard, but said driver, having so yielded may proceed at such time as a safe interval occurs.

Left turning traffic always yields to traffic going straight if folks are in the intersection simultaneously - you don't just get to turn left in front of people - and indeed it wouldn't have been a big deal for him to just take the foot off the gas for a second to let the BMW go through before turning left while within the intersection. It is interesting that Illinois doesn't seem to have a separate statute/procedure for all-way stops, so I was slightly incorrect there.

Page 26 of the Illinois driver manual specifically notes that the car who gets there first goes first but only at four-way stops - I assume that must be in statute somehwere:
https://www.cyberdriveillinois.com/publications/pdf_publications/dsd_a112.pdf

Page 31 gets into left turns:
When making a left turn, a driver should:
• Yield the right of way to pedestrians, emergency vehicles and other vehicles in the inter-section.
• Check all approaching traffic.

I've never driven in a state where (left) turning traffic does not have to yield right of way to traffic moving straight. (Right turning traffic does not come in conflict with traffic moving straight so there is no right of way to yield).

[kphoger]

If they both start going at the same time, which appears to be what they are doing in the video (and code would suggest they have the right to do), then the below would apply:

But that's the same for four-way stops too.  If someone starts going through the intersection–no matter from which direction–then you have to yield to that driver.  But that doesn't mean the other driver had the right of way to do so.

Same with a two-way stop.  If someone starts going through the intersection, then you have to yield.  But that doesn't mean the other driver had the right of way to do so.

Left turning traffic always yields to traffic going straight if folks are in the intersection simultaneously - you don't just get to turn left in front of people

When stop signs aren't involved, then I totally agree with you.  However, when an oncoming driver has already stopped at a stop sign, then he is no longer "entering" the intersection.  He's stopped, and therefore any requirement to yield to him does not apply.

For clarity, I'm not necessarily speaking to what happened in the video, but about your assertion that "the rules that apply at four way stops (the vehicle that gets there first goes first) do not apply at two way stops".

When I was a young, new driver, I thought that the left-turning driver always had to yield to oncoming drivers.  Then, one day, I found myself wanting to turn left at a two-way stop.  There was a whole line of cars facing me either going straight or turning right.  I sat there like a fool, letting oncoming car after oncoming car go first.  Eventually, I realized that, if I kept that up, I'd never turn left.