Driver Behavior

[hbelkins]

Also when I see people constantly riding their brakes when going down a long hill, like on I-17 south towards Black Canyon City. Honestly in my experience, all they have to do is set their cruise at 65(which is the limit anyway) and they'll get down the hill just fine.

Not with either of my vehicles. They don't engine brake under cruise control and can pick up decent speed going downhill unless I brake. Some of the old Ford Tauruses in our work fleet do the same thing.

[1995hoo]

Three things I noted this morning that have irked me at various times:

–Right on red is getting a little out of control around here because people seem to have forgotten (if they ever knew) that they must both stop and yield. Too many people think they have a "right" to turn right on red.

–Somewhat connected to the previous comment, too many people don't turn into the proper lane, especially if there are multiple turn lanes. If my street has three lanes and I'm in the far left lane and you make a right on red, you have no business turning into my lane.

–In connection with people who don't signal, you have people who think pulling up and matching their speed to the gap between your car and the one ahead of you constitutes a substitute for a signal. If you don't signal, I feel no need to help you get over.

[wphiii]

- People who get in the left lane to pass a truck a half mile before they get to the actual truck when there's not enough traffic to need to jockey for position

Yeah, I HATE this, especially when it leads to a whole conga line in the left lane of cars who are barely going the speed limit, while the entire right lane is empty. Just because you're technically able to see the next thing you're going to be passing way off on the horizon doesn't mean you're actively passing, so get over until you actually catch up to it.

And, of course just in general, people who just seem to have no idea whatsoever about the concept of the passing lane are the bane of my existence.

Another annoyance for me, though this one is definitely more irrational, is when people go the same speed no matter what the speed limit actually is. I am just totally bemused every time I pass a bunch of people going, say, 70 in a 65, and then the speed limit drops to 55 for whatever reason and I slow down to around 65 and those same people are now passing me because they're still going 70. Like I said, it's irrational because it doesn't really affect me as long as everyone's practicing good passing etiquette, but it just doesn't make any sense to me. If you're okay with going 15 mph over the speed limit in the 55 zone, why aren't you going 80 in the 65 zone?

[jeffandnicole]

Another annoyance for me, though this one is definitely more irrational, is when people go the same speed no matter what the speed limit actually is. I am just totally bemused every time I pass a bunch of people going, say, 70 in a 65, and then the speed limit drops to 55 for whatever reason and I slow down to around 65 and those same people are now passing me because they're still going 70. Like I said, it's irrational because it doesn't really affect me as long as everyone's practicing good passing etiquette, but it just doesn't make any sense to me. If you're okay with going 15 mph over the speed limit in the 55 zone, why aren't you going 80 in the 65 zone?

This one falls into the category of "People will drive at the speed they feel comfortable driving".  While you're comparing it to the speed limit, it's not really that.  If someone likes to drive on the highway at 70 mph, they will do so regardless of the speed limit.   They're not intentionally driving a certain speed over the limit.

Actually, there's a lot of real-world truth to this, especially where speed limits have been raised.  If the speed limit goes up by 5 or 10 mph, most people will only drive a few mph faster than they were before.  And the same is seen when limits drop as well: People may slow down, but not as much as the drop in the limit.

[Pete from Boston]

How about people behind me who can't see the intersection as well as I can who are honking for me to turn right on red when it's completely my prerogative to decide whether it's safe.  Impatient dinks. 

[1995hoo]

Another annoyance for me, though this one is definitely more irrational, is when people go the same speed no matter what the speed limit actually is. I am just totally bemused every time I pass a bunch of people going, say, 70 in a 65, and then the speed limit drops to 55 for whatever reason and I slow down to around 65 and those same people are now passing me because they're still going 70. Like I said, it's irrational because it doesn't really affect me as long as everyone's practicing good passing etiquette, but it just doesn't make any sense to me. If you're okay with going 15 mph over the speed limit in the 55 zone, why aren't you going 80 in the 65 zone?

This one falls into the category of "People will drive at the speed they feel comfortable driving".  While you're comparing it to the speed limit, it's not really that.  If someone likes to drive on the highway at 70 mph, they will do so regardless of the speed limit.   They're not intentionally driving a certain speed over the limit.

Actually, there's a lot of real-world truth to this, especially where speed limits have been raised.  If the speed limit goes up by 5 or 10 mph, most people will only drive a few mph faster than they were before.  And the same is seen when limits drop as well: People may slow down, but not as much as the drop in the limit.

Very true. Many of the statistics I've seen bear this out. I recall seeing a study of New York State traffic before and after they finally posted 65-mph speed limits back in 1995. The average speed only went up by, at most, 3 mph. That's easily explained by looking at the people who say, "I'd like to go faster, but the speed limit is the law and I feel I should obey the law," as well as the people who were doing 60 in a 55 and the like. If the "speed-limit obeyers" speed up to the new limit, right there the average speed will increase, but it does not automatically follow that the people who were already going 65 to 70 will necessarily speed up.

I think that, broadly speaking, there are four general groups of non-commercial drivers on most Interstates and similar roads:

(A) People who want to go FAST and don't give a damn what the speed limit is or how much other traffic there is–they are determined to go as fast as they want and will weave in and out, tailgate, pass on the right, etc.

(B) People who drive at what they consider a comfortable speed consistent with the speed of traffic and the weather and who will exceed the speed limit as long as a cop isn't around. These people usually don't slow down just because a speed limit arbitrarily changes, though they might if the road quality decreases or there's some other good reason for the lower speed limit. An example near me is eastbound I-66, which drops from 70 to 65 to 60 to 55 over about a ten-mile distance. Drivers in group (B) would keep going 70 or 75 through all the speed limit changes.

(C) People who would like to go faster but who obey the posted speed limit even if they feel it's too slow.

(D) People who think the speed limit is too high for whatever reason (fear, bad reflexes, poor vision, vehicle issues, whatever).

I think most people would agree groups (A) and (D) present much more of a problem, on average, than groups (B) and (C). BTW, I specified "non-commercial" in recognition that large trucks present special issues to their drivers, especially in mountainous terrain, such that it's not fair to consider them the same way you consider an ordinary car.

[corco]

Also when I see people constantly riding their brakes when going down a long hill, like on I-17 south towards Black Canyon City. Honestly in my experience, all they have to do is set their cruise at 65(which is the limit anyway) and they'll get down the hill just fine.

I-17 in and of itself is one of the worst driver roads anywhere- flatlanders get up in the mountains and drive like idiots, but en masse. US 50 west of Tahoe is similarly irritating.

[signalman]

Another annoyance for me, though this one is definitely more irrational, is when people go the same speed no matter what the speed limit actually is. I am just totally bemused every time I pass a bunch of people going, say, 70 in a 65, and then the speed limit drops to 55 for whatever reason and I slow down to around 65 and those same people are now passing me because they're still going 70. Like I said, it's irrational because it doesn't really affect me as long as everyone's practicing good passing etiquette, but it just doesn't make any sense to me. If you're okay with going 15 mph over the speed limit in the 55 zone, why aren't you going 80 in the 65 zone?

Unless road conditions dictate a slower speed on a freeway, I tend to go 70 most of the time.  I will go faster when passing, so as to not hold up the left lane.  Regardless of whether it's a 55, 60, 65, or 70 zone.  I don't do it so much because I don't feel comfortable going faster.  Truth is, I don't mind going fast.  I feel comfortable going 80-90 when traffic warrants being able to go that fast.  I tend to go 70 for fuel economy reasons.  I've found that much over 70 really causes a car to drink fuel, and I like money more than my need for speed.  I will go 75 in a 75 zone, however.  I do that so I don't end up doing a 5 mph pass around a slowpoke and thus have a conga line form behind me.

[index]

I was going to start a thread on this but maybe it's better in one that already exists:

These are a few regional driving habits that surprised and/or perplexed me.

Having driven mostly in Western North Carolina, I had always thought that the locals here were pretty fast on mountain roads, especially relative to the tourists.

Then I did some driving on my own in rural West Virginia for the first time, and lord. I have no idea how they do it, but they were tearing up these twisty two-lane mountain roads, going at least 70 mph easily. Even in big SUVs and lifted trucks that would roll over with the slightest gust of wind. I had to pull over to let faster drivers go several times, although my unfamiliarity with the roads probably played a part in that too - on roads I know, I can go much faster. Kind of crazy to me but I'm not going to stop anybody from doing it or say that people shouldn't.

Driving in Tennessee for the first time, where plenty of surface roads actually have shoulders, unlike North Carolina, I did not know that what was expected of me there was to use the shoulder as a right turn lane if there wasn't a dedicated one. I upset at least two or three people before starting to do it myself. This one isn't so unreasonable.

Driving up North myself for the first time, I did not do so good at. Southern driving etiquette and manners do not fly there (along with essentially any social custom from here, I always end up greeting or waving at random people coming up North at first, and people look at me like I have three heads, then I realize I can't do that there). Complete free-for-all. It's like wild animals fighting over territory during mating season. You will not be let in when merging, expect to muscle your way in and get honked at occasionally, especially during heavy traffic. Nobody cares about speed and red light cameras. I saw them ticket at least like six or seven people in DC.

And I find this especially unhinged: A lot of drivers there literally time the lights for the intersecting road so they can slam on the gas pedal the millisecond before their light turns green. I had high beams flashed at me the split second before the light turned green on two occasions. Rolling stop signs is very common in the DC area but I hardly ever see it where I live. I learned the other day that not only do they have red light and speed cameras, but they also have stop sign cameras. And they make people very upset. I can understand being upset over red light cameras and speed cameras, they have some pretty glaring flaws, but stop sign cameras? You're losing two seconds of your day to come to a complete stop. It's not worth getting upset over. And horn usage is so liberal, I hardly ever hear horns here and I'm able to count the amount of times I've honked at people on one hand. I've honked at deer way more than anything else. There you will be honked at for literally anything.

[webny99]

Driving in Tennessee for the first time, where plenty of surface roads actually have shoulders, unlike North Carolina, I did not know that what was expected of me there was to use the shoulder as a right turn lane if there wasn't a dedicated one. I upset at least two or three people before starting to do it myself. This one isn't so unreasonable.

Yes, I've mentioned this in other threads as seemingly a regional thing. That is expected here as well, and also using the shoulder to pass left-turning traffic if there's no turn lane.

And I find this especially unhinged: A lot of drivers there literally time the lights for the intersecting road so they can slam on the gas pedal the millisecond before their light turns green. I had high beams flashed at me the split second before the light turned green on two occasions.

When you say time the lights, are you meaning watching the light on the intersecting road and preparing to go just before/as the light changes? I do this myself but do not expect it of others. It's rare that I see others doing it and it certainly never occurred to me to flash my high beams at them. That would likely just confuse them, if anything. It's also variable as to which lights you can do this at. Some signals have poor lighting and/or placement that prevents you from seeing the light on the intersecting road.. and you also have to be aware of any protected phases before jumping the light.

[GaryV]

And I find this especially unhinged: A lot of drivers there literally time the lights for the intersecting road so they can slam on the gas pedal the millisecond before their light turns green. I had high beams flashed at me the split second before the light turned green on two occasions.

When you say time the lights, are you meaning watching the light on the intersecting road and preparing to go just before/as the light changes? I do this myself but do not expect it of others. It's rare that I see others doing it and it certainly never occurred to me to flash my high beams at them. That would likely just confuse them, if anything. It's also variable as to which lights you can do this at. Some signals have poor lighting and/or placement that prevents you from seeing the light on the intersecting road.. and you also have to be aware of any protected phases before jumping the light.

I wouldn't try this in SE Mich - you'll get broadsided by the "one last fool" who will be barreling through the light after it turned red. And you're lucky if it's only one fool.

[Flint1979]

And I find this especially unhinged: A lot of drivers there literally time the lights for the intersecting road so they can slam on the gas pedal the millisecond before their light turns green. I had high beams flashed at me the split second before the light turned green on two occasions.

When you say time the lights, are you meaning watching the light on the intersecting road and preparing to go just before/as the light changes? I do this myself but do not expect it of others. It's rare that I see others doing it and it certainly never occurred to me to flash my high beams at them. That would likely just confuse them, if anything. It's also variable as to which lights you can do this at. Some signals have poor lighting and/or placement that prevents you from seeing the light on the intersecting road.. and you also have to be aware of any protected phases before jumping the light.

I wouldn't try this in SE Mich - you'll get broadsided by the "one last fool" who will be barreling through the light after it turned red. And you're lucky if it's only one fool.

What I'll do is if the light is turning and I'm not too close to it I'll cancel my cruise and coast into the light and of course stop if I have to but most of the time the light will turn back to green before I get to the intersection. However if you have people behind you they tend to tailgate you into the light. That gets you thinking what's the hurry? The light is going to be red anyway and you just used up gas and your brakes to get to the same place at the same time I did.

The one's that pass you and then have to stop in front of you are some of the stupidest drivers on the road.

Speaking of traffic lights, I went to the Red Wings game last night and parked at Motor City Casino, it's a bit of a walk but not too bad from LCA to MCC and they have the strike going on so they were pretty much trying to jump on your car and booing you but anyway the light at Grand River and the Fisher Service Drive is so poorly timed that it kept going back to red for Grand River and green for the service drive keeping Grand River traffic at a standstill for over 5 minutes. I finally had enough of that and made a U turn and got the hell outta there. I don't get it, I know I-75 has a lot of traffic getting off there but Grand River is a state highway and might be one of the only highways in the state that doesn't start or end at another state highway, interstate or US highway.

[webny99]

The one's that pass you and then have to stop in front of you are some of the stupidest drivers on the road.

This comment summarizes the single most obtuse thing I've ever witnessed another driver do, other than possibly the time two motorcycles refused to let me pass despite wanting to drive faster than them.

I was right here in the position of the truck shown in Street View, while a large unmarked van, similar to an Amazon van, was in the position of the Street View car. Said van came out of nowhere and went roaring past at an excessive speed, then cut in front of me only to slam on the brakes, stop in the defacto right turn lane, and wait through the entire red phase of a minute or more before finally going straight into Walgreens.

It is absolutely common knowledge that 90% or more of traffic in the right lane is turning right - to the point where, if I was going to Walgreens (the only reason one would be going straight here), I would consider turning left followed by a quick right at the next entrance, just to avoid blocking that lane. So the fact that he not only was going straight, but insisted on roaring past and forcing me and everyone behind me to wait the entire red phase with him, was extremely vexing. As I sat there, I considered using the then-empty left turn lane to go around and turn right in front of him. I didn't quite get up the nerve, but still to this day wish I had, and given him a 15-second honk for good measure.

[DriverDave]

People speeding well over the limit who slam on their brakes upon seeing a cop and go 10 under the limit past the cop.

Heavily agree with this. It looks even more dumb to pass a cop going so slow than at a normal 5-10 over the limit. It is like an admission of guilt to have your front hood drop as you are passing him. If I am going more than 10 over the speed limit I usually just slow down to 7-8 over. Slamming on the brakes to slow down 20 mph is more likely to cause an accident than all of traffic continuing to drive 5-10 over the limit.

[tmoore952]

I was going to respond to one of the earlier posts until I realized that all but the last 5 posts or so are from Nov. 2014. Old thread that has been revived (which seems to be the favored practice), and something I have also done recently too for the same reasons, being a newish poster.

[kennyshark64]

By far my biggest pet peeve is those jerkasses who feel so entitled to turn in front of you when you're in a turn lane and they aren't.  This is an increasingly frequent thing in Metro Detroit.  What gives them the right?  (I could go on a rant, but I won't.)

[US 89]

By far my biggest pet peeve is those jerkasses who feel so entitled to turn in front of you when you're in a turn lane and they aren't.  This is an increasingly frequent thing in Metro Detroit.  What gives them the right?  (I could go on a rant, but I won't.)

This is something I never saw out west but was exceptionally common when I lived in Atlanta. I hated it.

[Mergingtraffic]

1) When you have an aux lane that goes for a mile and everyone has to merge right away, which causes weaving and a backup, when you have a mile to do so.

2) When you have two left turn lanes and people only use one of them which results in a backup in previous intersections.

3) Left lane campers....when is that taught? Because it's not taught in driving school, so where is this behavior learned?

[index]

Driving in Tennessee for the first time, where plenty of surface roads actually have shoulders, unlike North Carolina, I did not know that what was expected of me there was to use the shoulder as a right turn lane if there wasn't a dedicated one. I upset at least two or three people before starting to do it myself. This one isn't so unreasonable.

Yes, I've mentioned this in other threads as seemingly a regional thing. That is expected here as well, and also using the shoulder to pass left-turning traffic if there's no turn lane.

And I find this especially unhinged: A lot of drivers there literally time the lights for the intersecting road so they can slam on the gas pedal the millisecond before their light turns green. I had high beams flashed at me the split second before the light turned green on two occasions.

When you say time the lights, are you meaning watching the light on the intersecting road and preparing to go just before/as the light changes? I do this myself but do not expect it of others. It's rare that I see others doing it and it certainly never occurred to me to flash my high beams at them. That would likely just confuse them, if anything. It's also variable as to which lights you can do this at. Some signals have poor lighting and/or placement that prevents you from seeing the light on the intersecting road.. and you also have to be aware of any protected phases before jumping the light.

I do mean watching it yeah. If I want to be more specific, if it's just one person doing it and they don't expect others to do so, that won't bother me. But if someone thinks they are entitled to me doing it for them...No thanks.

[Flint1979]

The one's that pass you and then have to stop in front of you are some of the stupidest drivers on the road.

This comment summarizes the single most obtuse thing I've ever witnessed another driver do, other than possibly the time two motorcycles refused to let me pass despite wanting to drive faster than them.

I was right here in the position of the truck shown in Street View, while a large unmarked van, similar to an Amazon van, was in the position of the Street View car. Said van came out of nowhere and went roaring past at an excessive speed, then cut in front of me only to slam on the brakes, stop in the defacto right turn lane, and wait through the entire red phase of a minute or more before finally going straight into Walgreens.

It is absolutely common knowledge that 90% or more of traffic in the right lane is turning right - to the point where, if I was going to Walgreens (the only reason one would be going straight here), I would consider turning left followed by a quick right at the next entrance, just to avoid blocking that lane. So the fact that he not only was going straight, but insisted on roaring past and forcing me and everyone behind me to wait the entire red phase with him, was extremely vexing. As I sat there, I considered using the then-empty left turn lane to go around and turn right in front of him. I didn't quite get up the nerve, but still to this day wish I had, and given him a 15-second honk for good measure.

Awhile back I was going south on Mackinaw Road coming up to Tittabawassee (the traffic light at Mackinaw and Tittabawassee is red for 90 seconds for Mackinaw) so I'm slowing down because the light just turned red and I knew it was going to be a full 90 seconds before the light turned green I'm almost to the corner probably 7-8 car lengths from where you stop for the light and this car proceeds to pass me and wait for the whole light before turning right and Tittabawassee wasn't real busy at that time so there was plenty of opportunity to turn.

I was about even with the sign on the right side in the street view here https://www.google.com/maps/@43.4808458,-83.995006,3a,75y,199.2h,90.28t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sOL_L4uUoRODN0ef62DfH2g!2e0!7i16384!8i8192!5m1!1e1?entry=ttu

[Flint1979]

One time I was coming home from Detroit and was on I-75 between 7 Mile and 8 Mile going north and was in the left lane doing about 80 mph. These motorcycles decided to box me in for some reason and wouldn't let me change lanes or go any faster than about 60 mph. So I called the Michigan State Police to let them know what was going on, while I was on the phone with the state police they asked me if it was the motorcycles on I-75 and I told them that it was. The guy told me to stay on the phone with him and at that point they knew my location since i had told them. As we were coming around the 9 Mile curve before the I-696 interchange I saw a state boy coming with his lights on behind me, as we got up to I-696 they scattered and got on 696. I thought that was one of the stupidest things I have ever seen.

Detroit is a city I have a long history with, I have had a lot of good times in Detroit but I've had some times that I think back and wonder how the hell I made it out alive.

[Rothman]

And, probably because they got away with it, they all laughed and high-fived when it was over.

Then again, makes one wonder what you did to them...

[Flint1979]

And, probably because they got away with it, they all laughed and high-fived when it was over.

Then again, makes one wonder what you did to them...

I did nothing to them. I was simply driving on the highway.

[JoePCool14]

My biggest pet peeve is tailgating. A lot of other things are annoying and/or frustrating, but tailgating actually makes me anxious when driving. It;s like I'm constantly "in someone's way". It's dangerous as well. I don't need to explain why. I wish I had more of an attitude that could simply ignore people like that, but I don't...

My second biggest pet peeve is unnecessary high-beam headlight usage at night. Sometimes you get that combined with tailgating and then it's a real great time.

One time I was coming home from Detroit and was on I-75 between 7 Mile and 8 Mile going north and was in the left lane doing about 80 mph. These motorcycles decided to box me in for some reason and wouldn't let me change lanes or go any faster than about 60 mph. So I called the Michigan State Police to let them know what was going on, while I was on the phone with the state police they asked me if it was the motorcycles on I-75 and I told them that it was. The guy told me to stay on the phone with him and at that point they knew my location since i had told them. As we were coming around the 9 Mile curve before the I-696 interchange I saw a state boy coming with his lights on behind me, as we got up to I-696 they scattered and got on 696. I thought that was one of the stupidest things I have ever seen.

Detroit is a city I have a long history with, I have had a lot of good times in Detroit but I've had some times that I think back and wonder how the hell I made it out alive.

Imagine being so much of a loser to actually do something stupid like that on a regular basis. (Obviously talking about the bikers, not you)

[GaryV]

By far my biggest pet peeve is those jerkasses who feel so entitled to turn in front of you when you're in a turn lane and they aren't.  This is an increasingly frequent thing in Metro Detroit.  What gives them the right?  (I could go on a rant, but I won't.)

Corollary to this, in Metro Detroit: If my lane is blocked, I have the right to get into your lane.