Do many of you all find today's driving habits amusing??

[roadman65]

I cannot tell you how many times I see people make left turns from the right lane or right turns from the left lane.  It is so mind boggling how many people do it each day.  You would figure that one out of every 10,000 cars you would expect to see it, but is seems like one out of every ten accomplishes unsafe turns.  What amazes me is when someone makes a left turn from a through lane while waiting for the left turn signal in that lane holding up traffic as he waits for the green arrow.  That one is amazing considering they are obeying the signal which is following the law there, but they are breaking it by making the turn from the wrong lane at the same time and knowingly having horns honked at them and cursed out for blocking traffic.

Then when I used to work at a timeshare resort in Orlando, we would have motorists pass the main entrance only to stop and back up to reach it instead of using the median breaks later on as it is a divided highway where U turns are easily to accomplish.   We used to make jokes at those who stayed there at the time as we used to say that the resort we worked out had an entry exam for those who buy units for the week and only the stupid people were only allowed to buy and be our guests.  That is how we justified all of incidents like that we would say among us.

What ever happened to people who would safely continue on to the next intersection and turnabout?  Like I said before that a few people out there do not care and just do whatever they want, but now it seems like everyone does it.  Most of all the cops do not care either as I seen an Orange County, FL Sheriff's Deputy allow a driver to make an unsafe lane change to access the cash only lanes on the FL 417 at John Young Mainline Plaza.  It could have made a nice collar for him and revenue to our county at the same time yet he acted like it was normal driving.  I mean its not that hard to move on and correct plus common sense would tell you that as well yet the world seems to have gone mad with all the idiotic driving maneuvers you see everyday that should be rare unless we all are emotionally disturbed as a society.

[Pete from Boston]

And whatever happened to people knowing the roads?

[roadman65]

Do you actually want answers on why people don't accept responsibility for their driving, or do you want to know why people drive poorly, or did you start yet another thread on this old subject in order to vent?

Many people can't feed themselves properly, many people can't write properly, many people can't raise kids properly, and many people can't drive properly.

You want to know why?  Probably too much government, or not enough, depending on who you ask.

Next: why do good people die young?

Actually neither.  I know this sounds kind of strange and I admit its very off beat and if NE 2 were here he would heckle me for it, but there is something interesting about this everyday happening that I thought it would be a great topic.  I do not know what, but it is.  I guess I want to see what this could lead to and maybe get us to open up more about our everyday driving.

As far as me I am not upset as much as I am amazed at what we have become and it seems like driving is now bringing out the worst in us humans.  I was wondering if anyone else is amazed as I am, as many non road geeks can talk endlessly about the roads and driving in typical chat.

[US71]

As far as me I am not upset as much as I am amazed at what we have become and it seems like driving is now bringing out the worst in us humans. 

People are in too much of a hurry and have too much going on in their lives. I see people driving while talking on their cell phones and wonder how we ever survived without them </snark>

[Pete from Boston]

My point is (and frankly I decided it was so tired a point that I deleted the post, but you got to it first) that a combination of general laxness and the empowering isolation afforded us by technology (including automobiles) is distancing us from any real sense of consequences.

Plus, honestly, when half the TV watching these days is people getting off on others' personal misery, why should we suddenly start feeling concern for others when we nearly make them crash?

[roadman65]

I see you changed it as so did I change the thread title.  As you said it did not make sense, and for me it did not either.  As we all know too well, that there are times in our lives where we have a point, but we stumble upon words to express it.

Anyway its to the point where I expect things to happen that should be unexpected.  To me now when I drive when someone does a crazy thing, now I say to myself "another amazing maneuver again" and just let myself be humored by it.  Unless someone does something really crazy and causes an almost near hit, that is now the only time I will get disturbed by it.

   

[jeffandnicole]

Because people don't get punished (ie: Ticket) for doing things wrong, and when someone does something wrong and does get a ticket they make a big deal about it and get a whole bunch of people that weren't there and didn't witness it claim that the police shouldn't have bothered with it because there's people doing other worse things. (take deep breath)

[on_wisconsin]

Kids these days, I tell ya...

[formulanone]

I don't think anything's really changed in 25 years of driving: There's always been distractions of some sort; other people, cars, drivers, sights, music, food...Before, it was cars kept up in poorer conditions, or less-than-safe conditions. Or, they were harder to operate, more difficult to maneuver. Now, the cars and roads are somewhat safer, but there's a few more electronic distractions. On the other hand, there's a few more safety devices installed on cars.

I'm not a so-called perfect driver, and I don't expect 100% of the drivers to be exact automatons, either. It's the downright thoughtless and dangerous actions that cause real problems. No amount of additional laws, technological wonders, nor safety nets are going to stop dangerous jackasses, angry drivers, mobile drunks, and those who fall asleep behind the wheel. Net difference over the years: nothing, really. It's neither amusing nor terrifying. If it were the latter, I wouldn't bother driving about for essentially no reason other than for the pleasure of it.

We just have another medium to complain about it...again and again.

[renegade]

Yeah.  I am thoroughly amused every time some asshole tries to kill me when I am out on my motorcycle, when they are much too important to pay attention to their driving because they are busy texting, taking selfies  and updating their Fakebook statuses while driving, not to mention the fact that speed limits, STOP signs and traffic signals are there only in an advisory capacity.  I laugh my ass off at these people every day!

[Kacie Jane]

I cannot tell you how many times I see people make left turns from the right lane or right turns from the left lane.  It is so mind boggling how many people do it each day.  You would figure that one out of every 10,000 cars you would expect to see it, but is seems like one out of every ten accomplishes unsafe turns.

Well, if you see this 1 out 10 times, and I see this.... never... I suppose an average of about 1 out of 10,000 might be accurate.

[freebrickproductions]

I find them amusing myself. A few days ago, I got to witness a person turning left out of the right-hand lane in a parking lot.
Several months ago, I saw two people pull onto the wrong side of the road to make a left turn, despite the left-hand lane (which they were already in) doubling as the left turn lane.
I'm not a perfect driver though, and I'll never call myself one.

[Brandon]

I see far too many of them around Chicagoland.  After a while, all you can do is look and laugh at the idiot.  I've also seen this shit for the past 30+ years, so it's not anything new and/or different.  Same assholes, different era.

My favorites are the ones who go straight instead of turning in the turn lane (be it right or left).  I've even seen passing maneuvers performed this way.  Mr. Impatient will go through the turn lane just to pass the vehicle in front of him.

Then you have the ones who do the "oh shit!" exit from the lane furthest from the exit ramp cutting across 3 or 4 lanes of traffic.  I see these at least once a week, more often, more often.

Remember, there is a reason Chicago drivers are well known as FIBs.

[Pete from Boston]

I cannot tell you how many times I see people make left turns from the right lane or right turns from the left lane.  It is so mind boggling how many people do it each day.  You would figure that one out of every 10,000 cars you would expect to see it, but is seems like one out of every ten accomplishes unsafe turns.

Well, if you see this 1 out 10 times, and I see this.... never... I suppose an average of about 1 out of 10,000 might be accurate.

It may depend on where you live.  I see turns as described from the wrong lane between once a week and once a month.

When they called Boston "the Athens of America," I think they were referring to the driving habits.

[wisvishr0]

DesertDog: You can't blame people for following the Advisory speed limits: that's what they're there for. What if they're new to the area? Also, overtaking is a driver's prerogative: it can be really dangerous and you're technically not supposed to overtake at a speed faster than the speed limit, so if a driver's going 5-10 under, you may not be (legally) able to accelerate to a high enough speed to pass them quickly and efficiently. You do have a point with the GPS, though: my sister didn't know what a state route was until I told her a few months ago.

Anyways, for your entertainment, there are a lot of channels that show bad driving habits on Youtube. My favorite is "halomastermind117"'s channel, "Bad Drivers of South Carolina." It's really amusing!

https://www.youtube.com/user/HaloMasterMind117/videos

[txstateends]

It has even made it to TV ads for cars:  http://www.ispot.tv/ad/7DFD/infiniti-q50-distracted-driving

The first time I saw this the other day, well, it was more than a little jarring....

[Pete from Boston]

A lot of these complained-about behaviors are in scenarios not everyone has experience with.  We don't have many steep grades or two-lane high speed roads here, so people aren't experienced with those.  On the other hand, it can be frustrating here when folks from elsewhere don't know how to drive around a streetcar or when to make a left on red.

[txstateends]

The GPS thing drives me nuts though.  It's amazing to me that so many people really and truly have no literal clue what the most basic of directional signage means.  I was explaining my sister the US and Interstate grid...the total blank look of astonishment cracked me up. lol

I can't count how many guests at my hotel tell me what their GPS did to them for their trip (mostly the ones coming in from the airport's rental car area).  "I must have gone in circles for 2 hours!!"  >ugh<  Sheep, blind mice, I don't know how to describe them.  And of course, they wait till they're at the hotel to tell me this--instead of calling us while they're on their way like most seem to do.

I told a friend one time about the US grid/Interstate grid difference--he had no idea.  "Really?!? Wow."
I told him about mile-based exit numbering--he had no idea about that either.

There seems to be regular occurrences here anymore of left-turns from right/right-turns from left, freeway lane changes from far left to far right to make an exit, continuing straight at a light when the sign says left-turn-only (one of those by where I work--surprised there aren't more wrecks there), etc.  And why do I get honked at when I'm not the one putting on makeup or looking at my cell phone or texting while I'm driving??

Amusing?  Maybe at times.  Irritating and frustrating?  Probably more like it.

[vdeane]

Amusing: they guy who sits in bumper to bumper traffic for a mile and then gets off at the last second, forcing everyone cruising by in the exit only lane to slow down for him

Just plain aggravating: the guy who slams on his brakes at the end of the same exit only lane to merge back into the bumper to bumper traffic he was passing

Shouldn't be allowed to drive: that guy who always slams on his brakes when merging onto the Northway from Albany-Shaker Rd, creating a backup that doesn't end until rush hour is over.  Thankfully he was off today and the Northway was flowing smoothly (first time I've seen that happen on a weekday that wasn't a holiday at 4:45).  And yes, it's one guy... I've seen the backup form right in front of me a couple of times.

[realjd]

I'm more amused by the inability of the general populace to handle a two lane road, navigation or mountain grades. 

There is nothing like the frustration getting stuck behind three or four cars that refuse to pass the guy going 10 MPH under the speed limit and then having to pass all of them of at once.  Worse yet is the people on mountain grades who take the yellow speed limit signs too literally and drive slow as $#!+ on corners that could be handled the actual speed limit with car control.  I think of CA 1 through Big Sur and CA 41 as infamous examples where Caltrans posts a 55 MPH marker and it's nothing but yellow suggested signs for the next forever....it means the speed limit is 55 MPH! 

The navigation part cracks me up.  Nobody knows how to navigate a US or Interstate Route marker these days and rely too much on GPS units.  I ran into a 18 year kid trying to get to Naples from Orlando when I was passing through on US 27 a couple months back.  Basically this kid somehow got on US 27 and missed the turn badly to US 17....and worse was relying on a GPS to save the day.  I had to explain what US, Interstate and even Florida Route markers....thankfully US 98 was right there at the same corner which got the kid headed back to US 17.  All I could say was.."when you go home make sure you take I-75 and I-4 so you don't get lost again."

US27 to SR29 to SR80 to I75 isn't a terrible route from Orlando to Naples... I'll bet the GPS was taking him that way. It's a much shorter and quicker route than I4 to I75.

As long as you avoid stupid dirt roads in the desert, a GPS won't necessarily send you down the best route but it sure has hell will get you to your destination. Assuming the kid keyed in the proper destination address, he would have been fine following his GPS.

[spooky]

Then when I used to work at a timeshare resort in Orlando, we would have motorists pass the main entrance only to stop and back up to reach it instead of using the median breaks later on as it is a divided highway where U turns are easily to accomplish.   We used to make jokes at those who stayed there at the time as we used to say that the resort we worked out had an entry exam for those who buy units for the week and only the stupid people were only allowed to buy and be our guests.  That is how we justified all of incidents like that we would say among us.

People who probably aren't familiar with the area back up when they miss the driveway instead of using the median breaks that they probably don't know are there?  oh the hilarity!!!!

[jeffandnicole]

Then when I used to work at a timeshare resort in Orlando, we would have motorists pass the main entrance only to stop and back up to reach it instead of using the median breaks later on as it is a divided highway where U turns are easily to accomplish.   We used to make jokes at those who stayed there at the time as we used to say that the resort we worked out had an entry exam for those who buy units for the week and only the stupid people were only allowed to buy and be our guests.  That is how we justified all of incidents like that we would say among us.

People who probably aren't familiar with the area back up when they miss the driveway instead of using the median breaks that they probably don't know are there?  oh the hilarity!!!!

Well, then they go to the next traffic light or something. Backing up on a busy roadway is generally one of the most unsafe things one can do, as some drivers have a tendency to turn the car back into the highway.

[spooky]

Then when I used to work at a timeshare resort in Orlando, we would have motorists pass the main entrance only to stop and back up to reach it instead of using the median breaks later on as it is a divided highway where U turns are easily to accomplish.   We used to make jokes at those who stayed there at the time as we used to say that the resort we worked out had an entry exam for those who buy units for the week and only the stupid people were only allowed to buy and be our guests.  That is how we justified all of incidents like that we would say among us.

People who probably aren't familiar with the area back up when they miss the driveway instead of using the median breaks that they probably don't know are there?  oh the hilarity!!!!

Well, then they go to the next traffic light or something. Backing up on a busy roadway is generally one of the most unsafe things one can do, as some drivers have a tendency to turn the car back into the highway.

Well sure that's what I would do, I just don't get how this guy is so amused or surprised at drivers doing dumb things when he lives in a tourist-infested area in a state that already has the dumbest people in all the land.

[roadman65]

Then when I used to work at a timeshare resort in Orlando, we would have motorists pass the main entrance only to stop and back up to reach it instead of using the median breaks later on as it is a divided highway where U turns are easily to accomplish.   We used to make jokes at those who stayed there at the time as we used to say that the resort we worked out had an entry exam for those who buy units for the week and only the stupid people were only allowed to buy and be our guests.  That is how we justified all of incidents like that we would say among us.

People who probably aren't familiar with the area back up when they miss the driveway instead of using the median breaks that they probably don't know are there?  oh the hilarity!!!!

Well, then they go to the next traffic light or something. Backing up on a busy roadway is generally one of the most unsafe things one can do, as some drivers have a tendency to turn the car back into the highway.

Well sure that's what I would do, I just don't get how this guy is so amused or surprised at drivers doing dumb things when he lives in a tourist-infested area in a state that already has the dumbest people in all the land.

Amused yes. Surprised no.  Whether you are a tourist or not we still have common sense within us.  We should use it or be using it. 

[1995hoo]

To answer the question in the original post, I don't know if I'd use the word "amusing," but I'm not sure what word I would use. I'm sure most of us have had the same experience, some of us more often than others depending on where we live and the amount of traffic, where you encounter dumbassedness and flat-out rude and aggressive driving on a regular basis. It bugs the crap out of me and I often vent right then (since I don't usually have the windows open when I drive, yelling at someone is a harmless way to vent) and then forget about it. I do usually have my dashcam running and I periodically compile some of the more egregious stuff and put on YouTube, mainly as entertainment but also as a sort of "WTH is wrong with people" type thing.

The habit I do not understand is that a lot of people here in the DC area are leaving WAY TOO MUCH SPACE when stopping at red lights, often a full carlength or more. What you learn in driver's education may vary. I was taught to ensure you can see the bottoms of the rear tires of the vehicle in front of you and to leave extra space on a hill in case a manual-shift driver rolls back. I gather some people who learned to drive when carjacking was more of an issue may have been told to leave more space as an "escape route," although what good that does if you're in the middle lane of three has always been unclear to me. But either way, I've always thought as a courtesy to other drivers you keep aware of what's around you and you move up if possible to allow people to access the turn lane. I frequently wind up honking to try to get people to move up a little so I can get into the turn lane. If you're leaving a full carlength or more, I have no qualms whatsoever about honking in that situation. It's rude to sit there blocking the road like that. Some of them are so engrossed in their little electronic toys that they never realize they're the ones being honked at; others don't care or give the finger; others will move up.

I don't think there's any one thing that factors into it. We can all bemoan the poor state of driver education and DMV testing in this country, but you know, such things have been half-arsed for years and people didn't used to be as lousy at driving as they are now. What concerns me more about driver education is that the current system has no way of forcing drivers to become aware of advances in automotive technology. My favorite example is antilock brakes, as I know quite a few people who didn't know the pedal is supposed to vibrate as the system pulses the brakes. It's ludicrous to think that passing a multiple-choice test and driving around the block in 1989 should be deemed sufficient for the rest of your life!

Some things I think factor in:
–The cat is out of the bag on mobile phones and will never get back in the bag. State and federal authorities were too slow to react and now the public has essentially said, "We don't care, we're going to play with our devices." I find just about every time I drive anywhere I wind up beeping the horn (beeping, not blasting) at someone who doesn't move on a green light due to being engrossed in a phone.

–People feel stressed or impatient and they worry about things like being late to work when they're stuck in traffic and the like. It causes some people to do unreasonable things like driving on the shoulder, using the onramp acceleration lane as a passing lane, etc. They think they're somehow "justified" because they consider their appointments "important," but nobody else's can be considered to have any importance. This goes along with the next point:

–People have become ruder in general than they used to be. I think there's a lot more of a "me" attitude than there was 30 years ago and it's getting coupled more and more with a "fuck-you" attitude. How many times have all of us seen someone decline the opportunity to change lanes behind a clump of traffic, where there's tons of open space, and instead try to force his way through the clump and change lanes at the last second in front of someone? Does a lane change somehow not "count" if you don't get ahead of someone? Or are you somehow "admitting defeat"?

–In connection with the previous point, I do not understand the new attitude that if you make a mistake, you just go ahead and plow your way through as you wanted to go and expect everyone else to know what's coming and to let you through. You got in the wrong lane? Fine, go around the block, or if you're in a suburban area with no blocks, make the turn anyway and then turn around at the next intersection. See video–at this intersection the two left lanes are left-only, the two middle lanes are straight-only, and the two right lanes are right-only. The turkey in the white car couldn't figure out any of it.

–This comment is not politically correct, but I think it's valid in many areas: Immigration affects driving because people arrive from countries around the world with wildly different driving cultures and they have trouble adjusting. This is far more so for older people, of course. I grew up in the 1970s/1980s and there were a lot of local kids my age who were born in Vietnam or Korea and whose parents had grown up in those countries but relocated due to the wars or the wars' aftermath. The kids were as American as could be. Their parents were absolutely not and tended to be much more tentative and hesitant on the roads, especially the Interstate. I say that not to stereotype but just to recognize reality, as it's also true Americans have trouble dealing with road rules in some other countries, such as France's "priorite" system of yielding to the right even if the other road is of a lesser class.

–Finally, I'm beginning to wonder what "common sense" is, because stuff that seems to me like it should be "common sense" doesn't seem very "common" these days.