Driving Pet Peeves

[1995hoo]

This all combines into one very big pet peeve of mine: Doing some stupid maneuver which annoys a bunch of motorists instead of driving up the street one block and making a U-turn. Or missing an exit, and reversing (!) or swerving maniacally to make the ramp.

then there's always the milquetoast who lets in the driver attempting to cut the gore.

nope, that person needs to stay in the gore until he runs out of gas and needs a tow truck.  take the next exit, you fool.

See, that's part of what annoys me so much: The people who meekly or happily allow them to cut like that just encourage them to keep doing it because they know they can.

My wife doesn't understand why it annoys me, but then she hasn't driven to work on a regular basis in a long time because she takes the subway. She, in turn, quickly loses her temper with people like the stupeys who block the left side of the escalator or who come to a stop right in front of the bottom of the escalator or directly inside the train doors!

[signalman]

–People who make a turn where there are multiple turn lanes but fail to turn into the correct lane. (Example: I'm in the second lane from the right and it's an option lane. You're in the far right lane and it's a turn-only lane. We both turn but you turn into the second lane from the right, which is my lane.)

I saw a woman smash right into the side of a guy's truck just the other day in a similar setup.  It's a left only and left/straight optional lane (just a mirror image of your scenario.)  Anyway, apparently the guy in the truck didn't see the woman heading towards his fender.  The driver of the truck didn't try to avoid it in any way (speed up, brake, steer evasively, etc.)  Fortunately for both involved neither one appeared to be hurt.  They were both exiting their vehicles and assesing the damage when my approach turned green and me and the drivers around me had to squeeze past the accident site.  The lady's car wasn't able to be moved.  It appeared that she was leaking coolant (green puddle under her car.)

As for my pet peeves.  Like 1995hoo, this list isn't complete, but off the top of my head the most irksome things...
-People who can't keep right when not passing (an even bigger fuck you if you speed up as I attempt to pass on the right)  Ignorance may be bliss, so if said left lane bandit is just oblivious it's one thing.  I'll just pass on the right and move along.  But if the driver speeds up that tells me they're well aware of what they're doing and it's dickish
-People who ride in the left lane right next to a car in the right lane on a freeway.  This can become ultra frustrating.  Especially if the driver in the right lane is too scared or too inept to speed up.  Good luck getting the asshole in the left lane to speed up since that was the one who likely decided to camp next to the vehicle on the right
-People who change lanes right in front of me without signaling.  If they're further upstream and it doesn't affect me then not signaling doesn't bother me.  I instill the same practices as to whether I do or don't signal my lane changes, so I can't be a hypocrite
-People who tailgate me.  I'm not a slow driver and I generally do 5-15 over on local streets and 10-20 over on freeways (conditions and enforcement pending for all roads)  So if my speeding isn't fast enough that I need to be tailgated, that's just ridiculous.  If it's on a freeway, tailgating won't get me to go any faster.  I'm not he holdup, so tailgating me won't solve anything
-Drivers who pull out in front of me on local streets, only to immediately turn left within the next 1/4 mile.  9 times out of 10 there is no one behind me, all they had to do was wait for me to pass.  Thanks for slowing me down for your own selfish gain, asshole
-Drivers who pull out in front of me on local streets, only to drive slower than I wanted to go.  Again, most times no one is behind me.  I could see if I was the head of a platoon.  I've pulled out in front of convoys like that plenty of times, but rarely do I hold anyone up
-Drivers of dark colored cars who don't turn their lights on in the dark and/or shitty weather (these seem to be the worst offenders, light or bright colored cars seem to have a higher compliance)
-People who feel the need to race me to a merge, only to slow down after the merge

[1995hoo]

I just posted this in the thread I have on the "Photos/Videos" subforum, but it seems to fit in this thread as well, especially since I mentioned my new compilation video earlier in this thread.

[PHLBOS]

On roads where there's a clearly-marked center Lane for left turns, the street I reside on being one of them.  I can not tell you the number of times I've seen people make left turns from the travel lane.  I find myself screaming at those cars, "That's what the center lane is for, Stupid!"

People at a signalized intersection between two one-way streets who don't realize that they can make a left turn on a red signal (unless signed or signaled otherwise).  The mezzanine level of the I-476/US 1 interchange in PA is the most blatant example of where I see this idiocy.

Mezzanine level: interchange signal ramp (left for US 1 South & I-476 South, straight for I-476 North)
http://goo.gl/maps/I8NhO

I can not tell you the number of times I've seen vehicles needlessly stack up at this left turn ramp because they forget that it's okay to turn left on a red signal at this location.

[formulanone]

- Drivers who turn onto a four/six-lane road that has light traffic on it (usually at night), yet they still manage to cut you off or cause you to slow down significantly.

Would it really have bothered you to take the left or right lane instead? Or wait 3 seconds?

[1995hoo]

....

I can not tell you the number of times I've seen vehicles needlessly stack up at this left turn ramp because they forget that it's okay to turn left on a red signal at this location.

I think with most people it's not so much a case of "forgetting" as never having known that it was legal at all.

[PColumbus73]

- When you wait at a red light and there is no cross traffic!

This has happened to me on several occasions, mostly at night. Between Midnight and 4/5AM traffic lights should go to flash (at minor intersections). My blind obediance to traffic law prevents me from just running the red, haha!

- When traffic lights turn green for 1 right turning car

[Scott5114]

I think my pet peeve is when people slow all the way down to 7 miles per hour on a 40-mph arterial to make a right turn. I call them "drama queen turns" because it feels like they want to bring the entire world to a stop to demonstrate the fact that they can navigate their car around the corner.

[Jardine]

People on a busy main street, that turn (right) onto a side street, at an intersection with traffic lights, and they swing wide and trip the sensor on the traffic lights!!

If I am a block or so behind them and see them do it I want to strangle them, because when I get to the intersection the damn light has changed and there is NOBODY on the side street waiting to pull on to the main street.

The sensors need to be improved so they can tell which way the car is going, and then they can ignore these lazy idiots.

[corco]

I'm not content with people just keeping right except to pass. If we're on a rural freeway and there's not much traffic, pass me with some velocity. If my cruise is at 80 and yours is at 80.1, it's going to take forever for the manuever to complete. In the meantime, a deer could run out or a refrigerator might be in the road and I might want to use the whole road so just pass- there's no reason for two cars to be close together on I-90 in rural Montana.

Speed up to 85 for a second- it won't kill you, or if you think I'm driving 99.9% fast enough, push the "coast" button on your cruise once and then you'll be going slower.

[Brandon]

1995hoo, you got some shitty drivers around DC, but here's some of what I put up with around Chicagoland.  Someone (not me) has a compilation of crappy Chicago drivers (and believe me, there's a shitload of them).  By "mydashcam6":

I direly need a dash cam just to show off some of these assholes.

[agentsteel53]

I'm not content with people just keeping right except to pass. If we're on a rural freeway and there's not much traffic, pass me with some velocity. If my cruise is at 80 and yours is at 80.1, it's going to take forever for the manuever to complete. In the meantime, a deer could run out or a refrigerator might be in the road and I might want to use the whole road so just pass- there's no reason for two cars to be close together on I-90 in rural Montana.

Speed up to 85 for a second- it won't kill you, or if you think I'm driving 99.9% fast enough, push the "coast" button on your cruise once and then you'll be going slower.

indeed.  no riding abreast.  this seems to be a problem in Oregon the most, in my experience.  the Blue Angels are at least doing 300mph when they're in formation.

[1995hoo]

1995hoo, you got some shitty drivers around DC, but here's some of what I put up with around Chicagoland.  Someone (not me) has a compilation of crappy Chicago drivers (and believe me, there's a shitload of them).  By "mydashcam6":

I direly need a dash cam just to show off some of these assholes.

Seems similar to a lot of what goes on here. But around here a lot of people seem to go out of their way to be rude just for the sake of rudeness.

My dashcam cost me $70 for the camera and $30 for the micro SD card. I got it from a place in New York called Spy Tec. It's a Chinese-made unit (what isn't these days?) called a DVR 207.

[DaBigE]

- People who have no clue how to use a TWLTL...those that insist on making a left turn from the lane to the right of the TWLWL
- People who insist on driving with their turn signal on...How is that even possible with the more modern cars? If I drive without turning the wheel (I forget the exact distance), a message appears with a different warning chime that the signal is still on.  
- As an expansion to the one above, those who wait at the end of an off-ramp with their right turn signal still on while waiting to turn left. This then creates confusion since no one knows if they just forgot or their actually going to turn right from the left/thru lane.
- Drivers that have zero concept that snowy/wet roads require more stopping distance than dry roads
- Those that pass you on the freeway like a bat outta hell just to get off at the next exit, usually less than a mile down the highway.
- Timid drivers in inclement weather.    If you're going to go no faster than 2 mph down the snow-covered freeway, STAY THE FUCK HOME! There's a BIG difference between being cautious and being a danger to everyone else on the road.
- Cyclists who don't use lights at night. There's also another subset of those who don't even have the minimum required reflectors. The vast majority of those in the latter group also chose to wear dark clothing and cut across traffic/pull out like they're the only ones on the road. I'm not normally not a full believer in Darwinism, but these folks are slowly converting me.
- Drivers at the beginning of the queue at a red light who don't pay attention and still sit there after the light's been green for 5 seconds (even worse at protected left-turn lanes).
- Drivers who don't turn into the lane closest to them (on the receiving street) when other traffic is around. Do it when no one else is around/you won't interfere with other traffic.
- People who have the right of way but have no clue that they do

Roundabout-specific:
- People who insist on waiting for traffic at a roundabout when it's on the other side of the central island
- People who stop while in the circulatory roadway to let people in
- Drivers that come to a dead stop in the circulatory roadway because they aren't sure they want that exit
- Drivers who have no concept of the difference between a YIELD sign and a STOP sign

[Buck87]

People who either refuse to use cruise control (or don't have it) and are unable to maintain anything close to a constant speed. It's annoying as hell to get stuck behind someone on a busy 2 lane who can't quite seem to decide if they want to drive 5 under the speed limit or 2 over, making it impossible for you to set your own cruise for more than a minute or two before having to adjust to their latest speed change. And the freeway version: you pass someone, then they speed up and pass you only to get back in front of you and slow the fuck down, forcing you to pass them again, and so on. Or, as has been mentioned before, they speed up while you're passing them.

[Duke87]

People who either refuse to use cruise control (or don't have it) and are unable to maintain anything close to a constant speed. It's annoying as hell to get stuck behind someone on a busy 2 lane who can't quite seem to decide if they want to drive 5 under the speed limit or 2 over, making it impossible for you to set your own cruise for more than a minute or two before having to adjust to their latest speed change.

This is something I am known to be guilty of when driving in unfamiliar areas and the reason I do it is because my speed swings up and down with my confidence that I won't get pulled over for it at that precise time and location. You might see me doing 75 in a 70 and then suddenly speed up to 80 if someone passes me going 85. Likewise, you might see me going 80 in a 70 and then suddenly slow down to 75 if I realize I seem to be the fastest car in my immediate vicinity. I will also sometimes speed up if there is clearly nowhere for any cops to hide nearby. But I'll slow down when I see a median break to avoid being nabbed by a cop coming the other way and u-turning. It's all a constant risk analysis.

For what it's worth, though, if someone is trying to pass me and is taking too long to do so, I will slow down to compensate.



As for some of my own pet peeves:

1) I hate being directly behind large vehicles that obstruct my view of things (pickup, SUV, etc.). If you are driving one of these vehicles you may see me pass you and then get in front of you and match your speed. I don't actually want to go faster than you, I just prefer seeing the road ahead of me to staring at your tinydickmobile.

2) I hate drivers who come up behind me in the left lane and then just follow me into the right lane when I move over to let them pass.

3) I hate able-bodied pedestrians who slowly mosey across the street at stop signs or against lights. If you are capable of moving your ass out of my way faster, please do so!

[Dr Frankenstein]

- Timid drivers in inclement weather.    If you're going to go no faster than 2 mph down the snow-covered freeway, STAY THE FUCK HOME! There's a BIG difference between being cautious and being a danger to everyone else on the road.

This. Especially at the beginning of the winter. Half an inch of snow and everyone slows down to 60 km/h (35 mph) on the freeway.

[1995hoo]

–People following behind you who, when you signal to turn at a spot with no turn lane, don't slow down when you step on the brakes to slow down to make the turn. This used to happen to me all the time outside my apartment at Duke back in the mid-1990s (Street View: http://goo.gl/maps/IPLuZ –those spiffy brick pillars weren't there at the time) and it's been happening lately when I turn into a neighborhood near my house that I sometimes use to bypass two traffic lights (Street View: http://goo.gl/maps/7YxGf –I turn from the right lane onto the street where that pedestrian is crossing). Unless you're a reckless driver, you don't go around corners like that at 40 mph without slowing down–and if you DID, it would be a time where the "Mississippi turn" I mentioned earlier might be necessary!

[agentsteel53]

This. Especially at the beginning of the winter. Half an inch of snow and everyone slows down to 60 km/h (35 mph) on the freeway.

except in SoCal.  here, we get a moderate rain, and half of the population slows down to about 15 on the freeway.  the other half continues to go 90.

[PColumbus73]

When there is a lane drop and people wait until the LAST POSSIBLE SECOND to try and merge into your lane. In this situation, I purposefully tailgate the driver in front of me so that there will no chance someone trying to merge in front of me right when their pavement ends. If you are trying to get over early on, with your signal, I'll let you in. BUT... if someone tries to speed up and get in front of you, there's no way I'm letting you over easily.

[1995hoo]

When there is a lane drop and people wait until the LAST POSSIBLE SECOND to try and merge into your lane. In this situation, I purposefully tailgate the driver in front of me so that there will no chance someone trying to merge in front of me right when their pavement ends. If you are trying to get over early on, with your signal, I'll let you in. BUT... if someone tries to speed up and get in front of you, there's no way I'm letting you over easily.

My reaction to that depends on the situation.

If the traffic is flowing freely, then yes, get over early whenever it's clear. Don't cause everybody to slam on the brakes by waiting until the last second.

If the traffic is already at a crawl, then you should go to the end and take turns. Otherwise you're just wasting road capacity and you're setting up conflict because every driver will have a different idea of where the "correct" place is to get over. In other words, the "you must merge early" crowd are effectively saying "thou shalt not use the lane that's ending." But if that's the rule, then why have that lane at all? It's far more sensible and efficient–in slow or stopped traffic, mind you–to have a single merge point where you alternate one-and-one.

The people who attempt to straddle the line so as to block the traffic in both lanes are the most obnoxious. Who do they think they are to say "everyone else must watch where I get over and then do the same"?

[kkt]

I will second people who don't turn their headlights on when it's dusk, foggy, rainy, or misty.  Instead of speeding tickets, why don't the cops spend their days ticketing these people?  There are more of a danger than people going 5 over.

People whose lowbeams are ultrabright and mounted at eye level.  The purpose of low beams is to be seen, not to light up the road for half a mile ahead (that's what high beams are for).

People who sit on my flank when I'm trying to get over, instead of speeding up or slowing down.

[Brandon]

The people who attempt to straddle the line so as to block the traffic in both lanes are the most obnoxious. Who do they think they are to say "everyone else must watch where I get over and then do the same"?

I do that near the end when we're crawling as Chicago drivers have a very nasty habit of bulling their way in instead of zippering.  I make sure I get behind one vehicle, and then close it off near the end.  If I don't, most assuredly, I will get some asshole who will not zipper and will not give way even if I am slightly ahead.  Watch some of the bad Chicago driver videos, and you'll see what I mean.  These assholes have no clue what zippering means.

[Brandon]

I will second people who don't turn their headlights on when it's dusk, foggy, rainy, or misty.  Instead of speeding tickets, why don't the cops spend their days ticketing these people?  There are more of a danger than people going 5 over.

Beats the shit out of me.  I wish they'd ticket them as well.  You can't see them, so it makes it all that much harder to avoid their idiocy.

People who sit on my flank when I'm trying to get over, instead of speeding up or slowing down.

They are most annoying.  Even worse is when the jackass on your quarter panel speeds up and slows down with you.

[hbelkins]

- Timid drivers in inclement weather.    If you're going to go no faster than 2 mph down the snow-covered freeway, STAY THE FUCK HOME! There's a BIG difference between being cautious and being a danger to everyone else on the road.

This. Especially at the beginning of the winter. Half an inch of snow and everyone slows down to 60 km/h (35 mph) on the freeway.

Conversely, I am annoyed by the idiots who drive in snow like the road was completely dry and don't slow down. Especially by truckers who continue to barrel down the road at 55-65 mph when most of the rest of the traffic is going 45. I always chuckle when I see some truck jackknifed or overturned when the road is slick because I know they brought it on themselves by driving too fast for conditions.

I've mentioned this before, but in the winter of 2004 I was driving home from a conference in Washington, D.C. It began snowing not long after I passed Haymarket heading west on I-66, and by the time I got to I-81 the snow was already sticking to the pavement and I knew that more snow was in the forecast. Trucks were still driving at or above the speed limit and that got worse when I hit I-81 south. I had no desire to be on the road with those menaces all the way down to Lexington and the I-64 west split, so I bailed at Strasburg and took Corridor H. At the time, the four-lane was only open between Baker and Moorefield, and from Kerens to Weston. Even though there was a lot of snow on the road (WV 55, US 220, WV 42, WV 93 and US 219) and the terrain was mountainous, I felt a lot safer driving those two-lane mountain roads than on the interstate with trucks flying through the snow.

(Photos at http://www.millenniumhwy.net/Washington_CD_2004/index.html)