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AntoniaMerEnfant

PostPosted: Wed Jan 31, 2007 12:36 am


Since many people (though not all) drive, I figured a place to share rants, funnies, etc about driving would be apropos. I've been driving for under a year, but I commute to school 30 miles away so I easily put 180 miles on my car each week in just school/work related trips. Pretty much I was inspired tonight after coming dangerously close to rearending someone. Some guy was entering the highway and instead of speeding up, or waiting before trying to merge, swung out in front of my car way too slow. I slammed on my breaks and slowed down in the nick of time, fortunately the person behind me had given me plenty of space so I didn't get rear-ended myself.

Some Archtypes of Drivers who bug me:

-The Phantom Breaker: Nothing is ahead of them for the next half mile, suddenly, on the highway they slam on their breaks. For the next five miles they continue this ritual...

-Because it's a Sportscar: the one going 20 miles over the speed limit, tail gating, and weaving in and out of traffic like a maniac... because it's a sportscar! These cars are later seen pulled over on the shoulder... getting a ticket.

-Slower Is Safer: Rush hour traffic, the highway, they're doing 35-40 MPH (when the minimum speed limit is 40)... to pass them is suicide because at this point you've deccelerated far too much...

-"My Car is Bigger than Yours": You're doing the speed limit in the right hand lane... somehow the big truck or SUV behind you finds it imperative to ride your bumper instead of passing you.

What are some of people's negative and funny experiences with driving?
PostPosted: Wed Jan 31, 2007 1:07 am


Alas, I'm one of the few who rely on public transport...

Doressa
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PostPosted: Wed Jan 31, 2007 9:50 am


I live in Texas and I've seen quite a few bad examples. Fortunately, I haven't had an incident since about 2000 and that was just a minor parking lot fender bender. I tend to drive the speed limit +/- 5 MPH. The highway speed limit is 70, so I cruise along at 75 so I am not an obstruction, even in the right lane. They drive way too fast around here. I have yet to get a ticket, so I will continue to be conservative with my speed. Makes me feel better to see the lead footed get pulled over by the highway patrol.

Here are some of my least favorite types of drivers.

1. The tailgater
2. The cell phone chatterbox
3. Inattentive driver
4. lane hog (going slow in the fast lane)
5. The boom box (too much bass is very annoying)
6. The lane weaver

I may post more, but that's a start. It makes me wonder how some people pass the DMV test.
PostPosted: Wed Jan 31, 2007 1:33 pm


Does anyone else notice that their driving skills deteriorate when their significant other gets in the car? I'm an extremely cautious driver because I have a problem with depth perception, so I don't do anything unless I'm absolutely sure that I can. As a result, I've never had an accident and only one speeding ticket almost ten years ago. My man, on the other hand, has caused three accidents and received speeding tickets. But the minute he gets in the car, all of a sudden I'm the unsafe driver and he critiques my driving to the point where I'm ready to ram into a telephone pole just to get him to shut up. xd So yeah, I don't drive him places often.

As for other drivers... Recently, I drove to Las Vegas for the weekend. If you've never driven in Nevada, it's hard to imagine, but there will be hundred mile stretches of desert where there are NO people, no cell phone coverage, nothing. I was in one of these stretches, on a two-lane highway, when I had to slam on the brakes to avoid an oncoming car in my lane (trying to pass a slower moving vehicle in its own lane and misjudging the distance). That was the final straw for my poor clutch and it went out, leaving us stranded thirty miles from the nearest telephone, all because of one dumb-a** sports car driver that couldn't judge oncoming traffic. Getting stranded in the desert can be very dangerous, but luckily that highway is well-traveled. So I ended up sitting on the trunk of my car for about half an hour before a good samaritan stopped and towed me all the way to Vegas behind his sports car. So, sports car drivers simultaneously stranded me in and saved me from the desert.

Seeress


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PostPosted: Wed Jan 31, 2007 1:58 pm


I too rely on public transportation but even then I can get annoyed at other drivers...well mostly I get annoyed at the people driving me...for:

but then again most of the time the people driving me around are my brothers and they actually try to freak me out. bah
PostPosted: Wed Jan 31, 2007 8:53 pm


I wish my hometown had public transport. When I was in college I could walk everywhere, one of the reasons I was so late to get a liscense. These days I drive a pretty gas friendly car-- I'm one person who hauls only my books, why should I spend more money and destroy the environment for a big car?

Sorry to hear about the clutch Seeress, but I'm glad to hear you were saved. Not all sports cars are bad, just the people who think they have to drive like jerks cause they have one.

I'm a fairly slow driver myself... due to trying not to get any more speeding tickets (I'm a lead foot at heart), but I stick in the right lane... which is why I get so miffed at being tail gated all the time, because people could pass me. If someone's in a hurry they can move over to the vacant middle or left lane. For some reason I think they try to "intimidate" me by driving way too close.

I think it's my bumper sticker "Thespians do it on stage". It's a high school drama thing... but one time when my older brother was driving my car some guy had him pull over and harrassed him for promoting "alternate lifestyles" rofl My car is the ultimate hand me down--I love it!

AntoniaMerEnfant


chrystiana

PostPosted: Thu Feb 01, 2007 6:30 am


My pet peeve is turn signals. I hate it when people don't use them. It seems like there's an abundance of idiots around here who don't know what a turn signal is. The one day I was on my way home from work and 2 cars infront of me turned without using them then a taxi turned right from infront of me but used his left turn signal. This all happened within a span of fifteen minutes. *grumble* confused
PostPosted: Thu Feb 01, 2007 7:00 am


UGH!

Okay, first let me say, I hate driving. I am not a very good driver, because I am overly cautious. I try to avoid driving if I absolutely can, and my car is usually broken down anyway. I usually get a ride with a carpool or walk, or use our elevated train system. I didn't even get a license until I was 20+ or so years old. ANYWAY.

I live in a college town, and between me and my mother, we have been in FIVE ACCIDENTS... all but one of them involving 18-year-old male drivers. So not kidding. College town. NONE of them were our fault. ALL of them involved somebody doing something illegal (illegal left, running red light, etc.) So, now because of this, I am terrified of driving, especially when the students are in town. You just can't trust them. Here, a green light doesn't mean "go," it means "Stop and wait for three people to run the red light, THEN go." There are lots of drunks, too. The paper is filled every morning with DUIs. It's so scary. crying I wish I could drive more but I'm just too scared.

My pet peeve are drivers who are here to college with mommy and daddy's cars, but yet have very little driving experience and no fear of death. Our town isn't built for traffic, and Freshmen are told specifically NOT to bring their cars, and to use public transport, which is 100% free for all students. Still, every year there are jillions of kids who are really bad at driving ;__; with their parents' cars with out of state plates. There is no place to park them, and there are so many accidents in town. There are pieces of headlight and bumper scattered at every single intersection. I know there *are* kids that can drive well, but after living here my whole life, I can tell you, it's really the exception to the rule.

Last time my mom was in an accident by a 18 year old kid who ran a red light, it was really bad. My mom thank God wasn't hurt, but the car looked REALLY bad and was pretty much totalled. The dumbass kid just sat on the curb and cried "Oh, my car! My dad's going to kill me! My poor car! Oh my poor car! What will I tell my dad! I wrecked his car! Oh boo hoo hoo" For like an hour! He never even said "Sorry" or asked my mom if she was okay. He didn't even stop to see if she was okay! He could have KILLED somebody. If somebody was in the passenger seat, they probably would have died! What an idiot! evil These types of brats send me into a murderous rage. Little twerp, I hope his dad never lets him have another car as long as he lives! (Which won't be long if he keeps driving like that!)

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PostPosted: Thu Feb 01, 2007 7:55 am


chrystiana
My pet peeve is turn signals. I hate it when people don't use them. It seems like there's an abundance of idiots around here who don't know what a turn signal is. The one day I was on my way home from work and 2 cars infront of me turned without using them then a taxi turned right from infront of me but used his left turn signal. This all happened within a span of fifteen minutes. *grumble* confused


I've decided that turn signals must be an "option" on a car that many people just decide not to get.
There is no other logical reason for it.
Especially big suv's like hummers. You'd think with a vehicle "that" expensive, turn signals would have come standard xd
PostPosted: Thu Feb 01, 2007 10:03 am


Nom-de-Plume
chrystiana
My pet peeve is turn signals. I hate it when people don't use them. It seems like there's an abundance of idiots around here who don't know what a turn signal is. The one day I was on my way home from work and 2 cars infront of me turned without using them then a taxi turned right from infront of me but used his left turn signal. This all happened within a span of fifteen minutes. *grumble* confused


I've decided that turn signals must be an "option" on a car that many people just decide not to get.
There is no other logical reason for it.
Especially big suv's like hummers. You'd think with a vehicle "that" expensive, turn signals would have come standard xd


Speaking of turn signals, an annoying thing is when someone leaves the blinker on for miles on the highway.

Quite a few don't use them here and I find that to be quite annoying indeed.

I've learned over the years to NEVER trust the other driver.

Tillisnut

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AntoniaMerEnfant

PostPosted: Thu Feb 01, 2007 3:14 pm


Nom-de-Plume
chrystiana
My pet peeve is turn signals. I hate it when people don't use them. It seems like there's an abundance of idiots around here who don't know what a turn signal is. The one day I was on my way home from work and 2 cars infront of me turned without using them then a taxi turned right from infront of me but used his left turn signal. This all happened within a span of fifteen minutes. *grumble* confused


I've decided that turn signals must be an "option" on a car that many people just decide not to get.
There is no other logical reason for it.
Especially big suv's like hummers. You'd think with a vehicle "that" expensive, turn signals would have come standard xd


^^Love this. I really hate that when traffic's pretty heavy and fast on the highway and they change lanes without signaling. I also detest when people try to change lanes or merge without dropping in front of or behind you. Not only do you have the right away, but it's really dangerous.

Nessa I understand, I went to a college town for four years. When I got into an accident back in November the first thing I did when I got out of my car was ask the other driver if she was ok (it was a very, very mild accident, but still). I think kids who have mommy and daddy buy them cars and bail them out of tickets and hiked insurance just don't care as much.

I feel that rich old men drivers are like that too sometimes. The jerk in the lexus can fix his ticket without losing too much.
PostPosted: Thu Feb 01, 2007 3:32 pm


A couple of mine...

Rubberneckers - The ones who have to slow way down to gawk at the fender bender, stalled car, moron getting a ticket. I have literally sat in traffic for 45 minutes only to get up there to find everyone was stopping to watch a car get a jump start and as soon as we got past that car everythign was normal speed again!

SUV Snow Gods - These are the people who go out and buy this big SUV with 4WD and at the first snow of the season ride the bumpers of every car that is struggling on the ice in front of them. Of course there is a fun pastime that comes of this condition...it's called count the SUVs in the ditch! Oh and I have noticed that female SUV drivers tend to be worse than the male ones...especially the females with soccer decals on the back windows. When will these drivers learn that 4WD does not help you STOP any better?

Kitten_Ember


Adnamac

PostPosted: Thu Feb 01, 2007 3:39 pm


I've seen just about everything that's been mentioned so far. Not hard, when you're a delivery person and spend all day driving.

As mentioned, one of my biggest peeves is blinkers. People just don't use them, and it just really agrivates me. What I see the most though, is people who won't turn their blinker on untill they're already making the turn.

Yeah, thanks for the warning.

Another thing that I love: You're sitting at a red light, and something happens when you're not watching it for a second or so. In that second, the light changes, and if you don't move immediatly, the person behind you (who is in such a hurry to get somewhere, obviously) needs to lay on the horn.

Argh.
PostPosted: Thu Feb 01, 2007 3:46 pm


Oh wow! I almost forgot this one, and it just happened yesterday.

I was sitting in a left hand turn lane at a green light waiting for oncoming traffic to clear so I could go...because left turns must YIELD on green. Most of the oncoming cars were turning right onto the road and there were two lanes so the guy behind me obviously thought I should have just gone. I didn't because A. It's illegal and dangerous, B. I needed the far lane that they were turning into as I needed to be on the entrance ramp right after the light, and C. None of the ones turning were using blinkers so I didn't know they were turning. Anyway, this moron behind me gets so upset I can see him in my mirror flipping me off and throwing his hands up...I had pulled into the intersection a little so I would make that light so what does he do? He goes around me! That's right, pulls into oncoming traffic and whips in front of me to make the left, narrowly missing one of those oncoming vehicles in the process and causing lots of horn honking. The irony was after 2 more cars I was able to make the left as were several cars behind me before the light changed. Idiot.

Kitten_Ember


Sedesla

PostPosted: Fri Feb 02, 2007 3:38 am


Doressa
Alas, I'm one of the few who rely on public transport...


Me too! I not only don't have a car, but I don't even have a license. My whole family hates me. twisted
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