Driving pet peeves

Ronni

Ronni

Well-known Member
Location
Nashville TN
I do a lot of driving. Daily I travel to a couple of different clients, often run errands for them, finish my work day and often times run an errand or several on the way home. Just my work mileage alone, separate from my own personal driving, was over 8,000 miles last year. (Just finished my tax prep so I happen to know that right now lol!)

I don't even LIKE to drive. Right now I feel like if I never had to be the driver again I'd be a happy camper!

That said, there are pet peeves of mine that make driving even more annoying for me.

1. I am a courteous driver. I will wave a person through, slow down to enable them to cut in front of me, or pull out of a street, slow down and flash my lights at a trucker who's trying to get over, whatever. If I'm lucky, two or three times in 10 I'll get some kind of acknowledgement from the other driver, a wave of thanks etc. WAY more often it's from truckers who will flash their taillights as a thank you.

2. It annoys me NO END when someone pulls out in front of me from a side street and barely make it causing me to have to slow down. But wait, it's not JUST the fact that they pulled out in front of me, its that THERE WERE NO OTHER CARS BEHIND ME, meaning if they'd waited two more seconds they could have pulled out easily without causing me to slow down to accommodate them. Did that extra two seconds mean that much?

3. When a car insists on overtaking me and then pulling in directly in front of me just so they can then slow down ..... what's THAT about? They gained nothing in terms of speed. One additional car ahead in terms of distance. WHY?

4. I don't understand drivers who literally cut across 4 lanes in as many seconds in order to get off the exit. In these days of GPS directions and well lit freeways and clearly marked signs I just don't get why this happens. I start moving towards the exit lane way before I know I'm going to exit just so that I DON'T do that.

5. And then there's the rush hour traffic and having to merge into another lane. I do this every day as part of my commute. Luckily the freeway starts backing up just one exit before I have to get off the freeway so I don't deal with it for long. When *I* merge, I look carefully for my opportunity, signal and slowly ease into the flow of traffic looking in my mirrors and behind me to make sure I have an opening. A LOT of other drivers just .... DON'T. I would swear that they don't ever look. They just start moving over, slowly, relentlessly, I guess just crossing their fingers or assuming that the OTHER car is not going to want to hit them, so will be FORCED to slow down. When that other car is ME I tend to want to just play chicken and keep going and show them who's boss!!!! But I don't. I don't want my car rammed.

6. Those drivers who INSIST on staying 5 feet off my bumper whether we're on the freeway or surface streets are insane. It's not only annoying it's DANGEROUS. I start getting really salty about that, and will ease off the gas and go slower and slower just to annoy them. It's petty and juvenile i know, but it gives me some satisfaction.

What about you? What are your driving pet peeves!!!
 

Ronni,

You covered it pretty well.
About the only thing we can do is "mentally send them bad karma points."
Certain "Hand Signals" are dicey these days.
 

I have the same pet peeves.
For tailgaters, I also slow down - not to annoy them, but to get rid of them. They always go around me when I start to slow down; safer for me.
Those speeding, weave in & out of traffic morons who have to be the first at each red light - they're always good for a laugh....watching their brake lights go on & off constantly. (Well, they didn't spend all that money for that BMW to drive safely, did they?)
 
We have a small, narrow tunnel that the railroad tracks go over in town. You can see easily if a car is stopped on either side before you enter. 95% of the people are very courteous and take turns going through the tunnel, some flash there lights to let me know it is my turn and most wave when they get through. The other 5% will try and squeeze their way through with another car already inside . I've seen side mirrors ripped off and sides of cars scraped just because they won't wait their turn.
You might say we need a light at that spot but it really isn't necessary if everyone would just be patient.
 
Ronni, you covered most of them. I hate tailgaters and the ones who don't thank you when you let them through, it's like they feel entitled to the courtesy. Every time it happens I wish I could go back in time. Am glad I seldom drive now that I am retired.
 
I love to drive, and I love to drive fast. But I reserve it for non-busy freeways, LOL. Where I live, 50+% is freeway driving; it's just how people get around in this area.

However, if someone is in the far left lane and cars start stacking up behind them - none of us care that you are going 5mph faster than the lane #2 next to you. MOVE OVER.

Because if you care about courtesy, that is what is polite. It's why there are signs that say "Slow Traffic Move Right".

And because one weekday when my spouse and I were in the car driving to work, I realized he was having a stroke - so yes, I hit the accelerator and wove in and out of traffic getting him to the Emergency Room.

There are times I don't drive fast. Rain, for example. Or I'm just in a mellow frame of mind and aren't in a hurry. I make sure I'm in whatever lane is moving at the speed I feel like driving at.

Peeves # 2, 3 and 4 are all too common these days. It happens, and yes it is certainly annoying! I do love having a nice big tall SUV - a driver would find it hard to claim "gee, I just didn't see you....."
 
Gary O' said:
Legitimate peeves, Ronni



I suggest you steer clear of LA freeways
bumper to bumper at 70 mph
Click to expand...
I lived in LA for years, @Gary O' I'm very familiar with the freeway insanity as I drove them every damn day! :mad:

My oldest boy still lives there with his family. 4 of my grands are there, so I'm back there a couple times a year to visit. He's a firefighter...well,now he's captain of his Station. One of my biggest thrills is to ride in the Engine and see all those cars part like the Red Sea to make way for us as we careen on through!! :p:cool:
 
People on their phones! Sitting behind them at a red light, light changes, and nuthin' happens. I honk. They flash me the finger, but at least they go. Get off the damn phone, people!
 
I drove quite a bit when I was working. The best rule for Safe Driving, IMO, is to "go with the flow". If traffic is moving at 40MPH, do so. If people are zipping along at 70MPH, keep up. Someone driving substantially over or under the flow causes others to make unsafe maneuvers, and leads to accidents. Of course, that used to work pretty well 20 years ago, but now, dodging the cell phone idiots is the biggest challenge.
 
Don M. said:
The best rule for Safe Driving, IMO, is to "go with the flow". If traffic is moving at 40MPH, do so. If people are zipping along at 70MPH, keep up. Someone driving substantially over or under the flow causes others to make unsafe maneuvers, and leads to accidents.
Click to expand...

Solid advice

I drove semi for awhile......talk about defensive driving
People have zero respect
They have no idea it takes a few seconds for air brakes to apply
 
The majority of people think of themselves as above average drivers, and want traffic laws enforced on other people. Speeding is my number one complaint as there are a lot of people on the roadways who apparently think speed limits don't apply to themselves personally. Number two would be tailgating by people following so closely that they couldn't possibly stop if I had to. My third complaint would be failure to use turn signals. Thankfully brake lights are automatic, or I'd never know some people are contemplating a change in speed or direction...
 
Don M. said:
The best rule for Safe Driving, IMO, is to "go with the flow". If traffic is moving at 40MPH, do so. If people are zipping along at 70MPH, keep up. Someone driving substantially over or under the flow causes others to make unsafe maneuvers, and leads to accidents.
Click to expand...

Solid advice

I drove semi for awhile......talk about defensive driving
People have zero respect
They have no idea it takes a few seconds for air brakes to apply
 
I heard a great idea - put horns on every traffic light so when they change from red to green and the stupid S.O.B. in front of you who is engrossed with their phone pics the horn blares alerting that useless turd the light is now green and everyone lined up behind his or her ass would like to proceed in a forward direction.
 
Tennessee is a hands free state. Cell phone usage while driving is against the law.

If my driving experience is any indication, a LOT of my fellow drivers didnā€™t get the memo. šŸ˜’
 
Don M. said:
I drove quite a bit when I was working. The best rule for Safe Driving, IMO, is to "go with the flow". If traffic is moving at 40MPH, do so. If people are zipping along at 70MPH, keep up. Someone driving substantially over or under the flow causes others to make unsafe maneuvers, and leads to accidents. Of course, that used to work pretty well 20 years ago, but now, dodging the cell phone idiots is the biggest challenge.
Click to expand...
Depends on the speed limit. If the speed limit is 40 & some morons are going 70, it would be foolish to speed just because they are.
If you happen to get pulled over for speeding & you tell the cop "I was speeding because other people were & I wanted to go with the flow," please tape the conversation; I'd love to hear it.
 

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