Today's driving behavior- what are they thinking?

I'm guessing most are distracted by their phones. I saw a woman do this recently and when I pulled up next to her she was texting. Just had to get that last sentence in. This is certainly not exclusive to women either. I have been so bold at times to pull in front of someone who has stopped more than a car length from the intersection. If they aren't going to take the space, I'll take it!

I'm also tired of seeing drivers move over several lanes at the last minute to take a left or right turn. If they are on their phones they can use Google Maps!
 

The Spousal Equivalent allows about a half car length ahead at the light. He says if he gets plowed into from behind, he would like to avoid being pushed into the car ahead.

My late husband and I were in an accident in Michigan once, sitting in a line of cars at a red light. The light turned green. Car ahead started to move, we moved, the little sports car behind us moved.....unfortunately a pickup truck approaching behind the sports car didn't stop and hit the sports car. That pushed the sports car into us and made us lightly tap the car ahead. Thank goodness we were in a station wagon with very hefty rubber bumpers, so we didn't have any damage to speak of. The car we were pushed into had a smudge on his bumper from our rubber bumper. The little sports car, unfortunately, looked like an accordion, but no one was injured.

It made for a paperwork nightmare, though. By the time we stopped, we were in the intersection that divided two counties. Police from both counties showed up and actually got into an argument on whose jurisdiction it was...or I should say...whose jurisdiction it WASN'T. Of course, all information had to be exchanged, just in case. That took forever. And, Michigan wasn't a "no-fault" state so it all had to be worked out exactly whose insurance had to pay for whose damage.

In a "no-fault" state, everyone's individual insurance pays for their car and then their insurance company goes after re-payment from the other insurance company of whoever is judged to be at fault. That's kind of a simplified explanation, I know.
 
First up on the docket: why(oh why!) is it getting more prevalent for drivers to stop short/hang back 10+ feet from the intersection? The "hanger-backers" don't necessarily have to be the lead(first at the intersection).

What are they thinking??? View attachment 483920

I do that at ONE intersection in town and it’s not that offensive if the driver(s) behind me are familiar with that area:

It’s a semi route to warehouses. It’s a tight turn coming from either direction. Whomever decided that white stop line should be painted across where it’s painted, needed and still needs whapped up alongside the head with a can of that white paint.

My son’s father drove gasoline tanker for the family business for a few years. I pulled a four horse stock trailer for years; across the U.S. twice with three horses both times.

I learned a LOT as to why people should keep respectful distances from a traffic light, if they have the red light, so nobody gets crunched or even comes close to it.
 
I often stop away back from the intersection line so that I don't have to lean forward and crank my neck up to see the traffic light.
Can't remember which country now...but saw a thing last night where some country other than US has installed traffic lights where the entire pole as well the usual dangling set, displays whatever light is currently is lit. Which would not only solve your problem, but i think would be so much safer--even if one was behind a big truck we could likely see the pole going orange then red. So even if the truck was running the light we could know to stop.
 
What I do not like is at a red light and it changes and if you do not take off immediately, the car behind honks their horn. I try to leave a space in case someone changes lanes in front of me. The drivers where I live are more aggressive compared to other states I have lived but one must be cautious.
 
At least half the people driving today are morons and need to be taken off the road permanently. Most of the other half are distracted and too emotionally immature to drive a vehicle on a public road. And for some reason police officers just don't bother enforcing traffic laws.

Where does that leave us?
 


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