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Annoying things drivers do

usagora

usagora

macrumors 601
Original poster
Nov 17, 2017
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What is it about stepping into a vehicle that makes otherwise reasonable people turn stupid? Here's my list of top annoying things I see drivers doing daily, in no particular order:
  1. using the shared/center turn lane as an acceleration ramp to enter the roadway - no, you stop and wait!
  2. waiting to activate their blinker until they're actually in the process of turning or changing lanes - what's the point? . . . I've actually seen a few very special people flash their blinker a couple times after they've completed the lane change 🤦🏼‍♂️
  3. driving with no headlights on (parking lights don't count) at night or in poor visibility daytime conditions
  4. tailgating people instead of passing them when the other person is not even in the passing lane
  5. refusing to move out of the passing lane when faster traffic approaches
  6. continuing to turn left after their green arrow expires and then flicking people off who honk at them as if they're the ones in the wrong
  7. going slow then all of a sudden speeding up when others go to pass them
  8. cutting into the oncoming lane when making a left turn, then honking back at the person they nearly hit as the other person honks
  9. refusing to turn right on red when it's perfectly clear to go (obviously I'm talking about in countries where this is legal and, in the US, where there isn't a sign or lighting prohibiting it...except NYC where it's illegal unless there's a sign permitting it)
  10. parking their monster truck right next to someone's car when there are 50 other spaces nearby where they wouldn't be blocking the car diver's view when they try to leave
  11. leaving gaps in traffic at stoplights that you could fit a city bus into
  12. attempting to turn left in rush hour across 3+ lanes of traffic instead of simply turning around at the next light or making a legal U-turn further down where it's not congested . . . also the people who try to be "nice" and let such a person go when the lanes to their right are not clear, then the left turner gets stuck halfway across and ends up blocking multiple lanes of traffic
  13. waiting until someone is really close then pulling out in front of them and not even attempting to get up to speed quickly, even though they had plenty of time to pull out before they actually did
  14. realizing they're in the wrong lane, but instead of following through and finding a safe place to turn around or re-route, they just stop in the middle of the lane and turn on their blinker, waiting for an opportunity to get in the correct lane while blocking everyone behind them
  15. missed their exit so they desperately cut everyone off and drive over the gore/grass/etc. to get off the freeway instead of getting off at the next exit - do they think God is going to strike them dead for missing their exit or something?
  16. blasting music in populous areas with their windows down - the height of obnoxiousness! I've noticed it's almost always gangster rap (which makes it even worse due to the vulgarity of it), though sometimes it's just pop music or R&B. But I don't even care if it's a violin concerto - don't blast your music out in public, especially at gas stations and parking lots.
  17. they see someone trying to back into or out of a spot (and started to before they got there) and instead of being considerate and waiting for them to finish, they blast by them, nearly hitting them
  18. they let their dog ride in an open pickup bed on public roads 🤬
  19. they see the lane ends 2 miles ahead so immediately change lanes instead of utilizing the entire usable roadway . . . this also happens where there's dual left turn lanes onto a freeway where one ends halfway down the onramp . . . at the red left turn signal, everyone piles into the one that doesn't end because they're afraid of merging later on 🙄
  20. they freak out about even the slightest horn honk . . . once I lightly honked at a woman who literally sat there for 5 seconds at a green light . . . she starts wildly flailing her arms in total freakout mode at me and then brake checks me multiple times as she starts to go. Unreal!
Additionally, I have one vehicle industry gripe: red blinkers/indicators. IMO, they should always be amber, or, if red, should be accompanied by a side mirror indicator as well. There's been many a time where I've mistaken a red blinker for someone simply going on/off their brakes. Then there's this atrocity on some Mini Coopers:

mini-cooper-wrong-direction-turn-signal.webp


Yeah, a right blinker that looks like an arrow pointing left. Seriously, what were they thinking?
 
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usagora said:
refusing to turn right on red when it's perfectly clear to go
Click to expand...
Some states have laws that prohibit you from turning right on red.

Also, one that really bugs me are reverse lights and blinkers that are on the number of the car. Who the heck can see those lights when you’re right behind them, or when you try to back when they are backing up. That’s something that strikes me as something utterly stupid as there’s no benefit to those lights being on the bumper.
 
MmkLucario said:
Some states have laws that prohibit you from turning right on red.
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Actually, I believe all 50 states in the US allow it except where there is signage or lighting that prohibits it. But I've edited my post to clarify. Obviously I don't want anyone to break the law. In fact, I get very annoyed with people who turn right on red when there's a sign that says not to.

MmkLucario said:
Also, one that really bugs me are reverse lights and blinkers that are on the number of the car. Who the heck can see those lights when you’re right behind them, or when you try to back when they are backing up. That’s something that strikes me as something utterly stupid as there’s no benefit to those lights being on the bumper.
Click to expand...

Hmm, not sure if I've seen that before, but I looked it up and sure enough:

maxresdefault.jpg


That's even stupider than the Mini Cooper arrow blinker!
 
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My top peeve with drivers now is the feeling that each individual has the right of way regardless of the situation.

People used to wait until there was adequate space or an acceleration lane when merging onto a highway... no more of that, people just pull out and hit the highway at 25 or 30 mph and accelerate, at their no hurry pace, from there. Infuriating!
 
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The backup lights on a car are there to illuminate what is behind the car so the driver can avoid running over things when backing up in the dark. Today many cars have cameras to show what is behind the car but this legacy tech (backup lights) still hangs on. Having them low to the ground makes perfect sense when you understand what the intended use is. Who else but the driver would need them? Surely your headlights and taillights are making you presence known better than those low wattage backup lights.
 
usagora said:
waiting to activate their blinker until they're actually in the process of turning or changing lanes - what's the point? . . . I've actually seen a few very special people flash their blinker a couple times after they've completed the lane change 🤦🏼‍♂️
Click to expand...
That drives me bonkers. "Oh look, this guy [me] is waiting for me to pass the intersection so he can turn. I'll just drift around the corner without signalling so that he continues to wait unnecessarily until it suddenly becomes apparent what I'm doing..."
 
usagora said:
Actually, I believe all 50 states in the US allow it except where there is signage or lighting that prohibits it. But I've edited my post to clarify. Obviously I don't want anyone to break the law. In fact, I get very annoyed with people who turn right on red when there's a sign that says not to.



Hmm, not sure if I've seen that before, but I looked it up and sure enough:

maxresdefault.jpg


That's even stupider than the Mini Cooper arrow blinker!
Click to expand...
Unless they’ve updated the law. I don’t believe Maine allows right turns on red. I seem to recall that being the law around 2000.
 
Longkeg said:
The backup lights on a car are there to illuminate what is behind the car so the driver can avoid running over things when backing up in the dark. Today many cars have cameras to show what is behind the car but this legacy tech (backup lights) still hangs on. Having them low to the ground makes perfect sense when you understand what the intended use is. Who else but the driver would need them? Surely your headlights and taillights are making you presence known better than those low wattage backup lights.
Click to expand...

Yes, illumination is one of their purposes, but they're also to signal your intentions to back up to another driver. I've seen plenty of dash cam videos where a collision is avoided because the driver honks as soon as he sees the oblivious driver in front of him switch to reverse.

Nermal said:
That drives me bonkers. "Oh look, this guy [me] is waiting for me to pass the intersection so he can turn. I'll just drift around the corner without signalling so that he continues to wait unnecessarily until it suddenly becomes apparent what I'm doing..."
Click to expand...

However, I often will not turn even if they signal, because I've often experienced someone who signaled yet continued straight (often because they were signaling for a driveway after the intersection). I would be at fault for that collision had I pulled out.

At the light right before my house, there are no protected turn signals. Frequently, when I'm trying to turn left onto my street, the person across the road just sits there as I yield to them, since they have no blinker on. One person finally turned in front of me and I put my hand up like "WTF?" (since I had waited like 10 seconds) and they make the same gesture back at me like they can't possibly imagine how I couldn't read their mind 🙄 Then other drivers do realize after a few seconds and then put their blinkers on, as if it's finally dawned on them that they have a purpose.

velocityg4 said:
Unless they’ve updated the law. I don’t believe Maine allows right turns on red. I seem to recall that being the law around 2000.
Click to expand...

From what I've googled, it's allowed in Maine just like any other state except where posted otherwise. However, I did read that New York City prohibits it unless there's a sign saying it's allowed (the opposite of everywhere else in the US).
 
usagora said:
  1. refusing to move out of the passing lane when faster traffic approaches
Click to expand...

This should be 1-20. Was so ticked the other day. Got on the interstate at my exit and ended up 4 cars behind someone who would not pass a semi. Drove like this for 3 miles as traffic was stacking up behind me in both lanes.

About 1 mile before the next exit, there was a local police car in the median hitting people with Laser. So here is this car holding up probably 20+ cars and the officer did nothing even though the car was breaking the law.

It took another mile or so until the car behind them was able to get over in the right lane and zoom past. And then it was just one car after another doing this.

Camping out in the left lane and forcing cars to go around you is not safe.
 
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Herdfan said:
This should be 1-20. Was so ticked the other day. Got on the interstate at my exit and ended up 4 cars behind someone who would not pass a semi. Drove like this for 3 miles as traffic was stacking up behind me in both lanes.

About 1 mile before the next exit, there was a local police car in the median hitting people with Laser. So here is this car holding up probably 20+ cars and the officer did nothing even though the car was breaking the law.

It took another mile or so until the car behind them was able to get over in the right lane and zoom past. And then it was just one car after another doing this.

Camping out in the left lane and forcing cars to go around you is not safe.
Click to expand...

Exactly. And none of the self-righteous excuses these people come up with holds water. It's nothing but them being passive-aggressive if they're doing it on purpose and nothing but ignorance if they're not aware of what they're doing.

I was slowly gaining on a lady in the left lane a few months ago and she literally rolled down her window, stuck her hand out, and shook her finger at me like "uh-uh, I ain't abouts to move over for you" then points over her roof gesturing for me to pass her on the right. I stayed behind her for another minute until it was clear her stubborn a$$ wasn't going anywhere, so I floored it around her. About 15 seconds later I see her move all the way across to the other side of the freeway and exit. She was clearly doing this on purpose just to mess with people. I seriously don't understand why people are like this.
 
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Some people just think the rules don't apply to them. The other day someone parked on the street outside my house. Two wheels were on the yellow "no parking" lines, two were on the footpath (which is not allowed here) and the car was facing in the wrong direction (also not allowed). But I bet the thought process went something like "I'm only here for a few minutes so it doesn't matter".

There was a legitimate parking space 10-15 metres away.
 
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Nermal said:
Some people just think the rules don't apply to them. The other day someone parked on the street outside my house. Two wheels were on the yellow "no parking" lines, two were on the footpath (which is not allowed here) and the car was facing in the wrong direction (also not allowed). But I bet the thought process went something like "I'm only here for a few minutes so it doesn't matter".

There was a legitimate parking space 10-15 metres away.
Click to expand...

Yep, people use that excuse for parking in handicap spaces too. Lazy, selfish, entitled people! And what's worse is often when they're called out on it, they double down instead of just admitting they're in the wrong.
 
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usagora said:
Yep, people use that excuse for parking in handicap spaces too. Lazy, selfish, entitled people! And what's worse is often when they're called out on it, they double down instead of just admitting they're in the wrong.
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I sometimes fantasise about walking past and "keying" those sort of cars. If they complain that I can't do that, just shrug and say that they've already made it perfectly clear that the rules don't apply to them, which works both ways.

Of course, in reality it wouldn't end there!
 
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usagora said:
Yep, people use that excuse for parking in handicap spaces too. Lazy, selfish, entitled people! And what's worse is often when they're called out on it, they double down instead of just admitting they're in the wrong.
Click to expand...

I have a friend who's parents have a Handicap placard because they need it. If he sees someone parked in a spot without a plate or placard, he will zip-tie shopping carts to their door handles.

It doesn't hurt the car, but is a huge PITA for the person who parked illegally.
 
Herdfan said:
I have a friend who's parents have a Handicap placard because they need it. If he sees someone parked in a spot without a plate or placard, he will zip-tie shopping carts to their door handles.

It doesn't hurt the car, but is a huge PITA for the person who parked illegally.
Click to expand...

Well, I certainly understand the temptation and frustration, but I can't condone that either (not even sure if it's legal). I stick with fantasizing!
 
Herdfan said:
I have a friend who's parents have a Handicap placard because they need it. If he sees someone parked in a spot without a plate or placard, he will zip-tie shopping carts to their door handles.

It doesn't hurt the car, but is a huge PITA for the person who parked illegally.
Click to expand...

That's very dangerous. Some day, a hot head will start shooting if they see him doing it.
 
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Ok, I just want to state for the record that although I totally understand the annoyances I listed (and others) can be infuriating, I do NOT advocate in any way, shape, or form "revenge" in reaction to those, either verbal or physical. If you shoot somebody after you started a confrontation (either directly with that person or by messing with that person's property), that's going to be a big black mark against you in court when trying to argue self-defense. Especially if you are armed, do NOT insert yourself into contentious situations or create them.
 
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Most common annoying drivers in Florida:
  • Drive slow on the left lane on the highway
  • Flashing signals during heavy rainstorms
  • No signal when turning lanes
  • Drive too slow
  • Drive too fast
 
The worst: drivers with an "entitled" atittude. Even worse when you see one get out of the car in the middle of the road and live down to the stereotype of a "karen" (I've seen way too many of those on social media).
 
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