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Annoying things drivers do
- Thread starter usagora
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Yep, that goes under #20 on my list! I've also seen them sit there for the whole light NOT on their phone and then about 5 seconds before it's about to turn green, then they decide to start diving into their floorboard, checking their phone, etc. 🙄
That's a great idea for the "courtesy horn" - reminds me of how many cars have the short-timed blinker (for changing lanes) and also the one you manual have to turn off. Should definitely be a standard feature! On the other hand, I'm NOT a fan of people installing train horns on their vehicles and think that should be illegal everywhere. It's very dangerous because it can startle people in traffic and cause them to lose control or even have a heart attack. It's also dangerous for pedestrians. And it's abused by many who install them to do pranks. IMO 99% of people who install them do it because they think it's "cool," not because they think it's safe or practical.
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I feel the same way about siren sounds on the radio. Should be illegal.
A few that have burned me up for the last few years:
1. Braking when the road is clear and there is no one close to you (except me).
Note, I am not referring to brake-checking. I could understand doing that if I was tailgating you, but I was taught proper spacing when I learned to drive in California in 1985-1986! I am also not talking about residential streets where people could/might be looking for an address. This is the person ahead of you just laying on the brakes out of nowhere for no GD reason.
2. Stopping for green lights. Seriously, I've seen this. It's a freaking green light! Why are we stopping?!!!!
3. Sitting at green lights. Not the people waiting for a moment and then going, nor the people watching their devices or just generally not paying any attention. I'm talking about people who just for whatever reason decide they don't like this particular green light and are going to sit there and wait for one they do like.
3b. Same people, who suddenly decide at the last moment to go - right when the yellow changes to red, preventing you from getting through as well.
4. Red light sprinters. Not runners or the people who blow red lights. I'm talking about the people who are halfway down the block who gun it for a light they will never make and end up blowing the red. These people make red light runners look lazy. In the meantime, if you're in the middle of the intersection waiting to make a left, you can't move until they finish their mad sprint. Now all the other traffic is stuck because you're waiting on this person and the rest of traffic is waiting on you.
5. People who stay behind the limit line (or close to it) when making a left. Get out there! If you're out there, it means I can be too. If you don't it means I get to sit and wait for another green if you choose to only go on the yellow.
Honorable mention - or perhaps not. Anyway, as I mentioned above, I was taught proper spacing. That said, I absolutely hate to have to hit the brakes. So I tend to leave a bit more space so that I can just let off the accelerator and only brake if I have to. Regardless I am traveling the speed of traffic and not impeding anyone else. But you have people who think that since I'm kind of back a bit more than other people I must be driving very slowly. So they zoom around me, get in front of me and promptly slam on their brakes because they are confronted with the person ahead of me. That's people not paying any attention to traffic.
Finally, I live in Phoenix, AZ. I mention that, because Phoenix is the red-light running capitol of the US. We have roads designed at the bare minimum and yellow lights set to ridiculous lengths of time. In California, if you see a yellow you better stop, because it'll be red before you finish blinking. Out here, people speed up. Because they know the yellow is 2-4 seconds. And our idiot traffic engineers want to INCREASE this time in certain problem intersections!
Things would be so much better here if we borrowed a few traffic rules from California. We do not have an anti-gridlock law and people wonder why the streets are so packed and people get so aggressive!
Oh yeah, I think in the first six months after people started getting out after being stuck at home because of the pandemic, people just lost their minds and became really bad drivers. I'm guessing people were just used to not a lot of traffic and then suddenly there was traffic. I saw a LOT of stupid, avoidable accidents during that time period.
1. Braking when the road is clear and there is no one close to you (except me).
Note, I am not referring to brake-checking. I could understand doing that if I was tailgating you, but I was taught proper spacing when I learned to drive in California in 1985-1986! I am also not talking about residential streets where people could/might be looking for an address. This is the person ahead of you just laying on the brakes out of nowhere for no GD reason.
2. Stopping for green lights. Seriously, I've seen this. It's a freaking green light! Why are we stopping?!!!!
3. Sitting at green lights. Not the people waiting for a moment and then going, nor the people watching their devices or just generally not paying any attention. I'm talking about people who just for whatever reason decide they don't like this particular green light and are going to sit there and wait for one they do like.
3b. Same people, who suddenly decide at the last moment to go - right when the yellow changes to red, preventing you from getting through as well.
4. Red light sprinters. Not runners or the people who blow red lights. I'm talking about the people who are halfway down the block who gun it for a light they will never make and end up blowing the red. These people make red light runners look lazy. In the meantime, if you're in the middle of the intersection waiting to make a left, you can't move until they finish their mad sprint. Now all the other traffic is stuck because you're waiting on this person and the rest of traffic is waiting on you.
5. People who stay behind the limit line (or close to it) when making a left. Get out there! If you're out there, it means I can be too. If you don't it means I get to sit and wait for another green if you choose to only go on the yellow.
Honorable mention - or perhaps not. Anyway, as I mentioned above, I was taught proper spacing. That said, I absolutely hate to have to hit the brakes. So I tend to leave a bit more space so that I can just let off the accelerator and only brake if I have to. Regardless I am traveling the speed of traffic and not impeding anyone else. But you have people who think that since I'm kind of back a bit more than other people I must be driving very slowly. So they zoom around me, get in front of me and promptly slam on their brakes because they are confronted with the person ahead of me. That's people not paying any attention to traffic.
Finally, I live in Phoenix, AZ. I mention that, because Phoenix is the red-light running capitol of the US. We have roads designed at the bare minimum and yellow lights set to ridiculous lengths of time. In California, if you see a yellow you better stop, because it'll be red before you finish blinking. Out here, people speed up. Because they know the yellow is 2-4 seconds. And our idiot traffic engineers want to INCREASE this time in certain problem intersections!
Things would be so much better here if we borrowed a few traffic rules from California. We do not have an anti-gridlock law and people wonder why the streets are so packed and people get so aggressive!
Oh yeah, I think in the first six months after people started getting out after being stuck at home because of the pandemic, people just lost their minds and became really bad drivers. I'm guessing people were just used to not a lot of traffic and then suddenly there was traffic. I saw a LOT of stupid, avoidable accidents during that time period.
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I agree with several of your other points, but just wanted to address this one…
There is no law that I am aware of (either in California where I learned to drive, or in Phoenix where I live) that requires you to turn right (when safe and clear) on red. It's annoying, but because there is no law requiring you to turn on red, I don't get upset. People can choose to wait until the green - that's their option.
I never said there was a law that required such. That's neither here nor there. Like you said, it's annoying, and the reason it's annoying is because there's absolutely no logical reason not to turn if it's clear to go. Refusing to turn when it's perfectly clear and legal to do so simply because "I don't hAvE to" would indicative of a passive-aggressive person just wanting to hold up traffic.
Living in the foothills that isn't so bad, but when you get up in the mountains and flatlanders are scared to drive, we get all sorts of braking where there shouldn't be braking. Like going up hill.
Yeah, I'm talking flat and straight, two lanes on each side and a center lain in the middle, main thoroughfares with light to sparse traffic. I don't get why people do this, but they do.Living in the foothills that isn't so bad, but when you get up in the mountains and flatlanders are scared to drive, we get all sorts of braking where there shouldn't be braking. Like going up hill.
Flatlanders in the mountains annoy me and I am a flatlander. It's one thing if you're taking curves at the speed limit, but flatlanders seem to think it's better to drive 15 under! Then, because they do not understand mountain etiquette, they ignore all the turnouts and end up with a trail of cars behind them a mile long.
There's a reason mountain drivers cry 'Flatlanders go home!"
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No you didn't say there was a law. I brought that up, because as annoyed as we both may be about it, there is nothing we can do. Legally, people are within their rights to sit there on a red - passive aggressive or not. Now if they choose to sit on a green too, then that's a different matter.
In my town we have "courtesy crossings" and they're a nightmare. They're brown sections about 1.5m wide and are intended as a place for cars to stop next to if they wish, to let pedestrians cross. Note that they're not official crossings; there are no white stripes etc. so a car is not required to stop if pedestrians are waiting.
Why are these a problem? Because almost all of them are at exits to roundabouts. It's not legal to stop on a roundabout; if there's no room at the exit you need then you're supposed to wait for a space to open before you enter. With these crossings right next to the exits, people go "I see pedestrians", stop anyway, and then the person behind them needs to stop, and now the roundabout's jammed and someone trying to take a completely different exit is now waiting for pedestrians on another street to finish crossing.
Why are these a problem? Because almost all of them are at exits to roundabouts. It's not legal to stop on a roundabout; if there's no room at the exit you need then you're supposed to wait for a space to open before you enter. With these crossings right next to the exits, people go "I see pedestrians", stop anyway, and then the person behind them needs to stop, and now the roundabout's jammed and someone trying to take a completely different exit is now waiting for pedestrians on another street to finish crossing.
There's nothing we can legally do about any of these things, really, unless you're an LEO, so I don't see that one as any different in practical terms.
I had a good one today, categorized as annoying but sad and funny at the same time. I was behind a larger open box truck who had his backup or reverse lights on even though we were traveling at 60mph or so, the closer I got the annoying part revealed itself, the BEEP, BEEP, BEEP, large trucks have when in reverse was banging away as we traveled down the highway. That poor driver!
Yes. NYC prohibits right turns on red — for good reason, given our pedestrian densities — except where signed. One such corner is near me, and there's always plenty of horns directed at those right turners who don't see the sign.
What kills me is when someone has to be in front of you, especially when they are turning, so they floor it, causing you to brake. Then you look behind you and there is absolutely NO ONE behind you for freaking miles! They couldn't have waited 60 freaking seconds.
Of course the other one is the good ole traffic sign that says merge ahead so everyone sees the backed up traffic and decides to go all the way to the front and squeeze in. Then they get pissed when no one wants to let them in.
Oh... another one... there is a line to get on the freeway from the left turn lane... so they come up in the number one lane and turn anyway. Causing folks to brake since the lane usually goes into one lane onto the freeway. Freaking idiots. All because they didn't want to wait.
Of course the other one is the good ole traffic sign that says merge ahead so everyone sees the backed up traffic and decides to go all the way to the front and squeeze in. Then they get pissed when no one wants to let them in.
Oh... another one... there is a line to get on the freeway from the left turn lane... so they come up in the number one lane and turn anyway. Causing folks to brake since the lane usually goes into one lane onto the freeway. Freaking idiots. All because they didn't want to wait.
I think you're referring to someone flooring it to pass you, only to then immediately brake and turn into a driveway or another street? If so, then simply moving behind you instead would not have cost them even 60 extra seconds. Maybe 10? It's indeed amazing the risks people will take over the stupidest things.
I strongly disagree with this (see point #19 in my OP). If the lane hasn't ended, then the lane hasn't ended. If everyone moves over early, then you are effectively cutting the capacity of the roadway in half (assuming it's 2 lanes). You're supposed to use all lanes and then take turns at the merge point (this is commonly referred to as a "zipper merge"). The people not letting them in are the ones in the wrong.
I'm not sure what you mean by the "number one lane" here. Are you referring to people turning left from the straight-only lane? If so, then I totally agree that they are idiots. If you're referring to what I mentioned in mu point #19 where there are two left turn lanes, then see my paragraph above.
Where to start, you just about covered it.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:
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:
- using the shared/center turn lane as an acceleration ramp to enter the roadway - no, you stop and wait!
- 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 🤦🏼♂️
- driving with no headlights on (parking lights don't count) at night or in poor visibility daytime conditions
- tailgating people instead of passing them when the other person is not even in the passing lane
- refusing to move out of the passing lane when faster traffic approaches
- 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
- going slow then all of a sudden speeding up when others go to pass them
- cutting into the oncoming lane when making a left turn, then honking back at the person they nearly hit as the other person honks
- 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)
- 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
- leaving gaps in traffic at stoplights that you could fit a city bus into
- 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
- 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
- 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
- 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?
- 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.
- 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
- they let their dog ride in an open pickup bed on public roads 🤬
- 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 🙄
- 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!
Yeah, a right blinker that looks like an arrow pointing left. Seriously, what were they thinking?
Forgot to mention: creepers. You know, the people who stop with a good distance between them and the car in front of them at a stoplight and then the entire red light they creep forward, eventually making an awkwardly large gap in front of you (if you're behind them) that you now feel obligated to fill. For heaven's sake, just STOP and stay stopped until the light turns green!!!
That also irks me... I am more referring you are driving straight, and then someone is turning into the lane and merging with you and they have to be in front of you... so they floor it to get in front of you and then you have to brake in order to not hit them...
The problem with the Zipper Merge, is it doesn't work usually, especially here in Southern California. So what ends up happening is lanes end up backing up even more!
Lanes are numbered going from the center divider/turning lane out... so lane 1 is the closest to the center divider or turn lane. So in this case:
Turning Lane - Lane 1 - Lane 2
Lane 1 is not a turn lane in this case, but they turn anyway, especially when the turning lane turns into a single lane, not a double. So you have to either wait for the dumba$$ to get in front of you, which is always the case because again, they don't want to wait.
Works for me all the time! Sure, there's always going to be some jerk who speeds up to block you from merging, but then usually the next person isn't a jerk (or you have enough time to move over behind the first jerk before letting them have an opportunity to do the same). In any case, people who practice this type of merge are certainly not doing anything wrong.
And even in the worst case scenario, two adjacent lines of traffic backed up don't stretch as far back as one would, so it's still a better situation.
Here is one.
I almost always drive with my CC on. Keeps me from going 85 and getting a ticket.
And I absolutely hate when I pass someone or they catch up to me and then want to drive off my back bumper in the other lane. They weren't going the same speed as me to begin with, so why now. So my first approach is to speed up and get way away from them and reset the CC. If they catch me and do it again, I do the opposite and hit the brakes sending them flying on by and reset my CC.
And let's just say they don't like what I do the third time.
I almost always drive with my CC on. Keeps me from going 85 and getting a ticket.
And I absolutely hate when I pass someone or they catch up to me and then want to drive off my back bumper in the other lane. They weren't going the same speed as me to begin with, so why now. So my first approach is to speed up and get way away from them and reset the CC. If they catch me and do it again, I do the opposite and hit the brakes sending them flying on by and reset my CC.
And let's just say they don't like what I do the third time.