Driving

[eternlgladiator]

I'm in a ranty mood this morning and using a variety of stop signs this morning has tipped me over the edge. Now I'd admit that I took drivers ed about 10 years ago but I think I recall stop signs pretty clearly. Is it just me or are people everywhere absolutely terrible at driving and specifically at managing stop signs. It's the biggest clusterf*ck I've seen since I started driving. Its the most basic thing in driving. You stop, then go. Simple right? Apparently not. Maybe I live in a city full of over generous people but I'm sick and tired of the you go, no you go, no you go game. Just move it. You both could have been through the intersection while I watch you play this insane game of politeness. To be fair I pay the favor forward when it is given to me. If I meet somebody across and intersection and they wave me along, I go, and then when the occasion comes up I give somebody else that chance but if they hesitate or refuse to take it then ***** them. I've got places to be and things to do and frankly don't give a ***** about a total stranger who has nothing to do but play traffic cop on their way to work at the nice factory.

end rant.

To sum up though, yes I know how stop signs work. Here's the rules as I see them.

1. You stop and if its your turn you immediately proceed.
2. If another driver arrived there prior to you they are given priority over you unless you are both moving in directions that do not impede one another. i.e. both turn right, left, or go straight in parallel directions.
3. If another driver arrives simultaneous to you then the person on the right is given right of way.

 

[leftywamumonkey]

What's worse is people who don't use their turn signals when making a lane change imo.

 

[h1r0ll3r]

You'd probably hate driving in Washington, DC then

Stop signs don't mean stop 'round these parts. It just means slow down enough where pedestrians will see you coming and stop walking so you can blow through the intersection and save those precious few seconds while on your way to wherever it is you're going.

And on the other hand, we have idiot pedestrians that will walk out in the middle of traffic thinking that people here give a crap about pedestrian walkways. Interesting altercations usually break out when these two types of idiots meet up on the streets of DC.

And this is why I now take the beltway.

 

[maflynn]

What's worse is people who don't use their turn signals when making a lane change imo.

I'm from boston and turn signals are a sign of weakness - plus this gives the other driver information that you'll be going into their lane. While on the surface that sounds good and safe except boston drivers speed up to prevent you from that, so if you want to change lanes you do it without the turn signal

 

[eternlgladiator]

You'd probably hate driving in Washington, DC then

Stop signs don't mean stop 'round these parts. It just means slow down enough where pedestrians will see you coming and stop walking so you can blow through the intersection and save those precious few seconds while on your way to wherever it is you're going.

And on the other hand, we have idiot pedestrians that will walk out in the middle of traffic thinking that people here give a crap about pedestrian walkways. Interesting altercations usually break out when these two types of idiots meet up on the streets of DC.

And this is why I now take the beltway.

you're probably right, I rarely do a full stop at the stop signs but I don't roll them that bad unless its the boondocks and you can see both directions for a good ways.

 

[yg17]

What's worse is people who don't use their turn signals when making a lane change imo.

If someone's using a turn signal in St. Louis, they're either using the wrong signal or signaling even though they have no intent on turning or changing lanes. It's quite rare to see a properly used turn signal around here.

 

[snberk103]

Around here the turn signals get turned on as you make the turn. Just to confirm, I suppose, what the other drivers have just figured out.

In other news...

Our provincial government (British Columbia) has decided that round-abouts (traffic circles) are the next big thing. I actually like them... but if you think stop signs baffled people what until you deal with a round-about. Same problem - who has right-of-way - but you are figuring that out while still moving. And trying to figure out where to turn to get off. I like them because if traffic is light you never have to stop - you just keep moving along. The one at highway near the Victoria airport strings 3 together in a line - like a necklace.

Meanwhile in Victoria (Provincial capital) - they've decided pedestrians rule. So they put some cross walks (complete with curb bulges - where they extend the curbs on either side of the street to narrow the pavement) in the middle of block as well as the corners. You just learn.. you have to ... to drive slow and to watch for pedestrians. They can leap out in front of you at any moment, and they're empowered to.

It's actually quite nice when you are walking. Victoria is very walkable city. And polite.

 

[Shrink]

I'm from boston and turn signals are a sign of weakness - plus this gives the other driver information that you'll be going into their lane. While on the surface that sounds good and safe except boston drivers speed up to prevent you from that, so if you want to change lanes you do it without the turn signal

Correct...unfortunately! And then there are those genius's who, just to be safe, signal for a turn five or six blocks before their turn!

I'm a stubborn old bastard, and I still signal properly for lane change.

If Maflynn or I tried to list the daily sins of Boston drivers we would be edited for post length.

And Boston is proud of it's reputation for lousy drivers, which is one reason why my insurance rates resemble the GDP of a small country.

 

[rdowns]

Don't get me started on those who drive slow in the passing lane.


https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/1142425/

 

[acidfast7]

People follow the rules here quite well.

I'm always surprised about the average rate of speed given the high traffic density. It's not uncommon to see a whole lane of cars averaging 100 mph+ with minimal between individual cars. Especially near the larger cities (south of Frankfurt on the A5 for example.)

However, I find it quite classy that people but on the Hazards/Flashers when entering into the rear of a traffic jam. It really helps the upcoming drivers to know that the traffic is at a standstill.

 

[snberk103]

....
If Maflynn or I tried to list the daily sins of Boston drivers we would be edited for post length.

And Boston is proud of it's reputation for lousy drivers, which is one reason why my insurance rates resemble the GDP of a small country.

Once upon a time in my youth... several years after the horse and carriage had gone out of favour .... I spent a several months driving all over Canada and the US. I was very comfortable driving in NY City, in fact looked forward to the challenge of the tussle of brinkmanship (brinkpersonship?)...Even drove through Harlem in a convertible with the top down (got off the wrong bridge exit... I didn't tarry and sightsee ... just motored on out) - - but of all the places that scared me - Boston takes the cake. Between the drivers and the one way streets - well, I'm glad that I now do most of my driving way way far away.

Montreal though... it comes close. Very very close. When Quebec drivers zip up one-way street - the wrong way and into oncoming traffic - they do with a certain French flair that Boston drivers don't quite have.

 

[mscriv]

you're probably right, I rarely do a full stop at the stop signs but I don't roll them that bad unless its the boondocks and you can see both directions for a good ways.

That wouldn't fly around here as Red Light Traffic Camera's have been put in place everywhere. You can't roll anything red, even if it's to turn right which is allowed by law. As far as I know the cameras are only on red lights at this point, but I could see them being put up at intersections with stop signs where people frequently run the sign.

My biggest pet peeve with driving is people thinking they can use the shoulder as their own private lane. I see people do this constantly, even when the shoulder is clearly marked with cross lines to show that it is not a "driving lane". People use the shoulder to pass slow cars, people use the shoulder as a turn lane so they can skip past multiple cars at an intersection. It drives me nuts. Seriously, it just ticks me off that someone is so self centered that they think they have the right to put other people's safety at risk so they can do what they want on the road.

 

[Gregg2]

Around here the turn signals get turned on as you make the turn.

Yeah. The worst of those are the ones who do it at a red light. They sit there in the left-turn-or-straight-ahead lane until the light turns green, then they signal. You pull up behind them, assuming they're going straight when you could have gone into the right lane, but you chose not to in case the next person wants to make a right turn on read. Now you're stuck, maybe for another red light.

My biggest pet peeve with driving is people thinking they can use the shoulder as their own private lane.

I noticed that in New England as well. People would be mad at me for pulling over into the turn lane where it started, as they were about to overtake me driving in my blind spot on the shoulder.

One other Boston habit: honk when the light turns green. I think the first car in line must do it do, just out of habit.

 

[Shrink]

Once upon a time in my youth... several years after the horse and carriage had gone out of favour .... I spent a several months driving all over Canada and the US. I was very comfortable driving in NY City, in fact looked forward to the challenge of the tussle of brinkmanship (brinkpersonship?)...Even drove through Harlem in a convertible with the top down (got off the wrong bridge exit... I didn't tarry and sightsee ... just motored on out) - - but of all the places that scared me - Boston takes the cake. Between the drivers and the one way streets - well, I'm glad that I now do most of my driving way way far away.

Montreal though... it comes close. Very very close. When Quebec drivers zip up one-way street - the wrong way and into oncoming traffic - they do with a certain French flair that Boston drivers don't quite have.

Not only are the one way streets in Boston a pain (not to mention the drivers on them), but in many parts of Boston the streets are cockeyed and crazy because they are laid out on 17th century cowpaths! It makes driving in NY's Greenwich Village (notorious for having a Street crossing a Street, which is not supposed to happen - Avenues and Streets cross) look organized and sensible. Those 17th century cows didn't know dick about urban planning.

 

[mscriv]

I noticed that in New England as well. People would be mad at me for pulling over into the turn lane where it started, as they were about to overtake me driving in my blind spot on the shoulder.

Exactly. There are a few intersections around here where it's gotten so bad that people know others are going to try it so they block off the shoulder as much as possible when the light is red. However, despite this, selfish drivers will still take the shoulder and either pull off onto the grass to go around the blocking car or get right on their bumper and honk obnoxiously. It's like, "hey, you are the one trying to break the law, don't get mad at the good citizen stopping you."

Very few things in life can instantly make me angry, but this is one of them.

 

[MovieCutter]

You'd probably hate driving in Washington, DC then

Stop signs don't mean stop 'round these parts. It just means slow down enough where pedestrians will see you coming and stop walking so you can blow through the intersection and save those precious few seconds while on your way to wherever it is you're going.

And on the other hand, we have idiot pedestrians that will walk out in the middle of traffic thinking that people here give a crap about pedestrian walkways. Interesting altercations usually break out when these two types of idiots meet up on the streets of DC.

And this is why I now take the beltway.

I find most of these drivers have Maryland plates...

Just sayin'

But you think driving is bad in DC? Try riding a bike. I frequently have my life threatened while legally riding in the right lane of a 3 lane highway (Rhode Island Ave FTW) on my way home as a car behind me is honking like crazy and passes me IN MY LANE THAT I AM LEGALLY ENTITLED TO nearly side swiping me. It's not like I'm a slow rider either...I'm usually keeping up with or PASSING traffic at 20-30 mph. Crazy people.

Gladiator, where in WI are you driving? I'm from Kenosha and I've experienced your pain, but not so much in downtown Milwaukee or Madison.

 

[eternlgladiator]

I find most of these drivers have Maryland plates...

Just sayin'

But you think driving is bad in DC? Try riding a bike. I frequently have my life threatened while legally riding in the right lane of a 3 lane highway (Rhode Island Ave FTW) on my way home as a car behind me is honking like crazy and passes me IN MY LANE THAT I AM LEGALLY ENTITLED TO nearly side swiping me. It's not like I'm a slow rider either...I'm usually keeping up with or PASSING traffic at 20-30 mph. Crazy people.

Gladiator, where in WI are you driving? I'm from Kenosha and I've experienced your pain, but not so much in downtown Milwaukee or Madison.

I'm I'm Eau Claire and to be honest compared to city driving of NYC, Boston, and DC I know I have little to complain about. However, that doesn't make it any less infuriating. I shouldn't have to put up with this in a town of this size. People should know how to drive or stay home in their bubble.

 

[MovieCutter]

I'm I'm Eau Claire and to be honest compared to city driving of NYC, Boston, and DC I know I have little to complain about. However, that doesn't make it any less infuriating. I shouldn't have to put up with this in a town of this size. People should know how to drive or stay home in their bubble.

Oh god, my sister and brother in law went to school at UW up there, I've heard stories. It's that Canadian kindness and lax pace of life...ugh.

 

[thatoneguy82]

what's worse is people who don't use their turn signals when making a lane change imo.

yes

 

[neiltc13]

I have been driving for 7 years now and I think I have encountered a stop sign about 3 times. They just don't exist in the UK - it's much more common to find a roundabout. I can't imagine what would happen if all the roundabouts were actually multi-way intersections. There would be so many more accidents and so much more confusion.

 

[eric/]

For the most part I don't even stop at stop signs. It depends on where it's at, but usually as I'm pulling up I look both ways and in front of me, then just go.

I also have started just going whenever it's that confusing moment where either it's hard to tell who has the right of way, or some other random confusion.

It's kinda like speeding. Basically my philosophy is since I average 2 tickets in 7 years, I just pay an extra $250 per 7 years to go 10-15 mph over the speed limit. That's like $3 per month, and the time it saves me is definitely worth the money. It's the little things like that, that get me ahead in life.

In other words I just pay an extra tax (theft) to drive faster on the highway. Worth it definitely.

 

[iJohnHenry]

I have been driving for 7 years now and I think I have encountered a stop sign about 3 times. They just don't exist in the UK - it's much more common to find a roundabout. I can't imagine what would happen if all the roundabouts were actually multi-way intersections. There would be so many more accidents and so much more confusion.

We have a few here now, but I believe the problem is the extra real-estate that is required v. a 2 or 4-way stop.

Unless they are planned for, well in advance of housing developments, it is hard to retrofit them.

 

[WoodNUFC]

Moving from Ohio to tri-state area of NY has been a shock in driving styles. My theory has become this: If you want to speed and drive like a dumb*** go ahead, but leave me alone. I will drive the Speed Limit +5 except for residential areas. If you want/need to go around me, do so, but I'm going to stick to the right lane and won't be bullied into risking a ticket or accident because you didn't leave early enough for your activities.

Saving 5 minutes on a commute is not worth risking my life, fines and/or points. I have more fun things I'd rather pay for.

 

[eternlgladiator]

Oh god, my sister and brother in law went to school at UW up there, I've heard stories. It's that Canadian kindness and lax pace of life...ugh.

Yes it sucks. I'm working my ass off to get out of here.

 

[quagmire]

Moving from Ohio to tri-state area of NY has been a shock in driving styles. My theory has become this: If you want to speed and drive like a dumb*** go ahead, but leave me alone. I will drive the Speed Limit +5 except for residential areas. If you want/need to go around me, do so, but I'm going to stick to the right lane and won't be bullied into risking a ticket or accident because you didn't leave early enough for your activities.

Saving 5 minutes on a commute is not worth risking my life, fines and/or points. I have more fun things I'd rather pay for.

Well at least you're doing it in the right lane..... People do the limit or slower in the left lane. That is where I have a beef with people.