Are car drivers getting worse or is it....

[Chuck Wintle]

just me? Tonight I was cut off by a driver who never even looked to see if it was clear to change lanes. I hit the brakes just in time to slow so as not rear end the car. And another driver thought they would cut in front just by getting aggressive and moving over. They did not get in finally. But this has left me wondering where are peoples heads at times?

[Rick Potter]

I could answer that final question, but propriety demands I pass on this one.

[Dave Anderson NH]

Hey Chuck, it could be worse. You could be driving in either Toronto or Boston where driving is a full contact sport.

Seriously though between talking on cell phones and texting drivers have gotten progressively worse. Add in the aggressive ones who are sure they own the road and commutes are a pain in the butt. My wife drive the I-95 loop around Boston twice a day back and forth from work and at 6AM if she isn't doing at least 75 mph in the right lane other drivers including 18 wheelers are all over her. You are probably safer in Kandahar.

[Judson Green]

With the backup cameras, lane change sensors who needs to pay attention any more. Besides I'm WAY to busy texting, chatting, updating my Facebook, eating a cheeseburger, checking email and respond .... (Hay, some jerk is honking and giving me the finger, how rude) responding to this post.

[Joe Tilson]

Let's face it. They are thinking; "It's all about me".

[ray hampton]

With the backup cameras, lane change sensors who needs to pay attention any more. Besides I'm WAY to busy texting, chatting, updating my Facebook, eating a cheeseburger, checking email and respond .... (Hay, some jerk is honking and giving me the finger, how rude) responding to this post.

You forgot to mention that people apply make-up or change underclothes while they are driving ?

[glenn bradley]

Let's face it. They are thinking; "It's all about me".

Not to be an egocentric narcissist but . . . , they're all thinking about me :D:D:D


Hey Chuck, it could be worse. You could be driving in either Toronto or Boston where driving is a full contact sport.

Ah, Boston . . . where everyone drives with one hand. The better to free up the other for out-the-window-communicating.

[Brian Elfert]

There is an entrance ramp locally where this Fall the wait to get onto the highway was as long as 30 minutes. Drivers constantly drive in the right lane until the very last minute and then barge their way in. Luckily, a new entrance ramp just opened a month ago that most of the drivers don't know about yet so I go that way and avoid the wait.

"It's all about me" is right. A lot of the moves the drivers make to get into the turn lane from the right lane are downright dangerous. I have seen drivers make a left turn from the right lane while other drivers are turning left from the turn lane and the ramp is only one lane wide!

[Myk Rian]

I know how to do the PIT maneuver, so I'm waiting for some Jackal to try cutting me off. Ya gotta keep your foot on the gas.

[Mark Bolton]

Something that kills me for the past few years is virtually no one uses turn signals anymore. I bet most of the drivers out there have never even heard of getting a ticket for not signaling. I wish the cops would start a ticketing campaign for that.

With regards to general driving, this time of year seems to bring the worst out in drivers and probably puts me at a higher "testy" level so I am more easily irritated. I am (as usual) looking eagerly to January. This time of year really tries my patience.

[Bill Orbine]

just me? Tonight I was cut off by a driver who never even looked to see if it was clear to change lanes. I hit the brakes just in time to slow so as not rear end the car. And another driver thought they would cut in front just by getting aggressive and moving over. They did not get in finally. But this has left me wondering where are peoples heads at times?

Did you look to see if the jerk had New Jersey plates?

[Doug Ladendorf]

Did you look to see if the jerk had New Jersey plates?

Hey now. I have found aggressive and stupid drivers to be universal. They seek out "opportunity" wherever it can be found.

[Dick Latshaw]

Unfortunately, a lot of those jerks seem to find their way down here this time of year. (Not to say that we don't have our own share year round. Left lane on I-75, blinker on, driving 50mph.)

But it's better than Boston. I still have nightmares thinking about all those folks trying to merge to get into that tunnel to Logan Airport.

[DOUG ANGEL]

Try driving in the Middle East.

[Mike Henderson]

Try driving in the Middle East.
Or in Italy.

Mike

[Shawn Pixley]

Or in Italy.

Mike

China! People with cars driving like they are on bicycles. I saw a man on a motorcycle carrying an oversize load turnig left on a red light into oncoming traffic while talking on his mobile. Unfortunately, that is not unusual.

[Brian W Smith]

Happened yes. morning,and is just plain crazy;

Sm-med. market,250k people.....newish devided 4 lane hiway with proper/good/wide paved shoulders.I'm in the R lane doin the speed limit of 65,good following distance.Folks in the L lane all doin 5 over,likewise good intervals.Everyone seemed to be just playing real nice.

Smallish import with with young female starts coming over in my lane?No biggy,I move over 1/2 lane to the R...she passes.She then gets more in my lane and then does the same to the poor guy who's in the fast lane.No biggy,he moves over to his L.You can see where this is headed.

Yup,for the next several miles this girl is literally moving traffic(and we were really all being VERY polite)like a pinball game....half moving to our R. and the left laners being pushed to their shoulder.I know she was texting,but it really looked like a drunk weaving back and forth.

[Chuck Wintle]

Happened yes. morning,and is just plain crazy;

Sm-med. market,250k people.....newish devided 4 lane hiway with proper/good/wide paved shoulders.I'm in the R lane doin the speed limit of 65,good following distance.Folks in the L lane all doin 5 over,likewise good intervals.Everyone seemed to be just playing real nice.

Smallish import with with young female starts coming over in my lane?No biggy,I move over 1/2 lane to the R...she passes.She then gets more in my lane and then does the same to the poor guy who's in the fast lane.No biggy,he moves over to his L.You can see where this is headed.

Yup,for the next several miles this girl is literally moving traffic(and we were really all being VERY polite)like a pinball game....half moving to our R. and the left laners being pushed to their shoulder.I know she was texting,but it really looked like a drunk weaving back and forth.

I find this habit of texting while driving to be very disturbing. Whatever happened to giving undivided attention to the task of driving? Is the accident rate going to increase rapidly becuase some texter cannot pay attention to the road. I recall a story where 5 teenage girls were killed when the driver, who was texting, crossed over the line and crashed head-on with another vehicle. Sad.

[Robert LaPlaca]

Or in Italy.

Mike

You ever want to see your life flash before your eyes, be a passenger in a cab in Rome..

[glenn bradley]

Something that kills me for the past few years is virtually no one uses turn signals anymore.

Perhaps if they required turn signals in the video games where most of today's new drivers learned to aim a car they would use them by second nature the way many of us do. Using turn signals is not a conscious operation for me. When I am approaching the turn my finger just flips the lever; its like magic. I can understand how many folks who find their recreation in a couch-bound position might lack the strength to flip the little lever :rolleyes:.


Whatever happened to giving undivided attention to the task of driving?

You have hit the nail on the head. With Driver's Education a thing of the past in our schools, very few folks are lucky enough to be taught to drive anymore. They are taught how to aim a car and that is about it. If there isn't a sign to tell them the speed, where to stop and where to park, they are lost and heaven help anyone between them and the next set of instructions :D.

This thread has obviously hit one of my peeves; I'll be quiet now :)

[Dan Hunkele]

And the government keeps spending billions creating new traffic patterns that don't help either.

[Brian Elfert]

You have hit the nail on the head. With Driver's Education a thing of the past in our schools, very few folks are lucky enough to be taught to drive anymore. They are taught how to aim a car and that is about it. If there isn't a sign to tell them the speed, where to stop and where to park, they are lost and heaven help anyone between them and the next set of instructions :D.


The state of Minnesota still requires driver education and behind the wheel training even though most drivers ed is done through private driving schools now. I suspect most states are similar. Just because public schools aren't doing it doesn't mean there isn't still training done. I took drivers ed classroom training through the public schools, but my parents had to pay extra for it and it was after school. I went to a private school for behind the wheel. The public schools dropped behind the wheel for liability reasons even though car dealers let them use cars for free.

The state of Minnesota is requiring new drivers to have 40 hours driving with an adult before taking the test starting Jan 1. The parent also has to take a 90 minute course. The driver testing centers are totally booked until year end so teens can avoid the new rules. I think parents are probably pushing their teens to take the test now so the parents don't have to take the time to go the class.

[Bert Kemp]

My biggest pet peeve is all these yo yo's that don't know what right of way is or means. The'll pull up to a 4 way stop and just stop and go doesn't matter that 3 other cars were there first. Ghess, or coming on the highway they won't slow for car coming on there left. many times I can't move over cause a cars next to me and these idiots just keep pulling in even if there gonna hit you.

[Chris Padilla]

Oh goodie...driving pet peeves! :D

(1) Everyone thinks they are an above-average driver...including yours truly! :D :D
(2) Signaling is so easy to do yet it is rarely done.
(3) Merging with traffic is much easier if you are moving and don't come to a dead stop.
(4) All 2 or 3 or 4 lanes don't need to be clear for you to pull out.
(5) Yield doesn't necessarily mean Stop.
(6) Aggressive drivers are just as bad as timid drivers.
(7) When driving a car JUST DRIVE...DO NOTHING ELSE!!!

Thank you :)

[Curt Harms]

Oh goodie...driving pet peeves! :D

(1) Everyone thinks they are an above-average driver...including yours truly! :D :D
(2) Signaling is so easy to do yet it is rarely done.

Does turning your signal on halfway through the turn count as using your turn signals? I see that a fair bit.

(3) Merging with traffic is much easier if you are moving and don't come to a dead stop.
(4) All 2 or 3 or 4 lanes don't need to be clear for you to pull out.
(5) Yield doesn't necessarily mean Stop.
(6) Aggressive drivers are just as bad as timid drivers.
(7) When driving a car JUST DRIVE...DO NOTHING ELSE!!!

Thank you :)

How about the .... person .... who can't wait to pass you then immediately after doing so slams on their brakes to make a turn?

Maybe Google is onto something with their driverless cars. I will not be surprised if highways with 'driverless' cars have more capacity than the same highway today. Any manual override would need to be limited to braking and maybe steering I think.

[Joe Tilson]

Curt, that sounds like drivers in North and South Carolina. Pull out in front of you go slow for about a hundred yards then turn left with a line of traffic coming.

[Steve Rozmiarek]

You guys helped me find something to appreciate about today, thanks. I have to drive 350 miles or so, and I'll probably have to share the road with at least 50 other drivers. ;) There are some perks to living here.

PS, couldn't agree with Chris more about timid driving.

[Kent A Bathurst]

You ever want to see your life flash before your eyes, be a passenger in a cab in Rome..

Nah - that's a blast!! All Italian cab drivers are channelling their inner Schumaker.............

[Bill Huber]

I was coming home from my daughter's on the freeway just yesterday and there was a guy that passed be and was passing all kinds of cars. From one lane across 2 and then did it again I guess it would be called weaving in and out of traffic.
This happened about 30 miles from where I turn off to go home and when I got to my turn off he was one car ahead of me. So all of that driving like a nut and taking the chance of getting in a wreck or causing one for 20 feet?

One of the other things that gets me now is turn signals, people turn them on just about the time they turn, not 100 feet before but just as they are turning.

[Mike Wilkins]

Got a call from the daughter yesterday who had an encounter exactly like the original poster. Not only did this driver nearly cut off her front bumper, he had the presence of mind to give her the middle finger salute when she blew her horn at the nutbrain. A real prize winner there.
While I don't endorse violence, I can fully understand why some road rage incidents occur.
Just learn to ignore the mindless idiots and watch out for the other drivers.

[Brian Elfert]

One of the other things that gets me now is turn signals, people turn them on just about the time they turn, not 100 feet before but just as they are turning.

Some drivers won't turn on their turn signals until the last second when changing lanes because other drivers are known to intentionally block lane changes.

I remember going through Chicago some years ago and thinking the car dealers must remove turn signals at the dealer because nobody there signals turns.

[Malcolm Schweizer]

I was 30' up a ladder working on my house. This requires me to put my ladder right on the edge of the street. I put up cones so that people making the blind curve could see the cone and be prepared to miss the ladder. (Which they should normally miss anyway, but hey- people can do the most amazing things.) Every single person who made the turn ran over the cone. Three people stopped and told me I should put up a cone, after running over the cone I had put up. One guy stopped and decided to back into a parking space on a side street. As I yelled "Noooooo!" he missed my ladder by two inches with his front bumper. I was up the ladder at the time, hanging on to a shutter in case he hit the ladder.

[Mike Null]

I live in Missouri where a recent insurance report identified the Missouri drivers as the 10th worst in the US. I don't understand why they weren't higher in that report.

Here it is common not to use turn signals. (did you know that they don't put turn signals on BMW's?) ;)

You can be driving at 40 mph down Manchester Rd. ( a crazy busy thorofare) and all of a sudden some idiot woman will stop to let somebody make a left turn in front of her, completely oblivious to the line of traffic behind her.

Yes, Rome is worse and so is Paris but Cairo is the worst I've seen because you also contend with camels and donkeys.

[Rick Potter]

Cairo is also the only place I have been where the police and soldiers have steel panels set up on many corners, and stand behind them with AK 47's. Makes tourists feel safe.

[Kent A Bathurst]

Atlanta gets 2 groups of best-in-class:

1. Apparently aginst the rules to use turn signals.
2. The stereotype about FLA drivers is actual fact - we get a lot of them here. Move into the left lane, and slow to the max speed of the car on your right. Never speed up. Never change lanes.

[max taylor]

car horn?
Max. what is that?

[Dick Latshaw]

Atlanta gets 2 groups of best-in-class:

1. Apparently against the rules to use turn signals.
2. The stereotype about FLA drivers is actual fact - we get a lot of them here. Move into the left lane, and slow to the max speed of the car on your right. Never speed up. Never change lanes.

Re No. 2: What! You mean it is not my god given right to drive in the left lane at 5mph below the posted speed limit? I'll have you know that no one should be going faster than me.:D

In reality, I think that a lot of those drivers that you are seeing in Atlanta (probably on I-75) are actually Snow Birds who have figured out that FL tags are cheaper than the ones from New York, Ohio, Michigan, or Ontario.

[Jim Becker]

There is a general sense of impatience "out there" these days that seems more escalated than it used to be. Perhaps it's because of increased traffic levels, but I certainly have noticed that I need to pay a lot more attention to folks around me when traveling than I used to. Because of my frequent travel to the DC area for business, I spend a lot of time on the Interstate...and lately, my fenders have had a lot of close calls from people speeding and changing lanes without regard to other traffic. It's become increasingly difficult to maintain what is truly a safe distance from a vehicle in front, too...the moment you slip back, someone quickly slides in the gap. I can honestly say that I'm truly happy my Grand Cherokee Summit has the Adaptive Cruise Control and Forward Collision avoidance system...it can hit the brakes before my own foot can get there and that's been a good thing. Too many times lately.

Jim - SMC Member
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Folks, this can be a good discussion, but that depends upon you. Please keep it civil, on-topic and within the rules of this forum. It pains me to see how many posts have had to be deleted here by a fellow moderator.

Jim
SMC Moderator

[Dick Latshaw]

Because of my frequent travel to the DC area for business


You have my sympathy. We lived in DC for seven years. For true terror, nothing beats the beltway in a snow storm, or, looking in your rear view mirror and seeing a car approaching with diplomatic tags and a female driver.