Driving Pet Peeves

[84porsche]

What are your drivng pet peeves? What do you do that other drivers hate and what do you hate about other drivers?

I only ask this because today several lanes were merging into one in a construction zone and I drove to the end of the last lane and tried to move over but the other drive wouldn't let me go, so I got a little upset and beeped the horn. What ever happened to driver courtesy. If you just let someone go - you save more time, less headaches and less traffic in the end.

[vash]

only one peeve, same situation as yours, but i definately give more courtesy than i recieve. i HATE when i slow up to let someone in, and they dont even have the decency to pay attention, or the nerve to go. i will wave, honk, flash, and the idiot just looks at me. until i give up and move forward, THAT IS THE TIME HE WILL MOVE! that drives me nuts. i think it is just a california thing.

[ubiquity0]

I can't stand it when theres a blocked lane (ie car ahead double parks, whatever) with several cars wanting to move to the adjacent moving lane. 9 times out of 10 no matter how soon you get the blinkers on the moron behind tries to get the clear lane first & pass... to save all of about 3/10ths of a second over just following the car in front.

[VaSteve]

Originally posted by 84porsche
What are your drivng pet peeves? What do you do that other drivers hate and what do you hate about other drivers?

I only ask this because today several lanes were merging into one in a construction zone and I drove to the end of the last lane and tried to move over but the other drive wouldn't let me go, so I got a little upset and beeped the horn. What ever happened to driver courtesy. If you just let someone go - you save more time, less headaches and less traffic in the end.

LOL. Actually, that's my pet peeve. People that hammer it up to the point they can no longer go forward and expect to be let in. I personally prefer to move over as soon as I can, usually I can find a gap. Then I get held up by the people trying to get over and the buttheads that won't let them.

[GrindingGears]

I can't stand when someone cuts in front of me only to brake hard b/c traffic slows down. Gawddammit I get fired up just thinking about that....grrrrrrr

[Porsche-O-Phile]

This one irks the hell out of me:

Old, badly maintained pickup trucks typically (but not always) Toyotas or Nissans of early-to-mid-80s vintage, typically driven by those shall we say from "south of the border" and of questionable immigration status / legality, usually with all kinds of junk, tools, lawn care equipment in various states of disrepair, busted furniture, old dishwashers, bent bicycle tires, or God-knows-what-else rumbling along the California freeways. These rolling safety hazards NEVER cease to piss me off, particularly if I'm riding my motorcycle at the time: it's only a matter of time before someone gets killed as a result of hitting some G-damned old sofa or Gatorade cooler or something that falls out of the back of one of these rolling junk heaps!

Maybe it's just me (and I have personally have absolutely nothing against those here LEGALLY trying to make a living in whatever way they have to), but for chrissake, if there isn't a law about restraining the crap that's piled up in the back of a truck with a tarp, tonneau cover, cap, or SOMETHING, there should be! If there is, then it should be enforced! Hell, I have a GMC Sierra pickup (although I drive it VERY infrequently - probably only once a month, if that) but at least I had the decency to put a cap on the back of mine! And yes, the safety of others WAS a consideration when I bought it, not just the security of my stuff in the back!

Same can be said for contracting vehicles / trucks like gravel trucks or whatever. Typically, the larger commercial operators are better about it - the ones that seem to be the worst offenders are the "little guys" ("Jimmy Joe-Bob's Asphalt & Gravel sub-sub Contracting" or whatever). It just scares the crap out of me being behind some overloaded truck chock-full-o-gravel or sheetrock or 2x4s or steel pipe that's badly restrained at best. If that crap ever comes loose and you're beind it (be it on bike or in car). . . well, let's just say if you're having a GOOD day, you'll just end up changing your underwear. . .

Am I the ONLY person that gets the p1ss scared out of me behind these freakin' things and wonders why they're allowed on our roads?!?!?!

[Zeke]

84, you really belong here with the rest of us.

And that was me that got over early and then gave you a hard time about wizzing down the open lane wanting to get in at the pinch.

See, there's you, and there's me. Both perfect CA ass holes.

No, really I have about a 10 mile limit one way once a day. I struggle with all this crap so much that I will wait untill the next day to make a second trip anywhere. It's that bad.

I break out at 6 AM on some Saturdays in the 911 and do some traveling, otherwise, it's parked and covered.

[84porsche]

I am in good company - I drive insane sometimes - well ok most of the time but I just want the roads to be open so when I want to go fast I can. I don't want to wait in the slow line, it's not fair to my Porsche - she has an engine just waiting to be pushed and to make her sit at idle is just wrong. In Cali, its all about driving to survive and in 6 years, I have had only one serious accident but it was because of some idiot without insurance that took out 2 other cars and took my lane away from me giving me no place to go but the wall. I am just glad I wasn't in the p-car otherwise I would have broken him in two.

[84porsche]

By the way - thanks Zeke.

[Eric Coffey]

people who don't move over in the fast lane.
people who can't grasp the "zipper effect" of a combo on/off ramp.
People who take 17 minutes to accelerate from a stop sign or green light.
people who tailgate becaues they don't understand the concept of slowly decelerating in anticipatition the upcoming light to change.
idiots with booming stereos in stop & go traffic.
ground pounders (monster trucks).
boy racers/rice wagons
people who stop for a city bus, as if it's a school bus.
people who don't know you can turn left at a red light on a one way street.
people who brake at random for no apparent reason.
people who don't use their signal while turning in front of you, especially if you are waiting to turn yourself.
being followed by smokey.
people who park 14 millimeters away from your driver's door (they usually get a nasty-gram).
anyone who is completely oblivious to their surroundings (which seems like everyone).

[Erakad]

My #1...I see it everyday, and have only ever seen it in TX. People merging onto the Freeway, the sign says Yield, they stop. Not slow down, they come to a complete dead stop. OMG, who taught them drive!? As a result, traffic ends up backed up for miles while this idiot gets the nerve to try to go from a dead stop to 55.

#2. Going slow in left freeway lane.
#3. Speeding up to get in your lane...then slowing down..Grrrrr.
#4. Teeny throttle stompers wanting to race (take it somewhere else).
#5. Members of our elderly population (and/or farmer or rancher) out for their monthly trip. Too old or scared to go above 35...crap, park it!

[djmcmath]

There was one I saw in South Carolina all the time: The road is long and straight. I am the only traffic on the road. On the left side of the road, 3/4 of a mile away, I see a beat-up elderly pickup in position, as if to pull into traffic. I anticipate him pulling out in front of me by slowing down as I get closer -- but he doesn't pull out -- he just waits there ... right up until the absolute last possible second, at which point I've been warily watching him for most of a minute. He finally limps barely into the road at the last possible second, after I've given up on letting him pull out. I'm forced to slam on the brakes so I don't get rusty bits of old pick-'em-up truck all over my nice car.

Why couldn't you just wait one more second, and pull in behind me? Why couldn't you have pulled out one minute earlier? Aargh!

Oh, yes, this happened often. About once a week. Aargh! again!!!


Dan

[serge944]

I hate it when ppl dont use their signal at a 4 way stop sign..and turn right in front of you, because you think theyre going straight!

[VaSteve]

This one happened a lot to me in NC. You're following someone, they brake hard to almost a complete stop, signal, then turn.

The turn signal is a good indication that you're doing more than slowing down, and people always used it wrong...
Jeez.

[djmcmath]

I always love getting cut off by someone in a brand new sports car. Sideways across 5 lanes of traffic to make a turn, not covering more than 100ft down-track ... and NO SIGNAL!!!! (Most seen in Rockville, MD, and always followed by the comment "Gosh, I thought those new Bimmers'd have turn signals, fer sure!")

Of course, the DC variant of that is to signal yourself in to some impossibly small hole between two cars. It's ok to totally cut people off -- you signalled! Aargh...

[Lormax]

Originally posted by 84porsche
I only ask this because today several lanes were merging into one in a construction zone and I drove to the end of the last lane and tried to move over but the other drive wouldn't let me go

That my friend, pisses me off more than most things. I've been waiting in line to get through the construction zone, then some guy wants to pass the 20 people that have also been waiting patiently in the lane to get through, and think he can get in...with his excuse of "My Porsche doesnt' like idle"...screw that...what makes your car better than mine? Wait in line like the rest of us.

[Schrup]

I agree, as soon as I pass the last white dividing stripe, I move far right to prevent A-holes from cutting to the front of the line. That really pisses them off & I love it. But in general I avoid traffic at all costs. I have been fortunate enough to eliminate a hellish commute down to a 10 minute sprint to work.

[VINMAN]

Originally posted by 84porsche
What are your drivng pet peeves? What do you do that other drivers hate and what do you hate about other drivers?

I only ask this because today several lanes were merging into one in a construction zone and I drove to the end of the last lane and tried to move over but the other drive wouldn't let me go, so I got a little upset and beeped the horn. What ever happened to driver courtesy. If you just let someone go - you save more time, less headaches and less traffic in the end.

What you did is my A #1 peeve!! People who wait till the last second to move over, whether it's a construction zone or getting onto a exit ramp. From what I see everyday, thats what causes most of the traffic backup. I totally refuse to let anyone one in.
There is one ramp onto to Garden State Parkway, that people do this everyday, it backs up traffic for about a mile. When there is a cop standing at the ramp pulling people over for crossing over the solid white line to get on the ramp, traffic flows fast and steady. Problem is everyone one is in a huge rush and only care about themselves and nobody else.

[widebody911]

How about the people who make a mad dash across n lanes of traffic to make their exit because they weren't paying attention.

Or the yahoos in the oversize SUV's who get into the suicide lane to make a turn, and leave their a$$ having out into the other lane of traffic.

Or the people who slow to a near stop before getting into the turn lane.

Or the idiots who jump in front of you to make a turn across fast, heavy traffic to get into a driveway/parking lot, only to stop at the very last second so they don't bang up their car getting across the curb.

[Icemaster]

Driving in city traffic when a driver 3 cars ahead stops dead in the lane, turns on their left (or right...) turn signal because they suddenly realized that they need to be a lane or two over. Easier to simply stop a whole line of cars and make everyoen wait instead of going around the block and doing it right the next time. You'd think the deafening horn noise would incent them to acually move...