Bit of a rant at other drivers

[dagriff]

Just a few observations and a bit of a rant 'cos I've had a bad day!
Anyhoo... Since I've been semi-retired I've been doing some driving instruction, both corporate & new drivers. I knew there a some bad drivers out there, but wow, I was amazed at how many corporate people were clueless. The scariest thing being they think they are good. I could list the things they do (or don't do), but I'd be here all day!

My bad day today was caused by other drivers while out with young students. It happens all the time, but today just seemed worse.
Why do people tailgate a student driver? Stupid thing to do anyway, but it's a STUDENT DRIVER in a car with a big sign on the roof. It could be the first lesson they have ever had and may hit the brakes way to hard.

Then we are leaving a parking lot turning right, guy in a Z4 pulls up on our left and as we start to go, he turns right in front of us, giving us a look like its our fault.

Next, we come to a stop at a red light and are turning right. I am reminding the student "ok, complete stop, check for traffic & pedestrians, if its clear we'll turn". Halfway through the sentence the guy behind lays on his horn. We had hardly been stopped a couple of seconds. Firstly, there is no law saying you have to turn right on a red, secondly he can't see what we can because he is further back. Is there a bike coming? A parked car we can't see round? (or like a couple of months ago a fire truck with full lights and sirens that the guy turning in front of us completely missed and nearly got creamed).

Yes, often a student makes a mistake, that's why we have to by law, have a bloody great sign on the roof. It's not to advertise the driving school, it's so other road users can see it's a student & give them some leeway.

I've just ordered a rear view mirror with a continuously recording camera in it. It should show some interesting stuff!
Rant over, thanks for listening!
Griff.

[Noah930]

Maybe you should change that big rooftop "Student Driver" sign to "Police" and see if anything changes.

[masraum]

It sounds like you need Roman Candles mounted to the front and back and 4 corners of the car that you can set off from inside the car.

Yeah, people are horrible drivers. It's amazing. I'm no Senna, but I think I'm more aware of my surroundings/situation and the laws/rules than 90% of the rest of the folks on the road. If I do something crappy, it's probably because I'm being impatient and knew what I was doing and did it on purpose. I try to keep those moments to a minimum.

I definitely give student drivers plenty of room and a break if I'm stuck behind them.

Driving instruction, sounds to me like you have a deathwish. If they don't kill you directly, the high blood pressure probably will.

Good luck.

[dagriff]

Originally Posted by masraum

Driving instruction, sounds to me like you have a deathwish. If they don't kill you directly, the high blood pressure probably will.

Good luck.

That's what I thought, but it's not that bad (touch wood....).
It's also worth saying that I find girls easier to teach (a slight generalization, but valid nonetheless). In Alberta you can get you learners at 14, and sorry guys, but at 14 the girls have better attitudes.

[stomachmonkey]

I bet they also yell "Learn how to drive" as they pass you while flipping you the bird.

Asshats.

[Tervuren]

I find here in the US, a lot of impatient drivers seem to expect me to roll through stopsigns/redlights. I nearly get creamed when I come to a full stop. Its very hair raising.

One of the other things that bugs me, is that other drivers seem to have some very awful reaction times. I'll be behind a car, and a car from a side road makes a left turn cutting across them, they don't even hit their brakes until after the left turning car had already cleared them. IF they had of been on a collision course, they'd of made it to the brake pedal at the time of impact.

Also, if you are at the front at a red stoplight - pay attention to the intersection!!! Especially in rush hour. The moment it turns green, get moving. You can do this by looking at the lights in the other direction, learn your intersections on your daily drive. The other side of watching for when it will turn green, is you will be less likely to be hit by someone running a red light. Instead of just looking up and seeing its green, and going, you've been looking around paying attention, although I like to start rolling the moment(or just before) the light turn green, I make darn sure I'm not going to be hit if I move into the intersection from someone trying to run a red light.

The sooner the cars in front start rolling, the more traffic can make it through the intersection, this is very important in times of heavy traffic.

Finally, American's seem to have forgotten how to use their blinkers. Combined with following too close, we spend a lot of extra gas and brake parts from hard braking and then acceleration caused by the two. A better follow distance allows you to just roll off the gas when they turn on their blinker, you won't have to use the brakes at all, and you can slow down to say, 40MPH in a 45, instead of 25MPH that you'd have to if you where on their bumper.

[masraum]

I try to pattern my driving around efficiency and maintaining the flow of traffic with minimal braking.

I understand why folks don't use their signals. It's a defensive reaction to the fact that lots of douchenozzles will accelerate to block you if you put on your signal. I try to use my signal most of the time. I will admit that I probably don't use it 100%, but I bet I'm 75% or better even if there's no other cars around.

Part of the problem of not using your brakes is that the brake lights are a means of communication. I will often brush the pedal, enough (I hope) to flash the brake lights just to catch my follower's attention and let them know that I'm slowing down.

[SXSMAN]

I taught drivers ed for 6 - 8 months.

Swear that's why I have every gray hair I have.

I've been tapped in the back making a complete stop before making a right turn on red.

My current peeve is in a dual turn lane "When the hell did it become OK to use the other (inside) lane to make the turn ?"

I drive a fair-sized pick-up.

Crew cab , long bed and I can keep my truck in my lines/lane. Even pulling a horse trailer or enclosed one.

Think people don't even care at all anymore , or did they ever ?

[Zeke]

If I pull up to a red light getting ready to turn right and someone from behind honks in 2 seconds, I'm out of the car. Their day just became a bad day.

Nothing, nothing worse than that one.

[Oh Haha]

As a commercial driver I see bad drivers frequently.

The worst offense I see is not using turn indicators, whether in city driving or on the freeway.


I use mine 100% of the time in any vehicle I drive.

Left/fast lane hogs are another. I don't use the fast lane unless I must for overtaking. It's a hoot seeing some clown get downright mad when he'she is trying to be "superbaddrivin'man/woman" and a left lane hog is holding him/her up. I can sit back and watch from the safety of my vehicle.

In fact, today I saw the drivers of a new Z06 and a Cadillac CTS exchange "pleasantries" after the Z06 driver appeared to refuse to move from the fast lane for CTS guy.

Being aware of your surroundings is a defense mechanism for professional drivers so I am probably more aware of things like this than others.

[pwd72s]

I always thought a taxi driver could gather some interesting tales...add driving instructor to that list.

Is there a sex ed class in the back seat?

[HHI944]

Minivans from ohio....
Anyone who has spent time on hhi knows what in talking about.

[Joe Bob]

Asshats that stop on the freeway onramp.....

[Tobra]

Ordinary people, I fuchin' hate 'em

gratuitous movie reference

I have gotten to where I drive in an aggressively defensive manner.

[mattdavis11]

Drivers ed... They had seven lessons when I went through, the last was merging onto the freeway, blending, and exiting. I passed a cop at 95 on the freeway, the car had signs on the roof, etc...

The instructor had a brake pedal but never touched it, and the blonde in the back (fellow classmate) had to pee when I let off. No shyte.

I need a bigger bumper on the company Prius. People suck at driving.

[stealthn]

Just remember people are idiots

[mattdavis11]

It's getting worse though. It doesn't matter what size vehicle I drive, 1 ton or compact, I tend to enforce lane management and traffic flow, aggressively. Move your A$$. I'm totally lost why people have reflexes of rocks.

[Grog]

Originally Posted by Tervuren

Also, if you are at the front at a red stoplight - pay attention to the intersection!!! Especially in rush hour. The moment it turns green, get moving. You can do this by looking at the lights in the other direction, learn your intersections on your daily drive. The other side of watching for when it will turn green, is you will be less likely to be hit by someone running a red light. Instead of just looking up and seeing its green, and going, you've been looking around paying attention, although I like to start rolling the moment(or just before) the light turn green, I make darn sure I'm not going to be hit if I move into the intersection from someone trying to run a red light.

The sooner the cars in front start rolling, the more traffic can make it through the intersection, this is very important in times of heavy traffic.

Is it just me? or is this one of the stupidest things I have ever heard? Rolling into a red light, going as soon as it changes to green? Around here that will get you creamed 5 times a day. I watch everything while I'm waiting, after I get the green I don't move until I have checked both directions for the A-hat that will run the red. I don't care who makes it through the light after me, not my problem. I wish everyone was required to ride a motorcycle for a year, might change their driving habits.

[Heel n Toe]

Originally Posted by Grog

Is it just me? or is this one of the stupidest things I have ever heard? Rolling into a red light, going as soon as it changes to green? Around here that will get you creamed 5 times a day. I watch everything while I'm waiting, after I get the green I don't move until I have checked both directions for the A-hat that will run the red. I don't care who makes it through the light after me, not my problem. I wish everyone was required to ride a motorcycle for a year, might change their driving habits.

Grog, I think he meant that he rolls off full pressure on the brake and begins moving slowly across that last 6-8 feet before the front of his car is in the intersection... moving across the crosswalk if there is one, etc. while looking to see if things are clear to go.

Milt, your hop-out-if-you-get-the-beep after two seconds reminds me of something a guy at work told me he used to do sometimes in the same situation.

(If he had time to do it), he would slowly undo his belts and get out of his car and cautiously walk back to the beeper's left front fender... bending over somewhat, squinting as if he's trying to look through the windshield, and not getting too close. He was a very gentle soul... a very non-threatening looking guy.

When the beeper rolled his/her window down, he would just play it by ear... like if the beeper said, "Hey, get moving!" he would say, "Oh, I thought you wanted something," kinda playing dumb... and then slowly get back in his car, buckle up, and proceed.

Imagine how Andy Kaufmann would do it and you'll have a pretty good picture of how he pulled it off.

[oldE]

I think I have told this story about an old friend who was a LEO.

One day, while off duty, he stopped at a crosswalk to allow an old fellow to get across. The old guy wasn't moving too fast, and within a few seconds another driver had pulled up behind Joe and started blowing his horn.
Joe got out of his car and started to walk back, telling the guy to lay off his horn, as the pedestrian had the right of way.

The fellow started cursing at Joe, rolling up his window and threatening to "call the fuch ing cops!"
To which Joe retorted, "I AM the fuch ing cops!"
The fellow did a U-turn on the street and drove around the block.

I am fortunate to live in a largely rural area and have become a lot more patient in the past few decades. Longer following distances, 'reading' another vehicle's movements to try to anticipate the driver's actions (have you ever noticed many folks will set up for a turn or exit from a highway about a couple hundred yards before their signal comes on?)

People are funny/stupid/rude/oblivious/courteous/distracted/in for a pile of hurt.
Pick as many as apply.
Be careful out there.
Les