Road Rage: Vent Here

[crowschmo]

You know how everyone but you just sucks at driving? And only you never make mistakes? Isn't it just maddening? Grrr.

Put down here whatever gets your goat when those "others" are on the road.

(As George Carlin once said: "Everyone who drives slower than you is an a$$hole, and everyone who drives faster than you is a MANIAC!!)

I put up in Phantom's Complaint Bar and Grill already: Those people who don't know what a friggin' TURN LANE is for and they just block traffic and sit there in a driving lane!! I mean, WTF?!!

I'll add people who pull into a parking lot and start going on their phone immediately as they're driving in and slow down and swerve and stuff. I mean, HELLO?! You're going into a PARKING LOT!! Just wait until you've stopped before you take out your phone!! Is this rocket science?!! Or, they start getting out their phone when they're LEAVING the parking lot. (??!!) You were just IN A PARKING LOT!! Stay where you are and go on the phone! Why are you going on the phone NOW as you start to leave and are DRIVING!!

Or those people who go into the parking lot and pull over to the side a bit near the entrance or exit of the parking lot, or some side area. WHAT?!!! Or, they take up, like, THREE PARKING SPOTS perpendicularly. ARE YOU SERIOUS RIGHT NOW?!!! Just PULL INTO A SPOT YOU DWEEB!!!

Breathe in...breathe out...

Okay. I have plenty more that I'll be getting into, but I'll let others voice their pet peeves as I'm sure others will probably say a lot of the other things I'm thinking of.

[crowschmo]

I hate when you're leaving a parking lot and there are exit lanes, one for people turning right and another for people turning left - and the people turning left, even though they CAN'T GO YET because there are cars coming, keep inching up and block your line of sight (when you're turning right) so you can't see what cars are coming, even though they know they still have to sit there and wait because THEY can see that there are cars coming from the right and they can't turn left yet. (Especially if you're turning right AND you got there first to boot). Let people SEE! You don't have to inch up like that if you can clearly see people are coming and you know you have to wait, and you can clearly see that someone turning right is trying to see oncoming traffic.

Also: White lines on the pavement in a parking lot are the same as stop signs, and YES, YOU DO HAVE TO STOP.

I also hate people in parking lots who are cutting across the parking lanes while you're driving in the driving lanes and they just cut you off and think they can just drive like a maniac in a parking lot.

[mylungswereaching]

My rant is when I used to drive to NH. Route 16 in NH is a 55 mph one lane mountain road with passing lanes every ten or 15 miles. It seldom goes in a straight line for more than a mile or two. Steep uphills and downhills all of them on a curve. I used to drive the mountains in New Hampshire in the middle of winter. So I'm driving in a blinding snowstorm at around 35 mph because you couldn't see more than 75 feet in front of you. A car tailgated me for miles trying to pass but there was too much traffic going the other way and too much snow on the ground. Finally we got to a point where the road changes to 4 lanes for a mile to allow for passing. The guy roars past me going about 70 mph for about a quarter of a mile and then slows down, and slows down, and slows down. Now that he's in front he realizes you can't see anything. He ends up slowing down to about 15 mph. So, I was willing to drive at 35 mph but the guy who was tailgating me won't drive faster than 15 mph. We go this way for the next 15 miles or so when the road changes to four lanes again. I pass him and start driving 35 mph. He immediately forgets about the fact that he couldn't see and starts tailgating me and trying to pass. 15 more miles, he passes me and instantly slows to 15 mph again. We went back and forth like this for 3 1/2 hours.

Another case a few years later just like this on the same road. Guy tailgates me in a blinding snowstorm because he wants to drive 70 mph on a winding, steep, mountain road. I let him go past me and waive bye bye. Twenty minutes later there's flashing lights. As I drive slowly by I can see the same car off the road in a ditch standing almost straight up on its nose. There's a guy on the side of the road screaming and waiving his arms around like its the cops fault he totaled his car by driving 40 or 50 mph too fast on a winding mountain road.

There are always bad drivers but I really don't want to be near a suicide prone driver.

[crowschmo]

^^^^^ OOh, I hear ya on that. That happened to me to a degree. I wasn't on a mountain road or anything, but I was just driving cautiously on an icy road while it was snowing. The idiot guy behind me drives up my a$$, I could hear him gunning the engine, getting all frustrated at my "stupid wuss driving" (I'm assuming he's thinking). There was no passing, this was just a side road, but he sped passed me anyway illegally - and immediately skidded and swerved and almost crashed into the curb. Then HE started driving slower. (Edit: Actually, I remembered that wrong. He actually DID spin out and hit the curb. I drove by him like, "HA ha" - THEN he drove slower behind me). I could guess he was thinking "OH, that's why she was driving slow. Me get it now."

Jackass.

[crowschmo]

Okay, this JUST happened 10 minutes ago as I was driving home. There's a SCHOOL BUS - with me so far? - The lights are flashing, the stop sign is extended, there is a LINE OF CARS stopped for it. The asshat behind me starts BEEPING (?!) I can see him in my rear view mirror shaking his head. Bubba, are you telling me you don't know the proper laws regarding a SCHOOL BUS??!! Complete. Total. Moron.

[crowschmo]

The turn lanes again: When there is more than one turn lane at an intersection, like say for people turning left, and some moron is in the extreme left lane and you are in the middle left lane, then when you turn, they just CUT YOU OFF because apparently they don't get the concept of two left turn lanes and they think they had to be in the extreme left lane to turn, but now they need to be in the right lane. Just turn in the damn lane you need to be in.

I really hate when I see people driving with their pets and they have their dog in the front seat with them, SITTING ON THEIR LAP, with the dog looking out the window. If that person stops short and crashes, that poor animal is going to be smashed between it's owner and the air bag (or steering wheel). People like that need their heads examined.

[sol-survivor]

I could rant for days on this, and I probably will. I am not the world's greatest driver. In fact, I hate to drive and wouldn't if I didn't have to. I am one of those who will poke along in the snow. Sometimes I probably could go faster, but my car is a lightweight and getting up to around 40 or so will make it want to start fishtailing, even when I had brand new tires. If I go a little slower it doesn't. I would rather not be sliding around if I can help it. I was once in an accident in the snow that was not my fault, so that definitely affects my winter driving, whether it be snow or ice. At least I have never ended up in a ditch because I was going too fast.

A certain traffic light I have to go through is ridiculous. Two lane turning lanes for pretty much the busiest intersection in the city and the green light will turn yellow before one car has a chance to get halfway around the corner. A semi truck, and there are a lot of them going through that light, has no chance. Then people keep on turning through the red light. Needless to say, there are a lot of accidents at that intersection. If they had the turning arrows stay green for longer than 4 seconds for a line of traffic maybe people wouldn't get so impatient.

One other thing about that same intersection, which I have to go through on my way home from work. There is another traffic light you come to about a block after you manage to turn on the short green. One warm summer night I was the only one in the right left turning lane, and there was another car in the left left turning lane. This car had another car behind it. We all made it through the turning arrow, somehow, and got about halfway to the next light when that light turned yellow. There was no way to get through that light before it turned red, so I started slowing down. The other car, however, sped up and went through that light after it turned red. Little did either of us know that the car behind him was a police car. As soon as that car went through the red light, on came the flashing lights and the siren. The police car was right next to me on my left at the time. I had my window down and when that siren came on it definitely got my attention. And the red light runner knew he was caught. I passed them both by the side of the road when the light went green. Made me happy.

I agree about the dogs in the car. People just don't think about potential consequences. I was once behind a pickup truck in the winter, and it was snowing a wet snow, just enough to make things wet and sloppy. There was a dog in the back of the pickup, out in the open and looking absolutely cold and miserable. It looked like it was tied up on a short leash. That made me mad enough, but then that truck got on the interstate, and that made me furious. If I had had a way to report it I probably would have, but this was in the pre-everyone-has-a-cellphone days. Geez, people, if you want to have a dog in the back of your truck at least have it in a crate for protection from the elements.

[crowschmo]

^^^^^That poor dog. I hate people sometimes.

I had a similar experience to yours that was very satisfying. I was at an intersection at a red light with one car in front of me in the left turn/straight lane. The woman in front of me was getting impatient at the light and kept inching forward. I was thinking, "Geez, just stay still you idiot." Then she just WENT LEFT ON RED. Moron. She didn't notice that two cars back in the right turn lane there was a cop. He just pulled out and pulled her over.

I was like, "YESSS!!!! Justice!!!"

[sol-survivor]

Yes, sometimes justice prevails.

Drive-thru lines are sometimes teeth-clenching, too. Don't know how many of you have heard of a fast-food place called Culvers, but I go to a local one, um, frequently. Since they don't make your food until you order once you pay at the window you pull forward to wait. At the one I go to, and presumably at least most of the others, there is a yellow line painted for people to pull up to and wait, leaving plenty of room behind for others to pull forward or get out of line to leave if they get their order first. Too often some, shall we say, thoughtless person will pull forward maybe half a car length instead of to the yellow line and just sit there. This makes it impossible for anyone else to pull up to the window. Clueless doesn't notice the line getting longer behind him or her until someone blows their horn or a worker from inside comes out and asks them to pull ahead. And another dog story from this same restaurant. I was once pulled up in line behind a motorcycle. This guy had a plastic milk crate fastened with bungee cords to the back fender. There was a small dog in the crate on a leash, which was attached to the crate. The guy had the dog out of the crate and was holding and talking to it while he waited, and once he got his food he put the dog back in the crate and took off. This dog at least looked happier than the other dog. Maybe it thought it was going to share a ButterBurger.

[sol-survivor]

Just saw another idiot about an hour ago. I was just about to get into a left turn lane, and there was another car in front of me in that lane. The turning arrow was red. Before I got up to that car, the driver decided he or she would rather go straight ahead. Well, the turning arrow and straight ahead signal were both still red, but that didn't stop the driver. He or she went right through the cross traffic, causing some other drivers to slam on the brakes. No one got hit, thank goodness, but what an idiot. There are lots of accidents at that intersection, and I was lucky I didn't witness one right there. Too bad there wasn't a police car in the area this time.

[crowschmo]

As long as we are on turn lanes: How about when you are at a light and there is a left turn only lane going into a shopping plaza parking lot, say. There is an idiot in that lane, and you are in the middle (or right lane if there are only two lanes) and as you drive past the light you need to get into a left lane that's past the light. But the jackass that was in the LEFT TURN ONLY LANE wasn't turning left at that particular spot, but wanted to turn left further on up the road apiece and cuts you off or beeps at you as you want to change lanes, even though they were supposed to be in the middle or right lane themselves until they got to the ACTUAL turn lane they needed to be in. Dim-bulbs. Yeah, no one is expecting you to go straight when you are in that left turn only lane, dickweed.

And you want to talk TOTAL ASSHAT? I was once driving down a road with two lanes going in the direction I was going. I was in the left lane. Already IN the left lane. Was driving for quite a few miles IN THE LEFT LANE. The jerkwad in the right lane wanted to change lanes and was on the side of me, slightly ahead, and had the nerve to BEEP HIS HORN at me, someone who was ALREADY IN the lane he wanted to change over to, for having the audacity to, I don't know, not come to a screeching halt because he wanted to get in the lane? People changing lanes are the ones who have to wait for traffic already in that lane to get past them. There wasn't anyone behind me for quite a bit. He only had to wait until I went by to very neatly get in that lane. One doesn't change lanes if other people are coming, that's not how that works, people. It's not like he was already changing over and I was speeding up to crash into him. He hadn't changed over yet when I went by, then he beeped as he changed over behind me.

And as long as we're on drive-thrus: Drive-thrus, I believe, should be for quick, simple orders only. I get it if people have trouble walking or something and don't want to get out of their cars, but drive-thrus shouldn't be for half-hour long orders. Go in the stinking restaurant if you want to dictate a novel. Don't leave a long line of cars sitting there for two years 'cause you don't want to get off your ass.

[mylungswereaching]

Another one I remember is when the streets were flooded. I had to drive through about 8 inches of water to get to my house. There wasn't a way to go around. It was high enough that it almost reached the bottom of my door. From what I've heard, the best way to drive through water is to go through it slow and steadily. So I go into the water about a half a block behind someone else. When I got near them they slowed to a stop. I stopped. But after a few minutes I assumed that they were stalled so I slowly tried to go around them. They waited until I was near them and drove quickly away which started a big wave that swamped my car and stalled me out. They drove off laughing at me.

[sol-survivor]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but aren't bicyclists supposed to follow the same rules of the road that cars do? I can't count the number of times I've seen a bike go right on through red lights and stop signs without even slowing down. I don't think a helmet is going to help much if a car can't stop for one of them. And people walking through parking lots so often stupidly just walk right in front of a moving car. They don't even look both ways when they step into the parking lot and seem to think a car will automatically be able to stop and wait for them to stroll on by. Or they see you waiting for them to get out of the way and deliberately take their sweet time while smirking at you. And some morons still don't put their carts in the cart corrals or take them back into the store and just leave them blocking a parking spot.

[mylungswereaching]

The rules for bicycles depend on the state. But for the most part they have to obey the rules of the road. As far as I know, they can't go through red lights anywhere.

There are many a tombstones that should say, "Here lies Mr. Jones. He had the right of way."

If there are cart corrals to put the carts in, or the cart corral has space in it. Some people have an excuse, elderly, disabled, or people with small children. When my kids were toddlers, I'd feel uncomfortable leaving them in the car alone while I walked the cart 200 feet to take it back to the store or the nearest cart corral.

Elderly crossing the road scares me sometimes. The light can change from red to green and back to red about 3 times before they can cross the street.

[sol-survivor]

It's not the people who have physical or other issues I was talking about. It's the ones who are thoughtless or deliberately cause problems for other people.

Cart corrals can cause problems, too. Several years ago I was in a large store (OK, Wal Mart). It was a very windy day with pretty much gale-force winds. There was an announcement made where several license plate numbers were listed. Mine was not one of them. The owners were asked to come to the front of the store. Turned out the high winds had ripped a full cart corral from its mooring and blown it across the parking lot into some of the parked cars, causing lots of damage. Yikes. I can imagine how a person could have been hurt if they had been in the path of it. Double yikes.

I live in a different town than I work in, 2nd shift, so most of the year I'm going home in the dark. The stretch of highway I have to take was known as one of the most dangerous stretches of road in the state. One night I was driving home from work in a really heavy, dense fog, the kind where you can hardly see past the hood of your car. Naturally I was going slower than the speed limit because I couldn't see where I was going. At the time this highway was two lanes, and has since been enlarged to four. A semi truck came up behind me and was following me really closely. Seriously, I almost could have been towing it. His headlights made it even harder for me to see through the fog. I don't know why he was following me so closely. Even with two lanes and poor visibility he probably could have passed me, but he didn't. If I had had to stop suddenly my car would have been crushed with me in it. I started going faster than I was comfortable with in such poor visibility, but he stayed right behind me. Finally, I got close to my town. I started signaling a turn about a quarter mile before I really had to. Only then did the semi back off. I know they have schedules to maintain, but that was ridiculous.

I said that stretch of highway used to be more dangerous than it is now. One afternoon I was driving home from the grocery store with my mother, broad daylight with dry pavement. We had no problems coming home although there was a lot of traffic going both ways. This was still before the highway was widened. Mom had a police scanner, and when we got home there was a call on there for a fatal accident on that highway, right after I passed through that area. A car going south had crossed the center line just over the crest of a hill and slammed into a northbound car carrying a mother and son, killing both of them. I don't remember if the driver at fault was killed or if he had some sort of physical issue that cause him to cross the line. I had gone over that hill seconds before the accident. Couldn't see what had happened in my rear view mirror because of that hill. That accident easily could have been my mother and me. I would have gone by that car just seconds before it crossed the line.