Driving: Pet Peeve

[OceanAnnie]

Why do people that are making a turn, steer in the opposite direction prior to making the turn??? I've seen people in all size vehicles do this. Sometimes they come into the next lane or dangerously close. I don't get it. Ugh.

 

[kaytieeldr]

Stupidity?
Because they can?
Because despite the VAST reduction in turning radius over the decades, some drivers stil think they 'need' a lot of space to make a typical turn?
Genuinely poor perception?
But, really - it's because they own the road and the rest of us better just get out of the way!


warning: driving peeve threads tend to get "heated"

 

[GRUMPY PIRATE]

more than likely to get a better turning radius. most people driving large trucks/suvs have to be mindful when making turns.

and its habit.

I catch myself doing that when driving my weekend sports car after driving the SUV during the week.

 

[Maridw]

I notice it more in people driving trucks, large suvs and larger cars, than those driving smaller vehicles. It seems like they think they need the extra room to make the turn.

Sometimes its because they just don't know how to handle the larger vehicle.

Here's another question:
Why do people making left turns feel the need to cut the turn close by cutting off part of the opposite direction lane? Especially if there is a middle or left turn lane. I was getting into a left turn lane at a light and people coming from one of the side streets, making left turns onto the street I was on, were coming into my lane. I was almost clipped by about 3 people and I was the one getting the dirty looks.

 

[MushyMushy]

When I was learning to drive, my dad used to hammer that home with me all the time. He drove all kinds of vehicles: dump trucks, cement mixers, hauling trucks, antique cars... and was always conscious of not swinging wide for turns. Now that he's elderly and drives a compact pickup truck, what does he do? Yup, swings wide for turns.

 

[SaraJayne]

I notice it more in people driving trucks, large suvs and larger cars, than those driving smaller vehicles. It seems like they think they need the extra room to make the turn.

Sometimes its because they just don't know how to handle the larger vehicle.

Here's another question:
Why do people making left turns feel the need to cut the turn close by cutting off part of the opposite direction lane? Especially if there is a middle or left turn lane. I was getting into a left turn lane at a light and people coming from one of the side streets, making left turns onto the street I was on, were coming into my lane. I was almost clipped by about 3 people and I was the one getting the dirty looks.

If people were almost hitting you, your vehicle was too far out into the intersection.

 

[Lintasare]

If people were almost hitting you, your vehicle was too far out into the intersection.

Not necessarily. I have seen people make turns short and nearly missing cars fully in the turn lane and not in the intersection.

 

[LilyWDW]

Not necessarily. I have seen people make turns short and nearly missing cars fully in the turn lane and not in the intersection.

If I am sitting behind the line, there is no reason for me to wonder and fear if someone turning left is going to clip me... yet there have been multiple times that this has happened. I end up sucking in my gut as if that is going to help

There is only one place where I swing out to turn right and that is into my way too narrow driveway. However, I live on a two lane road and will always make sure there is no oncoming traffic before I do so.

And if you can't drive a big vehicle well enough to stay in your own lane, either turning off, turning on, or simply driving down the road, then you should get something smaller. Same goes with parking.

 

[SaraJayne]

Not necessarily. I have seen people make turns short and nearly missing cars fully in the turn lane and not in the intersection.

Do other places not have cement barriers/boulevards at intersections where there is a designated left hand turn lane?

Around here, most of our left hand turn lanes are like that, so if someone cuts the corner too short, they end up either in the curb of the boulevard or taking out a stoplight.

But if people do not have that in their area, I can see how it would be nerve-wracking sitting at a light (behind the line) and hoping cars don't hit you.

 

[golfgal]

more than likely to get a better turning radius. most people driving large trucks/suvs have to be mindful when making turns.

and its habit.

I catch myself doing that when driving my weekend sports car after driving the SUV during the week.

Unless you are driving a semi you shouldn't need to do this. If you do, you are taking turns too fast.

 

[daughter_of_amid_chaos]

Do other places not have cement barriers/boulevards at intersections where there is a designated left hand turn lane?

Around here, most of our left hand turn lanes are like that, so if someone cuts the corner too short, they end up either in the curb of the boulevard or taking out a stoplight.

But if people do not have that in their area, I can see how it would be nerve-wracking sitting at a light (behind the line) and hoping cars don't hit you.

This is definitely not common in New England.

 

[luvflorida]

Because they can?

This is the best answer so far!

Seriously, I know what you mean, OP, and it is annoying.

 

[Nancy]

Do other places not have cement barriers/boulevards at intersections where there is a designated left hand turn lane?

Around here, most of our left hand turn lanes are like that, so if someone cuts the corner too short, they end up either in the curb of the boulevard or taking out a stoplight.

But if people do not have that in their area, I can see how it would be nerve-wracking sitting at a light (behind the line) and hoping cars don't hit you.

Most of ours do not have those..some do but they are few and far between.

I drive a mini van..the only time I need to swing out is pulling into a parking spot between 2 cars or when I need to get into my driveway and someone has parked in the street way to close to it.

 

[Lou Holtz]

I hate it when people don't realize that the point of a turn signal is to signal that you are SLOWING DOWN to turn, not just that you are turning. Way too high of a percentage of people slow down completely and then hit the turn signal right as they are turning. You are supposed to put your turn signal on BEFORE you brake for the turn.

 

[torinsmom]

At my exit from the interstate, people are always pulled up way beyond the line they are supposed to stop at, and it really slows down the left turning traffic(2 lane road on a bridge) I always wonder if anyone has told them what that line is for? It is quite a ways before the stoplight, so maybe they don't get that people(especially tractor trailers) need some room to turn.

Marsha

 

[SandrA9810]

my aunt hounds into me when i'm driving her to stop well before the fat stop line. Apparently it's been on the news more than once for cops to pull people over for being too far forward of the line.

I am not one to stop on some one's back bumper. I just have a tendency to leave 1/2 car space or more between cars. Why do people feel the need to squeeze into that space in front of me??? Seriously, we're all sitting at the light together.

In miami and orlando, it was about half and half with the curb in the middle. But yeah, i do that same gut sucking when some one gets too close. And sitting in another direction, i've seen people wind up in the left turn lane almost entirely to make their turn. Is it really that hard to follow the little dotted line to make sure you end up where you need to be??

Although i've got a funny/stupid moment/scary story.
At the 535-536 intersection (the road that leads into Epcot...), massive intersection, and the left turn for 536 east bound goes last, rather than first. So the left turn lane was empty. I was sitting in the far left turn lane on 535 to go west on 536. It was raining, and I didn't have the AC on cause it was too cold for that, and too hot for the fogger, typical miserable raining night in florida... I didn't pay attention to the fact that my window was getting really foggy when the light turned green and i needed to go, so i decided to follow the car next to me, to make sure i wound up in the correct lane. They cut their turn really short, and i wound up in the left turn lane of oncoming traffic. OOOOPPPPSSSS.... Thankfully it's a grass barrier, took a look in my mirrors and swung over. Really really stupid on my part, until i realized the car behind me followed me as well and had to cut over too. Then i busted out laughing.

People do stupid things all the time on roads. Just cause the car in front of you does something, doesn't mean you should follow. You should always be mindful of yourself and controlling your vehicle. And if they swerve to miss something in the road, you should be far enough behind to see the object to act accordingly. Not as monkey see, monkey do.

 

[kaytieeldr]

I hate it when people don't realize that the point of a turn signal is to signal that you are SLOWING DOWN to turn, not just that you are turning. Way too high of a percentage of people slow down completely and then hit the turn signal right as they are turning. You are supposed to put your turn signal on BEFORE you brake for the turn.

Oh, no! DON'T get me started on turn signals!

 

[OceanAnnie]

my aunt hounds into me when i'm driving her to stop well before the fat stop line. Apparently it's been on the news more than once for cops to pull people over for being too far forward of the line.

I am not one to stop on some one's back bumper. I just have a tendency to leave 1/2 car space or more between cars. Why do people feel the need to squeeze into that space in front of me??? Seriously, we're all sitting at the light together.

In miami and orlando, it was about half and half with the curb in the middle. But yeah, i do that same gut sucking when some one gets too close. And sitting in another direction, i've seen people wind up in the left turn lane almost entirely to make their turn. Is it really that hard to follow the little dotted line to make sure you end up where you need to be??

Although i've got a funny/stupid moment/scary story.
At the 535-536 intersection (the road that leads into Epcot...), massive intersection, and the left turn for 536 east bound goes last, rather than first. So the left turn lane was empty. I was sitting in the far left turn lane on 535 to go west on 536. It was raining, and I didn't have the AC on cause it was too cold for that, and too hot for the fogger, typical miserable raining night in florida... I didn't pay attention to the fact that my window was getting really foggy when the light turned green and i needed to go, so i decided to follow the car next to me, to make sure i wound up in the correct lane. They cut their turn really short, and i wound up in the left turn lane of oncoming traffic. OOOOPPPPSSSS.... Thankfully it's a grass barrier, took a look in my mirrors and swung over. Really really stupid on my part, until i realized the car behind me followed me as well and had to cut over too. Then i busted out laughing.

People do stupid things all the time on roads. Just cause the car in front of you does something, doesn't mean you should follow. You should always be mindful of yourself and controlling your vehicle. And if they swerve to miss something in the road, you should be far enough behind to see the object to act accordingly. Not as monkey see, monkey do.

Oh my gosh! That's another pet peeve of mine! That's happened to me a few times too. Even driving, same thing. I have some space between the car ahead of me. Inevitably, someone will try to squeeze in front of me. It's nuts! All the room in the world behind me, or to the side, but that little space in front of me looks better. Bugs me. And 9 times out of 10 it's not even a turn thing.

I had one looney tune whip around me real quick to get in front of me the other day. There was a back up at a stop light and it went to an intersection that crossed into a neighborhood. I didn't block it. There was no where to go anyway. There were a few cars that turned through it. While the light was still red and no where to go still, this whiz behind me, got impatient that there was space in front of me, so he pulled out and around me, blocking the passage. One of the few times I laid on the horn for a real long time. Once the light changed he changed lanes and zoomed off. I guess he wanted to get away from the crazy horn blower.

Driving anywhere can be a trip in more ways than one.

 

[torinsmom]

Oh my gosh! That's another pet peeve of mine! That's happened to me a few times too. Even driving, same thing. I have some space between the car ahead of me. Inevitably, someone will try to squeeze in front of me. It's nuts! All the room in the world behind me, or to the side, but that little space in front of me looks better. Bugs me. And 9 times out of 10 it's not even a turn thing.

I had one looney tune whip around me real quick to get in front of me the other day. There was a back up at a stop light and it went to an intersection that crossed into a neighborhood. I didn't block it. There was no where to go anyway. There were a few cars that turned through it. While the light was still red and no where to go still, this whiz behind me, got impatient that there was space in front of me, so he pulled out and around me, blocking the passage. One of the few times I laid on the horn for a real long time. Once the light changed he changed lanes and zoomed off. I guess he wanted to get away from the crazy horn blower.

Driving anywhere can be a trip in more ways than one.

I had a wreck on the freeway because someone did this. I always leave at least 2 car lengths between my car and the one in front of me when I am on a high-speed road like an interstate or freeway. I was in the left lane and this idiot decided to cut into the space I left. The person in front of him(who had been in front of me) hit her brakes, so he decided to cut back over to the right lane and clipped her bumper as he did so. Of course, then she DID slam on her brakes and there was no way for me to stop in time. I did manage to slow down from 60 to around 20(according to the damage), but because I hit her from behind, it was my fault, as well as the guy who clipped her bumper. Made me mad because I would have had time to stop if he hadn't squeezed in between us.

 

[61292cna]

I saw a really good one the other day! We have an intersection here where they cut the turn so short that unless you are 3 car lengths back you will get hit!!! So this guy comes barreling around this corner & hits a cop that was just getting into the left turn lane, but the best part was that he then tried to tell the cop that the cop was the one at fault!!! There is no accounting for some people.