Stop Honking at Me! and other Driving Woes

[VandVsmama]

My driving pet peeves:

• impatient drivers in the neighborhood who drive way faster than they should be
• (I live in AZ) In the cooler months of the year when the snow birds show up, many of them drive soooo slow. Like 10-20 mph slower than the speed limit.
• On the snow bird theme, when they suddenly come to almost a complete stop in the middle of the road for no particular reason.
• On the flip side of slow drivers, people on the freeway who tailgate me in the slow lane...when I'm going 80 mph in the 75 mph speed limit zone and they want to go 90 mph. GET IN THE FAST LANE, BUDDY!
• During a dust storm when you can't hardly see a dang thing and it's super dangerous to be driving fast in those conditions, people who drive like bats out of you know where.
• The rude driver who tried to pass me on the shoulder on the entrance ramp of the freeway this morning as we were attempting to get onto the freeway. He was not very nice. I was first. He was mad because I couldn't turn right onto the entrance ramp right away. Why? Because there was a bicyclist right there with not enough room for me to maneuver around without hitting the biker. The biker in a recumbent bike, so he was already hard to see. So Mr Rudey McRudepants wanted to gun it past me by booking it onto the shoulder. Idiot.

 

[Christine]

My biggest peeve is people not using their turn signal which seems to be practically everyone now

My car YELLS at me now if I don't use my turn signal AND attempts to keep me in my lane. While people might not like the interactive lane departure feature, I can say it has really improved my driving habits.

 

[smiths02]

At a four way stop one driver telling another to go when it is MY turn/right of way.

At a four way stop the person going north to south going but the person that should be going south to north waiting until they are through to go, when now it should be my turn to go.

People are so polite here at four way stops, they are telling me to go when it is their turn. I feel that if people just went when it was their turn, it would go much more smoothly.

 

[AustinTink]

If you drive on the shoulder for 2 seconds to make a turn in front of the police you will get a ticket here.

That's fine; but you won't be ticketed in Texas.

 

[AustinTink]

Who do you think is at fault if my light turns green or I make a right turn on red and you come up and take me out from the shoulder?

Not the scenario I was talking about at all. In Texas it is fully legal to pull into the shoulder to decelerate into a right turn. I posted the transportation code upthread. It is safer to do so and the state of Texas agrees.

 

[smiths02]

I really do try to be polite to people and do the "nice thing" in most situations -- but driving is one of those cases where things would go SO much better if everyone just followed the rules (and knew the rules). Even if you're trying to be "nice," bad things happen when people do unexpected things, so just do what you're supposed to do. And, for goodness sake, if you DON'T know the rules look it up. And if you think you're the ONLY one who knows the rules, go ahead and look it up before you go on social media to blast everyone else. (At worst, you'll have a source to cite to educate everyone else... and at best, you might find out that you were actually the one who's wrong before you look like a fool.)

Read yours after I posted. Totally agree with the polite thing.

 

[smiths02]

This is a HUGE problem for pedestrians. We always have people abruptly stop on the street and try to motion us to cross, but that driver has no idea if the oncoming car is also going to stop, if the car behind them is going to go around, or on 4 lane streets if the other lane next to them is going to stop. I k ow they think they are being helpful, but we are perfectly fine waiting until the street is clear and safe to cross and hate playing the “no really go” game with a driver who is holding up traffic.

Close to where I live, it is a problem for golf cart drivers as well as pedestrians.

 

[disneychrista]

People are so polite here at four way stops, they are telling me to go when it is their turn. I feel that if people just went when it was their turn, it would go much more smoothly.

I honestly don't think some drivers know when to go without someone telling them.

 

[PollyannaMom]

All of these:

I wish people would stop trying to force people to pull out when they don't feel it is safe to do so.

Yes! I will go as soon as I actually should. Honking at me will make me nervous, not more aggressive.

My pet peeve is people doing a right turn on red pulling right out in front of me when I'm turning on a green arrow. Right turn on red does NOT mean you get to as soon as you stop. It means you can go when traffic (with the right of way) clears.

This. So much this! At an intersection I go through almost every day.

People who pass school busses with their signs out...

There is a special place in ____ for these people.

I get annoyed with people who are overly nice while driving.

Driving works because there are rules and most people know and follow them.

When people yield when they are not supposed to to be nice or stop to let someone turn to be nice in my mind they are a driving nightmare because I don't know what other driving rules they are going to selectively follow and endanger all the drivers around them as a result.

Totally agree!

 

[TheFloatingBear]

Why???????? Why did your area not first talk to MA Traffic Planners????? We've gotten rid of most of our rotaries - at least wherever possible. They don't work so great.

Anyway my big peeve is drivers who do not stop drivers who do not come to a complete and full stop - especially at stop signs, and where you can turn right on red after stop. Not instead of.

Based on your posts in another thread, I might be wrong but I *think* we're MA neighbors...how about that new roundabout on Danvers Road? I have my doubts about how things will go when winter comes.

 

[Searc]

Lol I knew NJ was a keep right state, had no idea passing on the right was wrong, anyone who has ever driven on NJ highways knows it’s a complete free for all filled with a bunch of road rage and an unbelievable amount of speeding and lane changes. As for driving on the shoulder to exit, aren’t there exit lanes?

Passing on the right refers to passing on the shoulder, not the right driving lane.

 

[wgeo]

I agree with people just being aware of the rules and following them.

My son is learning to drive and I can't count the number of times I've told him that he has to constantly be watching out for other driver's because they might do something that he doesn't expect, while at the same time he needs to be careful to drive in a way that other's are expecting.

When he gets nervous he barely accelerates after a turn and he almost got rear ended. Tried to explain that it was both his fault and the driver behind him. Yes the driver behind him should have given him more space and paid better attention, but also my son shouldn't essentially stop/coast in the driving lane.

We live in snow bird land so the most common issue down here is people stopping in the middle of intersections.

 

[Moliphino]

Why???????? Why did your area not first talk to MA Traffic Planners????? We've gotten rid of most of our rotaries - at least wherever possible. They don't work so great.

I wish they'd get rid of the East Longmeadow rotary. Talk about a cluster. Seven roads come together and cars in the rotary don't have the right of way.

 

[Erzengel]

I'm not talking about people with disabilities or with large families but honestly, getting into your car, starting it and pulling out shouldn't take longer than launching the space shuttle.

 

[wgeo]

I'm not sure if this show is available on-line, but try googling Canada's Worst Driver. It's a reality show where people have to go to "bad driver rehab" for 14 days and actually learn how to drive safely, if that's even possible in each case. The participants sign a contract agreeing to surrender their licenses if the panel of experts (a professional driving instructor, two retired policemen and a chartered psychologist) do not agree they have improved enough to be safe. It's hilarious while at the same time bone-chilling. I've actually lost sleep worrying about driving on the same streets as some of the participants they've had from Calgary over the years.

I found Canada's Worse Driver on youtube - this show is like watching a train wreck. I'm gonna make my 15 year old watch it - they have so much good advice in it. Problem is it makes me afraid to get back on the road with the crazies!

 

[kaytieeldr]

The driveway person must wait. Grrrrrrrr.

I truly don't understand why people in homes on busy streets don't back in to their driveways, instead of pulling in.

If you (or your car) are incapable of doing the speed limit on the interstate, please take the back roads. It is dangerous to be putting along at 45mph on a 70mph interstate.

I was following my cousin's future MIL to some venue in Dallas. When we got there, she yelled at me for driving so slowly. I won't tailgate; I was waiting for her to speed up! Instead, we drove about 45 - in the far right lane.

On the snow bird theme, when they suddenly come to almost a complete stop in the middle of the road for no particular reason.

I did this once, in Las Vegas. I was watching not just the road directly in front of me, but ahead of that as well - watching for any potential issues. I saw the light turn red, so I stopped. But I wasn't at that light yet. "My" light was green. Lucky for me, the driver behind me was driving smart, and honked

 

[wvjules]

I drive on the DC Beltway every day. Every thing is a driving pet peeve of mine lately. lol

 

[kaytieeldr]

Based on your posts in another thread, I might be wrong but I *think* we're MA neighbors...how about that new roundabout on Danvers Road? I have my doubts about how things will go when winter comes.

Massachusetts, yes - but I'm not familiar with this roundabout. What city are you in? The newest one I've encountered (that works pretty good) is in Lynn at Federal Street and Western Ave. It's about three years old now.

 

[Eeyore daily]

I hate driving on US-19 because idiots will drive up to 20 mph UNDER the speed limit in the left hand lane while everyone in the other two or three lanes will pass them going 60.

The honking at a stop light to turn right has happened to me so often now I don't care and will just sit there even more. I'm not going until I feel safe enough to do so.

I got honked at for letting a pedestrian cross at a crosswalk when the light signaled them to do so. How awful of me.

 

[TheFloatingBear]

Massachusetts, yes - but I'm not familiar with this roundabout. What city are you in? The newest one I've encountered (that works pretty good) is in Lynn at Federal Street and Western Ave. It's about three years old now.

Yes, I know the one you're talking about - near the Market Basket. I'm in Swampscott. Sorry, it's actually on Swampscott Road, since Danvers Road changes to Swampscott Road when it crosses over the Salem line. It's right near the light at Highland Ave. Hopefully it will work, but it just seems small and there are so many huge trucks on that road because of the quarry.