Idiot Drivers

[Phaedrus2129]

So I'm driving home from class after taking my Chem final. I turn onto this one road that's really bumpy, and because of that the speed limit is 35mph, 25mph for trucks and buses. The signs (multiple, one ever 300 yards) even say so:

Speed Limit
35

25
Trucks
Buses

Like that. VERY obvious what it's talking about.

So anyway, the guy in front of me in his Expedition is doing 25mph. An Expedition is not a truck. It is also not a bus. It could be considered a poor imitation of both, but it isn't either. So he should be doing 35, but he's doing 25.

I deal with it for about a minute, then get fed up and speed up to go around him. I get up to about, oh, about 43mph--and a cop pulls out of a cross street and follows me.

wooooOOOOOOOooooop

I slow down, he gets behind me and makes it clear I'm the one he means. I pull over. Mr. Expedition promptly speeds up the 35mph, the ass.

Fortunately the cop wasn't in too bad a mood, and since I didn't have any other tickets on record and had my seatbelt on, license with me, registration in the car, brake tag, etc, he just gave me a warning with no citation.

Whooo, I think, that's enough hijinks for one day.



Two minutes later I almost get T-boned by some ***** talking on her cellphone when she tries to run a stop sign WHILE I'M TURNING THROUGH IT.

GOD.


I hate people.

[Nonmouse]

You do know that that's the maximum speed limit, no?  And that it's legal (if annoying) to drive slower than that- in most states you can be going 10 MPH slower than the posted limit without being considered to impede traffic.

Just sayin'...

[bhtooefr]

In Ohio, you can technically be cited for impeding traffic, if you're a motor vehicle going less than the speed limit, but at least half the speed limit, you're in a no passing zone (or, you're in a passing zone and/or going under half the speed limit, but it's unsafe to pass,) and there's somebody behind you that wants to go at least the speed limit.

[HaaTa]

In Japan, use their turn signals very very late. I've almost been hit a few times (on a bicycle, going very very fast), because they think they have lots of time to turn.

Last night for example, around 7:30 PM (dark in Japan), doing a downhill, going at least 45 km/h. I have the green light (it's called aoi, which is blue, but really the light is green), so I don't slow down (been braking for a good 10 minutes on the downhill, so my hands need some rest).
I'm about 10 meters from the stop line, and the guy who I thought was going straight (currently at the stop line) turns on is right blinker (they drive on the left here) and turns right in front of me, not pausing, even slightly before turning.

He definitely saw me too, because he sped up a lot for the turn.


Oh and those of you who don't turn off your high beams when facing opposing traffic. You deserve to die a slow and horrible death.

[Rajagra]

Some people shouldn't be allowed to walk down a street, let alone drive a vehicle.  Sadly, traffic enforcement here nowadays is so focused on using speed cameras to raise revenue that there is very little effort put in to getting the truly awful drivers off the road. Anything that hasn't been reduced to a technical offence to allow easy conviction is likely to be ignored by the police, or at most a verbal warning will be given.

[Nonmouse]

In Japan, use their turn signals very very late.

Turn signals?  I've heard of these mythological beasties- around here they're rarely, if ever used- and even less so for signaling lane changes.  The usual Boston sequence is "change lane, then look, then  (optional and rare) turn on signal".  Part of that undoubtedly comes from the fact that people view a lane change signal as an invitation to speed up and cut you off.  I still signal, but much later than I used to when I drove in somewhat more civilized cities...

[ricercar]

Aaah the North of France. Pittoresque little place. That's where the geekhack keys will arrive last.

Keyless in California. I'm in pain. Maybe I should move to France.

[Nonmouse]

Boston roundabouts.

Reminded me of this.

Those pussies'd never survive a Boston roundabout.

[Phaedrus2129]

Those pussies'd never survive a Boston roundabout.

Yeah, a sword and spear don't do jack when there's an ******* in an H2 chargin' at ya'.

[InSanCen]

I love being on the road. My last trip was to Faro, Portugal via Germany. Autobahns rock, and were the sole reason for the detour. Sensible driving, they know something may well be tearing up the fast lane at 150MPH+, and drive accordingly. They move over when they see you. That time was on a borrowed bike from a friend which had a throttle that thought it was an on/off switch (400+ at the rear wheel), and it's certainly in my top 10 "Things I have done". Next time it will be on a trike I am planning to build... V12, 6.0L, twin turbo's, and an MPG measured in single digits when you twist the happy grip :-)

Now, if you removed the 70 limit in the UK, carnage would ensue, we have no idea how to drive sensibly. People insist in driving in the fast lane with 1 or 2 clear lanes inside of them.

[Half-Saint]

What I hate is people who:
- drive with their fog lights always on
- don't turn off their high-beams
- turn on the blinker just before they make the turn
- talk on their mobile while driving (get a BT headset ffs)
- overtake you on the right
- drive right behind my ass with no safety distance while I'm overtaking a truck @ 140km/h

[InSanCen]

I tend to think about it as inside/outside rather than left/right.

I've driven/ridden over a fair portion of Western Europe, and in the US as well. I know that the UK is in the minority with regards to what side it drives on.

WRT annoying drivers, I find that keeping pace up to a junction/roundabout and then a swift boot to the mirror works wonders. I reserve this for the ones that nearly manage to kill me though, and it only works on bikes. I would pay to see someone pull it off in a car though.

[Rajagra]

My pet hate when I was a biker was the gits who pull out from side roads as you approach. They lie when they say they don't see you. Easy way to prove it is to speed up and aim directly at the driver's door. They slam on the brakes instantly when they realise they can't intimidate you.

[bhtooefr]

Here, overtaking on the right is inevitable - someone will hog the left lane, so how else do you pass?

My general rule is, stay as far right as I can without interfering with traffic flows merging in, or getting in an exit only lane. Pass on the left, unless I need to be to the right of the car I'm passing for some other reason, or it's impractical to pass on the left.

[Rajagra]

I like the phrase "undertaking" for describing passing someone on the wrong side. Acts as a good reminder of the possible consequences. But yes, some idiots make it necessary by staying in the overtaking lane for no reason.

[bhtooefr]

Was the UK bit a typo?

Anyway, IIRC, there are some states that make passing on the right technically illegal, but speeding tickets are more profitable, so you'll pretty much never get busted for passing on the right. It's certainly legal in Ohio.

A couple states do hand out tickets for left lane hogging, but that's rare. Ohio even has signs in cities saying "THROUGH TRAFFIC KEEP LEFT," which causes left lane hogging, when they really mean "THROUGH TRAFFIC STAY OUT OF THE FAR RIGHT LANE, BUT OTHERWISE KEEP RIGHT."

[InSanCen]

According to your GEO code, you are in the UK, so you're doing something wrong on the far right I think overtaking on the right is perfectly legal in the US? I guess if there is space and people know to watch when going to the right, it is no problem.

I think it varies from state to state in the US

In the UK, it will get you points on your license pretty sharpish (As I found out, despite the other driver ultimately getting banned for Dangerous Driving). They were happy that I was doing it purely to avoid a rather agressive driver, but slapped me with them anyway... sigh...
If you are overtaking on the Right in the UK, you're doing it correctly.

[bhtooefr]

Ahh. Grid locators aren't UK post codes. (Besides, I thought the correct format for that particular post code would be EN8 0SB, not EN80sb. I should probably change the location to a more human-readable format now, though.)

[D-EJ915]

In the US there really is no overtake lane lol, it's just another lane ...

[HaaTa]

In Canada, unless in high traffic, you should always be in the right lane. The left lane is for passing only. Not really enforced though.

[kishy]

On a highway, yes. Important to distinguish that for city driving or just major roads in general all lanes are fair game except turn lanes, unless you're one of those douchebags who goes straight through an intersection from a turn lane.

Edit: but come to think of it, isn't it true that at least a lot of "the other part of the world", with the exception of ridiculously densely populated areas, only has one lane for each direction? Multilane roads are pretty much a standard here.

[JBert]

Riding a bike is easy in the Netherlands, you just go into Suicide Mode. Red lights? That's because the law here states that if a car hits a bike the car is guilty by default. The car drivers are very careful regarding bicyclists.

That would make bikes the Holy cows of the Netherlands.
Didn't know they were that strict.

[Rajagra]

Riding a bike is easy in the Netherlands, you just go into Suicide Mode. Red lights? That's because the law here states that if a car hits a bike the car is guilty by default. The car drivers are very careful regarding bicyclists.

I would be very careful to get a clean kill and getaway.

Motorist-hating laws like that make me sick. Any law that twists reality to support favouritism makes me sick.

[JaccoW]

That would make bikes the Holy cows of the Netherlands.
Didn't know they were that strict.

They're not. It used to be the law that the car was always wrong, but I believe that has changed slightly. It's a bit the same for pedestrians too.
The weaker party is protected unless it is proven that they were acting dangerously.
I for one stop at red lights when on a bike, but I also just race through the city so I'll overtake anyone running a red light anyway.
Then again, I keep right and overtake at the maximum legal speed when driving a car. Unless I'm driving in France, then it's just dangerous.

What a change that was when walking in Singapore. I crossed the street and the cars won't stop. They'll honk and run you over.

Italy is the contrary. You can wait at a pedestraian crossing without anyone stopping, but if you just cross a busy street everyone stops. Try it, it's fun.
They are however one of the most dangerous drivers of Europe though (IMHO). Overtaking on an uphill corner with trees without even being able to see if anyone is coming from the other side at 80km/h.

[Half-Saint]

Wow, great magazine cover!

[kriminal]

In the US there really is no overtake lane lol, it's just another lane ...

wuts an overtake lane?  Oo

[keyb_gr]

I always thought Germans had no sense of humor.

Errare humanum est.

(Seems like the Greek didn't find it that funny though.)

[D-EJ915]

wuts an overtake lane?  Oo

err fast lane lol

[Rajagra]

You mean the bus lane!

I bet the UK is the only place in the world where the government hates its cash-cow motorists so much that it reserves the fast/overtaking lane on a motorway (M4) for buses.

[InSanCen]

You mean the bus lane!

I bet the UK is the only place in the world where the government hates its cash-cow motorists so much that it reserves the fast/overtaking lane on a motorway (M4) for buses.

It works for me, I can get some silly speeds down that lane (erm... 60, officer, if you are reading this). At the time, camera's were front facing though, not been there for a while, this may have changed according to a friend.

[volvo244t]

You mean the bus lane!

I bet the UK is the only place in the world where the government hates its cash-cow motorists so much that it reserves the fast/overtaking lane on a motorway (M4) for buses.

South Korea does the same thing.